2KINGS 1:
Yesterday we heard stories which show that King Ahab indeed “sold himself to evil,” including the story of Naboth's vineyard. And also we heard of Ahab's friendship with King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Finally, we heard how the prophecies against Ahab were fulfilled.

PSALM 123:
This psalm has an important similarity with Ps. 121 which said,

Ps. 121:1 NLT I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!

Today’s psalm tells us how to ‘look’.

JOHN 10b:
In John 9, with the formerly blind man standing there, Jesus said,

9:39 NLT “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

I think the formerly blind man would have been greatly comforted to find out that the Son of Man was now his shepherd and the gate for the sheep. John 10:10 is a frequently memorized verse because of Jesus’ promise: Life in all its fullness.

GNT Translation note:

John 10:38 Again there was a division among the people because of these words. We know that what the scripture says is true forever; and God called those people gods, the people to whom his message was given. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, you should at least believe my deeds, in order that you may know once and for all that the Father is [united with//in] me and that I am [united with//in] the Father.”

1KINGS 21-22:
What a cruel surprise it must have been for Elijah to bring about such an irrefutable display of God's power before the people, but then to have to flee for his life because of Queen Jezebel! Note that God deigned to speak twice to King Ahab. And the reason was: God wanted it known to Ahab and to us that He is not a territorial God. God also gave amazing, symbolic revelations of Himself in the story of His appearing to Elijah at Mount Sinai. Finally, in yesterday’s reading, Elijah's successor, Elisha, was introduced.

PSALM 122:
Consider how exciting it would have been to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And let’s all keep ‘marching to Zion’.

JOHN 10a:
This is a place where our chapter divisions in our Bibles probably do not serve us well. In the original manuscript by John, there would not be any separation between what Jesus said to the Pharisees to answer their question about spiritual blindness, and this chapter. In fact, in John’s day they didn’t even have spaces between words. So in all likelihood, there was not even a new line to start this teaching. So let’s envision Jesus giving this teaching while the previously blind man and the Pharisees were listening.

1KINGS 19-20:
The story we read yesterday in this book is one of the most dramatic in all of Scripture: The time the prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab. Remember that in the New Testament James used this story to encourage us that we are no different than Elijah and that we should pray fervently like him.

PSALM 121:
This is another psalm that is frequently sung, even today. Often this whole psalm is set to music. As Olsen says, this psalm lifts the fog from our eyes.

Re-reading JOHN 9:
Remember that in John 8 there was a tense standoff between Jesus and the religious leaders. The people took up stones to kill Jesus. John places this story here to illustrate again the opposition to Jesus.

One of the hardest verses to translate is the very last one in this chapter. That is Jesus’ answer when the Pharisees give this incredulous or rebuking response, “Surely you don't mean that we are blind, too?” The Greek can be translated as in literal versions, “If you were blind, you would have no [sin//guilt]...” To say someone has no sin, in English, would mean that they are totally sinless, and that is NOT what Jesus was meaning.

GNT/NLT translation note:

John 9:41 NLT Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty [of still sinning], but you remain guilty because you claim you can see.//GNT Jesus answered, “If you were blind, then you would not [be sinning now//be guilty]; but since you claim that you can see, this means that you are [still guilty of sinning//still guilty].”]

GNT Translation notes:
John 9:7 and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” ([The name of the pool//This name] means “Sent.”) So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing.
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, who had already agreed that anyone who said he believed that Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue[s].
33 Unless this man came from God, he would not be able to do [such] a thing.”
34 They answered, “You were born and brought up in sin—and you are trying to teach us?” And they expelled him from the synagogue[s].
41 [based on NLT: Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty [of still sinning], but you remain guilty because you claim you can see.//GNT Jesus answered, “If you were blind, then you would not [be sinning now//be guilty]; but since you claim that you can see, this means that you are [still guilty of sinning//still guilty].”]

1KINGS 17-18:
We've arrived at the narrative of the different kings of Judah (which now includes the smaller tribe of Benjamin) and the kings of Israel (consisting of the 10 other tribes, sometimes called the Northern Kingdom). The kings on Israel’s side changed more rapidly and were 100% bad, while there was a mixed record among the kings of Judah. It will help your understanding to observe the section headings (which I normally do not read), and to try to remember which kingdom is being talked about. Note in yesterday's reading how prophecy was fulfilled again and again. And although Baasha fulfilled the murderous prophecy against the house of Jeroboam, in chapter 16 verse 7, in God’s view the murders he committed were still counted against Baasha as sin. God’s sovereignty and omniscience do not conflict with our own personal responsibility for sin.

PSALM 120:
Psalm 120 is the first of the Songs of Ascent. The HCSB Study Bible says this about the Songs of Ascent:

These psalms were designed for pilgrimage processions to celebrate seasonal feasts in Jerusalem. The hymns contain numerous references to Jerusalem or Zion, the temple, Israel, peace, and adversity. The 15 songs, adapted from ancient hymns heralding the blessings and salvation of Zion, may have been sung on the 15 steps leading up to the temple.

JOHN 9:
Ever since I was in high school this has been my favorite chapter of the Bible. This dates from the time that I found a track from the American Bible Society in the rack in the foyer of our church. So in Indonesia also, I have made this chapter into a little book containing our translation. I like giving this chapter out to people I meet. Why? It is not because it answers people’s questions. It is because this chapter makes people ask the most important questions.

GNT Translation note:
1Kings 18:31 He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes named [after//for] the sons of Jacob, the man to whom the Lord had given the name Israel.
====
John 9:7 and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” ([The name of the pool//This name] means “Sent.”) So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing.
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, who had already agreed that anyone who said he believed that Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue[s].
34 They answered, “You were born and brought up in sin—and you are trying to teach us?” And they expelled him from the synagogue[s].

1KINGS 15-16:
I think yesterday's story of the ‘man of God from Judah’ and the ‘old prophet from Bethel’ to be one of the most fascinating in the Bible. Prophets who lie will certainly be judged harshly by God! And we will see in 2nd Kings that the prophecy of the unnamed man of God from Judah was completely fulfilled. Also in yesterday’s reading, we heard Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam. We also heard of the end of the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon's son. And do you think that Shishak took the ark of the covenant to Egypt?

PSALM 119:161-176:
This our last reading in this Psalm.

I marked the last two verses from yesterday’s reading:

Ps. 119:159 GNT See how I love your instructions, Lord.
Your love never changes, so save me!
160 GNT The heart of your law is truth,
and all your righteous judgments are eternal.
//NLT The very essence of your words is truth;
all your just regulations will stand forever.

JOHN 8b:
The story of the woman caught in adultery shows so many things: Jesus' authority, his wisdom in defeating the Pharisees, his mercy, and that being forgiven does not give one license to continue in sin. Yesterday we also read one of Jesus' seven great ‘I am’ statements found in this Gospel: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

GNT Translation notes:

John 8:33 [Some there said,] “We are the descendants of Abraham,” [0//they answered,] “and we have never been anybody's slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be free’?”

48 They [said//asked Jesus], “Were we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon in you?”

[It seems unnatural in English to use ‘asked’ when the question is rhetorical.]

1KINGS 13-14:
Solomon was the wisest of men. So how could he make such stupid choices?! Part of the answer is the corruption caused when one has too much power. And there is something truly sticky about sexual sin. The Lord’s judgment is evident in what happened with the division of the country, and what happened in the northern kingdom. Note also how the people Judah followed all the bad parts of Solomon’s example, which again will lead to judgment.

PSALM 119:145-160:
I like the last three verses of yesterday’s reading:

Ps. 119:142 GNT Your righteousness will last forever,
and your law is always true.
143 I am filled with trouble and anxiety,
but your commandments bring me joy.
144 Your instructions are always just;
give me understanding, and I shall live.

JOHN 8a:
The temple guards were ordered to arrest Jesus, but when they came back empty handed they simply said, “We have never heard anyone speak like this.”

There is a fascinating little detail I just saw in John 7:37-38 as translated by GNT. Jesus said,

7:37 GNT “Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and

38 whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from the _his_ side.’”

First I want you to know that the word translated ‘side’ can be translated as belly or intestines. But since that word was also used as the seat of emotions, it can also be translated into English as ‘heart’— which is the word we used for the seat of emotions. But for now, let’s keep the word ‘side’. Streams of life-giving water will pour out from ‘his side’. Whose side is Jesus meaning?! Here’s one of those double meanings I mentioned as a feature of this Gospel. As most often understood and translated, streams of living water will flow from the believer’s inner being. But when Jesus was stabbed by the spear in chapter 19, John made a big deal that he saw both water and blood flow out. The ‘his side’ that Jesus could be meaning in this OT quote could be his own side! Jesus could have meant either, or He could have intentionally given one of the most precious double meanings of all! In either case, the water is a sign for the Holy Spirit.

GNT Translation notes:

11 “No one, sir,” she answered. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.”]

1KINGS 11-12:
Yesterday we heard interesting glimpses of Solomon's international relations and commerce. Notably, the queen of Sheba came to listen to Solomon's wisdom and to ask questions of him.

PSALM 119:129-144:
How precious the Word of God is to us! A favorite verse from yesterday’s portion is verse 127: “I love your commands more than gold, more than the finest gold.

JOHN 7b:
We left the story in John 7 yesterday with Jesus already having some hot exchanges with the people at the Festival of Shelters. Today we will hear Jesus shouting to the crowds at the festival, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” It is likely that Jesus waited for the climax of the festival to give that message— when water was poured out before the Lord.

1KINGS 9-10:
The temple was completed! And yesterday we heard Solomon’s very wise prayer asking God to fulfill his promises and help the people of Israel. In his prayer, he recognized that the people of Israel would not be able to remain faithful to the Lord, but that they would sin and then need to repent. Solomon asked God to forgive and to hear the people in situations of sin and desperation because of the Lord's punishment upon them.

PSALM 119:113-128:
Yesterday we read one of the frequently memorized verses from this psalm:

Ps. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

JOHN 7a:
I hope you noticed the deep meaning in John 6:56 and the application which Jesus’ listeners could not understand— that is to the Lord's Supper. Jesus says,

John 6:56 NLT “Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains [joined to//united with//in] me, and I [remain joined to//united with//in] him.”

This is the same meaning of ‘in Him’ that we will see in John chapter 15. And Jesus also said,

58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but [anyone who eats this bread] will live forever.”

And Peter made one of his best and most quotable statements when Jesus asked the twelve if they also would leave:

68 … Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”