Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 22:46
   It is remarkable that even though this rest from questioning closely preceded the suffering of Christ there was actually a period during which no one dared to ask Christ any questions. It seems that, just as many orthodox Jews today, they felt that too much discussion of the things having to do with the person of the Messiah as they related to Jesus could possibly cause many Jews to turn to him as the Messiah. Imagine that!

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-4:22

Scripture Memory: James 2:8 “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, so many of us go through life without truly making contact with You. We fail to reach out beyond out own petty lives to the Eternal One. We stay within our own little perception of the world and refuse to consider Your infinitude. Many think that You do not exist simply because they cannot put You in a box and study You. Others fail to care. They go through life with no concept of the important things because they are focused upon the pleasures of this life. May we not miss the grandeur of Almighty God for the garbage of a worldly life. Not only do we miss the forest, but we fail to see the trees. We keep our eyes closed and then ask why it is so dark. Oh Father, may we always have a vision of You! You are worth every moment of our day, and every thought of our mind. All praise be to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a boy with asthma. Pray for a man planting a church in Connecticut. Pray for the director of an international mission board.

Journal Entry #14181

Matthew 22:45
   Perhaps there were those among the Jewish leadership that were influenced later by this question. Though they remained silent at this time, being unable to answer such straightforward question would enrage the ill-willed among them and convict the more thoughtful of them. Beyond this, the question flies in the face of many today who would seek to understand or explain the nature of Christ without the biblical doctrines of the Trinity, the incarnation, the atonement and resurrection, and other such fundamental truths.

Bible Reading: Ruth 2:1-1 Samuel 1:28

Scripture Memory: James 2:8 “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are praised by people all over this globe, and yet You are worthy of so much more. If every tongue were moved in praise to You all day long for a thousand years it would still be only a tribute to Your greatness. So much more would still be your right. Indeed, the eternity of our eternity is not enough to fully thank and praise You for all that You are and all that you do. We say You are ‘awesome’ as if that somehow fits. No word fits. All the words we have are but feeble attempts to recognize the greatness that You are. Your infinitude is beyond our highest hopes, and more amazing than our wildest dreams. Oh may we get a sense of You Father! May we in our hearts today get a real picture of Who You are! Then we would never fail to worship you with all of our days. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a baby with heart problems. Pray for a young man with chronic migraines. Pray for two men who just lost their fathers.

Journal Entry #14180

I will be on vacation until Monday. The Lord willing I will resume posting then. Have a great weekend!

Matthew 22:44
   Looking back to the Hebrew, what we have here is Jehovah God speaking to the Messiah, who is refereed to as Adonai. Obviously, the Messiah must be divine, and yet another person is here said to speak to him who is also said to be divinity. This can only be explained by the doctrine of the trinity and the doctrine of the incarnation of God the Son.

Bible Reading: Judges 8:1-9:57

Scripture Memory: James 2:7 “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day that You have given us. It is amazing that no matter who we are, we all have twenty-four hours in the day. You give us the same opportunity for mercy. You give us the same love. You are gracious and kind to us. Thank You for how You treat us. You are worthy of praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the lost. Pray for missionaries all over the world. Pray for the pastors.

Journal Entry #14175

Matthew 22:43
   Here Jesus is referring to Psalm 110:1. In this verse, David distinguishes very clearly between Jehovah God and the Messiah, and yet does not deny the divinity of the Messiah while doing so. Here, in the Greek, we have the Greek word for lord or master used. But in the Hebrew, which Jesus is referring back to, the word is Adonai, which is a divine title.
   In other words, Jesus is saying that David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, affirms the divine nature of the Messiah. And, yet, Jesus does not deny that the Messiah is also David’s son. Thus, he is pushing them towards the realization that the Messiah must be both human and divine. That David says this ‘in the spirit’ simply means that the Holy Spirit directed the spirit of David to write these words. The most amazing thing about this line of reasoning is that the Jewish leaders could nay-say none of it. They could not answer because they didn’t know how to discount Jesus’ point.

Bible Reading: Judges 5:1-7:25

Scripture Memory: James 2:7 “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your wisdom is totally amazing! You always know exactly what is going on, even when we have no clue. You cannot discover anything. We might think that a limitation until we realize how expansive Your own mind must be. You can have thoughts that we could never fit into our heads. Indeed, you designed our very souls! Wow! Your intelligence is staggering. It makes me so glad to know You. Thank You for Your grace and mercy in giving us the gospel. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has spiritual needs. Pray for a young girl who is having tests run on her heart. Pray for several who have difficult work schedules right now.

Journal Entry #14174

Matthew 22:42
   The question Jesus chooses to put to these men could have been quite helpful to them had they chosen to listen. Jesus knew that there was a lack of understanding when it came to the subject of the Messiah. This is what he asks about, what they believed in regards to the progeny of the Messiah, whether they believed him or not. If they had been willing, it seems he was prepared to discuss it with them. Of course, he knew that they would not come to the truth.

Bible Reading: Judges 2:1-4:24

Scripture Memory: James 2:7 “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your power in our lives. You know just what we need and when we need it. May we never lose sight of what we can give to You, be it ever so little. You are worthy of our whole lives. Thank You for being so good. You are infinitely righteous, holy, just, and pure. Without you there could be no good, for You are the source of all that is good. Thank You for loving us! Thank You for Jesus, Your Son. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman that is going to physical therapy. Pray fro a young girl with health problems. Pray for a woman travelling today.

Journal Entry #14173

Matthew 22:41
   Jesus only did this on a couple of occasions. But, there were often implied questions in his teaching. He did not teach for notoriety, or out of pride. He taught the truth with the aim to teach. He wasn’t interested in wasting time with empty words. When he opened his mouth, he had something to say.

Bible Reading: Joshua 23:1-Judges 1:36

Scripture Memory: James 2:6 “But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day to be in Your house. We praise You for all that You have done in our world through Your church. You have made Your plans clear to us as far as the gospel goes, and yet we often fail to declare it as we should. May we praise Your name and declare Your truth always! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with pneumonia. Pray for a young woman who is traveling.

Journal Entry #14172

Matthew 22:40
   What Jesus is saying here is that no matter where you look in God’s Word, these two commandments are going to be the basis, the very foundation, for all of the doctrines you will encounter. They are the very core of the attempt to understand God. Without them, you have no Guide for your understanding, for the Spirit Himself is the driver of this way of thinking. He will not bring you to a place of mental and emotional maturity without these two pillars. there is no attempt on the part of God or of Christ to bring anyone to a higher place without these ideas. They are absolutely indispensable. Completely they are without equivocation the very heartbeat of what we are to think and be. Living outside of the light of their enlightening influence is to live in the danger zone. God will not hold us guiltless, whoever we be that try to make our lives through without these two important commands.

Bible Reading: Joshua 20:1-22:34

Scripture Memory: James 2:6 “But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgement seats?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the mouth we have to praise You!. May our lips forever be found to sing Your praise. May we forever thank You for Your magnanimous beneficence, Your merciful kindness, and Your good sense of justice. With you, those of us who see this world in a very discriminating light, judging even where we ought not, will find Your justice to be altogether right in each matter. You cannot be fooled, You cannot be sold, You cannot be mocked. You will never let us down, for You are always there for us. Thank You, Almighty Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in charge on an international ministry. Pray for a man who just lost his mother. Pray for a man who is on a wagon train trip.

Journal Entry #14171

Matthew 22:39
   Note well the fact that Jesus was not asked for this part of the answer. He was asked only what was the great commandment. He was not asked to supply the second, or to comment upon them, but he did both of these things. It seems that he felt those then present could use some reminder that the first command was about loving the God that made the second command. Indeed, for the situation that then existed, such was quite needed. Their were many who felt themselves great lovers of God who at the same time despised their fellow man.
   Nowadays we often have the opposite problem. Thinking very highly of the second command we forget the first. Indeed, in this modern time you may find on almost every street corner those who endeavor to love their fellow man. But, to do so while also loving Almighty God? Well, that is simply been deemed unnecessary. It is relegated to relativism. You serve your god, I’ll serve mine, and we’ll both help our neighbor. Well, that’s not Jesus’ idea, that’s man’s idea, and it stinks! Only with a love for the True and Living God may we apply the golden rule in its purest form. Without the first command, the second will never be honestly applied.

Bible Reading: Joshua 13:1-15:63

Scripture Memory: James 2:6 “But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgement seats?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your greatness is apparent all around us. As we look at Your creation we must stand in awe of Your wondrous works. How can we ever consider it all? It would take lifetimes to see all that You have done here, and yet this is a fallen world. We think that we know so much, and then we discover more about You. You are endless! We cannot possibly see and know all there is to know about You. If I could take a million years to explore all of your great creation, and a billion to ponder the changeless perfection of Your nature, I would still have only begun to understand all that can be known about You. You are One Who’s words make planets, Who’s thoughts knit the plans of time, and Who’s love invents the amazing grace that we all hold dear. How can we ever thank You! May we enjoy the beauty of Your world forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who are travelling. Pray for a man with pneumonia. Pray for a woman with a difficult work schedule.

Journal Entry #14170

Matthew 22:38
   This is the commandment to keep, for it transcends all others. Had God made a completely different world, a place that would be very foreign and strange to us, this would still be the central requirement of every being capable of love. Love is a choice that Almighty God has given us the ability to make. He has created volitional beings. We can decide, we can feel, we can judge, we can think and imagine. And, above all, we can love. Obedience is the outpouring of a heart of love. Love considers the desires of another. And love in its purest form puts us at the disposal of the loved one. We are devoted to that one.
   This is why this is that great commandment, for all others reside under it. Every word of the law may be derived from this singular command. It is not just good advice dear friends. It is the requirement of the Creator of his creation. Dare we do less than capitulate? Dare we withhold from him his just deserts? Nay to do so is foolishness. And, it is the road to destruction. May we all learn to avoid the pitfall of loving self over God.

Bible Reading: Joshua 10:1-12:24

Scripture Memory: James 2:5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him?”

Prayer: Gracious Heavenly Father, Your wonderful goodness to a sinner such as I is beyond amazing! Lord may we never forget the great depth of your love. Father keep us from failing to remember You’re great plan in sending your son for even the least of us. How could we ever thank you enough? No matter how bad we may be, no matter how much an enemy of You we are, You father have made a way for us to escape the great burden of sin. Lord may we never look upon our fellow man and say that somehow it was easier for You to pardon us that it would be for You to pardon them! Lord we all are sold as slaves to sin. But Father we all may find grace in Christ. I praise You Father, You are wondrous, You are holy, You are just, pure, and altogether lovely. The Lord Jesus Christ is not just my inspiration or encouragement, He is my Savior. Lord we need a Savior! This old world is dying for one. And yet so many turn a blind eye to the Lord Jesus. May we live to be witnesses for him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a group of missionaries. Pray for the family of a man who was just killed suddenly in a car accident. Pray for a couple of people that need to get back into church.

Journal Entry #14169