Having fallen behind, I am getting closer to the New Testament. I hope to get a few reads into today, work permitting. I would like to say that it is nice to have Randy back commenting. He has some really great insights, so if you are just reading the posts, click on the comment links to see what Randel has to say. As I have been blazing through reads to catch up, he has a much more insightful look and better life applications into the reads than I have, I believe. Thanks Randy for this. So…

Previously in the Daily Read, Zechariah continues to let the people of Jerusalem, Judah and Israel know that they are back in God’s favor and he is going to stop at nothing to make Jerusalem his home, literally. He will roam the land in the body of the Messiah. How exciting this is. Just as we can cleanse ourselves of our sins through Jesus, this is the handbook for the people of the Holy Land to be to become one with God, before he delivers His Son into the world. This must have been a pretty awesome time where the Lord, who had delivered these people to the lowest valley, is now promising to lift them up to the highest peak! We all have the opportunity to do this, but this is how it all got started and it is exciting to read about.

For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the sky will release the dew. Once more I will make the remnant in Judah and Israel the heirs of these blessings. Zechariah 8:12

One more read and it is on to the New Testament. Good stuff. Read on…

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Well, needless to say, that plan went awry. I was ready to catch up yesterday and I just caught some kind of bug. I have been dragging my tail for the last 48 hours and I am still a bit weary. But, I was able to read one more tonight and I might try for another. As I have mentioned before, I am keeping the original dates of the readings up for the integrity of others who might be reading along, and I am going to keep on going until I catch up. Plus, just two more readings until the Good News! With that being said:

Previously in the Daily Read, we get to hear from Zechariah who brings hope to Jerusalem and Israel. He has visions of the Temple being rebuilt after an unsuccessful start and the cleansing of the High Priest, Jeshua. God is back to loving Jerusalem and he is sending himself, in the form of his Son to look over the place. It is payback time for all the surrounding lands that have taken advantage of His land and he has a patrol to look out over it. Finally, he reminds the people to look out for each other and that is what he is really looking for. Read on…

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Alright, my eyelids are beginning to droop over my eyes during the read, so I have decided that I am going to read one more chapter of Purpose Driven Life and go to bed. I am however going to put aside the time and get the read caught up in the morning before I begin working.

Previously in the Daily Read, we heard this time from the prophets Zephaniah and Haggai. We start with Zephaniah who tells the people of Judah about “the coming day of the Lord” where he will wipe the place out to teach them a lesson for all the sins that they had committed. While it is mostly bad news for the folks of Judah, he also relays the message from God about the recovery and restoration of their land, so they get the whole picture.

Haggai is actually related to royalty and the people listen to his visions from the Lord. This includes Zerubbabel, the Governor of Judah. The vision is to rebuild the Temple. And of course these chuckleheads are not listening to the Lord and building their fabulous homes. But, as always, God gets their attention by blowing them down and letting the people of Judah know that he is ticked and wants his Temple rebuilt before their own extravagant homes. Guess what, it works. Even though nobody remembers the old Temple, they work through it and get it done. Speaking of getting things done, read on…

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