BibleStudyTogether DailyReadings
A 2-Year Chronological & Thematic Journey through God's Word
with Daily Comments from Dr. Del Tackett.
Feb 29
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 425 (2/29) – Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
There is much wisdom here both from Solomon and Paul. Today would be a great day to ask each other what struck us and have a wonderful discussion around God’s Word. I was struck by the wisdom: “aspire to live quietly… mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands… so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”
Feb 28
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 424 (2/28) – Ecclesiastes 8:2-9:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
Keep in mind as you read today, Solomon is describing the depth of the reality of a fallen world. Without Christ, it is quite bleak, for there is nothing, outside of Him that has any lasting meaning. But in Christ, our work and relationships have joyful meaning. See how Paul’s joy was bound up in his relationships–with the Lord and with others! O, how we need to learn again, in a world in which the enemy is continually trying to pit us against each other and to isolate us from one another, that God calls us to deep relationships. There we find true and lasting joy which cannot be found by any gold or silver or things “under the sun”.
Feb 27
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 423 (2/27) – Ecclesiastes 7:1-8:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
When Solomon says “Be not overly righteous…” he is probably referring to “being right” in a cause or a case. Similarly “Be not overly wicked…”, in this context, is a warning against fighting for evil, foolish things. It is easy for us to become obsessed with fighting for a righteous cause and feeling that we are gaining much significance by doing so (“and do not make yourself too wise”). Make room for the Hand of God. Note Paul’s ministry was so bound up in his relationship with them.
Feb 26
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 422 (2/26) – Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12
How utterly meaningless is the life lived without Christ and the joy of the Lord that comes from our relationship with HIm and the relationships we enjoy with others. The desperate search for significance outside of this is painfully presented to us by Solomon.
Feb 25
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 421 (2/25) – Ecclesiastes 4:1-5:7
I was struck today by how much Solomon pointed to the importance of close relationships. I wondered if he had seen this from his father, for we are told that “Hushai the Archite was the king’s (David’s) friend” and that “Nathan was priest and king’s (Solomon’s) friend”. These are the only times we are told that a king had a “friend”. In the midst of the desperate search for significance from things “under the sun”, where it all becomes meaningless, it is the deep relationships, with God and others, that are, in the end, of most value.
Feb 24
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 420 (2/24) – Ecclesiastes 2:12-3:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
We begin the wonderful contrast of the despair presented by Solomon in Ecclesiastes because there is no hope in worldly things and the amazing hope that we have in Jesus that we see in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. The contrast here is remarkable and should bring nothing but great joy to those of us who are in Christ, for what is missing in Ecclesiastes? True love and hope. And that is what we have found in Christ.
Feb 23
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 419 (2/23) – Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:11; Luke 21:1-4; Mark 12:41-44
Our readings today are very significant in a culture that is desperately chasing for significance from the things of the world. Dostoyevski is famously quoted: “Without God all things are permissible.” Ecclesiastes might be thought of as: “Without God all things are meaningless.” Since I think Solomon is the “Preacher” of Ecclesiastes, I will speak as if it is he who is speaking. Remember, we just read that when Solomon reached old age, his heart had been turned away by his wives. Read Ecclesiastes as though you were seeing this old man, filthy rich, having pleasured himself with every possible worldly thing, now realizing that it was all just “chasing after wind”. Sad, yet so very instructive to us who live in a fairly hedonistic society. The video summary is helpful.
Feb 22
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 418 (2/22) – 1 Kings 11:14-43; Matthew 23:13-39
Today we read the sad prophecy of what will become of Solomon’s kingdom and Jesus telling the scribes and Pharisees what will become of their “kingdom”. The twelve tribes will be torn into separate kingdoms and Jesus weeps over the coming judgment upon Jerusalem, that “on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth”. Oh, that our culture would have the sense to know that God’s justice cannot sleep forever and that we would return to Him.
Feb 21
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 417 (2/21) – 1 Kings 10:14-11:13; Psalms 127:1-5; Luke 20:45-47; Matthew 23:1-12
Sad words today. It may seem as if Solomon just instantly fell into this sin, but notice it was “when Solomon was old” his wives turned his heart away. So this occurred slowly, over many years. A little here and a little there until he had gone headlong into evil practice. The Psalm is especially important to me because it is a psalm that Benjamin Franklin quoted on the floor of the Constitutional Convention calling them back to prayer lest they “labor in vain”. Oh, how we need to be called back to prayer again today. Join me on Tuesdays, noon eastern, to ask God to grant us repentance.
Feb 20
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 416 (2/20) – Psalms 72:1-20; 2 Chronicles 9:13-28; Luke 20:41-44; Mark 12:38-40
I was struck today by the description of Solomon and the immense wealth and prominence that the Lord gave to him, yet in his psalm we see his continual expression of his subservience to God. In Mark, Jesus speaks of the haughtiness and pride of the scribes and their ultimate condemnation. Oh, that the high and powerful in our day would bow before the Creator and give Him the glory that is due His name!
Feb 19
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 415 (2/19) – 1 Kings 4:20-34, 4:10-13; 2 Chronicles 1:45-17, 9:1-12
To help understand the amounts that are given to us in our reading today, a “cor”, in dry measure, is 50 gallons and a talent is about 75lbs. So, Solomon’s daily provision was 1,500 gallons of fine flour and 3,000 gallons of meal in addition to the ten oxen, 20 cattle, 100 sheep, etc. The Queen of Sheba brought, in addition to the “great quantity of spice and precious stones”, 120 talents of gold, or 9,000 lbs. Jesus confirms the account of this visit to Solomon. He refers to her as the “Queen of the South” in Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31.
Feb 18
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 414 (2/18) – 1 Kings 9:15-28, 4:1-19
If one wanted a picture of what a powerful king has and can do, we have a snippet of that today. Much here to ponder and discuss: the dowry that Pharaoh gave to his daughter, Solomon’s wife; the drafting of slaves for Solomon’s work; the conscription of monthly provisions to feed Solomon and his household (which must have been quite significant given the number of concubines); the amount of gold brought to Solomon, etc. God warned about the consequences of what happens when the state garners more and more power.
Feb 17
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 413 (2/17) – 1 Kings 9:10-14; 2 Chronicles 7:11-8:18; Psalms 110:1-7; Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37
Today we read one of the most quoted passages “If my people…” as well as the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament, Psalm 110. The interaction between Jesus and the Jewish leaders is humorous to me. After they have tried to trap him with all of their attempts by the Pharisees and Sadducees, it ends with stating that no one dared ask Him any more questions. This was after Jesus made the incredible point that the Messiah was not going to be just a descendant of David, but He was going to be divine, His Lord.
Feb 16
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 412 (2/16) – 1 Kings 8:54-9:9; 2 Chronicles 7:1-10; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34
With all the grandeur of the new Temple and the dedication, the Lord comes to Solomon with conditions. We are sombered by the reality that Israel will not keep faith with the Lord and so all the warned consequences eventually take place. The Temple will be a heap of ruins. This is the lot of fallen man. But it all points to the reality in Christ. No man can make himself worthy nor maintain himself worthy before a holy God. Only Christ can do that work for us. The Lord gives us the summation of what we are called to do: love God and love our neighbor. Once we become sensitive to the prominent place of “love” in the Scriptures, it is astounding how often we see it. For example, the single phrase here in the dedication of the Temple: “...His steadfast love endures forever.”
Feb 15
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 411 (2/15) – 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; Psalms 48:1-14; Matthew 22:23-33
What struck me today was that Solomon got on his knees not only before God but also before the “assembly of all Israel”. What a wonderful thing that would be for our leaders to do the same today. The words of Jesus to the Sadducees are not easy to understand except we must recognize that they were trying to trap Him and His response was to show them ignorant of the Scriptures “nor the power of God.
Feb 14
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 410 (2/14) – 1 Kings 8:22-53; Luke 20:27-40
This is a remarkable prayer by Solomon on behalf of his people. Each section is a section that makes the plea for God to forgive them if, after sinning, they humble themselves and repent and turn back to God. This is making a case based upon the nature of God, for He does this. That is why we need to do the same. Join together in praying for repentance, noon, eastern.
Feb 13
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 409 (2/13) – 1 Kings 8:12-21; 2 Chronicles 5:1-6:11; Luke 20:20-26; Mark 12:18-27
I was struck today, as I read Solomon’s words, how important it was to speak of things in the context of history. Solomon doesn’t simply say “Hey, we got this done! Great job everybody!” He puts it in the context of God’s promises and covenants, and in the context of who he is and who his father David was. It would be good for us to do more of this ourselves, especially with our children. Look for the context in which to place events in God’s larger story.
Feb 12
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 408 (2/12) – 1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22
I remember when a friend of mine, who continually tried to trip me up with “contradictions” in the Bible, had used the dimension of the Brazen Sea to tell me that God didn’t know the formula for the circumference of a circle. If, however, you look at the lip of the Sea, and understand that it was shaped like the edge of a lily, then the mathematics would work out perfectly. The inside of the Temple must have been something amazing to behold..
Feb 11
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 407 (2/11) – 1 Kings 7:13-51
You remember that God provided a craftsman for the Tabernacle, Bezalel, and He had given him this “skill and ability”. Today we read of another, Hiram, who was full of “wisdom, understanding and skill”. It is good for us to constantly remember that even our skills and ability are from the Lord. Remember when we read in Deuteronomy 8:18, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” Here is an interesting overview of the timeline of the temples. There have been two, by Solomon and Zerubbabel/Herrod. We are the third.
Feb 10
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 406 (2/10) – 1 Kings 6:14-7:12; Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17
We read today more detail of the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple. As the Tabernacle was used for approximately 400 years, so would this temple, before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it in 587 B.C. It is interesting to me that we have paired this with the passage of Jesus responding to those who were trying to trap Him regarding paying taxes to Caesar. In my opinion, this is often misused. We dealt with this in the Truth Project.
Feb 9
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 405 (2/9) – 2 Chronicles 3:1-14; 1 Kings 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 4:1-17
The details of the building of the temple, with the date and measurements, reminded me of the details associated with building Noah’s ark. The splendor of the temple is hard to imagine, yet it seems we should be humbled by this as He has brought that Splender to dwell within us as His new temple. All of this is undergirded by Paul’s words in our Corinthian passage: “What do you have that you did not receive?” That is a question we should ask ourselves daily. The video gives a good visual of Solomon’s Temple.
Feb 8
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 404 (2/8) – Psalms 94:1-23; 2 Chronicles 2:1-18; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
We have often noticed how the Old Testament provides the physical that points to the spiritual reality in Christ. Today we read of how Solomon’s Temple was to be built with grandeur and craftsmanship to glorify God. In Corinthians we read that now we are the temple of God and that God dwells within us. “For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” That is worth not only a discussion, but continual meditation and awe and thanksgiving.
Feb 7
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 403 (2/7) – 1 Kings 3:16-18, 5:1-18; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
As we begin to read of the building of Solomon’s Temple, I was struck by what Solomon said, that the house of the Lord could not be built until the Lord put the enemies “under his feet”. How often do we read of the same thing concerning the Lord Jesus, from the Psalms, for example, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet.” This would be worth your discussion today. Note again that there is a wisdom from God and a so-called wisdom from this world. Do not find yourself beguiled by the world’s.
Feb 6
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 402 (2/6) – 2 Chronicles 1:1-13; 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
These passages have so much for us today. Solomon asks for unselfish wisdom and God is pleased with that and gives it to him beyond measure. But as we see with marrying a foreign woman contrary to God’s law, and as we will see later, Solomon had God’s wisdom, but he didn’t always walk by that wisdom. So true of you and me. In Corinthians we are reminded that there is a stark difference between the so-called wisdom of the world, which is foolishness in God’s, and the true wisdom which came to us in Jesus. Don’t let the world fool you when it tells you to follow in its “wisdom”. That is a false wisdom that leads to death..
Feb 5
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 401 (2/5) – Song of Solomon 7:1-8:14
We end the Song of Solomon and hear again of the beauty of God’s design for marriage between a man and a woman and of love that is “strong as death”. We read that “many waters cannot quench love”. The repeated refrain, given in the midst of the delight of this love when it is carried out in accordance with His design, encourages us to follow that design: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” Sound advice for a culture that has gone the other direction and suffers deeply from doing so.
Feb 4
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 400 (2/4) – Song of Solomon 5:2-6:13
Many, and I agree, believe that we are reading the dream of the woman. The section begins with “I slept…” as a possible clue for us. This makes sense as things happen that appear more like those that would occur in a dream. He knocks but is then gone. She is beaten by the watchmen. Overall, we are treated to an amazing romantic poem that elevates God’s design for the man and the woman to come together as He had created for them to do.
Feb 3
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 399 (2/3) – 1 Kings 2:13-46; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17
Today we read what might be called “cleaning house”. Solomon’s actions are worth a discussion, but we know the hard truth is that when Jesus comes, it will be with righteous judgment. As we begin the letter to the Corinthians, it is clear that the Lord desires unity and not division.
Feb 2
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 398 (2/2) – 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Chronicles 29:23-30; 1 Kings 2:10-12; Matthew 22:1-14
So we come to the end of David’s life, 971B.C. It is important to keep in mind that David wasn’t perfect but he was fulfilling a key role in the Story and Covenant of God that would eventually lead all things to Christ. God worked through David, as He does through you and me. Maybe not in the same dramatic ways, but He is working out His good pleasure in each of us. May we be willing vessels! Note the reference to chronicles written by Nathan and Gad. We don’t know if those were consolidated into the Chronicles that we have or are lost to us today.
Feb 1
Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment
Day 397 (2/1) – 1 Kings 1:28-2:9; Luke 20:9-19
Today we see Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, appointed by God, now anointed as King. But not without high drama. It is easy to simply read these events and not take time to pause and get a sense of what we might call “dysfunction” in David’s family and catch the early seeds of what would eventually split the kingdom in two. In thinking of these things, I was struck by the words of Jesus regarding what happens when someone rejects the Cornerstone: he will be “broken to pieces“. We live in a culture that increasingly is being broken into pieces. Let's fulfill our priestly role to our neighbors.
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