I’ve been reading the Navigators Bible reading plan for several years. It’s one of those that has you reading in four different places throughout the year. I often notice consistent themes and connections between the four readings. This morning was one of those obvious ones.
It began in:
2 Chronicles 26:15-16
[15] In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, *till he was strong.
[16] *But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. *For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
The next reading in the Psalms came from that creciendo at the end where the psalmist is giving us reasons why God is worthy of praise and describing how our disposition should be towards him:
Psalm 147:10-11[10] His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, [11] but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
If that were not enough, Luke records an exchange Jesus had with a crowd about greed:
Luke 12:16-21
[16] And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ [18] And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
None of the above is possible apart from the work of Christ, the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit which is exactly how the readings ended:
2 Thessalonians 2:14-17
[14] To this he called you through our gospel, *so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Though this wasn’t in my reading, this is what came to mind:
2 Corinthians 12:10
[10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Word Is Not Imprisoned 