1 Samuel 13 – 31 continues the personal history of Samuel the last of the Judges, revealing the moral failure of the priesthood under Eli, and of the Judges also. Samuel was faithful and in him began the line of writing prophets and the transfer of moral authority in Israel from the priests to the prophets. The book is in four parts and in July we read the end of part three - the reign of Saul to the call of David, and the fourth part - the call of David to the death of Saul. The whole of 1 Samuel covers a period of 115 years.
2 Samuel 1 – 2 Samuel 17 covers about 38 years. As 1 Samuel speaks of the failure of man through the examples of Eli, Saul, and even Samuel, 2 Samuel describes the restoration of order under God's appointed king, David, and the establishment of Jerusalem as the nation's capital, with its political centre on Mount Zion [The city of David] and the religious centre on Mount Moriah (2 Samuel 5:7; 6:1-17). With all this settled, God establishes the great Davidic Covenant (7:8-17). Like 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel is in four parts - the death of Saul to the anointing of David over Judah, in Hebron [1:1-27] - the anointing in Hebron to the establishment of David over all Israel [2:1-5:25] - the conquest of Jerusalem to the rebellion of Absalom [6:1-14:33}. The month ends with the beginning of the fourth part - the rebellion of Absalom to the purchase of the Temple Site [15:1-24:25]
Isaiah 56-66. In July we are coming to the end of the writings of the prophet Isaiah, plainly the greatest of the writing prophets, and distinctively the prophet of redemption. Nowhere else in the Old Testament scriptures do we have such a clear view of God's Grace. In our July readings we find Ethical instruction in chapters 56-59 - the Deliverer out of Zion in chapter 60. These last chapters contrast ‘the acceptable year of Jehovah’ with God’s ‘day of vengeance’ and promise the restoration of Israel to God’s favour in his kingdom to come.
Jeremiah 1-21. July also brings us into Jeremiah the prophet. He began his ministry in the 13th year of King Josiah, about 60 years after the death of Isaiah, and pleaded with his fellow citizens of Judah to mend their godless ways until Nebuchadnezzar descended and the Babylonian captivity began as God’s punishment for their behaviour. When reading this prophet it is important to note that the Prophecies and Events are not chronological. The complete book covers a period of 41 years
Revelation, chapters 21-22. July’s New Testament readings start with the last two chapters of this wonderful book of prophecy. In them we see seven new things: the new heaven, the new earth, the new peoples, the Lamb’s wife, the new Jerusalem, the new temple, the new light, and the new Paradise with its river of the water of life. The book then closes with the last message, the last promise and the last prayer in the Bible
Gospel of Matthew. The writer of the first Gospel was Matthew, also called Levi, a Galilean Jew and a tax collector for the hated Roman empire – a despised class of people that the Bible calls publicans.
His gospel declares itself to be The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham [1:1], establishing connections between Jesus and God’s covenants of promise to David and to Abraham. [2 Samuel 7:8-16 Genesis 15:18], but note that the genealogy in Matthew is actually that of his guardian Joseph the carpenter - why? is a fascinating study..
Romans 1 – 8. Chronologically, The Epistle to the Romans was Paul’s sixth letter. It has as its theme the ‘Gospel of light’ [1-1] and comprehensively declares the nature of God’s promise of redemption. It was written for both Jews and Gentiles [2:11; 3:29]. All the world is shown to need redemption [3:19] The eight chapters we will read in July include the wonderful chapter 6 which establishes the meaning and necessity of baptism and the hope of God’s Grace, promising in its last verse… For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.