This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day1 he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour2 to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation,3 for I have sent them.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour,4 and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
[1] 10:3
[2] 10:9
[3] 10:20
[4] 10:30
(ESV)
I just couldn't stand it any longer. My wife Melody was out of town this past weekend and our apartment was sorely in need of a good cleaning. So I decided to make the most of a lonely Saturday afternoon. I pulled out the big yellow cleaning gloves and the Formula 409, drug the vacuum out of the closet, and scrubbed the apartment.
For as long as I can remember, I have been a neatnik. In college, while many of my buddies lived in what could only be described as disturbing squalor, I was relentless in my drive to keep things clean. We had a community vacuum in our dorm hallway, but it should have just been stored in my room. After all, I was the only one who ever used it. And although I have since relaxed my cleanliness standards quite a bit, to this day, I still have to take a few moments before I leave the house and when I first get home just to "straighten things up."
If there were ever some biblical neatniks, they would have to be the Jews of the first century. After centuries of being a bit sloppy in their piety, many of the Jews of this day decided to "clean up their acts," as it were, and get serious about their religion. And so they read and followed God's commands - carefully. Religious orders, moral codes, punishment for sins - nothing was overlooked - especially when it came to an ancient Levitical distinction between those things which were clean and those things which were unclean.
In Leviticus 11, God gives Moses a checklist of sorts to help him distinguish between animals that are clean and acceptable as food for the Israelites and those that are unclean and therefore prohibited. By the first century, these dietary restrictions had stood for some fourteen centuries and had become a centerpiece of Jewish piety. Any Jew who was even remotely serious about his faith had to follow the dietary restrictions of Levitical law. So you can imagine how surprised a devout and dutiful Jew named Peter must have been when, in our reading for today from Acts 10, he receives a vision from God:
About noon... Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (verses 9-15)
After some 1,400 years, God doesn't just ask Peter to "loosen up" a little bit when it comes to his neatnik diet, he asks Peter to totally disregard it. A ham sandwich slathered in processed cheese product? Sure! Peter can go for it.
In the final analysis, Acts 10 isn't so much about clean and unclean food as it is about clean and unclean people. For Jews considered not only certain foods, but also certain peoples "unclean" because they did not follow the ceremonial, religious, and even moral laws of God. Thus, Peter's vision concerning so-called unclean foods is simply preparation for experiences that Peter will soon have with unclean people. Indeed, almost immediately after Peter's vision, the apostle hears a knock at his door. It is an envoy asking Peter to come and visit the house of a Roman centurion - a man who would have been unclean according to Jewish religious law.
Upon arriving at the centurion's house, Peter says, "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean" (verse 28). Peter has learned his lesson. His vision from God was not so much about food as it was about people. For God has not just made all foods clean, he also desires to make all people clean through the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ.
One of the ways that my compulsive cleanliness rears its head is when we host company for a meal. I can't stand dirty dishes left in the sink. Thus, as soon as we're finished eating, I usually dash into the kitchen and begin washing dishes while my wife is left entertaining our guests. It's at these times that Melody has to remind me, "Zach, the dishes can wait. You don't have to clean them right now. Your obsession with cleanliness is keeping you from our guests."
Your obsession with cleanliness is keeping you from our guests. What's true with me in the kitchen is sadly true with so many of our relationships in general. How often do we shy away from those who have messy hang-ups or disturbing dependencies or abhorrent addictions? How often does our desire for clean-cut, easy clarity steer us away from those with unclean lives?
Jesus never avoided a messy person. He always addressed them and ministered to them with deep compassion and love. And so should we. For as there were in Peter's day, there are also unclean people in our day - people whose lives have been wrecked by unrepentant sin. But as messy as their lives might be, they can be made clean - they can be made clean by Jesus. I hope that today, you'll get messy enough with someone to share with them the cleanliness that comes through Christ's cross. For Christ's cross is a neatnik we all need.
15 “The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, 16 and these shall be its measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500. 17 And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000 cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. 20 The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.
21 “What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. 22 It shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the territory of Benjamin.
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion. 24 Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion. 25 Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion. 26 Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion. 27 Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion. 28 And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt1 to the Great Sea.2 29 This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord GOD.
30 “These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, 31 three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. 32 On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. 33 On the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates,3 the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.”
[1] 48:28
[2] 48:28
[3] 48:34
(ESV)
Ezekiel's prophecy concluded with the final description of the division of the land for the restored nation of Israel. The holy portion of the land with the Temple was at the center, with the prince's portion of the land on each side, and the allotments to the various tribes were to the north and the south of the New Temple. The restored city of Jerusalem was described as being 1.5 miles on each side with three gates on each side, one gate for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, the circumference of the city would be six miles, with a gate at every half mile. The city, however, would have a new name: "The LORD is There." In Hebrew this would sound similar to Jerusalem. This name was the climax of the message of hope that God conveyed to His people in exile through the prophet Ezekiel. Even though they were in exile far from home as a result of their own adulterous rebellion against God, He would not abandon His people. Just as surely as God had chastened His people for their sins by sending them away and preserving only a remnant, so surely would He restore them to their land, renew their nation, reestablish Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, all in preparation for the advent of the Messiah, who would bring salvation not only to the Jews, but to all people everywhere who would put their trust in Him. Thank God that this is His character: "if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,1
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
[1] 1:23
(ESV)