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!
12:1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”1 Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain,2 they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from3 Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
[1] 12:17
[2] 12:20
[3] 12:25
(ESV)
He was a politician of virtually unmatched savvy. Indeed, he used his savvy to eventually become the ruler of all Palestine. But his road to the top was a rocky one. When he was only three years old, he saw his grandfather, Herod the Great, kill his father, Aristobulus. As a young man, he went into severe debt. In those days, creditors were authorized to either kill you or put you in prison if you didn't pay up, and so he was thrown into prison for about seven months as punishment for his debt. But right around the time he was released from prison, an old friend of his named Caligula became emperor of Rome. And he leveraged this friendship to become ruler of a little tract of land in northern Palestine called Traconitis. He later added Galilee and Perea to his real estate portfolio, and then finally Judea and Samaria. In a few short years, he had gone from languishing in a dungeon to being the king of Palestine. His name was Herod Agrippa.
After becoming ruler of Palestine, Herod Agrippa spent much of his reign further consolidating and securing his power. He built a theatre, an amphitheatre, baths and porticoes, and finally finished an aqueduct begun by his grandfather. Yes, Herod was an impressive ruler.
As such an impressive - and successful, I might add - ruler, Herod regularly received adamant adulation from his subjects. Our reading for today from Acts 12 tells of one such instance:
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (verses 21-23)
All of Herod's political savvy, it seems, could not compensate for his theological blasphemy. Interestingly, the Bible not only records this event, the first century Jewish historian Josephus also mentions it:
Herod put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him; and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, that he was a god... Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery... A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner... And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life. (Josephus, Antiquities, 19.343-352)
Whether it be Josephus' account or the Scriptural one, the implication is clear: Herod's failure to give glory to God resulted in judgment from God. Herod died. And all of his theatres and amphitheatre, baths and porticoes, aqueducts and real estate holdings got passed on to someone else.
At the end of the Lord's Prayer, it is our tradition to append the Chronicler's cry to God: "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen" (1 Chronicles 29:11). It is this cry that Herod failed to heed. For instead of declaring that the kingdom, power, and glory were God's, he acted as if the kingdom, power, and glory were his. After all, his rags to riches story surely deserved the praise of his subjects, right? Not from God's perspective. For it is God who "sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:21). Herod's power was the result of God's grace, not of his political savvy.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism commences famously with these words: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." Do we glorify God in all we do? Or do we, like Herod, say not "thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory," but "mine is the kingdom and the power and the glory"? Today, as you go about your daily business, ask, "How can this task, this work, this deal, or this appointment glorify God?" For long after the kingdoms of this world crumble, God's glory will remain.
2:1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,1 “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm—9 if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared2 to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
[1] 2:4
[2] 2:15
(ESV)
"In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar" did not take into account the year of his ascension, so this test of Daniel's capabilities came almost immediately upon completing his program of studies to be the king's advisor. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him deeply, but he claimed that he was unable to recall the details of it. His magicians, enchanters and sorcerers asked the king to tell them the dream and they offered to interpret it for him. The king was steadfast, however, in his demand that they tell him what his dream was, or be torn limb from limb and their houses be leveled. When they once again begged him to tell them his dream, the king explained that only if they could tell him the dream would he know that their interpretation was correct. The advisors pleaded: "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand." In a rage, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that all the wise men of Babylon be put to death. When Arioch, the captain of the King's guard came to kill Daniel, he asked for an audience with the king to give him the interpretation of his dream. Daniel immediately went to his friends and asked them to pray to God for mercy, so that He would reveal the king's dream to Daniel. Daniel may have just been "buying time" by asking for an appointment with the king, but now he knew it was up to God to save their lives. God revealed the dream to Daniel in a night vision, and immediately, Daniel prayed and thanked God for answering their prayers. No prayer request is too difficult for God! Daniel immediately went to Arioch and pleaded for the lives of Babylon's wise men, not just his own, promising to interpret the king's dream. Brought before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was asked if he could make known the dream. Daniel glorified God in his answer: "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days." Humbly, Daniel told the king that his dream was made known to Daniel not because of any wisdom of his own, but simply to reveal the king's thoughts and interpret them for him.
3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success1
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh2
and refreshment3 to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
(ESV)