Some of you might have read the last blog for 2024. If you didn't, here is a link to it.
In this blog, I provided a brief snapshot of the year 2024 in Day Share using the data provided by Wix Analytics for the website. It was never my intention to set up a website which would attract high readership numbers but there is evidence that if I abandoned the focus on Bible Study on which the website is based, the viewing figures might increase. But I have no intention of doing that. I have very little to write about apart from my family or my career or the church Janie and I attend. I could write about the town of Falkirk and its history but there are local historians who know far more than I do about the history behind the landmarks in the town.
And so, I have prayed for guidance and the Lord has guided me in the following direction. I trust that I will have your prayerful support for the continuation of this ministry into 2025 - adding this proviso - "God Willing" or DV (deo volente). These two letters were routinely added to notices in the gospel hall in Stevenston in my formative years. There is no point in going forward if we are not following His will and sometimes His will does not follow our preconceptions. There is a much quoted and much misinterpreted verse in Jeremiah.
[11] For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. [Jeremiah 29:11 ESV]
The nation of Judah was going into exile but God wanted them to know that these strange happenings were according to His divine will. And as we face the future in 2025, it might not be what we want. God's will may entail events and interventions which we would naturally circumvent. The word translated as 'welfare' in the ESV is the word which has been much twisted to suit a pernicious form of false teaching known as the Prosperity Gospel. Most translations use the word 'prosper' and this is picked up in this enticing doctrine. For example,
“For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.” [Jeremiah 29:11 NET]
This is the notion that if you become a Christian (and you are generous in your giving to the particular church or its pastor), God will reward your giving materially and financially. I have criticised this in another blog so I am not going to look at it in this study.
However, there is a message contained in the words of Jeremiah to the exiles which is very relevant to us in our current uncertain international situation with escalating conflict in various parts of the globe. Let me focus on the closing phrase of this lovely verse. You will notice from the two translations I have quoted that the phrase is translated differently in each of them. The ESV translates it as 'a future and a hope' and that is much closer to the original. The New English Translation translates it as 'a future filled with hope.' This is a figure of speech known as hendiadys where two words are formally linked usually with the conjunction 'and' a the intention is that one of the two words will qualify or explain the other. This is just a brief mention of this important figure of speech which is frequently used in the Bible. So the NET is amplifying the figure of speech. The two words 'future' and 'speech' are hinged together so that the second word 'hope' serves to qualify the word 'future.' The Christian has this kind of hope in a hopeless world - 'a future filled with hope.'
In 2025, I want to spend a bit longer looking at this hope for the future. I plan to revisit the book of Revelation (I can hear the groans crossing the internet) but I will not be focussing on this in every blog - at least, that is my current plan. I have a variety of online material which I would like to present to anyone eager to pursue in their own private study. I want to set up pages on the website which will give access to the material which is currently in various One Drive folders in my laptop. It is going to be a slightly different approach but watch this space. I am not ready to start this just yet but I have made some preparatory work for this to be introduced throughout 2025, DV. It might build up one page at a time and it may soon use up all the space in the website - but I am currently digging the foundations and looking out and classifying the available material. The problem with Revelation is that so much has been written and so many people have theories and interpretations which close their eyes to the wonderful text and messages being revealed in this last book in the Bible. I want to remind us of the hope which is revealed in this wonderful book.
But there will be other items featured in the blogs which will continue three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I trust that Sandy will continue to send me his unpreached sermons which I love to read and pass on to you. I know several people in our church look forward to them coming - it may not always be on Friday in 2025 but I hope to share these with you each week. Johan Schep has sent me links to professional videos of his Bible teaching in English. Johan is a very fluent English speaker but remember that Dutch is his native language. He will be covering Yeshua in the Tenach which means roughly 'Jesus in the Old Testament' following the words from the last chapter of Luke's Gospel
[27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. [Luke 24:27 ESV]
I plan to show some videos of Johan speaking about Jesus in the book of Genesis. I have also been given some audio recordings which I plan to turn into videos.
I hope too that Beth Easton will be able to give us more talks from her home on Bible Women or maybe some other theme. Beth has to depend on her camerawoman Roslyn Melville who records Beth's talks. I am so grateful to both of them for this contribution which is so much appreciated.
As well as the material from Revelation, I have other ideas in my mind - unfinished business as it were. I have started some themes and have not had the time to finish them. The most recent one was studies in the Life of David which I am continuing with the wee Bible Study Group at Dawson Community Church. I have plenty of ideas for blogs on lessons we can learn from David and some of the psalms he wrote in particular circumstances. But I have other unfinished themes such as the studies in Hebrew Words. There is an online interest in these in Google searches and maybe that will attract someone to Jesus the Messiah. I will feature some music and some testimonies or reports of mission. My son-in-law is about to make another trip to Uganda to teach the Old Testament to pastors and church leaders.
On previous occasions, I have made up a grid showing the schedule of blogs for the first six months of the year. There is no such grid on this occasion. I might manage to do this sometime in January when the content of the blogs becomes clearer. Can I please ask you for prayer for this work? I know you have a long prayer list but I ask for Day Share to be included somewhere in this list.
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