Open the Bible UK Daily

One of them… found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were.

2 Kings 4:39

The Bible is full of foolish mistakes: James and John wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. Peter drawing his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples rebuking little children for coming to Jesus.

The amazing thing is that God’s work continued despite these mistakes. And our lives have been filled with foolish mistakes as w...

As the sons of the prophets were sitting before [Elisha], he said to his servant, “Set on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

2 Kings 4:38

We are introduced here to a group of men known as “the sons of the prophets.” They lived in community and gave themselves to study and prayer. They brought the Word of God to the people.

It’s likely that Elisha was there often, teaching, mentoring, exhorting them to walk with God. In this time of famine, Elisha wanted them to enjoy a good mea...

[Elisha] prayed to the LORD. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth… and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child… opened his eyes.

2 Kings 4:33–35

There is a marvellous picture here of how Christ gives new life to us. Elisha “lay on the child” and “stretched himself upon him” (4:34).

In the Ol...

Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

2 Kings 4:27

Elisha was a great man of God. God worked through him in extraordinary ways. But the emphasis here is not on Elisha’s strength and power but on his limitations and weakness.

Notice what Elisha doesn’t know: “She is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me” (4:27). He is saying, “God often reveals things to me...

When the child had grown… he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” …The child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.

2 Kings 4:18-20

Here we have every mother’s nightmare. The unimaginable sorrow of the death of a child. She laid the boy in Elisha’s room and told her husband that she was going to see the man of God. She said, “All is well” (4:23).

She rode her donkey as fast as she could to Mount Carmel wher...

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food.

2 Kings 4:8

The first thing we are told about this woman is that she had been blessed financially. God had blessed her, and she wanted to bring blessing to others.

One way she could do this was to give hospitality to the prophet Elijah. Now she took it a step further. She told her husband, “I know that this is a...

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

The story of the widow’s oil points us very wonderfully to our Lord Jesus. Think about what God did for her sons. He paid their debt. He saved them from slavery. He gave them a future. This is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Jesus paid our debt
We owe it to God to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We owe it to our ne...

Your servant my husband is dead, and... the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.

2 Kings 4:1

Let’s look at this story from the perspective of the two boys. It’s striking how often they are mentioned, and it is through their eyes that we see these two truths.

1. God works for our freedom
These two boys had quite a story to tell. If one of them could tell us his story, he might say,

Then [Elisha] said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbours, empty vessels and not too few.”

2 Kings 4:3

Notice, there was something for this woman to do. God provided for her as she walked in faith and obedience. God is not limited by our faith or by our obedience, but He calls us to be actively engaged in the means by which He provides.

Elisha was a prophet, and the word of the prophet was the Word of God to her. “Go… borrow vessels from all your neighbours” (4:3). That was a command for her to...

Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

2 Kings 4:2

There is something important here about how to help a person in need. The first question is, “What do you have?” What do you have that you could sell to pay this debt? God works with what He has already provided.

God is not limited to working with what He has already provided. But this is a pattern that we see...

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

2 Kings 4:1

This woman’s great loss opened a whole chapter of troubles. God’s law made provision for widows among God’s people, primarily through the extended family. But for whatever reason, this woman seems to have fallen through the net, and she was left with mounting debt.

Then the man wh...

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha…

2 Kings 4:1

Many Christians are familiar with the story of Elijah the prophet, but fewer know the story of Elisha the prophet. Elijah is the better known of the two, but God’s people enjoyed more blessing in the days of Elisha than they ever did in the days of Elijah.

Taken as a whole, the stories about Elisha say to us, “Look at who God is! Look at what He has done! Look at what He will do! Believ...

The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you.

2 Peter 3:9

What promise is Peter talking about here? God has promised to judge the earth with fire, just as He once judged the earth with water.

You would expect the verse to say, “God is not slow in fulfilling his promise… He is patient with the unbelieving world.” But that’s not what he says. Instead, he says “God is not slow to fulfil his promise… but is patient toward you” (3:9).

He’s writing to Chr...

With the Lord… a thousand years [are] as one day.

2 Peter 3:8

If one day is like a thousand years with the Lord, then the average human life (70 years), would run 25 million years. That’s a long time!

Maybe you’re feeling the pressure of all the stuff you have to get done next week. But, if you had 7,000 years to do that work, you could get it all done easily! Think how relaxed you could be if one day was like a thousand years to you. That’s how it is with God.

With the Lord... a thousand years [are] as one day.

2 Peter 3:8

Do the math—Abraham was born on Monday. King David was born on Tuesday. Jesus was born on Wednesday. The middle ages flashed by yesterday, and our generation will have passed before this morning is over. Another 30 generations will have passed by tomorrow morning.

By God’s scale, 70 years pass by every 100 minutes. So, imagine a person who does not believe in or obey God. He is making his mark in the world, but God looks down and says, “He’ll be gone...

Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

2 Peter 3:3

Over the last century, we have seen evolutionism, which said “There is no Creator!” We are seeing the decline of postmodernism, which said “There is no Truth!” And now we’re seeing the rise of a new atheism, which says “There is no God!”

Perhaps you work with people who are cynical about your faith. Their language distresses you. Sometimes they despise the things of God that are precious to you. How are you going to handle that? It’s eas...

Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

2 Peter 3:3

This is what the first Christians experienced; it’s what we experience today; and it will be the experience of the church until Christ comes.

When the New Testament refers to the “last days,” it includes all the days between Jesus’ first and second coming (see Acts 2). So, don’t be surprised by antagonism toward the gospel. By nature we do not seek God, we do not love God, and we cannot please God.

Rejecting God’s Word...

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.

2 Peter 2:9

There is a great promise here for the Christian. You love the Lord and you grieve over sins—in you and around you. God knows how to rescue you from trials. And He will rescue you. You can count on that.

We learn something else here: There is a punishment for sin that begins now. Sin brings the misery of its own consequences in this life. The way of th...

What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

2 Peter 2:22

The dog goes back and sniffs around. It is intrigued; it loves the vomit. The pig goes back and wallows in the mud. Why? Pigs love mud. And the unrighteous love sin. That’s why they keep going back to it.

The washed pig looks better, but it goes back to the mud. The dog feels better (you always feel better after you throw...

Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard).

2 Peter 2:7-8

Here is one “hidden” mark of a genuine believer. It cannot be known for sure in others, but you can be sure of it in yourself.

Be careful not to make false judgements about others. Peter writes about those who deny the Lord (2:1). But Peter denied Him three times. So, if you were to say...

There will be false teachers among you.

2 Peter 2:1

Peter’s plain statement reminds us that the church needs to be protected. Among the many wonderful people who come through the doors of the church each year, there will be some who would do the church more harm than good.

They may seem like the nicest of people, but they do not believe in the authority of the Bible or in the exclusivity of salvation in Christ. We must welcome such people, because they need Christ as much as we do, but we mu...

There will be false teachers among you.

2 Peter 2:1

What is the difference between a genuine believer and a counterfeit believer? Here are four more characteristics that Peter gives us.

4. Different Character. (What kind of people are being produced?) The true believer pursues virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (1:5-6). The counterfeit Christian is marked by arrogance and slander (2:10), greed and adultery (2:14), and they “despise authority” (2:10).

5. Different Appeal. (Why should you listen to the message?) God has spoken, and the true teacher appeals to this...

There will be false teachers among you.

2 Peter 2:1

Second Peter 1 describes genuine believers. Second Peter 2 describes counterfeit believers. Put these chapters side by side, and you will see the differences between them.

1. Different Source. (Where does the message come from?) Peter says, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:16). Then he says the false teachers exploit you “with false words” (2:3). The true teacher sources what he says from the Bible, the false teacher relies on his own creativi...

False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

2 Peter 2:1

There are no ifs, ands, or buts here. It’s a clear and definite statement. There were false prophets among the people (of Israel in the Old Testament). That’s a matter of history.

False prophets were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and those who falsely claimed to be prophets of God were to be stoned. The people rarely had the will to deal with them, and so they multiplied, causing disaster to the...

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

2 Peter 1:12

Why would you get up tomorrow morning and read the Bible? It’s more than gathering information, it’s about grasping all that Jesus is for you, savouring all that He has done for you, and receiving all that He holds in His hand for you.

We miss the boat when we tell ourselves we know stuff that in biblical terms we don’t know. Like when a girl s...

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

2 Peter 1:12

Being reminded of something you already know gets annoying fast. So, when Peter says, “I intend to always remind you of what you already know and are firmly established in,” it looks like a formula for frustration.

But “remembering” in the Bible is much more than being able to recall something that happened. When Peter describes a person who professes faith but never grows, he says that he has “for...

No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20-21

The best way to grasp what Peter is saying is through a story.

Paul is under arrest and he is being taken to Rome. Luke describes the journey: “A tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it a...

No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man.

2 Peter 1:20-21

Peter wants us to know how the Scripture came to be written. Where did the Old Testament come from?

Peter begins by telling us where the Scriptures did not come from: “No prophecy of Scripture…” (1:20). He is distinguishing “prophecy of Scripture” from all other prophecy.

If you lived in ancient Israel, you’d think twice about getting up and saying, “I have a message from God.” The penalty for being...

We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 1:16

Peter is talking about the second coming of our Lord Jesus, when He will appear in power and glory, and all His people will be with Him.

Peter says, “This isn’t a cleverly invented myth. I know because I’ve seen His power and glory. I saw him transfigured.” Peter saw the glory of Jesus as one day you will see Him.

We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 1:16

In Jesus Christ you will find everything you need for life. But if our knowledge of Jesus comes through the Bible, how do we know that it is reliable? Can we trust the Bible?

Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology, identifies four things we need to know about the Bible. Peter touches on all of them here:

1. Authority—Scripture is...