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Morning: Jeremiah 3–4 Jeremiah 3–4 (Listen) 3 “If1 a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the LORD.2 Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom.3 Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed.4 Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5 will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the end?' Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, “‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever.13 Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.14 Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19 “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.20 Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.'” 21 A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God.22 “Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to you, for you are the LORD our God.23 Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies2 on the mountains. Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” 4 “If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver,2 and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” 3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.” Disaster from the North 5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!'6 Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.8 For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us.” 9 “In that day, declares the LORD, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.” 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,' whereas the sword has reached their very life.” 11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, 12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.” 13 Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles— woe to us, for we are ruined!14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?15 For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim.16 Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, “Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.17 Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she has rebelled against me, declares the LORD.18 Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.” Anguish over Judah's Desolation 19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.20 Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment.21 How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.” 23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro.25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled.26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. 27 For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. 28 “For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark; for I have spoken; I have purposed; I have not relented, nor will I turn back.” 29 At the noise of horseman and archer every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the cities are forsaken, and no man dwells in them.30 And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands, “Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.” Footnotes [1] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [2] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 3 2 Thessalonians 3 (Listen) Pray for Us 3 Finally, brothers,1 pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,2 as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.3 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Warning Against Idleness 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.4 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Benediction 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Footnotes [1] 3:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 6, 13 [2] 3:1 Or glorified [3] 3:3 Or evil [4] 3:12 Greek to eat their own bread (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 1 Jeremiah 1 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 103 Psalm 103 (Listen) Bless the Lord, O My Soul Of David. 103 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.14 For he knows our frame;1 he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Footnotes [1] 103:14 Or knows how we are formed (ESV) New Testament: Acts 28 Acts 28 (Listen) Paul on Malta 28 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people1 showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice2 has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,3 and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. Paul Arrives at Rome 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods4 as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers5 and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”6 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,7 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4 [2] 28:4 Or justice [3] 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors [4] 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux [5] 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21 [6] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [7] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV)
With family: 2 Kings 1; 2 Thessalonians 1 2 Kings 1 (Listen) Elijah Denounces Ahaziah 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'” So Elijah went. 5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” 6 And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'” 7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8 They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” 9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.'” 10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king's order, ‘Come down quickly!'” 12 But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 13 Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king 16 and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'” 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? (ESV) 2 Thessalonians 1 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving 3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. The Judgment at Christ's Coming 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from2 the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [2] 1:9 Or destruction that comes from (ESV) In private: Psalms 110–111; Daniel 5 Psalms 110–111 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power,1 in holy garments;2 from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.34 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs4 over the wide earth.7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head. Great Are the Lord's Works 111 5 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head [5] 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (ESV) Daniel 5 (Listen) The Handwriting on the Wall 5 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father1 had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared2 to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 10 The queen,3 because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.4 In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Daniel Interprets the Handwriting 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods5 is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,6 Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered7 the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed8 in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”9 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 10 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Footnotes [1] 5:2 Or predecessor; also verses 11, 13, 18 [2] 5:7 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 10 [3] 5:10 Or queen mother; twice in this verse [4] 5:11 Or Spirit of the holy God [5] 5:14 Or Spirit of God [6] 5:22 Or successor [7] 5:26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered [8] 5:27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed [9] 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia [10] 5:31 Ch 6:1 in Aramaic (ESV)
When I was a teenager, my mom painted a mural on our living room wall, which stayed there for several years. It showed an ancient Greek scene of a ruined temple with white columns lying on their sides, a crumbling fountain, and a broken statue. As I looked at the Hellenistic architecture that had once held great beauty, I tried to imagine what had destroyed it. I was curious, especially when I began studying about the tragedy of once great and thriving civilizations that had decayed and crumbled from within. The sinful depravity and wanton destruction we see around us today can be troubling. It’s natural for us to try to explain it by pointing to people and nations that have rejected God. But shouldn’t we be casting our gaze inwardly as well? Scripture warns us about being hypocrites when we call out others to turn from their sinful ways without also taking a deeper look inside our own hearts (Matthew 7:1–5). Psalm 32 challenges us to see and confess our own sin. It’s only when we recognize and confess our personal sin that we can experience freedom from guilt and the joy of true repentance (vv. 1–5). And as we rejoice in knowing that God offers us complete forgiveness, we can share that hope with others who are also struggling with sin.
Morning: Jeremiah 1–2 Jeremiah 1–2 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.3 Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6 They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?'7 And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?' Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds4 transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. 9 “Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children's children I will contend.10 For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing.11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD,13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14 “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant? Why then has he become a prey?15 The lions have roared against him; they have roared loudly. They have made his land a waste; his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16 Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved5 the crown of your head.17 Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?18 And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619 Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20 “For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.' Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?22 Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.23 How can you say, ‘I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— a restless young camel running here and there,24 a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her.25 Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.' 26 “As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets,27 who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,' and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!'28 But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah. 29 “Why do you contend with me? You have all transgressed against me, declares the LORD.30 In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.31 And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you'?32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. 33 “How well you direct your course to seek love! So that even to wicked women you have taught your ways.34 Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the guiltless poor; you did not find them breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things35 you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.' Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36 How much you go about, changing your way! You shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria.37 From it too you will come away with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust, and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV)
Old Testament: Isaiah 63–66 Isaiah 63–66 (Listen) The Lord's Day of Vengeance 63 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood1 spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption2 had come.5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me.6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” The Lord's Mercy Remembered 7 I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.8 For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted,3 and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people.4 Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name,13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. Prayer for Mercy 15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful5 habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.17 O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.18 Your holy people held possession for a little while;6 our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name. 64 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—2 7 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?86 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in9 the hand of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.9 Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.11 Our holy and beautiful10 house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? Judgment and Salvation 65 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by11 my name.2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;4 who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;5 who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.6 Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap7 both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”12 8 Thus says the LORD: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,' so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there.10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me.11 But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,12 I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” 13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;14 behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit.15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name,16 so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. New Heavens and a New Earth 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy13 the work of their hands.23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,14 for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. The Humble and Contrite in Spirit 66 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. 3 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;4 I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” 5 Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6 “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the LORD, rendering recompense to his enemies! Rejoice with Jerusalem 7 “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son.8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
Old Testament: Isaiah 63–66 Isaiah 63–66 (Listen) The Lord's Day of Vengeance 63 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood1 spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption2 had come.5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me.6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” The Lord's Mercy Remembered 7 I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.8 For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted,3 and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people.4 Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name,13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. Prayer for Mercy 15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful5 habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.17 O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.18 Your holy people held possession for a little while;6 our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name. 64 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—2 7 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?86 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in9 the hand of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.9 Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.11 Our holy and beautiful10 house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? Judgment and Salvation 65 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by11 my name.2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;4 who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;5 who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.6 Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap7 both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”12 8 Thus says the LORD: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,' so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there.10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me.11 But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,12 I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” 13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;14 behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit.15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name,16 so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. New Heavens and a New Earth 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy13 the work of their hands.23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,14 for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. The Humble and Contrite in Spirit 66 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. 3 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;4 I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” 5 Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6 “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the LORD, rendering recompense to his enemies! Rejoice with Jerusalem 7 “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son.8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
Mark 10–11 Mark 10–11 (Listen) Teaching About Divorce 10 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them. 2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.' 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,1 8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Let the Children Come to Me 13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. The Rich Young Man 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is2 to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,3 “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time 32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” The Request of James and John 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,4 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave5 of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus 46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. The Triumphal Entry 11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus6 sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree 12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. Jesus Cleanses the Temple 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they7 went out of the city. The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree 20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received8 it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”9 The Authority of Jesus Challenged 27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But shall we say, ‘From man'?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Footnotes [1] 10:7 Some manuscripts omit and hold fast to his wife [2] 10:24 Some manuscripts add for those who trust in riches [3] 10:26 Some manuscripts to one another [4] 10:43 Greek diakonos [5] 10:44 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface) [6] 11:1 Greek he [7] 11:19 Some manuscripts he [8] 11:24 Some manuscripts are receiving [9] 11:25 Some manuscripts add verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses (ESV)
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 79 Psalm 79 (Listen) How Long, O Lord? A Psalm of Asaph. 79 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. 5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. 8 Do not remember against us our former iniquities;1 let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! 11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!12 Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!13 But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Footnotes [1] 79:8 Or the iniquities of former generations (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 12:16–33 1 Kings 12:16–33 (Listen) The Kingdom Divided 16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only. 21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.'” So they listened to the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD. Jeroboam's Golden Calves 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.1 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings. Footnotes [1] 12:30 Septuagint went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 41–42 Ezekiel 41–42 (Listen) The Inner Temple 41 Then he brought me to the nave and measured the jambs. On each side six cubits1 was the breadth of the jambs.2 2 And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave,3 forty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits. 3 Then he went into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side4 of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 And he measured the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across the nave. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.” 5 Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of the side chambers, four cubits, all around the temple. 6 And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, thirty in each story. There were offsets5 all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. 7 And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers, because the temple was enclosed upward all around the temple. Thus the temple had a broad area upward, and so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story. 8 I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of six long cubits. 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the 10 other chambers was a breadth of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. 11 And the doors of the side chambers opened on the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around. 12 The building that was facing the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits. 13 Then he measured the temple, a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; 14 also the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits. 15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the yard that was at the back and its galleries6 on either side, a hundred cubits. The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, 16 the thresholds and the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 17 to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.7 18 It was carved of cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: 19 a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. 20 From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave. 21 The doorposts of the nave were squared, and in front of the Holy Place was something resembling 22 an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.8 Its corners, its base,9 and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.” 23 The nave and the Holy Place had each a double door. 24 The double doors had two leaves apiece, two swinging leaves for each door. 25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls. And there was a canopy10 of wood in front of the vestibule outside. 26 And there were narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, the side chambers of the temple, and the canopies. The Temple's Chambers 42 Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north. 2 The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits,11 and the breadth fifty cubits. 3 Facing the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery12 against gallery in three stories. 4 And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long,13 and their doors were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. 7 And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the nave14 were a hundred cubits long. 9 Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court. 10 In the thickness of the wall of the court, on the south15 also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers 11 with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits16 and arrangements and doors, 12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.17 13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.” 15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common. Footnotes [1] 41:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 41:1 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew tent [3] 41:2 Hebrew its length [4] 41:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and the breadth [5] 41:6 Septuagint, compare 1 Kings 6:6; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [6] 41:15 The meaning of the Hebrew term is unknown; also verse 16 [7] 41:17 Hebrew were measurements [8] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks two cubits broad [9] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length [10] 41:25 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 26 [11] 42:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [12] 42:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 5 [13] 42:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew and a way of one cubit [14] 42:8 Or temple [15] 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew east [16] 42:11 Hebrew and all their exits [17] 42:12 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 11 Romans 11 (Listen) The Remnant of Israel 11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,1 a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” Gentiles Grafted In 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion2 mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root3 of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. The Mystery of Israel's Salvation 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:4 a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now5 receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Or one of the offspring of Abraham [2] 11:12 Greek their fullness [3] 11:17 Greek root of richness; some manuscripts richness [4] 11:25 Or brothers and sisters [5] 11:31 Some manuscripts omit now (ESV)
Proper 24 First Psalm: Psalm 26; Psalm 28 Psalm 26 (Listen) I Will Bless the Lord Of David. 26 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.13 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. 4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. 8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD. Footnotes [1] 26:2 Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart (ESV) Psalm 28 (Listen) The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield Of David. 28 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.1 3 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more. 6 Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people;2 he is the saving refuge of his anointed.9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever. Footnotes [1] 28:2 Hebrew your innermost sanctuary [2] 28:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 36; Psalm 39 Psalm 36 (Listen) How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD. 36 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart;1 there is no fear of God before his eyes.2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise. Footnotes [1] 36:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Jerome (compare Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts in my heart (ESV) Psalm 39 (Listen) What Is the Measure of My Days? To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 39 I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.3 My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: 4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing1 they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.10 Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand.11 When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah 12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.13 Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!” Footnotes [1] 39:6 Hebrew Surely as a breath (ESV) Old Testament: Lamentations 1:1–12 Lamentations 1:1–12 (Listen) How Lonely Sits the City 1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. 3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction1 and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.2 4 The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted,3 and she herself suffers bitterly. 5 Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. 6 From the daughter of Zion all her majesty has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. 7 Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall. 8 Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away. 9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future;4 therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter. “O LORD, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!” 10 The enemy has stretched out his hands over all her precious things; for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom you forbade to enter your congregation. 11 All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. “Look, O LORD, and see, for I am despised.” 12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or under affliction [2] 1:3 Or in the narrow passes [3] 1:4 Septuagint, Old Latin dragged away [4] 1:9 Or end (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:41–50 1 Corinthians 15:41–50 (Listen) 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;1 the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall2 also bear the image of the man of heaven. Mystery and Victory 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Footnotes [1] 15:45 Greek a living soul [2] 15:49 Some manuscripts let us (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 11:25–30 Matthew 11:25–30 (Listen) Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest 25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.1 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Footnotes [1] 11:26 Or for so it pleased you well (ESV)
Listen to “The Achaeans Face Disaster,” Book 11 of Homer's epic poem. THE ILIAD is one of the earliest and greatest poems in the Western world and the story of the fifty critical days at the end of the Trojan war. Narrator Anton Lesser gives an engaging presentation of Ian Johnston's translation, smoothly moving from narrating the action to voicing the different characters. Read the full audiobook review on our website. Published by Naxos AudioBooks. For listeners who would like to read the text, Ian Johnston's translation is available on his website. Looking for more audiobooks inspired by Greek mythology? Visit AudioFile's curated list of reviews for excellent audiobooks that offer perspectives on mythological characters, settings, and events. THE ILIAD is one of many remarkable audiobooks available through our partner, Naxos AudioBooks. For a full list of their audiobooks, go to naxosaudiobooks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's ramble from Jeff is an excavation of Stoicism inspired by his family's unfortunate Parcheesi and chocolate habits. Learn about this ancient philosophy's three core disciplines (perception, action, and will) as well as its four virtues (wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation). Commusings is our Sunday morning newsletter where we take a moment to think deeply on the topics of spirituality, philosophy, and culture. To sign up, visit onecommune.com. And for more musings and quotes, connect with us on Instagram at @onecommune or @jeffkrasno.
"Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest, who lived with his wife in virginity. Through his untiring labours in his priestly duties and love for the poor and sinners, he was granted by our Lord great gifts of clairvoyance and miracle-working, to such a degree that in the last years of his life miracles of healings — both of body and of soul — were performed countless times each day through his prayers, often for people who had only written to him asking his help. During his lifetime he was known throughout Russia, as well as in the Western world. He has left us his diary My Life in Christ as a spiritual treasure for Christians of every age; simple in language, it expounds the deepest mysteries of our Faith with that wisdom which is given only to a heart purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Foreseeing as a true prophet the Revolution of 1917, he unsparingly rebuked the growing apostasy among the people; he foretold that the very name of Russia would be changed. As the darkness of unbelief grew thicker, he shone forth as a beacon of unquenchable piety, comforting the faithful through the many miracles that he worked and the fatherly love and simplicity with which he received all. Saint John reposed in peace in 1908." (Great Horologion)
The Cinema Bums are united to discuss Scream 2! The duo reveals the troubled behind-the-scenes drama of this sequel, including the original identity of the film's killers, as well as the new characters and sequences they love. Tune in to hear Emmet explain this movie's direct connections to Greek theatre and Wade test if Emmet can guess the highest-grossing films of 1997. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy!
Tuesday, 19 October 2021 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen Acts 1:24 With the proposal of either Joseph or Matthias to replace Judas, it now says, “And they prayed and said.” This is not only the apostles, but all of the disciples, as is noted in verse 1:15. Peter had stood up among them all to speak, and that discourse continues now. This certainly would have included the women as it notes that the women were included in prayer in verse 1:14. The entire group is together, the candidates have been set forth, and so now the prayer is given, beginning with, “You, O Lord.” This is an interesting phrase because it is believed by some to be speaking of Jesus. This is explained by the scholar Olshausen – “The word ‘Lord,' placed absolutely, denotes in the New Testament almost universally THE SON; and the words, ‘Show whom Thou hast chosen,' are decisive. The apostles are just Christ's messengers: It is He that sends them, and of Him they bear witness. Here, therefore, we have the first example of a prayer offered to the exalted Redeemer; furnishing indirectly the strongest proof of His divinity.” This is probably correct. It would be appropriate to pray to Jesus in this matter as an apostle of Jesus would mean the person was selected by Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is God. But the point is that they are appealing to “You, O Lord,” specifically. It is He “who know the hearts of all.” The Greek word, kardiognóstés, is used here. It is found only here and in Acts 15:8, and it is not found in any other Greek writers. It is a noun literally meaning “heart knower,” coming from the words kardía, meaning “heart” and ginōskō, signifying to “experientially know.” Thus, God is “the one who knows all the inner workings of every person's heart, i.e. all their moral preferences (convictions)” (HELPS Word Studies). As noted, the word is also only found in Acts 15:8 – “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:8, 9 There, “God” is said to be the “heart-knower.” But this does not exclude Jesus as such. In fact, in Revelation 2, He explicitly says that He searches hearts – “I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.” Revelation 2:23 But this is also said to be something that is accomplished by the Spirit – “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26, 27 Understanding this, we can then go to the Old Testament and see how these things tie together when reading Solomon's prayer to Yehovah Elohim, or “the Lord God” – “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40 that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.” 1 Kings 8:39, 40 What is clearly being revealed is the doctrine of the Trinity. There is one God who has expressed Himself in this Triune manner. Thus, the Lord (Yehovah) of the Old Testament is revealed in Jesus of the New. As such, the prayer is to the Lord (Jesus, who is God) petitioning Him to “show which of these two You have chosen.” As noted, it is Jesus (the Lord) who selects His apostles (see John 6:70). As such, the appeal is surely made to Jesus that He would select a replacment for Judas accordingly in order to fulfill Scripture. Life application: An argument for the prayer of this verse having been made to Jesus has been made. That can be argued against based on a prayer found in Acts 4 – So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.' 27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” Acts 4:24-30 One could say that this prayer is made to God, calling Him “Lord.” However, the word used in Acts 4:24, despotés, is also used when speaking of Jesus in Jude 1:4. Thus, there is no reason to assume that the apostles are not praying to Jesus – who is God – while praying to God. Whether they had a developed knowledge of the Trinity or not, they knew quite clearly that Jesus is the incarnate Lord (Yehovah). An argument against the Trinity is that the term itself is not used in Scripture. But that is an argument from silence. The doctrine of original sin is not mentioned, and yet it is taught. The word “rapture” is not found in Scripture, but it is taught. Likewise, the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. And yet, there is one God. Lord God, Your word is large, and it is complicated at times. But with proper study, we can learn things that are evident, even if they are not openly expressed. Help us to search these treasures out and then to accept them when they are clearly seen. May our doctrine be pure and may our understanding of You be proper. Amen.
Guest: Russ DizdarComing out of the 60's into the 70's Russ was a rock n rolling bar fighting party-er, consuming drugs/alcohol and searching every door to meaning he could get his hands on. He was a dabbler in dark occultism and a practitioner of golden Buddha meditation where he was trained in astral projection to seek the ascended masters.... Russ says 'I sought to experience anything spiritual, supernatural and alternative I could .....to find what it was I was looking for.' But I didn't, instead I found myself on the edge of death and hell itself.... see more below under Once Blind.Russ Dizdar, started out in the AOG Church, was licensed to and then Ordained to the ministry October 1978 reformation Sunday at Green Baptist Church by the SBC. He has served as Sr. Pastor of 4 churches in the last 30 years. He was also Ex. Director of Greater Akron Youth For Christ, a Police Chaplain UNIT 78 UAPD. He is (1982) Founder and now directs Shatter the Darkness and Preemption Broadcast (2007). He has preached in Churches in 8 states, held training seminars and loves to do crusade evangelism. He has launched web sites and broadcasts messages that have been heard and downloaded in over 110 countries. The internet sites have gotten over 4 million hits by its 2ed year with over 700,000 downloads of messages, teaching material with evangelistic effort and will reach 1 million 900,000 downloads of these messages with over 30 million hits for 2010.Russ has been on many radio stations for interviews most of which are archived on the web. Russ has spoken and presented sessions at conferences in Ghent W.V., Michigan, New England area, Sharpsville PA, Washington PA, St Louis, New York, Indiana, Nashville Tenn. and Las Vegas, Groton CT, Mansfield OH, Branson Mo, and Canton Ohio. He has launched REEP mission trips in over 60 cites and one into France in 2012.Russ has studied at Cumberland College 'Biblical Studies', the University of Akron 'Criminology' and 'Military science', 2 1/2 years at Moody Bible School and in 1984 at Malone College went through graduating services for a BA in Religion/Philosophy, with advanced studies in Theology, Apologetics and Greek.He has studied at Emerge counseling center...Basics of Biblical Counseling, Crisis Counseling and other various training there. Training in Nothetic Counseling, Theophostics, Wise Counsel SBC, Mind Control deprogramming and Exit Counseling. Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA), UAPD police training, DEFTEC law enforcement training in advanced occult and cult crimes. 6 Specialized Occult/satanic crimes training seminars with Tom Wedge/author of The Satan Hunter.He has been to many training conferences and seminars including those on Satanic Ritual Abuse, SRA-MPD-DID, Mind Control, Spiritual Warfare, Abduction Research, Deliverance/Evangelism and other various fields.Youth for Christ USA training in leadership, evangelism and youth ministry, International Police Chaplin's courses, Navigators discipleship, MasterLife and MasterBuilders discipleship/leadership training. Church leadership, growth and other seminars, courses and conferences in Church related leadership, management and development.Russ currently seeks to master NT Greek vocabulary & NT manuscripts and Systematic Theology. Current aggressive studies include Surveillance Technologies, Private Investigations, Criminal Profiling, Forensics, Counter Infiltration Procedures and Trace Evidence. Trans humanism, AI, Theoretical Physics, Political ideology and scoping out the rise of luciferic globalism.He has written and taught 14 college level courses locally over the last 30 years. A major course he as taught is 'Preemptive Systematic Theology' and offers these courses as Internet external learning7 years ago #ed, #occult crime, #opperman, #report, #russ dizdar, #satanic ritual abuse
Guest: Russ Dizdar Coming out of the 60's into the 70's Russ was a rock n rolling bar fighting party-er, consuming drugs/alcohol and searching every door to meaning he could get his hands on. He was a dabbler in dark occultism and a practitioner of golden Buddha meditation where he was trained in astral projection to seek the ascended masters.... Russ says 'I sought to experience anything spiritual, supernatural and alternative I could .....to find what it was I was looking for.' But I didn't, instead I found myself on the edge of death and hell itself.... see more below under Once Blind. Russ Dizdar, started out in the AOG Church, was licensed to and then Ordained to the ministry October 1978 reformation Sunday at Green Baptist Church by the SBC. He has served as Sr. Pastor of 4 churches in the last 30 years. He was also Ex. Director of Greater Akron Youth For Christ, a Police Chaplain UNIT 78 UAPD. He is (1982) Founder and now directs Shatter the Darkness and Preemption Broadcast (2007). He has preached in Churches in 8 states, held training seminars and loves to do crusade evangelism. He has launched web sites and broadcasts messages that have been heard and downloaded in over 110 countries. The internet sites have gotten over 4 million hits by its 2ed year with over 700,000 downloads of messages, teaching material with evangelistic effort and will reach 1 million 900,000 downloads of these messages with over 30 million hits for 2010. Russ has been on many radio stations for interviews most of which are archived on the web. Russ has spoken and presented sessions at conferences in Ghent W.V., Michigan, New England area, Sharpsville PA, Washington PA, St Louis, New York, Indiana, Nashville Tenn. and Las Vegas, Groton CT, Mansfield OH, Branson Mo, and Canton Ohio. He has launched REEP mission trips in over 60 cites and one into France in 2012. Russ has studied at Cumberland College 'Biblical Studies', the University of Akron 'Criminology' and 'Military science', 2 1/2 years at Moody Bible School and in 1984 at Malone College went through graduating services for a BA in Religion/Philosophy, with advanced studies in Theology, Apologetics and Greek. He has studied at Emerge counseling center...Basics of Biblical Counseling, Crisis Counseling and other various training there. Training in Nothetic Counseling, Theophostics, Wise Counsel SBC, Mind Control deprogramming and Exit Counseling. Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA), UAPD police training, DEFTEC law enforcement training in advanced occult and cult crimes. 6 Specialized Occult/satanic crimes training seminars with Tom Wedge/author of The Satan Hunter. He has been to many training conferences and seminars including those on Satanic Ritual Abuse, SRA-MPD-DID, Mind Control, Spiritual Warfare, Abduction Research, Deliverance/Evangelism and other various fields. Youth for Christ USA training in leadership, evangelism and youth ministry, International Police Chaplin's courses, Navigators discipleship, MasterLife and MasterBuilders discipleship/leadership training. Church leadership, growth and other seminars, courses and conferences in Church related leadership, management and development. Russ currently seeks to master NT Greek vocabulary & NT manuscripts and Systematic Theology. Current aggressive studies include Surveillance Technologies, Private Investigations, Criminal Profiling, Forensics, Counter Infiltration Procedures and Trace Evidence. Trans humanism, AI, Theoretical Physics, Political ideology and scoping out the rise of luciferic globalism. He has written and taught 14 college level courses locally over the last 30 years. A major course he as taught is 'Preemptive Systematic Theology' and offers these courses as Internet external learning 7 years ago #ed, #occult crime, #opperman, #report, #russ dizdar, #satanic ritual abuse
Rom 2:1-11 You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works, eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God.Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 9 R. (13b) Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. R. Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. R. Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. Trust in him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before him; God is our refuge!Lk 11:42-46 The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/support
Rom 1:16-25 Brothers and sisters: I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.” The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.Lk 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/support
Jim reminisces about a film from George Pal that he loved as a young child, 1961's "Atlantis The Lost Continent," starring Anthony Hall, Joyce Taylor, John Dall, Edward Platt and Paul Frees. A young Greek fisherman, Demetrious, saves the Princess of Atlantis. He agrees to take her home where he is wowed by the amazing technology it has. But, danger and catastrophe lurk in the shadows. What happens next? Find out on this week's episode of "MONSTER ATTACK!"
Guest: Russ DizdarComing out of the 60's into the 70's Russ was a rock n rolling bar fighting party-er, consuming drugs/alcohol and searching every door to meaning he could get his hands on. He was a dabbler in dark occultism and a practitioner of golden Buddha meditation where he was trained in astral projection to seek the ascended masters.... Russ says 'I sought to experience anything spiritual, supernatural and alternative I could .....to find what it was I was looking for.' But I didn't, instead I found myself on the edge of death and hell itself.... see more below under Once Blind.Russ Dizdar, started out in the AOG Church, was licensed to and then Ordained to the ministry October 1978 reformation Sunday at Green Baptist Church by the SBC. He has served as Sr. Pastor of 4 churches in the last 30 years. He was also Ex. Director of Greater Akron Youth For Christ, a Police Chaplain UNIT 78 UAPD. He is (1982) Founder and now directs Shatter the Darkness and Preemption Broadcast (2007). He has preached in Churches in 8 states, held training seminars and loves to do crusade evangelism. He has launched web sites and broadcasts messages that have been heard and downloaded in over 110 countries. The internet sites have gotten over 4 million hits by its 2ed year with over 700,000 downloads of messages, teaching material with evangelistic effort and will reach 1 million 900,000 downloads of these messages with over 30 million hits for 2010.Russ has been on many radio stations for interviews most of which are archived on the web. Russ has spoken and presented sessions at conferences in Ghent W.V., Michigan, New England area, Sharpsville PA, Washington PA, St Louis, New York, Indiana, Nashville Tenn. and Las Vegas, Groton CT, Mansfield OH, Branson Mo, and Canton Ohio. He has launched REEP mission trips in over 60 cites and one into France in 2012.Russ has studied at Cumberland College 'Biblical Studies', the University of Akron 'Criminology' and 'Military science', 2 1/2 years at Moody Bible School and in 1984 at Malone College went through graduating services for a BA in Religion/Philosophy, with advanced studies in Theology, Apologetics and Greek.He has studied at Emerge counseling center...Basics of Biblical Counseling, Crisis Counseling and other various training there. Training in Nothetic Counseling, Theophostics, Wise Counsel SBC, Mind Control deprogramming and Exit Counseling. Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA), UAPD police training, DEFTEC law enforcement training in advanced occult and cult crimes. 6 Specialized Occult/satanic crimes training seminars with Tom Wedge/author of The Satan Hunter.He has been to many training conferences and seminars including those on Satanic Ritual Abuse, SRA-MPD-DID, Mind Control, Spiritual Warfare, Abduction Research, Deliverance/Evangelism and other various fields.Youth for Christ USA training in leadership, evangelism and youth ministry, International Police Chaplin's courses, Navigators discipleship, MasterLife and MasterBuilders discipleship/leadership training. Church leadership, growth and other seminars, courses and conferences in Church related leadership, management and development.Russ currently seeks to master NT Greek vocabulary & NT manuscripts and Systematic Theology. Current aggressive studies include Surveillance Technologies, Private Investigations, Criminal Profiling, Forensics, Counter Infiltration Procedures and Trace Evidence. Trans humanism, AI, Theoretical Physics, Political ideology and scoping out the rise of luciferic globalism.He has written and taught 14 college level courses locally over the last 30 years. A major course he as taught is 'Preemptive Systematic Theology' and offers these courses as Internet external learning.
Guest: Russ Dizdar Coming out of the 60's into the 70's Russ was a rock n rolling bar fighting party-er, consuming drugs/alcohol and searching every door to meaning he could get his hands on. He was a dabbler in dark occultism and a practitioner of golden Buddha meditation where he was trained in astral projection to seek the ascended masters.... Russ says 'I sought to experience anything spiritual, supernatural and alternative I could .....to find what it was I was looking for.' But I didn't, instead I found myself on the edge of death and hell itself.... see more below under Once Blind. Russ Dizdar, started out in the AOG Church, was licensed to and then Ordained to the ministry October 1978 reformation Sunday at Green Baptist Church by the SBC. He has served as Sr. Pastor of 4 churches in the last 30 years. He was also Ex. Director of Greater Akron Youth For Christ, a Police Chaplain UNIT 78 UAPD. He is (1982) Founder and now directs Shatter the Darkness and Preemption Broadcast (2007). He has preached in Churches in 8 states, held training seminars and loves to do crusade evangelism. He has launched web sites and broadcasts messages that have been heard and downloaded in over 110 countries. The internet sites have gotten over 4 million hits by its 2ed year with over 700,000 downloads of messages, teaching material with evangelistic effort and will reach 1 million 900,000 downloads of these messages with over 30 million hits for 2010. Russ has been on many radio stations for interviews most of which are archived on the web. Russ has spoken and presented sessions at conferences in Ghent W.V., Michigan, New England area, Sharpsville PA, Washington PA, St Louis, New York, Indiana, Nashville Tenn. and Las Vegas, Groton CT, Mansfield OH, Branson Mo, and Canton Ohio. He has launched REEP mission trips in over 60 cites and one into France in 2012. Russ has studied at Cumberland College 'Biblical Studies', the University of Akron 'Criminology' and 'Military science', 2 1/2 years at Moody Bible School and in 1984 at Malone College went through graduating services for a BA in Religion/Philosophy, with advanced studies in Theology, Apologetics and Greek. He has studied at Emerge counseling center...Basics of Biblical Counseling, Crisis Counseling and other various training there. Training in Nothetic Counseling, Theophostics, Wise Counsel SBC, Mind Control deprogramming and Exit Counseling. Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA), UAPD police training, DEFTEC law enforcement training in advanced occult and cult crimes. 6 Specialized Occult/satanic crimes training seminars with Tom Wedge/author of The Satan Hunter. He has been to many training conferences and seminars including those on Satanic Ritual Abuse, SRA-MPD-DID, Mind Control, Spiritual Warfare, Abduction Research, Deliverance/Evangelism and other various fields. Youth for Christ USA training in leadership, evangelism and youth ministry, International Police Chaplin's courses, Navigators discipleship, MasterLife and MasterBuilders discipleship/leadership training. Church leadership, growth and other seminars, courses and conferences in Church related leadership, management and development. Russ currently seeks to master NT Greek vocabulary & NT manuscripts and Systematic Theology. Current aggressive studies include Surveillance Technologies, Private Investigations, Criminal Profiling, Forensics, Counter Infiltration Procedures and Trace Evidence. Trans humanism, AI, Theoretical Physics, Political ideology and scoping out the rise of luciferic globalism. He has written and taught 14 college level courses locally over the last 30 years. A major course he as taught is 'Preemptive Systematic Theology' and offers these courses as Internet external learning.
In this week's episode of Bet On It - LIVE Monday Night Football edition direct from Las Vegas: Kelly Stewart, Marco D'Angelo and Gianni the Greek break down tonight's NFL Week 6 Monday Night Football showdown between the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills. The Vegas trio looks back at yesterday's NFL action before previewing tonight's AFC primetime clash between the Titans and Bills from Nissan Stadium in Nashville.#Titans | #BillsMafia | #MondayNightFootballBuffalo Bills -6 at Tennessee Titans (o/u 53)
Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early! (https://www.patreon.com/topiclords) Lords: * Elena * https://www.propinquity.me/ * Nova * https://novalinium.com/ Topics: * Things I have learned about myself from being a professional matchmaker * The Mother of All Demos * The wine-dark sea * TWRP - Starlight Brigade * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Q3i5w6-Ug * Unedited (syncable) commentary: https://youtu.be/VsFcnzBJlt4 * Challenges in scaling community organizing * https://youtu.be/DAN0OCagHzQ * https://thenewinquiry.com/hot-allostatic-load/ Microtopics: * Lack of confidence in your chocolate opinions. * Chocolate naan. * Fruit esters. * Chocolove. * A really mean fruit tart. * Giving the listeners homework. * Being self employed and feeling like you're constantly behind on some imaginary metric you haven't made up yet. * Propinquity. * Receiving an encrypted email asking if you want to work on a secret project and telling everybody about it on this show. * The Scoville scale of tidiness. * Doing an extremely tedious test to see if you have ADHD. * Laminating your ADHD certificate so you can keep it in your wallet in case you have to prove to someone that you have ADHD. * The power differential in relationships where one person is much more attractive than the other. * Retaining a panel of judges to rate all your clients' attractiveness from 1 to 10. * Video chatting someone who refuses to tell you where they work and you say "I'm writing down here that you work at Facebook" and then they immediately tell you where they really work, or if they just hang up then you know they work at Facebook. * Striving to get a good grade on your dating life, something that is normal and possible to achieve. * Instead of filling out your dating profile, just clicking "I'm feeling lucky." * The On Line System. * Whether smartphones are good. * If Facebook were more like MySpace and you could include Javascript in your status update so your status emits butterflies. * When Twitter didn't sanitize Javascript out of SVG uploads so you could include playable games in your avatar image. * TI calculators as a way to learn to program. * Giving kids these days the uphill-both-ways speech about how much worse TI calculators were in your day. * Tracker music on TI calculators. * From the future or from Xerox PARC? * What Apple did and failed to do with vertical integration. * An opportunity for disruption. * Running Turing-complete PostScript on your font cartridge. * Running Doom on your font cartridge. * The history of color perception. * The history of what color wine is. * Zeus' eyebrow color. * Whether all ancient Greeks were color blind or just Homer. * Greco-Roman poetic studies focusing on light and shadow but totally ignoring hue. * Dark in hue vs. dark in mood. * Stars that don't twinkle. * Catching stars from the sky by spraying them with water first. * A spaceship made of ferrofluid. * Not remembering any anime but remembering all their theme songs. * A genre of TV show that can only exist when there is disparity in the global economy. * First being scared of hyperspeed and then enjoying it and then being angry at it in the space of a few seconds. * Fantasy triangles. * A spaceship with truck nuts. * An ensemble of different animated character archetypes. * Establishing personality via the object the character is holding for their two seconds of screen time. * Trapping the protagonist in a simulation where they have to pretend to be a child chasing a star forever or until they sit up from the chair because it's not a very effective trap. * Banging on the geodesic Epcot sphere to be let inside. * Secret Service Ralph finally being promoted to pilot but insisting that he still be called Secret Service Ralph. * Everybody getting one Truck Nut and knowing you found your soul mate because your Truck Nuts match and you can pair them up. * Doing your best to bring up the arm count average. * Commander Meowch. * Using sentiment analysis to determine whether chat room users are about to be in a fight. * A Fletcher, meaning one who teleports around. * Figuring out which kind of moderator interventions will lead to good outcomes. * The September That Never Ended. * How to grow from a small community into a large community without changing the culture. * Being yelled at by 100 people each of whom aren't having the experience of harassing somebody. * Whether you can get rid of a forum user who is following all the rules but just nobody likes them. * Hot Allostatic Load.
With family: 1 Kings 21; 1 Thessalonians 4 1 Kings 21 (Listen) Naboth's Vineyard 21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.'” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed1 God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.” 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. The Lord Condemns Ahab 17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”' And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”'” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.' 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” Ahab's Repentance 25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.) 27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.” Footnotes [1] 21:10 Hebrew blessed; also verse 13 (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 4 (Listen) A Life Pleasing to God 4 Finally, then, brothers,1 we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification:2 that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body3 in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. The Coming of the Lord 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 10, 13 [2] 4:3 Or your holiness [3] 4:4 Or how to take a wife for himself; Greek how to possess his own vessel [4] 4:15 Or by the word of the Lord (ESV) In private: Psalm 107; Daniel 3 Psalm 107 (Listen) Book Five Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So 107 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble13 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.228 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.30 Then they were glad that the waters3 were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. 39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe [2] 107:27 Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up [3] 107:30 Hebrew they (ESV) Daniel 3 (Listen) Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image 3 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits1 and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. The Fiery Furnace 8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared2 to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.3 But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.4 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics,5 their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside6 the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Footnotes [1] 3:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 3:9 Aramaic answered and said; also verses 24, 26 [3] 3:15 Aramaic lacks well and good [4] 3:17 Or If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king [5] 3:21 The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and tunics is uncertain; also verse 27 [6] 3:28 Aramaic and changed (ESV)
Morning: Isaiah 65–66 Isaiah 65–66 (Listen) Judgment and Salvation 65 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by1 my name.2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;4 who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;5 who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.6 Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap7 both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”2 8 Thus says the LORD: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,' so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there.10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me.11 But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,12 I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” 13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;14 behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit.15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name,16 so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. New Heavens and a New Earth 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy3 the work of their hands.23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,4 for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. The Humble and Contrite in Spirit 66 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. 3 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;4 I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” 5 Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6 “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the LORD, rendering recompense to his enemies! Rejoice with Jerusalem 7 “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son.8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her;11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.”5 12 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees.13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies. Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord 15 “For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.16 For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many. 17 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the LORD. 18 “For I know6 their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming7 to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21 And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD. 22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD. 24 “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Footnotes [1] 65:1 Or that did not call upon [2] 65:7 Or I will first measure their payment into their lap [3] 65:22 Hebrew shall wear out [4] 65:23 Or for sudden terror [5] 66:11 Or breast [6] 66:18 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew lacks know [7] 66:18 Hebrew and it is coming (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 1 2 Thessalonians 1 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving 3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. The Judgment at Christ's Coming 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from2 the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [2] 1:9 Or destruction that comes from (ESV)
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 78 Psalm 78 (Listen) Tell the Coming Generation A Maskil1 of Asaph. 78 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. 9 The Ephraimites, armed with2 the bow, turned back on the day of battle.10 They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.11 They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.12 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.15 He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.16 He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers. 17 Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.18 They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?” 21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,24 and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;27 he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.29 And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.30 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,31 the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. 32 In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.33 So he made their days vanish like3 a breath,4 and their years in terror.34 When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!41 They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.42 They did not remember his power5 or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,43 when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.46 He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.48 He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.49 He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.51 He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.52 Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.55 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. 56 Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.59 When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.60 He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,61 and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.62 He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.66 And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame. 67 He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. Footnotes [1] 78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting [3] 78:33 Hebrew in [4] 78:33 Or vapor [5] 78:42 Hebrew hand (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 12:1–15 1 Kings 12:1–15 (Listen) Rehoboam's Folly 12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from1 Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,' thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'” 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Footnotes [1] 12:2 Septuagint, Vulgate (compare 2 Chronicles 10:2); Hebrew lived in (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 40 Ezekiel 40 (Listen) Vision of the New Temple 40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.1 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” The East Gate to the Outer Court 5 And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth2 in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. 6 Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.3 7 And the side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. 8 Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed. 9 Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. 10 And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. The three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. 11 Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. 13 Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other. 14 He measured also the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.4 15 From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 And the gateway had windows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their jambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were palm trees. The Outer Court 17 Then he brought me into the outer court. And behold, there were chambers and a pavement, all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,5 a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.6 The North Gate 20 As for the gate that faced toward the north, belonging to the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. 21 Its side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of the first gate. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 22 And its windows, its vestibule, and its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps people would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. 23 And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits. The South Gate 24 And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. 25 Both it and its vestibule had windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 26 And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 27 And there was a gate on the south of the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits. The Inner Court 28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. 29 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 30 And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. 31 Its vestibule faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps. 32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. 33 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 34 Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps. 35 Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it. It had the same size as the others. 36 Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,7 and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. 37 Its vestibule8 faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps. 38 There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,9 where the burnt offering was to be washed. 39 And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on either side, on which the burnt offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered. 40 And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. 41 Four tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, on which to slaughter. 42 And there were four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. 43 And hooks,10 a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid. Chambers for the Priests 44 On the outside of th
Mark 8–9 Mark 8–9 (Listen) Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand 8 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.1 The Pharisees Demand a Sign 11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”2 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida 22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus3 laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ 27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life4 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” The Transfiguration 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one5 on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,6 it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;7 listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit 14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out8 and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”9 Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection 30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. Who Is the Greatest? 33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us 38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,10 and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Temptations to Sin 42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,11 it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell,12 to the unquenchable fire.13 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.14 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Footnotes [1] 8:10 Some manuscripts Magadan, or Magdala [2] 8:15 Some manuscripts the Herodians [3] 8:25 Greek he [4] 8:35 The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and once in verse 36 and once in verse 37 [5] 9:3 Greek launderer (gnapheus) [6] 9:5 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master [7] 9:7 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved [8] 9:24 Some manuscripts add with tears [9] 9:29 Some manuscripts add and fasting [10] 9:38 Some manuscripts add who does not follow us [11] 9:42 Greek to stumble; also verses 43, 45, 47 [12] 9:43 Greek Gehenna; also verse 47 [13] 9:43 Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are identical with verse 48) [14] 9:49 Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt (ESV)
We sit down with the incredible Steve Shell, co-creator of Old Gods of Appalachia, to chat through Season 1 of The Silt Verses and answer some questions.Content warning: at 31.41-32.16, sexual assault is mentioned in reference to divine cruelty in Greek myth.Transcript: https://www.thesiltverses.com/transcript-qa2.21: What was the inspiration for The Silt Verses?7.34: How did Carpenter and Faulkner develop as characters?12.00: Themes around religion?14.51: How did you prepare for your roles?18.59: What god would you choose / invent?23.03: How is an episode created?24.25: What is easiest and hardest about working on the show?30.37: Was the show influenced by Greek myth?32.58: What was the process for audio design?34.28: Did Eskew prepare you for the Silt Verses?38.00: Did Carpenter have an emo phase?39.25: The show has lots of horrible noises - is the audio editor okay??39.47: What was the significance of the character names?40.38: Who's your favourite character to write?42.01: What's been the most surprising / best fan reaction?45.34: Was C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces an influence?46.18: Is the show a road-trip buddy comedy?47.51: Why did you choose an ensemble cast?49.21: How did the religious wars begin?50.41: What DnD classes would the characters be?51.17: What's your favourite kind of scene to act out?54.15: What's the best thing about playing Carpenter?57.07: Why did you choose the mix of dialogue and prose?58.32: How do you lose an entire town to the Wither Mark?1.01.30: We all ramble about lived-in worlds for a while1.06.30: Which mouths of the Trawler-man do Carpenter and Faulkner represent?1.08.28: How do you feel about usage of the setting?1.09.05: Why all the different accents?1.13.15: What colour are Faulkner's shoes?This Q&A was recorded during London Podcast Festival in September, and features responses in person from Muna, Jon, and Méabh de Brun - B. Narr and our audio editor Sammy Holden drop in remotely to answer some questions as well.)A huge thank-you to everyone who sent in their questions. For the purposes of time, there were some questions that we merged, and a few others that we just didn't give entertaining or interesting enough answers to on the night - if we didn't get to yours, please do feel free to drop us a message on Tumblr and we'll do our best to pick it up! https://www.patreon.com/thesiltverses See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Full Text of ReadingsFeast of Saint Luke, evangelist Lectionary: 661All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint LukeLuke wrote one of the major portions of the New Testament, a two-volume work comprising the third Gospel and Acts of the Apostles. In the two books he shows the parallel between the life of Christ and that of the Church. He is the only Gentile Christian among the Gospel writers. Tradition holds him to be a native of Antioch, and Paul calls him “our beloved physician.” His Gospel was probably written between 70 and 85 A.D. Luke appears in Acts during Paul's second journey, remains at Philippi for several years until Paul returns from his third journey, accompanies Paul to Jerusalem, and remains near him when he is imprisoned in Caesarea. During these two years, Luke had time to seek information and interview persons who had known Jesus. He accompanied Paul on the dangerous journey to Rome where he was a faithful companion. Luke's unique character may best be seen by the emphases of his Gospel, which has been given a number of subtitles: 1) The Gospel of Mercy 2) The Gospel of Universal Salvation 3) The Gospel of the Poor 4) The Gospel of Absolute Renunciation 5) The Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit 6) The Gospel of Joy Reflection Luke wrote as a Gentile for Gentile Christians. His Gospel and Acts of the Apostles reveal his expertise in classic Greek style as well as his knowledge of Jewish sources. There is a warmth to Luke's writing that sets it apart from that of the other synoptic Gospels, and yet it beautifully complements those works. The treasure of the Scriptures is a true gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. Saint Luke is the Patron Saint of: Artists/Painters Brewers Butchers Notaries Physicians/Surgeons Click here for more on Saint Luke! Saint of the Day Copyright Franciscan Media
He was a physician from Antioch, a disciple and traveling-companion of the Apostle Paul, who refers to him as the 'beloved physician.' He wrote not only his Gospel but the Acts of the Apostles, dedicating both to Theophilus, who according to one tradition was the Governor of Achaia, a convert. Much of the Acts of the Apostles is written in the first person, describing his own travels with the St Paul. He lived to an old age and died in Achaia, possibly in Patras. Most ancient authors say that he died as a Martyr. Church traditions about St Luke are somewhat contradictory. According to many, he was one of the Seventy and thus an eye-witness to Christ's ministry on earth. (He is usually considered to be the companion of St Cleopas on the Road to Emmaus). According to others, he never met Christ himself but was converted by the preaching of the Apostle Paul. Church tradition holds that St Luke was the first iconographer, and painted an image of the Most Holy Theotokos from life. He is considered the patron of iconographers. Several icons attributed to St Luke himself are still in existence.
Monday, 18 October 2021 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. Acts 1:23 You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at "Discern the Bible" on YouTube or at Rumble (Click Here to listen). Peter has proposed the selection of another apostle to replace Judas. This is in accord with the Scriptures he cited, and therefore it is an appropriate step to take. Before proceeding to the verse, it should be noted that many take this decision by Peter and the others as an aberration. If a twelfth is now selected, then it – presumably – makes the selection of Paul problematic. How can he be chosen as an apostle and yet there be twelve apostles? The reasoning is that there were twelve sons of Israel. To maintain the pattern, there should then only be twelve apostles. The thinking is flawed. The twelve sons of Israel as recorded in Genesis are at first twelve – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. However, in Genesis 48, the following is recorded – “Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, ‘Indeed your father is sick'; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, ‘Look, your son Joseph is coming to you'; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, “Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.” 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.” Genesis 48:1-5 Thus, the sons of Israel are fourteen – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin, Manasseh, and Ephraim. Throughout the rest of Scripture, even in the New Testament, various listings of the sons of Israel are given based on the number twelve. At times, one name or another is given in replacement of another name, but the list is given as twelve. Of the apostles, Luke lists twelve – “Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.” Luke 6:14-16 With the selection of another apostle now in Acts 1, and with the designation of another apostle – Paul – beginning in Acts 9, the number is fourteen – Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John; Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, Judas Iscariot, Matthias, and Paul. With this pattern set forth and understood, there is no reason to assume that the selection of Matthias (as will occur in verse 1:26) is inappropriate. Judas, being dead, does not discount that he was a named apostle. Nor does the adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim mean that these two sons are not “sons of Israel.” The pattern is set forth for us to learn from. Having said that, the verse set before us begins with, “And they proposed two.” Of those who had been with Jesus “from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up” (Acts 1:22), two qualified men have been identified. The first is “Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus.” The name “Joseph” essentially means, “He shall add,” coming from the Hebrew verb yasaph, “to add.” However, it is also connected to the word asaph, “to take away.” Therefore, the name is actually a double entendre. The name Barsabas (Barsabbas) is probably a patronymic. The word bar is Aramaic, meaning “son.” Thus, he is “Son of Sabas.” The Greek Sabas is derived from a one of various Hebrew words, depending on which transliteration is accepted. The name could mean Son of the Host, Son of the Imbiber, Son of Pleasure, Son of an Oath, or something similar. If the name is not a patronymic, the term “son of” may be relating to his character. This is common in the Bible. A person is known as a “Son of XXX” because his character exemplifies that quality. Thus, the term “Son of Sabas” designates either his father, or his personal character. Finally, Justus is a name of Latin origin meaning “Just.” It was not uncommon for people to have both a Hebrew name and a Latin or Greek name at this time. It was also common to be called “Son of XXX,” as well. Hence, he was known by any of these names. The second nominee is “Matthias.” This is believed to be a shortened form of the name Mattathias. If so, it is a transliteration from the Hebrew name Mattithyah (or Mattithyahu). The Hebrew word mattah signifies a gift or reward. The Hebrew Yah is an abbreviation for Yehovah. Thus, the name means “Gift of Yah (Yehovah).” Life application: Peter quoted Scripture to demonstrate that God's plans were not upset by the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, but that this was in accord with what God knew would occur. He again cited Scripture to demonstrate that another person should replace him. Peter's thinking was not in error. It was in accord with what was set forth in the word. The selection of the two men was in accord with what was just and right concerning the knowledge of Jesus' ministry. In other words, the events in Acts 1 concerning the replacement of Judah are not an error as many claim. Instead, they are a part of what occurred, they are documented by Luke to show that this was what was decided, and in the conduct of this selection – and the later selection by Paul – a set pattern is brought forth that matches what occurred already in the Old Testament in relation to the sons of Israel. As such, EW Bullinger defines the number fourteen as – “...being a multiple of seven, partakes of its significance; and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection. The number two with which it is combined (2x7) may, however, bring its own significance into its meaning, as in Matthew 1, where the genealogy of Jesus Christ is divided up and given in sets of 14 (2x7) generations, two being the number associated with incarnation.” Be sure to carefully read the word, think on what is occurring as you do, and then continue to meditate on the word as you conduct your other affairs. The word is active and alive, and it will reward those who diligently ponder its truths, patterns, structure, and so on. Glorious heavenly Father, what a treasure Your word is. Thank You for the richness it contains. We have one life to live before we stand before You. Help us not to squander it on that which is temporary and futile, but to direct our hearts, minds, thoughts, and actions to a study and contemplation of Your precious word. To Your glory! Amen!
When was the last time you had Holy Communion? We often take it as tradition and fail to realize the benefits of Communion. Communing with God means to become one with, and the act of taking bread and wine allows us to partner with God in such an amazing way. Healing, restoration, peace, and whatever you need is in the blood. This episode is full of depth as well as practical tips on the benefits of Communion and how to take it in your own home. Pastor Charles also breaks down the Greek and Hebrew definitions of Communion for a deeper revelation. Allow Communion to shift your spiritual journey as you listen and grab some elements to take Communion at the end of the episode. Pastor Charles Johnson Page II https://linktr.ee/successologist Join Podcast Pro https://bit.ly/spiritualiteapodcastpro Devotional Journal https://bit.ly/SpiritualiTEADevotionalJournal Contact Dr. LaTanya https://bit.ly/drlatanyamoore
“Mercy,” that's a loaded word. The Greek here in Matthew is “eleemon.” This refers to concrete acts of mercy . . . not so much a merciful attitude. I like this distinction. “Blessed are those who show mercy, not just those who have the capacity to forgive in their hearts.” See the difference? It's concrete. Blessed are those who do the hard work of letting things go . . . who offer forgiveness . . . who show mercy.
Proper 24 First Psalm: Psalms 148–150 Psalms 148–150 (Listen) Praise the Name of the Lord 148 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.1 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children! 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD! Sing to the Lord a New Song 149 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD! Let Everything Praise the Lord 150 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!22 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 148:6 Or it shall not be transgressed [2] 150:1 Hebrew expanse (compare Genesis 1:6–8) (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 114–115 Psalms 114–115 (Listen) Tremble at the Presence of the Lord 114 When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. To Your Name Give Glory 115 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. 9 O Israel,1 trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. 14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel (ESV) Old Testament: Jeremiah 29:1; Jeremiah 29:4–14 Jeremiah 29:1 (Listen) Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles 29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (ESV) Jeremiah 29:4–14 (Listen) 4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,1 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. 10 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Footnotes [1] 29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream [2] 29:11 Or peace (ESV) New Testament: Acts 16:6–15 Acts 16:6–15 (Listen) The Macedonian Call 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul1 had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. The Conversion of Lydia 11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the2 district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. Footnotes [1] 16:10 Greek he [2] 16:12 Or that (ESV) Gospel: Luke 10:1–12; Luke 10:17–20 Luke 10:1–12 (Listen) Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two 10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two1 others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. Footnotes [1] 10:1 Some manuscripts seventy; also verse 17 (ESV) Luke 10:17–20 (Listen) The Return of the Seventy-Two 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 77 Psalm 77 (Listen) In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. 77 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah 4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.5 I consider the days of old, the years long ago.6 I said,1 “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah 10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”2 11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?14 You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.15 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled.17 The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side.18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook.19 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.320 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Footnotes [1] 77:6 Hebrew lacks I said [2] 77:10 Or This is my grief: that the right hand of the Most High has changed [3] 77:19 Hebrew unknown (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 11 1 Kings 11 (Listen) Solomon Turns from the Lord 11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. The Lord Raises Adversaries 9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” 14 And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom. 15 For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he struck down every male in Edom 16 (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom). 17 But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad still being a little child. 18 They set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him an allowance of food and gave him land. 19 And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.” 22 But Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Only let me depart.” 23 God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the killing by David. And they went to Damascus and lived there and made him king in Damascus. 25 He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria. 26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. 27 And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. 28 The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29 And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. 30 Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes 32 (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have1 forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. 34 Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. 36 Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. 37 And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.'” 40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. Footnotes [1] 11:33 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate he has; twice in this verse (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 39 Ezekiel 39 (Listen) 39 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech1 and Tubal. 2 And I will turn you about and drive you forward,2 and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. 4 You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7 “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken. 9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs3 and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, 10 so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD. 11 “On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.4 12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord GOD. 14 They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At5 the end of seven months they will make their search. 15 And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. 16 (Hamonah6 is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land. 17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. 19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. 20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,' declares the Lord GOD. 21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. 23 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. The Lord Will Restore Israel 25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies' lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 39:1 Or Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech [2] 39:2 Or and drag you along [3] 39:9 Or javelins [4] 39:11 Hamon-gog means the multitude of Gog [5] 39:14 Or Until [6] 39:16 Hamonah means multitude (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 9:1–29 Romans 9:1–29 (Listen) God's Sovereign Choice 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,1 my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,2 but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.'”26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel3 be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” Footnotes [1] 9:3 Or brothers and sisters [2] 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs [3] 9:27 Or children of Israel (ESV)
Old Testament: Isaiah 56–58 Isaiah 56–58 (Listen) Salvation for Foreigners 56 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”4 For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant,5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” Israel's Irresponsible Leaders 9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour— all you beasts in the forest.10 His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.11 The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.12 “Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.” Israel's Futile Idolatry 57 The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;2 he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.3 But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.4 Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit,5 you who burn with lust among the oaks,1 under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?7 On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice.8 Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial; for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a covenant for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have looked on nakedness.29 You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.10 You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, “It is hopeless”; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint.3 11 Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me?12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you.13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain. Comfort for the Contrite 14 And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way.”15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.17 Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.21 There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” True and False Fasting 58 “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,4 and oppress all your workers.4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? 6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed5 go free, and to break every yoke?7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. 13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure6 on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure,7 or talking idly;814 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;9 I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Footnotes [1] 57:5 Or among the terebinths [2] 57:8 Or on a monument (see 56:5); Hebrew on a hand [3] 57:10 Hebrew and so you were not sick [4] 58:3 Or pursue your own business [5] 58:6 Or bruised [6] 58:13 Or business [7] 58:13 Or pursuing your own business [8] 58:13 Hebrew or speaking a word [9] 58:14 Or of the land (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 100 Psalm 100 (Listen) His Steadfast Love Endures Forever A Psalm for giving thanks. 100 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his;1 we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Footnotes [1] 100:3 Or and not we ourselves (ESV) New Testament: Acts 24–25 Acts 24–25 (Listen) Paul Before Felix at Caesarea 24 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain1 you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.2 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. 10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.'” Paul Kept in Custody 22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. Paul Appeals to Caesar 25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul3 that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4 &l
Mark 6–7 Mark 6–7 (Listen) Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 6 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles 7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.1 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The Death of John the Baptist 14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus'2 name had become known. Some3 said, “John the Baptist4 has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's5 head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii6 worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Jesus Walks on the Water 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night7 he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret 53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. Traditions and Commandments 7 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,8 holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.9 And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.10) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother'; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”' (that is, given to God)11—12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” What Defiles a Person 14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”12 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”13 (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith 24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.14 And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Jesus Heals a Deaf Man 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus15 charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Footnotes [1] 6:9 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin [2] 6:14 Greek his [3] 6:14 Some manuscripts He [4] 6:14 Greek baptizer; also verse 24 [5] 6:27 Greek his [6] 6:37 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer [7] 6:48 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. [8] 7:3 Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing [9] 7:4 Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves [10] 7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches [11] 7:11 Or an offering [12] 7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear [13] 7:19 Greek goes out into the latrine [14] 7:24 Some manuscripts omit and Sidon [15] 7:36 Greek he (ESV)
His name means "God is Help." He is the first and earliest of the twelve Minor Prophets. At the Lord's command he married a harlot, who was repeatedly unfaithful to him despite his love and faithfulness toward her. In his prophetic writings he shows this marriage as an image of God's faithful care for His unfaithful people. Holy Martyrs Cosmas and Damian, the Unmercenaries of Cilicia (4th c.)
When someone's life has been radically transformed by Jesus Christ, people recognize it. In this Sunday morning podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie defines the attributes that permeate a life of true conversion. Listen in for the latest message from the series, The Upside Down Life from the book of Acts. Notes “The doorway of success is often entered through the hallway of failure.” To be forgiven, there needs to be repentance. “That your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). The Greek word means to “wash off, erase, and obliterate.” Don't choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. When we repent, “times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). 1. A person who has been with Jesus will boldly share their faith. 2. A person who has been with Jesus will be a person who knows Scripture. 3. A person who has been with Jesus will be persecuted. There is power in Jesus' name! If and when you're persecuted, wear it as a badge of honor. 4. A person who has been with Jesus will be a person of prayer. 1. The apostles prayed together. There is power in united prayer. 2. The apostles acknowledged the sovereignty of God. “God is able to do what He pleases with whomever He chooses whenever He wishes.” —Chuck Swindoll 3. The apostles prayed for God's will. “Lord, I do not ask for a lighter load; I ask for a stronger back.” —C.H. Spurgeon 4. The apostles were once again filled with the Holy Spirit. Have you been with Jesus? Scripture Referenced Matthew 5:11–12 Galatians 6:2 --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners. Support the show: https://harvest.org/support See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When someone's life has been radically transformed by Jesus Christ, people recognize it. In this Sunday morning podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie defines the attributes that permeate a life of true conversion. Listen in for the latest message from the series, The Upside Down Life from the book of Acts. Notes “The doorway of success is often entered through the hallway of failure.” To be forgiven, there needs to be repentance. “That your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). The Greek word means to “wash off, erase, and obliterate.” Don't choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. When we repent, “times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). 1. A person who has been with Jesus will boldly share their faith. 2. A person who has been with Jesus will be a person who knows Scripture. 3. A person who has been with Jesus will be persecuted. There is power in Jesus' name! If and when you're persecuted, wear it as a badge of honor. 4. A person who has been with Jesus will be a person of prayer. 1. The apostles prayed together. There is power in united prayer. 2. The apostles acknowledged the sovereignty of God. “God is able to do what He pleases with whomever He chooses whenever He wishes.” —Chuck Swindoll 3. The apostles prayed for God's will. “Lord, I do not ask for a lighter load; I ask for a stronger back.” —C.H. Spurgeon 4. The apostles were once again filled with the Holy Spirit. Have you been with Jesus? Scripture Referenced Matthew 5:11–12 Galatians 6:2 --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners. Support the show: https://harvest.org/support See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season, which means it's time to win some money in DFS! Adam Marcum of The IDP Show and Johny the Greek of IDP Guys cover the over/unders, talk you through their process of making a lineup in both DraftKings and FanDuel from the Week 6 slate of games, and tackle two fun contests: kickers and bad QBs. Be sure to follow Johny @OrangeMan3142 and follow Adam @adamidp, subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and consider supporting the show over on Anchor. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/idpguys/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/idpguys/support
With family: 1 Kings 19; 1 Thessalonians 2 1 Kings 19 (Listen) Elijah Flees Jezebel 19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. The Lord Speaks to Elijah 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.1 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” The Call of Elisha 19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. Footnotes [1] 19:12 Or a sound, a thin silence (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians 2 For you yourselves know, brothers,1 that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery,2 as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle3 among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 13 And we also thank God constantly4 for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men5 but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,6 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!7 Paul's Longing to See Them Again 17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17 [2] 2:5 Or with a flattering speech [3] 2:7 Some manuscripts infants [4] 2:13 Or without ceasing [5] 2:13 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women [6] 2:14 The Greek word Ioudaioi can refer to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time [7] 2:16 Or completely, or forever (ESV) In private: Psalm 105; Daniel 1 Psalm 105 (Listen) Tell of All His Wondrous Works 105 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! 7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” 12 When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,15 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” 16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply1 of bread,17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free;21 he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,22 to bind2 his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom. 23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.25 He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. 26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.27 They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel3 against his words.29 He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.32 He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.33 He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.34 He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number,35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground.36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength. 37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. 43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 105:16 Hebrew staff [2] 105:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome instruct [3] 105:28 Septuagint, Syriac omit not (ESV) Daniel 1 (Listen) Daniel Taken to Babylon 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family1 and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. Daniel's Faithfulness 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Hebrew of the seed of the kingdom (ESV)
Morning: Isaiah 59–61 Isaiah 59–61 (Listen) Evil and Oppression 59 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.4 No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.5 They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.6 Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands.7 Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways.8 The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. 9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.10 We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.11 We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities:13 transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Judgment and Redemption 14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him1 that there was no justice.16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream,2 which the wind of the LORD drives. 20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. 21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.” The Future Glory of Israel 60 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult,3 because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. 8 Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?9 For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. 10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.11 Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.14 The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness.18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light;4 but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.520 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.21 Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.622 The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it. The Year of the Lord's Favor 61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;7 he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;82 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.94 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;6 but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast.7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. 8 For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong;10 I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. Footnotes [1] 59:15 Hebrew and it was evil in his eyes [2] 59:19 Hebrew a narrow river [3] 60:5 Hebrew your heart shall tremble and grow wide [4] 60:19 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Targum add by night [5] 60:19 Or your beauty [6] 60:21 Or that I might display my beauty [7] 61:1 Or afflicted [8] 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind [9] 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty [10] 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering (ESV) Evening: 1 Thessalonians 4 1 Thessalonians 4 (Listen) A Life Pleasing to God 4 Finally, then, brothers,1 we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification:2 that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body3 in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. The Coming of the Lord 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 10, 13 [2] 4:3 Or your holiness [3] 4:4 Or how to take a wife for himself; Greek how to possess his own vessel [4] 4:15 Or by the word of the Lord (ESV)
Rick & Bubba admit that you should not take diet and fitness advice from the self-proclaimed "Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive." So they brought in fitness gurus Blake Prime and Garrett Trummer from Godspeed Elite Sports Academy. Rick & Bubba ask the tough questions, like, "Are peanut M&Ms a somewhat healthy snack?" and "Are cheat days okay?" Join this informative and fun conversation between two guys built like Greek gods and two guys built like the Michelin Man on this edition of Rick & Bubba University. Sponsors: Tommy John is here to keep you comfortable. Treat yourself and upgrade to a few pairs of Tommy John underwear in the softest, most breathable fabrics you've ever worn. Tommy John obsesses over every little detail and stitch by using proprietary fabrics that perform like nothing you have ever worn before. All of Tommy John's loungewear and leggings are built for next-level comfort. Whether you're in the hunt for lounge pants, sleep shorts or lazing-around joggers, Tommy John has you covered. Tommy John is so confident in their underwear that if you don't love your first pair, you can get a full refund with their Best Pair You'll Ever Wear Or It's Free Guarantee. Tommy John, no adjustment needed. Hurry to save 15% on your first order at https://TommyJohn.com/RickBubba! Raycon: Whether you're working from home these days or just working on your fitness, now's the perfect time to get a pair of Premium Wireless Earbuds. Raycon ear buds start at about ½ the price of other premium brands you'll find out there on the market -- but they sound just as amazing. You'll get 15% off your order when you go to https://BUYRAYCON.com/rickbubbapod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Big Nickel IDP Podcast is back and better than ever! After an entire offseason of speculation and dynasty-related content, we finally get to dive into what is going on in the 2021 season to see what has changed, what is as expected, and what the hell is going on with some of our beloved IDPs! PFF's Jon Macri (@PFF_Macri) is joined by a couple of IDP legends in Johny the Greek (@Orangeman3142) of IDPguys.org and Mike Woellert (@Mike_Woellert) of 4for4.com to take a big picture look at the current IDP landscape based on the first five weeks of the NFL season and what it could mean going forward. It's a long one - about 2 hours - but well worth the listen if you're an IDP nerd like the ones doing the talking in this episode. Please enjoy! Shout out to our patrons Jessie, Bobby, Jeff, Lorne, Aaron, Tom, Nico, and djkelltown! Follow the show @theidpshow on Twitter and Instagram, give us a 5 star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and consider supporting the show over on Anchor. Thanks for listening! Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code IDPSHOW at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theidpshow/support
This is the Centurion who stood at the Cross of Christ and, seeing Him breathe his last, cried out "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). From that day forth he was a believer, and was soon baptized. According to some accounts, he was one of the guard at the Tomb of Christ, and was one of those whom the Judaean leaders sought to bribe not to tell the news of the Resurrection. But Longinus would not be bribed, so the leaders plotted to kill him. He left the army and went to his homeland of Cappadocia, where he boldly preached Christ. He was beheaded at the instigation of Pontius Pilate.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Sonnets Of The Portuguese - Plus A Great Love Story! Hi, I'm Christy Shriver, and we're here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us. And I'm Garry Shriver, and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast. This is our second week in a two part series discussing one of English Language literature's most romantic couples- the poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Last week, we introduced Robert Browning and his notable dramatic monologue My Last Duchess which gives voice to a twisted psychopath. We talked a little bit about Robert Browning's life, but not too much. This week we'll return to his story as well as introduce his remarkable wife and her poetry, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Christy, am I correct when I say that during their lifetimes, she was famous and he was the Mr. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, so to speak? Also, am I also correct that the man who wrote about the most twisted love relationship in British poetry also arguably had one of the most famous personal love stories! You are correct on both accounts- although, in his defense, in regard to the second fiddle Robert played to Elizabeth during her life, history has elevated him over the years. And been less kind to her, am I right about that? For a while-you're right- the world turned on Elizabeth, or EBB, as she signed her things. Wait= stop there- EBB for Elizabeth Barrett Browning? She went by that? Well, she had a family nickname BA, but in her professional life-Yes- she signed everything EBB but there is a story. When she was single she was Elizabeth Barrett Barrett- so, she started that before she got married. When she got married, she kept up the EBB- it avoided all the normal name confusion women deal with when they marry later in life and have the hassle of changing identities. In her case, sticking with thethe initials just made it easy. That worked out. I agree- Anyway- back to your point that history was RUDE to her. There was a period of about 100 years where people really criticized put her down. Virginia Wolfe, specifically, wrote what to me is a cruel essay about EBB's most accomplished piece of poetry, a long epic novel in poem form called Aurora Leigh. Wolfe is very condescending for many reasons, but from my perspective, Wolfe just didn't like poetry very much, and Aurora leigh is an epic poem. So, EBB, for about a 100 years drifted along on the coat tails of her husband, ironically, whose reputation gained ground over that same period of time. It was this giant reversal after death. Huh- I guess it's a good thing they were both gone- that could have brought some marital complications! So true, but maybe they would have laughed. When they were alive, Robert Browning once said that the only way he could get a publisher to look at his work was if he promised he'd get Elizabeth to print something with them. Today, though, over two hundred years later, we can all be relieved to know, history has decided to let them rest together in peace. They are both viewed in high regard in their own rights. The Wolfe crowd has settled down, and we can see EBB with a more balanced perspective, especially her work Aurora Leigh- something notable but more than we can really handle in one episode- I did want to mention because it was EBB's masterpiece- and something that is quite original- if you like her stuff or if you like epic poetry, you should check it out. No one has really done an epic poem about a female hero like her either before or since, at least that I know anything about. When it came out It was extremely popular, as well as quite scandalous. It's a plot driven story, and Marian Erle, a heroine in the stories, gets raped, has a child, refuses to hide the fact that it was a product of rape and does not take a proposal in marriage that would redeem her reputation as a fallen woman, so to speak. It has been said that women read it secretly under their sheets so as not to be discovered, and EBB loved that. Let me just tell you, that might scandalize readers even todayOh my, I'd say that's a very different hero than Odysseus or Gilgamesh, and I can see why Aurora Leigh was so popular so quickly not just in Britain but in America- in fact,. I read it hadsomewhere that they printed over 20 editions before the end of the 19th century. But, let's back up and get a little of the back story on this scandalous Victorian celebrity. Okay- boring stuff first. EBB was born on March 6, 1806, the eldest of TWELVE children to very prominent people. Her father's family, the Barrett's owned thousands of acres of sugar plantation in Jamaica plus all the slaves that went with that. The Barrett's had gobs of money. Her early years were happy, and for a while she lived in a fairy land. Her father built this incredibly lavish estate, and she had free reign to roam at will, and that's exactly what she did. In one sense, her family was progressive. They encouraged and even supported her studying, and she did and loved it. She had an excellent private tutor and she worked hard- even though at the time for a woman there wasn't much point in it. She received a very good classical education becoming proficient in both Greek and Latin. She read all of the time and anything she could get her hands on- which was a lot. She also got into poetry writing pretty early on. She wrote for everyone and all the time. Her father called her the Poet Laureate of Hope End (that was the name of their estate). He even sponsored the publication of her first epic poem she was only 13. Can you imagine a proud father publishing his teenage daughter's epic poem- that's definitely a rich kid thing to do. Well, it certainly was and an indication that her life was all just dreamy…until it wasn't. First, The Barrett's, as in the extended family, had some sort of squabble about the sugar plantation money and somehow, I'm not sure how, Elizabeth's dad, lost a big chunk of it. They lost the big fancy estate and had to move into some sort of temporary housing. Then, and this is even worse although, it seems what I'm about to describe happened to a lot of women during this time period, at age 15, she started getting really sick with no commensurate explanation. To this day, her illness is undiagnosed, but she had all kinds of symptoms that left her weak to the point of literally being physically disabled. What did they say it was at the time? And as historians have looked back through the record is there an idea today about what made her sick? Two good questions. Well, of course, her family tried everything, including moving to live by the seaside- which we've seen in a lot of British literature- that came up even in Emma. But in her case her health never really improved. By the time she was 25, her family was living in London,but that place wasn't really known at the time for its fresh air- think the chimney sweeper or Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. What happened to poor Elizabeth is that she ended up spending all of her time confined in a bedroom in that famous address associated with her today- 50 Wimpole Street. Well, I'm not sure about 50 Wimpole street, but isn't 57 Wimpole street the famous home of Paul McCartney- the place where he and John Lennon wrote “I want to Hold your Hand” and then later “Yesterday”. Yes- that's a little bit after EBB's time there, though. HA. But actually, they did make a fairly famous movie called The Barretts at Wimpole Street about Elizabeth Barrett Browning. So, there's that too. Anyway, back to EBB's health- Victorian London, in general, was dirty and smoggy, and so Elizabeth ended up basically being locked up in her room theoretically for her own good. There is a school of thought that suggests that Some of her problems were connected to an issue with her spine from an injury she got from falling off a horse. We also know for a fact she had a lot of trouble with her lungs. I think the most trustworthy sources say she probably had spinal tuberculosis. Honestly, I really don't really know what was wrong with her except to say that by the time she was twenty-five, it seems she was pretty much disabled. And, if that wasn't enough, she has another issue- again fairly common for the time period. Her doctors- proscribed to her meds- and you can probably guess where I'm going with this- that were addictive- and like so many back then as well as today- she became an opium addict, of course, all under her doctor's care. This seems a little horrifying to me, partly because we just finished watching the Netflix series The Pharmacist which was an expose on the opium problem in the United States connected to Oxycotin and the ensuing 400,000 overdoses directedly related to that drug. But Garry, clearly, opium addiction is not a 21st century phenomenon, we talked about it a little bit with Frankenstein because it surfaced a little in that book, and even though this is a little tangential, it's interesting to me, so tell us about what opium addiction looked like in the 19th century and why would a little doted on homeschool girl wind up addicted to it? Sure, wellFirst let's establish what it was she was taking. It was a common drug called laudanum is what Elizabeth Barrett Browning was addicted to.. She wasn't popping pills or shooting up. anything. Laudanum was an alcoholic herbal preparation thatand was 10% opium. It was prescribed pretty much for everything: it was used as a pain reliever, a cough suppressant, it was used to control depression, heart palpitations. It was given as a sleeping pill, menstrual cramps were treated with laudanum. Just likeEven worse than oxycotin in the early days of the opioid epidemic today, itlaudanum was an entirely uncontrolled substance. Almost no one took the side effects of the drug seriously- and there were a lot of them- But another point to understand, and again this is just like opioids today- there was that associated euphoria people experienced from taking the drug that encouraged it's people to use it. Why not, right? It's not hurting anything, and it makes me feel good. . However, as we all know, thatdrug euphoria comes at a cost and the cost was depression, the slurred speech, the restlessness, poor concentration, and of course, theif you ever wanted to get off, terrible withdrawal symptoms. Here's one crazy fun fact that might blow your mind- Itlaudanum was even spoon fed to infants, if you can believe that. No way! But before we judge too quickly with the arrogance of the present, we have to remember, that it wasn't until 1899 that aspirin was invented. These were days when there were no antibiotics, no mild tranquiliers; not much of anything and people needed help- not just pain relief, but with all kinds of things, and this is what they had. Do you think Barrett's prolonged disabilities could be connected with her drug use? I'm sure it's possible, but I really don't know. Laudanum has no curative properties. After they got married, Robert Browning did help her reduce her drug use significantly, and in fact, she reduced her dosage to where she was finally able to get pregnant after two miscarriages related to laudanum. After marrying him, her entire health condition improved actually. She even got to where she could walk again, but I'm not sure what all the factors were that contributed to her general improved health. She was definitely in a better climate and presumably happy. I do want to be clear, there was no stigma at that time in using laudanum, so we don't need to see her as dark or even unconventional because she was a laudanum user. Lots and lots of people used it for all kinds of things and lots were addicted- including names we recognize like Charles Dickens. Okay-moving on to the love story- so Elizabeth was pretty much locked up in her room, disabled but otherwise living a fairly engaging intellectual life. She was writing poetry, writing letters and basically building a literary career out of that bedroom, even in her disabled state. In 1838, she published a book of poetry called The Seraphim and Other Poems and that one was met with a lot of critical success- oh and let me note- Elizabeth Barrett Browning published her work under her own name!!! That wasn't what a lot of women writers were doing. But, because her work was well received and NOT anonymous, this led to her corresponding via the mail and making friends with important literary figures of her day- some we've even heard of today- famous people like William Wordsworth and Edgar Allan Poe. In 1844, she published another book of poetry, and it met even more success- and it was the publication of this book that changed her personal life completely. In one of the poems in this collection, the poem's name, btw, was “Lady Geraldine's Courtship”, If you're interested, but in this poem she references the poetry of another fairly obscure British poet, a man by the name of Robert Browning. Well, this obscure poet, Robert, was highly flattered to be noticed by someone who was now quite famous, and wrote her a letter thanking her for the shout out. However, this was not your run of the mill thank you note. In his thank you letter he very forwardly and now famously said this, “I love your verses with all my heart, Miss Barrett”…”, I do, as I say, love these books with all my heart- and I love you too.” Ha! That is forward. Robert Browning was very much a very bold suitor- no doubt. He pursued Elizabeth and all throughvia the mail. I was amazed to read there are over 573 letters between these two, and these letters pretty much document the story of two people falling in love. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's email drama has nothing on these two!! They wrote each other every day and seemingly pretty much about everything in the world. These were not check in texts. These were not Joey Tribiani lines like “what's up!”- they were full on epistles. So true, and these letters have been popular reading material ever since- for those of us who want to take stalking to the next level and stalk the love lives of the dead. You really get an intimate look at two people falling in love. Elizabeth said they were “talking upon paper”. When you read the letters, you literally feel like you are injecting yourself into their private world. Mostly because you are. I guess that's true, but it is sweet. Here's a clip for you to see what I mean. “You've come to me as a dream comes, as the best of dreams comes.” That's Elizabeth to Robert. And Robert Browning responds in the same sorts of ways, “I have loved you all my Life unawares- that is the idea of you.” It's a very special back and forth that has been preserved, and they were clearly falling in love now before the eyes of the world and posterity- but we also see that Elizabeth was not totally sure marriage was the path for her. No, she had a couple of serious hesitations. Not the least of these was her father. He absolutely did not believe in allowing his children to get married- especially Elizabeth, and by that I mean not ever. They were a close family, and that put her in a terrible position. To marry Robert would be to cut off her father. Her relationship with her father otherwise was good- if you take out the tyrannical controlling thing- I know that kind of fails the say out loud test. And of course we see in the letters that Robert, obviously was totally against this kind control over her. That was one big problem, but she was also concerned about her disability and her age. She was six years older. Would this really work? By the time, they got married she was 40- today 40 is the new 20, but she didn't feel that way. She felt past her prime. These are some of the insecurities, we will see her write about in her love sonnets. But, at the end of the day, Robert did love her. He wanted the relationship to work. And despite her father's objections, he visited her home 91 times unrelenting in wanting a relationship with Elizabeth. Garry, do you have a theory as to what Mr. Barrett had against Robert or marriage in general? Well, for one thing, he thought Robert might be trying to use Elizabeth's fame for his own career- and that would be understandable, I guess, although for a 40 year old, today that seems her problem not his. But the bigger problem was sex in general. From everything I've read he was a good father and loved his daughter. Elizabeth, who they calledhis Ba- in many ways she his pride and joy. He struggled with his daughter having her own sexual identity- he had idealized her. It seems that as he got older, the sex piece was just more than he could handle. This sort of thing happens even today. Well, the locking the daughter up in the room plan failed. I will say those plans usually do. Robert and Elizabeth were in love, and on September 12 1846, with the help of her maid, Elizabeth sneaks out of the house and marries Robert. One oddity is that after they get married, she had to sneak back into her father's house and live there secretly married for another week before they could work out their train tickets to Italy. But they did ran away together and eventually settled in Florence and where they lived for the rest of Elizabeth's life. One unfortunate fall out is that her father never got over the elopement. He disowned her; cut her off financially and never spoke to her again. He would die never to see his daughter again. That's sad. I suspect she knew that was a possibility, and the reason for her hesitation. I'm also sure that really hurt, but she didn't seem to regret her decision. Italy was her choice. She'd loved it from her classical studies. The doctors insisted it would significantly improve her health- which it did. She also wanted Robert and a life with Robert, so Italy was the plan. After three miscarriages, they had a son, she began walking again; she got involved with European politics, supported the the Unification of Italy, took stands on women's rights issues. She was fully engaged in a life there. In 1850, she would publish another collection of poetry- this one contained what she is most famous for- her “Sonnets from the Portuguese”. Selections from this work is what we're going to read. These were poems she had written to Robert during those days when she was living locked up in that room on Wimpole street. She wrote 44 love sonnets to Robert, but she didn't give them to Robert until after they were married. What's the connection with the Portuguese? Well, when they were dating, Elizabeth wrote a poem about a Portuguese girl named Catarina who was beloved. Robert loved it and always connected Elizabeth to this fictional girl Catarina from the poem. When Elizabeth published these love sonnets it was kind of an inside joke- the speaker is the Portuguese (her) and the poems are all love poems to her husband. Sonnets from the Portuguese. Also, you may remember from Robert's life- he had kind of a bad experience with writing personal confessional poems, so when it came to publishing truly personal poems, he wanted her to create some distance between the speaker of the poem. So, they basically pretended she translated the sonnets. I like the idea- although, I will say, it's not super-well disguised. So, why are these love sonnets so popular? For one, there's just the idea that they are so so sweet. And since their love life is so well documented with their letters, the personal story makes the sentiments in the sonnets charming. Elizabeth was 39 years old. She considers herself past her prime when they met. She was disabled. She expresses what to me seems like a disbelief someone she found to be as amazing as this man she admired really truly loved her. On his part, it's kind of a female fantasy- it's sweet- against a lot of big obstacles,he made her believe he loved her because he did. He really did. He was equally enamoured with her. He admired her. He wondered how could a woman as brilliant as this woman love me? And there we have something special- a mutual admiration- it is this mutual admiration that led to a real intellectual exchange. In these letters we watch this intellectual exchange develop into a reciprocity of respect and from this respect we see trust and then intimacy. All of this, of course, is exactly the kind of thing Ibsen advocates for in A Doll's House. The Browning's relationship is the exact opposite of the Helmer marriage. The BrownsingsThe Brownings started as intellectual equals but then emotionally connect. After many months of back and forth, after many doubts, we finally land on those famous lines most of us recognize from grocery store valentine cards that young boys glue boxes of chocolates or put in the arms of teddy bears. “How do I love thee, let me count the ways?” I really like Elizabeth; but I also like Robert. He loved her for who she was. He was bold; he took risks. This is something young men aren't often encouraged to do. For whatever reason, Robert demonstrated leadership, and Elizabeth absolutely reciprocated this strength back to him. Sonnets from the Portuguese take us on her journey. And because we know the true story of their real-life romance- the sonnets just seem sweet, romantic and precious. You seem smitten, Christy, should I be concerned? Or should I write sonnets? Oh, you should definitely write sonnets, But let me say, there is more to appreciate about these love sonnets than just the love confession. EBB was a rhetorician- and you know I love rhetoric- persuasion. These poems don't just express emotion. They are making an articulate argument- she's making a statement one I find interesting and relevant. Because Elizabeth was a product of the Victorian era, she had a very specific understanding of the view of the ideal woman of her day. However, she was an intellectual, her father had done her the disservice of introducing her to Greek and Latin philosophy. She was enamored with the female poet Sapphos- so as she sat in the confining room on Wimpole street, receiving letters from Robert- she found herself thinking- what does something like romantic love mean for someone like me? I don't need a man for money? I don't need a man for a career? I don't even need a man for love- my father loves me. What is romance? What is love? What is a relationship between a man and a roman? She sat around her room a thought about those sort of things and she draws conclusions. For one thing, she defines female love in a different way- it doesn't have to be the same thing as masculine love- but it also doesn't have to be this frail Victorian helpless type she found typical of the age- she defines feminine love in a stronger way. For EBB love comes from confidence and fills the lover with confidence. In the beginning we see a woman who was confident in her intelligence; confident in her work, confidenr in her family, but not necessarily confident in any romantic sense. And how many of us can relate to that? This was exactly me as a high school and college student- if I'm being honest. One thing that stands out to me is this idea the frail female. This WAS the ideal female for a lot of men at this time period. Of course, most men, even today, want to be strong for a significant lover or the love of women in general, but this dramatic idea of the sickly and frail woman is very typical of the Victorian period. I can see that a woman expressing powerful confidence was not something people expected from a female in a romantic relationship and certainly not in a female romantic figure. Exactly, and EBB, who ironically was sickly, didn't want that to be the reason someone loved her. She ran from that. In fact, she even ran from being appreciated for being a woman in general. When Wordsworth died, England needed a new poet Laureate, Elizabeth's name was recommended to succeed him. The argument was that there should be a woman poet Laureate for the nation because there was a woman monarch. Barrett took issue with this- she made the statement that she was not a poetess but a poet and she thought poetry should be judged by its merits not by the sex of its writers. HA!! 19th century cross-sectional politics. I know, right, but here's why I bring it up. When it came to her poetry, she didn't want to be looked at as a woman-as in a hyphenated sub-group. She saw this kind of thing as patronizing like how I heard boys talk about girl athletes when I was a kid- phrases like, “she's pretty fast- for a girl.” That was not Elizabeth's thing. It's why didn't use a pseudonym like George Eliot or Emily Bronte who went by Ellis Bell. Hiding your gender professionally was totally acceptable. But it seems to me that for EBB she wanted to say- I am a woman- know that-, I have the feelings and desires define me as a woman. I will write about women and what women care about. I will show how I as a woman see the world and I will stand confidently this. This is an important thing to do. Don't patronize me by qualifying me by gender; I define my femininity for myself. But all of that only applies to outside relationships. n So, how does it apply to personal relationships? It seems crazy, and unljikely but somehow, she and Robert were on the same page in their understanding of how men and women should relate. He was not intimated by her professional success at all, and he really should have been. She was very well known; he was not. Their personal relationship was all theirs. She was a woman who wanted to be desired, to be cherished, to be loved and adored- and he wanted very much to do all those things for her. That is a very traditional relationship, and maybe Victorian in nature- but I have to be honest, I love all those very same things. As we read these poems, I see a powerful writer but also a dreamy love-struck woman. “As the prisoners think of liberty, as the dying think of heaven so I think of you.” That is another quote from one of her letters to Robert- but in this line we see a brave but smitten female voice. So, you're saying, she's not writing as someone trying to be coy or silently waiting to be seduced. Exactly, she does want to be seduced; she's just dropping the silent part. Sonnets from the Portuguese are in sequence; they take us through her evolution of thinking and her emotions on this experience of falling in love. In sonnets 1-2 we see the woman speaker as object of man- she is not the creator of her own poetic voice yet. And this of course is what we think of when we think of traditional love poetry- man loves woman- man speaks- woman stays silent- just think about the convention of the sonnets in particular- especially Petrarchan sonnets. That's what they were all about. Now, we don't need to rehash our entire episode on Petrarch- although he's worth listening to if you haven't listened to that podcast- or at least not in a while- but, by way of reminder, Petrarch wrote sonnets to a woman named Laura who did not return his affection- the entire genre of the Petrarchan sonnet is about objectifying women. In fact, I'm pretty sure Petrarch never really even refers to Laura as a whole human being- it's always her hair, or her breasts, her voice, her smile- even the name Laura- some people think just stands in for the word Laurel. You're right. Laura is distant- impersonal- an ideal. The sonnets are mostly about Petrarch- the man- not the woman at all. Elizabeth is to not just going to reverse this- she's going to redefine the sonnet genre entirely. She's going to say, I'm the object- yes- I want to be the object, but I'm also the speaker- I am not silent. I am a recipient of a love that empowers, but I am also the giver of a love that emboldens. The poetic relationship in these sonnets is reciprocal- His love calls for her poems- SHE writes them. In a sense, he is a magic prince who kisses and restores her- she sees him like this- but she is not weak, she is not powerless- even in her physical fraility- even in her age- and she did see herself as kind of past her prime maybe physically but definitely not creatively or professionally. SHE is the creator of the art here- she is creating this new idea that I can be a the muse for love and the creator of its art. I also want to point out that their relationship, although it is intellectual, it is not platonic. It's very romantic and there is a lot that is physical here… and some of this is erotic to be honest… He was bold towards her, but now she reciprocates with boldness of her own…. Well, that could get interesting. I think so, but we'll let you read those on your own, though. Okay- so, we're going to read three of her sonnets? Yes, I want to. I think it's nice to try to see a little bit of the progression we've been talking about- how they kind of show her evolving into her own understanding of her relationship. We won't overdo the analysis thing because there are three of them- and we'll just try to enjoy them more holistically. We'll start with 14, move to 22 and then finish with the famous 43- the one most people know. Sonnet 14 If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love's sake only. Do not say, "I love her for her smile—her look—her way Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought That falls in well with mine, and certes brought A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"— For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may Be changed, or change for thee—and love, so wrought, May be unwrought so. Neither love me for Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry: A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! But love me for love's sake, that evermore Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity. It seems very straightforward and easy to understand for me. It really is. Just to give a little introduction to the form, notice that it is in iambic pentamenter, that means there are five strong beats in every line- just like in most every other sonnet in the world. Also, just like Petrarch, there is a rhyme scheme abba abba cdcdcd. But, that's as far as she will follow Petrarch's model. In fact, she's almost responding to Petrarch- don't love me like Petrarch loved Laura. He loved her for stuff- for her smile, her look, her way… all that garbage… don't even love me for any cute thing I say, or even what you do for me and how it makes you feel to do stuff for me, like wipe tears from my cheeks- nonsense like that…I'm just not interested. If we're going to do this love thing, we need to get past all that and figure out something much deeper …the smile and tears stuff isn't enough. “Love me for love's sake, that evermore though mayst love, on, through love's eternity.” Well, it's a very ornate style- and it's understandable in light of what we know about her own personal underconfidences that she would talk like this, but like I said before, I really enjoy seeing a mature woman experience a deep and intimate love- she's allowing herself to enjoy all the emotions of love like most people associate with you, but it's not immature love, it establishs reciprocal terms. Another point I want to make before we read the next one, and this may be one of the reasons her poetry was so ill-received in the 20th century, EBB has no trouble exploring her doubts and underconfidences in her romantic relationship. And we see that a little here, although the earlier ones had more of it. She seems slightly concerned that if the love relies too much on the physical, it might be a bust. Feminist critics of the 20th century didn't like that. They said things like, she's lowering herself in the relationship when she should be promoting herself. And there is a real sense that that is true- she clearly submits to Robert in these sonnets- on purpose- but here is the difference that I think has since redeemed her- it's a reciprocated submission- it's not something that Robert himself was not doing. Today, as we read her poems, we aren't really offended by her vulnerability. In fact, the honesty has been reinterpreted as confidence. It takes quite a bit of sincerity and confidence to be openly underconfident and dependent- as paradoxical as it sounds. Well, of course, I agree with that. And I have to think, from a psychological point of view, that being in love and writing about how it makes you feel at age 39 as opposed to 19 is probably why she can be vulnerable about her self-doubts without coming across as weak and pitiful. She's already been through the adolescent stuff as a totally separate issue, so as she tries to understand what about love is overwhelming her and making her feel so differently- she can separate what is unique about this particular love relationship from regular developmental issues of underconfidence or even the loving relationships she's already experienced from her family- which we have to remember- she'd been adored her entire life. Let's read 22- we can see the tone has shifted. There's been a progression from love me for love's sake to now WHEN we stand erect…the posture is very different. Let's read it. When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher, Until the lengthening wings break into fire At either curvèd point,—what bitter wrong Can the earth do to us, that we should not long Be here contented? Think. In mounting higher, The angels would press on us and aspire To drop some golden orb of perfect song Into our deep, dear silence. Let us stay Rather on earth, Belovèd,—where the unfit Contrarious moods of men recoil away And isolate pure spirits, and permit A place to stand and love in for a day, With darkness and the death-hour rounding it. Again, we have the same iambic pentameter- five strong beats in every line. We have the rhyme scheme Abba Abba cdcdcd. But what we notice more than the rhyme change is the tone change. Traditionally in the Petrarchean sonnet the first eight lines set up a question and then the second six lines answer it. There's a turn. In this one, the first eight lines or the octave are going to define the status of their love as it is now. The last six will argue- quite untraditionally that they need to stop time and just stay in the present moment. HA!! Wouldn't that be nice to be able to do. Yeah- but I guess it's a nice sentiment even if a bit unrealistic. I guess that's why she can enjoy it. I want to point out how much religious imagery she throws in here. It's not two bodies- it's two souls- they are not constrained by physical restraints anymore- something she was all too familiar with. I also want to point at how equal the two people in this poem are. They are two souls- erect and strong- face to face- with wings breaking into fire- that's pretty cool imagery.- kind of like some mythical phoenix full of power and energy. And yet, as cool as they would be, I would prefer to just stay here in this moment with you. It's sweet. Okay, ready for the last one…the famous sonnet 43, the second to last poem in the series- in many ways the concluding one. In this one, she is going to summarize some of the arguments she's made throughout the other sonnets. She is going to catalogue the eight ways of loving that she's been making for the last 42. Let's read it and then we'll see how this famous love story ends. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. By the end of EBB's sonnet sequence she has reshaped her understanding of love. She has allowed herself to express her initial insecurities, walked us through her doubts and developed before us a full and complete discovery of what her romantic relationship means. Again, she is using the same iambic pentameter- and the same abba abba cdcdcd. It's simple. It's obvious. It's confident. Where in the first one we read, there was a lot of insecurity, the second a very confident equality, here she is asserting her own leadership. I think she's ready to elope!!! HA!! I guess she is. Again there is a lot of religious and Christian imagery- it even alludes to the Bible. The languages borrows from St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians where he describes Christ's love for humanity. Exactly, she's expressing a completeness here- in every line she's showing us this cycle. There's spiritual love, every day love, free and society love, virtuous love, passionate love, permanent love and finally eternal love- after death. Well, how does their story end. It's nice. First of all, I forgot to tell you, they nicknamed their son, Pen. That's cute. After the elopement and the move to Italy, they had 15 years before Elizabeth's health finally gave out. The story goes that on the day Elizabeth died, Robert lifted her up towards him and she kissed him repeatedly, even kissing the air after he put her back on her bed. Robert was heard saying, “Beautiful, beautiful.” After she breathed her last breath, he looked at her and said, “How she looks now, how perfectly beautiful.” This was on June 29, 1861. That autumn, Robert and Pen left Florence never to return. He prepared and published her last works that he titled, “Last Poems”. He was unselfishly pleased that even after her death, sales of her work exceeded his. Browning stayed in England, gradually establishing a place in London society. He did propose again to a woman named Louisa, Lady Ashburton, a rich and attractive widow in 1869. However, he blew the proposal so badly that she turned him down. You know bad proposals are some of the things America's Funniest Home Videos really taught us all to enjoy. But how was his so bad. I mean, he was a poet. You'd think he could turn a line. Oh, he turned a line for sure, but this stands out- even in a long list of bad proposals. He literally told her that his heart lay buried with his wife in Florence and he really just wanted to marry her for the advantages it would give Pen. Well, at least he was honest. Yes, he was that- just honest and single. He continued to write and to publish all the way until his death. And he died in the same country as his wife. He and his sister were vacationing in Venice, Italy. He had bought a house there for Pen. While in Venice, he caught a cold and died on December 12, 1878 there. Today, EBB is buried in Florence, but ironically they did not ship Robert Brownings down to Florence to be buried with her. He actually got a very prestigious placement. Today Robert Browning's body rests in Westminster Abbey. Wow, that's impressive and an interesting ending to this very famous romance. Unless it doesn't end the romance…according to Elizabeth, she was going to love him better after death. Ha!!! Well, there you go, perhaps she's set those wings on fire!! Oh my, we've read way too many sonnets this week. Next week, we are changing gears entirely. If you're listening to this in real time, it's October 2021, Halloween season and we are starting The Haunting of Hill House by the American Shirley Jackson. It's not my favorite sub-genre, but here we go…into the scary stuff!!! Thanks for listening, please know we appreciate you spending time with us each week. We hope you are enjoying exploring the classics with us. If so, please help us by tweeting an episode, posting a link on Facebook or LinkedIn or simply texting an episode to a friend. And if you're a teacher, Visit our website for teaching support. Peace Out.
In this episode we tell the tale of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. We encounter IRL kidnappings that are not romantic, fruits that are really berries, dial up, the king of the Underworld, and learning to make decisions for yourself. ---- This is the companion podcast to the Zeus the Mighty series, where Zeus the overconfident hamster and his friends head out on laugh-out-loud adventures through Greek mythology. Book three is out now! https://bit.ly/zeusbook3
Fr. Mike illustrates the story of Eleazar and the abandonment of peace terms between the Jews and the Greeks. He also recognizes the pain that children and family members who don't follow the Lord can bring about, and uses wisdom from Sirach to address this prevalent struggle. Today's readings are 1 Maccabees 6, Sirach 16-18, and Proverbs 22:17-21. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
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