Podcasts about Mount Zion

ESV: Straight through the Bible

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2021 7:15

Christmas First Psalm: Psalm 46; Psalm 48 Psalm 46 (Listen) God Is Our Fortress To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.1 A Song. 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present2 help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Footnotes [1] 46:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 46:1 Or well proved (ESV) Psalm 48 (Listen) Zion, the City of Our God A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 48 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers,13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.1 Footnotes [1] 48:14 Septuagint; another reading is (compare Jerome, Syriac) He will guide us beyond death (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 3:5–14 1 Kings 3:5–14 (Listen) 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” (ESV) New Testament: James 4:13–17; James 5:7–11 James 4:13–17 (Listen) Boasting About Tomorrow 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (ESV) James 5:7–11 (Listen) Patience in Suffering 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,1 until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. Footnotes [1] 5:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19 (ESV) Gospel: John 5:1–15 John 5:1–15 (Listen) The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath 5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic1 called Bethesda,2 which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.3 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews4 said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.'” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk'?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. Footnotes [1] 5:2 Or Hebrew [2] 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethsaida [3] 5:3 Some manuscripts insert, wholly or in part, waiting for the moving of the water; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had [4] 5:10 The Greek word Ioudaioi refers specifically here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed Jesus in that time; also verses 15, 16, 18 (ESV)

December 29: Revelation 13–16

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021 11:09

Revelation 13–16 Revelation 13–16 (Listen) The First Beast 13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,1 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.2 And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. The Second Beast 11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,3 and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of4 the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,5 to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.6 The Lamb and the 144,000 14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion7 of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.8 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.9 The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues 15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!104 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” 5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent11 of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters12 say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed13 the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The Seventh Bowl 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,14 peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds15 each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. Footnotes [1] 13:6 Or tabernacle [2] 13:7 Some manuscripts omit this sentence [3] 13:12 Or on its behalf [4] 13:14 Or on behalf of [5] 13:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [6] 13:18 Some manuscripts 616 [7] 14:8 Or wrath [8] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus [9] 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters [10] 15:3 Some manuscripts the ages [11] 15:5 Or tabernacle [12] 16:5 Greek angel of the waters [13] 16:9 Greek blasphemed; also verses 11, 21 [14] 16:18 Or voices, or sounds [15] 16:21 Greek a talent in weight (ESV)

December 29: Revelation 13–16

ESV: Chronological

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021 11:09

Revelation 13–16 Revelation 13–16 (Listen) The First Beast 13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,1 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.2 And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. The Second Beast 11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,3 and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of4 the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,5 to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.6 The Lamb and the 144,000 14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion7 of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.8 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.9 The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues 15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!104 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” 5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent11 of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters12 say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed13 the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The Seventh Bowl 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,14 peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds15 each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. Footnotes [1] 13:6 Or tabernacle [2] 13:7 Some manuscripts omit this sentence [3] 13:12 Or on its behalf [4] 13:14 Or on behalf of [5] 13:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [6] 13:18 Some manuscripts 616 [7] 14:8 Or wrath [8] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus [9] 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters [10] 15:3 Some manuscripts the ages [11] 15:5 Or tabernacle [12] 16:5 Greek angel of the waters [13] 16:9 Greek blasphemed; also verses 11, 21 [14] 16:18 Or voices, or sounds [15] 16:21 Greek a talent in weight (ESV)

19.5 Appear before God in Mount Zion

Treasures for the Soul

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021 10:16

Brothers and sisters, today's topic of Treasures for the Soul is “Appear before God in Mount Zion.” The Book of Hebrews mentions seven times “come to” or “draw near”. Hebrews chapter 12 talks about coming to Mount Zion, which includes having the attitude of drawing near to God. Psalm 84:7 reads, “…appears before God in Zion.” It includes having fellowship with God, face to face with Him, experiencing Him, worshiping and enjoying Him. Drawing near to God is our greatest joy, and it satisfies the Lord greatly.

god brothers drawing soul lord psalm hebrews treasures mount zion

19.2 Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord

Treasures for the Soul

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021 8:22

Brothers and sisters, today's topic of Treasures for the Soul is “Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord.” Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we do not come to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Zion. It means that we don't rely on our own works, but rather by faith and grace. The Lord established an everlasting covenant with us. This new covenant is long lasting and there are endless blessings for us to enjoy. Enjoying the essence of this covenant helps us to be more glorious. We overcome the world by our faith. When we enjoy the Father and the Lord, our spirit will be satisfied. This gives us strength and we can overcome the world overwhelmingly.

live brothers soul lord father hebrews treasures mount sinai mount zion

December 27: Zephaniah 1—Haggai 2; Psalm 146; Revelation 13–15

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2021 24:10

Old Testament: Zephaniah 1—Haggai 2 Zephaniah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. The Coming Judgment on Judah 2 “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.3 “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble1 with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,26 those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” The Day of the Lord Is Near 7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.8 And on the day of the LORD's sacrifice— “I will punish the officials and the king's sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire.9 On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master's3 house with violence and fraud. 10 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.11 Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders4 are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off.12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent,5 those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.'13 Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.” 14 The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. 17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. Judgment on Judah's Enemies 2 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,2 before the decree takes effect6 —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;7 seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. 5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows8 for shepherds and folds for flocks.7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes. 8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the LORD of hosts.11 The LORD will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations. 12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts;9 even the owl and the hedgehog10 shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist. Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations 3 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. 3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning.4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame. 6 “I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant.7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your11 dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.'12 But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. 8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. The Conversion of the Nations 9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. 11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD,13 those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Israel's Joy and Restoration 14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.1319 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.20 At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD. The Command to Rebuild the Temple 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” The People Obey the Lord 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.” 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. The Coming Glory of the Temple 2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'” Blessings for a Defiled People 10

December 24: Micah 4–7; John 15:18–16:15; Psalm 144; Proverbs 30:21–23

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2021 15:39

Old Testament: Micah 4–7 Micah 4–7 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1 and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6 In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10 Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. 11 Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5 4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.2 6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.5 And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10 And in that day, declares the LORD, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;11 and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds;12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13 and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. The Indictment of the Lord 6 Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” What Does the Lord Require? 6 “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?7 Will the LORD be pleased with7 thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,8 and to walk humbly with your God? Destruction of the Wicked 9 The voice of the LORD cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!910 Can I forget any longer the treasures10 of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?11 Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?12 Your11 rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins.14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword.15 You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri,12 and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your13 inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” Wait for the God of Salvation 7 Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.5 Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;146 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets. 11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.12 In that day they15 will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River,16 from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds. 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land;17 let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them18 marvelous things.16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf;17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall be in fear of you. God's Steadfast Love and Compassion 18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our19 sins into the depths of the sea.20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2]

December 24: Micah 4–7; Psalm 144; Revelation 4–6

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2021 19:50

Old Testament: Micah 4–7 Micah 4–7 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1 and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6 In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10 Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. 11 Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5 4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.2 6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.5 And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10 And in that day, declares the LORD, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;11 and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds;12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13 and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. The Indictment of the Lord 6 Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” What Does the Lord Require? 6 “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?7 Will the LORD be pleased with7 thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,8 and to walk humbly with your God? Destruction of the Wicked 9 The voice of the LORD cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!910 Can I forget any longer the treasures10 of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?11 Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?12 Your11 rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins.14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword.15 You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri,12 and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your13 inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” Wait for the God of Salvation 7 Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.5 Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;146 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets. 11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.12 In that day they15 will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River,16 from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds. 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land;17 let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them18 marvelous things.16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf;17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall be in fear of you. God's Steadfast Love and Compassion 18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our19 sins into the depths of the sea.20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2]

December 23: 2 Chronicles 27–28; Revelation 14; Zechariah 10; John 13

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2021 16:49

With family: 2 Chronicles 27–28; Revelation 14 2 Chronicles 27–28 (Listen) Jotham Reigns in Judah 27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still followed corrupt practices. 3 He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD and did much building on the wall of Ophel. 4 Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. 5 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents1 of silver, and 10,000 cors2 of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years. 6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God. 7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place. Ahaz Reigns in Judah 28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done, 2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering,3 according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. Judah Defeated 5 Therefore the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. 7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king. 8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10 And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God? 11 Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.” 12 Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. 15 And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria. 16 At that time King Ahaz sent to the king4 of Assyria for help. 17 For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. 18 And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. 19 For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully5 and had been very unfaithful to the LORD. 20 So Tiglath-pileser6 king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21 For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him. Ahaz's Idolatry 22 In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD—this same King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers. 26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. Footnotes [1] 27:5 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms [2] 27:5 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters [3] 28:3 Hebrew made his sons pass through the fire [4] 28:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate (compare 2 Kings 16:7); Hebrew kings [5] 28:19 Or wildly [6] 28:20 Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser (ESV) Revelation 14 (Listen) The Lamb and the 144,000 14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion1 of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.2 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.3 Footnotes [1] 14:8 Or wrath [2] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus [3] 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters (ESV) In private: Zechariah 10; John 13 Zechariah 10 (Listen) The Restoration for Judah and Israel 10 Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.2 For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. 3 “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders;1 for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.4 From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler—all of them together.5 They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. 6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD. 8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.11 He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.12 I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD. Footnotes [1] 10:3 Hebrew the male goats (ESV) John 13 (Listen) Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet 13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet,1 but is completely clean. And you2 are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant3 is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled,4 ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” One of You Will Betray Me 21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side,5 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus6 of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. A New Commandment 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.' 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. Footnotes [1] 13:10 Some manuscripts omit except for his feet [2] 13:10 The Greek words for you in this verse are plural [3] 13:16 Or bondservant, or slave (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface) [4] 13:18 Greek But in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled [5] 13:23 Greek in the bosom of Jesus [6] 13:24 Greek lacks Jesus (ESV)

December 23: Habakkuk 1–3; Revelation 14

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2021 11:59

Morning: Habakkuk 1–3 Habakkuk 1–3 (Listen) 1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. Habakkuk's Complaint 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. The Lord's Answer 5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.7 They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.9 They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.10 At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!” Habakkuk's Second Complaint 12 Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler.15 He1 brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury,2 and his food is rich.17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? 2 I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith 2 And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.3 5 “Moreover, wine4 is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest.5 His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.” Woe to the Chaldeans 6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!”7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them.8 Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. 9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life.11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. 12 “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!13 Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!16 You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD's right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. 18 “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” Habakkuk's Prayer 3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2 O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.4 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.66 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows.7 Selah You split the earth with rivers.10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high.11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.12 You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger.13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck.8 Selah14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.15 You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters. 16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed9 instruments. Footnotes [1] 1:15 That is, the wicked foe [2] 1:16 Hebrew his portion is fat [3] 2:4 Or faithfulness [4] 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth [5] 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain [6] 3:5 Hebrew feet [7] 3:9 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain [8] 3:13 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain [9] 3:19 Hebrew my stringed (ESV) Evening: Revelation 14 Revelation 14 (Listen) The Lamb and the 144,000 14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion1 of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.2 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.3 Footnotes [1] 14:8 Or wrath [2] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus [3] 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters (ESV)

December 23: Psalm 143; Job 32; Isaiah 55; Revelation 14

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2021 9:47

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 143 Psalm 143 (Listen) My Soul Thirsts for You A Psalm of David. 143 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 7 Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge.110 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! 11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant. Footnotes [1] 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 32 Job 32 (Listen) Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends 32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger. 6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.7 I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.'8 But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.9 It is not the old1 who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.' 11 “Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your wise sayings, while you searched out what to say.12 I gave you my attention, and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job or who answered his words.13 Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not a man.'14 He has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your speeches. 15 “They are dismayed; they answer no more; they have not a word to say.16 And shall I wait, because they do not speak, because they stand there, and answer no more?17 I also will answer with my share; I also will declare my opinion.18 For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me.19 Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst.20 I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.21 I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person.22 For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away. Footnotes [1] 32:9 Hebrew many [in years] (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 55 Isaiah 55 (Listen) The Compassion of the Lord 55 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Revelation 14 Revelation 14 (Listen) The Lamb and the 144,000 14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. The Messages of the Three Angels 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion1 of her sexual immorality.” 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.2 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.3 Footnotes [1] 14:8 Or wrath [2] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus [3] 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters (ESV)

December 22: Obadiah—Jonah 4; John 14; Psalm 142; Proverbs 30:18–19

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 16:03

Old Testament: Obadiah—Jonah 4 Obadiah (Listen) 1 The vision of Obadiah. Edom Will Be Humbled Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.13 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock,2 in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread3 have set a trap beneath you— you have4 no understanding. 8 Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Edom's Violence Against Jacob 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast5 in the day of distress.13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity.14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. The Day of the Lord Is Near 15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The Kingdom of the Lord 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil6 has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard7 to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. A Great Fish Swallows Jonah 17 8 And the LORD appointed9 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah's Prayer 2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.'5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah Goes to Nineveh 3 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,10 three days' journey in breadth.11 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The People of Nineveh Repent 6 The word reached12 the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion 4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,13 and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the LORD God appointed a plant14 and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.15 So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised [2] 1:3 Or of Sela [3] 1:7 Hebrew lacks those who eat [4] 1:7 Hebrew he has [5] 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth [6] 1:2 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jonah [7] 1:13 Hebrew the men dug in [their oars] [8] 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew [9] 1:17 Or had appointed [10] 3:3 Hebrew a great city to God [11] 3:3 Or a visit was a three days' journey [12] 3:6 Or had reached [13] 4:1 Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah [14] 4:6 Hebrew qiqayon, probably the castor oil plant; also verses 7, 9, 10 [15] 4:6 Or his evil (ESV) New Testament: John 14 John 14 (Listen) I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life 14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;1 believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?2 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”3 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.4 From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me5 anything in my name, I will do it. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,6 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be7 in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. Footnotes [1] 14:1 Or You believe in God [2] 14:2 Or In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you [3] 14:4 Some manuscripts Where I am going you know, and the way you know [4] 14:7 Or If you know me, you will know my Father also, or If you have known me, you will know my Father also [5] 14:14 Some manuscripts omit me [6] 14:16 Or Advocate, or Counselor; also 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 [7] 14:17 Some manuscripts and is (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 142 Psalm 142 (Listen) You Are My Refuge A Maskil1 of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 142 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.2 I pour out my complaint before him;

December 22: Obadiah—Jonah 4; Psalm 142; Revelation 1

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 14:52

Old Testament: Obadiah—Jonah 4 Obadiah (Listen) 1 The vision of Obadiah. Edom Will Be Humbled Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.13 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock,2 in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread3 have set a trap beneath you— you have4 no understanding. 8 Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Edom's Violence Against Jacob 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast5 in the day of distress.13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity.14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. The Day of the Lord Is Near 15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The Kingdom of the Lord 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil6 has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard7 to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. A Great Fish Swallows Jonah 17 8 And the LORD appointed9 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah's Prayer 2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.'5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah Goes to Nineveh 3 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,10 three days' journey in breadth.11 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The People of Nineveh Repent 6 The word reached12 the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion 4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,13 and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the LORD God appointed a plant14 and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.15 So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised [2] 1:3 Or of Sela [3] 1:7 Hebrew lacks those who eat [4] 1:7 Hebrew he has [5] 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth [6] 1:2 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jonah [7] 1:13 Hebrew the men dug in [their oars] [8] 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew [9] 1:17 Or had appointed [10] 3:3 Hebrew a great city to God [11] 3:3 Or a visit was a three days' journey [12] 3:6 Or had reached [13] 4:1 Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah [14] 4:6 Hebrew qiqayon, probably the castor oil plant; also verses 7, 9, 10 [15] 4:6 Or his evil (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 142 Psalm 142 (Listen) You Are My Refuge A Maskil1 of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 142 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.4 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. Footnotes [1] 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 1 Revelation 1 (Listen) Prologue 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants1 the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Greeting to the Seven Churches 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail2 on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Vision of the Son of Man 9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Footnotes [1] 1:1 for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse [2] 1:7 Or mourn (ESV)

Diciembre 22- Mi hogar es herencia de Dios. Salmos 125 al 129

Hogares De Pacto

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 4:59

Notas. Inglés y Español ⬇️December 22: My home is God's inheritance. Psalms 125:1-3:Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity. Psalms 126:3-6:The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad. Bring back our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalms 127:1-5:Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.Psalms 128:1-6:Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!Psalms 129:5-8:Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his arms. Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord!”Let us continue to study the special chapters of those who were heading to Jerusalem. Remember that many were in carriages, others were on horses or mules, and others were walking. I have read a portion of each, so don't forget to read them completely. Psalm 125 describes the geographical position of Jerusalem, which was in a mountainous area. This gave them an advantage in times of war. While the enemies were climbing, they attacked downward, and it was impossible for the chariots to go up to the capital of Israel. So is the one who is with God, protected by the Almighty.Psalm 126 is very moving because it is usually dedicated to couples or families going on missions, or pastors starting out in ministry. The preacher is the one who bears the seed of the Gospel, and is aware that he will go through arduous and difficult times that will make him suffer and cry, but he continues his mission because he knows that the reward of seeing souls transformed by the Word is greater than the suffering. We preachers are willing to go through that process. Therefore, value your pastor.Psalms 127 and 128 are similar in their theme: the importance of the family. To have blessed homes, we must make decisions based on God's will and He will bless the work of our hands and the plans we have. In addition, it teaches us that children are God's blessing and inheritance, and that a family that trusts in the Lord will be a prosperous home. Like any inheritance that is valuable, take care of the one that God has entrusted to you. Psalm 129 is a warning not to fall into actions or customs of evildoers. They will be forgotten, their lives will not make any positive impact on the community, and they will not be blessed by others along the way. Tomorrow we will continue studying the last psalms in this series of special songs.I am your friend Eduardo Rodríguez. May the Lord hear your prayer and bless your home.=================================================Diciembre 22: Mi hogar es herencia de Dios. Salmos 125:1‭-‬3 RVA2015:Los que confían en el SEÑOR son como el monte Sion, que no se derrumba, sino que está firme para siempre. Como Jerusalén tiene montes alrededor de ella, así el SEÑOR está alrededor de su pueblo desde ahora y para siempre. Porque el cetro de la impiedad no reposará sobre la posesión de los justos, no sea que los justos extiendan sus manos a la iniquidad.Salmos 126:3‭-‬6 RVA2015:¡Grandes cosas ha hecho el SEÑOR con nosotros! Estamos alegres. Restáuranos, oh SEÑOR, de la cautividad como los arroyos en el Néguev. Los que siembran con lágrimas, con regocijo segarán. El que va llorando, llevando la bolsa de semilla, volverá con regocijo trayendo sus gavillas.Salmos 127:1‭-‬5 RVA2015:Si el SEÑOR no edifica la casa en vano trabajan los que la edifican. Si el SEÑOR no guarda la ciudad en vano vigila el guardia. En vano se levantan de madrugada y van tarde a reposar comiendo el pan con dolor; porque a su amado dará Dios el sueño. He aquí, heredad del SEÑOR son los hijos; recompensa es el fruto del vientre. Como flechas en la mano del valiente, así son los hijos que se tienen en la juventud. Bienaventurado el hombre que llena de ellos su aljaba. No se avergonzarán aunque hablen con los enemigos en el tribunal.Salmos 128:1‭-‬6 RVA2015:Bienaventurado todo aquel que teme al SEÑOR y anda en sus caminos: Cuando comas del trabajo de tus manos serás feliz y te irá bien. Tu mujer será como una vid que lleva fruto a los lados de tu casa; tus hijos serán como brotes de olivo alrededor de tu mesa. Así será bendecido el hombre que teme al SEÑOR. ¡El SEÑOR te bendiga desde Sion! Que veas el bien de Jerusalén todos los días de tu vida. Que veas a los hijos de tus hijos. ¡La paz sea sobre Israel!Salmos 129:5‭-‬8 RVA2015:Sean avergonzados y vueltos atrás todos los que aborrecen a Sion. Sean como la hierba sobre los techos, que se seca antes que crezca. De ella no llena su mano el segador, ni su regazo el que hace gavillas. Tampoco dicen los que pasan: “La bendición del SEÑOR sea sobre ustedes; los bendecimos en el nombre del SEÑOR”.Sigamos estudiando los capítulos especiales de aquellos que se dirigían a Jerusalén. Recuerde que muchos iban en carruajes, otros sobre caballos o mulas, y otros iban caminando. He leído una porción de cada uno, así que no olvides leerlos completamente. El salmo 125 nos describe la posición geográfica de Jerusalén, que se encontraba en una zona montañosa. Esto le daba una ventaja en tiempos de guerra. Mientras que los enemigos iban subiendo, ellos atacaban de bajada, y a los carros de guerra les era imposible subir hasta la capital de Israel. Así es aquel que está con Dios, protegido por el Todopoderoso.El salmo 126 es muy conmovedor porque usualmente se le dedica a las parejas o familias que salen a las misiones, o a los pastores que comienzan en el ministerio. El predicador es el que lleva la semilla del Evangelio, y es consciente que va a pasar por momentos arduos y difíciles que lo harán sufrir y llorar, pero él continúa su misión porque sabe que la recompensa de ver almas transformadas por la Palabra es mayor que el sufrimiento. Los predicadores estamos dispuestos a pasar por ese proceso. Por eso, valora a tu pastor.El salmo 127 y 128 son similares en su tema: la importancia de la familia. Para tener hogares bendecidos, debemos tomar decisiones basadas en la voluntad de Dios y Él bendecirá la labor de nuestras manos y los planes que tengamos. Además, nos enseña que los hijos son bendición y herencia de Dios, y que una familia que confía en el Señor será un hogar lleno de prosperidad. Como toda herencia que es valiosa cuida la que Dios te ha confiado. El salmo 129 es una advertencia para no caer en acciones o costumbres de los malignos. Ellos serán olvidados, sus vidas no harán ningún impacto positivo en la comunidad y no serán bendecidos por el prójimo en el camino. Mañana seguiremos estudiando los últimos salmos de esta serie de cantos especiales.Soy tu amigo Eduardo Rodríguez. Que el Señor escuche tu oración y bendiga tu hogar.#HogaresDePacto #KingdomChurch #IglesiaElReino #IPUH #PastorCarlos #CarlosRodriguez #EduardoRodriguez #PoderCaster#salmos #salmo125 #salmo126 #salmo127 #salmo128 #salmo129

December 20: Micah 4–5; Revelation 11

ESV: Straight through the Bible

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 8:07

Morning: Micah 4–5 Micah 4–5 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1 and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6 In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10 Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. 11 Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5 4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.2 6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.5 And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10 And in that day, declares the LORD, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;11 and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds;12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13 and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2] 4:10 Or push [3] 4:13 Hebrew devote to destruction [4] 5:1 Ch 4:14 in Hebrew [5] 5:1 That is, city [6] 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew (ESV) Evening: Revelation 11 Revelation 11 (Listen) The Two Witnesses 11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit1 will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically2 is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. The Seventh Trumpet 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” 19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,3 peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. Footnotes [1] 11:7 Or the abyss [2] 11:8 Greek spiritually [3] 11:19 Or voices, or sounds (ESV)

December 20: Hebrews 11–13

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 13:36

Hebrews 11–13 Hebrews 11–13 (Listen) By Faith 11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,1 they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do Not Grow Weary 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly2 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Sacrifices Pleasing to God 13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent3 have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Benediction 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us4 that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 22 I appeal to you, brothers,5 bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. Footnotes [1] 11:37 Some manuscripts add they were tempted [2] 12:23 Or church [3] 13:10 Or tabernacle [4] 13:21 Some manuscripts you [5] 13:22 Or brothers and sisters (ESV)

December 19: Joel 1–3; Psalm 139; 1 John 1–2

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2021 20:04

Old Testament: Joel 1–3 Joel 1–3 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel: An Invasion of Locusts 2 Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. 4 What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.6 For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.7 It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin1 wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD.10 The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. 11 Be ashamed,2 O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.12 The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man. A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty3 it comes.16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods;4 the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up.18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.5 19 To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. The Day of the Lord 2 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run.5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale.7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? Return to the Lord 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations.6 Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” The Lord Had Pity 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.19 The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard7 into the eastern sea, and his rear guard8 into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. 21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. 24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.25 I will restore9 to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit 28 10 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. 11 The Lord Judges the Nations 3 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.12 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.” 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war;13 stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD.12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. The Glorious Future of Judah 17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. 18 “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk,

December 19: Joel 1–3; John 12:20–50; Psalm 139; Proverbs 30:11–14

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2021 18:47

Old Testament: Joel 1–3 Joel 1–3 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel: An Invasion of Locusts 2 Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. 4 What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.6 For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.7 It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin1 wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD.10 The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. 11 Be ashamed,2 O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.12 The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man. A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty3 it comes.16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods;4 the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up.18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.5 19 To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. The Day of the Lord 2 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run.5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale.7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? Return to the Lord 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations.6 Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” The Lord Had Pity 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.19 The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard7 into the eastern sea, and his rear guard8 into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. 21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. 24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.25 I will restore9 to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit 28 10 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. 11 The Lord Judges the Nations 3 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.12 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.” 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war;13 stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD.12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. The Glorious Future of Judah 17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. 18 “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk,

Joy

Mosaic Boston

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2021 40:08

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston and our neighborhood churches, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com. We are in our advent series. This is our third week. This is the time of the year, a tradition of the church where we spend time pausing from typical activity. We like to rush through books here. We go through them very quickly from a broad lens, and pastor Jan takes us through like 25 verses each week and 45 minutes in a masterful way. This is a season of pausing, and we pause to reflect on the old, the essentials, the basics of our faith, that they might become new and we might be able to see the light of Christ in them afresh. In this season, it's hard for me to adapt to that, just in those songs, you might have known there's a solemnity, there's a longing, that's a part of the services in this season and that's in intentional. We like to make it feel like a party, like the heavenly sanctuary here regularly. It's still a party, just a different kind of party. So the whole service has a bit of a different feel today, and one of the things about advent was that it was a stripping, a pruning period for the people of Israel, where the prophets did not speak between the Old Testament and around the time of Christ coming for 400 years. And God stripped them of the prophets, the priests, the Kings, the temple was essentially in shambles, had seen its glory days and it was a time for the true believers to really just be forced to decide, "Am I following this God in darkness?" We just position ourselves here as people waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ, we've seen him come, we've seen his glory. He was the exact imprint of the nature of God when he came and now we're awaiting that day that he comes back. It's a whole different feel. Today I'm going to take up the topic of joy and it's very much a conversation of where we should not be looking for joy, but in the process we can then find where we can get it, find the source. And so, I'm going to read from Ecclesiastes six versus one through 12, that's the whole chapter, and we will get started. This is the word of God. "There is an evil that I have seen under the sun and it lies heavy on mankind, a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions and honor so that he lacks nothing of all that he does desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity. It is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a 100 children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything. It finds rest rather than he, even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good. Do not all go to the one place. All the toil of man as for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool, and what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite, this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity and what is the advantage to man for who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow for who can tell man, what will be after him under the sun?" This is the word of our Lord. Let's pray. Heavenly Father we come to you today just with a mixture of emotions. Lord, we live in this world yet we are not among this world, those of us here in Christ, Lord, we are waiting, our soul longs, all of creation longs for your return. But Lord, you call us to endure, you call us not just to walk in this life but to run. Lord, we pray through your word, just bring us to a greater position of joy and you let us be filled, let us be full so that we might take on the challenges, the callings, the trials, the triumphs, and march forward in them for your glory, that your name might be magnified. Heavenly Father we ask you to strip away all those things, those idols, those distractions that are just keeping us from just loving you from enjoying you, from seeing you and all of your glory, and just appreciating just Christ coming and how he gives us access to you. Heavenly Father, just let your name be magnified. Let your spirit be among us, in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Now, I grew up playing a game called King of the Hill. It's a savage, savage game. So you basically, wherever you are, if you have a hill and a few children you play and basically the whole time you're literally just trying to run to the top. Simultaneously, all the other children are trying to run to the top, they pool, they kick, they'll hit. They'll try to trick you to get to the top. And the objective of the game is to be that person at the top, be the king. The hard part is that once you're up there, you're battling, you're fighting to keep your place. And when you make it to the top, it just continues. The game doesn't really end until everybody quits or until someone's mom calls you in or until someone just establishes dominance at the top of the hill. And the thing about this game is that when you live in a small community, once you establish dominance within a little circle, you conquer that hill. There's always another hill with a different group of kids, a different just larger hill, different challenge to take on. So, in kindergarten, once I establish my reign over Janine and Brian and Jeffrey and my babysitter Sharky's house, is a nice, like maybe six foot hill. The next challenge was the kids at my brother's soccer games, the other little siblings, it was just a constant like, "Where can I climb?" The ultimate place to play King of the Hill was at my local high schools, Friday night football games. Under the lights, to the side of the bleachers while the game was going on, you'd have a few dozen, fourth and fifth graders just pummeling each other, just battling out, trying to pull each other's limbs off just to get that glory at the top of that hill, that feeling of, I've made it, I've done it. And could there be any better glory than that for a fourth or fifth grade boy? It was probably more entertaining than the football game to a lot of people considering that the team stunk, but we can chuckle, we can sear at the thought of this game. Those of you who know me might be like, "This explains a lot, Pastor Andy, that slow voice, that permanently concussed persona of yours, that basic personality and level of culture." But more seriously in our culture, the reality is that at all ages, we're playing a game of King of the Hill in order to try to find our joy, that we're constantly looking at those above us with envy, and we look at what they have. We look at what they do, where they live, the car they drive, their spouse, their children, their lifestyle, their vacations, and we make idols out of it. And we can't be joyful with where we are. So we work, we strive harder to make it there. We're always working up, simultaneously we're always keeping an eye out for those below us. We get caught up in the game and we begin to think that we're positionally above them because of our strength, our wit, our cleverness, our hard-earned stamina, instead of God's grace. We do all that we can to keep those people at bay, if anything, we'll connect with them. We'll forge an alliance to use them to get past who's in front of us only to break it immediately after. Sometimes we actually do make it to the top. You realize it's not that fun at the top. It's really hard to maintain that position with all of the attacks coming our way. And you know what? It might just be better if we vacate that spot at the top and just be paralyzed down at the bottom in a position worse often than we were before we started playing. Other times at the top, we get there and we establish dominance and we're not fulfilled. So we go looking for another hill where there's greater competition, we can forge a greater sense of purpose, a hill that offers more satisfaction on the surface. So many of us try to keep pushing up without realizing that pushing upward, pushing upward is only setting ourselves up for a greater crash, a greater sense of discontentment and despair when we finally realize that it's all in vain. The climb is always upward, it's always steeper once we engage in this game, we fail to see CEO after CEO, athlete after athlete, artists after artists, celebrity after celebrity, politicians, after they've made it to the peak, made it to the pinnacle of their field, they have a breakdown, they self destruct, they get divorced. They just plan a mission to space to really fill the emptiness in their hearts. And furthermore, we're deaf and blind to those who have gotten there within their spheres. We're blind and deaf to the scriptures that tell us that the top does not actually satisfy. We don't believe that the money, the adrenaline and the pleasure of the perks they claim the honor don't actually satisfy. So, naively, ignorantly, stubbornly, cynically, we think that when we get to the top we'll handle it differently. We'll know we won't be disappointed. We won't just succumb to pride, we won't succumb to despair, we won't look for other hills to decline, we'll know when to stop, but that's pride, that's thinking we're different, we're special. Altogether we play this endless game, practice is thinking we end up being exhausted, often end up being broke because there's typically a pay to play structure, and we lack for true joy, just when all of our efforts don't pan out, we're broken, when they do pan out and it doesn't fill us, we're still broken. So what are we to do in this game of King of the Hill? With our trace amounts of energy, where do we go to find true lasting joy? If there was ever a man who could tell us, who could speak into the joylessness, the vanity of playing King of the Hill, pursuing joy satisfaction in things that the world offers it's king Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes. Who was he? Scripture tells us he was literally king of the mountain. Scripture doesn't say that phrase, but he was king of the mountain. He was David's chosen heir, king of Israel, God's chosen people at the strongest and richest point in their history. He literally was the king of the Temple Mount. It was his hereditary right to build the temple of God on a mountain. He had literally built the temple. He literally built the palace and had mountains and mountains of silver and gold. If he were alive today, he'd be everything that Kanye West proclaims about himself, like ultra famous, huge following, millions and millions of followers, but he'd also follow his 700 wives, 300 girlfriends and all their fashion tips and relational drama online. Solomon would proclaim Jesus as King, but then do a lot of stuff that really makes you wonder, does he think he's king or Jesus is King, he'd have a lot of non-believers, a lot of believers following him because of his God-given gift of wisdom. His gift of verse, his cultural analysis. Scriptures tells us that foreign kings and dignitaries just paid tribute, literally just sent money to him to honor him. And they would travel hundreds of miles to just hear him speak. So we have in our scripture today from Solomon, perhaps the world's richest, wisest, most powerful and influential king in history, writing at the end of his life about the lessons that he learned. And what does he say? Solomon in Ecclesiastes says, "Playing the world's game of King of the Hill in the pursuit of joy is a grievous evil of vanity." Verses one and two. "There is an evil that I've seen under the sun and it lies heavy on mankind. A man to whom God gives wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity, a grievous evil." From his unique experience of having it all, Solomon points out the vanity of seeking joy in a lot of specific things. So verse two, joy is found in wealth, possessions and honor, Solomon expresses. It's not found in these things. It says, you can have all these things in life, but a stranger enjoys them. What's the point of gathering all of them? What's the point of building it yourself up only to not know who it's going to go to next? Verse three, joy is not found in having children and family. "If a man fathers a 100 children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, but his soul was not satisfied with life's good things. And he also has no burial. I say that a stillborn child is better off than he." Some of you just think if I had a child, that would make me whole. Long life will not give us joy. Verse six, even though he should live a thousand years, twice over you, enjoy no good. Do not all go to the one place. And so he's saying more time will not satisfy. How many of you live ... I like to the daydream about what if the day was 26 hours? What if there is 27 hours? Just those extra margins of time. How much more could I accomplish on a daily basis in a week? The sleep, the extra bits of work, the opportunity to work out, more time to meditate on scripture and pray, do my devotions, talk to my wife actually. And he says that wouldn't deliver. You could have a thousand years twice over. Work will not give joy. "All the toil of man is for his mouth, his appetite is not satisfied." So what he's saying here is that, people often throw themselves into work for satisfaction. And in Boston, this is a big thing. We derive a lot of our sense of our identity, purpose, joy in this. It says, what does it result in? It results in more work. When you work, you want more things? Well, you desire more things? You pay for more things that only creates the need to work more. And all that is vanity. Furthermore, wisdom. Verse eight, "For what advantage has the wise man over the fool?" And so he's tapping into, a lot of people go through, they pursue prosperity, they pursue wealth, they pursue relationships, they pursue children, long life, health, work. And when that doesn't work out, they start getting intellectual and pursue knowledge, pursue how to use it wisely, and he says this does not work. A lot of people who begin without the strongest upbringing in education. A lot of people who are maybe foreigners coming into a new land, just really trying to grasp the culture, just pour themselves into this, and it doesn't work, it doesn't satisfy. Furthermore, friends, verse eight, "And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?" And so he's tapping into, there's a lot of people who really don't have much of everything that I've listed so far. And so what do they take comfort in? They take comfort and being able to relate to the common man, they take comfort and, "Hey, I don't have that much, but I can connect with people." Or those who are wealthy of means say, "I kind of come from a different place, but I'm going to find out how to actually just meet the common man and live with him." And Solomon, that may was his position, given his birth position. He says that does not work. Lastly, verse nine, control. This is in the middle clause that in Hebrew, it says, "Those with the wandering of the appetite or eyes." There's another group of people that they look upon life, they hear this critique of how everything doesn't work. It doesn't satisfy, but these are people who say, "No. If I were in control, if I planned this, if I had it my way, if you followed me, it would work out." There's a cynical person that thinks, if I could have planned it, it would work. And Solomon says no, it's vanity, and it's a striving after the wind. So, I want to clarify. Solomon's not saying that these specific things are inherently bad. More often, it's better to have these things. You can do great things for the Lord with wealth. You can do great things with children. It's great to have friends, great to have health long life, great to have work and wisdom. But when they become the pursuit of them becomes the ultimate means for our satisfaction. That's when we go wrong. And that's when we are positioning ourselves for the despair and disappointment. I ask you do any of these fields stick out to you? I know this is basic Christianity. This is, don't make idols out of things that are not God, but really we need to check ourselves on this. In my life I say, I love my children, I love them more as Jesus, my wife, my children, but if my children prevent me from watching a Barcelona soccer game, and I'm angry all day, that entertainment, that endeavor, that thing that I think will fill me, it's controlling me, I'm practicing a form of functional idolatry. So what is it in your life? We have to check ourselves season to season, month to month, day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, our hearts are idol factories, and we misplace the proper love on the good things that God puts in our life. So what is it for you? And really I'm trying to bring you to a point of bleakness. We should be brought to a point by Solomon by this text, by what I'm saying of, well, what's left in this life, in and of itself, what's left that will satisfy? And Solomon found this out the hard way, we can learn from him, but really there is nothing in and of itself. There's no person who can satisfy in and of themselves, who can meet our needs that only in ways that God can. So Solomon brings us to this point of despair. And this is similar to the point of where was Israel during the intertestamental period? Israel had its glory days. It was really a 1000 years before Christ came between the time the temple was built to the time that Christ came, and just very slowly, the Lord stripped and stripped and stripped everything that they could make an idol of way to really prime the hearts to get people to want to have see Jesus come, see the true Messiah, receive him into their lives. So, what is it for you? Do you feel this disparity, do you feel this disappointment in life as I present it to you, the vanity of pursuing ultimate joy in these things. That's kind of the point of this text, and it should lead you to ask, "How am I living? What do I need to ask the Lord to strip away? What is he blocking from me right now that I'm striving and striving, climbing and climbing to get that I need to just stop pursuing and turn and gaze upon him, gaze upon what he's already provided for me today?" And there's an element of the text, it's morbid, it's not the most joyful passage. It talks about death a lot. It talks about having children and having no burial. It's worse than being a stillborn child who never even lived. When we pursue joy and things of the world, there's a restlessness that is created in us, that it's a burning unquenchable fire that in comparison, it's better to not exist at all than to experience that. A lot of you know this, a lot of people pursue joy in things that are not God himself and there's despair. You're left to contemplate. "Okay, what does this mean for my life?" Death becomes a pretty good option. I ask you, if anyone's here today, what are you doing with that? Are you trying to medicate with just vain endeavor of, what's going to fix, be my next fix. What's going to be my next adrenaline rush to distract myself from this disappointment? Furthermore, just on the topic of funeral, Solomon asks, "In the quest of these things and the climb to attain these things that you think will satisfy you, when you pause and think about the way you're going about it, who's going to be at your funeral?" This is just a pointed question, are you living in such a way that God doesn't matter, people don't matter? Just being of service to him in your life, providing a great witness don't matter? Who's going to be there at the end? And as Christians, we need to be really careful not to let the ministry replace our close friends. The people that we know that we can probably minister to the best, because we were raised similar to them, we look like them, we talk like them. We need to invest in them. And now we're brought to this low point and Solomon does, and that's intentional, again, in advent, we need to feel the bleakness of this point. Israel for all of its history, turned everything good that God gave them into an idol. We need to make sure that we're not doing the same as we await Christ second coming. And so what can cure us of our lack of joy? Solomon suggests two things. First he says, that in order to find joy, we must recognize the limits of our own wisdom. That's in verse 10, 11. "Whatever has come to be, has already been named. And it is known what man is and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words the more vanity and what is the advantage to man?" And so what he's appealing to is the creative order. He's preparing for your comebacks for our challenges of, "No, God, if only you gave me this, no, God, if you let me have my way here, I wouldn't be questioning you like this." And he's saying, "Pause, think about God. He's the creator, you are the creature. He has infinite wisdom, you have finite wisdom. And when you submit, you give him the ability, let him be God of your life. You're submitting to his infinite eternal wisdom. You are not God, you don't know what's going to happen today, tomorrow, the rest of eternity. Your wisdom is limited. So when you face a circumstance in your life that you don't like today, don't lash out, pause and see, trust that God's decision, his design, his will is what is best for you." Solomon's trying to bring us believers as followers. He is saying, how can you have joy? You can stop this process of constantly questioning God, let him be God of your life. So if God says to you, you want this thing, but you can't have it because that is not what is best for you. Are you going to receive him well, are you going to kick and scream? I'm the discipleship pastor here, I'm the counselor, and you see years, people hold on to bitterness because God didn't give them the relationship they wanted. God gave them struggles with conceiving children. God just didn't let that company, that endeavor pan out and they carry this bitterness, and they can never truly enjoy God because they're so mad at him. What Solomon's saying is, the path to joy is to take the heart that God is God, his design, his will is good. When you submit yourself to that and try to have eyes for that in your life, that's a path to joy. So a lot of us, how do we experience that? A lot of us, we can look at our lives and be like, "God, in that season of life, I wanted that relationship more than anything, but praise God, you blocked it. That was all you. Thank you. I see your wisdom in that. God, I was trying to build my identity as an athlete, as an artist, as a businessman ... whatever it is for you, and you put up doors and God, thank you, I see now a little bit down the line that you needed to do that to get me to see you as God, to get me to love you as God. You had to strip away these layers of my identity so only you remained, so that all I could look at, all that I could enjoy with all that I had was you. When you bring your faith to this level, this is really what we're talking about here is, Solomon brings us to the point that God says to Job, at the end of Job, God takes Job, another wealthy, honorable man of the ancient world, and God takes away his children, takes away his riches, takes away his honor in the community. And Job essentially discusses with his friends forever about it, all vanity, just argument that gets nowhere. And then God says, "Where were you when I created the world?" There's an element where that's a brutal, brutal way that God engages with him. But when we pause and see that God is our creator, we are the created ones. The original intention of creation was that God was not a dictator who just created us and told us to do, told us to follow him. He wanted to walk in the garden with us. We were designed to interpret life with his revelation, his knowledge at all times. Think of Adam walking in the garden, naming the animals with him. And we understand him, he's a loving Father. He's sovereign, but his good. So you can find joy, because when you look at him, when you start to see, "Wow, God, I see your wisdom in the way that you've opened doors for me, the way that you closed doors for me, the way you've stripped these idols out in my life." You start seeing into the heart of God, himself. You see his wisdom. You see that he is infinite, eternal unchanging, and his being wisdom, power, glory, justice, holiness, and truth. And you start to love him for that. That's something that the world can't take away. He's unchanging. And you can just go into the infinite qualities, the infinite glory, the infinite beauty of God's heart and get lost in it, and you'll never be dissatisfied. And that's where Solomon's trying to bring us when he says, "Stop fighting, let him be God." And really the message of the Bible is that, God can just say, "I'm God, you're not, follow me because it is what is best for you." But he sends Jesus, so he can say, do all of that to say I'm sovereign, I'm God. But he sends Christ to show his goodness, to communicate his heart to us. We have sinned against him, Adam and Eve sinned against him in the garden and all of us since then have sinned against him. All of history points to Jesus is coming. It gives us assurance. God says, Man, you have a problem, you have sinned against me and my glory, majesty, sovereignty, I'm going to be the solution for you." When we see his sovereignty, we see that all history brings us to Christ. We see his providence showing his goodness, and we begin to look at our own lives and we say, "He can work out this situation. This is not what I want. I might not blatantly profess praises for this hard mercy, this hard stance he's taken with me. But I see how he's used all of history for my good, for the opportunity to have peace, salvation, joy with him through Christ. Let me trust him in the moment." And so Solomon shows us that our wisdom is limited, we need to trust God's wisdom. But then furthermore, he says that, in order to bring us to where we can find joy, he says, joy must come from the outside. Verse 12, "For who knows what is good for man while he lives a few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man, what will be after him under the sun?" And so these are rhetorical questions. This is what he answered in verse 10, the answer is God, man in and of himself does not know what is best for him. Man is not eternal, he doesn't know what's going to happen to him. Who decides what's best for him? God. This is not something within ourselves. We have to let God's rule and reign come into our hearts. We have to receive him. And that's what Christmas celebrates. The source of our joy is not anything that we can find in the world in and of itself. There's a lot of good things that we can enjoy and that we can redeem through salvation in Christ. But the source of our joy is the person of Jesus Christ. We have joy because he broke into creation to be the means for peace with God. It was for the joy that was set before him, he came, he endured a humble life, primarily with the purpose of going to the cross for us, that he might be the sacrifice so that we can have peace with the Father. Jesus leaves his heavenly dwelling, the heavenly Mount Zion, where he was worshiped by angels, descends his hill to come to us that our joy might be complete. While we're trying to climb up a hill, climb up a ladder, he comes down for our sake. He exchanges heaven to be born in a little shack, laid in a manger, spend the first 30 years of his life toiling as a carpenter. He never lived the glamorous earthly life with the house, the wife, the children, the prosperity, and many points he was homeless though. Though a heavenly choir attended his birth, he came here and he received insults and slander. He considered it a joy to be sent to the cross, to die for his enemies. He didn't live without wrestling through these challenges, they were real, but he threw it all. He was the most joyful of men, and scripture tells, our joy can be complete with him. And that this connects back to our wisdom is incomplete, our joy is incomplete a part from the person of God. And so if anyone today, if you are identifying, I am building my identity, I am trying to find the deep soul satisfaction that I know only God can offer in something else, I beg you to repent, prevent yourself from the future pain, trust God with it. This basic Christianity, trust that he is better. Some of you think you have good lives, stable lives, but I say, trust the Lord. He's going to deliver more than you can imagine. It's not going to be without struggle, it's not going to be without trial, and Christians we have to really grow in our ability, not just to appreciate what God brings us in salvation through Christ, not just love him for his grace, mercy that we see on the cross. We have to love God for who he is, only learning to love him in and of himself, just digging into his being, digging into his wisdom, digging into what it means that he's internal, infinite, that is where we'll have the sustenance to remain steadfast as we await his return. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just praise you for just the joy that Christ had to come here to be the propitiation, be the atonement for our sin, for a part of his work, his life, death, and resurrection. We can't have peace with you. We can't have you. We pray, Lord, help us to just cherish the fact that we know that when you save us, you never leave us or forsake us. You provide the sustenance that we need, you arrange all the trials, the triumphs, the traumas, all to your glory and for our good. And Lord, let us not be people who kick against your design, kick against your plan, but let us be people who have eyes to just see you, to love you, to enjoy you through whatever you have in store for us. Holy Spirit, I pray just if anybody is just clinging to just different aspects of this world, different materials, different experiences, different pleasures, Lord, help them, convince them that what you offer to them is better. What you offer in Jesus Christ, let them look into the heart, the person of Jesus Christ in whom the fullness of your Deity dwell, the word of God himself and let them be satisfied in you. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

December 17: Obadiah; Revelation 8

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 5:41

Morning: Obadiah Obadiah (Listen) 1 The vision of Obadiah. Edom Will Be Humbled Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.13 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock,2 in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread3 have set a trap beneath you— you have4 no understanding. 8 Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Edom's Violence Against Jacob 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast5 in the day of distress.13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity.14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. The Day of the Lord Is Near 15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The Kingdom of the Lord 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised [2] 1:3 Or of Sela [3] 1:7 Hebrew lacks those who eat [4] 1:7 Hebrew he has [5] 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth (ESV) Evening: Revelation 8 Revelation 8 (Listen) The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer 8 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings,1 flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. The Seven Trumpets 6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood.2 A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. 12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” Footnotes [1] 8:5 Or voices, or sounds [2] 8:11 Wormwood is the name of a plant and of the bitter-tasting extract derived from it (ESV)

god lord lamb kingdom behold revelation esv jerusalem wormwood gilead hebrew canaanites esau saviors woe lord god philistines mount zion obadiah edom seventh seal zarephath seven trumpets negeb

December 14: Psalm 45; Psalms 47–48; Zechariah 2; Revelation 3:14–22; Matthew 24:32–44

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 9:01

3 Advent First Psalm: Psalm 45 Psalm 45 (Listen) Your Throne, O God, Is Forever To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil1 of the Sons of Korah; a love song. 45 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house,11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.12 The people2 of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people.3 13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her.15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. 16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. Footnotes [1] 45:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 45:12 Hebrew daughter [3] 45:12 Or The daughter of Tyre is here with gifts, the richest of people seek your favor (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 47–48 Psalms 47–48 (Listen) God Is King over All the Earth To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 47 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!1 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! Zion, the City of Our God A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 48 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers,13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.2 Footnotes [1] 47:7 Hebrew maskil [2] 48:14 Septuagint; another reading is (compare Jerome, Syriac) He will guide us beyond death (ESV) Old Testament: Zechariah 2 Zechariah 2 (Listen) A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line 2 1 And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3 And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.'” 6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD. 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me2 to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: 9 “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. 11 And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Ch 2:5 in Hebrew [2] 2:8 Or he sent me after glory (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 3:14–22 Revelation 3:14–22 (Listen) To the Church in Laodicea 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 24:32–44 Matthew 24:32–44 (Listen) The Lesson of the Fig Tree 32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No One Knows That Day and Hour 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,1 but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Footnotes [1] 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son (ESV)

December 13: Joel 1–3; Revelation 4

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 13:44

Morning: Joel 1–3 Joel 1–3 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel: An Invasion of Locusts 2 Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. 4 What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.6 For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.7 It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin1 wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD.10 The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. 11 Be ashamed,2 O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.12 The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man. A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty3 it comes.16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods;4 the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up.18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.5 19 To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. The Day of the Lord 2 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run.5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale.7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? Return to the Lord 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations.6 Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” The Lord Had Pity 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.19 The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard7 into the eastern sea, and his rear guard8 into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. 21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. 24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.25 I will restore9 to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit 28 10 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. 11 The Lord Judges the Nations 3 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.12 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.” 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war;13 stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD.12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. The Glorious Future of Judah 17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. 18 “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk,&

December 13: Daniel 8–9; Psalm 133; Hebrews 12–13

university music albert einstein san francisco wisconsin stanford university ucsf maven mount zion ryan jones medical college california pacific medical center

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 18:36

Old Testament: Daniel 8–9 Daniel 8–9 (Listen) Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some1 of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,2 and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,3 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” The Interpretation of the Vision 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat4 is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his5 nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” 27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,6 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,7 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks8 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.9 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again10 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its11 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,12 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 8:10 Or host, that is, some [2] 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion [3] 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him [4] 8:21 Or the shaggy goat [5] 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a [6] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [7] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [8] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [9] 9:24 Or thing, or one [10] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [11] 9:26 Or His [12] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 133 Psalm 133 (Listen) When Brothers Dwell in Unity A Song of Ascents. Of David. 133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!12 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. Footnotes [1] 133:1 Or dwell together (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 12–13 Hebrews 12–13 (Listen) Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do Not Grow Weary 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly1 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Sacrifices Pleasing to God 13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent2 have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Benediction 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us3 that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 22 I appeal to you, brothers,4 bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. Footnotes [1] 12:23 Or church [2] 13:10 Or tabernacle [3] 13:21 Some manuscripts you [4] 13:22 Or brothers and sisters (ESV)

81. The Maven: Jill Einstein, MD

Rx for Success Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 45:27

Jill is a graduate of Stanford University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed her internal medicine residency at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco where she ran her internal medicine practice until shifting her focus to projects that draw on her medical background, while leveraging her organizational and community building skills. Jill is the immediate past president of the Mount Zion Health Fund in San Francisco, which makes grants in patient care and research to projects at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Mount Zion campus. After serving on the board for nine years, she currently co-chairs their Strategic Planning Task Force. In 2011, she organized the “Celebrating 100 Years at Mount Zion” event, which included a UCSF community health fair. Unlock Bonus content and get the shows early on our Patreon Follow us or Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Amazon | Spotify --- Show notes at https://rxforsuccesspodcast.com/81 Report-out with comments or feedback at https://rxforsuccesspodcast.com/report Music by Ryan Jones. Find Ryan on Instagram at _ryjones_, Contact Ryan at ryjonesofficial@gmail.com

December 13 – Vol. 2

Read the Bible

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 3:36

As we saw in yesterday's meditation, Haggai 1 is set in August 520 B.C. Haggai 2 is set in the same year, but is broken up into two parts. The first oracle comes to Haggai in October (Hag. 2:1–9); the second, in December (Hag. 2:10–23). The first is measured encouragement to the remnant that is beginning the task of rebuilding the temple; the second promises blessing (Hag. 2:10–19) and an ultimate “Zerubbabel” (Hag. 2:20–23).The first section promises that the new temple, “this house,” will be filled with more glory than the first. If this “glory” is measured in terms of wealth or political influence, that simply did not happen before the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. But if instead the glory of “this house” is bound up with the coming of the Messiah who graced its structures and who was himself the ultimate “temple” toward which it pointed, the claim is not extravagant. The expression “the desired of all nations” (Hag. 2:7), taken as a singular, has often been understood to refer to the Messiah. The Hebrew, however, is plural (“the desired things,” i.e., “the treasures”), suggesting a time when all nations will pay homage to the God of Israel. After all, as verse 8 reminds us, all the silver and gold are God's anyway.The words “give careful thought” now recur (Hag. 2:15, 18), reminding the reader how Haggai has used this expression in chapter 1 to call Israel to reflect on the two decades that have elapsed since their return. God's blessing on them has been restrained, almost miserly. “From this day on” (Hag. 2:19), however, God will bless the people.But the greatest blessing is still to come. God predicts that in the vague future, the prophetic “on that day” (Hag. 2:23), he will overturn kings and kingdoms and make Zerubbabel “like my signet ring” (Hag. 2:23). Why? Because “I have chosen you,” the Lord Almighty declares. This cannot be a simple reference to the historical Zerubbabel. Too many indicators point beyond him. God is referring to “that day.” Zerubbabel is not only the governor (Hag. 2:21), but “my servant” (Hag. 2:23)—a title used of David (Ezek. 34:23; 37:24), as well as of the “suffering servant” of Isaiah. “Servant” and “chosen” are juxtaposed in Isaiah 41:8; 42:1; 44:1. David, Judah, and Mount Zion are similarly “chosen” (Ps. 78:68–70). Recall, too (yesterday's passage), that Zerubbabel's grandfather was King Jehoiachin, so that Zerubbabel is in the Davidic line, the messianic line. So Zerubbabel (whose name still appears with honor in contemporary Jewish liturgies for Hanukkah) sets a pattern, part of a larger Davidic pattern, that points to the ultimate Zerubbabel, the ultimate David—King Jesus. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

god love servant hag jewish hanukkah recall ps hebrew tgc mount zion gospel coalition read the bible haggai zerubbabel don carson davidic lord almighty bible readings da carson devotional commentary

December 8: Psalm 128; Job 14; Isaiah 36–37; 2 John

First Baptist Church Sherman, Texas (Sermon Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2021 14:06

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 128 Psalm 128 (Listen) Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord A Song of Ascents. 128 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. 5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 14 Job 14 (Listen) Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All 14 “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.2 He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.3 And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you?4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,6 look away from him and leave him alone,1 that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day. 7 “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.8 Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil,9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.10 But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?11 As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up,12 so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.13 Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal2 should come.15 You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.16 For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin;17 my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity. 18 “But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place;19 the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man.20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes; you change his countenance, and send him away.21 His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he perceives it not.22 He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself.” Footnotes [1] 14:6 Probable reading; Hebrew look away from him, that he may cease [2] 14:14 Or relief (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 36–37 Isaiah 36–37 (Listen) Sennacherib Invades Judah 36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh1 from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 3 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder. 4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? 8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”'” 11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?” 13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me2 and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'” 21 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help 37 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.'” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'” 8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush,3 “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?'” Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: 16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.” Sennacherib's Fall 21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: “‘She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem. 23 “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest.25 I dug wells and drank waters, to dry up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt. 26 “‘Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins,27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted4 before it is grown. 28 “‘I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.29 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.' 30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 33 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 36 And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. Footnotes [1] 36:2 Rabshakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer [2] 36:16 Hebrew Make a blessing with me [3] 37:9 Probably Nubia [4] 37:27 Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts a field (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 2 John 2 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Final Greetings 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Footnotes [1] 1:8 Some manuscripts you (ESV)

In That Day

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 35:00

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped. 3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, 5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. 6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain. -Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6

god lord jerusalem branch mount zion

December 5: Ezekiel 40–41; John 3:22–36; Psalm 125; Proverbs 29:5–8

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2021 14:36

Old Testament: Ezekiel 40–41 Ezekiel 40–41 (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 the inner gateway there were two chambers11 in the inner court, one12 at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south13 gate facing north. 45 And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone14 among the sons of Levi may come near to the LORD to minister to him.” 47 And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple. The Vestibule of the Temple 48 Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate15 were three cubits on either side. 49 The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve16 cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.17 And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side. The Inner Temple 41 Then he brought me to the nave and measured the jambs. On each side six cubits18 was the breadth of the jambs.19 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,20 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 side21 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 offsets22 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 galleries23 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.24 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.25 Its corners, its base,26 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 canopy27 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. Footnotes [1] 40:1 Hebrew brought me there [2] 40:5 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters [3] 40:6 Hebrew deep, and one threshold, one reed deep [4] 40:14 Text uncertain; Hebrew And he made the jambs sixty cubits, and to the jamb of the court was the gateway all around [5] 40:19 Hebrew distance from before the low gate before the inner court to the outside [6] 40:19 Or cubits. So far the eastern gate; now to the northern gate [7] 40:36 One manuscript (compare verses 29 and 33); most manuscripts lack were of the same size as the others [8] 40:37 Septuagint, Vulgate (compare verses 26, 31, 34); Hebrew jambs [9] 40:38 Hebrew at the jambs, the gates [10] 40:43 Or shelves [11] 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were chambers for singers [12] 40:44 Hebrew lacks one [13] 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east [14] 40:46 Hebrew lacks alone [15] 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate [16] 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven [17] 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew and by steps that would go up to it [18] 41:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [19] 41:1 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew tent [20] 41:2 Hebrew its length [21] 41:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and the breadth [22] 41:6 Septuagint, compare 1 Kings 6:6; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [23] 41:15 The meaning of the Hebrew term is unknown; also verse 16 [24] 41:17 Hebrew were measurements [25] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks two cubits broad [26] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length [27] 41:25 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 26 (ESV) New Testament: John 3:22–36 John 3:22–36 (Listen) John the Baptist Exalts Christ 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”1 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Footnotes [1] 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36 (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 125 Psalm 125 (Listen) The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. 125 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 29:5–8 Proverbs 29:5–8 (Listen) 5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices.7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. (ESV)

December 5: Ezekiel 40–41; Psalm 125; Titus 1–3

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2021 18:23

Old Testament: Ezekiel 40–41 Ezekiel 40–41 (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 the inner gateway there were two chambers11 in the inner court, one12 at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south13 gate facing north. 45 And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone14 among the sons of Levi may come near to the LORD to minister to him.” 47 And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple. The Vestibule of the Temple 48 Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate15 were three cubits on either side. 49 The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve16 cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.17 And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side. The Inner Temple 41 Then he brought me to the nave and measured the jambs. On each side six cubits18 was the breadth of the jambs.19 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,20 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 side21 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 offsets22 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 galleries23 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.24 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.25 Its corners, its base,26 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 canopy27 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. Footnotes [1] 40:1 Hebrew brought me there [2] 40:5 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters [3] 40:6 Hebrew deep, and one threshold, one reed deep [4] 40:14 Text uncertain; Hebrew And he made the jambs sixty cubits, and to the jamb of the court was the gateway all around [5] 40:19 Hebrew distance from before the low gate before the inner court to the outside [6] 40:19 Or cubits. So far the eastern gate; now to the northern gate [7] 40:36 One manuscript (compare verses 29 and 33); most manuscripts lack were of the same size as the others [8] 40:37 Septuagint, Vulgate (compare verses 26, 31, 34); Hebrew jambs [9] 40:38 Hebrew at the jambs, the gates [10] 40:43 Or shelves [11] 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew were chambers for singers [12] 40:44 Hebrew lacks one [13] 40:44 Septuagint; Hebrew east [14] 40:46 Hebrew lacks alone [15] 40:48 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate [16] 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew eleven [17] 40:49 Septuagint; Hebrew and by steps that would go up to it [18] 41:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [19] 41:1 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew tent [20] 41:2 Hebrew its length [21] 41:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and the breadth [22] 41:6 Septuagint, compare 1 Kings 6:6; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [23] 41:15 The meaning of the Hebrew term is unknown; also verse 16 [24] 41:17 Hebrew were measurements [25] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks two cubits broad [26] 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length [27] 41:25 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 26 (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 125 Psalm 125 (Listen) The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. 125 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) New Testament: Titus 1–3 Titus 1–3 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, a servant1 of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began2 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word3 through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Qualifications for Elders 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,4 and his children are believers5 and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,6 as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound7 doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. 10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.8 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans,9 a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”10 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Teach Sound Doctrine 2 But as for you, teach what accords with sound11 doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Bondservants12 are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Be Ready for Every Good Work 3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Final Instructions and Greetings 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Footnotes [1] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [2] 1:2 Greek before times eternal [3] 1:3 Or manifested his word [4] 1:6 Or a man of one woman [5] 1:6 Or are faithful [6] 1:7 Or bishop; Greek episkopos [7] 1:9 Or healthy; also verse 13 [8] 1:10 Or especially those of the circumcision [9] 1:12 Greek One of them [10] 1:12 Probably from Epimenides of Crete [11] 2:1 Or healthy; also verses 2, 8 [12] 2:9 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface (ESV)

December 5: Psalm 125; Job 11; Isaiah 30:18–32:20; 1 John 3:4–24

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2021 12:58

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 125 Psalm 125 (Listen) The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. 125 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 11 Job 11 (Listen) Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse 11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 “Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be judged right?3 Should your babble silence men, and when you mock, shall no one shame you?4 For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God's1 eyes.'5 But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you,6 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding.2 Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. 7 “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?8 It is higher than heaven3—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?9 Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.10 If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?11 For he knows worthless men; when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?12 But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man! 13 “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him.14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents.15 Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear.16 You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away.17 And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.19 You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor.20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.” Footnotes [1] 11:4 Hebrew your [2] 11:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [3] 11:8 Hebrew The heights of heaven (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 30:18–32:20 Isaiah 30:18–32:20 (Listen) The Lord Will Be Gracious 18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” 23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. 27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;1 his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;28 his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray. 29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. 31 The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the LORD, when he strikes with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33 For a burning place2 has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it. Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt 31 Woe3 to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!2 And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.3 The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. 4 For thus the LORD said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight4 on Mount Zion and on its hill.5 Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.” 6 Turn to him from whom people5 have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. 8 “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor.9 His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. A King Will Reign in Righteousness 32 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention.4 The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.5 The fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.6 For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.7 As for the scoundrel—his devices are evil; he plans wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right.8 But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands. Complacent Women Warned of Disaster 9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.10 In little more than a year you will shudder, you complacent women; for the grape harvest fails, the fruit harvest will not come.11 Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and tie sackcloth around your waist.12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,13 for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city.14 For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust6 forever.18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.19 And it will hail when the forest falls down, and the city will be utterly laid low.20 Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free. Footnotes [1] 30:27 Hebrew in weight of uplifted clouds [2] 30:33 Or For Topheth [3] 31:1 Or Ah, [4] 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike [5] 31:6 Hebrew they [6] 32:17 Or security (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 John 3:4–24 1 John 3:4–24 (Listen) 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's1 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. Love One Another 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,2 that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,3 and God4 in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. Footnotes [1] 3:9 Greek his [2] 3:13 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; also verses 14, 16 [3] 3:24 Greek him [4] 3:24 Greek he (ESV)

December 4: Psalm 124; Job 9–10; Isaiah 29–30:17; 1 John 2:18–3:3

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2021 15:11

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 124 Psalm 124 (Listen) Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. 124 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side— let Israel now say—2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us,3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;5 then over us would have gone the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 9–10 Job 9–10 (Listen) Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter 9 Then Job answered and said: 2 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?3 If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger,6 who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars;8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;9 who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;10 who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number.11 Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.12 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?' 13 “God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab.14 How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him?15 Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.116 If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.17 For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause;18 he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.19 If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?220 Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.21 I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life.22 It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'23 When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity3 of the innocent.24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges— if it is not he, who then is it? 25 “My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good.26 They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey.27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,'28 I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent.29 I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain?30 If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,31 yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together.33 There is no4 arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me.35 Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself. Job Continues: A Plea to God 10 “I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me.3 Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked?4 Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees?5 Are your days as the days of man, or your years as a man's years,6 that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin,7 although you know that I am not guilty, and there is none to deliver out of your hand?8 Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether.9 Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust?10 Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.12 You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.13 Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose.14 If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity.15 If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction.16 And were my head lifted up,5 you would hunt me like a lion and again work wonders against me.17 You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me. 18 “Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me19 and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.20 Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer21 before I go—and I shall not return— to the land of darkness and deep shadow,22 the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.” Footnotes [1] 9:15 Or to my judge [2] 9:19 Or who can grant me a hearing? [3] 9:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [4] 9:33 Or Would that there were an [5] 10:16 Hebrew lacks my head (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 29–30:17 Isaiah 29–30:17 (Listen) The Siege of Jerusalem 29 Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round.2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel.13 And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you.4 And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. 5 But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly,6 you will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.8 As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating, and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking, and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. 9 Astonish yourselves2 and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk,3 but not with wine; stagger,4 but not with strong drink!10 For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). 11 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.” 13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” 15 Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? 17 Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. 22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.” Do Not Go Down to Egypt 30 “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance,5 but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;2 who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!3 Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.4 For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes,5 everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.” 6 An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them.7

Diciembre 1: No olvides quién eres y lo que tienes en Dios. Salmos 87 y 88

Hogares De Pacto

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2021 5:48

Notas. Inglés y Español ⬇️December 1: Do not forget who you are and what you have in God.Psalm 87: 1-7 Psalm 88: 1-9Psalm 87 is a different psalm from the others in its theme. It is a poem from Jerusalem about those who dwell in it. It is the expression of privilege that the inhabitants of this city felt and feels. When we study Psalm 76, on November 23, with the title "Find justice on Mount Zion", we noticed the double nature of this city, representing the special authority over the nations for being the city of the Great King, and the spiritual authority because it is the city of the House of God, the city chosen by God and where everyone had to go for their sins to be forgiven. Here are mentioned several nations that were witnesses of the birth of this nation: Egypt, Philistia, among others who admired and even feared at times the greatness of Jerusalem, because they knew that this was the city of the Great God of heaven and earth; a God who dwells so close, that they could see from a distance a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night! They knew that the God who brought them with a mighty hand out of Egypt, sending plagues and destruction to their enemies, was the same God who parted the Red Sea for them. The surrounding nations knew their mighty God, the God of Israel, who helped them conquer Jericho, a fortified city that no one had ever dared to confront because of its might and reinforced walls.If only the Israelites had maintained this level of knowledge and their consciences were clear to see themselves as other nations saw them, they would never have left God's ways and His law.One of the lessons we can learn today is that the enemy knows the great privilege you have to have been called and chosen to be part of the people of the living God! The fact that you are a Christian and have accepted Jesus Christ, as the promised Messiah to save the world, gives you a great advantage over those who don't yet know Him and don't yet have access to the great promises that you and I have, those of us who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. The next psalm, 88, is the reflection of someone who has been touched by death. The psalmist felt like he was in a grave, about to die, to be buried and eliminated from this world. Apparently, it is the condition of someone who is already tired of evil. To get to the point of being alone, without friends or relatives. He described this situation as waves of the sea. I think that all of us who have had the opportunity to go to the beach have been swept away by waves of the sea. You swallow salt water, your ears burn, you get sand in your eyes, hair and mouth, etc. When you get out of the wave, the shock is immense and you feel that you were close to drowning. This is how the psalmist felt. The advantage was that he was crying out to the God who forgives, who gives new opportunities. First, you must consider and never forget that you are in a position where many admire you and the enemy fears you. Do not lower yourself in sin or fear the enemy. Do not give space to lose what you are and have in God by not clearly seeing what you are and have in the Lord. Second, cry out to the Lord to help you when the waves roll over you. I am your friend Eduardo Rodriguez. May the Lord Jesus hear your prayer.I recommend the song "El himno de victoria" by Danny Berrios.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈Diciembre 1: No olvides quién eres y lo que tienes en Dios.Salmos 87:1-‬7 RVA2015:Su cimiento está sobre montes de santidad; el SEÑOR ama las puertas de Sion más que a todas las moradas de Jacob. ¡Cosas gloriosas se cuentan de ti, oh ciudad de Dios! Selah“Yo inscribiré a Rahab y a Babilonia entre los que me conocen. He aquí Filistea, Tiro y Etiopía. Se dirá: “Este nació allí”. De Sion se dirá: “Este y aquel han nacido en ella”. El mismo Altísimo le dará estabilidad. El SEÑOR dirá, al inscribir a los pueblos: Selah Y tanto los que cantan como los que danzan dirán: “¡Todas mis fuentes están en ti!”.Salmos 88:1‭-‬9 RVA2015:Oh SEÑOR, Dios de mi salvación, día y noche clamo delante de ti. Llegue mi oración a tu presencia; inclina tu oído a mi clamor porque mi alma está harta de males y mi vida se ha acercado al Seol. Soy contado con los que descienden a la fosa; soy como un hombre sin fuerzas. Estoy libre entre los muertos, como los cadáveres que yacen en la tumba, de quienes ya no te acuerdas, y que han sido arrebatados de tu mano. Me has puesto en la honda fosa, en lugares tenebrosos, en lugares profundos. Sobre mí reposa tu ira; me has afligido con todas tus olas. Selah Has alejado de mí a mis conocidos; me has puesto como abominación para ellos. Estoy encerrado; no puedo salir. Mis ojos se enfermaron a causa de mi aflicción. Cada día te he invocado, oh SEÑOR; a ti he extendido mis manos.El salmo 87 es un salmo diferente a los demás en su temática. Es una poesía de Jerusalén acerca de aquellos que habitan en ella. Es la expresión de privilegio que sentían y sienten los habitantes de esta ciudad. Cuando estudiamos el salmo 76, el pasado 23 de noviembre, con el título "Encuentra justicia en el Monte de Sion", notamos la doble naturaleza de esta ciudad, representando la autoridad especial sobre las naciones por ser la ciudad del Gran Rey, y la autoridad espiritual porque es la ciudad de la Casa de Dios, la ciudad elegida por Dios y donde todos tenían que ir para que sus pecados fueran perdonados. Aquí se mencionan varias naciones que fueron testigos del nacimiento de esta nación: Egipto, Filistea, entre otras que admiraron y hasta temieron en unas épocas la grandeza de Jerusalén, pues sabían que esta era la ciudad del Gran Dios del cielo y la tierra; ¡un Dios que habita tan cerca, que podían ver una columna de nube desde la distancia y una columna de fuego en la noche! Ellos sabían que el Dios que los sacó con mano poderosa de Egipto, enviando plagas y destrucción a sus enemigos, era el mismo Dios que abrió el Mar Rojo para ellos. Las naciones alrededor conocían a su poderoso Dios, el Dios de Israel, que les ayudó a conquistar a Jericó, ciudad fortificada que nadie jamás se había atrevido a confrontar por su poderío y murallas reforzadas.Si tan solo los israelitas hubieran mantenido este nivel de conocimiento y sus conciencias estuvieran claras para verse ellos mismos como los veían las demás naciones, nunca hubieran dejado los caminos de Dios y su ley.Una de las lecciones que podemos aprender hoy es que el enemigo sabe el gran privilegio que tienes de haber sido ¡llamado y escogido para ser parte del pueblo del Dios viviente! El hecho de que seas un cristiano y hayas aceptado a Jesucriso, como el Mesías prometido para salvar al mundo, te da una gran ventaja sobre aquellos que todavía no lo conocen y no tienen acceso todavía a las grandes promesas que tu y yo tenemos, los que hemos sido redimidos por las sangre de Jesús. El siguiente salmo, el 88, es el reflejo de alguien que ha sido tocado por la muerte. El salmista se sentía como en un sepulcro, a punto de morir, de ser enterrado y eliminado de este mundo. Al parecer, es la condición de alguien que está ya cansado de la maldad. De llegar al punto de estar solo, sin amigos ni parientes. Él describió esta situación como olas del mar. Pienso que todos los que hemos tenido la oportunidad de ir a la playa hemos sido revolcados por olas del mar. Uno traga agua salada, le arden los oídos, se le mete arena en los ojos, cabello y boca, etc. Cuando uno sale de la ola, el susto es inmenso y siente que estuvo cerca de morir ahogado. Así se sentía el salmista. La ventaja era que estaba clamando al Dios que perdona, que da nuevas oportunidades. Primero, debes considerar y nunca olvidar que estás en una posición donde muchos te admiran y el enemigo te teme. No te rebaje en el pecado ni temas al enemigo. No des espacio para perder lo que eres y tienes en Dios por no ver claramente lo que eres y tienes en el Señor. Segundo, clama al Señor que te ayudará cuando las olas te revuelquen. Soy tu amigo Eduardo Rodriguez. Que el Señor Jesús escuche tu oración.Te recomiendo la canción "El himno de victoria" de Danny Berrios.#HogaresDePacto #KingdomChurch #IglesiaElReino #IPUH #PastorCarlos #CarlosRodriguez#EduardoRodriguez #PoderCaster #salmos #salmo87 #salmo88

November 30: Psalm 120; Job 3; Isaiah 24; John 20

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 10:40

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 120 Psalm 120 (Listen) Deliver Me, O Lord A Song of Ascents. 120 In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.2 Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! 5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 3 Job 3 (Listen) Job Laments His Birth 3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job said: 3 “Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man is conceived.'4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.5 Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.6 That night—let thick darkness seize it! Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.7 Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful cry enter it.8 Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.9 Let the stars of its dawn be dark; let it hope for light, but have none, nor see the eyelids of the morning,10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes. 11 “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,14 with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves,15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.16 Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.19 The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master. 20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,21 who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,22 who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave?23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?24 For my sighing comes instead of1 my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.25 For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” Footnotes [1] 3:24 Or like; Hebrew before (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 24 Isaiah 24 (Listen) Judgment on the Whole Earth 24 Behold, the LORD will empty the earth1 and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.3 The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.7 The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled.9 No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.10 The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter.11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.12 Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins.13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. 14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.215 Therefore in the east3 give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, “I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.” 17 Terror and the pit and the snare4 are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!18 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.20 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. 21 On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. Footnotes [1] 24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter [2] 24:14 Hebrew from the sea [3] 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires [4] 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 20 John 20 (Listen) The Resurrection 20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'1 head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,2 “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. Jesus Appears to the Disciples 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,3 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus and Thomas 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,4 was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Purpose of This Book 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Footnotes [1] 20:7 Greek his [2] 20:16 Or Hebrew [3] 20:19 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time [4] 20:24 Greek Didymus (ESV)

November 29: 1 Chronicles 26–27; 2 Peter 1; Micah 4; Luke 13

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 19:20

With family: 1 Chronicles 26–27; 2 Peter 1 1 Chronicles 26–27 (Listen) Divisions of the Gatekeepers 26 As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. 2 And Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. 4 And Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him. 6 Also to his son Shemaiah were sons born who were rulers in their fathers' houses, for they were men of great ability. 7 The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad, whose brothers were able men, Elihu and Semachiah. 8 All these were of the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and brothers, able men qualified for the service; sixty-two of Obed-edom. 9 And Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, able men, eighteen. 10 And Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him chief), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth: all the sons and brothers of Hosah were thirteen. 12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their chief men, had duties, just as their brothers did, ministering in the house of the LORD. 13 And they cast lots by fathers' houses, small and great alike, for their gates. 14 The lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. They cast lots also for his son Zechariah, a shrewd counselor, and his lot came out for the north. 15 Obed-edom's came out for the south, and to his sons was allotted the gatehouse. 16 For Shuppim and Hosah it came out for the west, at the gate of Shallecheth on the road that goes up. Watch corresponded to watch. 17 On the east there were six each day,1 on the north four each day, on the south four each day, as well as two and two at the gatehouse. 18 And for the colonnade2 on the west there were four at the road and two at the colonnade. 19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the Korahites and the sons of Merari. Treasurers and Other Officials 20 And of the Levites, Ahijah had charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated gifts. 21 The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, the heads of the fathers' houses belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli.3 22 The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and Joel his brother, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD. 23 Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites—24 and Shebuel the son of Gershom, son of Moses, was chief officer in charge of the treasuries. 25 His brothers: from Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, and his son Jeshaiah, and his son Joram, and his son Zichri, and his son Shelomoth. 26 This Shelomoth and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries of the dedicated gifts that David the king and the heads of the fathers' houses and the officers of the thousands and the hundreds and the commanders of the army had dedicated. 27 From spoil won in battles they dedicated gifts for the maintenance of the house of the LORD. 28 Also all that Samuel the seer and Saul the son of Kish and Abner the son of Ner and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated—all dedicated gifts were in the care of Shelomoth4 and his brothers. 29 Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were appointed to external duties for Israel, as officers and judges. 30 Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 men of ability, had the oversight of Israel westward of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king. 31 Of the Hebronites, Jerijah was chief of the Hebronites of whatever genealogy or fathers' houses. (In the fortieth year of David's reign search was made and men of great ability among them were found at Jazer in Gilead.) 32 King David appointed him and his brothers, 2,700 men of ability, heads of fathers' houses, to have the oversight of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of the Manassites for everything pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king. Military Divisions 27 This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers' houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000: 2 Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division in the first month; in his division were 24,000. 3 He was a descendant of Perez and was chief of all the commanders. He served for the first month. 4 Dodai the Ahohite5 was in charge of the division of the second month; in his division were 24,000. 5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest; in his division were 24,000. 6 This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the thirty and in command of the thirty; Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.6 7 Asahel the brother of Joab was fourth, for the fourth month, and his son Zebadiah after him; in his division were 24,000. 8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were 24,000. 9 Sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were 24,000. 10 Seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. 11 Eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000. 12 Ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer of Anathoth, a Benjaminite; in his division were 24,000. 13 Tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai of Netophah, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000. 14 Eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah of Pirathon, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. 15 Twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were 24,000. Leaders of Tribes 16 Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; 17 for Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok; 18 for Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; 19 for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel; 20 for the Ephraimites, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; 21 for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22 for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. 23 David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven. 24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but did not finish. Yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David. 25 Over the king's treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel; and over the treasuries in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah; 26 and over those who did the work of the field for tilling the soil was Ezri the son of Chelub; 27 and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite; and over the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite. 28 Over the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah was Baal-hanan the Gederite; and over the stores of oil was Joash. 29 Over the herds that pastured in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite; over the herds in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai. 30 Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite; and over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. Over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. 31 All these were stewards of King David's property. 32 Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, being a man of understanding and a scribe. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni attended the king's sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. 34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army. Footnotes [1] 26:17 Septuagint; Hebrew six Levites [2] 26:18 Or court; Hebrew parbar (meaning unknown); twice in this verse [3] 26:21 The Hebrew of verse 21 is uncertain [4] 26:28 Hebrew Shelomith [5] 27:4 Septuagint; Hebrew Ahohite and his division and Mikloth the chief officer [6] 27:6 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew was his division (ESV) 2 Peter 1 (Listen) Greeting 1 Simeon1 Peter, a servant2 and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Confirm Your Calling and Election 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to3 his own glory and excellence,4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,5 and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities6 are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,7 be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body,8 to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,9 with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Footnotes [1] 1:1 Some manuscripts Simon [2] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [3] 1:3 Or by [4] 1:3 Or virtue [5] 1:5 Or excellence; twice in this verse [6] 1:8 Greek these things; also verses 9, 10, 12 [7] 1:10 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 [8] 1:13 Greek tent; also verse 14 [9] 1:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved (ESV) In private: Micah 4; Luke 13 Micah 4 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1 and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6 In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10 Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. 11 Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2] 4:10 Or push [3] 4:13 Hebrew devote to destruction (ESV) Luke 13 (Listen) Repent or Perish 13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” A Woman with a Disabling Spirit 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” The Narrow Door 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Lament over Jerusalem 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” (ESV)

god woman greek babylon lord mountain father blessed leaders holy spirit abner chronicles sir lament beloved ninth satan kish elections omri depart sabbath scripture greeting behold seventh twelfth tenth eighth eleventh asaph simeon herod pharisees esv jesus christ sixth jerusalem tribes gilead o jerusalem pilates hebrew repent joash septuagint baal perez arise preface parable king david kingdom of god othniel gadites reubenites mount zion levites anathoth leaven joab perish joram ezri zadok eliezer adlai strive divisions manasseh treasurers elam ner gatekeepers ahijah abiathar uzziah elihu naphtali ladan adiel issachar prophetic word obed joah gershom azriel galileans zebulun benaiah obadiah siloam writhe azarel sachar iddo vulgate zabdi shemaiah merari gershonites mustard seeds hilkiah shimei hushai ahithophel jehoiada shaphat 2 peter 1 hoshea luke 13 barren fig tree narrow door zeruiah asahel nethanel

November 26: Psalm 140; Psalm 142; Psalm 141; Psalm 143; Isaiah 24:14–23; 1 Peter 3:13–4:6; Matthew 20:17–28

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2021 10:57

Proper 29 First Psalm: Psalm 140; Psalm 142 Psalm 140 (Listen) Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 140 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,2 who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 4 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet.5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net;1 beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 6 I say to the LORD, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!7 O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their2 evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 9 As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!10 Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise!11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! 12 I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence. Footnotes [1] 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net [2] 140:8 Hebrew his (ESV) Psalm 142 (Listen) You Are My Refuge A Maskil1 of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 142 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.4 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. Footnotes [1] 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 141; Psalm 143 Psalm 141 (Listen) Give Ear to My Voice A Psalm of David. 141 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! 5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff,1 then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.2 8 But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!39 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely. Footnotes [1] 141:6 Or When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock [2] 141:7 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain [3] 141:8 Hebrew refuge; do not pour out my life! (ESV) Psalm 143 (Listen) My Soul Thirsts for You A Psalm of David. 143 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 7 Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge.110 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! 11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant. Footnotes [1] 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered (ESV) Old Testament: Isaiah 24:14–23 Isaiah 24:14–23 (Listen) 14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.115 Therefore in the east2 give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, “I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.” 17 Terror and the pit and the snare3 are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!18 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.20 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. 21 On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. Footnotes [1] 24:14 Hebrew from the sea [2] 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires [3] 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 3:13–4:6 1 Peter 3:13–4:6 (Listen) 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered1 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which2 he went and proclaimed3 to the spirits in prison, 20 because4 they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Stewards of God's Grace 4 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,5 arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. Footnotes [1] 3:18 Some manuscripts died [2] 3:19 Or the Spirit, in whom [3] 3:19 Or preached [4] 3:20 Or when [5] 4:1 Some manuscripts add for us; some for you (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 20:17–28 Matthew 20:17–28 (Listen) Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time 17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” A Mother's Request 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,1 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,2 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Footnotes [1] 20:26 Greek diakonos [2] 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface) (ESV)

November 25: Psalm 116; 2 Kings 23:31–24:17; Isaiah 17–18; John 16:16–33

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2021 12:12

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 116 Psalm 116 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.6 The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when1 I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”;11 I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.” 12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 23:31–24:17 2 Kings 23:31–24:17 (Listen) Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents1 of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 24 In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon. 5 Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7 And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates. Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. Jerusalem Captured 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, 7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Footnotes [1] 23:33 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 17–18 Isaiah 17–18 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow1 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away2 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,32 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. Footnotes [1] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [2] 17:11 Or will be a heap [3] 18:1 Probably Nubia (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 16:16–33 John 16:16–33 (Listen) Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy 16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, ‘because I am going to the Father'?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I Have Overcome the World 25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.1 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Footnotes [1] 16:27 Some manuscripts from the Father (ESV)

November 24: Psalm 119:145–176; Psalms 128–130; Obadiah 15–21; 1 Peter 2:1–10; Matthew 19:23–30

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2021 9:07

Proper 29 First Psalm: Psalm 119:145–176 Psalm 119:145–176 (Listen) Qoph 145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statutes.146 I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.151 But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.152 Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever. Resh 153 Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.156 Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules.157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies.158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.159 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Sin and Shin 161 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.166 I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I do your commandments.167 My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.168 I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you. Taw 169 Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!170 Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.171 My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.172 My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.173 Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.175 Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 128–130 Psalms 128–130 (Listen) Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord A Song of Ascents. 128 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. 5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel! They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth A Song of Ascents. 129 “Greatly1 have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.3 The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.”4 The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms,8 nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!” My Soul Waits for the Lord A Song of Ascents. 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Footnotes [1] 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2 (ESV) Old Testament: Obadiah 15–21 Obadiah 15–21 (Listen) The Day of the Lord Is Near 15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The Kingdom of the Lord 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 2:1–10 1 Peter 2:1–10 (Listen) A Living Stone and a Holy People 2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”1 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Footnotes [1] 2:7 Greek the head of the corner (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 19:23–30 Matthew 19:23–30 (Listen) 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,1 when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold2 and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Footnotes [1] 19:28 Greek in the regeneration [2] 19:29 Some manuscripts manifold (ESV)

November 23: Psalms 120–123; Psalms 124–127; Nahum 1:1–13; 1 Peter 1:13–25; Matthew 19:13–22

The Inner Room- Emotions in the Bible

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 10:14

Proper 29 First Psalm: Psalms 120–123 Psalms 120–123 (Listen) Deliver Me, O Lord A Song of Ascents. 120 In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.2 Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! 5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war! My Help Comes from the Lord A Song of Ascents. 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Let Us Go to the House of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. 122 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for1 Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”8 For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God A Song of Ascents. 123 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. Footnotes [1] 122:4 Or as a testimony for (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 124–127 Psalms 124–127 (Listen) Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. 124 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side— let Israel now say—2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us,3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;5 then over us would have gone the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. 125 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord A Song of Ascents. 126 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb!5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Unless the Lord Builds the House A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 127 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children1 of one's youth.5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.2 Footnotes [1] 127:4 Or sons [2] 127:5 Or They shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate (ESV) Old Testament: Nahum 1:1–13 Nahum 1:1–13 (Listen) 1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. God's Wrath Against Nineveh 2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers.5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries,1 and will pursue his enemies into darkness.9 What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.10 For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried.11 From you came one who plotted evil against the LORD, a worthless counselor. 12 Thus says the LORD, “Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.13 And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.” Footnotes [1] 1:8 Hebrew of her place (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 1:13–25 1 Peter 1:13–25 (Listen) Called to Be Holy 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,1 and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. Footnotes [1] 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 19:13–22 Matthew 19:13–22 (Listen) Let the Children Come to Me 13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away. The Rich Young Man 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (ESV)

Episode 508 - How is your worship?

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2021 6:41

1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 Judas and his brothers said, “Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.” So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion. Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made. On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it, on that very day it was reconsecrated with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev. Responsorial Psalm 1 Chronicles 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd R. (13b) We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. “Blessed may you be, O LORD, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity.” R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. “Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory. For all in heaven and on earth is yours.” R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. “Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor are from you.” R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. “You have dominion over all, In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.” R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 19:45-48 Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/support

god lord riches blessed worship judas gentiles mount zion o lord alleluia

November 21: Psalm 112; 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 9:8–10:34; John 13

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2021 16:42

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 112 Psalm 112 (Listen) The Righteous Will Never Be Moved 112 1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.7 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.8 His heart is steady;2 he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.10 The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish! Footnotes [1] 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8) (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 20 2 Kings 20 (Listen) Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery 20 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.'” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Now, O LORD, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.” 7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.” 8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” 9 And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz. Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys 12 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” 16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: 17 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” 20 The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place. (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 9:8–10:34 Isaiah 9:8–10:34 (Listen) Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression 8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel;9 and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”11 But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies.12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 13 The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.14 So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—15 the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly.1 For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another.20 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm,21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 10 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,2 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!3 What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Judgment on Arrogant Assyria 5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.7 But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;8 for he says: “Are not my commanders all kings?9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?” 12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he2 will punish the speech3 of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I remove the boundaries of peoples, and plunder their treasures; like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.14 My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing or opened the mouth or chirped.” 15 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!16 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.17 The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.18 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down. The Remnant of Israel Will Return 20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth. 24 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And the LORD of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”4 28 He has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he stores his baggage;29 they have crossed over the pass; at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled.30 Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim! Give attention, O Laishah! O poor Anathoth!31 Madmenah is in flight; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.32 This very day he will halt at Nob; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33 Behold, the Lord GOD of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One. Footnotes [1] 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things [2] 10:12 Hebrew I [3] 10:12 Hebrew fruit [4] 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 13 John 13 (Listen) Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet 13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet,1 but is completely clean. And you2 are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant3 is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled,4 ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” One of You Will Betray Me 21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side,5 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus6 of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. A New Commandment 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.' 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. Footnotes [1] 13:10 Some manuscripts omit except for his feet [2] 13:10 The Greek words for you in this verse are plural [3] 13:16 Or bondservant, or slave (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface) [4] 13:18 Greek But in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled [5] 13:23 Greek in

November 21: 1 Chronicles 16; James 3; Obadiah; Luke 5

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2021 16:04

With family: 1 Chronicles 16; James 3 1 Chronicles 16 (Listen) The Ark Placed in a Tent 16 And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD 3 and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat,1 and a cake of raisins. 4 Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers. David's Song of Thanks 8 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!9 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,13 O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! 14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,16 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance.” 19 When you were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,20 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” 23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;230 tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 35 Say also: “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Worship Before the Ark 37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required, 38 and also Obed-edom and his3 sixty-eight brothers, while Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. 39 And he left Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon 40 to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, to do all that is written in the Law of the LORD that he commanded Israel. 41 With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever. 42 Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were appointed to the gate. 43 Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household. Footnotes [1] 16:3 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [2] 16:29 Or in holy attire [3] 16:38 Hebrew their (ESV) James 3 (Listen) Taming the Tongue 3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,1 and set on fire by hell.2 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Wisdom from Above 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Footnotes [1] 3:6 Or wheel of birth [2] 3:6 Greek Gehenna [3] 3:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12 (ESV) In private: Obadiah; Luke 5 Obadiah (Listen) 1 The vision of Obadiah. Edom Will Be Humbled Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.13 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock,2 in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread3 have set a trap beneath you— you have4 no understanding. 8 Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Edom's Violence Against Jacob 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast5 in the day of distress.13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity.14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. The Day of the Lord Is Near 15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The Kingdom of the Lord 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised [2] 1:3 Or of Sela [3] 1:7 Hebrew lacks those who eat [4] 1:7 Hebrew he has [5] 1:12 Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth (ESV) Luke 5 (Listen) Jesus Calls the First Disciples 5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”1 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Jesus Cleanses a Leper 12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.2 And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus3 stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Jesus Heals a Paralytic 17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.4 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Jesus Calls Levi 27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” A Question About Fasting 33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new

November 20: Psalm 111; 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 9:1–7; John 12:20–50

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2021 12:51

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 111 Psalm 111 (Listen) Great Are the Lord's Works 111 1 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] 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 19 2 Kings 19 (Listen) Isaiah Reassures Hezekiah 19 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'” Sennacherib Defies the Lord 8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?'” Hezekiah's Prayer 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.” Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib's Fall 20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: “She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem. 22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!23 By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest lodging place, its most fruitful forest.24 I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and I dried up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.' 25 “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins,26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown. 27 “But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.28 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came. 29 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this. 32 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 35 And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 9:1–7 Isaiah 9:1–7 (Listen) For to Us a Child Is Born 9 1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.2 2 3 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon4 his shoulder, and his name shall be called5 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Footnotes [1] 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew [2] 9:1 Or of the Gentiles [3] 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew [4] 9:6 Or is upon [5] 9:6 Or is called (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 12:20–50 John 12:20–50 (Listen) Some Greeks Seek Jesus 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” The Unbelief of the People When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. Jesus Came to Save the World 44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (ESV)

November 19: Psalm 110; 2 Kings 18; Isaiah 7–8; John 11:55–12:19

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2021 16:46

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 110 Psalm 110 (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. 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 (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 18 2 Kings 18 (Listen) Hezekiah Reigns in Judah 18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).1 5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. 9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it, 10 and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed. Sennacherib Attacks Judah 13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents2 of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD and from the doorposts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. 17 And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer's Field. 18 And when they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder. 19 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 21 Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 23 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 24 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”'” 26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?” 28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my3 hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me4 and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'” 36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. Footnotes [1] 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and serpent [2] 18:14 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms [3] 18:29 Hebrew his [4] 18:31 Hebrew Make a blessing with me (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 7–8 Isaiah 7–8 (Listen) Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz 7 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with1 Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz2 and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub3 your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it4 for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord GOD: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you5 are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.'” The Sign of Immanuel 10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the LORD your6 God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 And he7 said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.8 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” 18 In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.9 20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River10—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. 21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels11 of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. The Coming Assyrian Invasion 8 Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters,12 ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.'13 2 And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.” 3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father' or ‘My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.” 5 The LORD spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River,14 mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” 9 Be broken,15 you peoples, and be shattered;16 give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered.10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.17 Fear God, Wait for the Lord 11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” 16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching18 among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through the land,19 greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against20 their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. Footnotes [1] 7:2 Hebrew Syria has rested upon [2] 7:2 Hebrew his heart [3] 7:3 Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return [4] 7:6 Hebrew let us split it open [5] 7:9 The Hebrew for you is plural in verses 9, 13, 14 [6] 7:11 The Hebrew for you and your is singular in verses 11, 16, 17 [7] 7:13 That is, Isaiah [8] 7:14 Immanuel means God is with us [9] 7:19 Or watering holes, or brambles [10] 7:20 That is, the Euphrates [11] 7:23 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [12] 8:1 Hebrew with a man's stylus [13] 8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens [14] 8:7 That is, the Euphrates [15] 8:9 Or Be evil [16] 8:9 Or dismayed [17] 8:10 The Hebrew for God is with us is Immanuel [18] 8:16 Or law; also verse 20 [19] 8:21 Hebrew it [20] 8:21 Or speak contemptuously by (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 11:55–12:19 John 11:55–12:19 (Listen) 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for1 Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him. Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany 12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound2 of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii3 and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it4 for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” The Plot to Kill Lazarus 9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus5 was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The Triumphal Entry 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” Footnotes [1] 11:56 Greek were seeking for [2] 12:3 Greek litra; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams [3] 12:5 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer [4] 12:7 Or Leave her alone; she intended to keep it [5] 12:9 Greek he (ESV)

November 17: 1 Chronicles 9–10; Hebrews 12; Amos 6; Luke 1:39–80

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 17:59

With family: 1 Chronicles 9–10; Hebrews 12 1 Chronicles 9–10 (Listen) A Genealogy of the Returned Exiles 9 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. 2 Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. 3 And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: 4 Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah. 5 And of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn, and his sons. 6 Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their kinsmen, 690. 7 Of the Benjaminites: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah, 8 Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, Elah the son of Uzzi, son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah; 9 and their kinsmen according to their generations, 956. All these were heads of fathers' houses according to their fathers' houses. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, 11 and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the house of God; 12 and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; 13 besides their kinsmen, heads of their fathers' houses, 1,760, mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God. 14 Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; 15 and Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph; 16 and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites. 17 The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their kinsmen (Shallum was the chief); 18 until then they were in the king's gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. 19 Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers' house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the LORD, keepers of the entrance. 20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him. 21 Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 22 All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust. 23 So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. 24 The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south. 25 And their kinsmen who were in their villages were obligated to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with these, 26 for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God. 27 And they lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning. 28 Some of them had charge of the utensils of service, for they were required to count them when they were brought in and taken out. 29 Others of them were appointed over the furniture and over all the holy utensils, also over the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the spices. 30 Others, of the sons of the priests, prepared the mixing of the spices, 31 and Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with making the flat cakes. 32 Also some of their kinsmen of the Kohathites had charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath. 33 Now these, the singers, the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, were in the chambers of the temple free from other service, for they were on duty day and night. 34 These were heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, according to their generations, leaders. These lived in Jerusalem. Saul's Genealogy Repeated 35 In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, and the name of his wife was Maacah, 36 and his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth; 38 and Mikloth was the father of Shimeam; and these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. 39 Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40 And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah. 41 The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.1 42 And Ahaz fathered Jarah, and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. And Zimri fathered Moza. 43 Moza fathered Binea, and Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 44 Azel had six sons and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel. The Death of Saul and His Sons 10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. 6 Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army2 had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11 But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days. 13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. Footnotes [1] 9:41 Compare 8:35; Hebrew lacks and Ahaz [2] 10:7 Hebrew they (ESV) Hebrews 12 (Listen) Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do Not Grow Weary 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly1 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Footnotes [1] 12:23 Or church (ESV) In private: Amos 6; Luke 1:39–80 Amos 6 (Listen) Woe to Those at Ease in Zion 6 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!2 Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory,3 O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? 4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall,5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,6 who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” 8 The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.” 9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the LORD.” 11 For behold, the LORD commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits.12 Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there1 with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood2—13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,3 who say, “Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim4 for ourselves?”14 “For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of hosts; “and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.” Footnotes [1] 6:12 Or the sea [2] 6:12 Or into bitter fruit [3] 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing [4] 6:13 Karnaim means horns (a symbol of strength) (ESV) Luke 1:39–80 (Listen) Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be1 a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. The Birth of John the Baptist 57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. Zechariah's Prophecy 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us2 from on high79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Footnotes [1] 1:45 Or believed, for there will be [2] 1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us (ESV)

November 17: Ezekiel 16; Hebrews 12

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 14:22

Morning: Ezekiel 16 Ezekiel 16 (Listen) The Lord's Faithless Bride 16 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. 6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!' I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!' 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. 8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.1 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD. 15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore2 because of your renown and lavished your whorings3 on any passerby; your beauty4 became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.5 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood. 23 “And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD), 24 you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. 25 At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself6 to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. 26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied. 30 “How sick is your heart,7 declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. 32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. 34 So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different. 35 “Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD: 36 Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. 38 And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39 And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare. 40 They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. 42 So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry. 43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations? 44 “Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.' 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. 47 Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. 48 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous. 53 “I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria8 and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD. The Lord's Everlasting Covenant 59 “For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of9 the covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, 63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 16:10 Or with rich fabric [2] 16:15 Or were unfaithful; also verses 16, 17, 26, 28 [3] 16:15 Or unfaithfulness; also verses 20, 22, 25, 26, 29, 33, 34, 36 [4] 16:15 Hebrew it [5] 16:16 The meaning of this Hebrew sentence is uncertain [6] 16:25 Hebrew spreading your legs [7] 16:30 Revocalization yields How I am filled with anger against you [8] 16:57 Some manuscripts (compare Syriac) of Edom [9] 16:61 Or not apart from (ESV) Evening: Hebrews 12 Hebrews 12 (Listen) Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do Not Grow Weary 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly1 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Footnotes [1] 12:23 Or church (ESV)

November 16: Lamentations 4–5; Psalm 119:65–72; Galatians 1–2

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2021 12:16

Old Testament: Lamentations 4–5 Lamentations 4–5 (Listen) The Holy Stones Lie Scattered 4 How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter's hands! 3 Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. 5 Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps. 6 For the chastisement1 of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment2 of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.3 7 Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form4 was like sapphire.5 8 Now their face is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood. 9 Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations. 12 The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. 13 This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous. 14 They wandered, blind, through the streets; they were so defiled with blood that no one was able to touch their garments. 15 “Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.” 16 The LORD himself6 has scattered them; he will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the elders. 17 Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save. 18 They dogged our steps so that we could not walk in our streets; our end drew near; our days were numbered, for our end had come. 19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the heavens; they chased us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the LORD's anointed, was captured in their pits, of whom we said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.” 21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare. 22 The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer;7 but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish; he will uncover your sins. Restore Us to Yourself, O Lord 5 Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace!2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners.3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows.4 We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought.5 Our pursuers are at our necks; we are weary; we are given no rest.6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough.7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities.8 Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand.9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.10 Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of famine.11 Women are raped in Zion, young women in the towns of Judah.12 Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders.13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill, and boys stagger under loads of wood.14 The old men have left the city gate, the young men their music.15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.19 But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations.20 Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?21 Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—22 unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us. Footnotes [1] 4:6 Or iniquity [2] 4:6 Or sin [3] 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 4:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [5] 4:7 Hebrew lapis lazuli [6] 4:16 Hebrew The face of the Lord [7] 4:22 Or he will not exile you again (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:65–72 Psalm 119:65–72 (Listen) Teth 65 You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word.66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.68 You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.69 The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;70 their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (ESV) New Testament: Galatians 1–2 Galatians 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—2 and all the brothers1 who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. No Other Gospel 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant2 of Christ. Paul Called by God 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.3 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born,4 and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to5 me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;6 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me. Paul Accepted by the Apostles 2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Paul Opposes Peter 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.7 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” Justified by Faith 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified8 by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness9 were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Footnotes [1] 1:2 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; also verse 11 [2] 1:10 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [3] 1:11 Greek not according to man [4] 1:15 Greek set me apart from my mother's womb [5] 1:16 Greek in [6] 1:16 Greek with flesh and blood [7] 2:12 Or fearing those of the circumcision [8] 2:16 Or counted righteous (three times in verse 16); also verse 17 [9] 2:21 Or justification (ESV)

November 10: 2 Kings 23; Hebrews 5; Psalm 142; Joel 2