Bible Readings for September 21, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 37:1–38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; and Proverbs 23:24-25. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal. 

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Isaiah 37-38:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Asks Isaiah for Advice

(2 Kings 19.1-13)

 ¹As soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went into the temple of the LORD. ²He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth and tell me:     ³Isaiah, these are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a woman too weak to give birth, when it's time for her baby to be born. ⁴Please pray for those of us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the LORD heard what he said and will do something, if you will pray.
    ⁵When these leaders came to me, ⁶I told them that the LORD had this message for Hezekiah:
   I am the LORD. Don't worry about the insulting things that have been said about me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. ⁷I will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his own country. He will go back, and there I will make him die a violent death.
    ⁸Meanwhile the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the town of Lachish and was now attacking Libnah. So he went there.
    ⁹About this same time, the king of Assyria learned that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia ^[a] was on his way to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some messengers with this note for Hezekiah: ¹⁰Don't trust your God or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. ¹¹You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? ¹²The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and everyone from Eden who lived in Telassar. What good did their gods do them? ¹³The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah have all disappeared.
   

Hezekiah Prays

(2 Kings 19.14-19)

 ¹⁴After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the LORD to see. ¹⁵Then he prayed:     ¹⁶LORD God All-Powerful of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. ^[b] You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. ¹⁷Just look and see how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God. ¹⁸It is true, our LORD, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. ¹⁹They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. ²⁰But you are our LORD and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only LORD.
   

Isaiah Gives the LORD's Answer to Hezekiah

(2 Kings 19.20-34)

 ^21-22I went to Hezekiah and told him that the LORD God of Israel had said:    Hezekiah, you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. ^[c] Now this is what I say to that king: The people of Jerusalem
   hate and make fun of you;
   they laugh behind your back.
    ²³Sennacherib, you cursed,
   shouted, and sneered at me,
   the holy God of Israel.
    ²⁴You let your officials
   insult me, the Lord.
   And here is what you
   have said about yourself,
   "I led my chariots
   to the highest heights
   of Lebanon's mountains.
   I went deep into its forest,
   cutting down the best cedar
   and cypress trees.
    ²⁵I dried up every stream
   in the land of Egypt,
   and I drank water
   from wells I had dug."
    ²⁶Sennacherib, now listen
   to me, the LORD.
   I planned all of this long ago.
   And you don't even know
   that I alone am the one
   who decided that you
   would do these things.
   I let you make ruins
   of fortified cities.
    ²⁷Their people became weak,
   terribly confused.
   They were like wild flowers
   or like tender young grass
   growing on a flat roof
   or like a field of grain
   before it matures. ^{[d] 28}I know all about you,
   even how fiercely angry
   you are with me.
    ²⁹I have seen your pride
   and the tremendous hatred
   you have for me.
   Now I will put a hook
   in your nose,
   a bit in your mouth, ^[e] then I will send you back
   to where you came from.
    ³⁰Hezekiah, I will tell you what's going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year, you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. ³¹Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. ³²I, the LORD All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.
    ³³I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. ³⁴As surely as I am the LORD, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. ³⁵I will protect it for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.
   

The Death of King Sennacherib

(2 Kings 19.35-37)

 ³⁶The LORD sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed one hundred eighty-five thousand of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. ³⁷After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. ³⁸One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. ^[f]

Isaiah 38

Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies

(2 Kings 20.1-11; 2 Chronicles 32.24-26)

 ¹About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. So I went in and told him, "The LORD says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, and so you had better start doing what needs to be done."     ²Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, ³"Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, LORD. I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right." After this, he cried hard.
    ⁴Then the LORD sent me ⁵with this message for Hezekiah:
   I am the LORD God, who was worshiped by your ancestor David. I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will let you live fifteen years more, ⁶while I protect you and your city from the king of Assyria.
    ⁷Now I will prove to you that I will keep my promise. ⁸Do you see the shadow made by the setting sun on the stairway built for King Ahaz? I will make the shadow go back ten steps.
   Then the shadow went back ten steps. ^[g]

King Hezekiah's Song of Praise

 ⁹This is what Hezekiah wrote after he got well:     ¹⁰I thought I would die
   during my best years
   and stay as a prisoner forever
   in the world of the dead.
    ¹¹I thought I would never again
   see you, my LORD,
   or any of the people
   who live on this earth.
    ¹²My life was taken from me
   like the tent that a shepherd
   pulls up and moves.
   You cut me off like thread
   from a weaver's loom;
   you make a wreck of me
   day and night.
    ¹³Until morning came, I thought
   you would crush my bones
   just like a hungry lion;
   both night and day
   you make a wreck of me. ^{[h] 14}I cry like a swallow;
   I mourn like a dove.
   My eyes are red
   from looking to you, LORD.
   I am terribly abused.
   Please come and help me. ^{[i] 15}There's nothing I can say
   in answer to you,
   since you are the one
   who has done this to me. ^[j] My life has turned sour;
   I will limp until I die.
    ¹⁶Your words and your deeds
   bring life to everyone,
   including me. ^[k] Please make me healthy
   and strong again.
    ¹⁷It was for my own good
   that I had such hard times.
   But your love protected me
   from doom in the deep pit, ^[l] and you turned your eyes
   away from my sins.
    ¹⁸No one in the world of the dead
   can thank you
   or praise you;
   none of those in the deep pit
   can hope for you
   to show them
   how faithful you are.
    ¹⁹Only the living can thank you,
   as I am doing today.
   Each generation tells the next
   about your faithfulness. ^{[m] 20}You, LORD, will save me,
   and every day that we live
   we will sing in your temple
   to the music
   of stringed instruments.
   

Isaiah's Advice to Hezekiah

 ²¹I had told King Hezekiah's servants to put some mashed figs on the king's open sore, and he would get well. ²²Then Hezekiah asked for proof that he would again worship in the LORD's temple.    

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 37:9 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
2. Isaiah 37:16 winged creatures: Two winged creatures made of gold were on the top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18; 2 Samuel 6.2).
3. Isaiah 37:21 Hezekiah, you prayed. . . Assyria: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Isaiah 37:27 tender young grass. . . matures: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls and some Hebrew manuscripts "tender young grass, growing on a flat roof and scorched by the heat." Many of the houses had roofs made of packed earth. Grass would sometimes grow on the roof, but would die quickly because of the sun and hot winds.
5. Isaiah 37:29 I will put. . . your mouth: This is how the Assyrians treated their prisoners, and now the LORD will treat Sennacherib the same way.
6. Isaiah 37:38 Esarhaddon became king: He ruled Assyria 681-669 B.C.
7. Isaiah 38:8 steps: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 8.
8. Isaiah 38:13 of me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13.
9. Isaiah 38:14 help me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.
10. Isaiah 38:15 There's. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Isaiah 38:16 Your. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Isaiah 38:17 deep pit: The world of the dead, as in verse 18.
13. Isaiah 38:19 about your faithfulness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Galatians 6:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

Galatians 6

Help Each Other

 ¹My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. ²You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.     ³If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong. ⁴Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. ⁵We each must carry our own load.
    ⁶Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.
    ⁷You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. ⁸If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. ⁹Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. ¹⁰We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.
   

Final Warnings

 ¹¹You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.     ¹²Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. ¹³They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. ¹⁴But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.
    ¹⁵It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.
    ¹⁶If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.
    ¹⁷On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me anymore.
    ¹⁸My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.

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Psalm 65:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 65

(A psalm by David and a song for the music leader.)

God Answers Prayer

 ¹Our God, you deserve ^[a] praise in Zion,    where we keep
   our promises to you.
    ²Everyone will come to you
   because you answer prayer.
    ³Our terrible sins get us down,
   but you forgive us.
    ⁴You bless your chosen ones,
   and you invite them
   to live near you
   in your temple.
   We will enjoy your house,
   the sacred temple.
    ⁵Our God, you save us,
   and your fearsome deeds
   answer our prayers for justice!
   You give hope to people
   everywhere on earth,
   even those across the sea.
    ⁶You are strong,
   and your mighty power
   put the mountains in place.
    ⁷You silence the roaring waves
   and the noisy shouts
   of the nations.
    ⁸People far away marvel
   at your fearsome deeds,
   and all who live under the sun
   celebrate and sing
   because of you.
    ⁹You take care of the earth
   and send rain
   to help the soil
   grow all kinds of crops.
   Your rivers never run dry,
   and you prepare the earth
   to produce much grain.
    ¹⁰You water all of its fields
   and level the lumpy ground.
   You send showers of rain
   to soften the soil
   and help the plants sprout.
    ¹¹Wherever your footsteps
   touch the earth,
   a rich harvest is gathered.
    ¹²Desert pastures blossom,
   and mountains celebrate.
    ¹³Meadows are filled
   with sheep and goats;
   valleys overflow with grain
   and echo with joyful songs.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 65:1 deserve: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 23:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴Make your father truly happy
   by living right
   and showing
   sound judgment.
    ²⁵Make your parents proud,
   especially your mother.

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Verse of the Day

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” - 2 Corinthians 13:14

Today's passage is from the New International Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy, Henry L. Stimson wrote, “The only deadly sin I know is cynicism.”