Bible Readings for September 25, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 45:11–48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; and Proverbs 24:3-4. 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 45:11-48:11 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹I am the LORD, the Creator,
   the holy God of Israel.
   Do you dare question me
   about my own nation
   or about what I have done?
    ¹²I created the world
   and covered it with people;
   I stretched out the sky
   and filled it with stars.
    ¹³I have done the right thing
   by placing Cyrus in power,
   and I will make the roads easy
   for him to follow.
   I am the LORD All-Powerful!
   Cyrus will rebuild my city
   and set my people free
   without being paid a thing.
   I, the LORD, have spoken.
   

The LORD Alone Can Save

 ¹⁴My people, I, the LORD, promise    that the riches of Egypt
   and the treasures of Ethiopia ^[a] will belong to you.
   You will force into slavery
   those tall people of Seba. ^[b] They will bow down and say,
   "The only true God is with you;
   there are no other gods."
    ¹⁵People of Israel,
   your God is a mystery,
   though he alone can save.
    ¹⁶Anyone who makes idols
   will be confused
   and terribly disgraced.
    ¹⁷But Israel, I, the LORD,
   will always keep you safe
   and free from shame.
   

Everyone Is Invited

 ¹⁸The LORD alone is God!    He created the heavens
   and made a world
   where people can live,
   instead of creating
   an empty desert.
   The LORD alone is God;
   there are no others.
    ¹⁹The LORD did not speak
   in a dark secret place
   or command Jacob's descendants
   to search for him in vain.
   The LORD speaks the truth,
   and this is what he says
    ²⁰to every survivor
   from every nation:
   "Gather around me!
   Learn how senseless it is
   to worship wooden idols
   or pray to helpless gods.
    ²¹"Why don't you get together
   and meet me in court?
   Didn't I tell you long ago
   what would happen?
   I am the only God!
   There are no others.
   I bring about justice,
   and have the power to save.
    ²²"I invite the whole world
   to turn to me and be saved.
   I alone am God!
   No others are real.
    ²³I have made a solemn promise,
   one that won't be broken:
   Everyone will bow down
   and worship me.
    ²⁴They will admit that I alone
   can bring about justice.
   Everyone who is angry with me
   will be terribly ashamed
   and will turn to me.
    ²⁵I, the LORD, will give
   victory and great honor
   to the people of Israel."
   

Isaiah 46

Babylonia's Gods Are Helpless

The LORD said:

 ¹The gods Bel and Nebo ^[c] are down on their knees,    as wooden images of them
   are carried away
   on weary animals. ^{[d] 2}They are down on their knees
   to rescue the heavy load,
   but the images are still taken
   to a foreign country.
    ³You survivors in Israel,
   listen to me, the LORD.
   Since the day you were born,
   I have carried you along.
    ⁴I will still be the same
   when you are old and gray,
   and I will take care of you.
   I created you. I will carry you
   and always keep you safe.
    ⁵Can anyone compare with me?
   Is anyone my equal?
    ⁶Some people hire a goldsmith
   and give silver and gold
   to be formed into an idol
   for them to worship.
    ⁷They carry the idol
   on their shoulders,
   then put it on a stand,
   but it cannot move.
   They call out to the idol
   when they are in trouble,
   but it doesn't answer,
   and it cannot help.
    ⁸Now keep this in mind, ^[e] you sinful people.
   And don't ever forget it.
   

The LORD Alone Is God

 ⁹I alone am God!    There are no other gods;
   no one is like me.
   Think about what happened
   many years ago.
    ¹⁰From the very beginning,
   I told what would happen
   long before it took place.
   I kept my word ¹¹and brought
   someone from a distant land
   to do what I wanted.
   He attacked from the east,
   like a hawk swooping down.
   Now I will keep my promise
   and do what I planned.
    ¹²You people are stubborn
   and far from being safe,
   so listen to me.
    ¹³I will soon come to save you.
   I am not far away
   and will waste no time;
   I take pride in Israel
   and will save Jerusalem.
   

Isaiah 47

Babylon Will Fall

The LORD said:

 ¹City of Babylon,    You are delicate
   and untouched,
   but that will change.
   Surrender your royal power
   and sit in the dirt.
    ²Start grinding grain!
   Take off your veil.
   Strip off your fancy clothes
   and cross over rivers. ^{[f] 3}You will suffer the shame
   of going naked,
   because I will take revenge,
   and no one can escape. ^{[g] 4}I am the LORD All-Powerful,
   the holy God of Israel.
   I am their Savior.
    ⁵Babylon, be silent!
   Sit in the dark.
   No longer will nations
   accept you as their queen.
    ⁶I was angry with my people.
   So I let you take their land
   and bring disgrace on them.
   You showed them no mercy,
   but were especially cruel
   to those who were old.
    ⁷You thought that you
   would be queen forever.
   You didn't care what you did;
   it never entered your mind
   that you might get caught.
    ⁸You think that you alone
   are all-powerful,
   that you won't be a widow
   or lose your children.
   All you care about is pleasure,
   but listen to what I say.
    ⁹Your magic powers and charms
   will suddenly fail,
   then you will be a widow
   and lose your children.
    ¹⁰You hid behind evil
   like a shield and said,
   "No one can see me!"
   You were fooled by your wisdom
   and your knowledge;
   you felt sure that you alone
   were in full control.
    ¹¹But without warning,
   disaster will strike--
   and your magic charms
   won't help at all.
    ¹²Keep using your magic powers
   and your charms
   as you have always done.
   Maybe--just maybe--
   you will frighten somebody!
    ¹³You have worn yourself out,
   asking for advice
   from those who study the stars
   and tell the future
   month after month.
   Go ask them how to be saved
   from what will happen.
    ¹⁴People who trust the stars
   are as helpless
   as straw
   in a flaming fire.
   No one can even keep warm, ^[h] sitting by a fire
   that feeds only on straw.
    ¹⁵These are the fortunetellers
   you have done business with
   all of your life.
   But they don't know
   where they are going,
   and they can't save you.
   

Isaiah 48

The LORD Corrects His People

 ¹People of Israel,    you come from Jacob's family
   and the tribe ^[i] of Judah. You claim to worship me,
   the LORD God of Israel,
   but you are lying.
    ²You call Jerusalem your home
   and say you depend on me,
   the LORD All-Powerful,
   the God of Israel.
    ³Long ago I announced
   what was going to be,
   then without warning,
   I made it happen.
    ⁴I knew you were stubborn
   and hardheaded.
    ⁵And I told you these things,
   so that when they happened
   you would not say,
   "The idols we worship did this."
    ⁶You heard what I said,
   and you have seen it happen.
   Now admit that it's true!
   I will show you secrets
   you have never known.
    ⁷Today I am doing something new,
   something you cannot say
   you have heard before.
    ⁸You have never been willing
   to listen to what I say;
   from the moment of your birth,
   I knew you would rebel.
   

The LORD Warns Israel

 ⁹I, the LORD, am true to myself;    I will be praised
   for not punishing
   and destroying you.
    ¹⁰I tested you in hard times
   just as silver is refined
   in a heated furnace. ^{[j] 11}I did this because of who I am.
   I refuse to be dishonored ^[k] or share my praise
   with any other god.
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 45:14 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
2. Isaiah 45:14 Seba: See the note at 43.3.
3. Isaiah 46:1 Bel and Nebo: Bel was another name for Marduk, the chief god of the Babylonians. Nebo was the son of Marduk and also an important god.
4. Isaiah 46:1 as. . . animals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Isaiah 46:8 Now. . . mind: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 47:2 Strip. . . rivers: This may be a command to get ready for work that requires wading in the river, or it may be a warning that they are going to be taken away as slaves.
7. Isaiah 47:3 escape: Or "oppose me."
8. Isaiah 47:14 keep warm: Or "cook food."
9. Isaiah 48:1 tribe: Hebrew "waters."
10. Isaiah 48:10 furnace: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
11. Isaiah 48:11 I refuse to be dishonored: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Ephesians 4:1-16 (Contemporary English Version)

Ephesians 4

Unity with Christ

 ¹As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. ²Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. ³Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. ⁴All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people. ⁵We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. ⁶There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.     ⁷Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us. ⁸As the Scriptures say,
   "When he went up
   to the highest place,
   he led away many prisoners
   and gave gifts to people."
    ⁹When it says, "he went up," it means that Christ had been deep in the earth. ¹⁰This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so that he would fill the whole universe.
    ¹¹Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, ¹²so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. ¹³This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. ^{[a] 14}We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. ¹⁵Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head ¹⁶of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.
   

Footnotes:

1. Ephesians 4:13 and we will be completely like him: Or and he is completely perfect.

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Psalm 68:19-35 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁹We praise you, Lord God!
   You treat us with kindness
   day after day,
   and you rescue us.
    ²⁰You always protect us
   and save us from death.
    ²¹Our Lord and our God,
   your terrible enemies
   are ready for war, ^[a] but you will crush
   their skulls.
    ²²You promised to bring them
   from Bashan
   and from the deepest sea.
    ²³Then we could stomp
   on their blood,
   and our dogs could chew
   on their bones.
    ²⁴We have seen crowds marching
   to your place of worship,
   our God and King.
    ²⁵The singers come first,
   and then the musicians,
   surrounded by young women
   playing tambourines.
    ²⁶They come shouting,
   "People of Israel,
   praise the LORD God!"
    ²⁷The small tribe of Benjamin
   leads the way,
   followed by the leaders
   from Judah.
   Then come the leaders
   from Zebulun and Naphtali.
    ²⁸Our God, show your strength!
   Show us once again.
    ²⁹Then kings will bring gifts
   to your temple
   in Jerusalem. ^{[b] 30}Punish that animal
   that lives in the swamp! ^[c] Punish that nation
   whose leaders and people
   are like wild bulls.
   Make them come crawling
   with gifts of silver.
   Scatter those nations
   that enjoy making war. ^{[d] 31}Force the Egyptians to bring
   gifts of bronze;
   make the Ethiopians ^[e] hurry to offer presents. ^{[f] 32}Now sing praises to God!
   Every kingdom on earth,
   sing to the Lord!
    ³³Praise the one who rides
   across the ancient skies;
   listen as he speaks
   with a mighty voice.
    ³⁴Tell about God's power!
   He is honored in Israel,
   and he rules the skies.
    ³⁵The God of Israel is fearsome
   in his temple,
   and he makes us strong.
   Let's praise our God!
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 68:21 are ready for war: The Hebrew text has " have long hair," which probably refers to the ancient custom of wearing long hair on special occasions, such as a " holy war."
2. Psalm 68:29 Our God. . . Jerusalem: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 28,29.
3. Psalm 68:30 animal. . . swamp: Probably Egypt.
4. Psalm 68:30 war: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 30.
5. Psalm 68:31 the Ethiopians: The Hebrew text has " the people of Cush," which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
6. Psalm 68:31 presents: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 31.

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Proverbs 24:3-4 (Contemporary English Version)

-20-

 ³ Use wisdom and understanding    to establish your home;
    ⁴let good sense fill the rooms
   with priceless treasures.

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Verse of the day

“[Christ Helps Us]My children, I am writing this so that you won't sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us.” - 1 John 2:1

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Prolific English writer in many genres, including the novel, history, politics, and social commentary, and textbooks and rules for war games, H. G. Wells wrote, “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative.”