Bible Readings for September 30, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 60:1–62:5; Philippians 1:27–2:18; Psalm 72:1-20; and Proverbs 24:11-12. 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 60-62:5 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 60

A New Day for Jerusalem

 ¹Jerusalem, stand up! Shine!    Your new day is dawning.
   The glory of the LORD
   shines brightly on you.
    ²The earth and its people
   are covered with darkness,
   but the glory of the LORD
   is shining upon you.
    ³Nations and kings
   will come to the light
   of your dawning day.
   
   

Crowds Are Coming to Jerusalem

The LORD said:

 ⁴Open your eyes! Look around!    Crowds are coming.
   Your sons are on their way
   from distant lands;
   your daughters are being carried
   like little children.
    ⁵When you see this,
   your faces will glow;
   your hearts will pound
   and swell with pride. ^[a] Treasures from across the sea
   and the wealth of nations
   will be brought to you.
    ⁶Your country will be covered
   with caravans
   of young camels
   from Midian and Ephah. ^[b] The people of Sheba ^[c] will bring gold and spices
   in praise of me, the LORD.
    ⁷Every sheep of Kedar
   will come to you;
   rams from Nebaioth ^[d] will be yours as well.
   I will accept them as offerings
   and bring honor to my temple.
    ⁸What is that sailing by
   like clouds
   or like doves flying home?
    ⁹On those distant islands
   your people are waiting
   for me, the LORD. ^[e] Seagoing ships ^[f] lead the way to bring them home
   with their silver and gold.
   I, the holy LORD God of Israel,
   do this
   to honor your people,
   so they will honor me.
   
   

Jerusalem Will Be Rebuilt

The LORD said:

 ¹⁰Jerusalem, your city walls    will be rebuilt by foreigners;
   their rulers will become
   your slaves.
   I punished you in my anger;
   now I will be kind
   and treat you with mercy.
    ¹¹Your gates will be open
   day and night
   to let the rulers of nations
   lead their people to you
   with all their treasures.
    ¹²Any nation or kingdom
   that refuses to serve you
   will be wiped out.
    ¹³Wood from Lebanon's best trees
   will be brought to you--
   the pines, the firs,
   and the cypress trees.
   It will be used in my temple
   to make beautiful
   the place
   where I rest my feet.
    ¹⁴The descendants of enemies
   who hated and mistreated you
   will kneel at your feet.
   They will say, "You are Zion,
   the city of the LORD,
   the holy God of Israel."
    ¹⁵You were hated and deserted,
   rejected by everyone.
   But I will make you beautiful,
   a city to be proud of
   for all time to come.
    ¹⁶You will drain the wealth
   of kings and foreign nations.
   You will know that I,
   the mighty LORD God of Israel,
   have saved and rescued you.
    ¹⁷I will bring bronze and iron
   in place of wood and stone;
   in place of bronze and iron,
   I will bring gold and silver.
   I will appoint peace and justice
   as your rulers and leaders.
    ¹⁸Violence, destruction, and ruin
   will never again
   be heard of
   within your borders.
   "Victory" will be the name
   you give to your walls;
   "Praise" will be the name
   you give to your gates.
    ¹⁹You won't need the light
   of the sun or the moon.
   I, the LORD your God,
   will be your eternal light
   and bring you honor.
    ²⁰Your sun will never set
   or your moon go down.
   I, the LORD, will be
   your everlasting light,
   and your days of sorrow
   will come to an end.
    ²¹Your people will live right
   and always own the land;
   they are the trees I planted
   to bring praise to me.
    ²²Even the smallest family
   will be a powerful nation.
   I am the LORD,
   and when the time comes,
   I will quickly do all this.
   

Isaiah 61

The Good News of Victory

 ¹The Spirit of the LORD God    has taken control of me!
   The LORD has chosen and sent me
   to tell the oppressed
   the good news,
   to heal the brokenhearted,
   and to announce freedom
   for prisoners and captives.
    ²This is the year
   when the LORD God
   will show kindness to us
   and punish our enemies.
   The LORD has sent me
   to comfort those who mourn,
    ³especially in Jerusalem.
   He sent me to give them flowers
   in place of their sorrow,
   olive oil in place of tears,
   and joyous praise
   in place of broken hearts.
   They will be called
   "Trees of Justice,"
   planted by the LORD
   to honor his name.
    ⁴Then they will rebuild cities
   that have been in ruins
   for many generations.
    ⁵They will hire foreigners
   to take care of their sheep
   and their vineyards.
    ⁶But they themselves will be
   priests and servants
   of the LORD our God.
   The treasures of the nations
   will belong to them,
   and they will be famous. ^{[g] 7}They were terribly insulted
   and horribly mistreated;
   now they will be greatly blessed
   and joyful forever.
   

The LORD Loves Justice

 ⁸I, the LORD, love justice!    But I hate robbery
   and injustice. ^[h] My people, I solemnly promise
   to reward you
   with an eternal agreement.
    ⁹Your descendants will be known
   in every nation.
   All who see them will realize
   that they have been blessed,
   by me, the LORD.
   

Celebrate and Shout

 ¹⁰I celebrate and shout    because of my LORD God.
   His saving power and justice
   are the very clothes I wear.
   They are more beautiful
   than the jewelry worn
   by a bride or a groom.
    ¹¹The LORD will bring about
   justice and praise
   in every nation on earth,
   like flowers blooming
   in a garden.
   

Isaiah 62

Jerusalem Will Be Saved

 ¹Jerusalem, I will speak up    for your good.
   I will never be silent
   till you are safe and secure,
   sparkling like a flame.
    ²Your great victory will be seen
   by every nation and king;
   the LORD will even give you
   a new name.
    ³You will be a glorious crown,
   a royal headband,
   for the LORD your God.
    ⁴Your name will no longer be
   "Deserted and Childless,"
   but "Happily Married."
   You will please the LORD;
   your country
   will be his bride.
    ⁵Your people will take the land, ^[i] just as a young man
   takes a bride.
   The LORD will be pleased
   because of you,
   just as a husband is pleased
   with his bride.
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 60:5 swell with pride: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Isaiah 60:6 Midian. . . Ephah: Midian was the ancestor of a nomadic tribe of the Arabian desert, east of the Gulf of Aqaba. Ephah was a clan within the tribe of Midian.
3. Isaiah 60:6 Sheba: Perhaps a place in what is now southwest Arabia. The Queen of Sheba brought gifts to Solomon (1 Kings 10.1-13).
4. Isaiah 60:7 Kedar. . . Nebaioth: Regions in northern Arabia.
5. Isaiah 60:9 On. . . LORD: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 60:9 Seagoing ships: See the note at 2.16.
7. Isaiah 61:6 and. . . famous: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Isaiah 61:8 But. . . injustice: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9. Isaiah 62:5 Your. . . land: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Philippians 1:27-2:18 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁷Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.
    ²⁸Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen, ²⁹and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him. ³⁰You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.
   

Philippians 2

True Humility

 ¹Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. ²Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. ³Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. ⁴Care about them as much as you care about yourselves ⁵and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: ^{[a] 6}Christ was truly God.    But he did not try to remain ^[b] equal with God.
    ⁷Instead he gave up everything ^[c] and became a slave,
   when he became
   like one of us.
    ⁸Christ was humble.
   He obeyed God
   and even died
   on a cross.
    ⁹Then God gave Christ
   the highest place
   and honored his name
   above all others.
    ¹⁰So at the name of Jesus
   everyone will bow down,
   those in heaven, on earth,
   and under the earth.
    ¹¹And to the glory
   of God the Father
   everyone will openly agree,
   "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
   

Lights in the World

 ¹²My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. ¹³God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.     ¹⁴Do everything without grumbling or arguing. ¹⁵Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, ¹⁶as you hold firmly to ^[d] the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless. ¹⁷Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. ^[e] If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you. ¹⁸In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 2:5 think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Or "think the way you should because you belong to Christ Jesus."
2. Philippians 2:6 remain: Or "become."
3. Philippians 2:7 Instead he gave up everything: Greek, "He emptied himself."
4. Philippians 2:16 hold firmly to: Or "offer them."
5. Philippians 2:17 my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice: Offerings of water or wine were sometimes poured out when animals were sacrificed on the altar.

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Psalm 72:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 72

(By Solomon.)

A Prayer for God To Guide and Help the King

 ¹Please help the king    to be honest and fair
   just like you, our God.
    ²Let him be honest and fair
   with all your people,
   especially the poor.
    ³Let peace and justice rule
   every mountain and hill.
    ⁴Let the king defend the poor,
   rescue the homeless,
   and crush
   everyone who hurts them.
    ⁵Let the king live ^[a] forever like the sun and the moon.
    ⁶Let him be as helpful as rain
   that refreshes the meadows
   and the ground.
    ⁷Let the king be fair
   with everyone,
   and let there be peace
   until the moon
   falls from the sky.
    ⁸Let his kingdom reach
   from sea to sea,
   from the Euphrates River
   across all the earth.
    ⁹Force the desert tribes
   to accept his rule,
   and make his enemies
   crawl in the dirt.
    ¹⁰Force the rulers of Tarshish ^[b] and of the islands
   to pay taxes to him.
   Make the kings of Sheba
   and of Seba ^[c] bring gifts. ¹¹Make other rulers bow down
   and all nations serve him.
    ¹²Do this because the king
   rescues the homeless
   when they cry out,
   and he helps everyone
   who is poor and in need.
    ¹³The king has pity
   on the weak and the helpless
   and protects those in need.
    ¹⁴He cares when they hurt,
   and he saves them from cruel
   and violent deaths.
    ¹⁵Long live the king!
   Give him gold from Sheba.
   Always pray for the king
   and praise him each day.
    ¹⁶Let cities overflow with food
   and hills be covered with grain,
   just like Mount Lebanon.
   Let the people in the cities
   prosper like wild flowers.
    ¹⁷May the glory of the king
   shine brightly forever
   like the sun in the sky.
   Let him make nations prosper
   and learn to praise him.
    ¹⁸LORD God of Israel,
   we praise you.
   Only you can work miracles.
    ¹⁹We will always praise
   your glorious name.
   Let your glory be seen
   everywhere on earth.
   Amen and amen.
    ²⁰This ends the prayers
   of David, the son of Jesse.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 72:5 Let the king live: One ancient translation; Hebrew " Let them worship you."
2. Psalm 72:10 Tarshish: Possibly a city in Spain.
3. Psalm 72:10 Sheba. . . Seba: Sheba may have been a place in what is now southwest Arabia, and Seba may have been in southern Arabia.

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Proverbs 24:11-12 (Contemporary English Version)

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 ¹¹ Don't fail to rescue those    who are doomed to die.
    ¹²Don't say, "I didn't know it!"
   God can read your mind.
   He watches each of us
   and knows our thoughts.
   And God will pay us back
   for what we do.

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Verse of the Day

“I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day,” - Philippians 1:9-10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Christian author, ethicist, and theologian in the Reformed tradition, Lewis B. Smedes wrote, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”