Bible Readings for January 4 & 5, 2014

Today our passages are Genesis 8:1–13:4; Matthew 4:12–5:26; Psalm 4:1–5:12; and Proverbs 1:20-28. The readings are from the  The Message  by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Genesis 8-13:4 (The Message)

Genesis 8

 ^1-3 Then God turned his attention to Noah and all the wild animals and farm animals with him on the ship. God caused the wind to blow and the floodwaters began to go down. The underground springs were shut off, the windows of Heaven closed and the rain quit. Inch by inch the water lowered. After 150 days the worst was over.  ^4-6 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ship landed on the Ararat mountain range. The water kept going down until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains came into view. After forty days Noah opened the window that he had built into the ship.
 ^7-9 He sent out a raven; it flew back and forth waiting for the floodwaters to dry up. Then he sent a dove to check on the flood conditions, but it couldn't even find a place to perch—water still covered the Earth. Noah reached out and caught it, brought it back into the ship.
 ^10-11 He waited seven more days and sent out the dove again. It came back in the evening with a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak. Noah knew that the flood was about finished.
 ¹² He waited another seven days and sent the dove out a third time. This time it didn't come back.
 ^13-14 In the six-hundred-first year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month, the flood had dried up. Noah opened the hatch of the ship and saw dry ground. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the Earth was completely dry.
 ^15-17 God spoke to Noah: "Leave the ship, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives. And take all the animals with you, the whole menagerie of birds and mammals and crawling creatures, all that brimming prodigality of life, so they can reproduce and flourish on the Earth."
 ^18-19 Noah disembarked with his sons and wife and his sons' wives. Then all the animals, crawling creatures, birds—every creature on the face of the Earth—left the ship family by family.
 ^20-21 Noah built an altar to God. He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done.

 ²² For as long as Earth lasts,
      planting and harvest, cold and heat,
   Summer and winter, day and night
      will never stop."

Genesis 9

 ^1-4 God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that.  ⁵ "But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

 ^6-7 Whoever sheds human blood,
      by humans let his blood be shed,
   Because God made humans in his image
      reflecting God's very nature.
   You're here to bear fruit, reproduce,
      lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!"
 ^8-11 Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: "I'm setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you—birds, farm animals, wild animals—that came out of the ship with you. I'm setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth."
 ^12-16 God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth."
 ¹⁷ And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I've set up between me and everything living on the Earth."
 ^18-19 The sons of Noah who came out of the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah; from these three the whole Earth was populated.
 ^20-23 Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.
 ^24-27 When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. He said,

   Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves,
      a slave to his brothers!
   Blessed be God, the God of Shem,
      but Canaan shall be his slave.
   God prosper Japheth,
      living spaciously in the tents of Shem.
   But Canaan shall be his slave.
 ^28-29 Noah lived another 350 years following the flood. He lived a total of 950 years. And he died.

Genesis 10

The Family Tree of Noah's Sons

 ¹ This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.  ² The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.
 ^4-5 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Rodanim. The seafaring peoples developed from these, each in its own place by family, each with its own language.
 ⁶ The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.
 ⁷ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabteca.
   The sons of Raamah: Sheba, Dedan.
 ^8-12 Cush also had Nimrod. He was the first great warrior on Earth. He was a great hunter before God. There was a saying, "Like Nimrod, a great hunter before God." His kingdom got its start with Babel; then Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the country of Shinar. From there he went up to Asshur and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and the great city Calah.
 ^13-14 Egypt was ancestor to the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Casluhim (the origin of the Philistines), and the Kaphtorim.
 ^15-19 Canaan had Sidon his firstborn, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanites spread out, going from Sidon toward Gerar, as far south as Gaza, and then east all the way over to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and on to Lasha.
 ²⁰ These are the descendants of Ham by family, language, country, and nation.
 ²¹ Shem, the older brother of Japheth, also had sons. Shem was ancestor to all the children of Eber.
 ²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
 ²³ The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, Meshech.
 ^24-25 Arphaxad had Shelah and Shelah had Eber. Eber had two sons, Peleg (so named because in his days the human race divided) and Joktan.
 ^26-30 Joktan had Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab—all sons of Joktan. Their land goes from Mesha toward Sephar as far as the mountain ranges in the east.
 ³¹ These are the descendants of Shem by family, language, country, and nation.
 ³² This is the family tree of the sons of Noah as they developed into nations. From them nations developed all across the Earth after the flood.

Genesis 11

"God Turned Their Language into 'Babble'"

 ^1-2 At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.  ³ They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and fire them well." They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.
 ⁴ Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth."
 ⁵ God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built.
 ^6-9 God took one look and said, "One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they'll come up with next—they'll stop at nothing! Come, we'll go down and garble their speech so they won't understand each other." Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. That's how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into "babble." From there God scattered them all over the world.

^10-11 This is the story of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he had Arphaxad. It was two years after the flood. After he had Arphaxad, he lived 500 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^12-13 When Arphaxad was thirty-five years old, he had Shelah. After Arphaxad had Shelah, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^14-15 When Shelah was thirty years old, he had Eber. After Shelah had Eber, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^16-17 When Eber was thirty-four years old, he had Peleg. After Eber had Peleg, he lived 430 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^18-19 When Peleg was thirty years old, he had Reu. After he had Reu, he lived 209 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^20-21 When Reu was thirty-two years old, he had Serug. After Reu had Serug, he lived 207 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^22-23 When Serug was thirty years old, he had Nahor. After Serug had Nahor, he lived 200 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ^24-25 When Nahor was twenty-nine years old, he had Terah. After Nahor had Terah, he lived 119 more years and had other sons and daughters.
 ²⁶ When Terah was seventy years old, he had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The Family Tree of Terah

^27-28 This is the story of Terah. Terah had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.     Haran had Lot. Haran died before his father, Terah, in the country of his family, Ur of the Chaldees.
 ²⁹ Abram and Nahor each got married. Abram's wife was Sarai; Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran. Haran had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah.
 ³⁰ Sarai was barren; she had no children.
 ³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram's wife) and set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.
 ³² Terah lived 205 years. He died in Haran.

Genesis 12

Abram and Sarai

 ¹ God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.

 ^2-3 I'll make you a great nation
      and bless you.
   I'll make you famous;
      you'll be a blessing.
   I'll bless those who bless you;
      those who curse you I'll curse.
   All the families of the Earth
      will be blessed through you."  ^4-6 So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound.
    Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land.
 ⁷ God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.
 ⁸ He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God.
 ⁹ Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev.
 ^10-13 Then a famine came to the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live; it was a hard famine. As he drew near to Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, 'Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live. Do me a favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live."
 ^14-15 When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.
 ^16-17 Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.
 ^18-19 Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? Why did you say, 'She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!"
 ²⁰ Pharaoh ordered his men to get Abram out of the country. They sent him and his wife and everything he owned on their way.

Genesis 13

 ^1-2 So Abram left Egypt and went back to the Negev, he and his wife and everything he owned, and Lot still with him. By now Abram was very rich, loaded with cattle and silver and gold.  ^3-4 He moved on from the Negev, camping along the way, to Bethel, the place he had first set up his tent between Bethel and Ai and built his first altar. Abram prayed there to God.

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Matthew 4:12-5:26 (The Message)

Teaching and Healing

 ^12-17When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah's sermon:

   Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
      road to the sea, over Jordan,
         Galilee, crossroads for the nations.
   People sitting out their lives in the dark
         saw a huge light;
   Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
      they watched the sun come up.    This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."
 ^18-20Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.
 ^21-22A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.
 ^23-25From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.

Matthew 5

You're Blessed

 ^1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:  ³"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
 ⁴"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
 ⁵"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
 ⁶"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
 ⁷"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.
 ⁸"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
 ⁹"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
 ¹⁰"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
 ^11-12"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Salt and Light

 ¹³"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.  ^14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Completing God's Law

 ^17-18"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.  ^19-20"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

Murder

 ^21-22"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.  ^23-24"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
 ^25-26"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.

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Psalm 4-5:12 (The Message)

Psalm 4

A David Psalm

 ¹ When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;
   Now I'm in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

 ² You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?
   How long will you lust after lies?
   How long will you live crazed by illusion?

 ³ Look at this: look
   Who got picked by God!
   He listens the split second I call to him.

 ^4-5 Complain if you must, but don't lash out.
   Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.
   Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.

 ^6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say.
   "More, more."
   I have God's more-than-enough,
   More joy in one ordinary day

 ^7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
   At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep,
   For you, God, have put my life back together.

Psalm 5

A David Psalm

 ^1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help.
   Every morning
      you'll hear me at it again.
   Every morning
      I lay out the pieces of my life
      on your altar
      and watch for fire to descend.

 ^4-6 You don't socialize with Wicked,
      or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
   Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
      you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
   God destroys Lie-Speaker;
      Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.

 ^7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
      it's incredible!
   I enter your house; here I am,
      prostrate in your inner sanctum,
   Waiting for directions
      to get me safely through enemy lines.

 ^9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
      their lungs breathe out poison gas.
   Their throats are gaping graves,
      their tongues slick as mudslides.
   Pile on the guilt, God!
      Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
   Kick them out! They've had their chance.

 ^11-12 But you'll welcome us with open arms
      when we run for cover to you.
   Let the party last all night!
      Stand guard over our celebration.
   You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
      for decking us out in delight.

 

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Proverbs 1:20-28 (The Message)

Lady Wisdom

 ^20-21 Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts.
   At the town center she makes her speech.
In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand.
   At the busiest corner she calls out:

 ^22-24 "Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?
   Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism?
Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?
   About face! I can revise your life.
Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you;
   I'm ready to tell you all I know.
As it is, I've called, but you've turned a deaf ear;
   I've reached out to you, but you've ignored me.

 ^25-28 "Since you laugh at my counsel
   and make a joke of my advice,
How can I take you seriously?
   I'll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!
What if the roof falls in,
   and your whole life goes to pieces?
What if catastrophe strikes and there's nothing
   to show for your life but rubble and ashes?
You'll need me then. You'll call for me, but don't expect
      an answer.
   No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong and learn to live right. See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need.” - Isaiah 1:16-17

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English poet and playwright, Thomas Shadwell wrote, “Every man loves what he is good at.”