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 Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.
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] 7They 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:
- Isaiah 60:5 swell with pride: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 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.
- 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).
- Isaiah 60:7 Kedar. . . Nebaioth: Regions in northern Arabia.
- Isaiah 60:9 On. . . LORD: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Isaiah 60:9 Seagoing ships: See the note at 2.16.
- Isaiah 61:6 and. . . famous: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Isaiah 61:8 But. . . injustice: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Isaiah 62:5 Your. . . land: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
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] 6Christ 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:
- Philippians 2:5 think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Or "think the way you should because you belong to Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 2:6 remain: Or "become."
- Philippians 2:7 Instead he gave up everything: Greek, "He emptied himself."
- Philippians 2:16 hold firmly to: Or "offer them."
- 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.
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:
- Psalm 72:5 Let the king live: One ancient translation; Hebrew " Let them worship you."
- Psalm 72:10 Tarshish: Possibly a city in Spain.
- 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.
Proverbs 24:11-12 (Contemporary English Version)
-25-
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.
“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.
Thought for the Day
Former U.S. Senator from Arkansas who served from 1999 to 2011, Blanche Lincoln wrote, “I believe that the fight against crime starts in the home. Parents must take responsibility for their children and show them love and guidance from an early age so they learn to respect the rights of others.”
A Joke for Today
Bill, Jim, and Scott were at a convention together and were sharing a large suite on the top of a 75-story skyscraper. After a long day of meetings they were shocked to hear that the elevators in their hotel were broken and they would have to climb 75 flights of stairs to get to their room. Bill said to Jim and Scott, let's break the monotony of this unpleasant task by concentrating on something interesting. I'll tell jokes for 25 flights, and Jim can sing songs for 25 flights, and Scott can tell sad stories the rest of the way. At the 26th floor Bill stopped telling jokes and Jim began to sing. At the 51st floor Jim stopped singing and Scott began to tell sad stories. "I will tell my saddest story first," he said. "I left the room key in the car!"
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