Today our passages are Isaiah 1:1–2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; and Proverbs 22:26-27. 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 1-2:22 (Contemporary English Version)
Isaiah 1
1I am Isaiah, the son of Amoz.
And this is the message [a]
that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah were the kings of Judah: [b]
A Guilty Nation
2The LORD has said,
"Listen, heaven and earth!
The children I raised
have turned against me.
3Oxen and donkeys know
who owns and feeds them,
but my people won't ever learn."
4Israel, you are a sinful
nation
loaded down with guilt.
You are wicked and corrupt
and have turned from the LORD,
the holy God of Israel.
5Why be punished more?
Why not give up your sin?
Your head is badly bruised,
and you are weak all over.
6From your head to your toes
there isn't a healthy spot.
Bruises, cuts, and open sores
go without care
or oil to ease the pain.
A Country in Ruins
7Your country lies in ruins;
your towns are in ashes.
Foreigners and strangers
take and destroy your land
while you watch.
8Enemies surround Jerusalem,
alone like a hut
in a vineyard [c] or
in a cucumber field.
9Zion would have disappeared
like Sodom and Gomorrah, [d] if
the LORD All-Powerful
had not let a few
of its people survive.
Justice, Not Sacrifices
10You are no better
than the leaders and people
of Sodom and Gomorrah!
So listen to the LORD God:
11"Your sacrifices
mean nothing to me.
I am sick of your offerings
of rams and choice cattle;
I don't like the blood
of bulls or lambs or goats.
12"Who asked you to bring all
this
when you come to worship me?
Stay out of my temple!
13Your sacrifices are
worthless,
and incense is disgusting.
I can't stand the evil you do
on your New Moon Festivals
or on your Sabbaths
and other times of worship.
14I hate your New Moon
Festivals
and all others as well.
They are a heavy burden
I am tired of carrying.
15"No matter how much you pray,
I won't listen.
You are too violent.
16Wash yourselves clean!
I am disgusted
with your filthy deeds.
Stop doing wrong
17and learn to live right.
See that justice is done.
Defend widows and orphans
and help those in need." [e]
An Invitation from the LORD
18I, the LORD, invite you
to come and talk it over.
Your sins are scarlet red,
but they will be whiter
than snow or wool.
19If you willingly obey me,
the best crops in the land
will be yours.
20But if you turn against me,
your enemies will kill you.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
The LORD Condemns Jerusalem
21Jerusalem, you are like
an unfaithful wife.
Once your judges were honest
and your people lived right;
now you are a city
full of murderers.
22Your silver is fake,
and your wine
is watered down.
23Your leaders have rejected me
to become friends of crooks;
your rulers are looking
for gifts and bribes.
Widows and orphans
never get a fair trial.
24I am the LORD All-Powerful,
the mighty ruler of Israel,
and I make you a promise:
You are now my enemy,
and I will show my anger
by taking revenge on you.
25I will punish you terribly
and burn away everything
that makes you unfit
to worship me.
26Jerusalem, I will choose
judges and advisors
like those you had before.
Your new name will be
"Justice and Faithfulness."
The LORD Will Save Jerusalem
27Jerusalem, you will be saved
by showing justice; [f]
Zion's people who turn to me
will be saved
by doing right.
28But those rebellious sinners
who turn against me, the LORD,
will all disappear.
29You will be made ashamed
of those groves of trees
where you worshiped idols.
30You will be like a grove of
trees
dying in a drought.
31Your strongest leaders
will be like dry wood
set on fire by their idols. [g] No
one will be able to help,
as they all go up in flames.
Isaiah 2
Peace That Lasts Forever
1This is the message [h] that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem: 2In the future, the mountain
with the LORD's temple
will be the highest of all.
It will reach above the hills;
every nation will rush to it.
3Many people will come and say,
"Let's go to the mountain
of the LORD God of Jacob
and worship in his temple."
The LORD will teach us his Law
from Jerusalem,
and we will obey him.
4He will settle arguments
between nations.
They will pound their swords
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
they will never make war
or attack one another.
5People of Israel, let's live
by the light of the LORD.
Following Sinful Customs
6Our LORD, you have deserted
your people, Israel,
because they follow customs
of nations from the east.
They worship Philistine gods
and are close friends
of foreigners. [i]
7They have endless treasures
of silver and gold;
they have countless horses
and war chariots.
8Everywhere in the country
they worship the idols
they have made.
9And so, all of them
will be ashamed and disgraced.
Don't help them!
A Day of Judgment
10Every one of you,
go hide among the rocks
and in the ground,
because the LORD is fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious.
11When the LORD comes,
everyone who is proud
will be made humble,
and the LORD alone
will be honored.
12The LORD All-Powerful
has chosen a day
when those who are proud
and conceited
will be put down.
13The tall and towering
cedars of Lebanon
will be destroyed.
So will the oak trees of Bashan,
14all high mountains and hills,
15every strong fortress,
16all the seagoing ships, [j]
and every beautiful boat.
17When that day comes,
everyone who is proud
will be put down.
Only the LORD will be honored.
18Idols will be gone for good.
19You had better hide
in caves and holes--
the LORD will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth.
20On that day everyone will
throw
to the rats and bats
their idols of silver and gold
they made to worship.
21The LORD will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth--
they will hide in caves
and in the hills.
22Stop trusting the power
of humans.
They are all going to die,
so how can they help?
Footnotes:
- Isaiah 1:1 message: Or "vision."
- Isaiah 1:1 kings of Judah: Uzziah (783-742 B.C.); Jotham (742-735 B.C.); Ahaz (735-715 B.C.); Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.).
- Isaiah 1:8 a hut in a vineyard: When it was almost time for grapes to ripen, farmers would put up a temporary shelter or hut in the field or vineyard and stay there to keep thieves and wild animals away.
- Isaiah 1:9 Sodom and Gomorrah: Two ancient cities of Palestine that God destroyed because the people were so wicked (see Genesis 19.1-29).
- Isaiah 1:17 and help those in need: Or "and punish cruel people."
- Isaiah 1:27 by showing justice: Or "by my saving power."
- Isaiah 1:31 Your. . . idols: Or "Your wealth will be like dry wood, set on fire by its owners."
- Isaiah 2:1 message: See the note at 1.1.
- Isaiah 2:6 because. . . foreigners: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Isaiah 2:16 seagoing ships: The Hebrew text has "ships of Tarshish," which may have been a Phoenician city in Spain. "Ships of Tarshish" probably means large, seagoing ships.
2 Corinthians 10:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)
2 Corinthians 10
Paul Defends His Work for Christ
1Do you think I am a coward when I am with you and brave when I am far away? Well, I ask you to listen, because Christ himself was humble and gentle. 2Some people have said that we act like the people of this world. So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don't make me treat you that way. 3We live in this world, but we don't act like its people 4or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's thoughts and make them obey Christ. 6And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.
7You judge by appearances. [a] If
any of you think you are the only ones who belong to Christ, then think again.
We belong to Christ as much as you do. 8Maybe I brag a little too much about the authority that
the Lord gave me to help you and not to hurt you. Yet I am not embarrassed to
brag. 9And I am not trying to scare
you with my letters. 10Some of you are
saying, "Paul's letters are harsh and powerful. But in person, he is a weakling
and has nothing worth saying." 11Those
people had better understand that when I am with you, I will do exactly what I
say in my letters. 12We won't dare
compare ourselves with those who think so much of themselves. But they are
foolish to compare themselves with themselves. 13We won't brag about something we don't have a right to
brag about. We will only brag about the work that God has sent us to do, and you
are part of that work. 14We are not
bragging more than we should. After all, we did bring the message about Christ
to you.
15We don't brag about what
others have done, as if we had done those things ourselves. But I hope that as
you become stronger in your faith, we will be able to reach many more of the
people around you. [b]
That has always been our goal. 16Then
we will be able to preach the good news in other lands where we cannot take
credit for work someone else has already done. 17The Scriptures say, "If you want to brag, then brag about
the Lord." 18You may brag about
yourself, but the only approval that counts is the Lord's approval.
Footnotes:
- 2 Corinthians 10:7 You judge by appearances: Or "Take a close look at yourselves."
- 2 Corinthians 10:15 we will be able to reach many more of the people around you: Or "you will praise us even more because of our work among you."
Psalm 52:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 52
(A special psalm by David for the music leader. He wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, "David has gone to Ahimelech's house.")
God Is in Control
1You people may be strong
and brag about your sins,
but God can be trusted
day after day.
2You plan brutal crimes,
and your lying words cut
like a sharp razor.
3You would rather do evil
than good,
and tell lies
than speak the truth.
4You love to say cruel things,
and your words are a trap.
5God will destroy you forever!
He will grab you and drag you
from your homes.
You will be uprooted
and left to die.
6When good people see
this fearsome sight,
they will laugh and say,
7"Just look at them now!
Instead of trusting God,
they trusted their wealth
and their cruelty."
8But I am like an olive tree
growing in God's house,
and I can count on his love
forever and ever.
9I will always thank God
for what he has done;
I will praise his good name
when his people meet.
Proverbs 22:26-27 (Contemporary English Version)
-3-
26 Don't guarantee to pay
someone else's debt.
27If you don't have the money,
you might lose your bed.
Verse of the Day
“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit
lead me in the right path.” - Psalm
143:10
Today's passage is from the Contemporary
English Version.
Thought for the Day
German organic chemist, August Kekulé wrote, “Let us learn to dream, gentlemen, and then perhaps we shall learn the truth . . . but let us beware of publishing our dreams before they have been put to the proof by the waking understanding.”
A Joke for Today
A man is sent to prison for the first time. At night, the lights in the cell block are turned off, and his cellmate goes over to the bars and yells, "Number twelve!" The whole cell block breaks out laughing. A few minutes later, somebody else in the cell block yells, "Number four!" Again, the whole cell block breaks out laughing.The new guy asks his cellmate what's going on. "Well," says the older prisoner, "we've all been in this here prison for so long, we all know the same jokes. So we just yell out the number instead of saying the whole joke."
So the new guy walks up to the bars and yells, "Number twenty-nine!" This time the whole cell block rocks with the loudest laughter, prisoners rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.
When the guffaws die down, the bewildered new guy turns to the older prisoner and asks, "How come you guys were laughing so hard this time?"
"Oh," says the older man wiping tears from his eyes, "we'd never heard that one before."
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