Bible Readings for October 5, 2017

Today our passages are Jeremiah 4:19–6:14; Colossians 1:21–2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; and Proverbs 24:23-25. 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.

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Jeremiah 4:19-6:14 (Contemporary English Version)

Jeremiah's Vision of the Coming Punishment

 ¹⁹I can't stand the pain!   My heart pounds,
   as I twist and turn in agony.
   I hear the signal trumpet
   and the battle cry of the enemy,
   and I cannot be silent.
    ²⁰I see the enemy defeating us
   time after time,
   leaving everything in ruins.
   Even my own home
   is destroyed in a moment.
    ²¹How long will I see enemy flags
   and hear their trumpets?
    ²²I heard the LORD say,
   "My people ignore me.
   They are foolish children
   who do not understand
   that they will be punished.
   All they know is how to sin."
    ²³After this, I looked around.
   The earth was barren,
   with no form of life.
   The sun, moon, and stars
   had disappeared.
    ²⁴The mountains were shaking;
    ²⁵no people could be seen,
   and all the birds
   had flown away.
    ²⁶Farmland had become a desert,
   and towns were in ruins.
   The LORD's fierce anger
   had done all of this.
   

The Death of Jerusalem

 ^27-28The LORD said:   I have made my decision,
   and I won't change my mind.
   This land will be destroyed,
   although not completely.
   The sky will turn dark,
   and the earth will mourn.
    ²⁹Enemy cavalry and archers
   shout their battle cry.
   People run for their lives
   and try to find safety
   among trees and rocks.
   Every town is empty.
    ³⁰Jerusalem, your land
   has been wiped out.
   But you act like a prostitute
   and try to win back your lovers,
   who now hate you.
   You can put on a red dress,
   gold jewelry, and eye shadow,
   but it's no use--
   your lovers are out to kill you!
    ³¹I heard groaning and crying.
   Was it a woman giving birth
   to her first child?
   No, it was Jerusalem.
   She was gasping for breath
   and begging for help.
   "I'm dying!" she said.
   "They have murdered me."
   
   

Jeremiah 5

Is Anyone Honest and Faithful?

The LORD said to me:

 ¹"Search Jerusalem   for honest people
   who try to be faithful.
   If you can find even one,
   I'll forgive the whole city.
    ²Everyone breaks promises
   made in my name."
    ³I answered, "I know
   that you look for truth.
   You punished your people
   for their lies,
   but in spite of the pain,
   they became more stubborn
   and refused to turn back
   to you."
    ⁴Then I thought to myself,
   "These common people
   act like fools,
   and they have never learned
   what the LORD their God
   demands of them.
    ⁵I'll go and talk to the leaders.
   They know what God demands."
   But even they had decided
   not to obey the LORD.
    ⁶The people have rebelled
   and rejected the LORD
   too many times.
   So enemies will attack
   like lions from the forest
   or wolves from the desert.
   Those enemies will watch
   the towns of Judah,
   and like leopards
   they will tear to pieces
   whoever goes outside.
   
   

Enemies Will Punish Judah

The LORD said:

 ⁷People of Judah,   how can I forgive you?
   I gave you everything,
   but you abandoned me
   and worshiped idols.
   You men go to prostitutes
   and are unfaithful
   to your wives.
    ⁸You are no better than animals,
   and you always want sex
   with someone else's wife.
    ⁹Why shouldn't I punish
   the people of Judah?
    ¹⁰I will tell their enemies,
   "Go through my vineyard.
   Don't destroy the vines,
   but cut off the branches,
   because they are the people
   who don't belong to me."
    ¹¹In every way, Judah and Israel
   have been unfaithful to me.
    ¹²Their prophets lie and say,
   "The LORD won't punish us.
   We will have peace
   and plenty of food."
    ¹³They tell these lies in my name,
   so now they will be killed in war
   or starve to death.
    ¹⁴I am the LORD God All-Powerful.
   Jeremiah, I will tell you
   exactly what to say.
   Your words will be a fire;
   Israel and Judah
   will be the fuel.
    ¹⁵People of Israel,
   I have made my decision.
   An army from a distant country
   will attack you.
   I've chosen an ancient nation,
   and you won't understand
   their language.
    ¹⁶All of them are warriors,
   and their arrows bring death.
    ¹⁷This nation will eat your crops
   and livestock;
   they will leave no fruit
   on your vines or trees.
   And although you feel safe
   behind thick walls,
   your towns will be destroyed
   and your children killed.
   

Israel Refused To Worship the LORD

 ¹⁸The LORD said:   Jeremiah, the enemy army won't kill everyone in Judah. ¹⁹And the people who survive will ask, "Why did the LORD our God do such terrible things to us?" Then tell them:
   I am the LORD,
   but you abandoned me
   and worshiped other gods
   in your own land.
   Now you will be slaves
   in a foreign country.
    ²⁰Tell these things to each other,
   you people of Judah,
   you descendants of Jacob.
    ²¹You fools! Why don't you listen
   when I speak?
   Why can't you understand
    ²²that you should worship me
   with fear and trembling?
   I'm the one who made the shore
   to hold back the ocean.
   Waves may crash on the beach,
   but they can come no farther.
    ²³You stubborn people have rebelled
   and turned your backs on me.
    ²⁴You refuse to say,
   "Let's worship the LORD!
   He's the one who sends rain
   in spring and autumn
   and gives us a good harvest."
    ²⁵That's why I cannot bless you!
    ²⁶A hunter traps birds
   and puts them in a cage,
   but some of you trap humans
   and make them your slaves.
    ²⁷You are evil, and you lie and cheat
   to make yourselves rich.
   You are powerful
    ²⁸and prosperous,
   but you refuse
   to help ^a] the poor get the justice they deserve.
    ²⁹You need to be punished,
   and so I will take revenge.
    ³⁰Look at the terrible things
   going on in this country.
   I am shocked!
    ³¹Prophets give their messages
   in the name of a false god, ^b] my priests don't want
   to serve me, ^c] and you--my own people--
   like it this way!
   But on the day of disaster,
   where will you turn for help?
   
   

Jeremiah 6

A Warning for the People of Jerusalem

The LORD said:

 ¹Run for your lives,   people of Benjamin.
   Get out of Jerusalem.
   Sound a trumpet in Tekoa
   and light a signal fire
   in Beth-Haccherem.
   Soon you will be struck
   by disaster from the north.
    ²Jerusalem is a lovely pasture,
   but shepherds will surround it
   and divide it up,
    ³then let their flocks
   eat all the grass. ^d] 4Kings will tell their troops,
   "If we reach Jerusalem
   in the morning,
   we'll attack at noon.
   But if we arrive later,
    ⁵we'll attack after dark
   and destroy its fortresses."
    ⁶I am the LORD All-Powerful,
   and I will command these armies
   to chop down trees
   and build a ramp up to the walls
   of Jerusalem.
   People of Jerusalem,
   I must punish you
   for your injustice.
    ⁷Evil pours from your city
   like water from a spring.
   Sounds of violent crimes
   echo within your walls;
   victims are everywhere,
   wounded and dying.
    ⁸Listen to me,
   you people of Jerusalem
   and Judah.
   I will abandon you,
   and your land will become
   an empty desert.
    ⁹I will tell your enemies
   to leave your nation bare
   like a vine stripped of grapes.
   I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   have spoken.
   

Jeremiah's Anger

 ¹⁰I have told the people   that you, LORD,
   will punish them,
   but they just laugh
   and refuse to listen.
    ¹¹Your anger against Judah
   flames up inside me,
   and I can't hold it in
   much longer.
   
   Don't hold back my anger!
   Let it sweep away everyone--
   the children at play
   and all adults,
   young and old alike.
   

The LORD's Anger Will Sweep Everyone Away

The LORD answered:

 ¹²I'll punish the people of Judah   and give to others
   their houses and fields,
   as well as their wives.
   I, the LORD, have spoken.
    ¹³Everyone is greedy and dishonest,
   whether poor or rich.
   Even the prophets and priests
   cannot be trusted.
    ¹⁴All they ever offer
   to my deeply wounded people
   are empty hopes for peace.
   

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 5:28 refuse to help: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Jeremiah 5:31 give. . . god: Or "tell lies."
3. Jeremiah 5:31 don't. . . me: Or "don't care what I want."
4. Jeremiah 6:3 Jerusalem. . . grass: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Colossians 1:21-2:7 (Contemporary English Version)

²¹You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things.
   ²²But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.
   ²³But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
   

Paul's Service to the Church

 ²⁴I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue ^a] the suffering of Christ for his body, the church.   ²⁵God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you.
   ²⁶For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people.
   ²⁷God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.
   ²⁸We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature.
   ²⁹That's why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.
   

Colossians 2

 ¹I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have never met me.   ²I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is he the key to God's mystery,
   ³but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in him.
   ⁴I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by fancy talk.
   ⁵Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you. I am glad to know that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.
   

Christ Brings Real Life

 ⁶You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him.   ⁷Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.
   

Footnotes:

1. Colossians 1:24 continue: Or " complete."

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Psalm 77:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 77

(A psalm by Asaph for Jeduthun, the music leader.)

In Times of Trouble God Is with His People

 ¹I pray to you, Lord God,   and I beg you to listen.
    ²In days filled with trouble,
   I search for you.
   And at night I tirelessly
   lift my hands in prayer,
   refusing comfort.
    ³When I think of you,
   I feel restless and weak.
    ⁴Because of you, Lord God,
   I can't sleep.
   I am restless
   and can't even talk.
    ⁵I think of times gone by,
   of those years long ago.
    ⁶Each night my mind
   is flooded with questions: ^a] 7"Have you rejected me forever?
   Won't you be kind again?
    ⁸Is this the end of your love
   and your promises?
    ⁹Have you forgotten
   how to have pity?
   Do you refuse to show mercy
   because of your anger?"
    ¹⁰Then I said, "God Most High,
   what hurts me most
   is that you no longer help us
   with your mighty arm."
    ¹¹Our LORD, I will remember
   the things you have done,
   your miracles of long ago.
    ¹²I will think about each one
   of your mighty deeds.
    ¹³Everything you do is right,
   and no other god
   compares with you.
    ¹⁴You alone work miracles,
   and you have let nations
   see your mighty power.
    ¹⁵With your own arm you rescued
   your people,
   the descendants
   of Jacob and Joseph.
    ¹⁶The ocean looked at you, God,
   and it trembled deep down
   with fear.
    ¹⁷Water flowed from the clouds.
   Thunder was heard above
   as your arrows of lightning
   flashed about.
    ¹⁸Your thunder roared
   like chariot wheels.
   The world was made bright
   by lightning,
   and all the earth trembled.
    ¹⁹You walked through the water
   of the mighty sea,
   but your footprints
   were never seen.
    ²⁰You guided your people
   like a flock of sheep,
   and you chose Moses and Aaron
   to be their leaders.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 77:6 my mind. . . questions: One ancient translation; Hebrew " I remember my music."

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Proverbs 24:23-25 (Contemporary English Version)

More Sayings That Make Good Sense

 ²³Here are some more sayings   that make good sense:
   When you judge,
   you must be fair.
    ²⁴If you let the guilty
   go free,
   people of all nations
   will hate and curse you.
    ²⁵But if you punish the guilty,
   things will go well for you,
   and you will prosper.

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Verse of the Day

“[God's Words Are Powerful]Turn to the LORD! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.” - Isaiah 55:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

French philosopher, art critic, and writer, Denis Diderot wrote, “Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.”

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A Joke for Today

Mrs. Hunter was called to serve for jury duty, but asked to be excused because she didn't believe in capital punishment and didn't want her personal thoughts to prevent the trial from running its proper course.

But the public defender liked her thoughtfulness and quiet calm, and tried to convince her that she was appropriate to serve on the jury.

"Madam," he explained, "this is not a murder trial! It's a simple civil lawsuit. A wife is bringing this case against her husband because he gambled away the $12,000 he had promised to use to remodel the kitchen for her birthday."

"Well, okay," agreed Mrs. Hunter, "I'll serve. I guess I could be wrong about capital punishment after all."