Bible Readings for November 21, 2017

Today our passages are Ezekiel 42:1– 43:27; James 5:1-20; Psalm 119:1-16; and Proverbs 28:6-7.  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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Ezekiel 42-43:27 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 42

The Sacred Rooms for the Priests

 ^1-2After the man and I left the temple and walked back to the outer courtyard, he showed me a set of rooms on the north side of the west building. ^a] This set of rooms was one hundred seventy feet long and eighty-five feet wide. ³On one side of them was the thirty-four feet of open space that ran alongside the temple, ^b] and on the other side was the sidewalk that circled the outer courtyard. ^c] The rooms were arranged in three levels ⁴with doors that opened toward the north, and in front of them was a walkway seventeen feet wide and one hundred seventy feet long. ^d]5The rooms on the top level were narrower than those on the middle level, and the rooms on the middle level were narrower than those on the bottom level. ⁶The rooms on the bottom level supported those on the two upper levels, and so these rooms did not have columns like other buildings in the courtyard. ^7-8To the north was a privacy wall eighty-five feet long, ^e] 9-10and at the east end of this wall was the door leading from the courtyard to these rooms. There was also a set of rooms on the south ^f] side of the west building. ¹¹These rooms were exactly like those on the north side, and they also had a walkway in front of them. ¹²The door to these rooms was at the east end of the wall that stood in front of them. ¹³The man then said to me:   These rooms on the north and south sides of the temple are the sacred rooms where the LORD's priests will eat the most holy offerings. These offerings include the grain sacrifices, the sacrifices for sin, and the sacrifices to make things right. ¹⁴When the priests are ready to leave the temple, they must go through these rooms before they return to the outer courtyard. They must leave their sacred clothes in these rooms and put on regular clothes before going anywhere near other people.
   

The Size of the Temple Area

 ¹⁵After the man had finished measuring the buildings inside the temple area, he took me back through the east gate and measured the wall around this area. ¹⁶He used his measuring stick to measure the east side of this wall; it was eight hundred forty feet long. ^17-19Then he measured the north side, the south side, and the west side of the wall, and they were each eight hundred forty feet long, ²⁰and so the temple area was a perfect square. The wall around this area separated what was sacred from what was ordinary.   

Ezekiel 43

The LORD's Glory Returns to the Temple

 ¹The man took me back to the east gate of the temple, ²where I saw the brightness of the glory of Israel's God coming from the east. The sound I heard was as loud as ocean waves, and everything around was shining with the dazzling brightness of his glory. ³This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I had seen near the Chebar River.   I immediately bowed with my face to the ground, ⁴and the LORD's glory came through the east gate and into the temple. ^g] 5The LORD's Spirit lifted me to my feet and carried me to the inner courtyard, where I saw that the LORD's glory had filled the temple. ⁶The man was standing beside me, and I heard the LORD ^h] say from inside the temple: ⁷Ezekiel, son of man, this temple is my throne on earth. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will never again disgrace me by worshiping idols at local shrines or by setting up memorials to their dead kings. ^i]8Israel's kings built their palaces so close to my holy temple that only a wall separated them from me. Then these kings disgraced me with their evil ways, and in my fierce anger I destroyed them. ⁹But if the people and their kings stop worshiping other gods and tear down those memorials, I will live among them forever. ¹⁰The people of Israel must suffer shame for sinning against me, so tell them about my holy temple. Let them think about it, ¹¹then if they are truly sorry, describe for them the design and shape of the temple, the gates, the measurements, and how the buildings are arranged. Explain the regulations about worshiping there, then write down these things, so they can study and obey them.
    ¹²The temple area on my holy mountain must be kept sacred! This is the most important law about the temple.
   

The Altar

 ¹³According to the official standards, the altar in the temple had the following measurements: Around the bottom of the altar was a gutter twenty inches wide and twenty inches deep, with a ten inch ledge on the outer rim. ^14-17The altar rested on a base and had three sections, each one of them square. The bottom section was twenty-seven feet on each side and three feet high. The middle section was twenty-four feet on each side and seven feet high, and it had a ten inch rim around its outer edge. The top section, which was twenty feet on each side and seven feet high, was the place where sacrifices were burned, and the four corners of the top section looked like the horns of a bull. The steps leading up to the altar were on the east side.   

The Dedication of the Altar

 ¹⁸The LORD God said:   Ezekiel, son of man, after the altar is built, it must be dedicated by offering sacrifices on it and by splattering it with blood. Here is what you must do: ¹⁹The priests of the Levi tribe from the family of Zadok the priest are the only ones who may serve in my temple--this is my law. So give them a young bull to slaughter as a sacrifice for sin. ²⁰Take some of the animal's blood and smear it on the four corners of the altar, some on the corners of the middle section, and some more on the rim around its edge. That will purify the altar and make it fit for offering sacrifices to me. ²¹Then take the body of the bull outside the temple area and burn it at the special place.
    ²²The next day, a goat ^j] that has nothing wrong with it must be offered as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood, just as you did with the blood of the bull. ²³Then choose a young bull and a young ram that have nothing wrong with them, ²⁴and bring them to my temple. The priests will sprinkle salt on them ^k] and offer them as sacrifices to please me. ^l] 25Each day for the next seven days, you must offer a goat and a bull and a ram as sacrifices for sin. These animals must have nothing wrong with them. ²⁶The priests will purify the altar during those days, so that it will be acceptable to me and ready to use. ²⁷From then on, the priests will use this altar to offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices to ask my blessing. ^m] Then I will be pleased with the people of Israel. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 42:1 he showed me. . . the west building: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Ezekiel 42:3 the thirty-four feet of open space. . . the temple: See 41.10.
3. Ezekiel 42:3 the sidewalk that circled the outer courtyard: See 40.17.
4. Ezekiel 42:4 one hundred seventy feet long: Two ancient translations; Hebrew "twenty inches long."
5. Ezekiel 42:7 long: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 5-8.
6. Ezekiel 42:9 south: One ancient translation; Hebrew "east."
7. Ezekiel 43:4 the LORD's glory. . . temple: This was the same gate the LORD's glory went through when it left Jerusalem (see 10.19 and 11.22,23).
8. Ezekiel 43:6 the LORD: Hebrew "a voice."
9. Ezekiel 43:7 by setting up memorials to their dead kings: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Ezekiel 43:22 goat: Hebrew "male goat."
11. Ezekiel 43:24 The priests will sprinkle salt on them: See Leviticus 2.13.
12. Ezekiel 43:24 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 40.38,39.
13. Ezekiel 43:27 sacrifices to ask my blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "peace offerings" or "offerings of well-being." A main purpose was to ask for the LORD's blessing, and so in the CEV they are sometimes called "sacrifices to ask the LORD's blessing."

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 James 5:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

James 5

Warning to the Rich

 ¹You rich people should cry and weep! Terrible things are going to happen to you. ²Your treasures have already rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³Your money has rusted, and the rust will be evidence against you, as it burns your body like fire. Yet you keep on storing up wealth in these last days. ⁴You refused to pay the people who worked in your fields, and now their unpaid wages are shouting out against you. The Lord All-Powerful has surely heard the cries of the workers who harvested your crops.    ⁵While here on earth, you have thought only of filling your own stomachs and having a good time. But now you are like fat cattle on their way to be butchered. ⁶You have condemned and murdered innocent people, who couldn't even fight back.
   

Be Patient and Kind

 ⁷My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the spring and summer rains to make their valuable crops grow. ⁸Be patient like those farmers and don't give up. The Lord will soon be here! ⁹Don't grumble about each other or you will be judged, and the judge is right outside the door.    ¹⁰My friends, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They were patient, even when they had to suffer. ¹¹In fact, we praise the ones who endured the most. You remember how patient Job was and how the Lord finally helped him. The Lord did this because he is so merciful and kind.
    ¹²My friends, above all else, don't take an oath. You must not swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. "Yes" or "No" is all you need to say. If you say anything more, you will be condemned.
    ¹³If you are having trouble, you should pray. And if you are feeling good, you should sing praises. ¹⁴If you are sick, ask the church leaders ^a] to come and pray for you. Ask them to put olive oil ^b] on you in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵If you have faith when you pray for sick people, they will get well. The Lord will heal them, and if they have sinned, he will forgive them. ¹⁶If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot. ¹⁷Elijah was just as human as we are, and for three and a half years his prayers kept the rain from falling. ¹⁸But when he did pray for rain, it fell from the skies and made the crops grow.
    ¹⁹My friends, if any followers have wandered away from the truth, you should try to lead them back. ²⁰If you turn sinners from the wrong way, you will save them from death, and many of their sins will be forgiven.
   

Footnotes:

1. James 5:14 church leaders: Or "elders" or "presbyters" or "priests."
2. James 5:14 olive oil: The Jewish people used olive oil for healing.

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Psalm 119:1-16 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 119

In Praise of the Law of the LORD

 ¹Our LORD, you bless everyone   who lives right
   and obeys your Law.
    ²You bless all of those
   who follow your commands
   from deep in their hearts
    ³and who never do wrong
   or turn from you.
    ⁴You have ordered us always
   to obey your teachings;
    ⁵I don't ever want to stray
   from your laws.
    ⁶Thinking about your commands
   will keep me from doing
   some foolish thing.
    ⁷I will do right and praise you
   by learning to respect
   your perfect laws.
    ⁸I will obey all of them!
   Don't turn your back on me.
    ⁹Young people can live
   a clean life
   by obeying your word.
    ¹⁰I worship you
   with all my heart.
   Don't let me walk away
   from your commands.
    ¹¹I treasure your word
   above all else;
   it keeps me from sinning
   against you.
    ¹²I praise you, LORD!
   Teach me your laws.
    ¹³With my own mouth,
   I tell others the laws
   that you have spoken.
    ¹⁴Obeying your instructions
   brings as much happiness
   as being rich.
    ¹⁵I will study your teachings
   and follow your footsteps.
    ¹⁶I will take pleasure
   in your laws
   and remember your words.

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Proverbs 28:6-7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶It's better to be poor
   and live right,
   than to be rich
   and dishonest.
    ⁷It makes good sense
   to obey the Law of God,
   but you disgrace your parents
   if you make friends
   with worthless nobodies.

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Verse of the Day

“I never stop thanking my God for being kind enough to give you Christ Jesus, who helps you speak and understand so well.” - 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Polish-born Jewish writer in Yiddish, Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote, “When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself.”

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A Joke for Today

When Bill Gates died, he went up to Heaven, where Saint Peter showed him to his house; a beautiful 20 room house, with grounds and a tennis court. Bill Gates was pleased, and spent many months enjoying the amenities of Heaven.

One day, he was enjoying one of Heaven's many fine parks, when he ran into a man dressed in a fine tailored suit.

"That is a nice suit, my friend," said Gates. "Where did you get it?"

"Actually," the man replied, "I was given a hundred of these when I got here. I've been treated really well. I got a mansion on a hill overlooking a beautiful hill, with a huge five-hundred acre estate, a golf course, and three Rolls Royces."

"Were you a Pope, or a doctor healing the sick?" asked Gates.

"No," said his new friend, "Actually, I was the captain of the Titanic."

Hearing this made Gates so angry that he immediately stalked off to find St. Peter.

Cornering Peter, he told him about the man he had just met, saying, "How could you give me a paltry new house, while you're showering new cars, a mansion, and fine suits on the Captain of the Titanic? I invented the Windows operating system! Why does he deserve better??!!!!"

"Yes, but we use Windows," replied Peter, "and the Titanic only crashed once."