Bible Readings for October 14, 2019

Today our passages are Jeremiah 23:21–25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; and Proverbs 25:15. 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 Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Jeremiah 23:21-25:38 (Contemporary English Version)

²¹I did not send these prophets
   or speak to them,
   but they ran to find you
   and to preach their message.
    ²²If they had been in a meeting
   of my council in heaven,
   they would have told
   you people of Judah
   to give up your sins
   and come back to me.
    ²³I am everywhere--
   both near and far,
    ²⁴in heaven and on earth.
   There are no secret places
   where you can hide from me.
    ²⁵These unfaithful prophets claim that I have given them a dream or a vision, and then they tell lies in my name. ²⁶But everything they say comes from their own twisted minds. How long can this go on? ²⁷They tell each other their dreams and try to get my people to reject me, just as their ancestors left me and worshiped Baal. ²⁸Their dreams and my truth are as different as straw and wheat. But when prophets speak for me, they must say only what I have told them. ²⁹My words are a powerful fire; they are a hammer that shatters rocks.
    ^30-32These unfaithful prophets claim I give them their dreams, but it isn't true. I didn't choose them to be my prophets, and yet they babble on and on, speaking in my name, while stealing words from each other. And when my people hear these liars, they are led astray instead of being helped. So I warn you that I am now the enemy of these prophets. I, the LORD, have spoken.   

News and Nuisance

The LORD said to me:

 ³³Jeremiah, when a prophet or a priest or anyone else comes to you and asks, "Does the LORD have news for us?" tell them, "You people are a nuisance ^[a] to the LORD, and he ^[b] will get rid of you." ³⁴If any of you say, "Here is news from the LORD," I will punish you and your families, even if you are a prophet or a priest. ³⁵Instead, you must ask your friends and relatives, "What answer did the LORD give?" or "What has the LORD said?" ³⁶It seems that you each have your own news! So if you say, "Here is news from the LORD," you are twisting my words into a lie. Remember that I am your God, the LORD All-Powerful.     ³⁷If you go to a prophet, it's all right to ask, "What answer did the LORD give to my question?" or "What has the LORD said?" ³⁸But if you disobey me and say, "Here is news from the LORD," ³⁹I will pick you up ^[c] and throw you far away. And I will abandon this city of Jerusalem that I gave to your ancestors. ⁴⁰You will never be free from your shame and disgrace.

Jeremiah 24

Jeremiah Has a Vision of Two Baskets of Figs

 ¹The LORD spoke to me in a vision after King Nebuchadnezzar ^[d] of Babylonia had come to Judah and taken King Jehoiachin, ^[e] his officials, and all the skilled workers back to Babylonia. In this vision I saw two baskets of figs in front of the LORD's temple. ²One basket was full of very good figs that ripened early, and the other was full of rotten figs that were not fit to eat. ³"Jeremiah," the LORD asked, "what do you see?"    "Figs," I said. "Some are very good, but the others are too rotten to eat."
    ⁴Then the LORD told me to say:
    ⁵People of Judah, the good figs stand for those of you I sent away as exiles to Babylonia, ⁶where I am watching over them. Then someday I will bring them back to this land. I will plant them, instead of uprooting them, and I will build them up, rather than tearing them down. ⁷I will give them a desire to know me and to be my people. They will want me to be their God, and they will turn back to me with all their heart.
    ⁸The rotten figs stand for King Zedekiah ^[f] of Judah, his officials, and all the others who were not taken away to Babylonia, whether they stayed here in Judah or went to live in Egypt. ⁹I will punish them with a terrible disaster, and everyone on earth will tremble when they hear about it. I will force the people of Judah to go to foreign countries, where they will be cursed and insulted. ¹⁰War and hunger and disease will strike them, until they finally disappear from the land that I gave them and their ancestors.

Jeremiah 25

Seventy Years of Exile

 ^1-2In the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, ^[g] which was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar ^[h] was king of Babylonia, the LORD told me to speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. So I told them: ³For twenty-three years now, ever since the thirteenth year that Josiah ^[i] was king, I have been telling you what the LORD has told me. But you have not listened. ⁴The LORD has sent prophets to you time after time, but you refused to listen. ⁵They told you that the LORD had said:    Change your ways! If you stop doing evil, I will let you stay forever in this land that I gave your ancestors. ⁶I don't want to harm you. So don't make me angry by worshiping idols and other gods.
    ⁷But you refused to listen to my prophets. So I, the LORD, say that you have made me angry by worshiping idols, and you are the ones who were hurt by what you did. ⁸You refused to listen to me, ⁹and now I will let you be attacked by nations from the north, and especially by my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. You and other nearby nations will be destroyed and left in ruins forever. Everyone who sees what has happened will be shocked, but they will still make fun of you. ¹⁰I will put an end to your parties and wedding celebrations; no one will grind grain or be here to light the lamps at night. ¹¹This country will be as empty as a desert, because I will make all of you the slaves of the king of Babylonia for seventy years.
    ¹²When that time is up, I will punish the king of Babylonia and his people for everything they have done wrong, and I will turn that country into a wasteland forever. ¹³My servant Jeremiah has told you what I said I will do to Babylonia and to the other nations, and he wrote it all down in this book. I will do everything I threatened. ¹⁴I will pay back the Babylonians for every wrong they have done. Great kings from many other nations will conquer the Babylonians and force them to be slaves.   

The Cup Full of God's Anger

 ¹⁵The LORD God of Israel showed me a vision in which he said, "Jeremiah, here is a cup filled with the wine of my anger. Take it and make every nation drink some. ¹⁶They will vomit and act crazy, because of the war this cup of anger will bring to them."     ¹⁷I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and I went to the kings of the nations and made each of them drink some. ¹⁸I started with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and the king and his officials were removed from power in disgrace. Everyone still makes insulting jokes about them and uses their names as curse words. ¹⁹The second place I went was Egypt, where everyone had to drink from the cup, including the king and his officials, the other government workers, the rest of the Egyptians, ²⁰and all the foreigners who lived in the country.
   Next I went to the king of Uz, and then to the four kings of Philistia, who ruled from Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what was left of Ashdod. ^[j] ²¹Then I went to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, ²²and to the kings of Tyre, Sidon, and their colonies across the sea. ^23-24After this, I went to the kings of Dedan, Tema, Buz, the tribes of the Arabian Desert, ^[k] ²⁵Zimri, Elam, Media, ²⁶and the countries in the north, both near and far. I went to all the countries on earth, one after another, and finally to Babylonia. ^[l] ²⁷The LORD had said to tell each king, "The LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, commands you to drink from this cup that is full of the wine of his anger. It will make you so drunk that you will vomit. And when the LORD sends war against the nations, you will be completely defeated."
    ²⁸The LORD told me that if any of them refused to drink from the cup, I must tell them that he had said, "I, the LORD All-Powerful, command you to drink. ²⁹Starting with my own city of Jerusalem, everyone on earth will suffer from war. So there is no way I will let you escape unharmed."
    ³⁰The LORD told me to say:
   From my sacred temple
   I will roar like thunder,
   while I trample my people
   and everyone else
   as though they were grapes.
    ³¹My voice will be heard
   everywhere on earth,
   accusing nations of their crimes
   and sentencing the guilty
   to death.   

Disaster Is Coming

 ³²The LORD All-Powerful says:    You can see disaster spreading
   from far across the earth,
   from nation to nation
   like a horrible storm.
    ³³When it strikes, I will kill so many people that their bodies will cover the ground like manure. No one will be left to bury them or to mourn.   

The Leaders of Judah Will Be Punished

 ³⁴The LORD's people are his flock,    and you leaders
   were the shepherds.
   But now it's your turn
   to be butchered like sheep.
   You'll shatter like fine pottery
   dropped on the floor. ^[m] So roll on the ground,
   crying and mourning.
    ³⁵You have nowhere to run,
   nowhere to hide.
    ³⁶Listen to the cries
   of the shepherds,
    ³⁷as the LORD's burning anger
   turns ^[n] peaceful meadows into barren deserts.
    ³⁸The LORD has abandoned
   his people ^[o] like a lion leaving its den.
   

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 23:33 news. . . nuisance: The Hebrew word for "news" in verses 33-38 is the same as "nuisance" and is related to "pick up" in verse 39.
2. Jeremiah 23:33 You people are a nuisance to the LORD, and he: Two ancient translations; Hebrew "Does the LORD have news for us? He."
3. Jeremiah 23:39 pick you up: A few Hebrew manuscripts and three ancient translations; most Hebrew manuscripts "forget you completely."
4. Jeremiah 24:1 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
5. Jeremiah 24:1 Jehoiachin: The Hebrew text has "Jeconiah," another form of Jehoiachin's name; he ruled for three months in 598 B.C.
6. Jeremiah 24:8 Zedekiah: Ruled 598-586 B.C.
7. Jeremiah 25:1 Jehoiakim. . . Judah: See the note at 1.3.
8. Jeremiah 25:1 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
9. Jeremiah 25:3 Josiah: Hebrew "Josiah son of Amon"; Josiah ruled 640-609 B.C.
10. Jeremiah 25:20 what was left of Ashdod: It was defeated by the king of Egypt after being surrounded for twenty-nine years.
11. Jeremiah 25:23 the tribes of the Arabian Desert: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Jeremiah 25:26 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "Sheshach," a secret way of writing "Babylonia."
13. Jeremiah 25:34 You'll shatter. . . floor: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
14. Jeremiah 25:37 anger turns: Or "anger and enemy armies turn."
15. Jeremiah 25:38 The LORD has. . . people: Or "And his people leave their homes."

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Thessalonians 2

The Lord's Return

 ¹When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet him. So I ask you, my friends, ²not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim that the Lord ^[a] has already come. They may say that they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters. ³But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked ^[b] one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. ⁴He will brag and oppose everything that is holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God. ⁵Don't you remember that I told you this while I was still with you? ⁶You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come. ⁷His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until that someone is out of the way. ⁸Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.     ⁹When the wicked one appears, Satan will pretend to work all kinds of miracles, wonders, and signs. ¹⁰Lost people will be fooled by his evil deeds. They could be saved, but they will refuse to love the truth and accept it. ¹¹So God will make sure that they are fooled into believing a lie. ¹²All of them will be punished, because they would rather do evil than believe the truth.   

Be Faithful

 ¹³My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. God chose you to be the first ones to be saved. ^[c] His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth. ¹⁴God used our preaching as his way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵My friends, that's why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters. ¹⁶God our Father loves us. He is kind and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father ¹⁷will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.

    

Footnotes:

1. 2 Thessalonians 2:2 Lord: The Greek text has "day of the Lord."
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 wicked: Some manuscripts have "sinful."
3. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 God chose you to be the first ones to be saved: Some manuscripts have "From the beginning God chose you to be saved."

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Psalm 84:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 84

(For the music leader. (Psalm 84 leader: See the note at Psalm 8.) A psalm for the people of Korah.)

The Joy of Worship

 ¹LORD God All-Powerful,    your temple is so lovely!
    ²Deep in my heart I long
   for your temple,
   and with all that I am
   I sing joyful songs to you.
    ³LORD God All-Powerful,
   my King and my God,
   sparrows find a home
   near your altars;
   swallows build nests there
   to raise their young.
    ⁴You bless everyone
   who lives in your house,
   and they sing your praises.
    ⁵You bless all who depend
   on you for their strength
   and all who deeply desire
   to visit your temple.
    ⁶When they reach Dry Valley, ^[a] springs start flowing,
   and the autumn rain fills it
   with pools of water. ^[b] ⁷Your people grow stronger,
   and you, the God of gods,
   will be seen in Zion.
    ⁸LORD God All-Powerful,
   the God of Jacob,
   please answer my prayer!
    ⁹You are the shield
   that protects your people,
   and I am your chosen one.
   Won't you smile on me?
    ¹⁰One day in your temple
   is better
   than a thousand
   anywhere else.
   I would rather serve
   in your house,
   than live in the homes
   of the wicked.
    ¹¹Our LORD and our God,
   you are like the sun
   and also like a shield.
   You treat us with kindness
   and with honor,
   never denying any good thing
   to those who live right.
    ¹²LORD God All-Powerful,
   you bless everyone
   who trusts you.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 84:6 Dry Valley: Or " Balsam Tree Valley." The exact location is not known.
2. Psalm 84:6 and. . . water: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 25:15 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁵Patience and gentle talk
   can convince a ruler
   and overcome any problem.

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Verse of the Day

“Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” - Romans 12:2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Prominent  New Zealand modernist short story writer and poet who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand, Katherine Mansfield wrote, “If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools.”

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A Joke for Today

Three travelers, an American, a Russian, and an Egyptian, were circumnavigating the globe a la Jules Verne. The Russian man put his hand out and reached down into the clouds.

“Aaah!” he said. “We're right over my homeland.”

“How can you tell?” asked the American.

“I can feel the cold air.” he replied.

A few days later the African man put his hand through the clouds.

“Aah we're right over my homeland.” he said.

“How do you know that?” asked the Russian.

“I can feel the heat of the desert.”

Several more days later the American put his hand through the clouds.

“Aah, we're right over New York.” The Russian and the African were amazed.

“How do you know all of that?!” they exclaimed.

The American pulled his hand in and held it up for them to see. “My watch is missing.”