Bible Readings for October 21, 2019

Today our passages are Jeremiah 37:1–38:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; and Proverbs 25:28. 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 37-38:28 (Contemporary English Version)

Jeremiah 37

King Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah To Pray

 ¹King Nebuchadnezzar ^a] of Babylonia had removed Jehoiachin ^b] son of Jehoiakim ^c] from being the king of Judah and had made Josiah's ^d] son Zedekiah ^e] king instead. ^f] 2But Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in Judah ignored everything the LORD had told me. ^3-5Later, the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem, but they left after learning that the Egyptian army ^g] was headed in this direction. One day, Zedekiah sent Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah ^h] to talk with me. At that time, I was free to go wherever I wanted, because I had not yet been put in prison. Jehucal and Zephaniah said, "Jeremiah, please pray to the LORD our God for us." ^6-7Then the LORD told me to send them back to Zedekiah with this message:   Zedekiah, you wanted Jeremiah to ask me, the L(ORD )God of Israel, what is going to happen. So I will tell you. The king of Egypt and his army came to your rescue, but soon they will go back to Egypt. ⁸Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem, and this time they will capture the city and set it on fire. ⁹Don't fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will leave as they did before. ¹⁰Even if you could defeat their entire army, their wounded survivors would still be able to leave their tents and set Jerusalem on fire.   

Jeremiah Is Put in Prison

 ¹¹The Babylonian army had left because the Egyptian army was on its way to help us. ¹²So I decided to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of the Benjamin tribe to claim my share of my family's land. ¹³I was leaving Jerusalem through Benjamin Gate, when I was stopped by Irijah, ^i] the officer in charge of the soldiers at the gate. He said, "Jeremiah, you're under arrest for trying to join the Babylonians." ¹⁴"I'm not trying to join them!" I answered. But Irijah wouldn't listen, and he took me to the king's officials. ^15-16They were angry and ordered the soldiers to beat me. Then I was taken to the house that belonged to Jonathan, one of the king's officials. It had been turned into a prison, and I was kept in a basement room.   After I had spent a long time there, ¹⁷King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, "Is there any message for us from the LORD?"
   "Yes, there is, Your Majesty," I replied. "The LORD is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you."
    ¹⁸Then I continued, "Your Majesty, why have you put me in prison? Have I committed a crime against you or your officials or the nation? ¹⁹Have you locked up the prophets who lied to you and said that the king of Babylonia would never attack Jerusalem? ²⁰Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die."
    ²¹King Zedekiah had me taken to the prison cells in the courtyard of the palace guards. He told the soldiers to give me a loaf of bread ^j] from one of the bakeries every day until the city ran out of grain.

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah Is Held Prisoner in a Dry Well

 ¹One day, Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal, ^k] and Pashhur ^l] heard me tell the people of Judah ^2-3that the LORD had said, "If you stay here in Jerusalem, you will die in battle or from disease or hunger, and the Babylonian army will capture the city anyway. But if you surrender to the Babylonians, they will let you live." ⁴So the four of them went to the king and said, "You should put Jeremiah to death, because he is making the soldiers and everyone else lose hope. He isn't trying to help our people; he's trying to harm them."    ⁵Zedekiah replied, "Do what you want with him. I can't stop you."
    ⁶Then they took me back to the courtyard of the palace guards and let me down with ropes into the well that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son. There was no water in the well, and I sank down in the mud.
    ^7-8Ebedmelech from Ethiopia ^m] was an official at the palace, and he heard what they had done to me. So he went to speak with King Zedekiah, who was holding court at Benjamin Gate. ⁹Ebedmelech said, "Your Majesty, Jeremiah is a prophet, and those men were wrong to throw him into a well. And when Jerusalem runs out of food, Jeremiah will starve to death down there." ¹⁰Zedekiah answered, "Take thirty ^n] of my soldiers and pull Jeremiah out before he dies." ¹¹Ebedmelech and the soldiers went to the palace and got some rags from the room under the treasury. He used ropes to lower them into the well. ¹²Then he said, "Put these rags under your arms so the ropes won't hurt you." After I did, ¹³the men pulled me out. And from then on, I was kept in the courtyard of the palace guards.   

King Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah

 ¹⁴King Zedekiah ^o] had me brought to his private entrance ^p] to the temple, and he said, "I'm going to ask you something, and I want to know the truth." ¹⁵"Why?" I replied. "You won't listen, and you might even have me killed!"    ¹⁶He said, "I swear in the name of the living LORD our Creator that I won't have you killed. No one else can hear what we say, and I won't let anyone kill you."
    ¹⁷Then I told him that the LORD had said: "Zedekiah, I am the LORD God All-Powerful, the God of Israel. I promise that if you surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar's ^q] officers, you and your family won't be killed, and Jerusalem won't be burned down. ¹⁸But if you don't surrender, I will let the Babylonian army capture Jerusalem and burn it down, and you will be taken prisoner." ¹⁹Zedekiah answered, "I can't surrender to the Babylonians. I'm too afraid of the Jews that have already joined them. The Babylonians might hand me over to those Jews, and they would torture me."
    ²⁰I said, "If you will just obey the LORD, the Babylonians won't hand you over to those Jews. You will be allowed to live, and all will go well for you. ²¹But the LORD has shown me that if you refuse to obey, ²²then the women of your palace will be taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar's officials. And those women will say to you:
   Friends you trusted led you astray.
   Now you're trapped in mud,
   and those friends you trusted
   have all turned away.
    ²³The Babylonian army will take your wives and children captive, you will be taken as a prisoner to the King of Babylonia, and Jerusalem will be burned down." ^r] 24Zedekiah said, "Jeremiah, if you tell anyone what we have talked about, you might lose your life. ²⁵And I'm sure that if my officials hear about our meeting, they will ask you what we said to each other. They might even threaten to kill you if you don't tell them. ²⁶So if they question you, tell them you were begging me not to send you back to the prison at Jonathan's house, because going back there would kill you."
    ²⁷The officials did come and question me about my meeting with the king, and I told them exactly what he had ordered me to say. They never spoke to me about the meeting again, since no one had heard us talking.
    ²⁸I was held in the courtyard of the palace guards until the day Jerusalem was captured. 

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 37:1 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
2. Jeremiah 37:1 Jehoiachin: Hebrew "Coniah" (see the note at 22.24).
3. Jeremiah 37:1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
4. Jeremiah 37:1 Josiah's: Josiah was the father of both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Josiah ruled 640-609 B.C.
5. Jeremiah 37:1 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
6. Jeremiah 37:1 King Nebuchadnezzar. . . instead: See 2 Kings 24.10-17.
7. Jeremiah 37:3 Egyptian army: Led by King Apries, also known as Hophra.
8. Jeremiah 37:3 Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah: Hebrew "Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah."
9. Jeremiah 37:13 Irijah: Hebrew "Irijah son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah."
10. Jeremiah 37:21 a loaf of bread: Bread was the main food of the Israelites. During this time of emergency in Jerusalem, everyone probably received the same amount each day.
11. Jeremiah 38:1 Jehucal: The Hebrew text has "Jucal," another form of the name.
12. Jeremiah 38:1 Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal, and Pashhur: Hebrew "Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah."
13. Jeremiah 38:7 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has "Cush," a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
14. Jeremiah 38:10 thirty: Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript "three."
15. Jeremiah 38:14 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
16. Jeremiah 38:14 his private entrance: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
17. Jeremiah 38:17 Nebuchadnezzar's: See the note at 21.2.
18. Jeremiah 38:23 Jerusalem will be burned down: A few Hebrew manuscripts and three ancient translations; most Hebrew manuscripts "you will burn Jerusalem down"; one ancient translation "he will burn Jerusalem down."

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1 Timothy 6:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Timothy 6

 ¹If you are a slave, you should respect and honor your owner. This will keep people from saying bad things about God and about our teaching. ²If any of you slaves have owners who are followers, you should show them respect. After all, they are also followers of Christ, and he loves them. So you should serve and help them the best you can.   These are the things you must teach and tell the people to do.

False Teaching and True Wealth

 ³Anyone who teaches something different disagrees with the correct and godly teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴Those people who disagree are proud of themselves, but they don't really know a thing. Their minds are sick, and they like to argue over words. They cause jealousy, disagreements, unkind words, evil suspicions, ⁵and nasty quarrels. They have wicked minds and have missed out on the truth.   These people think religion is supposed to make you rich. ⁶And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have. ⁷We didn't bring anything into this world, and we won't ^a] take anything with us when we leave. ⁸So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes. ⁹People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. ¹⁰The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

Fighting a Good Fight for the Faith

 ¹¹Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle. ¹²Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened. ¹³Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith.¹⁴Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.    ¹⁵The glorious God
   is the only Ruler,
   the King of kings
   and Lord of lords.
   At the time that God
   has already decided,
   he will send Jesus Christ
   back again.
    ¹⁶Only God lives forever!
   And he lives in light
   that no one can come near.
   No human has ever seen God
   or ever can see him.
   God will be honored,
   and his power
   will last forever. Amen.
    ¹⁷Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life. ¹⁸Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have. ¹⁹This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so that they will know what true life is like.
    ²⁰Timothy, guard what God has placed in your care! Don't pay any attention to that godless and stupid talk that sounds smart but really isn't. ²¹Some people have even lost their faith by believing this talk.
   I pray that the Lord will be kind to all of you! 

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 6:7 we won't: Some manuscripts have "we surely won't."

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Psalm 89:38-52 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁸You are now angry, God,
   and you have turned your back
   on your chosen king.
    ³⁹You broke off your agreement
   with your servant, the king,
   and you completely destroyed
   his kingdom.
    ⁴⁰The walls of his city
   have been broken through,
   and every fortress
   now lies in ruin.
    ⁴¹All who pass by
   take what they want,
   and nations everywhere
   joke about the king.
    ⁴²You made his enemies powerful
   and let them celebrate.
    ⁴³But you forced him to retreat
   because you did not fight
   on his side.
    ⁴⁴You took his crown ^a] and threw his throne
   in the dirt.
    ⁴⁵You made an old man of him
   and put him to shame.
    ⁴⁶How much longer, LORD?
   Will you hide forever?
   How long will your anger
   keep burning like fire?
    ⁴⁷Remember, life is short! ^b] Why did you empty our lives
   of all meaning?
    ⁴⁸No one can escape the power
   of death and the grave.
    ⁴⁹Our Lord, where is the love
   you have always shown
   and that you promised
   so faithfully to David?
    ⁵⁰Remember your servant, Lord!
   People make jokes about me,
   and I suffer many insults.
    ⁵¹I am your chosen one,
   but your enemies chase
   and make fun of me.
    ⁵²Our LORD, we praise you
   forever. Amen and amen.
  

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:44 You took. . . crown: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Psalm 89:47 Remember. . . short: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 25:28 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁸Losing self-control
   leaves you as helpless
   as a city without a wall.

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Verse of the Day

“I enjoy pleasing you. Your Law is in my heart.” - Psalm 40:8

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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 Thought for the Day

American stand-up comic, actor, and podcast host, Hari Kondabolu wrote, “The words we use have weight. Whether it's in a conversation with a friend or something said publicly on stage or broadcast. And as performers, we know that because that's why we choose the words we use - that's the whole point of comedy.”

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A Joke for Today

A ten-year-old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming knowledgeable about the Bible. 

But one day, she surprised her grandmother by asking, "Which virgin was the mother of Jesus? The Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

Bible Readings for October 20, 2019

Today our passages are Jeremiah 35:1–36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Psalm 89:14-37; and Proverbs 25:25-27. 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 Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Jeremiah 35-36:32 (Contemporary English Version)

Jeremiah 35

Learn a Lesson from the Rechabites

 ¹When Jehoiakim ^a] was king of Judah, the LORD told me, ²"Go to the Rechabite clan and invite them to meet you in one of the side rooms ^b] of the temple. When they arrive, offer them a drink of wine." ³So I went to Jaazaniah, ^c] the leader of the clan, and I invited him and all the men of his clan. ⁴I brought them into the temple courtyard and took them upstairs to a room belonging to the prophets who were followers of Hanan son of Igdaliah. It was next to a room belonging to some of the officials, and that room was over the one belonging to Maaseiah, a priest who was one of the high officials in the temple. ^d] 5I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups, and then I said to the Rechabites, "Have some wine!"    ⁶But they answered:
   No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab, ^e] made a rule that we must obey. He said, "Don't ever drink wine ⁷or build houses or plant crops and vineyards. Instead, you must always live in tents and move from place to place. If you obey this command, you will live a long time." ^8-10Our clan has always obeyed Jonadab's command. To this very day, we and our wives and sons and daughters don't drink wine or build houses or plant vineyards or crops. And we have lived in tents, ¹¹except now we have to live inside Jerusalem because Nebuchadnezzar ^f] has taken over the countryside with his army from Babylonia and Syria. ^12-13Then the LORD told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
   I, the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, want you to learn a lesson ¹⁴from the Rechabite clan. Their ancestor Jonadab told his descendants never to drink wine, and to this very day they have obeyed him. But I have spoken to you over and over, and you haven't obeyed me! ¹⁵You refused to listen to my prophets, who kept telling you, "Stop doing evil and worshiping other gods! Start obeying the LORD, and he will let you live in this land he gave your ancestors."
    ¹⁶The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, ¹⁷your God. I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I warned you about the terrible things that would happen to you if you did not listen to me. You have ignored me, so now disaster will strike you. I, the LORD, have spoken.   

The LORD Makes a Promise to the Rechabites

 ¹⁸Then the LORD told me to say to the Rechabite clan:   I am the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, ¹⁹so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.
   

Jeremiah 36

King Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's First Scroll

 ¹During the fourth year that Jehoiakim ^g] son of Josiah ^h] was king of Judah, the LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, ²since the time Josiah was king, I have been speaking to you about Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Now, get a scroll ^i] and write down everything I have told you, ³then read it to the people of Judah. Maybe they will stop sinning when they hear what terrible things I plan for them. And if they turn to me, I will forgive them." ⁴I sent for Baruch son of Neriah and asked him to help me. I repeated everything the LORD had told me, and Baruch wrote it all down on a scroll. ⁵Then I said,   Baruch, the officials refuse to let me go into the LORD's temple, ⁶so you must go instead. Wait for the next holy day when the people of Judah come to the temple to pray and to go without eating.^j] Then take this scroll to the temple and read it aloud. ⁷The LORD is furious, and if the people hear how he is going to punish them, maybe they will ask to be forgiven. ^8-10In the ninth month ^k]of the fifth year that Jehoiakim was king, the leaders set a day when everyone who lived in Jerusalem or who was visiting here had to pray and go without eating. So Baruch took the scroll to the upper courtyard of the temple. He went over to the side of the courtyard and stood in a covered area near New Gate, where he read the scroll aloud. This covered area belonged to Gemariah, ^l]one of the king's highest officials. ¹¹Gemariah's son Micaiah was there and heard Baruch read what the LORD had said. ¹²When Baruch finished reading, Micaiah went down to the palace. His father Gemariah was in the officials' room, meeting with the rest of the king's officials, including Elishama, Delaiah, Elnathan, and Zedekiah. ^m] 13Micaiah told them what he had heard Baruch reading to the people. ¹⁴Then the officials sent Jehudi and Shelemiah ^n] to tell Baruch, "Bring us that scroll." When Baruch arrived with the scroll, ¹⁵the officials said, "Please sit down and read it to us," which he did. ¹⁶After they heard what was written on the scroll, they were worried and said to each other, "The king needs to hear this!" Turning to Baruch, they asked, ¹⁷"Did someone tell you what to write on this scroll?"
    ¹⁸"Yes, Jeremiah did," Baruch replied. "I wrote down just what he told me."
    ¹⁹The officials said, "You and Jeremiah must go into hiding, and don't tell anyone where you are."
    ^20-22The officials put the scroll in Elishama's room and went to see the king, who was in one of the rooms where he lived and worked during the winter. It was the ninth month ^o] of the year, so there was a fire burning in the fireplace, ^p] and the king was sitting nearby. After the officials told the king about the scroll, he sent Jehudi to get it. Then Jehudi started reading the scroll to the king and his officials. ^23-25But every time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king would tell him to cut them off with his penknife and throw them in the fire. Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, but he ignored them, and soon there was nothing left of it. The king and his servants listened to what was written on the scroll, but they were not afraid, and they did not tear their clothes in sorrow. ^q] 26The king told his son Jerahmeel to take Seraiah and Shelemiah ^r] and to go arrest Baruch and me. ^s] But the LORD kept them from finding us.

Jeremiah's Second Scroll

 ²⁷I had told Baruch what to write on that first scroll, ^t] but King Jehoiakim ^u] had burned it. So the LORD told me ²⁸to get another scroll and write down everything that had been on the first one. ²⁹Then he told me to say to King Jehoiakim: Not only did you burn Jeremiah's scroll, you had the nerve to ask why he had written that the king of Babylonia would attack and ruin the land, killing all the people and even the animals. ³⁰So I, the LORD, promise that you will be killed and your body thrown out on the ground. The sun will beat down on it during the day, and the frost will settle on it at night. And none of your descendants will ever be king of Judah. ³¹You, your children, and your servants are evil, and I will punish all of you. I warned you and the people of Judah and Jerusalem that I would bring disaster, but none of you have listened. So now you are doomed!    ³²After the LORD finished speaking to me, I got another scroll and gave it to Baruch. Then I told him what to write, so this second scroll would contain even more than was on the scroll Jehoiakim had burned. 

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 35:1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
2. Jeremiah 35:2 side rooms: Probably a room with walls on three sides, and open to the courtyard on the fourth side.
3. Jeremiah 35:3 Jaazaniah: The Hebrew text has "Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah"; this is a different Jeremiah than the author of the book.
4. Jeremiah 35:4 Maaseiah. . . temple: Hebrew "Maaseiah son of Shallum, the keeper of the temple door."
5. Jeremiah 35:6 Jonadab son of Rechab: See 2 Kings 10.15-23. In the Hebrew of this chapter, "Jonadab" is sometimes spelled "Jehonadab."
6. Jeremiah 35:11 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
7. Jeremiah 36:1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
8. Jeremiah 36:1 Josiah: See the note at 3.6.
9. Jeremiah 36:2 scroll: See the note at 30.1,2.
10. Jeremiah 36:6 to go without eating: As a way of asking for God's help.
11. Jeremiah 36:8 ninth month: Chislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-November to mid-December.
12. Jeremiah 36:8 Gemariah: Hebrew "Gemariah son of Shaphan"; Gemariah's brother Ahikam had earlier protected Jeremiah (see 26.20-24).
13. Jeremiah 36:12 Delaiah, Elnathan, and Zedekiah: Hebrew "Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah."
14. Jeremiah 36:14 Jehudi and Shelemiah: Hebrew "Jehudi son of Nethaniah and Shelemiah son of Cushi."
15. Jeremiah 36:20 ninth month: See the note at 36.8-10.
16. Jeremiah 36:20 fireplace: Probably a large metal or clay pot on a movable stand, with the fire burning inside.
17. Jeremiah 36:23 they did not tear their clothes in sorrow: Such actions would have shown that they were sorry for disobeying the LORD and were turning back to him.
18. Jeremiah 36:26 Seraiah and Shelemiah: Hebrew "Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel."
19. Jeremiah 36:26 me: Jeremiah.
20. Jeremiah 36:27 scroll: See the note at 30.1,2.
21. Jeremiah 36:27 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.

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1 Timothy 5:1-25 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Timothy 5

How To Act toward Others

 ¹Don't correct an older man. Encourage him, as you would your own father. Treat younger men as you would your own brother, ²and treat older women as you would your own mother. Show the same respect to younger women that you would to your sister.    ³Take care of any widow who is really in need. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God by taking care of her, as she once took care of them. This is what God wants them to do. ⁵A widow who is really in need is one who doesn't have any relatives. She has faith in God, and she keeps praying to him night and day, asking for his help.
    ⁶A widow who thinks only about having a good time is already dead, even though she is still alive.
    ⁷Tell all of this to everyone, so they will do the right thing. ⁸People who don't take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn't have faith in the Lord.
    ⁹For a widow to be put on the list of widows, she must be at least sixty years old, and she must have been faithful in marriage. ^a]10She must also be well-known for doing all sorts of good things, such as raising children, giving food to strangers, welcoming God's people into her home, ^b] helping people in need, and always making herself useful. ¹¹Don't put young widows on the list. They may later have a strong desire to get married. Then they will turn away from Christ ¹²and become guilty of breaking their promise to him. ¹³Besides, they will become lazy and get into the habit of going from house to house. Next, they will start gossiping and become busybodies, talking about things that are none of their business.
    ¹⁴I would prefer that young widows get married, have children, and look after their families. Then the enemy won't have any reason to say insulting things about us. ¹⁵Look what's already happened to some of the young widows! They have turned away to follow Satan.
    ¹⁶If a woman who is a follower has any widows in her family, she ^c] should help them. This will keep the church from having that burden, and then the church can help widows who are really in need.

Church Leaders

 ¹⁷Church leaders ^d] who do their job well deserve to be paid ^e]twice as much, especially if they work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸It is just as the Scriptures say, "Don't muzzle an ox when you are using it to grind grain." You also know the saying, "Workers are worth their pay." ¹⁹Don't listen to any charge against a church leader, unless at least two or three people bring the same charges. ²⁰But if any of the leaders should keep on sinning, they must be corrected in front of the whole group, as a warning to everyone else.    ²¹In the presence of God and Christ Jesus and their chosen angels, I order you to follow my instructions! Be fair with everyone, and don't have any favorites.
    ²²Don't be too quick to accept people into the service of the Lord ^f] by placing your hands on them. Don't sin because others do, but stay close to God.
    ²³Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you always have.
    ²⁴Some people get caught in their sins right away, even before the time of judgment. But other people's sins don't show up until later. ²⁵It is the same with good deeds. Some are easily seen, but none of them can be hidden. 

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 5:9 been faithful in marriage: Or "been the wife of only one husband" or "never been divorced."
2. 1 Timothy 5:10 welcoming God's people into her home: The Greek text has "washing the feet of God's people." In New Testament times most people either went barefoot or wore sandals, and a host would often wash the feet of special guests.
3. 1 Timothy 5:16 woman. . . she: Some manuscripts have "man or woman. . . that person."
4. 1 Timothy 5:17 leaders: Or "elders" or "presbyters" or "priests."
5. 1 Timothy 5:17 paid: Or "honored" or "respected."
6. 1 Timothy 5:22 to accept people into the service of the Lord: Or "to forgive people."

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Psalm 89:14-37 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁴Your kingdom is ruled
   by justice and fairness
   with love and faithfulness
   leading the way.
    ¹⁵Our LORD, you bless those
   who join in the festival
   and walk in the brightness
   of your presence.
    ¹⁶We are happy all day
   because of you,
   and your saving power
   brings honor to us.
    ¹⁷Your own glorious power
   makes us strong,
   and because of your kindness,
   our strength increases.
    ¹⁸Our LORD and our King,
   the Holy One of Israel,
   you are truly our shield.
    ¹⁹In a vision, you once said
   to your faithful followers:
   "I have helped a mighty hero.
   I chose him from my people
   and made him famous.
    ²⁰David, my servant, is the one
   I chose to be king,
    ²¹and I will always be there
   to help and strengthen him.
    ²²"No enemy will outsmart David,
   and he won't be defeated
   by any hateful people.
    ²³I will strike down and crush
   his troublesome enemies.
    ²⁴He will always be able
   to depend on my love,
   and I will make him strong
   with my own power.
    ²⁵I will let him rule the lands
   across the rivers and seas.
    ²⁶He will say to me,
   `You are my Father
   and my God,
   as well as the mighty rock ^a] where I am safe.'
    ²⁷"I have chosen David
   as my first-born son,
   and he will be the ruler
   of all kings on earth.
    ²⁸My love for him will last,
   and my agreement with him
   will never be broken.
    ²⁹"One of David's descendants
   will always be king,
   and his family will rule
   until the sky disappears.
    ³⁰Suppose some of his children
   should reject my Law
   and refuse my instructions.
    ³¹Or suppose they should disobey
   all of my teachings.
    ³²Then I will correct
   and punish them
   because of their sins.
    ³³But I will always love David
   and faithfully keep all
   of my promises to him.
    ³⁴"I won't break my agreement
   or go back on my word.
    ³⁵I have sworn once and for all
   by my own holy name,
   and I won't lie to David.
    ³⁶His family will always rule.
   I will let his kingdom last
   as long as the sun ³⁷and moon
   appear in the sky." 

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:26 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 25:25-27 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁵Good news from far away
   refreshes like cold water
   when you are thirsty.
    ²⁶When a good person gives in
   to the wicked,
   it's like dumping garbage
   in a stream of clear water.
    ²⁷Don't eat too much honey
   or always want praise. ^a]

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 25:27 or. . . praise: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Verse of the Day

 

“Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey!” - Psalm 51:12

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, Pat Meehan wrote, “You do what is manageable, and you do it well rather than trying to do a thousand things just a little bit OK.”

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A Joke for the Day

The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again.

After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"

Bible Readings for October 19, 2019

Today our passages are Jeremiah 33:1–34:22; 1 Timothy 4:1-16; Psalm 89:1-13; and Proverbs 25:23-24. 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 33-34:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Jeremiah 33

The LORD Promises To Give the Land Back to His People

 ^1-2I was still being held prisoner in the courtyard of the palace guards when the LORD told me:   I am the LORD, and I created the whole world. ^a] 3Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don't know and can't find out. ^4-5Many of the houses in Jerusalem and some of the buildings at the royal palace have been torn down to be used in repairing the walls to keep out the Babylonian attackers. ^b] Now there are empty spaces where the buildings once stood. But I am furious, and these spaces will be filled with the bodies of the people I kill. The people of Jerusalem will cry out to me for help, but they are evil, and I will ignore their prayers. ⁶Then someday, I will heal this place and my people as well, and let them enjoy unending peace. ^c] 7I will give this land to Israel and Judah once again, and I will make them as strong as they were before. ⁸They sinned and rebelled against me, but I will forgive them and take away their guilt. ⁹When that happens, all nations on earth will see the good things I have done for Jerusalem, and how I have given it complete peace. The nations will celebrate and praise and honor me, but they will also tremble with fear. ¹⁰Jeremiah, you say that this land is a desert without people or animals, and for now, you are right. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted, and people and animals are nowhere to be seen. But someday you will hear ¹¹happy voices and the sounds of parties and wedding celebrations. And when people come to my temple to offer sacrifices to thank me, you will hear them say:
   "We praise you,
   LORD All-Powerful!
   You are good to us,
   and your love never fails."
   The land will once again be productive. ^12-13Now it is empty, without people or animals. But when that time comes, shepherds will take care of their flocks in pastures near every town in the hill country, in the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert, in the land of the Benjamin tribe, and around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
   I, the LORD, have spoken.   

The LORD's Wonderful Promise

 ¹⁴The LORD said:   I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah, ^d] and the days are coming when I will keep it. ¹⁵I promise that the time will come
   when I will appoint a king
   from the family of David,
   a king who will be honest
   and rule with justice.
    ¹⁶In those days,
   Judah will be safe;
   Jerusalem will have peace
   and will be named,
   "The LORD Gives Justice."
    ¹⁷The king of Israel will be one of David's descendants, ¹⁸and there will always be priests from the Levi tribe serving at my altar and offering sacrifices to please me and to give thanks. ^e] 19Then the LORD told me:
    ²⁰I, the LORD, have an agreement with day and night, so they always come at the right time. You can't break the agreement I made with them, ²¹and you can't break the agreements I have made with David's family and with the priests from the Levi tribe who serve at my altar. A descendant of David will always rule as king of Israel, ²²and there will be more descendants of David and of the priests from the Levi tribe than stars in the sky or grains of sand on the beach.
    ²³The LORD also said:
    ²⁴You've heard foreigners insult my people by saying, "The LORD chose Israel and Judah, but now he has rejected them, and they are no longer a nation."
    ²⁵Jeremiah, I will never break my agreement with the day and the night or let the sky and the earth stop obeying my commands. ²⁶In the same way, I will never reject the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or break my promise that they will always have a descendant of David as their king. I will be kind to my people Israel, and they will be successful again.
   

Jeremiah 34

Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah

 ¹King Nebuchadnezzar ^f] had a large army made up of people from every kingdom in his empire. He and his army were attacking Jerusalem and all the nearby towns, when the LORD told me ²to say to King Zedekiah: ^g] I am the LORD, and I am going to let Nebuchadnezzar capture this city and burn it down. ³You will be taken prisoner and brought to Nebuchadnezzar, and he will speak with you face to face. Then you will be led away to Babylonia.    ⁴Zedekiah, I promise that you won't die in battle. ⁵You will die a peaceful death. People will mourn when you die, and they will light bonfires in your honor, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who ruled before you.
    ⁶I went to Zedekiah and told him what the LORD had said. ⁷Meanwhile, the king of Babylonia was trying to break through the walls of Lachish, Azekah, and Jerusalem, the only three towns of Judah that had not been captured.   

The People Break a Promise

 ^8-10King Zedekiah, ^h] his officials, and everyone else in Jerusalem made an agreement to free all Hebrew ^i] men and women who were slaves. No Jew would keep another as a slave. And so, all the Jewish slaves were given their freedom. ¹¹But those slave owners changed their minds and forced their former slaves back into slavery.    ¹²That's when the LORD told me to say to the people:
    ¹³I am the LORD God of Israel, and I made an agreement with your ancestors when I brought
   them out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. ¹⁴As part of this agreement, you must let a
   Hebrew slave go free after six years of service.
   Your ancestors did not obey me, ^15-16but you decided to obey me and do the right thing by
   setting your Hebrew slaves completely free. You even went to my temple, and in my name
   you made an agreement to set them free. But you have abused my name, because you broke
   your agreement and forced your former slaves back into slavery.
    ¹⁷You have disobeyed me by not giving your slaves their freedom. So I will give you
   freedom--the freedom to die in battle or from disease or hunger. I will make you disgusting to
   all other nations on earth.
    ¹⁸You asked me to be a witness when you made the agreement to set your slaves free. And
   as part of the ceremony you cut a calf into two parts, then walked between the parts. But you
   people of Jerusalem have broken that agreement as well as my agreement with Israel. So I
   will do to you what you did to that calf. ^19-20I will let your enemies take all of you prisoner,
   including the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the royal officials, the priests, and everyone
   else who walked between the two parts of the calf. These enemies will kill you and leave your
   bodies lying on the ground as food for birds and wild animals.
    ^21-22These enemies are King Nebuchadnezzar ^j] of Babylonia and his army. They have stopped attacking Jerusalem, but they want to kill King Zedekiah and his high officials. So I
   will command them to return and attack again. This time they will conquer the city and burn it
   down, and they will capture Zedekiah and his officials. I will also let them destroy the towns of
   Judah, so that no one can live there any longer.   

Footnotes:

1. Jeremiah 33:1 the whole world: One ancient translation; Hebrew "it."
2. Jeremiah 33:4 have been torn down. . . Babylonian attackers: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Jeremiah 33:6 let them enjoy unending peace: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Jeremiah 33:14 Israel and Judah: See the note at 2.4.
5. Jeremiah 33:18 sacrifices to please me and to give thanks: See the notes at 14.12.
6. Jeremiah 34:1 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
7. Jeremiah 34:2 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
8. Jeremiah 34:8 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
9. Jeremiah 34:8 Hebrew: An earlier term for Israelite and Jewish.
10. Jeremiah 34:21 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.

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1 Timothy 4:1-16 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Timothy 4

People Will Turn from Their Faith

 ¹God's Spirit clearly says that in the last days many people will turn from their faith. They will be fooled by evil spirits and by teachings that come from demons. ²They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling. These liars ³will forbid people to marry or to eat certain foods. But God created these foods to be eaten with thankful hearts by his followers who know the truth. ⁴Everything God created is good. And if you give thanks, you may eat anything. ⁵What God has said and your prayer will make it fit to eat.   

Paul's Advice to Timothy

 ⁶If you teach these things to other followers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you have grown up on the teachings about our faith and on the good instructions you have obeyed. ⁷Don't have anything to do with worthless, senseless stories. Work hard to be truly religious. ^8-9As the saying goes,   "Exercise is good
   for your body,
   but religion helps you
   in every way.
   It promises life
   now and forever."
   These words are worthwhile and should not be forgotten. ¹⁰We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, but especially of those who have faith. That's why we work and struggle so hard. ^a] 11Teach these things and tell everyone to do what you say. ¹²Don't let anyone make fun of you, just because you are young. Set an example for other followers by what you say and do, as well as by your love, faith, and purity.
    ¹³Until I arrive, be sure to keep on reading the Scriptures in worship, and don't stop preaching and teaching. ¹⁴Use the gift you were given when the prophets spoke and the group of church leaders ^b] blessed you by placing their hands on you. ¹⁵Remember these things and think about them, so everyone can see how well you are doing. ¹⁶Be careful about the way you live and about what you teach. Keep on doing this, and you will save not only yourself, but the people who hear you.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 4:10 struggle so hard: Some manuscripts have "are treated so badly."
2. 1 Timothy 4:14 group of church leaders: Or "group of elders" or "group of presbyters" or "group of priests." This translates one Greek word, and it is related to the one used in 5.17,19.

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Psalm 89:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 89

(A special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.)

The LORD's Agreement with David

 ¹Our LORD, I will sing   of your love forever.
   Everyone yet to be born
   will hear me praise
   your faithfulness.
    ²I will tell them,
   "God's love
   can always be trusted,
   and his faithfulness lasts
   as long as the heavens."
    ³You said, "David, my servant,
   is my chosen one,
   and this is the agreement
   I made with him:
    ⁴David, one of your descendants
   will always be king."
    ⁵Our LORD, let the heavens
   now praise your miracles,
   and let all of your angels
   praise your faithfulness.
    ⁶None who live in the heavens
   can compare with you.
    ⁷You are the most fearsome
   of all who live in heaven;
   all the others fear
   and greatly honor you.
    ⁸You are LORD God All-Powerful!
   No one is as loving
   and faithful as you are.
    ⁹You rule the roaring sea
   and calm its waves.
    ¹⁰You crushed the monster Rahab, ^a] and with your powerful arm
   you scattered your enemies.
    ¹¹The heavens and the earth
   belong to you.
   And so does the world
   with all its people
   because you created them
    ¹²and everything else. ^b] Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon
   gladly praise you.
    ¹³You are strong and mighty!   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:10 Rahab: Many people in the ancient world thought that the world was controlled by this sea monster that the Lord destroyed at the time of creation (see Isaiah 51.9).
2. Psalm 89:12 and everything else: The Hebrew text has " Zaphon and Yamin," which may either be the names of mountains or refer to the directions " north and south," with the meaning " everything from north to south."

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Proverbs 25:23-24 (Contemporary English Version)

²³As surely as rain blows in
   from the north,
   anger is caused
   by cruel words.
    ²⁴It's better to stay outside
   on the roof of your house
   than to live inside
   with a nagging wife.

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Verse of the Day

“Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart's desire.” - Psalm 37:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Indian American astrophysicist, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar wrote, “Science is a perception of the world around us. Science is a place where what you find in nature pleases you.”

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A Joke for Today

After church on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided I'm going to be a minister when I grow up."

"That's okay with us," the mother said, "But what made you decide to be a minister?"

"Well," the boy replied, "I'll have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit still and listen."