Bible Readings for July 20, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 1:1–3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; and Proverbs 19:20-21. 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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2 Chronicles 1-3:17 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Chronicles 1

The LORD Makes Solomon Wise

(1 Kings 3.1-15)

 ¹King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the LORD God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.    ^2-5At that time, the sacred tent that Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the desert was still kept at Gibeon, and in front of the tent was the bronze altar that Bezalel ^[a] had made. One day, Solomon told the people of Israel, the army commanders, the officials, and the family leaders, to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon, even though his father King David had already moved the sacred chest from Kiriath-Jearim to the tent that he had set up for it in Jerusalem. Solomon and the others went to Gibeon to worship the LORD,
   ⁶and there at the bronze altar, Solomon offered a thousand animals as sacrifices to please the LORD. ^[b]
   ⁷God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, "Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you."
   ⁸Solomon answered:
   LORD God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel.
   ⁹I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father
   ¹⁰and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I'll need to be the king of this great nation of yours.
   ¹¹God replied:
   Solomon, you could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people.
   ¹²So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.
   ¹³Solomon then left Gibeon and returned to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.     

Solomon's Wealth

(1 Kings 10.26-29)

 ¹⁴Solomon had a force of one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.    ¹⁵While Solomon was king of Israel, there was silver and gold everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
   ^16-17Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. ^[c] They paid about fifteen pounds of silver for a chariot and almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
    

2 Chronicles 2

Solomon Asks Hiram To Help Build the Temple

(1 Kings 5.1-12)

 ¹Solomon decided to build a temple where the LORD would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.    ²He assigned seventy thousand men to carry building supplies and eighty thousand to cut stone from the hills. And he chose three thousand six hundred men to supervise these workers.
   ³Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:
   Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies?
   ⁴I am building a temple where the LORD my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the LORD every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the LORD has commanded.
   ⁵This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.
   ⁶No one can ever build a temple large enough for God--even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.
   ⁷Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.
   ⁸I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them,
   ⁹because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple.
   ¹⁰I will pay your woodcutters one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, the same amount of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.
   ¹¹Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:
   I know that the LORD must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king.
   ¹²Praise the LORD God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.
   ¹³I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is very bright.
   ¹⁴His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.
   ¹⁵Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers.
   ¹⁶I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.     

Solomon's Work Force

 ¹⁷Solomon counted all the foreigners who were living in Israel, just as his father David had done when he was king, and the total was 153,600.    ¹⁸He assigned 70,000 of them to carry building supplies and 80,000 of them to cut stone from the hills. He chose 3,600 others to supervise the workers and to make sure the work was completed.
    

2 Chronicles 3

The Temple Is Built

(1 Kings 6.1-38)

 ^1-2Solomon's workers began building the temple in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month, ^[d] four years after Solomon had become king of Israel. It was built on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to David at the threshing place that had belonged to Araunah ^[e] from Jebus.    ³The inside of the temple was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, according to the older standards. ^[f]
   ⁴Across the front of the temple was a porch thirty feet wide and thirty feet ^[g] high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold.
   ⁵Solomon had the inside walls of the temple's main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains.
   ⁶He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim ^[h]
   ⁷to decorate the ceiling beams, the doors, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also had the workers carve designs of winged creatures into the walls.
   ⁸The most holy place was thirty feet square, and its walls were covered with almost twenty-five tons of fine gold.
   ⁹More than a pound of gold was used to cover the heads of the nails. The walls of the small storage rooms were also covered with gold. ^[i]
   ¹⁰Solomon had two statues of winged creatures ^[j] made to put in the most holy place, and he covered them with gold.
   ^11-13Each creature had two wings and was fifteen feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing. Solomon set them next to each other in the most holy place, facing the doorway. Their wings were spread out and reached all the way across the thirty foot room.
   ¹⁴A curtain ^[k] was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with designs of winged creatures.     

The Two Columns

(1 Kings 7.15-22)

 ¹⁵Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was fifty-two feet tall and had a cap on top that was seven and a half feet high.    ¹⁶The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains ^[l] and with a hundred carvings of pomegranates. ^[m]
   ¹⁷Solomon had one of the columns placed on the south side of the temple's entrance; it was called Jachin. ^[n] The other one was placed on the north side of the entrance; it was called Boaz. ^[o]
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Chronicles 1:2 Bezalel: Hebrew "Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur."
2. 2 Chronicles 1:6 sacrifices to please the LORD: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "whole burnt offerings," because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the LORD with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called "sacrifices to please the LORD."
3. 2 Chronicles 1:16 Musri and Kue: Hebrew "Egypt and Kue." Musri and Kue were regions located in what is today southeast Turkey.
4. 2 Chronicles 3:1 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
5. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Araunah: The Hebrew text has "Ornan," another spelling of the name (see 2 Samuel 24.18-25; 1 Chronicles 21.18--22.1).
6. 2 Chronicles 3:3 according to the older standards: There were possibly two different standards of measurement during Israel's history.
7. 2 Chronicles 3:4 thirty feet: Some manuscripts of two ancient translations; Hebrew "one hundred eighty feet."
8. 2 Chronicles 3:6 Parvaim: An unknown place.
9. 2 Chronicles 3:9 The walls. . . gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. 2 Chronicles 3:10 statues of winged creatures: These were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18-22).
11. 2 Chronicles 3:14 A curtain: To separate the most holy place from the main room of the temple.
12. 2 Chronicles 3:16 designs that looked like chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. 2 Chronicles 3:16 pomegranates: A pomegranate is a small red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.
14. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Jachin: Or "He (God) makes secure."
15. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz: Or "He (God) is strong."

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Romans 6:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 6

Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

 ¹What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better? ²No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? ³Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? ⁴When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.     ⁵If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. ⁶We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. ⁷We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people.
    ⁸As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. ⁹We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. ¹⁰When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. ¹¹In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.
    ¹²Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires ¹³or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. ¹⁴Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's kindness and not by the Law.     

Slaves Who Do What Pleases God

 ¹⁵What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! ¹⁶Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. ¹⁷You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. ¹⁸Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.     ¹⁹I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.
    ²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. ²¹But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. ²²Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. ²³Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

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Psalm 16:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 16

(A special psalm by David.)

The Best Choice

 ¹Protect me, LORD God!    I run to you for safety,
    ²and I have said,
   "Only you are my Lord!
   Every good thing I have
   is a gift from you."
    ³Your people are wonderful,
   and they make me happy, ^[a] ⁴but worshipers of other gods
   will have much sorrow. ^[b] I refuse to offer sacrifices
   of blood to those gods
   or worship in their name.
    ⁵You, LORD, are all I want!
   You are my choice,
   and you keep me safe.
    ⁶You make my life pleasant,
   and my future is bright.
    ⁷I praise you, LORD,
   for being my guide.
   Even in the darkest night,
   your teachings fill my mind.
    ⁸I will always look to you,
   as you stand beside me
   and protect me from fear.
    ⁹With all my heart,
   I will celebrate,
   and I can safely rest.
    ¹⁰I am your chosen one.
   You won't leave me in the grave
   or let my body decay.
    ¹¹You have shown me
   the path to life,
   and you make me glad
   by being near to me.
   Sitting at your right side, ^[c] I will always be joyful.
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 16:3 Your people. . . happy: Or " I was happy worshiping gods I thought were powerful."
2. Psalm 16:4 but. . . sorrow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Psalm 16:11 right side: The place of power and honor.

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Proverbs 19:20-21 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁰Pay attention to advice
   and accept correction,
   so you can live sensibly.
    ²¹We may make a lot of plans,
   but the LORD will do
   what he has decided. 

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Verse of the Day

“But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.” - 1 John 1:7 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

A king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty, Alexander the Great wrote, “I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.”

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A Joke for Today

A woman was driving down the street in a sweat because she had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking space. Looking up toward heaven, she said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I’ll go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up drinking wine.”Miraculously, a parking space opened up right in front of her destination.

The woman looked up to heaven and said, “Never mind, Lord; I found one on my own.”

Bible Readings for July 20, 2017

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 1:1–3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; and Proverbs 19:20-21. 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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2 Chronicles 1-3:17 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Chronicles 1

The LORD Makes Solomon Wise

(1 Kings 3.1-15)

 ¹King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the LORD God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.    ^2-5At that time, the sacred tent that Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the desert was still kept at Gibeon, and in front of the tent was the bronze altar that Bezalel ^[a] had made. One day, Solomon told the people of Israel, the army commanders, the officials, and the family leaders, to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon, even though his father King David had already moved the sacred chest from Kiriath-Jearim to the tent that he had set up for it in Jerusalem. Solomon and the others went to Gibeon to worship the LORD,
   ⁶and there at the bronze altar, Solomon offered a thousand animals as sacrifices to please the LORD. ^[b]
   ⁷God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, "Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you."
   ⁸Solomon answered:
   LORD God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel.
   ⁹I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father
   ¹⁰and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I'll need to be the king of this great nation of yours.
   ¹¹God replied:
   Solomon, you could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people.
   ¹²So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.
   ¹³Solomon then left Gibeon and returned to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.
   

Solomon's Wealth

(1 Kings 10.26-29)

 ¹⁴Solomon had a force of one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.    ¹⁵While Solomon was king of Israel, there was silver and gold everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
   ^16-17Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. ^[c] They paid about fifteen pounds of silver for a chariot and almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
   

2 Chronicles 2

Solomon Asks Hiram To Help Build the Temple

(1 Kings 5.1-12)

 ¹Solomon decided to build a temple where the LORD would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.    ²He assigned seventy thousand men to carry building supplies and eighty thousand to cut stone from the hills. And he chose three thousand six hundred men to supervise these workers.
   ³Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:
   Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies?
   ⁴I am building a temple where the LORD my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the LORD every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the LORD has commanded.
   ⁵This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.
   ⁶No one can ever build a temple large enough for God--even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.
   ⁷Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.
   ⁸I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them,
   ⁹because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple.
   ¹⁰I will pay your woodcutters one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, the same amount of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.
   ¹¹Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:
   I know that the LORD must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king.
   ¹²Praise the LORD God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.
   ¹³I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is very bright.
   ¹⁴His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.
   ¹⁵Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers.
   ¹⁶I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.
   

Solomon's Work Force

 ¹⁷Solomon counted all the foreigners who were living in Israel, just as his father David had done when he was king, and the total was 153,600.    ¹⁸He assigned 70,000 of them to carry building supplies and 80,000 of them to cut stone from the hills. He chose 3,600 others to supervise the workers and to make sure the work was completed.
   

2 Chronicles 3

The Temple Is Built

(1 Kings 6.1-38)

 ^1-2Solomon's workers began building the temple in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month, ^[d] four years after Solomon had become king of Israel. It was built on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to David at the threshing place that had belonged to Araunah ^[e] from Jebus.    ³The inside of the temple was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, according to the older standards. ^[f]
   ⁴Across the front of the temple was a porch thirty feet wide and thirty feet ^[g] high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold.
   ⁵Solomon had the inside walls of the temple's main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains.
   ⁶He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim ^[h]
   ⁷to decorate the ceiling beams, the doors, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also had the workers carve designs of winged creatures into the walls.
   ⁸The most holy place was thirty feet square, and its walls were covered with almost twenty-five tons of fine gold.
   ⁹More than a pound of gold was used to cover the heads of the nails. The walls of the small storage rooms were also covered with gold. ^[i]
   ¹⁰Solomon had two statues of winged creatures ^[j] made to put in the most holy place, and he covered them with gold.
   ^11-13Each creature had two wings and was fifteen feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing. Solomon set them next to each other in the most holy place, facing the doorway. Their wings were spread out and reached all the way across the thirty foot room.
   ¹⁴A curtain ^[k] was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with designs of winged creatures.
   

The Two Columns

(1 Kings 7.15-22)

 ¹⁵Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was fifty-two feet tall and had a cap on top that was seven and a half feet high.    ¹⁶The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains ^[l] and with a hundred carvings of pomegranates. ^[m]
   ¹⁷Solomon had one of the columns placed on the south side of the temple's entrance; it was called Jachin. ^[n] The other one was placed on the north side of the entrance; it was called Boaz. ^[o]
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Chronicles 1:2 Bezalel: Hebrew "Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur."
2. 2 Chronicles 1:6 sacrifices to please the LORD: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "whole burnt offerings," because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the LORD with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called "sacrifices to please the LORD."
3. 2 Chronicles 1:16 Musri and Kue: Hebrew "Egypt and Kue." Musri and Kue were regions located in what is today southeast Turkey.
4. 2 Chronicles 3:1 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
5. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Araunah: The Hebrew text has "Ornan," another spelling of the name (see 2 Samuel 24.18-25; 1 Chronicles 21.18--22.1).
6. 2 Chronicles 3:3 according to the older standards: There were possibly two different standards of measurement during Israel's history.
7. 2 Chronicles 3:4 thirty feet: Some manuscripts of two ancient translations; Hebrew "one hundred eighty feet."
8. 2 Chronicles 3:6 Parvaim: An unknown place.
9. 2 Chronicles 3:9 The walls. . . gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. 2 Chronicles 3:10 statues of winged creatures: These were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18-22).
11. 2 Chronicles 3:14 A curtain: To separate the most holy place from the main room of the temple.
12. 2 Chronicles 3:16 designs that looked like chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. 2 Chronicles 3:16 pomegranates: A pomegranate is a small red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.
14. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Jachin: Or "He (God) makes secure."
15. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz: Or "He (God) is strong."

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Romans 6:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 6

Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

 ¹What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better? ²No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? ³Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? ⁴When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.     ⁵If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. ⁶We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. ⁷We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people.
    ⁸As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. ⁹We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. ¹⁰When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. ¹¹In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.
    ¹²Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires ¹³or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. ¹⁴Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's kindness and not by the Law.
   

Slaves Who Do What Pleases God

 ¹⁵What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! ¹⁶Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. ¹⁷You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. ¹⁸Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.     ¹⁹I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.
    ²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. ²¹But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. ²²Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. ²³Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.

---

Psalm 16:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 16

(A special psalm by David.)

The Best Choice

 ¹Protect me, LORD God!    I run to you for safety,
    ²and I have said,
   "Only you are my Lord!
   Every good thing I have
   is a gift from you."
    ³Your people are wonderful,
   and they make me happy, ^[a] ⁴but worshipers of other gods
   will have much sorrow. ^[b] I refuse to offer sacrifices
   of blood to those gods
   or worship in their name.
    ⁵You, LORD, are all I want!
   You are my choice,
   and you keep me safe.
    ⁶You make my life pleasant,
   and my future is bright.
    ⁷I praise you, LORD,
   for being my guide.
   Even in the darkest night,
   your teachings fill my mind.
    ⁸I will always look to you,
   as you stand beside me
   and protect me from fear.
    ⁹With all my heart,
   I will celebrate,
   and I can safely rest.
    ¹⁰I am your chosen one.
   You won't leave me in the grave
   or let my body decay.
    ¹¹You have shown me
   the path to life,
   and you make me glad
   by being near to me.
   Sitting at your right side, ^[c] I will always be joyful.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 16:3 Your people. . . happy: Or " I was happy worshiping gods I thought were powerful."
2. Psalm 16:4 but. . . sorrow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Psalm 16:11 right side: The place of power and honor.

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Proverbs 19:20-21 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁰Pay attention to advice
   and accept correction,
   so you can live sensibly.
    ²¹We may make a lot of plans,
   but the LORD will do
   what he has decided.

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Verse of the Day

“But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.” - 1 John 1:7

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

A king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty, Alexander the Great wrote, “I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.”

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A Joke for Today

A woman was driving down the street in a sweat because she had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking space. Looking up toward heaven, she said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I’ll go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up drinking wine.”Miraculously, a parking space opened up right in front of her destination.

The woman looked up to heaven and said, “Never mind, Lord; I found one on my own.”

Bible Readings for August 29, 2015

Today our passages are Job 31:1–33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; and Proverbs 22:8-9. 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. 

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Job 31-33:33 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 31

Job Continues

I Promised Myself

 ¹I promised myself    never to stare with desire
   at a young woman.
    ²God All-Powerful punishes
   men who do that.
    ³In fact, God sends disaster
   on all who sin,
    ⁴and he keeps a close watch
   on everything I do.
    ⁵I am not dishonest or deceitful,
    ⁶and I beg God to prove
   my innocence.
    ⁷If I have disobeyed him
   or even wanted to,
    ⁸then others can eat my harvest
   and uproot my crops.
    ⁹If I have desired someone's wife
   and chased after her,
    ¹⁰then let some stranger
   steal my wife from me.
    ¹¹If I took someone's wife,
   it would be a horrible crime,
    ¹²sending me to destruction
   and my crops to the flames. ^{[a] 13}When my servants
   complained against me,
   I was fair to them.
    ¹⁴Otherwise, what answer
   would I give to God
   when he judges me?
    ¹⁵After all, God is the one
   who gave life to each of us
   before we were born.
   

I Have Never Cheated Anyone

 ¹⁶I have never cheated widows    or others in need,
    ¹⁷and I have always shared
   my food with orphans.
    ¹⁸Since the time I was young,
   I have cared for orphans
   and helped widows. ^{[b] 19}I provided clothes for the poor,
    ²⁰and I was praised
   for supplying woolen garments
   to keep them warm.
    ²¹If I have ever raised my arm
   to threaten an orphan
   when the power was mine,
    ²²I hope that arm will fall
   from its socket.
    ²³I could not have been abusive;
   I was terrified at the thought
   that God might punish me.
    ²⁴I have never trusted
   the power of wealth,
    ²⁵or taken pride in owning
   many possessions.
    ²⁶I have never openly or secretly
    ²⁷worshiped the sun or moon.
    ²⁸Such horrible sins
   would have deserved
   punishment from God.
    ²⁹I have never laughed
   when my enemies
   were struck by disaster.
    ³⁰Neither have I sinned
   by asking God
   to send down on them
   the curse of death.
    ³¹No one ever went hungry ^[c] at my house,
    ³²and travelers
   were always welcome.
    ³³Many have attempted to hide
   their sins from others--
   but I refused.
    ³⁴And the fear of public disgrace
   never forced me
   to keep silent
   about what I had done.
   

Why Doesn't God Listen?

 ³⁵Why doesn't God All-Powerful    listen and answer?
   If God has something against me,
   let him speak up
   or put it in writing!
    ³⁶Then I would wear his charges
   on my clothes and forehead.
    ³⁷And with my head held high,
   I would tell him everything
   I have ever done.
    ³⁸I have never mistreated
   the land I farmed
   and made it mourn. ^{[d] 39}Nor have I cheated
   my workers
   and caused them pain. ^{[e] 40}If I had, I would pray
   for weeds instead of wheat
   to grow in my fields.
   After saying these things,
   Job was silent.
   

Job 32

Elihu Is Upset with Job's Friends

 ¹Finally, these three men stopped arguing with Job, because he refused to admit that he was guilty.     ²Elihu from Buz ^[f] was there, and he had become upset with Job for blaming God instead of himself. ³He was also angry with Job's three friends for not being able to prove that Job was wrong. ⁴Elihu was younger than these three, and he let them speak first. ⁵But he became irritated when they could not answer Job, ⁶and he said to them: I am much younger than you,
   so I have shown respect
   by keeping silent.
    ⁷I once believed age
   was the source of wisdom;
    ⁸now I truly realize
   wisdom comes from God.
    ⁹Age is no guarantee of wisdom
   and understanding.
    ¹⁰That's why I ask you
   to listen to me.
   

I Eagerly Listened

 ¹¹I eagerly listened    to each of your arguments,
    ¹²but not one of you proved
   Job to be wrong.
    ¹³You shouldn't say,
   "We know what's right!
   Let God punish him."
    ¹⁴Job hasn't spoken against me,
   and so I won't answer him
   with your arguments.
    ¹⁵All of you are shocked;
   you don't know what to say.
    ¹⁶But am I to remain silent,
   just because you
   have stopped speaking?
    ¹⁷No! I will give my opinion,
    ¹⁸because I have so much to say,
   that I can't keep quiet.
    ¹⁹I am like a swollen wineskin,
   and I will burst ^{[g] 20}if I don't speak.
    ²¹I don't know how to be unfair
   or to flatter anyone--
    ²²if I did, my Creator
   would quickly destroy me!
   

Job 33

Elihu Speaks

Job, Listen to Me!

 ¹Job, listen to me!    Pay close attention.
    ²Everything I will say
    ³is true and sincere,
    ⁴just as surely as the Spirit
   of God All-Powerful ^[h] gave me the breath of life.
    ⁵Now line up your arguments
   and prepare to face me.
    ⁶We each were made from clay,
   and God has no favorites,
    ⁷so don't be afraid of me
   or what I might do.
   

I Have Heard You Argue

 ⁸I have heard you argue     ⁹that you are innocent,
   guilty of nothing.
    ¹⁰You claim that God
   has made you his enemy,
    ¹¹that he has bound your feet
   and blocked your path.
    ¹²But, Job, you're wrong--
   God is greater
   than any human.
    ¹³So why do you challenge God
   to answer you? ^{[i] 14}God speaks in different ways,
   and we don't always
   recognize his voice.
    ¹⁵Sometimes in the night,
   he uses terrifying dreams
    ¹⁶to give us warnings.
    ¹⁷God does this to make us turn
   from sin and pride
    ¹⁸and to protect us
   from being swept away
   to the world of the dead.
    ¹⁹Sometimes we are punished
   with a serious illness
   and aching joints.
    ²⁰Merely the thought
   of our favorite food
   makes our stomachs sick,
    ²¹and we become so skinny
   that our bones stick out.
    ²²We feel death and the grave
   taking us in their grip.
    ²³One of a thousand angels
   then comes to our rescue
   by saying we are innocent.
    ²⁴The angel shows kindness,
   commanding death to release us,
   because the price was paid.
    ²⁵Our health is restored,
   we feel young again,
    ²⁶and we ask God to accept us.
   Then we joyfully worship God,
   and we are rewarded
   because we are innocent.
    ²⁷When that happens,
   we tell everyone,
   "I sinned and did wrong,
   but God forgave me
    ²⁸and rescued me from death!
   Now I will see the light."
    ²⁹God gives each of us
   chance after chance
    ³⁰to be saved from death
   and brought into the light
   that gives life.
    ³¹So, Job, pay attention
   and don't interrupt,
    ³²though I would gladly listen
   to anything you say
   that proves you are right.
    ³³Otherwise, listen in silence
   to my wisdom.
   

Footnotes:

1. Job 31:12 flames: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
2. Job 31:18 widows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
3. Job 31:31 ever went hungry: Or "was ever sexually abused" (see Genesis 19.1-11; Judges 19.22-30). In ancient Israel, the lives of one's guests were sacred and had to be protected at any cost.
4. Job 31:38 mourn: In biblical times there were strict regulations for proper use of the land, and land that was abused was said to "mourn" and become no longer productive.
5. Job 31:39 pain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 39.
6. Job 32:2 Elihu from Buz: The Hebrew text has "Elihu son of Barachel from Buz of the family of Ram." Buz may have been somewhere in the territory of Edom; in Jeremiah 25.23 it is mentioned along with Dedan and Tema (see 6.19).
7. Job 32:19 swollen wineskin. . . burst: While the juice from grapes was becoming wine, it would swell and stretch the skins in which it had been stored; sometimes the swelling would burst the wineskins.
8. Job 33:4 the Spirit of God All-Powerful: Or "God All-Powerful."
9. Job 33:13 answer you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13.

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2 Corinthians 3:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 3

God's New Agreement

 ¹Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters that tell about them. ²But you are our letter, and you are in our ^[a] hearts for everyone to read and understand. ³You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God. ⁴We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. ⁵We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. ⁶He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.     ⁷The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even though it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly that the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was a fading glory. ⁸So won't the agreement that the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? ⁹If something that brings the death sentence is glorious, won't something that makes us acceptable to God be even more glorious? ¹⁰In fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all. ¹¹The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.
    ¹²This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely. ¹³We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away. ¹⁴The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.
    ¹⁵When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over ¹⁶with a covering that is removed only for those who turn to the Lord. ¹⁷The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free. ¹⁸So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 3:2 our: Some manuscripts have "your."

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Psalm 43:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 43

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

 ¹Show that I am right, God!    Defend me against everyone
   who doesn't know you;
   rescue me from each
   of those deceitful liars.
    ²I run to you
   for protection.
   Why have you turned me away?
   Why must enemies mistreat me
   and make me sad?
    ³Send your light and your truth
   to guide me.
   Let them lead me to your house
   on your sacred mountain.
    ⁴Then I will worship
   at your altar
   because you
   make me joyful.
   You are my God,
   and I will praise you.
   Yes, I will praise you
   as I play my harp.
    ⁵Why am I discouraged?
   Why am I restless?
   I trust you!
   And I will praise you again
   because you help me,
   and you are my God.

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Proverbs 22:8-9 (Contemporary English Version)

⁸Troublemakers get in trouble,
   and their terrible anger
   will get them nowhere.
    ⁹The LORD blesses everyone
   who freely gives food
   to the poor.

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Verse of the Day

“Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.” - Galatians 3:28

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

King of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty, Alexander the Great wrote, “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”