Bible Readings for August 29, 2016

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 Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 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 (The Message)

Job 31

What Can I Expect from God?

 ^1-4"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes.
So what can I expect from God?
   What do I deserve from God Almighty above?
Isn't calamity reserved for the wicked?
   Isn't disaster supposed to strike those who do wrong?
Isn't God looking, observing how I live?
   Doesn't he mark every step I take?

 ^5-8 "Have I walked hand in hand with falsehood,
   or hung out in the company of deceit?
Weigh me on a set of honest scales
   so God has proof of my integrity.
If I've strayed off the straight and narrow,
   wanted things I had no right to,
   messed around with sin,
Go ahead, then—
   give my portion to someone who deserves it.

 ^9-12 "If I've let myself be seduced by a woman
   and conspired to go to bed with her,
Fine, my wife has every right to go ahead
   and sleep with anyone she wants to.
For disgusting behavior like that,
   I'd deserve the worst punishment you could hand out.
Adultery is a fire that burns the house down;
   I wouldn't expect anything I count dear to survive it.

 ^13-15 "Have I ever been unfair to my employees
   when they brought a complaint to me?
What, then, will I do when God confronts me?
   When God examines my books, what can I say?
Didn't the same God who made me, make them?
   Aren't we all made of the same stuff, equals before God?

 ^16-18 "Have I ignored the needs of the poor,
   turned my back on the indigent,
Taken care of my own needs and fed my own face
   while they languished?
Wasn't my home always open to them?
   Weren't they always welcome at my table?

 ^19-20 "Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold
   when they had no warm clothes?
Didn't the poor bless me when they saw me coming,
   knowing I'd brought coats from my closet?

 ^21-23 "If I've ever used my strength and influence
   to take advantage of the unfortunate,
Go ahead, break both my arms,
   cut off all my fingers!
The fear of God has kept me from these things—
   how else could I ever face him?

If Only Someone Would Give Me a Hearing!

 ^24-28 "Did I set my heart on making big money
   or worship at the bank?
Did I boast about my wealth,
   show off because I was well-off?
Was I ever so awed by the sun's brilliance
   and moved by the moon's beauty
That I let myself become seduced by them
   and worshiped them on the sly?
If so, I would deserve the worst of punishments,
   for I would be betraying God himself.

 ^29-30 "Did I ever crow over my enemy's ruin?
   Or gloat over my rival's bad luck?
No, I never said a word of detraction,
   never cursed them, even under my breath.

 ^31-34 "Didn't those who worked for me say,
   'He fed us well. There were always second helpings'?
And no stranger ever had to spend a night in the street;
   my doors were always open to travelers.
Did I hide my sin the way Adam did,
   or conceal my guilt behind closed doors
Because I was afraid what people would say,
   fearing the gossip of the neighbors so much
That I turned myself into a recluse?
   You know good and well that I didn't.

 ^35-37 "Oh, if only someone would give me a hearing!
   I've signed my name to my defense—let the
      Almighty One answer!
   I want to see my indictment in writing.
Anyone's welcome to read my defense;
   I'll write it on a poster and carry it around town.
I'm prepared to account for every move I've ever made—
   to anyone and everyone, prince or pauper.

 ^38-40 "If the very ground that I farm accuses me,
   if even the furrows fill with tears from my abuse,
If I've ever raped the earth for my own profit
   or dispossessed its rightful owners,
Then curse it with thistles instead of wheat,
   curse it with weeds instead of barley."    The words of Job to his three friends were finished.

Job 32

Elihu Speaks

God's Spirit Makes Wisdom Possible

 ^1-5 Job's three friends now fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn't budge an inch—wouldn't admit to an ounce of guilt. Then Elihu lost his temper. (Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram.) He blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against God's. He was also angry with the three friends because they had neither come up with an answer nor proved Job wrong. Elihu had waited with Job while they spoke because they were all older than he. But when he saw that the three other men had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger.  ^6-10 This is what Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, said:
   "I'm a young man,
   and you are all old and experienced.
That's why I kept quiet
   and held back from joining the discussion.
I kept thinking, 'Experience will tell.
   The longer you live, the wiser you become.'
But I see I was wrong—it's God's Spirit in a person,
   the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.
The experts have no corner on wisdom;
   getting old doesn't guarantee good sense.
So I've decided to speak up. Listen well!
   I'm going to tell you exactly what I think.

 ^11-14 "I hung on your words while you spoke,
   listened carefully to your arguments.
While you searched for the right words,
   I was all ears.
And now what have you proved? Nothing.
   Nothing you say has even touched Job.
And don't excuse yourselves by saying, 'We've done our best.
   Now it's up to God to talk sense into him.'
Job has yet to contend with me.
   And rest assured, I won't be using your arguments!

 ^15-22 "Do you three have nothing else to say?
   Of course you don't! You're total frauds!
Why should I wait any longer,
   now that you're stopped dead in your tracks?
I'm ready to speak my piece. That's right!
   It's my turn—and it's about time!
I've got a lot to say,
   and I'm bursting to say it.
The pressure has built up, like lava beneath the earth.
   I'm a volcano ready to blow.
I have to speak—I have no choice.
   I have to say what's on my heart,
And I'm going to say it straight—
   the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
I was never any good at bootlicking;
   my Maker would make short work of me if I started in now!"

Job 33

 ^1-4"So please, Job, hear me out, honor me by listening to me.
What I'm about to say
   has been carefully thought out.
I have no ulterior motives in this;
   I'm speaking honestly from my heart.
The Spirit of God made me what I am,
   the breath of God Almighty gave me life!

God Always Answers, One Way or Another

 ^5-7 "And if you think you can prove me wrong, do it.
   Lay out your arguments. Stand up for yourself!
Look, I'm human—no better than you;
   we're both made of the same kind of mud.
So let's work this through together;
   don't let my aggressiveness overwhelm you.

 ^8-11 "Here's what you said.
   I heard you say it with my own ears.
You said, 'I'm pure—I've done nothing wrong.
   Believe me, I'm clean—my conscience is clear.
But God keeps picking on me;
   he treats me like I'm his enemy.
He's thrown me in jail;
   he keeps me under constant surveillance.'

 ^12-14 "But let me tell you, Job, you're wrong, dead wrong!
   God is far greater than any human.
So how dare you haul him into court,
   and then complain that he won't answer your charges?
God always answers, one way or another,
   even when people don't recognize his presence.

 ^15-18 "In a dream, for instance, a vision at night,
   when men and women are deep in sleep,
   fast asleep in their beds—
God opens their ears
   and impresses them with warnings
To turn them back from something bad they're planning,
   from some reckless choice,
And keep them from an early grave,
   from the river of no return.

 ^19-22 "Or, God might get their attention through pain,
   by throwing them on a bed of suffering,
So they can't stand the sight of food,
   have no appetite for their favorite treats.
They lose weight, wasting away to nothing,
   reduced to a bag of bones.
They hang on the cliff-edge of death,
   knowing the next breath may be their last.

 ^23-25 "But even then an angel could come,
   a champion—there are thousands of them!—
   to take up your cause,
A messenger who would mercifully intervene,
   canceling the death sentence with the words:
   'I've come up with the ransom!'
Before you know it, you're healed,
   the very picture of health!

 ^26-28 "Or, you may fall on your knees and pray—to God's delight!
   You'll see God's smile and celebrate,
   finding yourself set right with God.
You'll sing God's praises to everyone you meet,
   testifying, 'I messed up my life—
   and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it.
But God stepped in and saved me from certain death.
   I'm alive again! Once more I see the light!'

 ^29-30 "This is the way God works.
   Over and over again
He pulls our souls back from certain destruction
   so we'll see the light—and live in the light!

 ^31-33 "Keep listening, Job.
   Don't interrupt—I'm not finished yet.
But if you think of anything I should know, tell me.
   There's nothing I'd like better than to see your name cleared.
Meanwhile, keep listening. Don't distract me with interruptions.
   I'm going to teach you the basics of wisdom."

 

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2 Corinthians 3:1-18 (The Message)

2 Corinthians 3

 ^1-3Does it sound like we're patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well, we're not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.  ^4-6We couldn't be more sure of ourselves in this—that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation. We wouldn't think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!

Lifting the Veil

 ^7-8The Government of Death, its constitution chiseled on stone tablets, had a dazzling inaugural. Moses' face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even though it would fade soon enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than stare into the sun. How much more dazzling, then, the Government of Living Spirit?  ^9-11If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this Government of Affirmation? Bright as that old government was, it would look downright dull alongside this new one. If that makeshift arrangement impressed us, how much more this brightly shining government installed for eternity?
 ^12-15With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn't notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn't notice. They didn't notice it then and they don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's nothing there.
 ^16-18Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

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Psalm 43:1-5 (The Message)

Psalm 43

 ^1-2 Clear my name, God; stick up for me against these loveless, immoral people.
   Get me out of here, away
      from these lying degenerates.
   I counted on you, God.
      Why did you walk out on me?
   Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands
      over these outrageous people?

 ^3-4 Give me your lantern and compass,
      give me a map,
   So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,
      to the place of your presence,
   To enter the place of worship,
      meet my exuberant God,
   Sing my thanks with a harp,
      magnificent God, my God.

 ⁵ Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
      Why are you crying the blues?
   Fix my eyes on God—
      soon I'll be praising again.
   He puts a smile on my face.
      He's my God.

 

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Proverbs 22:8-9 (The Message)

 ⁸ Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,
   and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

 ⁹ Generous hands are blessed hands
   because they give bread 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

Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, Confucius wrote, “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.”

Bible Readings for August 23, 2015

Today our passages are Job 8:1–11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; and Proverbs 21:28-29. 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 8-11:20 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 8

Bildad's First Speech

How Long Will You Talk?

 ¹Bildad from Shuah ^[a] said: ²How long will you talk    and keep saying nothing?
    ³Does God All-Powerful
   stand in the way of justice?
    ⁴He made your children pay
   for their sins.
    ⁵So why don't you turn to him
    ⁶and start living right?
   Then he will decide
   to rescue and restore you
   to your place of honor.
    ⁷Your future will be brighter
   by far than your past.
   

Our Ancestors Were Wise

 ⁸Our ancestors were wise,    so learn from them.
    ⁹Our own time has been short,
   like a fading shadow,
   and we know very little.
    ¹⁰But they will instruct you
   with great understanding.
    ¹¹Papyrus reeds grow healthy
   only in a swamp,
    ¹²and if the water dries up,
   they die sooner than grass.
    ¹³Such is the hopeless future
   of all who turn from God
    ¹⁴and trust in something as frail
   as a spider's web--
    ¹⁵they take hold and fall
   because it's so flimsy.
    ¹⁶Sinful people are like plants
   with spreading roots
   and plenty
   of sun and water.
    ¹⁷They wrap their roots tightly
   around rocks. ^{[b] 18}But once they are pulled up,
   they have no more place;
    ¹⁹their life slips away, ^[c] and other plants grow there.
    ²⁰We know God doesn't reject
   an innocent person
   or help a sinner.
    ²¹And so, he will make you happy
   and give you something
   to smile about.
    ²²But your evil enemies
   will be put to shame
   and disappear forever.
   

Job 9

Job's Reply to Bildad

What You Say Is True

 ¹Job said:     ²What you say is true.
   No human is innocent
   in the sight of God.
    ³Not once in a thousand times
   could we win our case
   if we took him to court.
    ⁴God is wise and powerful--
   who could possibly
   oppose him and win?
    ⁵When God becomes angry,
   he can move mountains
   before they even know it.
    ⁶God can shake the earth loose
   from its foundations
    ⁷or command the sun and stars
   to hold back their light.
    ⁸God alone stretched out the sky,
   stepped on the sea, ^{[d] 9}and set the stars in place--
   the Big Dipper and Orion,
   the Pleiades and the stars
   in the southern sky.
    ¹⁰Of all the miracles God works,
   we cannot understand a one.
    ¹¹God walks right past me,
   without making a sound.
    ¹²And if he grabs something,
   who can stop him
   or raise a question?
    ¹³When God showed his anger,
   the servants of the sea monster ^[e] fell at his feet.
    ¹⁴How, then, could I possibly
   argue my case with God?
   

Though I Am Innocent

 ¹⁵Even though I am innocent,    I can only beg for mercy.
    ¹⁶And if God came into court
   when I called him,
   he would not hear my case.
    ¹⁷He would strike me with a storm ^[f] and increase my injuries
   for no reason at all.
    ¹⁸Before I could get my breath,
   my miseries would multiply.
    ¹⁹God is much stronger than I am,
   and who would call me into court
   to give me justice?
    ²⁰Even if I were innocent,
   God would prove me wrong. ^{[g] 21}I am not guilty,
   but I no longer care
   what happens to me.
    ²²What difference does it make?
   God destroys the innocent
   along with the guilty.
    ²³When a good person dies
   a sudden death,
   God sits back and laughs.
    ²⁴And who else but God
   blindfolds the judges,
   then lets the wicked
   take over the earth?
   

My Life Is Speeding By

 ²⁵My life is speeding by,    without a hope of happiness.
    ²⁶Each day passes swifter
   than a sailing ship
   or an eagle swooping down.
    ²⁷Sometimes I try to be cheerful
   and to stop complaining,
    ²⁸but my sufferings frighten me,
   because I know that God
   still considers me guilty.
    ²⁹So what's the use of trying
   to prove my innocence?
    ³⁰Even if I washed myself
   with the strongest soap,
    ³¹God would throw me into a pit
   of stinking slime,
   leaving me
   disgusting to my clothes.
    ³²God isn't a mere human like me.
   I can't put him on trial.
    ³³Who could possibly judge
   between the two of us?
    ³⁴Can someone snatch away
   the stick God carries
   to frighten me?
    ³⁵Then I could speak up
   without fear of him,
   but for now, I cannot speak. ^[h]

Job 10

Job Complains to God

I Am Sick of Life!

 ¹I am sick of life!    And from my deep despair,
   I complain to you, my God.
    ²Don't just condemn me!
   Point out my sin.
    ³Why do you take such delight
   in destroying those you created
   and in smiling on sinners?
    ⁴Do you look at things
   the way we humans do?
    ⁵Is your life as short as ours?
    ⁶Is that why you are so quick
   to find fault with me?
    ⁷You know I am innocent,
   but who can defend me
   against you?
    ⁸Will you now destroy
   someone you created?
    ⁹Remember that you molded me
   like a piece of clay.
   So don't turn me back
   into dust once again.
    ¹⁰As cheese is made from milk,
   you created my body
   from a tiny drop.
    ¹¹Then you tied my bones together
   with muscles
   and covered them
   with flesh and skin.
    ¹²You, the source of my life,
   showered me with kindness
   and watched over me.
   

You Have Not Explained

 ¹³You have not explained    all of your mysteries,
    ¹⁴but you catch and punish me
   each time I sin.
    ¹⁵Guilty or innocent,
   I am condemned and ashamed
   because of my troubles.
    ¹⁶No matter how hard I try,
   you keep hunting me down
   like a powerful lion. ^{[i] 17}You never stop accusing me;
   you become furious and attack
   over and over again.
    ¹⁸Why did you let me be born?
   I would rather have died
   before birth
    ¹⁹and been carried to the grave
   without ever breathing.
    ²⁰I have only a few days left.
   Why don't you leave me alone? ^[j] Let me find some relief,
    ²¹before I travel to the land
    ²²of darkness and despair,
   the place of no return.
   

Job 11

Zophar's First Speech

So Much Foolish Talk

 ¹Zophar from Naamah ^[k] said: ²So much foolish talk    cannot go unanswered.
    ³Your words have silenced others
   and made them ashamed;
   now it is only right for you
   to be put to shame.
    ⁴You claim to be innocent
   and argue that your beliefs
   are acceptable to God.
    ⁵But I wish he would speak
    ⁶and let you know
   that wisdom
   has many different sides.
   You would then discover
   that God has punished you
   less
   than you deserve.
    ⁷Can you understand the mysteries
   surrounding God All-Powerful?
    ⁸They are higher than the heavens
   and deeper than the grave.
   So what can you do
   when you know so little,
    ⁹and these mysteries outreach
   the earth and the ocean?
    ¹⁰If God puts you in prison
   or drags you to court,
   what can you do?
    ¹¹God has the wisdom to know
   when someone is worthless
   and sinful,
    ¹²but it's easier to tame
   a wild donkey
   than to make a fool wise. ^[l]

Surrender Your Heart to God

 ¹³Surrender your heart to God,    turn to him in prayer,
    ¹⁴and give up your sins--
   even those you do in secret.
    ¹⁵Then you won't be ashamed;
   you will be confident
   and fearless.
    ¹⁶Your troubles will go away
   like water beneath a bridge,
    ¹⁷and your darkest night
   will be brighter than noon.
    ¹⁸You will rest safe and secure,
   filled with hope
   and emptied of worry.
    ¹⁹You will sleep without fear
   and be greatly respected.
    ²⁰But those who are evil
   will go blind and lose their way.
   Their only escape is death!
   

Footnotes:

1. Job 8:1 Shuah: See the note at 2.11.
2. Job 8:17 rocks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.
3. Job 8:19 their. . . away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Job 9:8 sea: Or "sea monster" (see verse 13 and the note there).
5. Job 9:13 the sea monster: The Hebrew text has "Rahab," which was some kind of sea monster with supernatural powers (see the notes at 3.8 and 26.12).
6. Job 9:17 strike. . . storm: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Job 9:20 God. . . wrong: Or "my own words would prove me wrong."
8. Job 9:35 but. . . speak: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9. Job 10:16 lion: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 16.
10. Job 10:20 I have only. . . alone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Job 11:1 Naamah: See the note at 2.11.
12. Job 11:12 it's. . . wise: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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1 Corinthians 15:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Corinthians 15

Christ Was Raised to Life

 ¹My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. ²You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.     ³I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:
   Christ died for our sins,
   as the Scriptures say.
    ⁴He was buried,
   and three days later
   he was raised to life,
   as the Scriptures say.
    ⁵Christ appeared to Peter, ^[a] then to the twelve.
    ⁶After this, he appeared
   to more than five hundred
   other followers.
   Most of them are still alive,
   but some have died.
    ⁷He also appeared to James,
   and then to all
   of the apostles.
    ⁸Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. ^{[b] 9}I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle. ¹⁰But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me. ¹¹But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.
   

God's People Will Be Raised to Life

 ¹²If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? ¹³If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. ¹⁴And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. ¹⁵If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.     ¹⁶So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. ¹⁷Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. ¹⁸And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. ¹⁹If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.
    ²⁰But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. ²¹Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. ²²Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. ²³But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. ²⁴Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.
    ²⁵Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, ²⁶and the last enemy he destroys will be death. ²⁷When the Scriptures say that he will put everything under his power, they don't include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. ²⁸After everything is under the power of God's Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son's power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 15:5 Peter: See the note at 1.12.
2. 1 Corinthians 15:8 who was born at the wrong time: The meaning of these words in Greek is not clear.

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Psalm 38:1-22 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 38

(A psalm by David to be used when an offering is made.)

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

 ¹When you are angry, LORD,    please don't punish me
   or even correct me.
    ²You shot me with your arrows,
   and you struck me
   with your hand.
    ³My body hurts all over
   because of your anger.
   Even my bones are in pain,
   and my sins ⁴are so heavy
   that I am crushed.
    ⁵Because of my foolishness,
   I am covered with sores
   that stink and spread.
    ⁶My body is twisted and bent,
   and I groan all day long.
    ⁷Fever has my back in flames,
   and I hurt all over.
    ⁸I am worn out and weak,
   moaning and in distress.
    ⁹You, Lord, know every one
   of my deepest desires,
   and my noisy groans
   are no secret to you.
    ¹⁰My heart is beating fast.
   I feel weak all over,
   and my eyes are red.
    ¹¹Because of my sickness,
   no friends or neighbors
   will come near me.
    ¹²All who want me dead
   set traps to catch me,
   and those who want
   to harm and destroy me
   plan and plot all day.
    ¹³I am not able to hear
   or speak a word;
    ¹⁴I am completely deaf
   and can't make a sound.
    ¹⁵I trust you, LORD God,
   and you will do something.
    ¹⁶I said, "Don't let them laugh
   or brag because I slip."
    ¹⁷I am about to collapse
   from constant pain.
    ¹⁸I told you my sins,
   and I am sorry for them.
    ¹⁹Many deadly and powerful
   enemies hate me,
    ²⁰and they repay evil for good
   because I try to do right.
    ²¹You are the LORD God!
   Stay nearby
   and don't desert me.
    ²²You are the one who saves me.
   Please hurry and help.

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Proverbs 21:28-29 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁸If you tell lies in court,
   you are done for;
   only a reliable witness
   can do the job.
    ²⁹Wicked people bluff their way,
   but God's people think
   before they take a step.

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Verse of the Day

“When I felt my feet slipping, you came with your love and kept me steady. And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.” - Psalm 94:18-19

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, Confucius wrote, “I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.”

Bible Readings for May 18, 2014

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 22:1–23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; and Proverbs 15:18-19. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year.

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1 Samuel 22-23:29 (The Message)

1 Samuel 22

Saul Murders the Priests of God

 ^1-2 So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.

 ^3-4 Then David went to Mizpah in Moab. He petitioned the king of Moab, "Grant asylum to my father and mother until I find out what God has planned for me." David left his parents in the care of the king of Moab. They stayed there all through the time David was hiding out.

 ⁵ The prophet Gad told David, "Don't go back to the cave. Go to Judah." David did what he told him. He went to the forest of Hereth.

 ^6-8 Saul got word of the whereabouts of David and his men. He was sitting under the big oak on the hill at Gibeah at the time, spear in hand, holding court surrounded by his officials. He said, "Listen here, you Benjaminites! Don't think for a minute that you have any future with the son of Jesse! Do you think he's going to hand over choice land, give you all influential jobs? Think again. Here you are, conspiring against me, whispering behind my back—not one of you is man enough to tell me that my own son is making deals with the son of Jesse, not one of you who cares enough to tell me that my son has taken the side of this, this ...outlaw!"

 ^9-10 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, spoke up: "I saw the son of Jesse meet with Ahimelech son of Ahitub, in Nob. I saw Ahimelech pray with him for God's guidance, give him food, and arm him with the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

 ¹¹ Saul sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, along with the whole family of priests at Nob. They all came to the king.

 ¹² Saul said, "You listen to me, son of Ahitub!"

    "Certainly, master," he said.

 ¹³ "Why have you ganged up against me with the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword, even praying with him for God's guidance, setting him up as an outlaw, out to get me?"

 ^14-15 Ahimelech answered the king, "There's not an official in your administration as true to you as David, your own son-in-law and captain of your bodyguard. None more honorable either. Do you think that was the first time I prayed with him for God's guidance? Hardly! But don't accuse me of any wrongdoing, me or my family. I have no idea what you're trying to get at with this 'outlaw' talk."

 ¹⁶ The king said, "Death, Ahimelech! You're going to die—you and everyone in your family!"

 ¹⁷ The king ordered his henchmen, "Surround and kill the priests of God! They're hand in glove with David. They knew he was running away from me and didn't tell me." But the king's men wouldn't do it. They refused to lay a hand on the priests of God.

 ^18-19 Then the king told Doeg, "You do it—massacre the priests!" Doeg the Edomite led the attack and slaughtered the priests, the eighty-five men who wore the sacred robes. He then carried the massacre into Nob, the city of priests, killing man and woman, child and baby, ox, donkey, and sheep—the works.

 ^20-21 Only one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped: Abiathar. He got away and joined up with David. Abiathar reported to David that Saul had murdered the priests of God.

 ^22-23 David said to Abiathar, "I knew it—that day I saw Doeg the Edomite there, I knew he'd tell Saul. I'm to blame for the death of everyone in your father's family. Stay here with me. Don't be afraid. The one out to kill you is out to kill me, too. Stick with me. I'll protect you."

1 Samuel 23

Living in Desert Hideouts

 ^1-2 It was reported to David that the Philistines were raiding Keilah and looting the grain. David went in prayer to God: "Should I go after these Philistines and teach them a lesson?"

    God said, "Go. Attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

 ³ But David's men said, "We live in fear of our lives right here in Judah. How can you think of going to Keilah in the thick of the Philistines?"

 ⁴ So David went back to God in prayer. God said, "Get going. Head for Keilah. I'm placing the Philistines in your hands."

 ^5-6 David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He scattered their cattle, beat them decisively, and saved the people of Keilah. After Abiathar took refuge with David, he joined David in the raid on Keilah, bringing the Ephod with him.

 ^7-8 Saul learned that David had gone to Keilah and thought immediately, "Good! God has handed him to me on a platter! He's in a walled city with locked gates, trapped!" Saul mustered his troops for battle and set out for Keilah to lay siege to David and his men.

 ^9-11 But David got wind of Saul's strategy to destroy him and said to Abiathar the priest, "Get the Ephod." Then David prayed to God: "God of Israel, I've just heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me. Will the city fathers of Keilah turn me over to him? Will Saul come down and do what I've heard? O God, God of Israel, tell me!"

    God replied, "He's coming down."

 ¹² "And will the head men of Keilah turn me and my men over to Saul?"

    And God said, "They'll turn you over."

 ¹³ So David and his men got out of there. There were about six hundred of them. They left Keilah and kept moving, going here, there, wherever—always on the move.

    When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the raid.

 ^14-15 David continued to live in desert hideouts and the backcountry wilderness hills of Ziph. Saul was out looking for him day after day, but God never turned David over to him. David kept out of the way in the wilderness of Ziph, secluded at Horesh, since it was plain that Saul was determined to hunt him down.

 ^16-18 Jonathan, Saul's son, visited David at Horesh and encouraged him in God. He said, "Don't despair. My father, Saul, can't lay a hand on you. You will be Israel's king and I'll be right at your side to help. And my father knows it." Then the two of them made a covenant before God. David stayed at Horesh and Jonathan went home.

 ^19-20 Some Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Did you know that David is hiding out near us in the caves and canyons of Horesh? Right now he's at Hakilah Hill just south of Jeshimon. So whenever you're ready to come down, we'd count it an honor to hand him over to the king."

 ^21-23 Saul said, "God bless you for thinking about me! Now go back and check everything out. Learn his routines. Observe his movements—where he goes, who he's with. He's very shrewd, you know. Scout out all his hiding places. Then meet me at Nacon and I'll go with you. If he is anywhere to be found in all the thousands of Judah, I'll track him down!"

 ^24-27 So the Ziphites set out on their reconnaissance for Saul.

    Meanwhile, David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the desert south of Jeshimon. Saul and his men arrived and began their search. When David heard of it, he went south to Rock Mountain, camping out in the wilderness of Maon. Saul heard where he was and set off for the wilderness of Maon in pursuit. Saul was on one side of the mountain, David and his men on the other. David was in full retreat, running, with Saul and his men closing in, about to get him. Just then a messenger came to Saul and said, "Hurry! Come back! The Philistines have just attacked the country!"

 ^28-29 So Saul called off his pursuit of David and went back to deal with the Philistines. That's how that place got the name Narrow Escape. David left there and camped out in the caves and canyons of En Gedi.

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John 10:1-21 (The Message)

John 10

He Calls His Sheep by Name

 ^1-5 "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."

 ^6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

 ^11-13"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He's only in it for the money. The sheep don't matter to him.

 ^14-18"I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."

 ^19-21This kind of talk caused another split in the Jewish ranks. A lot of them were saying, "He's crazy, a maniac—out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?" But others weren't so sure: "These aren't the words of a crazy man. Can a 'maniac' open blind eyes?"

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Psalm 115:1-18 (The Message)

Psalm 115

    Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake, but for your name's sake, show your glory.
   Do it on account of your merciful love,
      do it on account of your faithful ways.
   Do it so none of the nations can say,
      "Where now, oh where is their God?"

 ^3-8 Our God is in heaven
      doing whatever he wants to do.
   Their gods are metal and wood,
      handmade in a basement shop:
   Carved mouths that can't talk,
      painted eyes that can't see,
   Tin ears that can't hear,
      molded noses that can't smell,
   Hands that can't grasp, feet that can't walk or run,
      throats that never utter a sound.
   Those who make them have become just like them,
      have become just like the gods they trust.

 ^4-9 God is higher than anything and anyone,
      outshining everything you can see in the skies.
   Who can compare with God, our God,
      so majestically enthroned,
   Surveying his magnificent
      heavens and earth?
   He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
      rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,
   Seats them among the honored guests,
      a place of honor among the brightest and best.
   He gives childless couples a family,
      gives them joy as the parents of children.
   Hallelujah!

 ^9-11 But you, Israel: put your trust in God!
      —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!
   Clan of Aaron, trust in God!
      —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!
   You who fear God, trust in God!
      —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!

 ^12-16 O God, remember us and bless us,
      bless the families of Israel and Aaron.
   And let God bless all who fear God—
      bless the small, bless the great.
   Oh, let God enlarge your families—
      giving growth to you, growth to your children.
   May you be blessed by God,
      by God, who made heaven and earth.
   The heaven of heavens is for God,
      but he put us in charge of the earth.

 ^17-18 Dead people can't praise God—
      not a word to be heard from those buried in the ground.
   But we bless God, oh yes—
      we bless him now, we bless him always!
   Hallelujah!

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Proverbs 15:18-19 (The Message)

 ¹⁸ Hot tempers start fights;
   a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.

 ¹⁹ The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers;
   the diligent walk down a smooth road.

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Verse of the Day

“God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he won't forget the love you have shown his people.” - Hebrews 6:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, Confucius wrote, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”