Bible Readings for July 13, 2019

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 15:1–16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; and Proverbs 19:6-7. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Chronicles 15-16:36 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 15

David Gets Ready To Bring the Sacred Chest to Jerusalem

 ¹David had several buildings built in Jerusalem, and he had a tent set up where the sacred chest would be kept. ²He said, "Only Levites will be allowed to carry the chest, because the LORD has chosen them to do that work and to serve him forever."     ³Next, David invited everyone to come to Jerusalem and watch the sacred chest being carried to the place he had set up for it. ⁴He also sent for Aaron's descendants and for the Levites. The Levites that came were: ⁵Uriel, the leader of the Kohath clan, and one hundred twenty of his relatives; ⁶Asaiah, the leader of the Merari clan, and two hundred twenty of his relatives; ⁷Joel, the leader of the Gershon clan, and one hundred thirty of his relatives; ⁸Shemaiah, the leader of the Elizaphan clan, and two hundred of his relatives; ⁹Eliel, the leader of the Hebron clan, and eighty of his relatives; and ¹⁰Amminadab, the leader of the Uzziel clan, with one hundred twelve of his relatives.
    ¹¹David called together these six Levites and the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar. ¹²He said to them, "You are the leaders of the clans in the Levi tribe. You and your relatives must first go through the ceremony to make yourselves clean and acceptable to the LORD. Then you may carry the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD God of Israel and bring it to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³The first time we tried to bring the chest to Jerusalem, we didn't ask the LORD what he wanted us to do. He was angry at us, because you Levites weren't there to carry the chest."
    ¹⁴The priests and the Levites made themselves clean. They were now ready to carry the sacred chest ¹⁵on poles that rested on their shoulders, just as the LORD had told Moses to do.
    ¹⁶David then told the leaders to choose some Levites to sing and play music on small harps, other stringed instruments, and cymbals. ^17-21The men chosen to play the cymbals were Heman the son of Joel, his relative Asaph the son of Berechiah, and Ethan the son of Kushaiah from the Merari clan. Some of their assistants played the smaller harps: they were Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah. Others played the larger harps: they were Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and two of the temple guards, Obed-Edom and Jeiel.
    ²²Chenaniah was chosen to be the music director, because he was a skilled musician.
    ^23-24Four Levites were then appointed to guard the sacred chest. They were Berechiah, Elkanah, Obed-Edom, and Jehiah.
   Finally, David chose priests to walk in front of the sacred chest and blow trumpets. They were Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer.     

The Sacred Chest Is Brought to Jerusalem

(2 Samuel 6.12-22)

 ²⁵David, the leaders of Israel, and the army commanders were very happy as they went to Obed-Edom's house to get the sacred chest. ²⁶God gave the Levites the strength they needed to carry the chest, and so they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.     ²⁷David, the Levites, Chenaniah the music director, and all the musicians were wearing linen robes, and David was also wearing a linen cloth. ^[a] ²⁸While the sacred chest was being carried into Jerusalem, everyone was celebrating by shouting and playing music on horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments. ²⁹Saul's daughter Michal ^[b] looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing in honor of the LORD, she was disgusted. 

1 Chronicles 16

 ¹They put the sacred chest inside the tent that David had set up for it, then they offered sacrifices to please the LORD ^[c] and sacrifices to ask his blessing. ^[d] ²After David had finished, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD ³and gave every person in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins. ⁴David appointed some of the Levites to serve at the sacred chest; they were to play music and sing praises to the LORD God of Israel. ⁵Asaph was their leader, and Zechariah was his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and another man named Jeiel were appointed to play small harps and stringed instruments. Asaph himself played the cymbals, ⁶and the two priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets every day in front of the sacred chest.     

David's Song of Praise

(Psalms 105.1-15; 96.1-13; 106.47,48)

 ⁷That same day, David instructed Asaph and his relatives for the first time to sing these praises to the LORD:     ⁸Praise the LORD
   and pray in his name!
   Tell everyone
   what he has done.
    ⁹Sing praises to the LORD!
   Tell about his miracles.
    ¹⁰Celebrate and worship
   his holy name
   with all your heart.
    ¹¹Trust the LORD
   and his mighty power.
   Worship him always.
    ¹²Remember his miracles
   and all his wonders
   and his fair decisions.
    ¹³You belong to the family
   of Israel, his servant;
   you are his chosen ones,
   the descendants of Jacob.
    ¹⁴The LORD is our God,
   bringing justice
   everywhere on earth.
    ¹⁵We must never forget
   his agreement and his promises,
   not in thousands of years.
    ¹⁶God made an eternal promise
    ¹⁷to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
    ¹⁸when he said, "I'll give you
   the land of Canaan."
    ¹⁹At the time there were
   only a few of us,
   and we were homeless.
    ²⁰We wandered from nation
   to nation,
   from one country
   to another.
    ²¹God did not let anyone
   mistreat our people.
   Instead he protected us
   by punishing rulers
    ²²and telling them,
   "Don't touch my chosen leaders
   or harm my prophets!"
    ²³Everyone on this earth,
   sing praises to the LORD.
   Day after day announce,
   "The LORD has saved us!"
    ²⁴Tell every nation on earth,
   "The LORD is wonderful
   and does marvelous things!
    ²⁵The LORD is great and deserves
   our greatest praise!
   He is the only God
   worthy of our worship.
    ²⁶Other nations worship idols,
   but the LORD created
   the heavens.
    ²⁷Give honor and praise
   to the LORD,
   whose power and beauty
   fill his holy temple."
    ²⁸Tell everyone of every nation,
   "Praise the glorious power
   of the LORD.
    ²⁹He is wonderful! Praise him
   and bring an offering
   into his temple.
   Worship the LORD,
   majestic and holy.
    ³⁰Everyone on earth, now tremble!"
   The world stands firm,
   never to be shaken.
    ³¹Tell the heavens and the earth
   to be glad and celebrate!
   And announce to the nations,
   "The LORD is King!"
    ³²Command the ocean to roar
   with all of its creatures
   and the fields to rejoice
   with all of their crops.
    ³³Then every tree in the forest
   will sing joyful songs
   to the LORD.
   He is coming to judge
   all people on earth.
    ³⁴Praise the LORD
   because he is good to us,
   and his love never fails.
    ³⁵Say to him, "Save us, LORD God!
   Bring us back
   from among the nations.
   Let us celebrate and shout
   in praise of your holy name.
    ³⁶LORD God of Israel,
   you deserve to be praised
   forever and ever."
   After David finished, the people shouted, "Amen! Praise the LORD!"
    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 15:27 a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is "ephod," which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or jacket that only the priests wore.
2. 1 Chronicles 15:29 Michal: One of David's wives.
3. 1 Chronicles 16:1 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."
4. 1 Chronicles 16:1 sacrifices to ask his blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "peace offerings" or "offerings of well-being." A main purpose was to ask for the LORD's blessing, and so in the CEV they are sometimes called "sacrifices to ask the LORD's blessing."

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Romans 1:18-32 (Contemporary English Version)

Everyone Is Guilty

 ¹⁸From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth. ¹⁹They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them. ²⁰God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. ²¹They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. ²²They claim to be wise, but they are fools. ²³They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.     ²⁴So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. ²⁵They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.
    ²⁶God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. ²⁷Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.
    ²⁸Since these people refused even to think about God, he let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things. ²⁹They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip, ³⁰say cruel things about others, and hate God. They are proud, conceited, and boastful, always thinking up new ways to do evil.
   These people don't respect their parents. ³¹They are stupid, unreliable, and don't have any love or pity for others. ³²They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and they even encourage others to do them. 

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Psalm 10:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 10

A Prayer for Help

 ¹Why are you far away, LORD?    Why do you hide yourself
   when I am in trouble?
    ²Proud and brutal people
   hunt down the poor.
   But let them get caught
   by their own evil plans!
    ³The wicked brag about
   their deepest desires.
   Those greedy people hate
   and curse you, LORD.
    ⁴The wicked are too proud
   to turn to you
   or even think about you.
    ⁵They are always successful,
   though they can't understand
   your teachings,
   and they keep sneering
   at their enemies.
    ⁶In their hearts they say,
   "Nothing can hurt us!
   We'll always be happy
   and free from trouble."
    ⁷They curse and tell lies,
   and all they talk about
   is how to be cruel
   or how to do wrong.
    ⁸They hide outside villages,
   waiting to strike and murder
   some innocent victim.
    ⁹They are hungry lions
   hiding in the bushes,
   hoping to catch
   some helpless passerby.
   They trap the poor in nets
   and drag them away.
    ¹⁰They crouch down and wait
   to grab a victim.
    ¹¹They say, "God can't see!
   He's got on a blindfold."
    ¹²Do something, LORD God,
   and use your powerful arm
   to help those in need.
    ¹³The wicked don't respect you.
   In their hearts they say,
   "God won't punish us!"
    ¹⁴But you see the trouble
   and the distress,
   and you will do something.
   The poor can count on you,
   and so can orphans.
    ¹⁵Now break the arms
   of all merciless people.
   Punish them for doing wrong
   and make them stop. 

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Proverbs 19:6-7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶Everyone tries to be friends
   of those who can help them.
    ⁷If you are poor,
   your own relatives reject you,
   and your friends are worse.
   When you really need them,
   they are not there. ^[a] 

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 19:7 When. . . there: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Verse of the Day

“Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!” - Philippians 2:9-11 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Irish playwright (who held both British and Irish citizenship), critic and polemicist, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”

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 A Joke for Today

The elderly priest, speaking to the younger priest, said, "It was a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills first now."

The young priest nodded, and the old priest continued, "And you told me adding a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock'n'roll gospel choir. Now our services are consistently packed to the balcony."

"Thank you, Father," answered the young priest. "I am pleased that you are open to the new ideas of youth."

"All of these ideas have been well and good," said the elderly priest, "but I'm afraid you've gone too far with the drive-thru confessional."

"But, Father," protested the young priest, "my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!"

"Yes," replied the elderly priest, "and I appreciate that.

But the flashing neon sign, 'Toot 'n Tell or Go to Hell' cannot stay on the church roof. 

Bible Readings for August 26, 2018

Today our passages are Job 16:1–22:30; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 Corinthians 1:11; Psalm 40:1-17; and Proverbs 22:1-4. 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 by using the link below.

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Job 16-22:30 (The Message)

Job 16

Job Defends Himself

If You Were in My Shoes

 ^1-5 Then Job defended himself:

"I've had all I can take of your talk.
   What a bunch of miserable comforters!
Is there no end to your windbag speeches?
   What's your problem that you go on and on like this?
If you were in my shoes,
   I could talk just like you.
I could put together a terrific harangue
   and really let you have it.
But I'd never do that. I'd console and comfort,
   make things better, not worse!

 ^6-14 "When I speak up, I feel no better;
   if I say nothing, that doesn't help either.
I feel worn down.
   God, you have wasted me totally—me and my family!
You've shriveled me like a dried prune,
   showing the world that you're against me.
My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror,
   a mute witness to your treatment of me.
Your anger tears at me,
   your teeth rip me to shreds,
   your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!
People take one look at me and gasp.
   Contemptuous, they slap me around
   and gang up against me.
And God just stands there and lets them do it,
   lets wicked people do what they want with me.
I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up.
   He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around.
He set me up as his target,
   then rounded up archers to shoot at me.
Merciless, they shot me full of arrows;
   bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground.
He burst in on me, onslaught after onslaught,
   charging me like a mad bull.

 ^15-17 "I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt;
   I lay facedown in the dirt.
Now my face is blotched red from weeping;
   look at the dark shadows under my eyes,
Even though I've never hurt a soul
   and my prayers are sincere!

The One Who Represents Mortals Before God

 ^18-22 "O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me!
   Don't muffle my cry!
There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me,
   in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—
My Champion, my Friend,
   while I'm weeping my eyes out before God.
I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God
   as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor.    "Only a few years are left
   before I set out on the road of no return." 

Job 17

 ^1-2 "My spirit is broken,    my days used up,
   my grave dug and waiting.
See how these mockers close in on me?
   How long do I have to put up with their insolence?

 ^3-5 "O God, pledge your support for me.
   Give it to me in writing, with your signature.
   You're the only one who can do it!
These people are so useless!
   You know firsthand how stupid they can be.
   You wouldn't let them have the last word, would you?
Those who betray their own friends
   leave a legacy of abuse to their children.

 ^6-8 "God, you've made me the talk of the town—
   people spit in my face;
I can hardly see from crying so much;
   I'm nothing but skin and bones.
Decent people can't believe what they're seeing;
   the good-hearted wake up and insist I've given up on God.

 ⁹ "But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,
   sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!

 ^10-16 "Maybe you'd all like to start over,
   to try it again, the bunch of you.
So far I haven't come across one scrap
   of wisdom in anything you've said.
My life's about over. All my plans are smashed,
   all my hopes are snuffed out—
My hope that night would turn into day,
   my hope that dawn was about to break.
If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard,
   if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,
If a family reunion means going six feet under,
   and the only family that shows up is worms,
Do you call that hope?
   Who on earth could find any hope in that?
No. If hope and I are to be buried together,
   I suppose you'll all come to the double funeral!" 

Job 18

Bildad's Second Attack

Plunged from Light into Darkness

 ^1-4 Bildad from Shuhah chimed in: "How monotonous these word games are getting!
   Get serious! We need to get down to business.
Why do you treat your friends like slow-witted animals?
   You look down on us as if we don't know anything.
Why are you working yourself up like this?
   Do you want the world redesigned to suit you?
   Should reality be suspended to accommodate you?

 ^5-21 "Here's the rule: The light of the wicked is put out.
   Their flame dies down and is extinguished.
Their house goes dark—
   every lamp in the place goes out.
Their strong strides weaken, falter;
   they stumble into their own traps.
They get all tangled up
   in their own red tape,
Their feet are grabbed and caught,
   their necks in a noose.
They trip on ropes they've hidden,
   and fall into pits they've dug themselves.
Terrors come at them from all sides.
   They run helter-skelter.
The hungry grave is ready
   to gobble them up for supper,
To lay them out for a gourmet meal,
   a treat for ravenous Death.
They are snatched from their home sweet home
   and marched straight to the death house.
Their lives go up in smoke;
   acid rain soaks their ruins.
Their roots rot
   and their branches wither.
They'll never again be remembered—
   nameless in unmarked graves.
They are plunged from light into darkness,
   banished from the world.
And they leave empty-handed—not one single child—
   nothing to show for their life on this earth.
Westerners are aghast at their fate,
   easterners are horrified:
'Oh no! So this is what happens to perverse people.
   This is how the God-ignorant end up!'"

Job 19

Job Answers Bildad

I Call for Help and No One Bothers

 ^1-6 Job answered: "How long are you going to keep battering away at me,
   pounding me with these harangues?
Time after time after time you jump all over me.
   Do you have no conscience, abusing me like this?
Even if I have, somehow or other, gotten off the track,
   what business is that of yours?
Why do you insist on putting me down,
   using my troubles as a stick to beat me?
Tell it to God—he's the one behind all this,
   he's the one who dragged me into this mess.

 ^7-12 "Look at me—I shout 'Murder!' and I'm ignored;
   I call for help and no one bothers to stop.
God threw a barricade across my path—I'm stymied;
   he turned out all the lights—I'm stuck in the dark.
He destroyed my reputation,
   robbed me of all self-respect.
He tore me apart piece by piece—I'm ruined!
   Then he yanked out hope by the roots.
He's angry with me—oh, how he's angry!
   He treats me like his worst enemy.
He has launched a major campaign against me,
   using every weapon he can think of,
   coming at me from all sides at once.

I Know That God Lives

 ^13-20 "God alienated my family from me;
   everyone who knows me avoids me.
My relatives and friends have all left;
   houseguests forget I ever existed.
The servant girls treat me like a bum off the street,
   look at me like they've never seen me before.
I call my attendant and he ignores me,
   ignores me even though I plead with him.
My wife can't stand to be around me anymore.
   I'm repulsive to my family.
Even street urchins despise me;
   when I come out, they taunt and jeer.
Everyone I've ever been close to abhors me;
   my dearest loved ones reject me.
I'm nothing but a bag of bones;
   my life hangs by a thread.

 ^21-22 "Oh, friends, dear friends, take pity on me.
   God has come down hard on me!
Do you have to be hard on me, too?
   Don't you ever tire of abusing me?

 ^23-27 "If only my words were written in a book—
   better yet, chiseled in stone!
Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life—
   and eventually he'll take his stand on earth.
And I'll see him—even though I get skinned alive!—
   see God myself, with my very own eyes.
   Oh, how I long for that day!

 ^28-29 "If you're thinking, 'How can we get through to him,
   get him to see that his trouble is all his own fault?'
Forget it. Start worrying about yourselves.
   Worry about your own sins and God's coming judgment,
   for judgment is most certainly on the way."

Job 20

Zophar Attacks Job—The Second Round

Savoring Evil as a Delicacy

 ^1-3 Zophar from Naamath again took his turn: "I can't believe what I'm hearing!
   You've put my teeth on edge, my stomach in a knot.
How dare you insult my intelligence like this!
   Well, here's a piece of my mind!

 ^4-11 "Don't you even know the basics,
   how things have been since the earliest days,
   when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth?
The good times of the wicked are short-lived;
   godless joy is only momentary.
The evil might become world famous,
   strutting at the head of the celebrity parade,
But still end up in a pile of dung.
   Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, 'What's that?'
They fly off like a dream that can't be remembered,
   like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light.
Though once notorious public figures, now they're nobodies,
   unnoticed, whether they come or go.
Their children will go begging on skid row,
   and they'll have to give back their ill-gotten gain.
Right in the prime of life,
   and youthful and vigorous, they'll die.

 ^12-19 "They savor evil as a delicacy,
   roll it around on their tongues,
Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence—
   real gourmets of evil!
But then they get stomach cramps,
   a bad case of food poisoning.
They gag on all that rich food;
   God makes them vomit it up.
They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison—
   a deadly diet—and it kills them.
No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams
   with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks.
They spit out their food half-chewed,
   unable to relax and enjoy anything they've worked for.
And why? Because they exploited the poor,
   took what never belonged to them.

 ^20-29 "Such God-denying people are never content with what they have
      or who they are;
   their greed drives them relentlessly.
They plunder everything
   but they can't hold on to any of it.
Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes;
   they're served up a plate full of misery.
When they've filled their bellies with that,
   God gives them a taste of his anger,
   and they get to chew on that for a while.
As they run for their lives from one disaster,
   they run smack into another.
They're knocked around from pillar to post,
   beaten to within an inch of their lives.
They're trapped in a house of horrors,
   and see their loot disappear down a black hole.
Their lives are a total loss—
   not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean.
God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes
   and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see.
Life is a complete wipeout for them,
   nothing surviving God's wrath.
There! That's God's blueprint for the wicked—
   what they have to look forward to."

Job 21

Job's Response

Why Do the Wicked Have It So Good?

 ^1-3Job replied: "Now listen to me carefully, please listen,
   at least do me the favor of listening.
Put up with me while I have my say—
   then you can mock me later to your heart's content.

 ^4-16 "It's not you I'm complaining to—it's God.
   Is it any wonder I'm getting fed up with his silence?
Take a good look at me. Aren't you appalled by what's happened?
   No! Don't say anything. I can do without your comments.
When I look back, I go into shock,
   my body is racked with spasms.
Why do the wicked have it so good,
   live to a ripe old age and get rich?
They get to see their children succeed,
   get to watch and enjoy their grandchildren.
Their homes are peaceful and free from fear;
   they never experience God's disciplining rod.
Their bulls breed with great vigor
   and their cows calve without fail.
They send their children out to play
   and watch them frolic like spring lambs.
They make music with fiddles and flutes,
   have good times singing and dancing.
They have a long life on easy street,
   and die painlessly in their sleep.
They say to God, 'Get lost!
   We've no interest in you or your ways.
Why should we have dealings with God Almighty?
   What's there in it for us?'
But they're wrong, dead wrong—they're not gods.
   It's beyond me how they can carry on like this!

 ^17-21 "Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail,
   or disaster strikes,
   or they get their just deserts?
How often are they blown away by bad luck?
   Not very often.
You might say, 'God is saving up the punishment for their children.'
   I say, 'Give it to them right now so they'll know what
      they've done!'
They deserve to experience the effects of their evil,
   feel the full force of God's wrath firsthand.
What do they care what happens to their families
   after they're safely tucked away in the grave?

Fancy Funerals with All the Trimmings

 ^22-26 "But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?
   He's dealing with matters that are way over our heads.
Some people die in the prime of life,
   with everything going for them—
   fat and sassy.
Others die bitter and bereft,
   never getting a taste of happiness.
They're laid out side by side in the cemetery,
   where the worms can't tell one from the other.

 ^27-33 "I'm not deceived. I know what you're up to,
   the plans you're cooking up to bring me down.
Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces,
   that the achievements of the wicked collapse.
Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it?
   Have you not listened to their stories
Of evil men and women who got off scot-free,
   who never had to pay for their wickedness?
Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes?
   Did they ever have to face the music?
Not likely—they're given fancy funerals
   with all the trimmings,
Gently lowered into expensive graves,
   with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were.

 ³⁴ "So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense?
   Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies."

Job 22

Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round

Come to Terms with God

 ^1-11 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme: <    >"Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,
   or smart enough to give him advice?
So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?
   Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think
      he'd applaud?
Do you think it's because he cares about your purity
   that he's disciplining you, putting you on the spot?
Hardly! It's because you're a first-class moral failure,
   because there's no end to your sins.
When people came to you for help,
   you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.
You wouldn't so much as give a drink to the thirsty,
   or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.
And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,
   surrounded by immense wealth!
You turned poor widows away from your door;
   heartless, you crushed orphans.
Now you're the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.
   Suddenly the tables have turned!
How do you like living in the dark, sightless,
   up to your neck in flood waters?

 ^12-14 "You agree, don't you, that God is in charge?
   He runs the universe—just look at the stars!
Yet you dare raise questions: 'What does God know?
   From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?
He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,
   so how can he see us?'

 ^15-18 "Are you going to persist in that tired old line
   that wicked men and women have always used?
Where did it get them? They died young,
   flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.
They told God, 'Get lost!
   What good is God Almighty to us?'
And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.
   It's beyond me how they can carry on like this!

 ^19-20 "Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.
   Relieved, they crow,
'At last! Our enemies—wiped out.
   Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!'

 ^21-25 "Give in to God, come to terms with him
   and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
   take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
   and he'll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
   Relax your grip on your money
   and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
   more wealth than you can imagine.

 ^26-30 "You'll take delight in God, the Mighty One,
   and look to him joyfully, boldly.
You'll pray to him and he'll listen;
   he'll help you do what you've promised.
You'll decide what you want and it will happen;
   your life will be bathed in light.
To those who feel low you'll say, 'Chin up! Be brave!'
   and God will save them.
Yes, even the guilty will escape,
   escape through God's grace in your life." 

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1 Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1:11 (The Message)

1 Corinthians 16

Coming to See You

 ^1-4Regarding the relief offering for poor Christians that is being collected, you get the same instructions I gave the churches in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. When I get there you'll have it ready, and I won't have to make a special appeal. Then after I arrive, I'll write letters authorizing whomever you delegate, and send them off to Jerusalem to deliver your gift. If you think it best that I go along, I'll be glad to travel with them.  ^5-9I plan to visit you after passing through northern Greece. I won't be staying long there, but maybe I can stay awhile with you—maybe even spend the winter? Then you could give me a good send-off, wherever I may be headed next. I don't want to just drop by in between other "primary" destinations. I want a good, long, leisurely visit. If the Master agrees, we'll have it! For the present, I'm staying right here in Ephesus. A huge door of opportunity for good work has opened up here. (There is also mushrooming opposition.)
 ^10-11If Timothy shows up, take good care of him. Make him feel completely at home among you. He works so hard for the Master, just as I do. Don't let anyone disparage him. After a while, send him on to me with your blessing. Tell him I'm expecting him, and any friends he has with him.
 ¹²About our friend Apollos, I've done my best to get him to pay you a visit, but haven't talked him into it yet. He doesn't think this is the right time. But there will be a "right time."
 ^13-14Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.
 ^15-16Would you do me a favor, friends, and give special recognition to the family of Stephanas? You know, they were among the first converts in Greece, and they've put themselves out, serving Christians ever since then. I want you to honor and look up to people like that: companions and workers who show us how to do it, giving us something to aspire to.
 ^17-18I want you to know how delighted I am to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus here with me. They partially make up for your absence! They've refreshed me by keeping me in touch with you. Be proud that you have people like this among you.
 ¹⁹The churches here in western Asia send greetings.
   Aquila, Priscilla, and the church that meets in their house say hello.
 ²⁰All the friends here say hello.
   Pass the greetings around with holy embraces!
 ²¹And I, Paul—in my own handwriting!—send you my regards.
 ²²If anyone won't love the Master, throw him out. Make room for the Master!
 ²³Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you.
 ²⁴And I love all of you in the Messiah, in Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 1

 ^1-2I, Paul, have been sent on a special mission by the Messiah, Jesus, planned by God himself. I write this to God's congregation in Corinth, and to believers all over Achaia province. May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours! Timothy, someone you know and trust, joins me in this greeting.

The Rescue

 ^3-5All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.  ^6-7When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you're just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you're going to make it, no doubt about it.
 ^8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part. 

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Psalm 40:1-17 (The Message)

Psalm 40

A David Psalm

 ^1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.
   He lifted me out of the ditch,
      pulled me from deep mud.
   He stood me up on a solid rock
      to make sure I wouldn't slip.
   He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
      a praise-song to our God.
   More and more people are seeing this:
      they enter the mystery,
      abandoning themselves to God.

 ^4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
      turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"
      ignore what the world worships;
   The world's a huge stockpile
      of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
   Nothing and no one
      comes close to you!
   I start talking about you, telling what I know,
      and quickly run out of words.
   Neither numbers nor words
      account for you.

 ⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
      that's not what you're after.
   Being religious, acting pious—
      that's not what you're asking for.
   You've opened my ears
      so I can listen.

 ^7-8 So I answered, "I'm coming.
      I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
   And I'm coming to the party
      you're throwing for me."
   That's when God's Word entered my life,
      became part of my very being.

 ^9-10 I've preached you to the whole congregation,
      I've kept back nothing, God—you know that.
   I didn't keep the news of your ways
      a secret, didn't keep it to myself.
   I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
      I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth
   For myself alone. I told it all,
      let the congregation know the whole story.

 ^11-12 Now God, don't hold out on me,
      don't hold back your passion.
   Your love and truth
      are all that keeps me together.
   When troubles ganged up on me,
      a mob of sins past counting,
   I was so swamped by guilt
      I couldn't see my way clear.
   More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
      so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

 ^13-15 Soften up, God, and intervene;
      hurry and get me some help,
   So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
      will be embarrassed and lose face,
   So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
      will be heckled and disgraced,
   So those who pray for my ruin
      will be booed and jeered without mercy.

 ^16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
      oh, let them sing and be happy.
   Let those who know what you're all about
      tell the world you're great and not quitting.
   And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing:
      make something of me.
   You can do it; you've got what it takes—
      but God, don't put it off.

 

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Proverbs 22:1-4 (The Message)

Proverbs 22

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

 ¹ A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

 ² The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
   God made them both!

 ³ A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
   a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

 ⁴ The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God
   is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.” - Romans 12:4-5 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Irish playwright, critic and polemicist, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

Bible Readings for July 13, 2017

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 15:1–16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; and Proverbs 19:6-7. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Chronicles 15-16:36 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 15

David Gets Ready To Bring the Sacred Chest to Jerusalem

 ¹David had several buildings built in Jerusalem, and he had a tent set up where the sacred chest would be kept. ²He said, "Only Levites will be allowed to carry the chest, because the LORD has chosen them to do that work and to serve him forever."     ³Next, David invited everyone to come to Jerusalem and watch the sacred chest being carried to the place he had set up for it. ⁴He also sent for Aaron's descendants and for the Levites. The Levites that came were: ⁵Uriel, the leader of the Kohath clan, and one hundred twenty of his relatives; ⁶Asaiah, the leader of the Merari clan, and two hundred twenty of his relatives; ⁷Joel, the leader of the Gershon clan, and one hundred thirty of his relatives; ⁸Shemaiah, the leader of the Elizaphan clan, and two hundred of his relatives; ⁹Eliel, the leader of the Hebron clan, and eighty of his relatives; and ¹⁰Amminadab, the leader of the Uzziel clan, with one hundred twelve of his relatives.
    ¹¹David called together these six Levites and the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar. ¹²He said to them, "You are the leaders of the clans in the Levi tribe. You and your relatives must first go through the ceremony to make yourselves clean and acceptable to the LORD. Then you may carry the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD God of Israel and bring it to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³The first time we tried to bring the chest to Jerusalem, we didn't ask the LORD what he wanted us to do. He was angry at us, because you Levites weren't there to carry the chest."
    ¹⁴The priests and the Levites made themselves clean. They were now ready to carry the sacred chest ¹⁵on poles that rested on their shoulders, just as the LORD had told Moses to do.
    ¹⁶David then told the leaders to choose some Levites to sing and play music on small harps, other stringed instruments, and cymbals. ^17-21The men chosen to play the cymbals were Heman the son of Joel, his relative Asaph the son of Berechiah, and Ethan the son of Kushaiah from the Merari clan. Some of their assistants played the smaller harps: they were Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah. Others played the larger harps: they were Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and two of the temple guards, Obed-Edom and Jeiel.
    ²²Chenaniah was chosen to be the music director, because he was a skilled musician.
    ^23-24Four Levites were then appointed to guard the sacred chest. They were Berechiah, Elkanah, Obed-Edom, and Jehiah.
   Finally, David chose priests to walk in front of the sacred chest and blow trumpets. They were Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer.
   

The Sacred Chest Is Brought to Jerusalem

(2 Samuel 6.12-22)

 ²⁵David, the leaders of Israel, and the army commanders were very happy as they went to Obed-Edom's house to get the sacred chest. ²⁶God gave the Levites the strength they needed to carry the chest, and so they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.     ²⁷David, the Levites, Chenaniah the music director, and all the musicians were wearing linen robes, and David was also wearing a linen cloth. ^[a] ²⁸While the sacred chest was being carried into Jerusalem, everyone was celebrating by shouting and playing music on horns, trumpets, cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments. ²⁹Saul's daughter Michal ^[b] looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing in honor of the LORD, she was disgusted.

1 Chronicles 16

 ¹They put the sacred chest inside the tent that David had set up for it, then they offered sacrifices to please the LORD ^[c] and sacrifices to ask his blessing. ^[d] ²After David had finished, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD ³and gave every person in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins. ⁴David appointed some of the Levites to serve at the sacred chest; they were to play music and sing praises to the LORD God of Israel. ⁵Asaph was their leader, and Zechariah was his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and another man named Jeiel were appointed to play small harps and stringed instruments. Asaph himself played the cymbals, ⁶and the two priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets every day in front of the sacred chest.    

David's Song of Praise

(Psalms 105.1-15; 96.1-13; 106.47,48)

 ⁷That same day, David instructed Asaph and his relatives for the first time to sing these praises to the LORD:     ⁸Praise the LORD
   and pray in his name!
   Tell everyone
   what he has done.
    ⁹Sing praises to the LORD!
   Tell about his miracles.
    ¹⁰Celebrate and worship
   his holy name
   with all your heart.
    ¹¹Trust the LORD
   and his mighty power.
   Worship him always.
    ¹²Remember his miracles
   and all his wonders
   and his fair decisions.
    ¹³You belong to the family
   of Israel, his servant;
   you are his chosen ones,
   the descendants of Jacob.
    ¹⁴The LORD is our God,
   bringing justice
   everywhere on earth.
    ¹⁵We must never forget
   his agreement and his promises,
   not in thousands of years.
    ¹⁶God made an eternal promise
    ¹⁷to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
    ¹⁸when he said, "I'll give you
   the land of Canaan."
    ¹⁹At the time there were
   only a few of us,
   and we were homeless.
    ²⁰We wandered from nation
   to nation,
   from one country
   to another.
    ²¹God did not let anyone
   mistreat our people.
   Instead he protected us
   by punishing rulers
    ²²and telling them,
   "Don't touch my chosen leaders
   or harm my prophets!"
    ²³Everyone on this earth,
   sing praises to the LORD.
   Day after day announce,
   "The LORD has saved us!"
    ²⁴Tell every nation on earth,
   "The LORD is wonderful
   and does marvelous things!
    ²⁵The LORD is great and deserves
   our greatest praise!
   He is the only God
   worthy of our worship.
    ²⁶Other nations worship idols,
   but the LORD created
   the heavens.
    ²⁷Give honor and praise
   to the LORD,
   whose power and beauty
   fill his holy temple."
    ²⁸Tell everyone of every nation,
   "Praise the glorious power
   of the LORD.
    ²⁹He is wonderful! Praise him
   and bring an offering
   into his temple.
   Worship the LORD,
   majestic and holy.
    ³⁰Everyone on earth, now tremble!"
   The world stands firm,
   never to be shaken.
    ³¹Tell the heavens and the earth
   to be glad and celebrate!
   And announce to the nations,
   "The LORD is King!"
    ³²Command the ocean to roar
   with all of its creatures
   and the fields to rejoice
   with all of their crops.
    ³³Then every tree in the forest
   will sing joyful songs
   to the LORD.
   He is coming to judge
   all people on earth.
    ³⁴Praise the LORD
   because he is good to us,
   and his love never fails.
    ³⁵Say to him, "Save us, LORD God!
   Bring us back
   from among the nations.
   Let us celebrate and shout
   in praise of your holy name.
    ³⁶LORD God of Israel,
   you deserve to be praised
   forever and ever."
   After David finished, the people shouted, "Amen! Praise the LORD!"
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 15:27 a linen cloth: The Hebrew word is "ephod," which can mean either a piece of clothing like a skirt that went from the waist to the knee or a garment like a vest or jacket that only the priests wore.
2. 1 Chronicles 15:29 Michal: One of David's wives.
3. 1 Chronicles 16:1 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."
4. 1 Chronicles 16:1 sacrifices to ask his blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "peace offerings" or "offerings of well-being." A main purpose was to ask for the LORD's blessing, and so in the CEV they are sometimes called "sacrifices to ask the LORD's blessing."

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Romans 1:18-32 (Contemporary English Version)

Everyone Is Guilty

 ¹⁸From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth. ¹⁹They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them. ²⁰God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. ²¹They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. ²²They claim to be wise, but they are fools. ²³They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.     ²⁴So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. ²⁵They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.
    ²⁶God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. ²⁷Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.
    ²⁸Since these people refused even to think about God, he let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things. ²⁹They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip, ³⁰say cruel things about others, and hate God. They are proud, conceited, and boastful, always thinking up new ways to do evil.
   These people don't respect their parents. ³¹They are stupid, unreliable, and don't have any love or pity for others. ³²They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and they even encourage others to do them.

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Psalm 10:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 10

A Prayer for Help

 ¹Why are you far away, LORD?    Why do you hide yourself
   when I am in trouble?
    ²Proud and brutal people
   hunt down the poor.
   But let them get caught
   by their own evil plans!
    ³The wicked brag about
   their deepest desires.
   Those greedy people hate
   and curse you, LORD.
    ⁴The wicked are too proud
   to turn to you
   or even think about you.
    ⁵They are always successful,
   though they can't understand
   your teachings,
   and they keep sneering
   at their enemies.
    ⁶In their hearts they say,
   "Nothing can hurt us!
   We'll always be happy
   and free from trouble."
    ⁷They curse and tell lies,
   and all they talk about
   is how to be cruel
   or how to do wrong.
    ⁸They hide outside villages,
   waiting to strike and murder
   some innocent victim.
    ⁹They are hungry lions
   hiding in the bushes,
   hoping to catch
   some helpless passerby.
   They trap the poor in nets
   and drag them away.
    ¹⁰They crouch down and wait
   to grab a victim.
    ¹¹They say, "God can't see!
   He's got on a blindfold."
    ¹²Do something, LORD God,
   and use your powerful arm
   to help those in need.
    ¹³The wicked don't respect you.
   In their hearts they say,
   "God won't punish us!"
    ¹⁴But you see the trouble
   and the distress,
   and you will do something.
   The poor can count on you,
   and so can orphans.
    ¹⁵Now break the arms
   of all merciless people.
   Punish them for doing wrong
   and make them stop.

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Proverbs 19:6-7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶Everyone tries to be friends
   of those who can help them.
    ⁷If you are poor,
   your own relatives reject you,
   and your friends are worse.
   When you really need them,
   they are not there. ^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 19:7 When. . . there: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Verse of the Day

 

“Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!” - Philippians 2:9-11

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Irish playwright (who held both British and Irish citizenship), critic and polemicist, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”

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 A Joke for Today

The elderly priest, speaking to the younger priest, said, "It was a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills first now." 

The young priest nodded, and the old priest continued, "And you told me adding a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock'n'roll gospel choir. Now our services are consistently packed to the balcony." 

"Thank you, Father," answered the young priest. "I am pleased that you are open to the new ideas of youth." 

"All of these ideas have been well and good," said the elderly priest, "but I'm afraid you've gone too far with the drive-thru confessional." 

"But, Father," protested the young priest, "my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!" 

"Yes," replied the elderly priest, "and I appreciate that. 

But the flashing neon sign, 'Toot 'n Tell or Go to Hell' cannot stay on the church roof.