Bible Readings for March 22, 2016

Today our passages are Numbers 33:40–35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; and Proverbs 11:23. 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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Numbers 33:40-35:34 (The Message)

⁴⁰ The Canaanite king of Arad—he ruled in the Negev of Canaan—heard that the People of Israel had arrived.
 ^41-47 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah;
   left Zalmonah and camped at Punon;
   left Punon and camped at Oboth;
   left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim on the border of Moab;
   left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad;
   left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim;
   left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim (Across-the-River), within sight of Nebo.
 ^48-49 After they left the mountains of Abarim they camped on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho. On the Plains of Moab their camp stretched along the banks of the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim (Acacia Meadow).
 ^50-53 God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: "Tell the People of Israel, When you cross the Jordan into the country of Canaan, drive out the native population before you, destroy their carved idols, destroy their cast images, level their worship-mounds so that you take over the land and make yourself at home in it; I've given it to you. It's yours.
 ⁵⁴ "Divide up the land by lot according to the size of your clans: Large clans will get large tracts of land, small clans will get smaller tracts of land. However the lot falls, that's it. Divide it up according to your ancestral tribes.
 ^55-56 "But if you don't drive out the native population, everyone you let stay there will become a cinder in your eye and a splinter in your foot. They'll give you endless trouble right in your own backyards. And I'll start treating you the way I planned to treat them."

Numbers 34

Land Inheritance

 ^1-2 God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance:  ^3-5 "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea.
 ⁶ "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.
 ^7-9 "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border.
 ^10-12 "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea.
   "This is your land with its four borders."
 ^13-15 Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise."

^16-19 God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these:
 ^19-28 Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;
   Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon;
   Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin;
   Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan;
   Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;
   Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph;
   Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun;
   Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar;
   Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher;
   Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali."
 ²⁹ These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Numbers 35

Cities for Levites and Asylum-Cities

 ^1-3 Then God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: "Command the People of Israel to give the Levites as their part of the total inheritance towns to live in. Make sure there is plenty of pasture around the towns. Then they will be well taken care of with towns to live in and pastures for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.  ^4-5 "The pasture surrounding the Levites' towns is to extend 1,500 feet in each direction from the city wall. The outside borders of the pasture are to measure three thousand feet on each of the four sides—east, south, west, and north—with the town at the center. Each city will be supplied with pasture.
 ^6-8 "Six of these towns that you give the Levites will be asylum-cities to which anyone who accidentally kills another person may flee for asylum. In addition, you will give them forty-two other towns—forty-eight towns in all, together with their pastures. The towns that you give the Levites from the common inheritance of the People of Israel are to be taken in proportion to the size of each tribe—many towns from a tribe that has many, few from a tribe that has few."
 ^9-15 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you cross the River Jordan into the country of Canaan, designate your asylum-cities, towns to which a person who accidentally kills someone can flee for asylum. They will be places of refuge from the avenger so that the alleged murderer won't be killed until he can appear before the community in court. Provide six asylum-cities. Designate three of the towns to the east side of the Jordan, the other three in Canaan proper—asylum-cities for the People of Israel, for the foreigner, and for any occasional visitors or guests—six asylum-cities to run to for anyone who accidentally kills another.
 ¹⁶ "But if the killer has used an iron object, that's just plain murder; he's obviously a murderer and must be put to death.
 ¹⁷ "Or if he has a rock in his hand big enough to kill and the man dies, that's murder; he's a murderer and must be put to death.
 ¹⁸ "Or if he's carrying a wooden club heavy enough to kill and the man dies, that's murder; he's a murderer and must be put to death.
 ¹⁹ "In such cases the avenger has a right to kill the murderer when he meets him—he can kill him on the spot.
 ^20-21 "And if out of sheer hatred a man pushes another or from ambush throws something at him and he dies, or angrily hits him with his fist and kills him, that's murder—he must be put to death. The avenger has a right to kill him when he gets him.
 ^22-27 "If, however, he impulsively pushes someone and there is no history of hard feelings, or he impetuously picks up something and throws it, or he accidentally drops a stone tool—a maul or hammer, say—and it hits and kills someone he didn't even know was there, and there's no suspicion that there was bad blood between them, the community is to judge between the killer and the avenger following these guidelines. It's the task of the community to save the killer from the hand of the avenger—the community is to return him to his asylum-city to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the High Priest who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the murderer leaves the asylum-city to which he has fled, and the avenger finds him outside the borders of his asylum-city, the avenger has a right to kill the murderer. And he's not considered guilty of murder.
 ²⁸ "So it's important that he stay in his asylum-city until the death of the High Priest. After the death of the High Priest he is free to return to his own place.

²⁹ "These are the procedures for making judgments from now on, wherever you live.
 ³⁰ "Anyone who kills another may be executed only on the testimony of eyewitnesses. But no one can be executed on the testimony of only one witness.
 ³¹ "Don't accept bribe money in exchange for the life of a murderer. He's guilty and deserves the death penalty. Put him to death.
 ³² "And don't accept bribe money for anyone who has fled to an asylum-city so as to permit him to go back and live in his own place before the death of the High Priest.
 ³³ "Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.
 ³⁴ "Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood with the People of Israel."

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Luke 5:12-28 (The Message)

Invitation to a Changed Life

 ¹²One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, "If you want to, you can cleanse me."

 ¹³Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.

 ^14-16Jesus instructed him, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." But the man couldn't keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

 ¹⁷One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.

 ^18-20Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."

 ²¹That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."

 ^22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"

 ^27-28After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." And he did—walked away from everything and went with him.

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Psalm 65:1-13 (The Message)

Psalm 65

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God,
   And also obedience.
      You hear the prayer in it all.

 ^2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
      or later, loaded with guilt,
   Our sins too much for us—
      but you get rid of them once and for all.
   Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
      at home in your place!
   We expect our fill of good things
      in your house, your heavenly manse.
   All your salvation wonders
      are on display in your trophy room.
   Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
      Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
   Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
      of mobs in noisy riot—
   Far and wide they'll come to a stop,
      they'll stare in awe, in wonder.
   Dawn and dusk take turns
      calling, "Come and worship."

 ^9-13 Oh, visit the earth,
      ask her to join the dance!
   Deck her out in spring showers,
      fill the God-River with living water.
   Paint the wheat fields golden.
      Creation was made for this!
   Drench the plowed fields,
      soak the dirt clods
   With rainfall as harrow and rake
      bring her to blossom and fruit.
   Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
      scatter rose petals down your paths,
   All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
      Set the hills to dancing,
   Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
      a drape of flax across the valleys.
   Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
      Oh, oh, let them sing!

 

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Proverbs 11:23 (The Message)

 ²³ The desires of good people lead straight to the best,
   but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration.

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Verse of the Day

“[The Fight against Evil]Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks.” - Ephesians 6:10-11

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American politician who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson, from 1965 to 1969, Hubert H. Humphrey wrote, “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”

Bible Readings for Augsut 11, 2015

Today our passages are Nehemiah 1:1–3:14; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Psalm 31:19-24; and Proverbs 21:4. 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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Nehemiah 1-3:14 (Contemporary English Version)

Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah's Prayer

 ¹I am Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and in this book I tell what I have done.    During the month of Chislev ^[a] in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes ^[b] ruled Persia, I was in his fortress city of Susa, ^{[c] 2}when my brother Hanani came with some men from Judah. So I asked them about the Jews who had escaped ^[d] from being captives in Babylonia. I also asked them about the city of Jerusalem. ³They told me, " Those captives who have come back are having all kinds of troubles. They are terribly disgraced, Jerusalem's walls are broken down, and its gates have been burned."
    ⁴When I heard this, I sat down and cried. Then for several days, I mourned; I went without eating to show my sorrow, and I prayed:
    ⁵LORD God of heaven, you are great and fearsome. And you faithfully keep your promises to everyone who loves you and obeys your commands. ⁶I am your servant, so please have mercy on me and answer the prayer that I make day and night for these people of Israel who serve you. I, my family, and the rest of your people have sinned ⁷by choosing to disobey you and the laws and teachings you gave to your servant Moses.
    ⁸Please remember the promise you made to Moses. You told him that if we were unfaithful, you would scatter us among foreign nations. ⁹But you also said that no matter how far away we were, we could turn to you and start obeying your laws. Then you would bring us back to the place where you have chosen to be worshiped.
    ¹⁰Our LORD, I am praying for your servants--those you rescued by your great strength and mighty power. ¹¹Please answer my prayer and the prayer of your other servants who gladly honor your name. When I serve the king his wine today, make him pleased with me and have him do what I ask.
   

Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem

 ¹During the month of Nisan ^[e] in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was king, I served him his wine, as I had done before. But this was the first time I had ever looked depressed. ²So the king said, " Why do you look so sad? You're not sick. Something must be bothering you." Even though I was frightened, ³I answered, " Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! I feel sad because the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down."     ⁴The king asked, " What do you want me to do?"
   I prayed to the God who rules from heaven. ⁵Then I told the king, " Sir, if it's all right with you, please send me back to Judah, so that I can rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried."
    ⁶The queen was sitting beside the king when he asked me, " How long will it take, and when will you be back?" The king agreed to let me go, and I told him when I would return.
    ⁷Then I asked, " Your Majesty, would you be willing to give me letters to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River, so that I can travel safely to Judah? ⁸I will need timber to rebuild the gates of the fortress near the temple and more timber to construct the city wall and to build a place for me to live. And so, I would appreciate a letter to Asaph, who is in charge of the royal forest." God was good to me, and the king did everything I asked.
    ⁹The king sent some army officers and cavalry troops along with me, and as I traveled through the Western Provinces, I gave the letters to the governors. ¹⁰But when Sanballat from Horon ^[f] and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about what had happened, they became very angry, because they didn't want anyone to help the people of Israel.

Nehemiah Inspects the Wall of Jerusalem

 ¹¹Three days after arriving in Jerusalem, ¹²I got up during the night and left my house. I took some men with me, without telling anyone what I thought God wanted me to do for the city. The only animal I took was the donkey I rode on. ¹³I went through Valley Gate on the west, then south past Dragon Spring, before coming to Garbage Gate. As I rode along, I took a good look at the crumbled walls of the city and the gates that had been torn down and burned. ¹⁴On the east side of the city, I headed north to Fountain Gate and King's Pool, but then the trail became too narrow for my donkey. ¹⁵So I went down to Kidron Valley and looked at the wall from there. Then before daylight I returned to the city through Valley Gate.     ¹⁶None of the city officials knew what I had in mind. And I had not even told any of the Jews--not the priests, the leaders, the officials, or any other Jews who would be helping in the work. ¹⁷But when I got back, I said to them, " Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been torn down and burned, and everything is in ruins. We must rebuild the city wall so that we can again take pride in our city."
    ¹⁸Then I told them how kind God had been and what the king had said.
   Immediately, they replied, " Let's start building now!" So they got everything ready.
    ¹⁹When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard about our plans, they started insulting us and saying, " Just look at you! Do you plan to rebuild the walls of the city and rebel against the king?"
    ²⁰I answered, " We are servants of the God who rules from heaven, and he will make our work succeed. So we will start rebuilding Jerusalem, but you have no right to any of its property, because you have had no part in its history."
   

Nehemiah 3

Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem

 ¹These are the people who helped rebuild the wall and gates of Jerusalem:    The high priest Eliashib and the other priests rebuilt Sheep Gate and hung its doors. Then they dedicated Sheep Gate and the section of the wall as far as Hundred Tower and Hananel Tower.
    ²The people of Jericho rebuilt the next section of the wall, and Zaccur son of Imri rebuilt the section after that.
    ³The family of Hassenaah built Fish Gate. They put the beams in place and hung the doors, then they added metal bolts and wooden beams as locks.
    ⁴Meremoth, son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, completed the next section of the wall.
   Meshullam, son of Berechiah and grandson of Meshezabel, rebuilt the next section, and Zadok son of Baana rebuilt the section beside that.
    ⁵The next section was to be repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their town leaders refused to do the hard work they were assigned. ^{[g] 6}Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah restored Ancient Gate. They put the beams in place, hung the doors, and added metal bolts and wooden beams as locks. ⁷Melatiah from Gibeon, Jadon from Meronoth, and the men from Gibeon and Mizpah rebuilt the next section of the wall. This section reached as far as the house of the governor of West Euphrates Province. ^{[h] 8}Uzziel son of Harhaiah the goldsmith rebuilt the next section.
   Hananiah the perfume maker rebuilt the section next after that, and it went as far as Broad Wall.
    ⁹Rephaiah son of Hur ruled half of the Jerusalem District, and he rebuilt the next section of the wall.
    ¹⁰The section after that was close to the home of Jedaiah son of Harumaph, and he rebuilt it.
   Hattush son of Hashabneiah constructed the next section of the wall.
    ¹¹Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath Moab rebuilt the section after that, and they also built Oven Tower.
    ¹²Shallum son of Hallohesh ruled the other half of the Jerusalem District, and he rebuilt the next section of the wall. Shallum's daughters also worked with him.
    ¹³Hanun and the people who lived in the town of Zanoah rebuilt Valley Gate. They hung the doors and added metal bolts and wooden beams as locks. They also rebuilt the wall for fifteen hundred feet, all the way to Garbage Gate.
    ¹⁴Malchijah son of Rechab ruled the district of Beth-Haccherem, and he rebuilt Garbage Gate. He hung the doors and added metal bolts and wooden beams as locks.
   

Footnotes:

1. Nehemiah 1:1 Chislev: The ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-November to mid-December.
2. Nehemiah 1:1 Artaxerxes: Probably Artaxerxes I, who ruled Persia 465-425 B.C.
3. Nehemiah 1:1 Susa: Capital of Elam Province, the winter home of Persian kings.
4. Nehemiah 1:2 escaped: Or " returned."
5. Nehemiah 2:1 Nisan: Or Abib, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April.
6. Nehemiah 2:10 Horon: Possibly meaning that Sanballat was the official in charge of Beth-Horon, an important town on the road from Jerusalem to Lydda and the Mediterranean Sea.
7. Nehemiah 3:5 refused. . . assigned: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Nehemiah 3:7 as far as. . . Province: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Corinthians 7

Questions about Marriage

 ¹Now I will answer the questions that you asked in your letter. You asked, "Is it best for people not to marry?" ^{[a] 2}Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral. ³Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. ⁴A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. ⁵So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don't know of anything the Lord said about this matter. ⁷I wish that all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us. ⁸Here is my advice for people who have never been married and for widows. You should stay single, just as I am. ⁹But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire. ^{[b] 10}I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband ¹¹should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.     ¹²I don't know of anything else the Lord said about marriage. All I can do is to give you my own advice. If your wife isn't a follower of the Lord, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce her. ¹³If your husband isn't a follower, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce him. ¹⁴Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a mate. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.
    ¹⁵If your husband or wife isn't a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace. ¹⁶And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn't a follower?
   

Obeying the Lord at All Times

 ¹⁷In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you. ¹⁸If you are already circumcised, don't try to change it. If you are not circumcised, don't get circumcised. ¹⁹Being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't really what matters. The important thing is to obey God's commands. ²⁰So don't try to change what you were when God chose you. ²¹Are you a slave? Don't let that bother you. But if you can win your freedom, you should. ²²When the Lord chooses slaves, they become his free people. And when he chooses free people, they become slaves of Christ. ²³God paid a great price for you. So don't become slaves of anyone else. ²⁴Stay what you were when God chose you.    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 7:1 people not to marry: Or "married couples not to have sex."
2. 1 Corinthians 7:9 with desire: Or "in the flames of hell."

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Psalm 31:19-24 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁹You are wonderful,
   and while everyone watches,
   you store up blessings for all
   who honor and trust you.
    ²⁰You are their shelter
   from harmful plots,
   and you are their protection
   from vicious gossip.
    ²¹I will praise you, LORD,
   for showing great kindness
   when I was like a city
   under attack.
    ²²I was terrified and thought,
   "They've chased me
   far away from you!"
   But you answered my prayer
   when I shouted for help.
    ²³All who belong to the LORD,
   show how you love him.
   The LORD protects the faithful,
   but he severely punishes
   everyone who is proud.
    ²⁴All who trust the LORD,
   be cheerful and strong.

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Proverbs 21:4 (Contemporary English Version)

⁴Evil people are proud
   and arrogant,
   but sin is the only crop
   they produce. ^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 21:4 but sin. . . produce: Or " but sin is the only light they ever follow."

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Verse of the Day

 

“Obeying your instructions brings as much happiness as being rich.” - Psalm 119:14

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Hubert H. Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, wrote, “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”