Bible Readings for December 2, 2018

Today our passages are Daniel 9:1–11:1; 1 John 2:18–3:6; Psalm 121:1-8; and Proverbs 28:27-28. 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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Daniel 9-11:1 (The Message)

Daniel 9

God's Covenant Commitment

 ^1-4 "Darius, son of Ahasuerus, born a Mede, became king over the land of Babylon. In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was meditating on the Scriptures that gave, according to the Word of God to the prophet Jeremiah, the number of years that Jerusalem had to lie in ruins, namely, seventy. I turned to the Master God, asking for an answer—praying earnestly, fasting from meals, wearing rough penitential burlap, and kneeling in the ashes. I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God, my God:  ^4-8 "'O Master, great and august God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you and do what you say. Yet we have sinned in every way imaginable. We've done evil things, rebelled, dodged and taken detours around your clearly marked paths. We've turned a deaf ear to your servants the prophets, who preached your Word to our kings and leaders, our parents, and all the people in the land. You have done everything right, Master, but all we have to show for our lives is guilt and shame, the whole lot of us—people of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem, Israel at home and Israel in exile in all the places we've been banished to because of our betrayal of you. Oh yes, God, we've been exposed in our shame, all of us—our kings, leaders, parents—before the whole world. And deservedly so, because of our sin.
 ^9-12 "'Compassion is our only hope, the compassion of you, the Master, our God, since in our rebellion we've forfeited our rights. We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your servants the prophets. All of us in Israel ignored what you said. We defied your instructions and did what we pleased. And now we're paying for it: The solemn curse written out plainly in the revelation to God's servant Moses is now doing its work among us, the wages of our sin against you. You did to us and our rulers what you said you would do: You brought this catastrophic disaster on us, the worst disaster on record—and in Jerusalem!
 ^13-14 "'Just as written in God's revelation to Moses, the catastrophe was total. Nothing was held back. We kept at our sinning, never giving you a second thought, oblivious to your clear warning, and so you had no choice but to let the disaster loose on us in full force. You, our God, had a perfect right to do this since we persistently and defiantly ignored you.
 ^15-17 "'Master, you are our God, for you delivered your people from the land of Egypt in a show of power—people are still talking about it! We confess that we have sinned, that we have lived bad lives. Following the lines of what you have always done in setting things right, setting people right, please stop being so angry with Jerusalem, your very own city, your holy mountain. We know it's our fault that this has happened, all because of our sins and our parents' sins, and now we're an embarrassment to everyone around us. We're a blot on the neighborhood. So listen, God, to this determined prayer of your servant. Have mercy on your ruined Sanctuary. Act out of who you are, not out of what we are.
 ¹⁸ "'Turn your ears our way, God, and listen. Open your eyes and take a long look at our ruined city, this city named after you. We know that we don't deserve a hearing from you. Our appeal is to your compassion. This prayer is our last and only hope:

 ¹⁹ "'Master, listen to us!
   Master, forgive us!
   Master, look at us and do something!
   Master, don't put us off!
   Your city and your people are named after you:
   You have a stake in us!' 

Seventy Sevens

 ^20-21 "While I was pouring out my heart, baring my sins and the sins of my people Israel, praying my life out before my God, interceding for the holy mountain of my God—while I was absorbed in this praying, the humanlike Gabriel, the one I had seen in an earlier vision, approached me, flying in like a bird about the time of evening worship.  ^22-23 "He stood before me and said, 'Daniel, I have come to make things plain to you. You had no sooner started your prayer when the answer was given. And now I'm here to deliver the answer to you. You are much loved! So listen carefully to the answer, the plain meaning of what is revealed:
 ²⁴ "'Seventy sevens are set for your people and for your holy city to throttle rebellion, stop sin, wipe out crime, set things right forever, confirm what the prophet saw, and anoint The Holy of Holies.
 ^25-26 "'Here is what you must understand: From the time the word goes out to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Anointed Leader, there will be seven sevens. The rebuilding will take sixty-two sevens, including building streets and digging a moat. Those will be rough times. After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed Leader will be killed—the end of him. The city and Sanctuary will be laid in ruins by the army of the newly arriving leader. The end will come in a rush, like a flood. War will rage right up to the end, desolation the order of the day.
 ²⁷ "'Then for one seven, he will forge many and strong alliances, but halfway through the seven he will banish worship and prayers. At the place of worship, a desecrating obscenity will be set up and remain until finally the desecrator himself is decisively destroyed.'" 

Daniel 10

A Vision of a Big War

 ¹ In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was made plain to Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar. The message was true. It dealt with a big war. He understood the message, the understanding coming by revelation:  ^2-3 "During those days, I, Daniel, went into mourning over Jerusalem for three weeks. I ate only plain and simple food, no seasoning or meat or wine. I neither bathed nor shaved until the three weeks were up.
 ^4-6 "On the twenty-fourth day of the first month I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris. I looked up and to my surprise saw a man dressed in linen with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body was hard and glistening, as if sculpted from a precious stone, his face radiant, his eyes bright and penetrating like torches, his arms and feet glistening like polished bronze, and his voice, deep and resonant, sounded like a huge choir of voices.
 ^7-8 "I, Daniel, was the only one to see this. The men who were with me, although they didn't see it, were overcome with fear and ran off and hid, fearing the worst. Left alone after the appearance, abandoned by my friends, I went weak in the knees, the blood drained from my face.
 ^9-10 "I heard his voice. At the sound of it I fainted, fell flat on the ground, face in the dirt. A hand touched me and pulled me to my hands and knees.
 ¹¹ "'Daniel,' he said, 'man of quality, listen carefully to my message. And get up on your feet. Stand at attention. I've been sent to bring you news.'
    "When he had said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking.
 ^12-14 "'Relax, Daniel,' he continued, 'don't be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard, and I set out to come to you. But I was waylaid by the angel-prince of the kingdom of Persia and was delayed for a good three weeks. But then Michael, one of the chief angel-princes, intervened to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I'm here to help you understand what will eventually happen to your people. The vision has to do with what's ahead.'
 ^15-17 "While he was saying all this, I looked at the ground and said nothing. Then I was surprised by something like a human hand that touched my lips. I opened my mouth and started talking to the messenger: 'When I saw you, master, I was terror-stricken. My knees turned to water. I couldn't move. How can I, a lowly servant, speak to you, my master? I'm paralyzed. I can hardly breathe!'
 ^18-19 "Then this humanlike figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, 'Don't be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.'
    "Even as he spoke, courage surged up within me. I said, 'Go ahead, let my master speak. You've given me courage.'
 ^20-21 "He said, 'Do you know why I've come here to you? I now have to go back to fight against the angel-prince of Persia, and when I get him out of the way, the angel-prince of Greece will arrive. But first let me tell you what's written in The True Book. No one helps me in my fight against these beings except Michael, your angel-prince.'" 

Daniel 11

 ¹ "'And I, in my turn, have been helping him out as best I can ever since the first year in the reign of Darius the Mede.'

 

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1 John 2:18-3:6 (The Message)

Antichrists Everywhere You Look

 ¹⁸Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end.  ¹⁹They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.
 ^20-21But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven't been writing this to tell you something you don't know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies.
 ^22-23So who is lying here? It's the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that's who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.
 ^24-25Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
 ^26-27I've written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they're no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ's anointing, no less! You don't need any of their so-called teaching. Christ's anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught. 

Live Deeply in Christ

 ²⁸And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.  ²⁹Once you're convinced that he is right and righteous, you'll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God's true children. 

1 John 3

 ¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.  ^2-3But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.
 ^4-6All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backward.

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Psalm 121:1-8 (The Message)

Psalm 121

A Pilgrim Song

 ^1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
   No, my strength comes from God,
      who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

 ^3-4 He won't let you stumble,
      your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
   Not on your life! Israel's
      Guardian will never doze or sleep.

 ^5-6 God's your Guardian,
      right at your side to protect you—
   Shielding you from sunstroke,
      sheltering you from moonstroke.

 ^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
      he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always.

 

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Proverbs 28:27-28 (The Message)

 ²⁷ Be generous to the poor—you'll never go hungry;
   shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

 ²⁸ When corruption takes over, good people go underground,
   but when the crooks are thrown out, it's safe to come out.

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Verse of the Day

“Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son.” - Hebrews 1:1-2 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell wrote, “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

Bible Readings for December 2, 2016

Today our passages are Daniel 9:1–11:1; 1 John 2:18–3:6; Psalm 121:1-8; and Proverbs 28:27-28. 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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Daniel 9-11:1 (The Message)

Daniel 9

God's Covenant Commitment

 ^1-4 "Darius, son of Ahasuerus, born a Mede, became king over the land of Babylon. In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was meditating on the Scriptures that gave, according to the Word of God to the prophet Jeremiah, the number of years that Jerusalem had to lie in ruins, namely, seventy. I turned to the Master God, asking for an answer—praying earnestly, fasting from meals, wearing rough penitential burlap, and kneeling in the ashes. I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God, my God:  ^4-8 "'O Master, great and august God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you and do what you say. Yet we have sinned in every way imaginable. We've done evil things, rebelled, dodged and taken detours around your clearly marked paths. We've turned a deaf ear to your servants the prophets, who preached your Word to our kings and leaders, our parents, and all the people in the land. You have done everything right, Master, but all we have to show for our lives is guilt and shame, the whole lot of us—people of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem, Israel at home and Israel in exile in all the places we've been banished to because of our betrayal of you. Oh yes, God, we've been exposed in our shame, all of us—our kings, leaders, parents—before the whole world. And deservedly so, because of our sin.
 ^9-12 "'Compassion is our only hope, the compassion of you, the Master, our God, since in our rebellion we've forfeited our rights. We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your servants the prophets. All of us in Israel ignored what you said. We defied your instructions and did what we pleased. And now we're paying for it: The solemn curse written out plainly in the revelation to God's servant Moses is now doing its work among us, the wages of our sin against you. You did to us and our rulers what you said you would do: You brought this catastrophic disaster on us, the worst disaster on record—and in Jerusalem!
 ^13-14 "'Just as written in God's revelation to Moses, the catastrophe was total. Nothing was held back. We kept at our sinning, never giving you a second thought, oblivious to your clear warning, and so you had no choice but to let the disaster loose on us in full force. You, our God, had a perfect right to do this since we persistently and defiantly ignored you.
 ^15-17 "'Master, you are our God, for you delivered your people from the land of Egypt in a show of power—people are still talking about it! We confess that we have sinned, that we have lived bad lives. Following the lines of what you have always done in setting things right, setting people right, please stop being so angry with Jerusalem, your very own city, your holy mountain. We know it's our fault that this has happened, all because of our sins and our parents' sins, and now we're an embarrassment to everyone around us. We're a blot on the neighborhood. So listen, God, to this determined prayer of your servant. Have mercy on your ruined Sanctuary. Act out of who you are, not out of what we are.
 ¹⁸ "'Turn your ears our way, God, and listen. Open your eyes and take a long look at our ruined city, this city named after you. We know that we don't deserve a hearing from you. Our appeal is to your compassion. This prayer is our last and only hope:

 ¹⁹ "'Master, listen to us!
   Master, forgive us!
   Master, look at us and do something!
   Master, don't put us off!
   Your city and your people are named after you:
   You have a stake in us!'

Seventy Sevens

 ^20-21 "While I was pouring out my heart, baring my sins and the sins of my people Israel, praying my life out before my God, interceding for the holy mountain of my God—while I was absorbed in this praying, the humanlike Gabriel, the one I had seen in an earlier vision, approached me, flying in like a bird about the time of evening worship.  ^22-23 "He stood before me and said, 'Daniel, I have come to make things plain to you. You had no sooner started your prayer when the answer was given. And now I'm here to deliver the answer to you. You are much loved! So listen carefully to the answer, the plain meaning of what is revealed:
 ²⁴ "'Seventy sevens are set for your people and for your holy city to throttle rebellion, stop sin, wipe out crime, set things right forever, confirm what the prophet saw, and anoint The Holy of Holies.
 ^25-26 "'Here is what you must understand: From the time the word goes out to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Anointed Leader, there will be seven sevens. The rebuilding will take sixty-two sevens, including building streets and digging a moat. Those will be rough times. After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed Leader will be killed—the end of him. The city and Sanctuary will be laid in ruins by the army of the newly arriving leader. The end will come in a rush, like a flood. War will rage right up to the end, desolation the order of the day.
 ²⁷ "'Then for one seven, he will forge many and strong alliances, but halfway through the seven he will banish worship and prayers. At the place of worship, a desecrating obscenity will be set up and remain until finally the desecrator himself is decisively destroyed.'"

Daniel 10

A Vision of a Big War

 ¹ In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was made plain to Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar. The message was true. It dealt with a big war. He understood the message, the understanding coming by revelation:  ^2-3 "During those days, I, Daniel, went into mourning over Jerusalem for three weeks. I ate only plain and simple food, no seasoning or meat or wine. I neither bathed nor shaved until the three weeks were up.
 ^4-6 "On the twenty-fourth day of the first month I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris. I looked up and to my surprise saw a man dressed in linen with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body was hard and glistening, as if sculpted from a precious stone, his face radiant, his eyes bright and penetrating like torches, his arms and feet glistening like polished bronze, and his voice, deep and resonant, sounded like a huge choir of voices.
 ^7-8 "I, Daniel, was the only one to see this. The men who were with me, although they didn't see it, were overcome with fear and ran off and hid, fearing the worst. Left alone after the appearance, abandoned by my friends, I went weak in the knees, the blood drained from my face.
 ^9-10 "I heard his voice. At the sound of it I fainted, fell flat on the ground, face in the dirt. A hand touched me and pulled me to my hands and knees.
 ¹¹ "'Daniel,' he said, 'man of quality, listen carefully to my message. And get up on your feet. Stand at attention. I've been sent to bring you news.'
    "When he had said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking.
 ^12-14 "'Relax, Daniel,' he continued, 'don't be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard, and I set out to come to you. But I was waylaid by the angel-prince of the kingdom of Persia and was delayed for a good three weeks. But then Michael, one of the chief angel-princes, intervened to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I'm here to help you understand what will eventually happen to your people. The vision has to do with what's ahead.'
 ^15-17 "While he was saying all this, I looked at the ground and said nothing. Then I was surprised by something like a human hand that touched my lips. I opened my mouth and started talking to the messenger: 'When I saw you, master, I was terror-stricken. My knees turned to water. I couldn't move. How can I, a lowly servant, speak to you, my master? I'm paralyzed. I can hardly breathe!'
 ^18-19 "Then this humanlike figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, 'Don't be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.'
    "Even as he spoke, courage surged up within me. I said, 'Go ahead, let my master speak. You've given me courage.'
 ^20-21 "He said, 'Do you know why I've come here to you? I now have to go back to fight against the angel-prince of Persia, and when I get him out of the way, the angel-prince of Greece will arrive. But first let me tell you what's written in The True Book. No one helps me in my fight against these beings except Michael, your angel-prince.'"

Daniel 11

 ¹ "'And I, in my turn, have been helping him out as best I can ever since the first year in the reign of Darius the Mede.'

 

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1 John 2:18-3:6 (The Message)

Antichrists Everywhere You Look

 ¹⁸Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end.  ¹⁹They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.
 ^20-21But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven't been writing this to tell you something you don't know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies.
 ^22-23So who is lying here? It's the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that's who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.
 ^24-25Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
 ^26-27I've written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they're no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ's anointing, no less! You don't need any of their so-called teaching. Christ's anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.

Live Deeply in Christ

 ²⁸And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.  ²⁹Once you're convinced that he is right and righteous, you'll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God's true children.

1 John 3

 ¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.  ^2-3But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.
 ^4-6All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backward.

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Psalm 121:1-8 (The Message)

Psalm 121

A Pilgrim Song

 ^1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
   No, my strength comes from God,
      who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

 ^3-4 He won't let you stumble,
      your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
   Not on your life! Israel's
      Guardian will never doze or sleep.

 ^5-6 God's your Guardian,
      right at your side to protect you—
   Shielding you from sunstroke,
      sheltering you from moonstroke.

 ^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
      he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always.

 

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Proverbs 28:27-28 (The Message)

 ²⁷ Be generous to the poor—you'll never go hungry;
   shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

 ²⁸ When corruption takes over, good people go underground,
   but when the crooks are thrown out, it's safe to come out.

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Verse of the Day

“Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son.” - Hebrews 1:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

 

Thought for the Day

American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell wrote, “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

Bible Readings for February 12, 2016

Today our passages are Exodus 34:1–35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; and Proverbs 9:1-6. 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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Exodus 34-35:9 (The Message)

Exodus 34

 ^1-3 God spoke to Moses: "Cut out two tablets of stone just like the originals and engrave on them the words that were on the original tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb Mount Sinai and get set to meet me on top of the mountain. Not a soul is to go with you; the whole mountain must be clear of people, even animals—not even sheep or oxen can be grazing in front of the mountain."  ^4-7 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone. God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God. God passed in front of him and called out, "God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn't ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father's sins to the third and even fourth generation."
 ^8-9 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, "Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us."
 ^10-12 And God said, "As of right now, I'm making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you're living will see how tremendous God's work is, the work I'll do for you. Take careful note of all I command you today. I'm clearing your way by driving out Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Stay vigilant. Don't let down your guard lest you make covenant with the people who live in the land that you are entering and they trip you up.
 ^13-16 "Tear down their altars, smash their phallic pillars, chop down their fertility poles. Don't worship any other god. God—his name is The-Jealous-One—is a jealous God. Be careful that you don't make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars, marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.
 ¹⁷ "Don't make molten gods for yourselves.
 ¹⁸ "Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib—it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.
 ¹⁹ "Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.
 ²⁰ "Redeem your firstborn donkey with a lamb. If you don't redeem it you must break its neck.
   "Redeem each of your firstborn sons.
   "No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed.
 ²¹ "Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.
 ²² "Keep the Feast of Weeks with the first cutting of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
 ^23-24 "All your men are to appear before the Master, the God of Israel, three times a year. You won't have to worry about your land when you appear before your God three times each year, for I will drive out the nations before you and give you plenty of land. Nobody's going to be hanging around plotting ways to get it from you.
 ²⁵ "Don't mix the blood of my sacrifices with anything fermented.
   "Don't leave leftovers from the Passover Feast until morning.
 ²⁶ "Bring the finest of the firstfruits of your produce to the house of your God.
   "Don't boil a kid in its mother's milk."
 ²⁷ God said to Moses: "Now write down these words, for by these words I've made a covenant with you and Israel."
 ²⁸ Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn't eat any food; he didn't drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
 ^29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn't know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.
 ^31-32 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.
 ^33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses' face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.

Exodus 35

Building the Place of Worship

 ¹ Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying, "These are the things that God has commanded you to do:  ^2-3 "Work six days, but the seventh day will be a holy rest day, God's holy rest day. Anyone who works on this day must be put to death. Don't light any fires in your homes on the Sabbath day." The Offerings
⁴ Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying, "This is what God has commanded:
 ^5-9 "Gather from among you an offering for God. Receive on God's behalf what everyone is willing to give as an offering: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; tanned rams' skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece.

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Matthew 27:15-31 (The Message)

 ^15-18It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. At the time, they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate said, "Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?" He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him.
 ¹⁹While court was still in session, Pilate's wife sent him a message: "Don't get mixed up in judging this noble man. I've just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him."
 ²⁰Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
 ²¹The governor asked, "Which of the two do you want me to pardon?"
   They said, "Barabbas!"
 ²²"Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?"
   They all shouted, "Nail him to a cross!"
 ²³He objected, "But for what crime?"
   But they yelled all the louder, "Nail him to a cross!"
 ²⁴When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, "I'm washing my hands of responsibility for this man's death. From now on, it's in your hands. You're judge and jury."
 ²⁵The crowd answered, "We'll take the blame, we and our children after us."
 ²⁶Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.

The Crucifixion

 ^27-31The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor's palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. They stripped him and dressed him in a red toga. They plaited a crown from branches of a thornbush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: "Bravo, King of the Jews!" they said. "Bravo!" Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. When they had had their fun, they took off the toga and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.

 

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Psalm 33:12-22 (The Message)

 ^10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
      he shoots down the world's power-schemes.
   God's plan for the world stands up,
      all his designs are made to last.
   Blessed is the country with God for God;
      blessed are the people he's put in his will.

 ^13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
      he sees all Adam's brood.
   From where he sits
      he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
   He has shaped each person in turn;
      now he watches everything we do.

 ^16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
      no warrior wins by brute strength.
   Horsepower is not the answer;
      no one gets by on muscle alone.

 ^18-19 Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him,
      the ones who are looking for his love.
   He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
      in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

 ^20-22 We're depending on God;
      he's everything we need.
   What's more, our hearts brim with joy
      since we've taken for our own his holy name.
   Love us, God, with all you've got—
      that's what we're depending on.

A David Psalm, When He Outwitted

    Abimelech and Got Away

 

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Proverbs 9:1-6 (The Message)

Proverbs 9

Lady Wisdom Gives a Dinner Party

 ^1-6 Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home; it's supported by seven hewn timbers.
The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted,
   wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.
Having dismissed her serving maids,
   Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,
   and invites everyone within sound of her voice:
"Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on?
   Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!
I've prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,
   roast lamb, carefully selected wines.
Leave your impoverished confusion and live!
   Walk up the street to a life with meaning."

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.” - 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell wrote, “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

Bible Readings for November 17, 2015

Today our passages are Ezekiel 35:1–36:38; James 1:1-18; Psalm 116:1-19; and Proverbs 27:23-27. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal. 

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Ezekiel 35-36:38 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 35

Edom Will Be a Wasteland

 ¹The LORD said:     ²Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the people of Edom ^{[a] 3}and say to them: I, the LORD God,
   am now your enemy!
   And I will turn your nation
   into an empty wasteland,
    ⁴leaving your towns in ruins.
   Your land will be a desert,
   and then you will know
   that I am the LORD.
    ⁵People of Edom, not only have you been Israel's longtime enemy, you simply watched when disaster wiped out its people as punishment for their sins. ⁶And so, as surely as I am the living LORD God, you are guilty of murder and must be put to death. ⁷I will destroy your nation and kill anyone who travels through it. ⁸Dead bodies will cover your mountains and fill up your valleys, ⁹and your land will lie in ruins forever. No one will live in your towns ever again. You will know that I am the LORD.
    ¹⁰You thought the nations of Judah and Israel belonged to you, and that you could take over their territory. But I am their God, ¹¹and as surely as I live, I will punish you for treating my people with anger and hatred. Then they will know that I, the LORD, am punishing you! ¹²And you will finally realize that I heard you laugh at their destruction and say their land was yours to take. ¹³You even insulted me, but I heard it all.
    ¹⁴Everyone on earth will celebrate when I destroy you, ¹⁵just as you celebrated when Israel was destroyed. Your nation of Edom will be nothing but a wasteland. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD.
   

Ezekiel 36

A Message for Israel's Mountains

 ¹The LORD said:    Ezekiel, son of man, tell the mountains of Israel ²that I, the LORD God, am saying:
   Your enemies sneered and said that you mountains belonged to them. ³They ruined and crushed you from every side, and foreign nations captured and made fun of you. ⁴So all you mountains and hills, streams and valleys, listen to what I will do. Your towns may now lie in ruins, and nations may laugh and insult you. ⁵But in my fierce anger, I will turn against those nations, and especially the Edomites, because they laughed at you the loudest and took over your pasturelands. ⁶You have suffered long enough, and, I, the LORD God, am very angry! Nations have insulted you, ⁷so I will now insult and disgrace them. That is my solemn promise.
    ⁸Trees will grow on you mountains of Israel and produce fruit for my people, because they will soon come home. ⁹I will take care of you by plowing your soil and planting crops on your fertile slopes. ¹⁰The people of Israel will return and rebuild your ruined towns and live in them. ¹¹Children will be born, and animals will give birth to their young. You will no longer be deserted as you are now, but you will be covered with people and treated better than ever. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
    ¹²I will bring my people Israel home, and they will live on you mountains, because you belong to them, and your fertile slopes will never again let them starve. ¹³It's true that you have been accused of not producing enough food and of letting your people starve. ^14-15But I, the LORD, promise that you won't hear other nations laugh and sneer at you ever again. From now on, you will always produce plenty of food for your people. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
   

The LORD Will Be Honored

 ¹⁶The LORD said:     ¹⁷Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean. ¹⁸They committed murders and worshiped idols, which made the land even worse. So in my anger, I punished my people ¹⁹and scattered them throughout the nations, just as they deserved. ²⁰Wherever they went, my name was disgraced, because foreigners insulted my people by saying I had forced them out of their own land.
    ²¹I care what those foreigners think of me, ²²so tell the Israelites that I am saying:
   You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name ²³and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the LORD God. I have spoken.
    ²⁴I will gather you from the foreign nations and bring you home. ²⁵I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. ²⁶I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, ²⁷because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings. ²⁸You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
    ²⁹I will protect you from anything that makes you unclean. Your fields will overflow with grain, and no one will starve. ³⁰Your trees will be filled with fruit, and crops will grow in your fields, so that you will never again feel ashamed for not having enough food. ³¹You will remember your evil ways and hate yourselves for what you've done. ³²People of Israel, I'm not doing these things for your sake. You sinned against me, and you must suffer shame and disgrace for what you have done. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
    ³³After I have made you clean, I will let you rebuild your ruined towns and let you live in them. ³⁴Your land will be plowed again, and nobody will be able to see that it was once barren. ³⁵Instead, they will say that it looks as beautiful as the garden of Eden. They won't see towns lying in ruins, but they will see your strong cities filled with people. ³⁶Then the nearby nations that survive will know that I am the one who rebuilt the ruined places and replanted the barren fields. I, the LORD, make this promise.
    ³⁷I will once again answer your prayers, and I will let your nation grow until you are like a large flock of sheep. ³⁸The towns that now lie in ruins will be filled with people, just as Jerusalem was once filled with sheep to be offered as sacrifices during a festival. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
   

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 35:2 Edom: The Hebrew text has "Mount Seir," another name for Edom.

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James 1:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

James 1

 ¹From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.    Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world. ^[a]

Faith and Wisdom

 ²My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. ³You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. ⁴But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.     ⁵If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. ⁶But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. ^7-8If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.
   

Poor People and Rich People

 ⁹Any of God's people who are poor should be glad that he thinks so highly of them. ¹⁰But any who are rich should be glad when God makes them humble. Rich people will disappear like wild flowers ¹¹scorched by the burning heat of the sun. The flowers lose their blossoms, and their beauty is destroyed. That is how the rich will disappear, as they go about their business.    

Trials and Temptations

 ¹²God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, ^[b] just as he rewards everyone who loves him. ¹³Don't blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn't use evil to tempt others. ¹⁴We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. ¹⁵Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.     ¹⁶Don't be fooled, my dear friends. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. ¹⁸He wanted us to be his own special people, ^[c] and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.

Footnotes:

1. James 1:1 twelve tribes scattered all over the world: James is saying that the Lord's followers are like the tribes of Israel that were scattered everywhere by their enemies.
2. James 1:12 a glorious life: The Greek text has "the crown of life." In ancient times an athlete who had won a contest was rewarded with a crown of flowers as a sign of victory.
3. James 1:18 his own special people: The Greek text has "the first of his creatures." The Law of Moses taught that the first-born of all animals and the first part of the harvest were special and belonged to the Lord.

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Psalm 116:1-19 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 116

When the LORD Saves You from Death

 ¹I love you, LORD!    You answered my prayers.
    ²You paid attention to me,
   and so I will pray to you
   as long as I live.
    ³Death attacked from all sides,
   and I was captured
   by its painful chains.
   But when I was really hurting,
    ⁴I prayed and said,
   "LORD,
   please don't let me die!"
    ⁵You are kind, LORD,
   so good and merciful.
    ⁶You protect ordinary people,
   and when I was helpless,
   you saved me
    ⁷and treated me so kindly
   that I don't need
   to worry anymore.
    ⁸You, LORD, have saved
   my life from death,
   my eyes from tears,
   my feet from stumbling.
    ⁹Now I will walk at your side
   in this land of the living.
    ¹⁰I was faithful to you
   when I was suffering,
    ¹¹though in my confusion I said,
   "I can't trust anyone!"
    ¹²What must I give you, LORD,
   for being so good to me?
    ¹³I will pour out an offering
   of wine to you,
   and I will pray in your name
   because you
   have saved me.
    ¹⁴I will keep my promise to you
   when your people meet.
    ¹⁵You are deeply concerned
   when one of your loyal people
   faces death.
    ¹⁶I worship you, LORD,
   just as my mother did,
   and you have rescued me
   from the chains of death.
    ¹⁷I will offer you a sacrifice
   to show how grateful I am,
   and I will pray.
    ¹⁸I will keep my promise to you
   when your people
    ¹⁹gather
   at your temple
   in Jerusalem.
   Shout praises to the LORD!

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Proverbs 27:23-27 (Contemporary English Version)

²³You should take good care
   of your sheep and goats,
    ²⁴because wealth and honor
   don't last forever.
    ²⁵After the hay is cut
   and the new growth appears
   and the harvest is over,
    ²⁶you can sell lambs and goats
   to buy clothes and land.
    ²⁷From the milk of the goats,
   you can make enough cheese
   to feed your family
   and all your servants.

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Verse of the Day

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” - Psalm 119:105

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell wrote, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”