Bible Readings for February 11, 2017

Today our passages are Exodus 32:1–33:23; Matthew 26:69–27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; and Proverbs 8:33-36. The readings are 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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Exodus 32-33:23 (Contemporary English Version)

Exodus 32

The People Make an Idol To Worship

(Deuteronomy 9.6-29)

 ¹After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, they went to Aaron and said, " Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him."     ²Aaron told them, " Bring me the gold earrings that your wives and sons and daughters are wearing." ³Everybody took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron, ⁴then he melted them and made an idol in the shape of a young bull.
   All the people said to one another, " This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!"
    ⁵When Aaron saw what was happening, he built an altar in front of the idol and said, " Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the LORD." ⁶The people got up early the next morning and killed some animals to be used for sacrifices and others to be eaten. Then everyone ate and drank so much that they began to carry on like wild people.
    ⁷The LORD said to Moses:
   Hurry back down! Those people you led out of Egypt are acting like fools. ⁸They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull. They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt. ⁹Moses, I have seen how stubborn these people are, ¹⁰and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me. But I will make your descendants into a great nation.
    ¹¹Moses tried to get the LORD God to change his mind:
   Our LORD, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt. Now don't become angry and destroy them. ¹²If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!
    ¹³Remember the solemn promise you made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You promised that someday they would have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and that you would give them land.
    ¹⁴So even though the LORD had threatened to destroy the people, he changed his mind and let them live.
    ^15-16Moses went back down the mountain with the two flat stones on which God had written all of his laws with his own hand, and he had used both sides of the stones.
    ¹⁷When Joshua heard the noisy shouts of the people, he said to Moses, " A battle must be going on down in the camp."
    ¹⁸But Moses replied, " It doesn't sound like they are shouting because they have won or lost a battle. They are singing wildly!"
    ¹⁹As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it. ²¹Moses asked Aaron, " What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?"
    ²²Aaron answered:
   Don't be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil. ²³They even told me, " That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us." ²⁴Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.
    ²⁵Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. ²⁶So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, " Everyone who is on the LORD's side come over here!"
   Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, ²⁷and he said to them, " The LORD God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors."
    ²⁸The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about three thousand men. ²⁹Moses said to them, " You obeyed the LORD and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the LORD has blessed you and made you his priests today."
    ³⁰The next day Moses told the people, " This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the LORD to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you."
    ³¹Moses returned to the LORD and said, " The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god. ³²But I beg you to forgive them. If you don't, please wipe my name out of your book." ^[a] ³³The LORD replied, " I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me. ³⁴Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin."
    ³⁵So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.
   

Exodus 33

The LORD Tells Israel To Leave Mount Sinai

 ¹The LORD said to Moses:    You led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Now get ready to lead them to the land I promised their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ^2-3It is a land rich with milk and honey, and I will send an angel to force out those people who live there--the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I would go with my people, but they are so rebellious that I would destroy them before they get there.
    ^4-5Even before the LORD said these harsh things, he had told Moses, " These people really are rebellious, and I would kill them at once, if I went with them. But tell them to take off their fancy jewelry, then I'll decide what to do with them." So the people started mourning, ⁶and after leaving Mount Sinai, ^[b] they stopped wearing fancy jewelry.

The LORD Is with His People

 ⁷Moses used to set up a tent far from camp. He called it the " meeting tent," and whoever needed some message from the LORD would go there. ⁸Each time Moses went out to the tent, everyone would stand at the entrance to their own tents and watch him enter. ^9-11Then they would bow down because a thick cloud would come down in front of the tent, and the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, just like a friend. Afterwards, Moses would return to camp, but his young assistant Joshua ^[c] would stay at the tent.

The LORD Promises To Be with His People

 ¹²Moses said to the LORD, " I know that you have told me to lead these people to the land you promised them. But you have not told me who my assistant will be. You have said that you are my friend and that you are pleased with me. ¹³If this is true, let me know what your plans are, then I can obey and continue to please you. And don't forget that you have chosen this nation to be your own."     ¹⁴The LORD said, " I will go with you and give you peace."
    ¹⁵Then Moses replied, " If you aren't going with us, please don't make us leave this place. ¹⁶But if you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me. That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth."
    ¹⁷So the LORD told him, " I will do what you have asked, because I am your friend and I am pleased with you."
    ¹⁸Then Moses said, " I pray that you will let me see you in all of your glory."
    ¹⁹The LORD answered:
   All right. I am the LORD, and I show mercy and kindness to anyone I choose. I will let you see my glory and hear my holy name, ²⁰but I won't let you see my face, because anyone who sees my face will die. ²¹There is a rock not far from me. Stand beside it, ²²and before I pass by in all of my shining glory, I will put you in a large crack in the rock. I will cover your eyes with my hand until I have passed by. ²³Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back. You will not see my face.
   

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 32:32 your book: The people of Israel believed that the LORD kept a record of the names of his people, and anyone whose name was removed from that book no longer belonged to the LORD.
2. Exodus 33:6 Mount Sinai: The Hebrew text has " Mount Horeb," another name for Sinai.
3. Exodus 33:9 Joshua: Hebrew " Joshua son of Nun."

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Matthew 26:69-27:14 (Contemporary English Version)

Peter Says He Doesn't Know Jesus

(Mark 14.66-72; Luke 22.56-62; John 18.15-18,25-27)

 ⁶⁹While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus from Galilee."     ⁷⁰But in front of everyone Peter said, "That isn't so! I don't know what you are talking about!"
    ⁷¹When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, "This man was with Jesus from Nazareth."
    ⁷²Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, "I don't even know that man!"
    ⁷³A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, "We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee."
    ⁷⁴Peter began to curse and swear, "I don't know that man!"
   Right then a rooster crowed, ⁷⁵and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went out and cried hard.
   

Matthew 27

Jesus Is Taken to Pilate

(Mark 15.1; Luke 23.1,2; John 18.28-32)

 ¹Early the next morning all the chief priests and the nation's leaders met and decided that Jesus should be put to death. ²They tied him up and led him away to Pilate the governor.    

The Death of Judas

(Acts 1.18,19)

 ³Judas had betrayed Jesus, but when he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was sorry for what he had done. He returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and leaders ⁴and said, "I have sinned by betraying a man who has never done anything wrong."    "So what? That's your problem," they replied. ⁵Judas threw the money into the temple and then went out and hanged himself.
    ⁶The chief priests picked up the money and said, "This money was paid to have a man killed. We can't put it in the temple treasury." ⁷Then they had a meeting and decided to buy a field that belonged to someone who made clay pots. They wanted to use it as a graveyard for foreigners. ⁸That's why people still call that place "Field of Blood." ⁹So the words of the prophet Jeremiah came true,
   "They took
   the thirty silver coins,
   the price of a person
   among the people of Israel.
    ¹⁰They paid it
   for a potter's field, ^[a] as the Lord
   had commanded me."
   

Pilate Questions Jesus

(Mark 15.2-5; Luke 23.3-5; John 18.33-38)

 ¹¹Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor, who asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"    "Those are your words!" Jesus answered. ¹²And when the chief priests and leaders brought their charges against him, he did not say a thing.
    ¹³Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear what crimes they say you have done?" ¹⁴But Jesus did not say anything, and the governor was greatly amazed.
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 27:10 a potter's field: Perhaps a field owned by someone who made clay pots. But it may have been a field where potters came to get clay or to make pots or to throw away their broken pieces of pottery.

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Psalm 33:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 33

Sing Praises to the LORD

 ¹You are the LORD's people.    Obey him and celebrate!
   He deserves your praise.
    ²Praise the LORD with harps!
   Use harps with ten strings
   to make music for him.
    ³Sing a new song. Shout!
   Play beautiful music.
    ⁴The LORD is truthful;
   he can be trusted.
    ⁵He loves justice and fairness,
   and he is kind to everyone
   everywhere on earth.
    ⁶The LORD made the heavens
   and everything in them
   by his word.
    ⁷He scooped up the ocean
   and stored the water.
    ⁸Everyone in this world
   should worship
   and honor
   the LORD!
    ⁹As soon as he spoke
   the world was created;
   at his command,
   the earth was formed.
    ¹⁰The LORD destroys the plans
   and spoils the schemes
   of the nations.
    ¹¹But what the LORD has planned
   will stand forever.
   His thoughts never change.

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Proverbs 8:33-36 (Contemporary English Version)

³³Listen carefully
   to my instructions,
   and you will be wise.
    ³⁴Come to my home each day
   and listen to me.
   You will find happiness.
    ³⁵By finding me, you find life,
   and the LORD will be pleased
   with you.
    ³⁶But if you don't find me,
   you hurt only yourself,
   and if you hate me,
   you are in love with death.

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Verse of the Day

“Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints,” - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-5

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Jewish Hungarian-born physicist and inventor, Leó Szilárd wrote, “A scientist's aim in a discussion with his colleagues is not to persuade, but to clarify.”

Bible Readings for February 11, 2014

Today our passages are Exodus 32:1–33:23; Matthew 26:69–27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; and Proverbs 8:33-36. The readings are from The Message  by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Exodus 32-33:23 (The Message)

Exodus 32

"Make Gods for Us"

 ¹ When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what's happened to him?"  ^2-4 So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me." They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool.
   The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"
 ⁵ Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf.
   Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to God!"
 ⁶ Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!
 ^7-8 God spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
 ^9-10 God said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."
 ^11-13 Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, "Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"
 ¹⁴ And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.
 ^15-16 Moses turned around and came down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of The Testimony. The tablets were written on both sides, front and back. God made the tablets and God wrote the tablets— engraved them.
 ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting noisily, he said to Moses, "That's the sound of war in the camp!"
 ¹⁸ But Moses said,

      Those aren't songs of victory,
      And those aren't songs of defeat,
      I hear songs of people throwing a party.
 ^19-20 And that's what it was. When Moses came near to the camp and saw the calf and the people dancing, his anger flared. He threw down the tablets and smashed them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, melted it down with fire, pulverized it to powder, then scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
 ²¹ Moses said to Aaron, "What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?"
 ^22-23 Aaron said, "Master, don't be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are. They said to me, 'Make us gods who will lead us. This Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt, we don't know what's happened to him.'
 ²⁴ "So I said, 'Who has gold?' And they took off their jewelry and gave it to me. I threw it in the fire and out came this calf."
 ^25-26 Moses saw that the people were simply running wild—Aaron had let them run wild, disgracing themselves before their enemies. He took up a position at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is on God's side, join me!" All the Levites stepped up.
 ²⁷ He then told them, "God's orders, the God of Israel: 'Strap on your swords and go to work. Crisscross the camp from one end to the other: Kill brother, friend, neighbor.'"
 ²⁸ The Levites carried out Moses' orders. Three thousand of the people were killed that day.
 ²⁹ Moses said, "You confirmed your ordination today—and at great cost, even killing your sons and brothers! And God has blessed you."
 ³⁰ The next day Moses addressed the people: "You have sinned an enormous sin! But I am going to go up to God; maybe I'll be able to clear you of your sin."
 ^31-32 Moses went back to God and said, "This is terrible. This people has sinned—it's an enormous sin! They made gods of gold for themselves. And now, if you will only forgive their sin. ...But if not, erase me out of the book you've written."
 ^33-34 God said to Moses, "I'll only erase from my book those who sin against me. For right now, you go and lead the people to where I told you. Look, my Angel is going ahead of you. On the day, though, when I settle accounts, their sins will certainly be part of the settlement."
 ³⁵ God sent a plague on the people because of the calf they and Aaron had made.

Exodus 33

 ^1-3 God said to Moses: "Now go. Get on your way from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Head for the land which I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying 'I will give it to your descendants.' I will send an angel ahead of you and I'll drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. It's a land flowing with milk and honey. But I won't be with you in person—you're such a stubborn, hard-headed people!—lest I destroy you on the journey."  ⁴ When the people heard this harsh verdict, they were plunged into gloom and wore long faces. No one put on jewelry.
 ^5-6 God said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, 'You're one hard-headed people. I couldn't stand being with you for even a moment—I'd destroy you. So take off all your jewelry until I figure out what to do with you.'" So the Israelites stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb on.

^7-10 Moses used to take the Tent and set it up outside the camp, some distance away. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who sought God would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. It went like this: When Moses would go to the Tent, all the people would stand at attention; each man would take his position at the entrance to his tent with his eyes on Moses until he entered the Tent; whenever Moses entered the Tent, the Pillar of Cloud descended to the entrance to the Tent and God spoke with Moses. All the people would see the Pillar of Cloud at the entrance to the Tent, stand at attention, and then bow down in worship, each man at the entrance to his tent.
 ¹¹ And God spoke with Moses face-to-face, as neighbors speak to one another. When he would return to the camp, his attendant, the young man Joshua, stayed—he didn't leave the Tent.

^12-13 Moses said to God, "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, 'I know you well and you are special to me.' If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility."
 ¹⁴ God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end."
 ^15-16 Moses said, "If your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you're with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?"
 ¹⁷ God said to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name."
 ¹⁸ Moses said, "Please. Let me see your Glory."
 ¹⁹ God said, "I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out the name, God, right before you. I'll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I'll be kind to whomever I want to be kind."
 ²⁰ God continued, "But you may not see my face. No one can see me and live."
 ^21-23 God said, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."

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Matthew 26:69-27:14 (The Message)

Denial in the Courtyard

 ⁶⁹All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean."

 ⁷⁰In front of everybody there, he denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

 ⁷¹As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."

 ⁷²Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: "I swear, I never laid eyes on the man."

 ⁷³Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away."

 ^74-75Then he got really nervous and swore. "I don't know the man!"

   Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Matthew 27

Thirty Silver Coins

 ^1-2 In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.

 ^3-4Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, "I've sinned. I've betrayed an innocent man."

   They said, "What do we care? That's your problem!"

 ⁵Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.

 ^6-10The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn't know what to do with them. "It wouldn't be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple." They decided to get rid of it by buying the "Potter's Field" and use it as a burial place for the homeless. That's how the field got called "Murder Meadow," a name that has stuck to this day. Then Jeremiah's words became history:

   They took the thirty silver pieces,
   The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,
   And they purchased the potter's field.
And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.

Pilate

 ¹¹Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?"

   Jesus said, "If you say so."

 ^12-14But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. Pilate asked him, "Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren't you going to say something?" Jesus kept silence—not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed.

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Psalm 33:1-11 (The Message)

Psalm 33

    Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising.
   Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
      Play his praise on a grand piano!
   Invent your own new song to him;
      give him a trumpet fanfare.

 ^4-5 For God's Word is solid to the core;
      everything he makes is sound inside and out.
   He loves it when everything fits,
      when his world is in plumb-line true.
   Earth is drenched
      in God's affectionate satisfaction.

 ^6-7 The skies were made by God's command;
      he breathed the word and the stars popped out.
   He scooped Sea into his jug,
      put Ocean in his keg.

 ^8-9 Earth-creatures, bow before God;
      world-dwellers—down on your knees!
   Here's why: he spoke and there it was,
      in place the moment he said so.

 ^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. 

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Proverbs 8:33-36 (The Message)

 ^32-36 "So, my dear friends, listen carefully;
   those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
   don't squander your precious life.
Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
   awake and ready for me each morning,
   alert and responsive as I start my day's work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
   to say nothing of God's good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
   when you reject me, you're flirting with death."

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Verse of the Day

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Hungarian-American physicist and inventor, Leó Szilárd wrote, “Even in times of war, you can see current events in their historical perspective, provided that your passion for the truth prevails over your bias in favor of your own nation.”