Bible Readings for December 6, 2016

Today, our passages are Hosea 4:1–5:15; 2 John 1-13; Psalm 125:1-5; and Proverbs 29:9-11. 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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Hosea 4-5:15 (The Message)

Hosea 4

No One Is Faithful

 ^1-3 Attention all Israelites! God's Message!     God indicts the whole population: "No one is faithful. No one loves.
   No one knows the first thing about God.
All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex,
   sheer anarchy, one murder after another!
And because of all this, the very land itself weeps
   and everything in it is grief-stricken—
animals in the fields and birds on the wing,
   even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless.
 ^4-10 "But don't look for someone to blame.
   No finger pointing!
You, priest, are the one in the dock.
   You stumble around in broad daylight,
And then the prophets take over and stumble all night.
   Your mother is as bad as you.
My people are ruined
   because they don't know what's right or true.
Because you've turned your back on knowledge,
   I've turned my back on you priests.
Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God,
   I'm no longer recognizing your children.
The more priests, the more sin.
   They traded in their glory for shame.
They pig out on my people's sins.
   They can't wait for the latest in evil.
The result: You can't tell the people from the priests,
   the priests from the people.
I'm on my way to make them both pay
   and take the consequences of the bad lives they've lived.
They'll eat and be as hungry as ever,
   have sex and get no satisfaction.
They walked out on me, their God,
   for a life of rutting with whores.

They Make a Picnic Out of Religion

 ^11-14 "Wine and whiskey
   leave my people in a stupor.
They ask questions of a dead tree,
   expect answers from a sturdy walking stick.
Drunk on sex, they can't find their way home.
   They've replaced their God with their genitals.
They worship on the tops of mountains,
   make a picnic out of religion.
Under the oaks and elms on the hills
   they stretch out and take it easy.
Before you know it, your daughters are whores
   and the wives of your sons are sleeping around.
But I'm not going after your whoring daughters
   or the adulterous wives of your sons.
It's the men who pick up the whores that I'm after,
   the men who worship at the holy whorehouses—
   a stupid people, ruined by whores!  ^15-19 "You've ruined your own life, Israel—
   but don't drag Judah down with you!
Don't go to the sex shrine at Gilgal,
   don't go to that sin city Bethel,
Don't go around saying 'God bless you' and not mean it,
   taking God's name in vain.
Israel is stubborn as a mule.
   How can God lead him like a lamb to open pasture?
Ephraim is addicted to idols.
   Let him go.
When the beer runs out,
   it's sex, sex, and more sex.
Bold and sordid debauchery—
   how they love it!
The whirlwind has them in its clutches.
   Their sex-worship leaves them finally impotent."

Hosea 5

They Wouldn't Recognize God If They Saw Him

 ^1-2 "Listen to this, priests! Attention, people of Israel!
Royal family—all ears!
   You're in charge of justice around here.
But what have you done? Exploited people at Mizpah,
   ripped them off on Tabor,
Victimized them at Shittim.
   I'm going to punish the lot of you.  ^3-4"I know you, Ephraim, inside and out.
   Yes, Israel, I see right through you!
Ephraim, you've played your sex-and-religion games long enough.
   All Israel is thoroughly polluted.
They couldn't turn to God if they wanted to.
   Their evil life is a bad habit.
Every breath they take is a whore's breath.
   They wouldn't recognize God if they saw me.
 ^5-7"Bloated by arrogance, big as a house,
   they're a public disgrace,
The lot of them—Israel, Ephraim, Judah—
   lurching and weaving down their guilty streets.
When they decide to get their lives together
   and go off looking for God once again,
They'll find it's too late.
   I, God, will be long gone.
They've played fast and loose with me for too long,
   filling the country with their bastard offspring.
A plague of locusts will
   devastate their violated land.
 ^8-9"Blow the ram's horn shofar in Gibeah,
   the bugle in Ramah!
Signal the invasion of Sin City!
   Scare the daylights out of Benjamin!
Ephraim will be left wasted,
   a lifeless moonscape.
I'm telling it straight, the unvarnished truth,
   to the tribes of Israel.
 ¹⁰"Israel's rulers are crooks and thieves,
   cheating the people of their land,
And I'm angry, good and angry.
   Every inch of their bodies is going to feel my anger.
 ^11-12"Brutal Ephraim is himself brutalized—
   a taste of his own medicine!
He was so determined
   to do it his own worthless way.
Therefore I'm pus to Ephraim,
   dry rot in the house of Judah.
 ¹³"When Ephraim saw he was sick
   and Judah saw his pus-filled sores,
Ephraim went running to Assyria,
   went for help to the big king.
But he can't heal you.
   He can't cure your oozing sores.
 ^14-15"I'm a grizzly charging Ephraim,
   a grizzly with cubs charging Judah.
I'll rip them to pieces—yes, I will!
   No one can stop me now.
I'll drag them off.
   No one can help them.
Then I'll go back to where I came from
   until they come to their senses.
When they finally hit rock bottom,
   maybe they'll come looking for me."

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2 John 1-13 (The Message)

2 John 1

 ^1-2My dear congregation, I, your pastor, love you in very truth. And I'm not alone—everyone who knows the Truth that has taken up permanent residence in us loves you.  ³Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father!
 ^4-6I can't tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your congregation are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed.

Don't Walk Out on God

 ⁷There are a lot of smooth-talking charlatans loose in the world who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was truly human, a flesh-and-blood human being. Give them their true title: Deceiver! Antichrist!  ^8-9And be very careful around them so you don't lose out on what we've worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you. Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on God. But whoever stays with the teaching, stays faithful to both the Father and the Son.
 ^10-11If anyone shows up who doesn't hold to this teaching, don't invite him in and give him the run of the place. That would just give him a platform to perpetuate his evil ways, making you his partner.
 ^12-13I have a lot more things to tell you, but I'd rather not use paper and ink. I hope to be there soon in person and have a heart-to-heart talk. That will be far more satisfying to both you and me. Everyone here in your sister congregation sends greetings.

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Psalm 125:1-5 (The Message)

Psalm 125

A Pilgrim Song

 ^1-5 Those who trust in God
      are like Zion Mountain:
   Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain
      you can always depend on.
   Mountains encircle Jerusalem,
      and God encircles his people—
      always has and always will.
   The fist of the wicked
      will never violate
   What is due the righteous,
      provoking wrongful violence.
   Be good to your good people, God,
      to those whose hearts are right!
   God will round up the backsliders,
      corral them with the incorrigibles.
   Peace over Israel!

 

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Proverbs 29:9-11 (The Message)

 ⁹ A sage trying to work things out with a fool
   gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.

 ¹⁰ Murderers hate honest people;
   moral folks encourage them.

 ¹¹ A fool lets it all hang out;
   a sage quietly mulls it over.

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Verse of the Day

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” - John 10:14-15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

The preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Bible Readings for March 9, 2016

Today our passages are Numbers 14:1–15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; and Proverbs 11:4. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year. 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 14-15:16 (The Message)

Numbers 14

 ^1-3 The whole community was in an uproar, wailing all night long. All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: "Why didn't we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don't we just head back to Egypt? And right now!"  ⁴ Soon they were all saying it to one another: "Let's pick a new leader; let's head back to Egypt."
 ⁵ Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of the entire community, gathered in emergency session.
 ^6-9 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, members of the scouting party, ripped their clothes and addressed the assembled People of Israel: "The land we walked through and scouted out is a very good land—very good indeed. If God is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land that flows, as they say, with milk and honey. And he'll give it to us. Just don't rebel against God! And don't be afraid of those people. Why, we'll have them for lunch! They have no protection and God is on our side. Don't be afraid of them!"
 ^10-12 But, up in arms now, the entire community was talking of hurling stones at them.
   Just then the bright Glory of God appeared at the Tent of Meeting. Every Israelite saw it. God said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long refuse to trust me? And with all these signs I've done among them! I've had enough—I'm going to hit them with a plague and kill them. But I'll make you into a nation bigger and stronger than they ever were."
 ^13-16 But Moses said to God, "The Egyptians are going to hear about this! You delivered this people from Egypt with a great show of strength, and now this? The Egyptians will tell everyone. They've already heard that you are God, that you are on the side of this people, that you are present among them, that they see you with their own eyes in your Cloud that hovers over them, in the Pillar of Cloud that leads them by day and the Pillar of Fire at night. If you kill this entire people in one stroke, all the nations that have heard what has been going on will say, 'Since God couldn't get these people into the land which he had promised to give them, he slaughtered them out in the wilderness.'
 ¹⁷ "Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said,

 ¹⁸ God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love,
      forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin;
   Still, never just whitewashing sin.
      But extending the fallout of parents' sins
   to children into the third,
      even the fourth generation.
 ¹⁹ "Please forgive the wrongdoing of this people out of the extravagance of your loyal love just as all along, from the time they left Egypt, you have been forgiving this people."
 ^20-23 God said, "I forgive them, honoring your words. But as I live and as the Glory of God fills the whole Earth—not a single person of those who saw my Glory, saw the miracle signs I did in Egypt and the wilderness, and who have tested me over and over and over again, turning a deaf ear to me—not one of them will set eyes on the land I so solemnly promised to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with such repeated contempt will see it.
 ²⁴ "But my servant Caleb—this is a different story. He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I'll bring him into the land that he scouted and his children will inherit it.
 ²⁵ "Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are so well established in the valleys, for right now change course and head back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea."
 ^26-30 God spoke to Moses and Aaron: "How long is this going to go on, all this grumbling against me by this evil-infested community? I've had my fill of complaints from these grumbling Israelites. Tell them, As I live—God's decree—here's what I'm going to do: Your corpses are going to litter the wilderness—every one of you twenty years and older who was counted in the census, this whole generation of grumblers and grousers. Not one of you will enter the land and make your home there, the firmly and solemnly promised land, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
 ^31-34 "Your children, the very ones that you said would be taken for plunder, I'll bring in to enjoy the land you rejected while your corpses will be rotting in the wilderness. These children of yours will live as shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, living with the fallout of your whoring unfaithfulness until the last of your generation lies a corpse in the wilderness. You scouted out the land for forty days; your punishment will be a year for each day, a forty-year sentence to serve for your sins—a long schooling in my displeasure.
 ³⁵ "I, God, have spoken. I will most certainly carry out these things against this entire evil-infested community which has banded together against me. In this wilderness they will come to their end. There they will die."
 ^36-38 So it happened that the men Moses sent to scout out the land returned to circulate false rumors about the land causing the entire community to grumble against Moses—all these men died. Having spread false rumors of the land, they died in a plague, confronted by God. Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were left alive of the men who went to scout out the land.
 ^39-40 When Moses told all of this to the People of Israel, they mourned long and hard. But early the next morning they started out for the high hill country, saying, "We're here; we're ready—let's go up and attack the land that God promised us. We sinned, but now we're ready."
 ^41-43 But Moses said, "Why are you crossing God's command yet again? This won't work. Don't attack. God isn't with you in this—you'll be beaten badly by your enemies. The Amalekites and Canaanites are ready for you and they'll kill you. Because you have left off obediently following God, God is not going to be with you in this."
 ^44-45 But they went anyway; recklessly and arrogantly they climbed to the high hill country. But the Chest of the Covenant and Moses didn't budge from the camp. The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in the hill country came out of the hills and attacked and beat them, a rout all the way down to Hormah.

Numbers 15

Matters of Worship

 ^1-5 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter your homeland that I am giving to you and sacrifice a Fire-Gift to God, a Whole-Burnt-Offering or any sacrifice from the herd or flock for a Vow-Offering or Freewill-Offering at one of the appointed feasts, as a pleasing fragrance for God, the one bringing the offering shall present to God a Grain-Offering of two quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of oil. With each lamb for the Whole-Burnt-Offering or other sacrifice, prepare a quart of oil and a quart of wine as a Drink-Offering.  ^6-7 "For a ram prepare a Grain-Offering of four quarts of fine flour mixed with one and a quarter quarts of oil and one and a quarter quarts of wine as a Drink-Offering. Present it as a pleasing fragrance to God.
 ^8-10 "When you prepare a young bull as a Whole-Burnt-Offering or sacrifice for a special vow or a Peace-Offering to God, bring with the bull a Grain-Offering of six quarts of fine flour and two quarts of oil. Also bring two quarts of wine as a Drink-Offering. It will be a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God.
 ^11-12 "Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this same way. Carry out this procedure for each one, no matter how many you have to prepare.
 ^13-16 "Every native-born Israelite is to follow this procedure when he brings a Fire-Gift as a pleasing fragrance to God. In future generations, when a foreigner or visitor living at length among you presents a Fire-Gift as a pleasing fragrance to God, the same procedures must be followed. The community has the same rules for you and the foreigner living among you. This is the regular rule for future generations. You and the foreigner are the same before God. The same laws and regulations apply to both you and the foreigner who lives with you."

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Mark 14:53-72 (The Message)

Condemned to Death

 ^53-54They led Jesus to the Chief Priest, where the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars had gathered together. Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

 ^55-59The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death. They found nothing. Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out. Then a few of them stood up and lied: "We heard him say, 'I am going to tear down this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without lifting a hand.'" But even they couldn't agree exactly.

 ^60-61In the middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, "What do you have to say to the accusation?" Jesus was silent. He said nothing.

   The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?"

 ⁶²Jesus said, "Yes, I am, and you'll see it yourself:

   The Son of Man seated
   At the right hand of the Mighty One,
   Arriving on the clouds of heaven."

 ^63-64The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, "Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses? You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?"

   They condemned him, one and all. The sentence: death.

 ⁶⁵Some of them started spitting at him. They blindfolded his eyes, then hit him, saying, "Who hit you? Prophesy!" The guards, punching and slapping, took him away.

The Rooster Crowed

 ^66-67While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest's servant girls came in and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, "You were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

 ⁶⁸He denied it: "I don't know what you're talking about." He went out on the porch. A rooster crowed.

 ^69-70The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing around, "He's one of them." He denied it again.

   After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. "You've got to be one of them. You've got 'Galilean' written all over you."

 ^71-72Now Peter got really nervous and swore, "I never laid eyes on this man you're talking about." Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times." He collapsed in tears.

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Psalm 53:1-6 (The Message)

Psalm 53

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
   It's poison gas—
      they foul themselves, they poison
   Rivers and skies;
      thistles are their cash crop.
   God sticks his head out of heaven.
      He looks around.
   He's looking for someone not stupid—
      one man, even, God-expectant,
      just one God-ready woman.

 ³ He comes up empty. A string
      of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
   Sheep, taking turns pretending
      to be Shepherd.
   The ninety and nine
      follow the one.

 ⁴ Don't they know anything,
      all these impostors?
   Don't they know
      they can't get away with this,
   Treating people like a fast-food meal
      over which they're too busy to pray?

 ⁵ Night is coming for them, and nightmare—
      a nightmare they'll never wake up from.
   God will make hash of these squatters,
      send them packing for good.

 ⁶ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
      God turns life around.
   Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
      turned-around Israel sings laughter.

A David Psalm, When the Ziphites Reported to Saul,

    "David Is Hiding Out with Us"

 

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Proverbs 11:4 (The Message)

 ⁴ A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
   but a principled life can stand up to the worst.

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Verse of the Day

“God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.” - 2 Timothy 1:9

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

The preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”

Bible Readings for October 2, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 66:1-24; Philippians 3:4b-21; Psalm 74:1-23; and Proverbs 24:15-16. 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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Isaiah 66:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 66

True Worship

 ¹The LORD said:    Heaven is my throne;
   the earth is my footstool.
   What kind of house
   could you build for me?
   In what place will I rest?
    ²I have made everything;
   that's how it all came to be. ^[a] I, the LORD, have spoken.
   The people I treasure most
   are the humble--
   they depend only on me
   and tremble when I speak.
    ³You sacrifice oxen to me,
   and you commit murder;
   you sacrifice lambs to me
   and dogs to other gods;
   you offer grain to me
   and pigs' blood to idols;
   you burn incense to me
   and praise your idols. ^[b] You have made your own choice
   to do these disgusting things
   that you enjoy so much.
    ⁴You refused to answer
   when I called out;
   you paid no attention
   to my instructions.
   Instead, you did what I hated,
   knowing it was wrong.
   Now I will punish ^[c] you in a way you dread the most.
   

The LORD Will Help Jerusalem

 ⁵If you tremble    when the LORD speaks,
   listen to what he says:
   "Some of your own people hate
   and reject you because of me.
   They make fun and say,
   `Let the LORD show his power!
   Let us see him
   make you truly happy.' ^[d] But those who say these things
   will be terribly ashamed."
    ⁶Do you hear that noise
   in the city and those shouts
   coming from the temple?
   It is the LORD shouting
   as he punishes his enemies.
    ⁷Have you ever heard of a woman
   who gave birth to a child
   before having labor pains?
    ⁸Who ever heard of such a thing
   or imagined it could happen?
   Can a nation be born in a day
   or come to life in a second?
   Jerusalem is like a mother
   who gave birth to her children
   as soon as she was in labor.
    ⁹The LORD is the one
   who makes birth possible.
   And he will see that Zion
   has many more children.
   The LORD has spoken.
    ¹⁰If you love Jerusalem,
   celebrate and shout!
   If you were in sorrow
   because of the city,
   you can now be glad.
    ¹¹She will nurse and comfort you,
   just like your own mother,
   until you are satisfied.
   You will fully enjoy
   her wonderful glory.
    ¹²The LORD has promised:
   "I will flood Jerusalem
   with the wealth of nations
   and make the city prosper.
   Zion will nurse you at her breast,
   carry you in her arms,
   and hold you in her lap.
    ¹³I will comfort you there
   like a mother
   comforting her child."
    ¹⁴When you see this happen,
   you will celebrate;
   your strength will return
   faster than grass can sprout.
   Then everyone will know
   that the LORD is present
   with his servants,
   but he is angry
   with his enemies.
    ¹⁵The LORD will come down
   like a whirlwind
   with his flaming chariots.
   He will be terribly furious
   and punish his enemies
   with fire.
    ¹⁶The LORD's fiery sword
   will bring justice
   everywhere on this earth
   and execute many people.
   

A Threat and a Promise

 ¹⁷Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess. ^[e] You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the LORD, will destroy you for this. ¹⁸I know everything you do and think! The time has now come ^[f] to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory ¹⁹by proving what I can do. ^[g] I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul, ^[h] Lud, Meshech, ^[i] Tubal, Javan, ^[j] and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me. ²⁰They will bring your relatives from the nations as an offering to me, the LORD. They will come on horses, chariots, wagons, mules, and camels ^[k] to Jerusalem, my holy mountain. It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple. ²¹I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the LORD, have spoken. ²²I also promise that you will always have descendants and will never be forgotten, just as the new heavens and the new earth that I create will last forever. ²³On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the LORD, have spoken.     ²⁴My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 66:2 that's. . . be: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Isaiah 66:3 You sacrifice oxen. . . idols: Or "Sacrificing oxen to me is the same as murder; sacrificing lambs to me is the same as sacrificing dogs to other gods; offering grain to me is the same as offering pigs' blood to idols; and burning incense to me is the same as praising idols."
3. Isaiah 66:4 punish: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Isaiah 66:5 Some. . . happy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Isaiah 66:17 Some. . . goddess: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 66:18 I. . . come: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Isaiah 66:19 by. . . do: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Isaiah 66:19 Pul: Hebrew; one ancient translation "Put," a country in Africa, but neither the location of Pul or Put is known for certain.
9. Isaiah 66:19 Meshech: One ancient translation; Hebrew "those who use bows and arrows."
10. Isaiah 66:19 Tarshish. . . Javan: Tarshish may have been a Phoenician city in Spain; Put (see note on Pul) and Lud were African people; Meshech and Tubal were regions south or southeast of the Black Sea; the Javan were people of Asia Minor and the Greek islands.
11. Isaiah 66:20 camels: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Philippians 3:4-21 (Contemporary English Version)

⁴although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. ⁵I was circumcised when I was eight days old, ^[a] and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. ⁶And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God. ⁷But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. ⁸Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ ⁹and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. ¹⁰All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, ¹¹so that somehow I also may be raised to life.
   

Running toward the Goal

 ¹²I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. ¹³My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. ¹⁴I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. ¹⁵All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. ¹⁶But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.     ¹⁷My friends, I want you to follow my example and learn from others who closely follow the example we set for you. ¹⁸I often warned you that many people are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And now with tears in my eyes, I warn you again ¹⁹that they are headed for hell! They worship their stomachs and brag about the disgusting things they do. All they can think about are the things of this world.
    ²⁰But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ ²¹has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.
   

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 3:5 when I was eight days old: Jewish boys are circumcised eight days after birth.

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Psalm 74:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 74

(A special psalm by Asaph.)

A Prayer for the Nation in Times of Trouble

 ¹Our God, why have you    completely rejected us?
   Why are you so angry
   with the ones you care for?
    ²Remember the people
   you rescued long ago,
   the tribe you chose
   to be your very own.
   Think of Mount Zion,
   your home;
    ³walk over to the temple
   left in ruins forever
   by those who hate us.
    ⁴Your enemies roared like lions
   in your holy temple,
   and they have placed
   their banners there.
    ⁵It looks like a forest
   chopped to pieces. ^{[a] 6}They used axes and hatchets
   to smash the carvings.
    ⁷They burned down your temple
   and badly disgraced it.
    ⁸They said to themselves,
   "We'll crush them!"
   Then they burned every one
   of your meeting places
   all over the country.
    ⁹There are no more miracles
   and no more prophets.
   Who knows how long
   it will be like this?
    ¹⁰Our God, how much longer
   will our enemies sneer?
   Won't they ever stop
   insulting you?
    ¹¹Why don't you punish them?
   Why are you holding back?
    ¹²Our God and King,
   you have ruled
   since ancient times;
   you have won victories
   everywhere on this earth.
    ¹³By your power you made a path
   through the sea,
   and you smashed the heads
   of sea monsters.
    ¹⁴You crushed the heads
   of the monster Leviathan, ^[b] then fed him to wild creatures
   in the desert.
    ¹⁵You opened the ground
   for streams and springs
   and dried up mighty rivers.
    ¹⁶You rule the day and the night,
   and you put the moon
   and the sun in place.
    ¹⁷You made summer and winter
   and gave them to the earth. ^{[c] 18}Remember your enemies, LORD!
   They foolishly sneer
   and won't respect you.
    ¹⁹You treat us like pet doves,
   but they mistreat us.
   Don't keep forgetting us
   and letting us be fed
   to those wild animals.
    ²⁰Remember the agreement
   you made with us.
   Violent enemies are hiding
   in every dark corner
   of the earth.
    ²¹Don't disappoint those in need
   or make them turn from you,
   but help the poor and homeless
   to shout your praises.
    ²²Do something, God!
   Defend yourself.
   Remember how those fools
   sneer at you all day long.
    ²³Don't forget the loud shouts
   of your enemies.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 74:5 pieces: One meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
2. Psalm 74:14 Leviathan: God's victory over this monster sometimes stands for his power over all creation and sometimes for his defeat of Egypt.
3. Psalm 74:17 gave. . . earth: Or " made boundaries for the earth."

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Proverbs 24:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)

-27-

 ¹⁵ Don't be a cruel person    who attacks good people
   and hurts their families.
    ¹⁶Even if good people
   fall seven times,
   they will get back up.
   But when trouble strikes
   the wicked,
   that's the end of them.

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Verse of the Day

“Don't fall into the trap of being a coward-- trust the LORD, and you will be safe.” - Proverbs 29:25

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

The preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.”

Bible Readings for May 13, 2015

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 13:23–14:52; John 7:30-53; Psalm 109:1-31; and Proverbs 15:5-7. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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1 Samuel 13:23-14:52 (Contemporary English Version)

²³The Philistines moved their camp to the pass at Michmash,

1 Samuel 14

 ^1-3and Saul was in Geba ^[a] with his six hundred men. Saul's own tent was set up under a fruit tree ^[b] by the threshing place ^[c] at the edge of town. Ahijah was serving as priest, and one of his jobs was to get answers from the LORD for Saul. Ahijah's father was Ahitub, and his father's brother was Ichabod. Ahijah's grandfather was Phinehas, and his great-grandfather Eli had been the LORD's priest at Shiloh. One day, Jonathan told the soldier who carried his weapons that he wanted to attack the Philistine camp on the other side of the valley. So they slipped out of the Israelite camp without anyone knowing it. Jonathan didn't even tell his father he was leaving.     ^4-5Jonathan decided to get to the Philistine camp by going through the pass that led between Shiny Cliff and Michmash to the north and Thornbush Cliff ^[d] and Geba to the south. ⁶Jonathan and the soldier who carried his weapons talked as they went toward the Philistine camp. "It's just the two of us against all those godless men," Jonathan said. "But the LORD can help a few soldiers win a battle just as easily as he can help a whole army. Maybe the LORD will help us win this battle."
    ⁷"Do whatever you want," the soldier answered. "I'll be right there with you."
    ⁸"This is what we will do," Jonathan said. "We will go across and let them see us. ⁹If they agree to come down the hill and fight where we are, then we won't climb up to their camp. ¹⁰But we will go if they tell us to come up the hill and fight. That will mean the LORD is going to help us win."
    ^11-12Jonathan and the soldier stood at the bottom of the hill where the Philistines could see them. The Philistines said, "Look! Those worthless Israelites have crawled out of the holes where they've been hiding." Then they yelled down to Jonathan and the soldier, "Come up here, and we will teach you a thing or two!"
   Jonathan turned to the soldier and said, "Follow me! The LORD is going to let us win."
    ¹³Jonathan crawled up the hillside with the soldier right behind him. When they got to the top, Jonathan killed the Philistines who attacked from the front, and the soldier killed those who attacked from behind. ^{[e] 14}Before they had gone a hundred feet, ^[f] they had killed about twenty Philistines. ¹⁵The whole Philistine army panicked--those in camp, those on guard duty, those in the fields, and those on raiding patrols. All of them were afraid and confused. Then God sent an earthquake, and the ground began to tremble. ^[g]

Israel Defeats the Philistines

 ¹⁶Saul's lookouts at Geba ^[h] saw that the Philistine army was running in every direction, like melted wax. ¹⁷Saul told his officers, "Call the roll and find out who left our camp." When they had finished, they found out that Jonathan and the soldier who carried his weapons were missing. ¹⁸At that time, Ahijah was serving as priest for the army of Israel, and Saul told him, "Come over here! Let's ask God what we should do." ^{[i] 19}Just as Saul finished saying this, he could see that the Philistine army camp was getting more and more confused, and he said, "Ahijah, never mind!" ²⁰Saul quickly called his army together, then led them to the Philistine camp. By this time the Philistines were so confused that they were killing each other.     ²¹There were also some hired soldiers ^[j] in the Philistine camp, who now switched to Israel's side and fought for Saul and Jonathan. ²²Many Israelites had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim. And when they heard that the Philistines were running away, they came out of hiding and joined in chasing the Philistines.
    ^23-24So the LORD helped Israel win the battle that day.
   Saul had earlier told his soldiers, "I want to get even with those Philistines by sunset. If any of you eat before then, you will be under a curse!" So he made them swear not to eat.
   By the time the fighting moved past Beth-Aven, ^[k] the Israelite troops were weak from hunger.

Saul's Curse on Anyone Who Eats

 ^25-26The army and the people who lived nearby had gone into a forest, and they came to a place where honey was dripping on the ground. ^[l] But no one ate any of it, because they were afraid of being put under the curse. ²⁷Jonathan did not know about Saul's warning to the soldiers. So he dipped the end of his walking stick in the honey and ate some with his fingers. He felt stronger and more alert. ²⁸Then a soldier told him, "Your father swore that anyone who ate food today would be put under a curse, and we agreed not to eat. That's why we're so weak."     ²⁹Jonathan said, "My father has caused you a lot of trouble. Look at me! I had only a little of this honey, but already I feel strong and alert. ³⁰I wish you had eaten some of the food the Philistines left behind. We would have been able to kill a lot more of them."
    ³¹By evening the Israelite army was exhausted from killing Philistines all the way from Michmash to Aijalon. ^{[m] 32}They grabbed the food they had captured from the Philistines and started eating. They even killed sheep and cows and calves right on the ground and ate the meat without draining the blood. ^{[n] 33}Someone told Saul, "Look! The army is disobeying the LORD by eating meat before the blood drains out." "You're right," Saul answered. "They are being unfaithful to the LORD! Hurry! Roll a big rock over here. ^{[o] 34}Then tell everyone in camp to bring their cattle and lambs to me. They can kill the animals on this rock, ^[p] then eat the meat. That way no one will disobey the LORD by eating meat with blood still in it." That night the soldiers brought their cattle over to the big rock and killed them there. ³⁵It was the first altar Saul had built for offering sacrifices to the LORD. ^[q]

The Army Rescues Jonathan

 ³⁶Saul said, "Let's attack the Philistines again while it's still dark. We can fight them all night. Let's kill them and take everything they own!"    The people answered, "We will do whatever you want."
   "Wait!" Ahijah the priest said. "Let's ask God what we should do."
    ³⁷Saul asked God, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you help us win?"
   This time God did not answer. ³⁸Saul called his army officers together and said, "We have to find out what sin has kept God from answering. ³⁹I swear by the living LORD that whoever sinned must die, even if it turns out to be my own son Jonathan."
   No one said a word.
    ⁴⁰Saul told his army, "You stand on that side of the priest, and Jonathan and I will stand on the other side."
   Everyone agreed.
    ⁴¹Then Saul prayed, "Our LORD, God of Israel, why haven't you answered me today? Please show us who sinned. Was it my son Jonathan and I, or was it your people Israel?" ^[r] The answer came back that Jonathan or Saul had sinned, not the army. ⁴²Saul told Ahijah, "Now ask the LORD to decide between Jonathan and me."
   The answer came back that Jonathan had sinned. ⁴³"Jonathan," Saul exclaimed, "tell me what you did!"
   "I dipped the end of my walking stick in some honey and ate a little. Now you say I have to die!"
    ⁴⁴"Yes, Jonathan. I swear to God that you must die."
    ⁴⁵"No!" the soldiers shouted. "God helped Jonathan win the battle for us. We won't let you kill him. We swear to the LORD that we won't let you kill him or even lay a hand on him!" So the army kept Saul from killing Jonathan.
    ⁴⁶Saul stopped hunting down the Philistines, and they went home.
   

Saul Fights His Enemies

 ^47-48When Saul became king, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, the Philistines, and the Amalekites had all been robbing the Israelites. Saul fought back against these enemies and stopped them from robbing Israel. He was a brave commander and always won his battles. ^[s]

Saul's Family

 ^49-51Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. They had three sons: Jonathan, Ishvi, ^[t] and Malchishua. They also had two daughters: The older one was Merab, and the younger one was Michal. Abner, Saul's cousin, was the commander of the army. Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.    

War with the Philistines

 ⁵²Saul was at war with the Philistines for as long as he lived. Whenever he found a good warrior or a brave man, Saul made him join his army.    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 14:1 Geba: Or "Gibeah." In 13.16 and 14.5 the name "Geba" is used, while 14.2,16 have "Gibeah." In ancient Hebrew writing there is only one letter different between the two words.
2. 1 Samuel 14:1 fruit tree: Hebrew "pomegranate tree." A pomegranate is a bright red fruit that looks like an apple.
3. 1 Samuel 14:1 threshing place: Or "in Migron."
4. 1 Samuel 14:4 Shiny Cliff. . . Thornbush Cliff: Or "Bozez Cliff. . . Seneh Cliff."
5. 1 Samuel 14:13 Jonathan killed. . . from behind: Or "Jonathan attacked the Philistines with his sword, and the soldier killed those who fell to the ground wounded."
6. 1 Samuel 14:14 a hundred feet: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. 1 Samuel 14:15 Then. . . tremble: Or "Then the ground began to tremble, and everyone was in a terrible panic." Or "Then the ground began to tremble, and God made them all panic."
8. 1 Samuel 14:16 Geba: See the note at 14.1-3.
9. 1 Samuel 14:18 At that time. . . should do: One ancient translation; Hebrew "Saul told Ahijah, `Bring the sacred chest,' because at that time it was with the army of Israel."
10. 1 Samuel 14:21 hired soldiers: See the note at 13.7.
11. 1 Samuel 14:23 Beth-Aven: See the note at 13.5.
12. 1 Samuel 14:25 The army. . . ground: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. 1 Samuel 14:31 Aijalon: About 20 miles west of Michmash.
14. 1 Samuel 14:32 blood: The Israelites were supposed to drain the blood from a butchered animal before the meat was cooked and eaten (see Genesis 9.4; Leviticus 17.11; Deuteronomy 12.23).
15. 1 Samuel 14:33 over here: One ancient translation; Hebrew "today."
16. 1 Samuel 14:34 kill. . . rock: That is, up off the ground so the blood could drain out.
17. 1 Samuel 14:35 offering sacrifices to the LORD: Even when animals were killed for food, it was often done as a sacrifice to the LORD.
18. 1 Samuel 14:41 why. . . Israel: One ancient translation; Hebrew "give me an answer."
19. 1 Samuel 14:47 won his battles: One ancient translation; Hebrew "hurt them."
20. 1 Samuel 14:49 Ishvi: Also known as Eshbaal (see 1 Chronicles 8.33; 9.39) and Ishbosheth (see 2 Samuel 2.8-13; 3.8-15; 4.5-12).

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John 7:30-53 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁰Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. ^{[a] 31}A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, he surely won't perform more miracles ^[b] than this man has done!"

Officers Sent To Arrest Jesus

 ³²When the Pharisees heard the crowd arguing about Jesus, they got together with the chief priests and sent some temple police to arrest him. ³³But Jesus told them, "I will be with you a little while longer, and then I will return to the one who sent me. ³⁴You will look for me, but you won't find me. You cannot go where I am going."     ³⁵The Jewish leaders asked each other, "Where can he go to keep us from finding him? Is he going to some foreign country where our people live? Is he going there to teach the Greeks? ^{[c] 36}What did he mean by saying that we will look for him, but won't find him? Why can't we go where he is going?"

Streams of Life-Giving Water

 ³⁷On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! ³⁸Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say." ³⁹Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full glory. ^[d]

The People Take Sides

 ⁴⁰When the crowd heard Jesus say this, some of them said, "He must be the Prophet!" ^{[e] 41}Others said, "He is the Messiah!" Others even said, "Can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴²The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean that he will be born in David's hometown of Bethlehem?" ⁴³The people started taking sides against each other because of Jesus. ⁴⁴Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

The Leaders Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

 ⁴⁵When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked, "Why didn't you bring Jesus here?"     ⁴⁶They answered, "No one has ever spoken like that man!"
    ⁴⁷The Pharisees said to them, "Have you also been fooled? ⁴⁸Not one of the chief priests or the Pharisees has faith in him. ⁴⁹And these people who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway."
    ⁵⁰Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and was the same one who had earlier come to see Jesus. ^[f] He said, ⁵¹"Our Law doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to say. We cannot judge them before we know what they have done." ⁵²Then they said, "Nicodemus, you must be from Galilee! Read the Scriptures, and you will find that no prophet is to come from Galilee."
   

A Woman Caught in Sin

 ⁵³Everyone else went home,    

Footnotes:

1. John 7:30 his time had not yet come: See the note at 2.4.
2. John 7:31 miracles: See the note at 2.11.
3. John 7:35 Greeks: Perhaps Gentiles or Jews who followed Greek customs.
4. John 7:39 had not yet been given his full glory: In the Gospel of John, Jesus is given his full glory both when he is nailed to the cross and when he is raised from death to sit beside his Father in heaven.
5. John 7:40 the Prophet: See the note at 1.21.
6. John 7:50 who had earlier come to see Jesus: See 3.1-21.

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Psalm 109:1-31 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 109

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the LORD's Help

 ¹I praise you, God!    Don't keep silent.
    ²Destructive and deceitful lies
   are told about me,
    ³and hateful things are said
   for no reason.
    ⁴I had pity and prayed ^[a] for my enemies,
   but their words to me
   were harsh and cruel.
    ⁵For being friendly and kind,
   they paid me back
   with meanness and hatred.
    ⁶My enemies said,
   "Find some worthless fools
   to accuse him of a crime.
    ⁷Try him and find him guilty!
   Consider his prayers a lie.
    ⁸Cut his life short
   and let someone else
   have his job.
    ⁹Make orphans of his children
   and a widow of his wife;
    ¹⁰make his children beg for food
   and live in the slums.
    ¹¹"Let the people he owes
   take everything he owns.
   Give it all to strangers.
    ¹²Don't let anyone be kind to him
   or have pity on the children
   he leaves behind.
    ¹³Bring an end to his family,
   and from now on let him be
   a forgotten man.
    ¹⁴"Don't let the LORD forgive
   the sins of his parents
   and his ancestors.
    ¹⁵Don't let the LORD forget
   the sins of his family,
   or let anyone remember
   his family ever lived.
    ¹⁶He was so cruel to the poor,
   homeless, and discouraged
   that they died young.
    ¹⁷"He cursed others.
   Now place a curse on him!
   He never wished others well.
   Wish only trouble for him!
    ¹⁸He cursed others more often
   than he dressed himself.
   Let his curses strike him deep,
   just as water and olive oil
   soak through to our bones.
    ¹⁹Let his curses surround him,
   just like the clothes
   he wears each day."
    ²⁰Those are the cruel things
   my enemies wish for me.
   Let it all happen to them!
    ²¹Be true to your name, LORD God!
   Show your great kindness
   and rescue me.
    ²²I am poor and helpless,
   and I have lost all hope.
    ²³I am fading away
   like an evening shadow;
   I am tossed aside
   like a crawling insect.
    ²⁴I have gone without eating, ^[b] until my knees are weak,
   and my body is bony.
    ²⁵When my enemies see me,
   they say cruel things
   and shake their heads.
    ²⁶Please help me, LORD God!
   Come and save me
   because of your love.
    ²⁷Let others know that you alone
   have saved me.
    ²⁸I don't care if they curse me,
   as long as you bless me.
   You will make my enemies fail
   when they attack,
   and you will make me glad
   to be your servant.
    ²⁹You will cover them with shame,
   just as their bodies
   are covered with clothes.
    ³⁰I will sing your praises
   and thank you, LORD,
   when your people meet.
    ³¹You help everyone in need,
   and you defend them
   when they are on trial.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 109:4 and prayed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Psalm 109:24 without eating: See the note at 35.13.

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Proverbs 15:5-7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁵Don't be a fool
   and disobey your parents.
   Be smart! Accept correction.
    ⁶Good people become wealthy,
   but those who are evil
   will lose what they have.
    ⁷Words of wisdom
   make good sense;
   the thoughts of a fool
   make no sense at all.

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Verse of the Day

“Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised.” - Proverbs 31:30

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

The preeminent leader of Indian independence movement in British-ruled India, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”