Bible Readings for January 16, 2017

Today our passages are Genesis 32:13–34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; and Proverbs 3:19-20. 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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Genesis 32:13-34:31 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: ^14-15two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten males.
    ¹⁶Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, "Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd." ¹⁷Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, "When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. ¹⁸So tell him, `They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.' "
    ¹⁹Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. ²⁰And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. ²¹Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.
   

Jacob's Name Is Changed to Israel

 ^22-23Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. ²⁴Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.    A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. ²⁵When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. ²⁶They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight."
   "You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied.
    ²⁷Then the man asked, "What is your name?"
   "Jacob," he answered.
    ²⁸The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel." ^[a] ²⁹Jacob said, "Now tell me your name."
   "Don't you know who I am?" he asked. And he blessed Jacob.
    ³⁰Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive." So he named the place Peniel. ^[b] ³¹The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, ³²and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.

Genesis 33

Jacob Meets Esau

 ¹Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his four hundred men. So Jacob had his children walk with their mothers. ²The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph. ³Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.     ⁴But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. Then the two brothers started crying.
    ⁵When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, "Whose children are these?"
   Jacob answered, "These are the ones the LORD has been kind enough to give to me, your servant."
    ⁶Then the two servant women and their children came and bowed down to Esau. ⁷Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.
    ⁸Esau asked Jacob, "What did you mean by these herds I met along the road?"
   "Master," Jacob answered, "I sent them so that you would be friendly to me."
    ⁹"But, brother, I already have plenty," Esau replied. "Keep them for yourself."
    ¹⁰"No!" Jacob said. "Please accept these gifts as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. ¹¹Please accept these gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need." Jacob kept insisting until Esau accepted the gifts.
    ¹²"Let's get ready to travel," Esau said. "I'll go along with you."
    ¹³But Jacob answered, "Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die. ¹⁴Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom."
    ¹⁵Esau replied, "Let me leave some of my men with you."
   "You don't have to do that," Jacob answered. "I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me."
    ¹⁶So Esau left for Edom. ¹⁷But Jacob went to Succoth, ^[c] where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.

Jacob Arrives at Shechem

 ¹⁸After leaving northern Syria, ^[d] Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city. ¹⁹The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them one hundred pieces of silver ^[e] for the property, ²⁰then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

Genesis 34

Dinah Is Raped

 ¹Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the women who lived there. ²She was seen by Hamor's son Shechem, the leader of the Hivites, and he grabbed her and raped her. ³But Shechem was attracted to Dinah, so he told her how much he loved her. ⁴He even asked his father to get her for his wife.     ⁵Meanwhile, Jacob heard what had happened. But his sons were out in the fields with the cattle, so he did not do anything at the time. ⁶Hamor arrived at Jacob's home ⁷just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry. Nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it should not be tolerated in Israel.
    ⁸Hamor said to Jacob and his sons:
   My son Shechem really loves Dinah. Please let him marry her. ⁹Why don't you start letting your families marry into our families and ours marry into yours? ¹⁰You can share this land with us. Move freely about until you find the property you want; then buy it and settle down here.
    ¹¹Shechem added, "Do this favor for me, and I'll give whatever you want. ¹²Ask anything, no matter how expensive. I'll do anything, just let me marry Dinah."
    ¹³Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what had happened to their sister. ¹⁴So they tricked them by saying:
   You're not circumcised! ^[f] It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now. ¹⁵But we will let you marry her, if you and the other men in your tribe get circumcised. ¹⁶Then your families can marry into ours, and ours can marry into yours, and we can live together like one nation. ¹⁷But if you don't agree to get circumcised, we'll take Dinah and leave this place. ¹⁸Hamor and Shechem liked what was said. ¹⁹Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done. ²⁰The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:
    ²¹These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.
    ²²We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised like their men. ²³Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.
    ²⁴Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.
   

Dinah's Brothers Take Revenge

 ²⁵Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi, ^[g] two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in town, ²⁶including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left. ²⁷Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister. ²⁸They took sheep, goats, donkeys, and everything else that was in the town or the fields. ²⁹After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims. ³⁰Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household."     ³¹They answered, "Was it right to let our own sister be treated that way?"
   

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 32:28 Israel: In Hebrew one meaning of "Israel" is "a man who wrestles with God."
2. Genesis 32:30 Peniel: In Hebrew "Peniel" means "face of God."
3. Genesis 33:17 Succoth: In Hebrew "Succoth" means "shelters."
4. Genesis 33:18 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
5. Genesis 33:19 pieces of silver: Or "lambs" or "cattle."
6. Genesis 34:14 You're not circumcised: Israelite boys were circumcised when they were eight days old, and no uncircumcised man could be part of the people of Israel.
7. Genesis 34:25 Simeon and Levi: Dinah's full brothers.

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Matthew 11:7-30 (Contemporary English Version)

⁷As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:
   What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ⁸What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace. ⁹What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ¹⁰In the Scriptures God says about him, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you." ¹¹I tell you that no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.
    ¹²From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. ¹³All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses ^[a] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. ¹⁴And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. ¹⁵If you have ears, pay attention! ¹⁶You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,
    ¹⁷"We played the flute,
   but you would not dance!
   We sang a funeral song,
   but you would not mourn!"
    ¹⁸John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, "That man has a demon in him!" ¹⁹But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, "That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors ^[b] and sinners." Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

The Unbelieving Towns

(Luke 10.13-15)

 ²⁰In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:     ²¹You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. ^[c] ²²I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. ²³People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, that town would still be standing. ²⁴So I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.
   

Come to Me and Rest

(Luke 10.21,22)

 ²⁵At that moment Jesus said:    My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. ²⁶Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.
    ²⁷My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.
    ²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke ^[d] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 11:13 the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
2. Matthew 11:19 tax collectors: See the note at 5.46.
3. Matthew 11:21 sackcloth. . . ashes on their heads: This was one way that people showed how sorry they were for their sins.
4. Matthew 11:29 yoke: Yokes were put on the necks of animals, so that they could pull a plow or wagon. A yoke was a symbol of obedience and hard work.

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Psalm 14:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 14

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

No One Can Ignore the LORD

 ¹Only a fool would say,    "There is no God!"
   People like that are worthless;
   they are heartless and cruel
   and never do right.
    ²From heaven the LORD
   looks down to see
   if anyone is wise enough
   to search for him.
    ³But all of them are corrupt;
   no one does right.
    ⁴Won't you evil people learn?
   You refuse to pray,
   and you gobble down
   the LORD's people.
    ⁵But you will be frightened,
   because God is on the side
   of every good person.
    ⁶You may spoil the plans
   of the poor,
   but the LORD protects them.
    ⁷I long for someone from Zion
   to come and save Israel!
   Our LORD, when you bless
   your people again,
   Jacob's family will be glad,
   and Israel will celebrate.

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Proverbs 3:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁹By his wisdom and knowledge
   the LORD created
   heaven and earth.
    ²⁰By his understanding
   he let the ocean break loose
   and clouds release the rain.

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Verse of the Day

“[God's Spirit and Our Own Desires]If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires.” - Galatians 5:16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author and humorist, Mark Twain wrote, “You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

Bible Readings for September 8, 2016

Today our passages are Isaiah 1:1–2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; and Proverbs 22:26-27. 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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Isaiah 1-2:22 (The Message)

Isaiah 1

Messages of Judgment

Quit Your Worship Charades

¹The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the times of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. ^2-4Heaven and earth, you're the jury.
Listen to God's case:
"I had children and raised them well,
and they turned on me.
The ox knows who's boss,
the mule knows the hand that feeds him,
But not Israel.
My people don't know up from down.
Shame! Misguided God-dropouts,
staggering under their guilt-baggage,
Gang of miscreants,
band of vandals—
My people have walked out on me, their God,
turned their backs on The Holy of Israel,
walked off and never looked back. ^5-9"Why bother even trying to do anything with you
when you just keep to your bullheaded ways?
You keep beating your heads against brick walls.
Everything within you protests against you.
From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head,
nothing's working right.
Wounds and bruises and running sores—
untended, unwashed, unbandaged.
Your country is laid waste,
your cities burned down.
Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you watch,
reduced to rubble by barbarians.
Daughter Zion is deserted—
like a tumbledown shack on a dead-end street,
Like a tarpaper shanty on the wrong side of the tracks,
like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats.
If God-of-the-Angel-Armies hadn't left us a few survivors,
we'd be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just like Gomorrah.
¹⁰"Listen to my Message,
you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God's revelation,
you Gomorrah-schooled people.
^11-12"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
God's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that—
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
^13-17"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.

Let's Argue This Out

^18-20"Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is God's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
But if you're willful and stubborn,
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. God says so.

Those Who Walk Out on God

^21-23Oh! Can you believe it? The chaste city
has become a whore!
She was once all justice,
everyone living as good neighbors,
And now they're all
at one another's throats.
Your coins are all counterfeits.
Your wine is watered down.
Your leaders are turncoats
who keep company with crooks.
They sell themselves to the highest bidder
and grab anything not nailed down.
They never stand up for the homeless,
never stick up for the defenseless. ^24-31This Decree, therefore, of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
the Strong One of Israel:
"This is it! I'll get my oppressors off my back.
I'll get back at my enemies.
I'll give you the back of my hand,
purge the junk from your life, clean you up.
I'll set honest judges and wise counselors among you
just like it was back in the beginning.
Then you'll be renamed
City-That-Treats-People-Right, the True-Blue City."
God's right ways will put Zion right again.
God's right actions will restore her penitents.
But it's curtains for rebels and God-traitors,
a dead end for those who walk out on God.
"Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines
will leave you looking mighty foolish,
All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens
that you thought was the latest thing.
You'll end up like an oak tree
with all its leaves falling off,
Like an unwatered garden,
withered and brown.
'The Big Man' will turn out to be dead bark and twigs,
and his 'work,' the spark that starts the fire
That exposes man and work both
as nothing but cinders and smoke."

Isaiah 2

Climb God's Mountain

^1-5 The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem: There's a day coming when the mountain of God's House
Will be The Mountain—
solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
people from all over set out for it.
They'll say, "Come,
let's climb God's Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way he works
so we can live the way we're made."
Zion's the source of the revelation.
God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
He'll settle things fairly between nations.
He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
let's live in the light of God. ^6-9God, you've walked out on your family Jacob
because their world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus,
a world rolling in wealth,
Stuffed with things,
no end to its machines and gadgets,
And gods—gods of all sorts and sizes.
These people make their own gods and worship what they make.
A degenerate race, facedown in the gutter.
Don't bother with them! They're not worth forgiving!

Pretentious Egos Brought Down to Earth

¹⁰Head for the hills,
hide in the caves
From the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence. ^11-17People with a big head are headed for a fall,
pretentious egos brought down a peg.
It's God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about,
The Day that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is matched against all big-talking rivals,
against all swaggering big names;
Against all giant sequoias
hugely towering,
and against the expansive chestnut;
Against Kilimanjaro and Annapurna,
against the ranges of Alps and Andes;
Against every soaring skyscraper,
against all proud obelisks and statues;
Against ocean-going luxury liners,
against elegant three-masted schooners.
The swelled big heads will be punctured bladders,
the pretentious egos brought down to earth,
Leaving God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about.
¹⁸And all those sticks and stones
dressed up to look like gods
will be gone for good.
¹⁹Clamber into caves in the cliffs,
duck into any hole you can find.
Hide from the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on earth,
towering and terrifying.
^20-21On that Day men and women will take
the sticks and stones
They've decked out in gold and silver
to look like gods and then worshiped,
And they will dump them
in any ditch or gully,
Then run for rock caves
and cliff hideouts
To hide from the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on earth,
towering and terrifying.
²²Quit scraping and fawning over mere humans,
so full of themselves, so full of hot air!
Can't you see there's nothing to them?

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2 Corinthians 10:1-18 (The Message)

2 Corinthians 10

Tearing Down Barriers

^1-2And now a personal but most urgent matter; I write in the gentle but firm spirit of Christ. I hear that I'm being painted as cringing and wishy-washy when I'm with you, but harsh and demanding when at a safe distance writing letters. Please don't force me to take a hard line when I'm present with you. Don't think that I'll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I'm an unprincipled opportunist. Then they'll have to eat their words. ^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
^7-8You stare and stare at the obvious, but you can't see the forest for the trees. If you're looking for a clear example of someone on Christ's side, why do you so quickly cut me out? Believe me, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. You may think I overstate the authority he gave me, but I'm not backing off. Every bit of my commitment is for the purpose of building you up, after all, not tearing you down.
^9-11And what's this talk about me bullying you with my letters? "His letters are brawny and potent, but in person he's a weakling and mumbles when he talks." Such talk won't survive scrutiny. What we write when away, we do when present. We're the exact same people, absent or present, in letter or in person.
¹²We're not, understand, putting ourselves in a league with those who boast that they're our superiors. We wouldn't dare do that. But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.
^13-14We aren't making outrageous claims here. We're sticking to the limits of what God has set for us. But there can be no question that those limits reach to and include you. We're not moving into someone else's "territory." We were already there with you, weren't we? We were the first ones to get there with the Message of Christ, right? So how can there be any question of overstepping our bounds by writing or visiting you?
^15-18We're not barging in on the rightful work of others, interfering with their ministries, demanding a place in the sun with them. What we're hoping for is that as your lives grow in faith, you'll play a part within our expanding work. And we'll all still be within the limits God sets as we proclaim the Message in countries beyond Corinth. But we have no intention of moving in on what others have done and taking credit for it. "If you want to claim credit, claim it for God." What you say about yourself means nothing in God's work. It's what God says about you that makes the difference.

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Psalm 52:1-9 (The Message)

Psalm 52

A David Psalm, When Doeg the Edomite Reported to Saul, "David's at Ahimelech's House"

^1-4 Why do you brag of evil, "Big Man"?
God's mercy carries the day.
You scheme catastrophe;
your tongue cuts razor-sharp,
artisan in lies.
You love evil more than good,
you call black white.
You love malicious gossip,
you foul-mouth.

⁵ God will tear you limb from limb,
sweep you up and throw you out,
Pull you up by the roots
from the land of life.

^6-7 Good people will watch and
worship. They'll laugh in relief:
"Big Man bet on the wrong horse,
trusted in big money,
made his living from catastrophe."

⁸ And I'm an olive tree,
growing green in God's house.
I trusted in the generous mercy
of God then and now.

⁹ I thank you always
that you went into action.
And I'll stay right here,
your good name my hope,
in company with your faithful friends.

 

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Proverbs 22:26-27 (The Message)

3

^26-27 Don't gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
hocking your house against a lucky chance.
The time will come when you have to pay up;
you'll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.” - Psalm 143:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American writer, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer, Mark Twain wrote, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”

Bible Readings for March 10, 2016

Today our passages are Numbers 15:17–16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; and Proverbs 11:5-6. 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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Numbers 15:17-16:40 (The Message)

^17-21 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter the land into which I'm bringing you, and you eat the food of that country, set some aside as an offering for God. From the first batch of bread dough make a round loaf for an offering—an offering from the threshing floor. Down through the future generations make this offering to God from each first batch of dough.

^22-26 "But if you should get off the beaten track and not keep the commands which God spoke to Moses, any of the things that God commanded you under the authority of Moses from the time that God first commanded you right up to this present time, and if it happened more or less by mistake, with the congregation unaware of it, then the whole congregation is to sacrifice one young bull as a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a pleasing fragrance to God, accompanied by its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering as stipulated in the rules, and a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering. The priest is to atone for the entire community of the People of Israel and they will stand forgiven. The sin was not deliberate, and they offered to God the Fire-Gift and Absolution-Offering for their inadvertence. The whole community of Israel including the foreigners living there will be absolved, because everyone was involved in the error.
^27-28 "But if it's just one person who sins by mistake, not realizing what he's doing, he is to bring a yearling she-goat as an Absolution-Offering. The priest then is to atone for the person who accidentally sinned, to make atonement before God so that it won't be held against him.
²⁹ "The same standard holds for everyone who sins by mistake; the native-born Israelites and the foreigners go by the same rules.
^30-31 "But the person, native or foreigner, who sins defiantly, deliberately blaspheming God, must be cut off from his people: He has despised God's word, he has violated God's command; that person must be kicked out of the community, ostracized, left alone in his wrongdoing."

^32-35 Once, during those wilderness years of the People of Israel, a man was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath. The ones who caught him hauled him before Moses and Aaron and the entire congregation. They put him in custody until it became clear what to do with him. Then God spoke to Moses: "Give the man the death penalty. Yes, kill him, the whole community hurling stones at him outside the camp."
³⁶ So the whole community took him outside the camp and threw stones at him, an execution commanded by God and given through Moses.

^37-41 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them that from now on they are to make tassels on the corners of their garments and to mark each corner tassel with a blue thread. When you look at these tassels you'll remember and keep all the commandments of God, and not get distracted by everything you feel or see that seduces you into infidelities. The tassels will signal remembrance and observance of all my commandments, to live a holy life to God. I am your God who rescued you from the land of Egypt to be your personal God. Yes, I am God, your God."

Numbers 16

The Rebels

^1-3 Getting on his high horse one day, Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, along with a few Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—rebelled against Moses. He had with him 250 leaders of the congregation of Israel, prominent men with positions in the Council. They came as a group and confronted Moses and Aaron, saying, "You've overstepped yourself. This entire community is holy and God is in their midst. So why do you act like you're running the whole show?" ⁴ On hearing this, Moses threw himself facedown on the ground.
⁵ Then he addressed Korah and his gang: "In the morning God will make clear who is on his side, who is holy. God will take his stand with the one he chooses.
^6-7 "Now, Korah, here's what I want you, you and your gang, to do: Tomorrow, take censers. In the presence of God, put fire in them and then incense. Then we'll see who is holy, see whom God chooses. Sons of Levi, you've overstepped yourselves!"
^8-11 Moses continued with Korah, "Listen well now, sons of Levi. Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has selected you out of the congregation of Israel to bring you near him to serve in the ministries of The Dwelling of God, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? He has brought you and all your brother Levites into his inner circle, and now you're grasping for the priesthood, too. It's God you've ganged up against, not us. What do you have against Aaron that you're bad-mouthing him?"
^12-14 Moses then ordered Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, to appear, but they said, "We're not coming. Isn't it enough that you yanked us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you keep trying to boss us around! Face it, you haven't produced: You haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, you haven't given us the promised inheritance of fields and vineyards. You'd have to poke our eyes out to keep us from seeing what's going on. Forget it, we're not coming."
¹⁵ Moses' temper blazed white-hot. He said to God, "Don't accept their Grain-Offering. I haven't taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven't hurt a single hair of their heads."
^16-17 Moses said to Korah, "Bring your people before God tomorrow. Appear there with them and Aaron. Have each man bring his censer filled with incense and present it to God—all 250 censers. And you and Aaron do the same, bring your censers."
¹⁸ So they all did it. They brought their censers filled with fire and incense and stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron did the same.
¹⁹ It was Korah and his gang against Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The entire community could see the Glory of God.
^20-21 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I can finish them off and be done with them."
²² They threw themselves on their faces and said, "O God, God of everything living, when one man sins are you going to take it out on the whole community?"
^23-24 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the community. Tell them, Back off from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
^25-26 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram. The leaders of Israel followed him. He then spoke to the community: "Back off from the tents of these bad men; don't touch a thing that belongs to them lest you be carried off on the flood of their sins."
²⁷ So they all backed away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram by now had come out and were standing at the entrance to their tents with their wives, children, and babies.
^28-30 Moses continued to address the community: "This is how you'll know that it was God who sent me to do all these things and that it wasn't anything I cooked up on my own. If these men die a natural death like all the rest of us, you'll know that it wasn't God who sent me. But if God does something unprecedented—if the ground opens up and swallows the lot of them and they are pitched alive into Sheol—then you'll know that these men have been insolent with God."
^31-33 The words were hardly out of his mouth when the Earth split open. Earth opened its mouth and in one gulp swallowed them down, the men and their families, all the human beings connected with Korah, along with everything they owned. And that was the end of them, pitched alive into Sheol. The Earth closed up over them and that was the last the community heard of them.
³⁴ At the sound of their cries everyone around ran for dear life, shouting, "We're about to be swallowed up alive!"
³⁵ Then God sent lightning. The fire cremated the 250 men who were offering the incense.
^36-38 God spoke to Moses: "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, Gather up the censers from the smoldering cinders and scatter the coals a distance away for these censers have become holy. Take the censers of the men who have sinned and are now dead and hammer them into thin sheets for covering the Altar. They have been offered to God and are holy to God. Let them serve as a sign to Israel, evidence of what happened this day."
^39-40 So Eleazar gathered all the bronze censers that belonged to those who had been burned up and had them hammered flat and used to overlay the Altar, just as God had instructed him by Moses. This was to serve as a sign to Israel that only descendants of Aaron were allowed to burn incense before God; anyone else trying it would end up like Korah and his gang.

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Mark 15:1-47 (The Message)

Mark 15

Standing Before Pilate

¹ At dawn's first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.

^2-3Pilate asked him, "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?"

He answered, "If you say so." The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.

^4-5Pilate asked again, "Aren't you going to answer anything? That's quite a list of accusations." Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.

^6-10It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome. As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them: "Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?" Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.

^11-12But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Pilate came back, "So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?"

¹³They yelled, "Nail him to a cross!"

¹⁴Pilate objected, "But for what crime?"

But they yelled all the louder, "Nail him to a cross!"

¹⁵Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.

^16-20The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thornbush on his head. Then they began their mockery: "Bravo, King of the Jews!" They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.

The Crucifixion

²¹There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus' cross.

^22-24The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning "Skull Hill." They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn't take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.

^25-30They nailed him up at nine o'clock in the morning. The charge against him—the king of the jews—was printed on a poster. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"

^31-32The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: "He saved others—but he can't save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!" Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.

^33-34At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

^35-36Some of the bystanders who heard him said, "Listen, he's calling for Elijah." Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."

^37-39But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, "This has to be the Son of God!"

Taken to a Tomb

^40-41There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem.

^42-45Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.

^46-47Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.

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Psalm 54:1-7 (The Message)

Psalm 54

^1-2 God, for your sake, help me! Use your influence to clear me.
Listen, God—I'm desperate.
Don't be too busy to hear me.

³ Outlaws are out to get me,
hit men are trying to kill me.
Nothing will stop them;
God means nothing to them.

^4-5 Oh, look! God's right here helping!
God's on my side,
Evil is looping back on my enemies.
Don't let up! Finish them off!

^6-7 I'm ready now to worship, so ready.
I thank you, God—you're so good.
You got me out of every scrape,
and I saw my enemies get it.

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Proverbs 11:5-6 (The Message)

⁵ Moral character makes for smooth traveling;
an evil life is a hard life.

⁶ Good character is the best insurance;
crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.

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Verse of the Day

“Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.” - 1 Peter 3:15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author and humorist, Mark Twain wrote, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

Bible Readings for September 8, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 1:1–2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; and Proverbs 22:26-27. 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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Isaiah 1-2:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 1

 ¹I am Isaiah, the son of Amoz.    And this is the message ^[a] that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah: ^[b]

A Guilty Nation

 ²The LORD has said,    "Listen, heaven and earth!
   The children I raised
   have turned against me.
    ³Oxen and donkeys know
   who owns and feeds them,
   but my people won't ever learn."
    ⁴Israel, you are a sinful nation
   loaded down with guilt.
   You are wicked and corrupt
   and have turned from the LORD,
   the holy God of Israel.
    ⁵Why be punished more?
   Why not give up your sin?
   Your head is badly bruised,
   and you are weak all over.
    ⁶From your head to your toes
   there isn't a healthy spot.
   Bruises, cuts, and open sores
   go without care
   or oil to ease the pain.
   

A Country in Ruins

 ⁷Your country lies in ruins;    your towns are in ashes.
   Foreigners and strangers
   take and destroy your land
   while you watch.
    ⁸Enemies surround Jerusalem,
   alone like a hut
   in a vineyard ^[c] or in a cucumber field.
    ⁹Zion would have disappeared
   like Sodom and Gomorrah, ^[d] if the LORD All-Powerful
   had not let a few
   of its people survive.
   

Justice, Not Sacrifices

 ¹⁰You are no better    than the leaders and people
   of Sodom and Gomorrah!
   So listen to the LORD God:
    ¹¹"Your sacrifices
   mean nothing to me.
   I am sick of your offerings
   of rams and choice cattle;
   I don't like the blood
   of bulls or lambs or goats.
    ¹²"Who asked you to bring all this
   when you come to worship me?
   Stay out of my temple!
    ¹³Your sacrifices are worthless,
   and incense is disgusting.
   I can't stand the evil you do
   on your New Moon Festivals
   or on your Sabbaths
   and other times of worship.
    ¹⁴I hate your New Moon Festivals
   and all others as well.
   They are a heavy burden
   I am tired of carrying.
    ¹⁵"No matter how much you pray,
   I won't listen.
   You are too violent.
    ¹⁶Wash yourselves clean!
   I am disgusted
   with your filthy deeds.
   Stop doing wrong
    ¹⁷and learn to live right.
   See that justice is done.
   Defend widows and orphans
   and help those in need." ^[e]

An Invitation from the LORD

 ¹⁸I, the LORD, invite you    to come and talk it over.
   Your sins are scarlet red,
   but they will be whiter
   than snow or wool.
    ¹⁹If you willingly obey me,
   the best crops in the land
   will be yours.
    ²⁰But if you turn against me,
   your enemies will kill you.
   I, the LORD, have spoken.
   

The LORD Condemns Jerusalem

 ²¹Jerusalem, you are like    an unfaithful wife.
   Once your judges were honest
   and your people lived right;
   now you are a city
   full of murderers.
    ²²Your silver is fake,
   and your wine
   is watered down.
    ²³Your leaders have rejected me
   to become friends of crooks;
   your rulers are looking
   for gifts and bribes.
   Widows and orphans
   never get a fair trial.
    ²⁴I am the LORD All-Powerful,
   the mighty ruler of Israel,
   and I make you a promise:
   You are now my enemy,
   and I will show my anger
   by taking revenge on you.
    ²⁵I will punish you terribly
   and burn away everything
   that makes you unfit
   to worship me.
    ²⁶Jerusalem, I will choose
   judges and advisors
   like those you had before.
   Your new name will be
   "Justice and Faithfulness."
   

The LORD Will Save Jerusalem

 ²⁷Jerusalem, you will be saved    by showing justice; ^[f] Zion's people who turn to me
   will be saved
   by doing right.
    ²⁸But those rebellious sinners
   who turn against me, the LORD,
   will all disappear.
    ²⁹You will be made ashamed
   of those groves of trees
   where you worshiped idols.
    ³⁰You will be like a grove of trees
   dying in a drought.
    ³¹Your strongest leaders
   will be like dry wood
   set on fire by their idols. ^[g] No one will be able to help,
   as they all go up in flames.
   

Isaiah 2

Peace That Lasts Forever

 ¹This is the message ^[h] that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem: ²In the future, the mountain    with the LORD's temple
   will be the highest of all.
   It will reach above the hills;
   every nation will rush to it.
    ³Many people will come and say,
   "Let's go to the mountain
   of the LORD God of Jacob
   and worship in his temple."
   The LORD will teach us his Law
   from Jerusalem,
   and we will obey him.
    ⁴He will settle arguments
   between nations.
   They will pound their swords
   and their spears
   into rakes and shovels;
   they will never make war
   or attack one another.
    ⁵People of Israel, let's live
   by the light of the LORD.
   

Following Sinful Customs

 ⁶Our LORD, you have deserted    your people, Israel,
   because they follow customs
   of nations from the east.
   They worship Philistine gods
   and are close friends
   of foreigners. ^{[i] 7}They have endless treasures
   of silver and gold;
   they have countless horses
   and war chariots.
    ⁸Everywhere in the country
   they worship the idols
   they have made.
    ⁹And so, all of them
   will be ashamed and disgraced.
   Don't help them!
   

A Day of Judgment

 ¹⁰Every one of you,    go hide among the rocks
   and in the ground,
   because the LORD is fearsome,
   marvelous, and glorious.
    ¹¹When the LORD comes,
   everyone who is proud
   will be made humble,
   and the LORD alone
   will be honored.
    ¹²The LORD All-Powerful
   has chosen a day
   when those who are proud
   and conceited
   will be put down.
    ¹³The tall and towering
   cedars of Lebanon
   will be destroyed.
   So will the oak trees of Bashan,
    ¹⁴all high mountains and hills,
    ¹⁵every strong fortress,
    ¹⁶all the seagoing ships, ^[j] and every beautiful boat.
    ¹⁷When that day comes,
   everyone who is proud
   will be put down.
   Only the LORD will be honored.
    ¹⁸Idols will be gone for good.
    ¹⁹You had better hide
   in caves and holes--
   the LORD will be fearsome,
   marvelous, and glorious
   when he comes to terrify
   people on earth.
    ²⁰On that day everyone will throw
   to the rats and bats
   their idols of silver and gold
   they made to worship.
    ²¹The LORD will be fearsome,
   marvelous, and glorious
   when he comes to terrify
   people on earth--
   they will hide in caves
   and in the hills.
    ²²Stop trusting the power
   of humans.
   They are all going to die,
   so how can they help?
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 1:1 message: Or "vision."
2. Isaiah 1:1 kings of Judah: Uzziah (783-742 B.C.); Jotham (742-735 B.C.); Ahaz (735-715 B.C.); Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.).
3. Isaiah 1:8 a hut in a vineyard: When it was almost time for grapes to ripen, farmers would put up a temporary shelter or hut in the field or vineyard and stay there to keep thieves and wild animals away.
4. Isaiah 1:9 Sodom and Gomorrah: Two ancient cities of Palestine that God destroyed because the people were so wicked (see Genesis 19.1-29).
5. Isaiah 1:17 and help those in need: Or "and punish cruel people."
6. Isaiah 1:27 by showing justice: Or "by my saving power."
7. Isaiah 1:31 Your. . . idols: Or "Your wealth will be like dry wood, set on fire by its owners."
8. Isaiah 2:1 message: See the note at 1.1.
9. Isaiah 2:6 because. . . foreigners: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Isaiah 2:16 seagoing ships: The Hebrew text has "ships of Tarshish," which may have been a Phoenician city in Spain. "Ships of Tarshish" probably means large, seagoing ships.

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2 Corinthians 10:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 10

Paul Defends His Work for Christ

 ¹Do you think I am a coward when I am with you and brave when I am far away? Well, I ask you to listen, because Christ himself was humble and gentle. ²Some people have said that we act like the people of this world. So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don't make me treat you that way. ³We live in this world, but we don't act like its people ⁴or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments ⁵and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's thoughts and make them obey Christ. ⁶And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.     ⁷You judge by appearances. ^[a] If any of you think you are the only ones who belong to Christ, then think again. We belong to Christ as much as you do. ⁸Maybe I brag a little too much about the authority that the Lord gave me to help you and not to hurt you. Yet I am not embarrassed to brag. ⁹And I am not trying to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰Some of you are saying, "Paul's letters are harsh and powerful. But in person, he is a weakling and has nothing worth saying." ¹¹Those people had better understand that when I am with you, I will do exactly what I say in my letters. ¹²We won't dare compare ourselves with those who think so much of themselves. But they are foolish to compare themselves with themselves. ¹³We won't brag about something we don't have a right to brag about. We will only brag about the work that God has sent us to do, and you are part of that work. ¹⁴We are not bragging more than we should. After all, we did bring the message about Christ to you.
    ¹⁵We don't brag about what others have done, as if we had done those things ourselves. But I hope that as you become stronger in your faith, we will be able to reach many more of the people around you. ^[b] That has always been our goal. ¹⁶Then we will be able to preach the good news in other lands where we cannot take credit for work someone else has already done. ¹⁷The Scriptures say, "If you want to brag, then brag about the Lord." ¹⁸You may brag about yourself, but the only approval that counts is the Lord's approval.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 10:7 You judge by appearances: Or "Take a close look at yourselves."
2. 2 Corinthians 10:15 we will be able to reach many more of the people around you: Or "you will praise us even more because of our work among you."

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Psalm 52:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 52

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. He wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, "David has gone to Ahimelech's house.")

God Is in Control

 ¹You people may be strong    and brag about your sins,
   but God can be trusted
   day after day.
    ²You plan brutal crimes,
   and your lying words cut
   like a sharp razor.
    ³You would rather do evil
   than good,
   and tell lies
   than speak the truth.
    ⁴You love to say cruel things,
   and your words are a trap.
    ⁵God will destroy you forever!
   He will grab you and drag you
   from your homes.
   You will be uprooted
   and left to die.
    ⁶When good people see
   this fearsome sight,
   they will laugh and say,
    ⁷"Just look at them now!
   Instead of trusting God,
   they trusted their wealth
   and their cruelty."
    ⁸But I am like an olive tree
   growing in God's house,
   and I can count on his love
   forever and ever.
    ⁹I will always thank God
   for what he has done;
   I will praise his good name
   when his people meet.

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Proverbs 22:26-27 (Contemporary English Version)

-3-

 ²⁶ Don't guarantee to pay    someone else's debt.
    ²⁷If you don't have the money,
   you might lose your bed.

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Verse of the Day

“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.” - Psalm 143:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American author and humorist, Mark Twain wrote, “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”