Bible Readings for July 25, 2015

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14; Romans 9:1-21; Psalm 19:1-14; and Proverbs 20:1. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year. If you found 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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2 Chronicles 14-16:14 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Chronicles 14

King Asa of Judah

 ¹Abijah died and was buried in Jerusalem. Then his son Asa became king, and Judah had ten years of peace.    ²Asa obeyed the LORD his God and did right.
   ³He destroyed the local shrines ^[a] and the altars to foreign gods. He smashed the stone images of gods and cut down the sacred poles ^[b] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah.
   ⁴Then he told everyone in Judah to worship the LORD God, just as their ancestors had done, and to obey his laws and teachings.
   ⁵He destroyed every local shrine and incense altar in Judah.
   ⁶The LORD blessed Judah with peace while Asa was king, and so during that time, Asa fortified many of the towns.
   ⁷He said to the people, "Let's build walls and defense towers for these towns, and put in gates that can be locked with bars. This land still belongs to us, because we have obeyed the LORD our God. He has given us peace from all our enemies." The people did everything Asa had suggested.
   ⁸Asa had a large army of brave soldiers: Three hundred thousand of them were from the tribe of Judah and were armed with shields and spears; two hundred eighty thousand were from Benjamin and were armed with bows and arrows.
   

Judah Defeats Ethiopia's Army

 ⁹Zerah from Ethiopia ^[c] led an army of a million soldiers and three hundred chariots to the town of Mareshah ^[d] in Judah.    ¹⁰Asa met him there, and the two armies prepared for battle in Zephathah Valley.
   ¹¹Asa prayed:
   LORD God, only you can help a powerless army defeat a stronger one. So we depend on you to help us. We will fight against this powerful army to honor your name, and we know that you won't be defeated. You are the LORD our God.
   ¹²The LORD helped Asa and his army defeat the Ethiopians. The enemy soldiers ran away,
   ¹³but Asa and his troops chased them as far as Gerar. It was a total defeat--the Ethiopians could not even fight back! ^[e] The soldiers from Judah took everything that had belonged to the Ethiopians.
   ¹⁴The people who lived in the villages around Gerar learned what had happened and were afraid of the LORD. So Judah's army easily defeated them and carried off everything of value that they wanted from these towns.
   ¹⁵They also attacked the camps where the shepherds lived and took a lot of sheep, goats, and camels. Then they went back to Jerusalem.
   

2 Chronicles 15

Asa Destroys the Idols in Judah

 ¹Some time later, God spoke to Azariah son of Oded.    ²At once, Azariah went to Asa and said:
   Listen to me, King Asa and you people of Judah and Benjamin. The LORD will be with you and help you, as long as you obey and worship him. But if you disobey him, he will desert you.
   ³For a long time, the people of Israel did not worship the true God or listen to priests who could teach them about God. They refused to obey God's Law.
   ⁴But whenever trouble came, Israel turned back to the LORD their God and worshiped him.
   ⁵There was so much confusion in those days that it wasn't safe to go anywhere in Israel.
   ⁶Nations were destroying each other, and cities were wiping out other cities, because God was causing trouble and unrest everywhere.
   ⁷So you must be brave. Don't give up! God will honor you for obeying him.
   ⁸As soon as Asa heard what Azariah the prophet said, he gave orders for all the idols in Judah and Benjamin to be destroyed, including those in the towns he had captured in the territory of Ephraim. He also repaired the LORD's altar that was in front of the temple porch.
   ⁹Asa called together the people from Judah and Benjamin, as well as the people from the territories of Ephraim, West Manasseh, and Simeon who were living in Judah. Many of these people were now loyal to Asa, because they had seen that the LORD was with him.
   ¹⁰In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's rule, they all met in Jerusalem.
   ¹¹That same day, they took seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats from what they had brought back from Gerar and sacrificed them as offerings to the LORD.
   ¹²They made a solemn promise to faithfully worship the LORD God their ancestors had worshiped,
   ¹³and to put to death anyone who refused to obey him.
   ¹⁴The crowd solemnly agreed to keep their promise to the LORD, then they celebrated by shouting and blowing trumpets and horns.
   ¹⁵Everyone was happy because they had made this solemn promise, and in return, the LORD blessed them with peace from all their enemies.
   ¹⁶Asa's grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting idol of the goddess Asherah, so he cut it down, crushed it, and burned it in Kidron Valley. Then he removed Maacah from her position as queen mother. ^[f]
   ¹⁷As long as Asa lived, he was faithful to the LORD, even though he did not destroy the local shrines ^[g] in Israel.
   ¹⁸He placed in the temple all the silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated to God.
   ¹⁹There was peace in Judah until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's rule.
   

2 Chronicles 16

King Baasha of Israel Invades Judah

(1 Kings 15.16-22)

 ¹In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's rule, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and captured the town of Ramah. He started making the town stronger, and he put troops there to stop people from going in and out of Judah.    ²When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the LORD's temple. Then he sent it to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad of Syria:
   ³"I think we should sign a peace treaty, just as our fathers did. This silver and gold is a present for you. Would you please break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel and force him to leave my country?"
   ⁴Benhadad did what Asa asked and sent the Syrian army into Israel. They captured the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, ^[h] and all the towns in Naphtali where supplies were kept.
   ⁵When Baasha heard about it, he stopped his work on the town of Ramah.
   ⁶Asa ordered everyone in Judah to carry away the stones and wood Baasha had used to fortify Ramah. Then he fortified the towns of Geba and Mizpah with these same stones and wood.
   

Hanani the Prophet Condemns Asa

 ⁷Soon after that happened, Hanani the prophet went to Asa and said:    You depended on the king of Syria instead of depending on the LORD your God. And so, you will never defeat the Syrian army.
   ⁸Remember how powerful the Ethiopian ^[i] and Libyan army was, with all their chariots and cavalry troops! You trusted the LORD to help you then, and you defeated them.
   ⁹The LORD is constantly watching everyone, and he gives strength to those who faithfully obey him. But you have done a foolish thing, and your kingdom will never be at peace again.
   ¹⁰When Asa heard this, he was so angry that he put Hanani in prison. Asa was also cruel to some of his people. ^[j]
   

Asa Dies

(1 Kings 15.23,24)

 ¹¹Everything Asa did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.    ¹²In the thirty-ninth year of his rule, he got a very bad foot disease, but he relied on doctors and refused to ask the LORD for help.
   ¹³He died two years later.
   ¹⁴Earlier, Asa had his own tomb cut out of a rock hill in Jerusalem. So he was buried there, and the tomb was filled with spices and sweet-smelling oils. Then the people built a bonfire in his honor.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Chronicles 14:3 local shrines: See the note at 11.15.
2. 2 Chronicles 14:3 sacred poles: Or "trees," used as symbols of Asherah, the goddess of fertility.
3. 2 Chronicles 14:9 Ethiopia: See the note at 12.3.
4. 2 Chronicles 14:9 Mareshah: About twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem.
5. 2 Chronicles 14:13 the Ethiopians could not even fight back: Or "not one of the Ethiopians survived!"
6. 2 Chronicles 15:16 queen mother: Or "the mother of the king," which was an important position in biblical times (see 1 Kings 2.19).
7. 2 Chronicles 15:17 local shrines: See the note at 11.15.
8. 2 Chronicles 16:4 Abel-Maim: Also called "Abel-Bethmaacah" (see 1 Kings 15.20).
9. 2 Chronicles 16:8 Ethiopian: See the note at 12.3.
10. 2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was also cruel. . . people: Or "Asa also started being cruel to some of his people."

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Romans 9:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 9

God's Choice of Israel

 ¹I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say ²my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. ³I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. ⁴They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. ⁵They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of Jesus Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! ^[a] Amen. ⁶It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. ^7-8In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised ⁹Sarah, "At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son."     ¹⁰Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. ^11-12Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show that he makes his own choices and that it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. ¹³That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
    ¹⁴Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not! ¹⁵The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. ¹⁶Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. ¹⁷In the Scriptures the Lord says to Pharaoh of Egypt, "I let you become Pharaoh, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth." ¹⁸Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
   

God's Anger and Mercy

 ¹⁹Someone may ask, "How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?" ²⁰But, my friend, I ask, "Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? ²¹Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?"    

Footnotes:

1. Romans 9:5 Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever: Or " Christ, who rules over all. I pray that God will be praised forever" or " Christ. And I pray that Christ, who is God and rules over all, will be praised forever."

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Psalm 19:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 19

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

The Wonders of God and the Goodness of His Law

 ¹The heavens keep telling    the wonders of God,
   and the skies declare
   what he has done.
    ²Each day informs
   the following day;
   each night announces
   to the next.
    ³They don't speak a word,
   and there is never
   the sound of a voice.
    ⁴Yet their message reaches
   all the earth,
   and it travels
   around the world.
   In the heavens a tent
   is set up for the sun.
    ⁵It rises like a bridegroom
   and gets ready like a hero
   eager to run a race.
    ⁶It travels all the way
   across the sky.
   Nothing hides from its heat.
    ⁷The Law of the LORD is perfect;
   it gives us new life.
   His teachings last forever,
   and they give wisdom
   to ordinary people.
    ⁸The LORD's instruction is right;
   it makes our hearts glad.
   His commands shine brightly,
   and they give us light.
    ⁹Worshiping the LORD is sacred;
   he will always be worshiped.
   All of his decisions
   are correct and fair.
    ¹⁰They are worth more
   than the finest gold
   and are sweeter than honey
   from a honeycomb.
    ¹¹By your teachings, Lord,
   I am warned;
   by obeying them,
   I am greatly rewarded.
    ¹²None of us know our faults.
   Forgive me when I sin
   without knowing it.
    ¹³Don't let me do wrong
   on purpose, Lord,
   or let sin have control
   over my life.
   Then I will be innocent,
   and not guilty
   of some terrible fault.
    ¹⁴Let my words and my thoughts
   be pleasing to you, LORD,
   because you are my mighty rock ^[a] and my protector.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 19:14 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 20:1 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 20

Words of Wisdom Are Better than Gold

 ¹It isn't smart to get drunk!    Drinking makes a fool of you
   and leads to fights.

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Verse of the Day

“As soon as you command, I do what you say.” - Psalm 119:60

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American sociologist and professor at Columbia University, New York City, Robert Staughton Lynd wrote, “Friendship will not stand the strain of very much good advice for very long.”

Bible Readings for May 1, 2014

Today our passages are Judges 13:1–14:20; John 1:29-51; Psalm 102:1-28; and Proverbs 14:15-16. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 

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Judges 13-14:20 (The Message)

Judges 13

Samson

¹And then the People of Israel were back at it again, doing what was evil in God's sight. God put them under the domination of the Philistines for forty years. ^2-5 At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression."
^6-7 The woman went to her husband and said, "A man of God came to me. He looked like the angel of God—terror laced with glory! I didn't ask him where he was from and he didn't tell me his name, but he told me, 'You're pregnant. You're going to give birth to a son. Don't drink any wine or beer and eat nothing ritually unclean. The boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of birth to the day of his death.'"
⁸ Manoah prayed to God: "Master, let the man of God you sent come to us again and teach us how to raise this boy who is to be born."
^9-10 God listened to Manoah. God's angel came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field; her husband Manoah wasn't there with her. She jumped to her feet and ran and told her husband: "He's back! The man who came to me that day!"
¹¹ Manoah got up and, following his wife, came to the man. He said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?"
He said, "I am."
¹² Manoah said, "So. When what you say comes true, what do you have to tell us about this boy and his work?"
^13-14 The angel of God said to Manoah, "Keep in mind everything I told the woman. Eat nothing that comes from the vine: Drink no wine or beer; eat no ritually unclean foods. She's to observe everything I commanded her."
¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."
¹⁶ God's angel said to Manoah, "Even if I stay, I won't eat your food. But if you want to prepare a Whole-Burnt-Offering for God, go ahead—offer it!" Manoah had no idea that he was talking to the angel of God.
¹⁷ Then Manoah asked the angel of God, "What's your name? When your words come true, we'd like to honor you."
¹⁸ The angel of God said, "What's this? You ask for my name? You wouldn't understand—it's sheer wonder."
^19-21 So Manoah took the kid and the Grain-Offering and sacrificed them on a rock altar to God who works wonders. As the flames leapt up from the altar to heaven, God's angel also ascended in the altar flames. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground. Manoah and his wife never saw the angel of God again.
^21-22 Only then did Manoah realize that this was God's angel. He said to his wife, "We're as good as dead! We've looked on God!"
²³ But his wife said, "If God were planning to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our Whole-Burnt-Offering and Grain-Offering, or revealed all these things to us—given us this birth announcement."
^24-25 The woman gave birth to a son. They named him Samson. The boy grew and God blessed him. The Spirit of God began working in him while he was staying at a Danite camp between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 14

^1-2 Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife." ³ His parents said to him, "Isn't there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?"
But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the one I want— she's the right one."
⁴ (His father and mother had no idea that God was behind this, that he was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines. At the time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.)
^5-6 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When he got to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came at him, roaring. The Spirit of God came on him powerfully and he ripped it open barehanded, like tearing a young goat. But he didn't tell his parents what he had done.
⁷ Then he went on down and spoke to the woman. In Samson's eyes, she was the one.
^8-9 Some days later when he came back to get her, he made a little detour to look at what was left of the lion. And there a wonder: a swarm of bees in the lion's carcass—and honey! He scooped it up in his hands and kept going, eating as he went. He rejoined his father and mother and gave some to them and they ate. But he didn't tell them that he had scooped out the honey from the lion's carcass.
^10-11 His father went on down to make arrangements with the woman, while Samson prepared a feast there. That's what the young men did in those days. Because the people were wary of him, they arranged for thirty friends to mingle with him.
^12-13 Samson said to them: "Let me put a riddle to you. If you can figure it out during the seven days of the feast, I'll give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing. But if you can't figure it out then you'll give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing."
^13-14 They said, "Put your riddle. Let's hear it." So he said,
From the eater came something to eat,
From the strong came something sweet.
^14-15 They couldn't figure it out. After three days they were still stumped. On the fourth day they said to Samson's bride, "Worm the answer out of your husband or we'll burn you and your father's household. Have you invited us here to bankrupt us?"
¹⁶ So Samson's bride turned on the tears, saying to him, "You hate me. You don't love me. You've told a riddle to my people but you won't even tell me the answer."
He said, "I haven't told my own parents—why would I tell you?"
¹⁷ But she turned on the tears all the seven days of the feast. On the seventh day, worn out by her nagging, he told her. Then she went and told it to her people.
¹⁸ The men of the town came to him on the seventh day, just before sunset and said,
What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?
And Samson said,
If you hadn't plowed with my heifer,
You wouldn't have found out my riddle.
^19-20 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, stripped them, and gave their clothing to those who had solved the riddle. Stalking out, smoking with anger, he went home to his father's house. Samson's bride became the wife of the best man at his wedding.

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John 1:29-51 (The Message)

The God-Revealer

^29-31The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."

^32-34John clinched his witness with this: "I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, 'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' That's exactly what I saw happen, and I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God."

Come, See for Yourself

^35-36The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb."

^37-38The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, "What are you after?"

They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

³⁹He replied, "Come along and see for yourself."

They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.

^40-42Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ"). He immediately led him to Jesus.

Jesus took one look up and said, "You're John's son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas" (or Peter, which means "Rock").

^43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, "Come, follow me." (Philip's hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)

^45-46Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It's Jesus, Joseph's son, the one from Nazareth!" Nathanael said, "Nazareth? You've got to be kidding."

But Philip said, "Come, see for yourself."

⁴⁷When Jesus saw him coming he said, "There's a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body."

⁴⁸Nathanael said, "Where did you get that idea? You don't know me."

Jesus answered, "One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree."

⁴⁹Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!"

^50-51Jesus said, "You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet! Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again."

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Psalm 102:1-28 (The Message)

Psalm 102

^1-2 God, listen! Listen to my prayer, listen to the pain in my cries.
Don't turn your back on me
just when I need you so desperately.
Pay attention! This is a cry for help!
And hurry—this can't wait!

^3-11 I'm wasting away to nothing,
I'm burning up with fever.
I'm a ghost of my former self,
half-consumed already by terminal illness.
My jaws ache from gritting my teeth;
I'm nothing but skin and bones.
I'm like a buzzard in the desert,
a crow perched on the rubble.
Insomniac, I twitter away,
mournful as a sparrow in the gutter.
All day long my enemies taunt me,
while others just curse.
They bring in meals—casseroles of ashes!
I draw drink from a barrel of my tears.
And all because of your furious anger;
you swept me up and threw me out.
There's nothing left of me—
a withered weed, swept clean from the path.

^12-17 Yet you, God, are sovereign still,
always and ever sovereign.
You'll get up from your throne and help Zion—
it's time for compassionate help.
Oh, how your servants love this city's rubble
and weep with compassion over its dust!
The godless nations will sit up and take notice
—see your glory, worship your name—
When God rebuilds Zion,
when he shows up in all his glory,
When he attends to the prayer of the wretched.
He won't dismiss their prayer.

^18-22 Write this down for the next generation
so people not yet born will praise God:
"God looked out from his high holy place;
from heaven he surveyed the earth.
He listened to the groans of the doomed,
he opened the doors of their death cells."
Write it so the story can be told in Zion,
so God's praise will be sung in Jerusalem's streets
And wherever people gather together
along with their rulers to worship him.

^23-28 God sovereignly brought me to my knees,
he cut me down in my prime.
"Oh, don't," I prayed, "please don't let me die.
You have more years than you know what to do with!
You laid earth's foundations a long time ago,
and handcrafted the very heavens;
You'll still be around when they're long gone,
threadbare and discarded like an old suit of clothes.
You'll throw them away like a worn-out coat,
but year after year you're as good as new.
Your servants' children will have a good place to live
and their children will be at home with you."

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Proverbs 14:15-16 (The Message)

¹⁵ The gullible believe anything they're told;
the prudent sift and weigh every word.

¹⁶ The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;
fools are headstrong and reckless.

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Verse of the Day

“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” - Hebrews 11:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American sociologist and professor at Columbia University, New York City, Robert Staughton Lynd wrote, “Knowledge is power only if man knows what facts not to bother with.”