Bible Readings for November 5, 2019

Today our passages are Ezekiel 12:1–14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; and Proverbs 27:3.  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 by using the link below.

---

Ezekiel 12-14:11 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 12

Ezekiel Acts Out Israel's Captivity

 ¹The LORD said:    ²Ezekiel, son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but refuse to see; they have ears, but refuse to listen. ³So before it gets dark, here is what I want you to do. Pack a few things as though you were going to be taken away as a prisoner. Then go outside where everyone can see you and walk around from place to place. Maybe as they watch, they will realize what rebels they are. ⁴After you have done this, return to your house.
   Later that evening leave your house as if you were going into exile. ⁵Dig through the wall of your house ^a] and crawl out, carrying the bag with you. Make sure everyone is watching. ⁶Lift the bag to your shoulders, and with your face covered, take it into the darkness, so that you cannot see the land you are leaving. All of this will be a warning for the people of Israel. ⁷I did everything the LORD had said. I packed a few things. Then as the sun was going down, and while everyone was watching, I dug a hole through one of the walls of my house. I pulled out my bag, then lifted it to my shoulders and left in the darkness.
    ⁸The next morning, the LORD ⁹reminded me that those rebellious people didn't even ask what I was doing. ¹⁰So he sent me back to tell them:
   The LORD God has a message for the leader of Jerusalem and everyone living there!
    ¹¹I have done these things to show them what will happen when they are taken away as prisoners.
    ¹²The leader of Jerusalem will lift his own bag to his shoulders at sunset and leave through a hole that the others have dug in the wall of his house. He will cover his face, so he can't see the land he is leaving. ¹³The LORD will spread out a net and trap him as he leaves Jerusalem. He will then be led away to the city of Babylon, but will never see that place, ^b] even though he will die there. ¹⁴His own officials and troops will scatter in every direction, and the LORD will track them down and put them to death. ¹⁵The LORD will force the rest of the people in Jerusalem to live in foreign nations, where they will realize that he has done all these things. ¹⁶Some of them will survive the war, the starvation, and the deadly diseases. That way, they will be able to tell foreigners how disgusting their sins were, and that it was the LORD who punished them in this way.   

A Sign of Fear

 ¹⁷The LORD said:    ¹⁸Ezekiel, son of man, shake with fear when you eat, and tremble when you drink. ¹⁹Tell the people of Israel that I, the LORD, say that someday everyone in Jerusalem will shake when they eat and tremble when they drink. Their country will be destroyed and left empty, because they have been cruel and violent. ²⁰Every town will lie in ruins, and the land will be a barren desert. Then they will know that I am the LORD.   

The Words of the LORD Will Come True

 ²¹The LORD said:    ²²Ezekiel, son of man, you've heard people in Israel use the saying, "Time passes, and prophets are proved wrong." ²³Now tell the people that I, the LORD, am going to prove that saying wrong. No one will ever be able to use it again in Israel, because very soon everything I have said will come true! ²⁴The people will hear no more useless warnings and false messages. ²⁵I will give them my message, and what I say will certainly happen. Warn those rebels that the time has come for them to be punished. I, the LORD, make this promise.
    ^26-27Ezekiel, the people of Israel are also saying that your visions and messages are only about things in the future. ²⁸So tell them that my words will soon come true, just as I have warned. I, the LORD, have spoken.
   

Ezekiel 13

Lying Prophets

 ¹The LORD said:    ²Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the prophets of Israel who say they speak in my name, but who preach messages that come from their own imagination. Tell them it's time to hear my message.
    ³I, the LORD God, say those lying prophets are doomed! They don't see visions--they make up their own messages! ⁴Israel's prophets are no better than jackals ^c]that hunt for food among the ruins of a city. ⁵They don't warn the people about coming trouble or tell them how dangerous it is to sin against me. ⁶Those prophets lie by claiming they speak for me, but I have not even chosen them to be my prophets. And they still think their words will come true. ⁷They say they're preaching my messages, but they are full of lies--I did not speak to them! ⁸So I am going to punish those lying prophets for deceiving the people of Israel with false messages. ⁹I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. They will not be allowed to call themselves Israelites or even to set foot in Israel. Then they will realize that I am the LORD God.
    ¹⁰Those prophets refuse to be honest. They tell my people there will be peace, even though there's no peace to be found. They are like workers who think they can fix a shaky wall by covering it with paint. ¹¹But when I send rainstorms, hailstones, and strong winds, the wall will surely collapse. ¹²People will then ask the workers why the paint didn't hold it up.
    ¹³That wall is the city of Jerusalem. And I, the LORD God, am so angry that I will send strong winds, rainstorms, and hailstones to destroy it. ¹⁴The lying prophets have tried to cover up the evil in Jerusalem, but I will tear down the city, all the way to its foundations. And when it collapses, those prophets will be killed, and everyone will know that I have done these things.
    ¹⁵The city of Jerusalem and its lying prophets will feel my fierce anger. Then I will announce that the city has fallen and that the lying prophets are dead, ¹⁶because they promised my people peace, when there was no peace. I, the LORD God, have spoken.   

Women Who Wear Magic Charms

The LORD said:

 ¹⁷Ezekiel, son of man, now condemn the women of Israel who preach messages that come from their own imagination. ¹⁸Tell them they're doomed! They wear magic charms on their wrists and scarves on their heads, then trick others into believing they can predict the future. ^d] They won't get away with telling those lies. ¹⁹They charge my people a few handfuls of barley and a couple pieces of bread, and then give messages that are insulting to me. They use lies to sentence the innocent to death and to help the guilty go free. And my people believe them! ²⁰I hate the magic charms they use to trick people into believing their lies. I will rip those charms from their wrists and set free the people they have trapped like birds. ^e] 21I will tear the scarves from their heads and rescue my people from their power once and for all. Then they will know that I am the LORD God. ²²They do things I would never do. They lie to good people and encourage them to do wrong, and they convince the wicked to keep sinning and ruin their lives. ²³I will no longer let these women give false messages and use magic, and I will free my people from their control. Then they will know that I, the LORD, have done these things.   

Ezekiel 14

Ezekiel Encourages the People To Turn Back to the LORD

 ¹One day, some of Israel's leaders came to me and asked for a message from the LORD. ²While they were there, the LORD said:    ³Ezekiel, son of man, these men have started worshiping idols, though they know it will cause them to sin even more. So I refuse to give them a message!
    ⁴Tell the people of Israel that if they sin by worshiping idols and then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will give them the answer their sins deserve. ⁵When they hear my message, maybe they will see that they need to turn back to me and stop worshiping those idols.
    ⁶Now, Ezekiel, tell everyone in Israel:
   I am the LORD God. Stop worshiping your disgusting idols and come back to me.
    ⁷Suppose one of you Israelites or a foreigner living in Israel rejects me and starts worshiping idols. If you then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will answer ⁸by turning against you. I will make you a warning to anyone who might think of doing the same thing, and you will no longer belong to my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that you have sinned against me.
    ⁹If a prophet gives a false message, I am the one who caused that prophet to lie. But I will still reject him and cut him off from my people, ¹⁰and anyone who goes to that prophet for a message will be punished in the same way. ¹¹I will do this, so that you will come back to me and stop destroying yourselves with these disgusting sins. So turn back to me! Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. I, the LORD God, make this promise. 

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 12:5 Dig through the wall of your house: The walls of most houses in Babylonia were made of mud bricks that had been dried in the sun. A hole could easily have been dug through these bricks.
2. Ezekiel 12:13 He will then be led away. . . that place: According to 2 Kings 25.6,7, King Zedekiah of Judah was blinded before he was taken to Babylon.
3. Ezekiel 13:4 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.
4. Ezekiel 13:18 They wear. . . the future: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Ezekiel 13:20 like birds: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

---

Hebrews 7:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Hebrews 7

The Priestly Family of Melchizedek

 ¹Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings. ²Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.   The meaning of the name Melchizedek is "King of Justice." But since Salem means "peace," he is also "King of Peace." ³We are not told that he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever. ^a] 4Notice how great Melchizedek is! Our famous ancestor Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had taken from his enemies. ⁵The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests. ⁶Although Melchizedek wasn't a descendant of Levi, Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had been given God's promise. ⁷Everyone agrees that a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.
    ⁸Priests are given a tenth of what people earn. But all priests die, except Melchizedek, and the Scriptures teach that he is alive. ⁹Levi's descendants are now the ones who receive a tenth from people. We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, Levi also gave him a tenth. ¹⁰This is because Levi was born later into the family of Abraham, who gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
    ¹¹Even though the Law of Moses says that the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. ^b] 12And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed. ¹³The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said that priests would come from that tribe.
    ¹⁵All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. ¹⁶That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. ¹⁷The Scriptures say about him,
   "You are a priest forever,
   just like Melchizedek." 

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 7:3 will be a priest forever: See the note at 5.6.
2. Hebrews 7:11 descendants of Levi. . . from the priestly family of Aaron: Levi was the ancestor of the tribe from which priests and their helpers (called "Levites") were chosen. Aaron was the first high priest.

---

Psalm 105:37-45 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁷When God led Israel from Egypt,
   they took silver and gold,
   and no one was left behind.
    ³⁸The Egyptians were afraid
   and gladly let them go.
    ³⁹God hid them under a cloud
   and guided them by fire
   during the night.
    ⁴⁰When they asked for food,
   he sent more birds
   than they could eat.
    ⁴¹God even split open a rock,
   and streams of water
   gushed into the desert.
    ⁴²God never forgot
   his sacred promise
   to his servant Abraham.
    ⁴³When the Lord rescued
   his chosen people from Egypt,
   they celebrated with songs.
    ⁴⁴The Lord gave them the land
   and everything else
   the nations had worked for.
    ⁴⁵He did this so that his people
   would obey all of his laws.
   Shout praises to the LORD!

---

Proverbs 27:3 (Contemporary English Version)

³Stones and sand are heavy,
   but trouble caused by a fool
   is a much heavier load.

---

Verse of the Day

“You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters.” - Romans 13:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day 

American writer, historian, and philosopher, Will Durant wrote, “It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.”

---

 

A Joke for Today

Two friends are chatting...

"I will give one million dollars to the person who will fulfill my wish."

"What is your wish?"

"That somebody would give me two million dollars."

Bible Readings for November 5, 2017

Today our passages are Ezekiel 12:1–14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; and Proverbs 27:3.  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 Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

---

Ezekiel 12-14:11 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 12

Ezekiel Acts Out Israel's Captivity

 ¹The LORD said:    ²Ezekiel, son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but refuse to see; they have ears, but refuse to listen. ³So before it gets dark, here is what I want you to do. Pack a few things as though you were going to be taken away as a prisoner. Then go outside where everyone can see you and walk around from place to place. Maybe as they watch, they will realize what rebels they are. ⁴After you have done this, return to your house.
   Later that evening leave your house as if you were going into exile. ⁵Dig through the wall of your house ^a] and crawl out, carrying the bag with you. Make sure everyone is watching. ⁶Lift the bag to your shoulders, and with your face covered, take it into the darkness, so that you cannot see the land you are leaving. All of this will be a warning for the people of Israel. ⁷I did everything the LORD had said. I packed a few things. Then as the sun was going down, and while everyone was watching, I dug a hole through one of the walls of my house. I pulled out my bag, then lifted it to my shoulders and left in the darkness.
    ⁸The next morning, the LORD ⁹reminded me that those rebellious people didn't even ask what I was doing. ¹⁰So he sent me back to tell them:
   The LORD God has a message for the leader of Jerusalem and everyone living there!
    ¹¹I have done these things to show them what will happen when they are taken away as prisoners.
    ¹²The leader of Jerusalem will lift his own bag to his shoulders at sunset and leave through a hole that the others have dug in the wall of his house. He will cover his face, so he can't see the land he is leaving. ¹³The LORD will spread out a net and trap him as he leaves Jerusalem. He will then be led away to the city of Babylon, but will never see that place, ^b] even though he will die there. ¹⁴His own officials and troops will scatter in every direction, and the LORD will track them down and put them to death. ¹⁵The LORD will force the rest of the people in Jerusalem to live in foreign nations, where they will realize that he has done all these things. ¹⁶Some of them will survive the war, the starvation, and the deadly diseases. That way, they will be able to tell foreigners how disgusting their sins were, and that it was the LORD who punished them in this way.
   

A Sign of Fear

 ¹⁷The LORD said:    ¹⁸Ezekiel, son of man, shake with fear when you eat, and tremble when you drink. ¹⁹Tell the people of Israel that I, the LORD, say that someday everyone in Jerusalem will shake when they eat and tremble when they drink. Their country will be destroyed and left empty, because they have been cruel and violent. ²⁰Every town will lie in ruins, and the land will be a barren desert. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
   

The Words of the LORD Will Come True

 ²¹The LORD said:    ²²Ezekiel, son of man, you've heard people in Israel use the saying, "Time passes, and prophets are proved wrong." ²³Now tell the people that I, the LORD, am going to prove that saying wrong. No one will ever be able to use it again in Israel, because very soon everything I have said will come true! ²⁴The people will hear no more useless warnings and false messages. ²⁵I will give them my message, and what I say will certainly happen. Warn those rebels that the time has come for them to be punished. I, the LORD, make this promise.
    ^26-27Ezekiel, the people of Israel are also saying that your visions and messages are only about things in the future. ²⁸So tell them that my words will soon come true, just as I have warned. I, the LORD, have spoken.
   

Ezekiel 13

Lying Prophets

 ¹The LORD said:    ²Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the prophets of Israel who say they speak in my name, but who preach messages that come from their own imagination. Tell them it's time to hear my message.
    ³I, the LORD God, say those lying prophets are doomed! They don't see visions--they make up their own messages! ⁴Israel's prophets are no better than jackals ^c]that hunt for food among the ruins of a city. ⁵They don't warn the people about coming trouble or tell them how dangerous it is to sin against me. ⁶Those prophets lie by claiming they speak for me, but I have not even chosen them to be my prophets. And they still think their words will come true. ⁷They say they're preaching my messages, but they are full of lies--I did not speak to them! ⁸So I am going to punish those lying prophets for deceiving the people of Israel with false messages. ⁹I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. They will not be allowed to call themselves Israelites or even to set foot in Israel. Then they will realize that I am the LORD God.
    ¹⁰Those prophets refuse to be honest. They tell my people there will be peace, even though there's no peace to be found. They are like workers who think they can fix a shaky wall by covering it with paint. ¹¹But when I send rainstorms, hailstones, and strong winds, the wall will surely collapse. ¹²People will then ask the workers why the paint didn't hold it up.
    ¹³That wall is the city of Jerusalem. And I, the LORD God, am so angry that I will send strong winds, rainstorms, and hailstones to destroy it. ¹⁴The lying prophets have tried to cover up the evil in Jerusalem, but I will tear down the city, all the way to its foundations. And when it collapses, those prophets will be killed, and everyone will know that I have done these things.
    ¹⁵The city of Jerusalem and its lying prophets will feel my fierce anger. Then I will announce that the city has fallen and that the lying prophets are dead, ¹⁶because they promised my people peace, when there was no peace. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
   

Women Who Wear Magic Charms

The LORD said:

 ¹⁷Ezekiel, son of man, now condemn the women of Israel who preach messages that come from their own imagination. ¹⁸Tell them they're doomed! They wear magic charms on their wrists and scarves on their heads, then trick others into believing they can predict the future. ^d] They won't get away with telling those lies. ¹⁹They charge my people a few handfuls of barley and a couple pieces of bread, and then give messages that are insulting to me. They use lies to sentence the innocent to death and to help the guilty go free. And my people believe them! ²⁰I hate the magic charms they use to trick people into believing their lies. I will rip those charms from their wrists and set free the people they have trapped like birds. ^e] 21I will tear the scarves from their heads and rescue my people from their power once and for all. Then they will know that I am the LORD God. ²²They do things I would never do. They lie to good people and encourage them to do wrong, and they convince the wicked to keep sinning and ruin their lives. ²³I will no longer let these women give false messages and use magic, and I will free my people from their control. Then they will know that I, the LORD, have done these things.   

Ezekiel 14

Ezekiel Encourages the People To Turn Back to the LORD

 ¹One day, some of Israel's leaders came to me and asked for a message from the LORD. ²While they were there, the LORD said:    ³Ezekiel, son of man, these men have started worshiping idols, though they know it will cause them to sin even more. So I refuse to give them a message!
    ⁴Tell the people of Israel that if they sin by worshiping idols and then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will give them the answer their sins deserve. ⁵When they hear my message, maybe they will see that they need to turn back to me and stop worshiping those idols.
    ⁶Now, Ezekiel, tell everyone in Israel:
   I am the LORD God. Stop worshiping your disgusting idols and come back to me.
    ⁷Suppose one of you Israelites or a foreigner living in Israel rejects me and starts worshiping idols. If you then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will answer ⁸by turning against you. I will make you a warning to anyone who might think of doing the same thing, and you will no longer belong to my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that you have sinned against me.
    ⁹If a prophet gives a false message, I am the one who caused that prophet to lie. But I will still reject him and cut him off from my people, ¹⁰and anyone who goes to that prophet for a message will be punished in the same way. ¹¹I will do this, so that you will come back to me and stop destroying yourselves with these disgusting sins. So turn back to me! Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. I, the LORD God, make this promise.
   

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 12:5 Dig through the wall of your house: The walls of most houses in Babylonia were made of mud bricks that had been dried in the sun. A hole could easily have been dug through these bricks.
2. Ezekiel 12:13 He will then be led away. . . that place: According to 2 Kings 25.6,7, King Zedekiah of Judah was blinded before he was taken to Babylon.
3. Ezekiel 13:4 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.
4. Ezekiel 13:18 They wear. . . the future: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Ezekiel 13:20 like birds: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

---

Hebrews 7:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Hebrews 7

The Priestly Family of Melchizedek

 ¹Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings. ²Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.   The meaning of the name Melchizedek is "King of Justice." But since Salem means "peace," he is also "King of Peace." ³We are not told that he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever. ^a] 4Notice how great Melchizedek is! Our famous ancestor Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had taken from his enemies. ⁵The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests. ⁶Although Melchizedek wasn't a descendant of Levi, Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had been given God's promise. ⁷Everyone agrees that a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.
    ⁸Priests are given a tenth of what people earn. But all priests die, except Melchizedek, and the Scriptures teach that he is alive. ⁹Levi's descendants are now the ones who receive a tenth from people. We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, Levi also gave him a tenth. ¹⁰This is because Levi was born later into the family of Abraham, who gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
    ¹¹Even though the Law of Moses says that the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. ^b] 12And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed. ¹³The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said that priests would come from that tribe.
    ¹⁵All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. ¹⁶That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. ¹⁷The Scriptures say about him,
   "You are a priest forever,
   just like Melchizedek."
   

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 7:3 will be a priest forever: See the note at 5.6.
2. Hebrews 7:11 descendants of Levi. . . from the priestly family of Aaron: Levi was the ancestor of the tribe from which priests and their helpers (called "Levites") were chosen. Aaron was the first high priest.

---

Psalm 105:37-45 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁷When God led Israel from Egypt,
   they took silver and gold,
   and no one was left behind.
    ³⁸The Egyptians were afraid
   and gladly let them go.
    ³⁹God hid them under a cloud
   and guided them by fire
   during the night.
    ⁴⁰When they asked for food,
   he sent more birds
   than they could eat.
    ⁴¹God even split open a rock,
   and streams of water
   gushed into the desert.
    ⁴²God never forgot
   his sacred promise
   to his servant Abraham.
    ⁴³When the Lord rescued
   his chosen people from Egypt,
   they celebrated with songs.
    ⁴⁴The Lord gave them the land
   and everything else
   the nations had worked for.
    ⁴⁵He did this so that his people
   would obey all of his laws.
   Shout praises to the LORD!

---

Proverbs 27:3 (Contemporary English Version)

³Stones and sand are heavy,
   but trouble caused by a fool
   is a much heavier load.

---

Verse of the Day

“You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters.” - Romans 13:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

American writer, historian, and philosopher, Will Durant wrote, “If the average man had had his way there would probably never have been any state. Even today he resents it, classes death with taxes, and yearns for that government which governs least. If he asks for many laws it is only because he is sure that his neighbor needs them; privately he is an unphilosophical anarchist, and thinks laws in his own case superfluous. In the simplest societies there is hardly any government.”

---

A Joke for Today

Bob had finally made it to the last round of the $5,000,000 Question. The night before the big question, he told the M.C. that he desired a question on American History.

The big night had arrived. Bob made his way on stage in front of the studio and TV audience. He had become the talk of the week. He was the best guest this show had ever seen. The M.C. stepped up to the mic.

"Bob, you have chosen American History as your final question. You know that if you correctly answer this question, you will walk away $5,000,000 dollars richer. Are you ready?"

Bob nodded with a cocky confidence-the crowd went nuts. He hadn't missed a question all week.

"Bob, your question on American History is a two-part question. As you know, you may answer either part first. As a rule, the second half of the question is always easier. Which part would you like to take a stab at first?"

Bob was now becoming more noticeably nervous. He couldn't believe it, but he was drawing a blank. American History was his easiest subject, but he played it safe. "I'll try the easier part first."

The M.C. nodded approvingly. "Here we go Bob. I will ask you the second half first, then the first half."

The audience silenced with gross anticipation . . .

"Bob, here is your question: And in what year did it happen??"

Bible Readings for November 5, 2016

Today our passages are Ezekiel 12:1–14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; and Proverbs 27:3. 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.

 

---

Ezekiel 12-14:11 (The Message)

Ezekiel 12

^1-6 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, you're living with a bunch of rebellious people. They have eyes but don't see a thing, they have ears but don't hear a thing. They're rebels all. So, son of man, pack up your exile duffel bags. Leave in broad daylight with everyone watching and go off, as if into exile. Maybe then they'll understand what's going on, rebels though they are. You'll take up your baggage while they watch, a bundle of the bare necessities of someone going into exile, and toward evening leave, just like a person going off into exile. As they watch, dig through the wall of the house and carry your bundle through it. In full sight of the people, put the bundle on your shoulder and walk out into the night. Cover your face so you won't have to look at what you'll never see again. I'm using you as a sign for the family of Israel." ⁷ I did exactly as he commanded me. I got my stuff together and brought it out in the street where everyone could see me, bundled it up the way someone being taken off into exile would, and then, as the sun went down, made a hole in the wall of the house with my hands. As it grew dark and as they watched, I left, throwing my bundle across my shoulders.
^8-10 The next morning God spoke to me: "Son of man, when anyone in Israel, that bunch of rebels, asks you, 'What are you doing?' Tell them, 'God, the Master, says that this Message especially concerns the prince in Jerusalem—Zedekiah—but includes all the people of Israel.'
¹¹ "Also tell them, 'I am drawing a picture for you. As I am now doing, it will be done to all the people of Israel. They will go into exile as captives.'
^12-15 "The prince will put his bundle on his shoulders in the dark and leave. He'll dig through the wall of the house, covering his face so he won't have to look at the land he'll never see again. But I'll make sure he gets caught and is taken to Babylon. Blinded, he'll never see that land in which he'll die. I'll scatter to the four winds those who helped him escape, along with his troops, and many will die in battle. They'll realize that I am God when I scatter them among foreign countries.
¹⁶ "I'll permit a few of them to escape the killing, starvation, and deadly sickness so that they can confess among the foreign countries all the disgusting obscenities they've been involved in. They will realize that I am God."
^17-20 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, eat your meals shaking in your boots, drink your water trembling with fear. Tell the people of this land, everyone living in Jerusalem and Israel, God's Message: 'You'll eat your meals shaking in your boots and drink your water in terror because your land is going to be stripped bare as punishment for the brutality rampant in it. All the cities and villages will be emptied out and the fields destroyed. Then you'll realize that I am God.'"
^21-22 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, what's this proverb making the rounds in the land of Israel that says, 'Everything goes on the same as ever; all the prophetic warnings are false alarms'?
^23-25 "Tell them, 'God, the Master, says, This proverb's going to have a short life!'
"Tell them, 'Time's about up. Every warning is about to come true. False alarms and easygoing preaching are a thing of the past in the life of Israel. I, God, am doing the speaking. What I say happens. None of what I say is on hold. What I say, I'll do—and soon, you rebels!' Decree of God the Master."
^26-28 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, do you hear what Israel is saying: that the alarm the prophet raises is for a long time off, that he's preaching about the far-off future? Well, tell them, 'God, the Master, says, "Nothing of what I say is on hold. What I say happens."' Decree of God, the Master."

Ezekiel 13

People Who Love Listening to Lies

^1-2 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it 'prophesying.' ^2-6 "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, 'Listen to God's Message!' God, the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say 'God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen.
^7-9 "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying 'God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God, the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God, the Master.
^10-12 "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, 'No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, 'When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?'
^13-14 "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God, the Master, say so: 'I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God.
^15-16 "'I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God, the Master.'
^17-19 "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say 'Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, 'Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.'
^20-21 "Therefore God says, 'I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God.
^22-23 "'Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God.'"

Ezekiel 14

Idols in Their Hearts

^1-5 Some of the leaders of Israel approached me and sat down with me. God's Message came to me: "Son of Man, these people have installed idols in their hearts. They have embraced the wickedness that will ruin them. Why should I even bother with their prayers? Therefore tell them, 'The Message of God, the Master: All in Israel who install idols in their hearts and embrace the wickedness that will ruin them and still have the gall to come to a prophet, be on notice: I, God, will step in and personally answer them as they come dragging along their mob of idols. I am ready to go to work on the hearts of the house of Israel, all of whom have left me for their idols.' ^6-8 "Therefore, say to the house of Israel: 'God, the Master, says, Repent! Turn your backs on your no-god idols. Turn your backs on all your outrageous obscenities. To every last person from the house of Israel, including any of the resident aliens who live in Israel—all who turn their backs on me and embrace idols, who install the wickedness that will ruin them at the center of their lives and then have the gall to go to the prophet to ask me questions—I, God, will step in and give the answer myself. I'll oppose those people to their faces, make an example of them—a warning lesson—and get rid of them so you will realize that I am God.
^9-11 "'If a prophet is deceived and tells these idolaters the lies they want to hear, I, God, get blamed for those lies. He won't get by with it. I'll grab him by the scruff of the neck and get him out of there. They'll be equally guilty, the prophet and the one who goes to the prophet, so that the house of Israel will never again wander off my paths and make themselves filthy in their rebellions, but will rather be my people, just as I am their God. Decree of God, the Master.'"

---

Hebrews 7:1-17 (The Message)

Hebrews 7

Melchizedek, Priest of God

^1-3Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. He met Abraham, who was returning from "the royal massacre," and gave him his blessing. Abraham in turn gave him a tenth of the spoils. "Melchizedek" means "King of Righteousness." "Salem" means "Peace." So, he is also "King of Peace." Melchizedek towers out of the past—without record of family ties, no account of beginning or end. In this way he is like the Son of God, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always. ^4-7You realize just how great Melchizedek is when you see that Father Abraham gave him a tenth of the captured treasure. Priests descended from Levi are commanded by law to collect tithes from the people, even though they are all more or less equals, priests and people, having a common father in Abraham. But this man, a complete outsider, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him, the one to whom the promises had been given. In acts of blessing, the lesser is blessed by the greater.
^8-10Or look at it this way: We pay our tithes to priests who die, but Abraham paid tithes to a priest who, the Scripture says, "lives." Ultimately you could even say that since Levi descended from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek, when we pay tithes to the priestly tribe of Levi they end up with Melchizedek.

A Permanent Priesthood

^11-14If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn't have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn't get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus' family tree connecting him with that priestly line. ^15-19But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life—he lives!—"priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek." The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way—Jesus!—a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place.

---

Psalm 105:37-45 (The Message)

^23-42 Then Israel entered Egypt,
Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham.
God gave his people lots of babies;
soon their numbers alarmed their foes.
He turned the Egyptians against his people;
they abused and cheated God's servants.
Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he also chose.
They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland,
miracles in the Land of Ham.
He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark—
they couldn't see what they were doing.
He turned all their water to blood
so that all their fish died;
He made frogs swarm through the land,
even into the king's bedroom;
He gave the word and flies swarmed,
gnats filled the air.
He substituted hail for rain,
he stabbed their land with lightning;
He wasted their vines and fig trees,
smashed their groves of trees to splinters;
With a word he brought in locusts,
millions of locusts, armies of locusts;
They consumed every blade of grass in the country
and picked the ground clean of produce;
He struck down every firstborn in the land,
the first fruits of their virile powers.
He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot,
and not one among his tribes even stumbled.
Egypt was glad to have them go—
they were scared to death of them.
God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day
and a fire to light their way through the night;
They prayed and he brought quail,
filled them with the bread of heaven;
He opened the rock and water poured out;
it flowed like a river through that desert—
All because he remembered his Covenant,
his promise to Abraham, his servant.

^43-45 Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy;
his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
He made them a gift of the country they entered,
helped them seize the wealth of the nations
So they could do everything he told them—
could follow his instructions to the letter.
Hallelujah!

---

Proverbs 27:3 (The Message)

³ Carrying a log across your shoulders
while you're hefting a boulder with your arms
Is nothing compared to the burden
of putting up with a fool.

---

Verse of the Day

“You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters.” - Romans 13:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

 

Thought for the Day

American writer, historian, and philosopher, Will Durant wrote, “Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”

Bible Readings for September 13, 2013

Today our passages are Isaiah 12:1–14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; and Proverbs 23:9-11. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

---

Isaiah 12-14:32 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 12

A Song of Praise

 ¹At that time you will say,    "I thank you, LORD!
   You were angry with me,
   but you stopped being angry
   and gave me comfort.
    ²I trust you to save me,
   LORD God,
   and I won't be afraid.
   My power and my strength ^[a] come from you,
   and you have saved me."
    ³With great joy, you people
   will get water
   from the well of victory.
    ⁴At that time you will say,
   "Our LORD, we are thankful,
   and we worship only you.
   We will tell the nations
   how glorious you are
   and what you have done.
    ⁵Because of your wonderful deeds
   we will sing your praises
   everywhere on earth."
    ⁶Sing, people of Zion!
   Celebrate the greatness
   of the holy LORD of Israel.
   God is here to help you.
   

Isaiah 13

Babylon Will Be Punished

 ¹This is the message ^[b] that I was given about Babylon: ²From high on a barren hill    give a signal, shout the orders,
   and point the way
   to enter the gates
   of Babylon's proud rulers.
    ³The LORD has commanded
   his very best warriors
   and his proud heroes
   to show how angry he is.
    ⁴Listen to the noisy crowds
   on the mountains!
   Kingdoms and nations
   are joining forces.
   The LORD All-Powerful
   is bringing together
   an army for battle.
    ⁵From a distant land
   the LORD is coming
   fierce and furious--
   he brings his weapons
   to destroy the earth.
    ⁶Cry and weep!
   The day is coming
   when the mighty LORD
   will bring destruction.
    ⁷All people will be terrified.
   Hands will grow limp;
   courage will melt away.
    ⁸Everyone will tremble with pain
   like a woman giving birth;
   they will stare at each other
   with horror on their faces.
   

There Will Be No Mercy

 ⁹I, the LORD,    will show no mercy or pity
   when that time comes.
   In my anger I will destroy
   the earth
   and every sinner
   who lives on it.
    ¹⁰Light will disappear
   from the stars in the sky;
   the dawning sun will turn dark,
   and the moon
   will lose its glow.
    ¹¹I will punish this evil world
   and its people
   because of their sins.
   I will crush the horrible pride
   of those who are cruel.
    ¹²Survivors will be harder to find
   than the purest gold.
    ¹³I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   am terribly angry--
   I will make the sky tremble
   and the earth shake loose.
    ¹⁴Everyone will run
   to their homelands,
   just as hunted deer run,
   and sheep scatter
   when they have no shepherd.
    ¹⁵Those who are captured
   will be killed by a sword.
    ¹⁶They will see their children
   beaten against rocks,
   their homes robbed,
   and their wives abused.
    ¹⁷The Medes ^[c] can't be bought off with silver or gold,
   and I'm sending them
   to attack Babylonia.
    ¹⁸Their arrows will slaughter
   the young men;
   no pity will be shown
   to babies and children.
   

The LORD Will Destroy Babylon

 ¹⁹The city of Babylon    is glorious and powerful,
   the pride of the nation.
   But it will be like the cities
   of Sodom and Gomorrah
   after I, the Lord,
   destroyed them.
    ²⁰No one will live in Babylon.
   Even nomads won't camp nearby,
   and shepherds won't let
   their sheep rest there.
    ²¹Only desert creatures,
   hoot owls, and ostriches
   will live in its ruins,
   and goats ^[d] will leap about. ²²Hyenas and wolves will howl
   from Babylon's fortresses
   and beautiful palaces.
   Its time is almost up!
   

Isaiah 14

The LORD's People Will Come Home

 ¹The LORD will have mercy on Israel and will let them be his chosen people once again. He will bring them back to their own land, and foreigners will join them as part of Israel. ²Other nations will lead them home, and Israel will make slaves of them in the land that belongs to the Lord. Israel will rule over those who once governed and mistreated them.    

Death to the King of Babylonia!

 ³The LORD will set you free from your sorrow, suffering, and slavery. ⁴Then you will make fun of the King of Babylonia by singing this song:    That cruel monster is done for!
   He won't attack us again. ^[e] ⁵The LORD has crushed the power
   of those evil kings,
    ⁶who were furious
   and never stopped abusing
   the people of other nations.
    ⁷Now all the world is at peace;
   its people are celebrating
   with joyful songs.
    ⁸King of Babylonia,
   even the cypress trees
   and the cedars of Lebanon
   celebrate and say,
   "Since you were put down,
   no one comes along
   to chop us down."
    ⁹The world of the dead
   eagerly waits for you.
   With great excitement,
   the spirits of ancient rulers
   hear about your coming.
    ¹⁰Each one of them will say,
   "Now you are just as weak
   as any of us!
    ¹¹Your pride and your music
   have ended here
   in the world of the dead.
   Worms are your blanket,
   maggots are your bed."
    ¹²You, the bright morning star,
   have fallen from the sky!
   You brought down other nations;
   now you are brought down.
    ¹³You said to yourself,
   "I'll climb to heaven
   and place my throne
   above the highest stars.
   I'll sit there with the gods
   far away in the north.
    ¹⁴I'll be above the clouds,
   just like God Most High."
    ¹⁵But now you are deep
   in the world of the dead.
    ¹⁶Those who see you will stare
   and wonder,
   "Is this the man
   who made the world tremble
   and shook up kingdoms?
    ¹⁷Did he capture every city
   and make earth a desert?
   Is he the one who refused
   to let prisoners go home?"
    ¹⁸When kings die, they are buried
   in glorious tombs.
    ¹⁹But you will be left unburied,
   just another dead body
   lying underfoot
   like a broken branch.
   You will be one of many
   killed in battle
   and gone down
   to the deep rocky pit. ^[f] ²⁰You won't be buried with kings;
   you ruined your country
   and murdered your people.
   You evil monster!
   We hope that your family
   will be forgotten forever.
    ²¹We will slaughter your sons
   to make them pay
   for the crimes
   of their ancestors.
   They won't take over the world
   or build cities
   anywhere on this earth.
    ²²The LORD All-Powerful has promised to attack Babylonia and destroy everyone there, so that none of them will ever be remembered again. ²³The LORD will sweep out the people, and the land will become a swamp for wild animals.
   

Assyria Will Be Punished

 ²⁴The LORD All-Powerful    has made this promise:
   Everything I have planned
   will happen just as I said.
    ²⁵I will wipe out every Assyrian
   in my country,
   and I will crush those
   on my mountains.
   I will free my people
   from slavery
   to the Assyrians.
    ²⁶I have planned this
   for the whole world,
   and my mighty arm
   controls every nation.
    ²⁷I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   have made these plans.
   No one can stop me now!
   

The Philistines Will Be Punished

 ²⁸This message came from the LORD    in the year King Ahaz died: ^[g] ²⁹Philistines, don't be happy
   just because the rod
   that punished you
   is broken.
   That rod will become
   a poisonous snake,
   and then
   a flying fiery dragon.
    ³⁰The poor and needy will find
   pastures for their sheep
   and will live in safety.
   But I will starve some of you,
   and others will be killed.
    ³¹Cry and weep in the gates
   of your towns,
   you Philistines!
   Smoke blows in from the north, ^[h] and every soldier is ready.
    ³²If a messenger comes
   from a distant nation,
   you must say:
   "The LORD built Zion.
   Even the poorest of his people
   will find safety there."
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 12:2 strength: Or "song."
2. Isaiah 13:1 message: See the note at 1.1.
3. Isaiah 13:17 Medes: People of a nation northeast of Babylonia, which became part of the Persian Empire.
4. Isaiah 13:21 goats: Or "demons."
5. Isaiah 14:4 He. . . again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 14:19 deep rocky pit: The world of the dead.
7. Isaiah 14:28 King Ahaz died: 715 B.C.
8. Isaiah 14:31 north: The Assyrian and Babylonian attacks came from the north.

---

2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 13

Final Warnings and Greetings

 ¹I am on my way to visit you for the third time. And as the Scriptures say, "Any charges must be proved true by at least two or three witnesses." ²During my second visit I warned you that I would punish you and anyone else who doesn't stop sinning. I am far away from you now, but I give you the same warning. ³This should prove to you that I am speaking for Christ. When he corrects you, he won't be weak. He will be powerful! ⁴Although he was weak when he was nailed to the cross, he now lives by the power of God. We are weak, just as Christ was. But you will see that we will live by the power of God, just as Christ does.     ⁵Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isn't living in you, you have failed. ⁶I hope you will discover that we have not failed. ⁷We pray that you will stop doing evil things. We don't pray like this to make ourselves look good, but to get you to do right, even if we are failures.
    ⁸All we can do is to follow the truth and not fight against it. ⁹Even though we are weak, we are glad that you are strong, and we pray that you will do even better. ¹⁰I am writing these things to you before I arrive. This way I won't have to be hard on you when I use the authority that the Lord has given me. I was given this authority, so that I could help you and not destroy you.
    ¹¹Good-by, my friends. Do better and pay attention to what I have said. Try to get along and live peacefully with each other.
   Now I pray that God, who gives love and peace, will be with you. ¹²Give each other a warm greeting. All of God's people send their greetings.
    ¹³I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you and be kind to you! May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together.

---

Psalm 57:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 57

(For the music leader. To the tune "Don't Destroy." (Psalm 57; 58 Don't Destroy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.) A special psalm by David when he was in the cave while running from Saul.)

Praise and Trust in Times of Trouble

 ¹God Most High, have pity on me!    Have mercy.
   I run to you
   for safety.
   In the shadow of your wings,
   I seek protection
   till danger dies down.
    ²I pray to you, my protector.
    ³You will send help from heaven
   and save me,
   but you will bring trouble
   on my attackers.
   You are faithful,
   and you can be trusted.
    ⁴I live among lions,
   who gobble down people!
   They have spears and arrows
   instead of teeth,
   and they have sharp swords
   instead of tongues.
    ⁵May you, my God, be honored
   above the heavens;
   may your glory be seen
   everywhere on earth.
    ⁶Enemies set traps for my feet
   and struck me down.
   They dug a pit in my path,
   but fell in it themselves.
    ⁷I am faithful to you,
   and you can trust me.
   I will sing and play music
   for you, my God.
    ⁸I feel wide awake!
   I will wake up my harp
   and wake up the sun.
    ⁹I will praise you, Lord,
   for everyone to hear,
   and I will sing hymns to you
   in every nation.
    ¹⁰Your love reaches higher
   than the heavens;
   your loyalty extends
   beyond the clouds.
    ¹¹May you, my God, be honored
   above the heavens;
   may your glory be seen
   everywhere on earth.

---

Proverbs 23:9-11 (Contemporary English Version)

-9-

 ⁹ Don't talk to fools--    they will just make fun.
   

-10-

 ¹⁰ Don't move a boundary marker ^[a] or take the land    that belongs to orphans.
    ¹¹God All-Powerful is there
   to defend them against you.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 23:10 marker: See the note at 22.28.

---

 

Verse of the Day

 

“[Suffering for Doing Right]Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble.” - 1 Peter 3:8

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

Will Durant, American writer, historian, and philosopher, wrote, “To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.”