Bible Readings for November 13, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 27:1–28:26; Hebrews 11:17-31; Psalm 111:1-10; and Proverbs 27:15-16. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Ezekiel 27-28:26 (The Message)

Ezekiel 27

Tyre, Gateway to the Sea

 ^1-9 God's Message came to me: "You, son of man, raise a funeral song over Tyre. Tell Tyre, gateway to the sea, merchant to the world, trader among the far-off islands, 'This is what God, the Master, says:    "'You boast, Tyre:
   "I'm the perfect ship—stately, handsome."
You ruled the high seas from
   a real beauty, crafted to perfection.
Your planking came from
   Mount Hermon junipers.
A Lebanon cedar
   supplied your mast.
They made your oars
   from sturdy Bashan oaks.
Cypress from Cyprus inlaid with ivory
   was used for the decks.
Your sail and flag were of colorful
   embroidered linen from Egypt.
Your purple deck awnings
   also came from Cyprus.
Men of Sidon and Arvad pulled the oars.
   Your seasoned seamen, O Tyre, were the crew.
Ship's carpenters
   were old salts from Byblos.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
   clustered around you to barter for your goods.
 ^10-11"'Your army was composed of soldiers
   from Paras, Lud, and Put,
Elite troops in uniformed splendor.
   They put you on the map!
Your city police were imported from
   Arvad, Helech, and Gammad.
They hung their shields from the city walls,
   a final, perfect touch to your beauty.
 ¹² "'Tarshish carried on business with you because of your great wealth. They worked for you, trading in silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.
 ¹³ "'Greece, Tubal, and Meshech did business with you, trading slaves and bronze for your products.
 ¹⁴ "'Beth-togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules for your products.
 ¹⁵ "'The people of Rhodes did business with you. Many far-off islands traded with you in ivory and ebony.
 ¹⁶ "'Edom did business with you because of all your goods. They traded for your products with agate, purple textiles, embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.
 ¹⁷ "'Judah and Israel did business with you. They traded for your products with premium wheat, millet, honey, oil, and balm.
 ¹⁸ "'Damascus, attracted by your vast array of products and well-stocked warehouses, carried on business with you, trading in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.
 ¹⁹ "'Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded with you, using wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices.
 ²⁰ "'Dedan traded with you for saddle blankets.
 ²¹ "'Arabia and all the Bedouin sheiks of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats with you.
 ²² "'Traders from Sheba and Raamah in South Arabia carried on business with you in premium spices, precious stones, and gold.
 ^23-24 "'Haran, Canneh, and Eden from the east in Assyria and Media traded with you, bringing elegant clothes, dyed textiles, and elaborate carpets to your bazaars.
 ²⁵ "'The great Tarshish ships were your freighters, importing and exporting. Oh, it was big business for you, trafficking the seaways!
 ^26-32"'Your sailors row mightily,
   taking you into the high seas.
Then a storm out of the east
   shatters your ship in the ocean deep.
Everything sinks—your rich goods and products,
   sailors and crew, ship's carpenters and soldiers,
Sink to the bottom of the sea.
   Total shipwreck.
The cries of your sailors
   reverberate on shore.
Sailors everywhere abandon ship.
   Veteran seamen swim for dry land.
They cry out in grief,
   a choir of bitter lament over you.
They smear their faces with ashes,
   shave their heads,
Wear rough burlap,
   wildly keening their loss.
They raise their funeral song:
   "Who on the high seas is like Tyre!"
 ^33-36"'As you crisscrossed the seas with your products,
   you satisfied many peoples.
Your worldwide trade
   made earth's kings rich.
And now you're battered to bits by the waves,
   sunk to the bottom of the sea,
And everything you've bought and sold
   has sunk to the bottom with you.
Everyone on shore looks on in terror.
   The hair of kings stands on end,
   their faces drawn and haggard!
The buyers and sellers of the world
   throw up their hands:
This horror can't happen!
   Oh, this has happened!'"

Ezekiel 28

The Money Has Gone to Your Head

 ^1-5 God's Message came to me, "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, 'This is what God, the Master, says:    "'Your heart is proud,
   going around saying, "I'm a god.
I sit on God's divine throne,
   ruling the sea"—
You, a mere mortal,
   not even close to being a god,
A mere mortal
   trying to be a god.
Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel.
   No enigmas can stump you.
Your sharp intelligence
   made you world-wealthy.
You piled up gold and silver
   in your banks.
You used your head well,
   worked good deals, made a lot of money.
But the money has gone to your head,
   swelled your head—what a big head!

 ^6-11"'Therefore, God, the Master, says:
   "'Because you're acting like a god,
   pretending to be a god,
I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you,
   the most vicious of all nations.
They'll pull their swords and make hash
   of your reputation for knowing it all.
They'll puncture the balloon
   of your god-pretensions.
They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal
   and bury you in the deep blue sea.
Will you protest to your assassins,
   "You can't do that! I'm a god"?
To them you're a mere mortal.
   They're killing a man, not a god.
You'll die like a stray dog,
   killed by strangers—
Because I said so.
   Decree of God, the Master.'"
 ^11-19God's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God, the Master:
   "You had everything going for you.
   You were in Eden, God's garden.
You were dressed in splendor,
   your robe studded with jewels:
Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone,
   beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald,
   all in settings of engraved gold.
A robe was prepared for you
   the same day you were created.
You were the anointed cherub.
   I placed you on the mountain of God.
You strolled in magnificence
   among the stones of fire.
From the day of your creation
   you were sheer perfection...
   and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you.
In much buying and selling
   you turned violent, you sinned!
I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God.
   I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub.
   No more strolling among the gems of fire for you!
Your beauty went to your head.
   You corrupted wisdom
   by using it to get worldly fame.
I threw you to the ground,
   sent you sprawling before an audience of kings
   and let them gloat over your demise.
By sin after sin after sin,
   by your corrupt ways of doing business,
   you defiled your holy places of worship.
So I set a fire around and within you.
   It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes.
All anyone sees now
   when they look for you is ashes,
   a pitiful mound of ashes.
All who once knew you
   now throw up their hands:
'This can't have happened!
   This has happened!'"
 ^20-23 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, 'Message from God, the Master:
   "'Look! I'm against you, Sidon.
   I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.'
They'll know that I am God
   when I set things right
   and reveal my holy presence.
I'll order an epidemic of disease there,
   along with murder and mayhem in the streets.
People will drop dead right and left,
   as war presses in from every side.
Then they'll realize that I mean business,
   that I am God.
 ²⁴"No longer will Israel have to put up with
   their thistle-and-thorn neighbors
Who have treated them so contemptuously.
   And they also will realize that I am God."
 ^25-26 God, the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God."

Hebrews 11:17-31 (The Message)

 ^17-19By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from Isaac." Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
 ²⁰By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.
 ²¹By an act of faith, Jacob on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph's sons in turn, blessing them with God's blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.
 ²²By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.
 ²³By an act of faith, Moses' parents hid him away for three months after his birth. They saw the child's beauty, and they braved the king's decree.
 ^24-28By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God's people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah's camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king's blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn't touch them.
 ²⁹By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.
 ³⁰By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.
 ³¹By an act of faith, Rahab, the Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.

Psalm 111:1-10 (The Message)

Psalm 111

    Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got— 
   Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
   God's works are so great, worth
   A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
   Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
   His generosity never gives out.
   His miracles are his memorial—
   This God of Grace, this God of Love.
   He gave food to those who fear him,
   He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
   He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
   Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!
   He manufactures truth and justice;
   All his products are guaranteed to last—
   Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
   All that he makes and does is honest and true:
   He paid the ransom for his people,
   He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
   He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
   The good life begins in the fear of God—
   Do that and you'll know the blessing of God.
   His Hallelujah lasts forever!

 

Proverbs 27:15-16 (The Message)

 ^15-16 A nagging spouse is like
   the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet;
You can't turn it off,
   and you can't get away from it.



Verse of the Day

“God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong.” - 1 Peter 2:15-16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

English writer and speaker on freethought Joseph McCabe wrote, “An idea or institution may arise for one reason and be maintained for quite a different reason.”

Bible Readings for November 12, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 24:1–26:21; Hebrews 11:1-16; Psalm 110:1-7; and Proverbs 27:14. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

Ezekiel 24-26:21 (The Message)

Ezekiel 24

Bring the Pot to a Boil

^1-5 The Message of God came to me in the ninth year, the tenth month, and the tenth day of the month: "Son of man, write down this date. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Tell this company of rebels a story: "'Put on the soup pot.
Fill it with water.
Put chunks of meat into it,
all the choice pieces—loin and brisket.
Pick out the best soup bones
from the best of the sheep in the flock.
Pile wood beneath the pot.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the soup.

⁶"'God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder,
to the pot thick with scum,
thick with a filth that can't be scoured.
Empty the pot piece by piece;
don't bother who gets what.
^7-8"'The blood from murders
has stained the whole city;
Blood runs bold on the street stones,
with no one bothering to wash it off—
Blood out in the open to public view
to provoke my wrath,
to trigger my vengeance.

^9-12"'Therefore, this is what God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder!
I, too, will pile on the wood.
Stack the wood high,
light the match,
Cook the meat, spice it well, pour out the broth,
and then burn the bones.
Then I'll set the empty pot on the coals
and heat it red-hot so the bronze glows,
So the germs are killed
and the corruption is burned off.
But it's hopeless. It's too far gone.
The filth is too thick.
^13-14 "'Your encrusted filth is your filthy sex. I wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn't let me. I'll make no more attempts at cleaning you up until my anger quiets down. I, God, have said it, and I'll do it. I'm not holding back. I've run out of compassion. I'm not changing my mind. You're getting exactly what's coming to you. Decree of God, the Master.'"

No Tears

^15-17 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, I'm about to take from you the delight of your life—a real blow, I know. But, please, no tears. Keep your grief to yourself. No public mourning. Get dressed as usual and go about your work—none of the usual funeral rituals." ¹⁸ I preached to the people in the morning. That evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I'd been told.
¹⁹ The people came to me, saying, "Tell us why you're acting like this. What does it mean, anyway?"
^20-21 So I told them, "God's Word came to me, saying, 'Tell the family of Israel, This is what God, the Master, says: I will desecrate my Sanctuary, your proud impregnable fort, the delight of your life, your heart's desire. The children you left behind will be killed.
^22-24 "'Then you'll do exactly as I've done. You'll perform none of the usual funeral rituals. You'll get dressed as usual and go about your work. No tears. But your sins will eat away at you from within and you'll groan among yourselves. Ezekiel will be your example. The way he did it is the way you'll do it.
"'When this happens you'll recognize that I am God, the Master.'"
^25-27 "And you, son of man: The day I take away the people's refuge, their great joy, the delight of their life, what they've most longed for, along with all their children—on that very day a survivor will arrive and tell you what happened to the city. You'll break your silence and start talking again, talking to the survivor. Again, you'll be an example for them. And they'll recognize that I am God."

Ezekiel 25

Acts of Vengeance

^1-5 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, face Ammon and preach against the people: Listen to the Message of God, the Master. This is what God has to say: Because you cheered when my Sanctuary was desecrated and the land of Judah was devastated and the people of Israel were taken into exile, I'm giving you over to the people of the east. They'll move in and make themselves at home, eating the food right off your tables and drinking your milk. I'll turn your capital, Rabbah, into pasture for camels and all your villages into corrals for flocks. Then you'll realize that I am God. ^6-7 "God, the Master, says, Because you clapped and cheered, venting all your malicious contempt against the land of Israel, I'll step in and hand you out as loot—first come, first served. I'll cross you off the roster of nations. There'll be nothing left of you. And you'll realize that I am God."
^8-11 "God, the Master, says: Because Moab said, 'Look, Judah's nothing special,' I'll lay wide open the flank of Moab by exposing its lovely frontier villages to attack: Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. I'll lump Moab in with Ammon and give them to the people of the east for the taking. Ammon won't be heard from again. I'll punish Moab severely. And they'll realize that I am God."
^12-14 "God, the Master, says: Because Edom reacted against the people of Judah in spiteful revenge and was so criminally vengeful against them, therefore I, God, the Master, will oppose Edom and kill the lot of them, people and animals both. I'll waste it—corpses stretched from Teman to Dedan. I'll use my people Israel to bring my vengeance down on Edom. My wrath will fuel their action. And they'll realize it's my vengeance. Decree of God the Master."
^15-17 "God, the Master, says: Because the Philistines were so spitefully vengeful—all those centuries of stored-up malice!—and did their best to destroy Judah, therefore I, God, the Master, will oppose the Philistines and cut down the Cretans and anybody else left along the seacoast. Huge acts of vengeance, massive punishments! When I bring vengeance, they'll realize that I am God."

Ezekiel 26

As the Waves of the Sea, Surging Against the Shore

^1-2 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, God's Message came to me: "Son of man, Tyre cheered when they got the news of Jerusalem, exclaiming, "'Good! The gateway city is smashed!
Now all her business comes my way.
She's in ruins
and I'm in clover.'

^3-6"Therefore, God, the Master, has this to say:
"'I'm against you, Tyre,
and I'll bring many nations surging against you,
as the waves of the sea surging against the shore.
They'll smash the city walls of Tyre
and break down her towers.
I'll wash away the soil
and leave nothing but bare rock.
She'll be an island of bare rock in the ocean,
good for nothing but drying fishnets.
Yes, I've said so.' Decree of God, the Master.
'She'll be loot, free pickings for the nations!
Her surrounding villages will be butchered.
Then they'll realize that I am God.'
^7-14 "God, the Master, says: Look! Out of the north I'm bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king's king, down on Tyre. He'll come with chariots and horses and riders—a huge army. He'll massacre your surrounding villages and lay siege to you. He'll build siege ramps against your walls. A forest of shields will advance against you! He'll pummel your walls with his battering rams and shatter your towers with his iron weapons. You'll be covered with dust from his horde of horses—a thundering herd of war horses pouring through the breaches, pulling chariots. Oh, it will be an earthquake of an army and a city in shock! Horses will stampede through the streets. Your people will be slaughtered and your huge pillars strewn like matchsticks. The invaders will steal and loot—all that wealth, all that stuff! They'll knock down your fine houses and dump the stone and timber rubble into the sea. And your parties, your famous good-time parties, will be no more. No more songs, no more lutes. I'll reduce you to an island of bare rock, good for nothing but drying fishnets. You'll never be rebuilt. I, God, have said so. Decree of God, the Master.

Introduced to the Terrors of Death

¹⁵ "This is the Message of God, the Master, to Tyre: Won't the ocean islands shake at the crash of your collapse, at the groans of your wounded, at your mayhem and massacre? ^16-18 "All up and down the coast, the princes will come down from their thrones, take off their royal robes and fancy clothes, and wrap themselves in sheer terror. They'll sit on the ground, shaken to the core, horrified at you. Then they'll begin chanting a funeral song over you:
"'Sunk! Sunk to the bottom of the sea,
famous city on the sea!
Power of the seas,
you and your people,
Intimidating everyone
who lived in your shadows.
But now the islands are shaking
at the sound of your crash,
Ocean islands in tremors
from the impact of your fall.'
^19-21 "The Message of God, the Master: 'When I turn you into a wasted city, a city empty of people, a ghost town, and when I bring up the great ocean deeps and cover you, then I'll push you down among those who go to the grave, the long, long dead. I'll make you live there, in the grave in old ruins, with the buried dead. You'll never see the land of the living again. I'll introduce you to the terrors of death and that'll be the end of you. They'll send out search parties for you, but you'll never be found. Decree of God, the Master.'"

Hebrews 11:1-16 (The Message)

Hebrews 11

Faith in What We Don't See

^1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. ³By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.
⁴By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.
^5-6By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. "They looked all over and couldn't find him because God had taken him." We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken "he pleased God." It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
⁷By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.
^8-10By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.
^11-12By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.
^13-16Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.

Psalm 110:1-7 (The Message)

Psalm 110

A David Prayer

^1-3 The word of God to my Lord: "Sit alongside me here on my throne
until I make your enemies a stool for your feet."
You were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion;
now rule, though surrounded by enemies!
Your people will freely join you, resplendent in holy armor
on the great day of your conquest,
Join you at the fresh break of day,
join you with all the vigor of youth.

^4-7 God gave his word and he won't take it back:
you're the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest.
The Lord stands true at your side,
crushing kings in his terrible wrath,
Bringing judgment on the nations,
handing out convictions wholesale,
crushing opposition across the wide earth.
The King-Maker put his King on the throne;
the True King rules with head held high!

Proverbs 27:14 (The Message)

¹⁴ If you wake your friend in the early morning
by shouting "Rise and shine!"
It will sound to him
more like a curse than a blessing.



Verse of the Day

“[The Person and Work of Christ]We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.” - Colossians 1:9

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

Ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period Virgil wrote, "They succeed, because they think they can."

Bible Readings for November 11, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 23:1-49; Hebrews 10:18-39; Psalm 109:1-31; and Proverbs 27:13. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Ezekiel 23:1-49 (The Message)

Ezekiel 23

Wild with Lust

 ^1-4 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. They became whores in Egypt, whores from a young age. Their breasts were fondled, their young bosoms caressed. The older sister was named Oholah, the younger was Oholibah. They were my daughters, and they gave birth to sons and daughters.     "Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
 ^5-8 "Oholah started whoring while she was still mine. She lusted after Assyrians as lovers: military men smartly uniformed in blue, ambassadors and governors, good-looking young men mounted on fine horses. Her lust was unrestrained. She was a whore to the Assyrian elite. She compounded her filth with the idols of those to whom she gave herself in lust. She never slowed down. The whoring she began while young in Egypt she continued, sleeping with men who played with her breasts and spent their lust on her.
 ^9-10 "So I left her to her Assyrian lovers, for whom she was so obsessed with lust. They ripped off her clothes, took away her children, and then, the final indignity, killed her. Among women her name became Shame—history's judgment on her.
 ^11-18 "Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she became even worse than her sister in lust and whoring, if you can believe it. She also went crazy with lust for Assyrians: ambassadors and governors, military men smartly dressed and mounted on fine horses—the Assyrian elite. And I saw that she also had become incredibly filthy. Both women followed the same path. But Oholibah surpassed her sister. When she saw figures of Babylonians carved in relief on the walls and painted red, fancy belts around their waists, elaborate turbans on their heads, all of them looking important—famous Babylonians!—she went wild with lust and sent invitations to them in Babylon. The Babylonians came on the run, fornicated with her, made her dirty inside and out. When they had thoroughly debased her, she lost interest in them. Then she went public with her fornication. She exhibited her sex to the world.
 ^18-21 "I turned my back on her just as I had on her sister. But that didn't slow her down. She went at her whoring harder than ever. She remembered when she was young, just starting out as a whore in Egypt. That whetted her appetite for more virile, vulgar, and violent lovers—stallions obsessive in their lust. She longed for the sexual prowess of her youth back in Egypt, where her firm young breasts were caressed and fondled.
 ^22-27 "'Therefore, Oholibah, this is the Message from God, the Master: I will incite your old lovers against you, lovers you got tired of and left in disgust. I'll bring them against you from every direction, Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all Assyrians—good-looking young men, ambassadors and governors, elite officers and celebrities—all of them mounted on fine, spirited horses. They'll come down on you out of the north, armed to the teeth, bringing chariots and troops from all sides. I'll turn over the task of judgment to them. They'll punish you according to their rules. I'll stand totally and relentlessly against you as they rip into you furiously. They'll mutilate you, cutting off your ears and nose, killing at random. They'll enslave your children—and anybody left over will be burned. They'll rip off your clothes and steal your jewelry. I'll put a stop to your sluttish sex, the whoring life you began in Egypt. You won't look on whoring with fondness anymore. You won't think back on Egypt with stars in your eyes.
 ^28-30 "'A Message from God, the Master: I'm at the point of abandoning you to those you hate, to those by whom you're repulsed. They'll treat you hatefully, leave you publicly naked, your whore's body exposed in the cruel glare of the sun. Your sluttish lust will be exposed. Your lust has brought you to this condition because you whored with pagan nations and made yourself filthy with their no-god idols.
 ^31-34 "'You copied the life of your sister. Now I'll let you drink the cup she drank.

    "'This is the Message of God, the Master:
   "'You'll drink your sister's cup,
   a cup canyon-deep and ocean-wide.
You'll be shunned and taunted
   as you drink from that cup, full to the brim.
You'll be falling-down-drunk and the tears will flow
   as you drink from that cup titanic with terror:
   It's the cup of your sister Samaria.
You'll drink it dry,
   then smash it to bits and eat the pieces,
   and end up tearing at your breasts.
I've given the word—
   Decree of God, the Master.
 ³⁵ "'Therefore God, the Master, says, Because you've forgotten all about me, pushing me into the background, you now must pay for what you've done—pay for your sluttish sex and whoring life.'"
 ^36-39 Then God said to me, "Son of man, will you confront Oholah and Oholibah with what they've done? Make them face their outrageous obscenities, obscenities ranging from adultery to murder. They committed adultery with their no-god idols, sacrificed the children they bore me in order to feed their idols! And there is also this: They've defiled my holy Sanctuary and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. The same day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they walked into my Sanctuary and defiled it. That's what they did—in my house!
 ^40-42 "Furthermore, they even sent out invitations by special messenger to men far away—and, sure enough, they came. They bathed themselves, put on makeup and provocative lingerie. They reclined on a sumptuous bed, aromatic with incense and oils—my incense and oils! The crowd gathered, jostling and pushing, a drunken rabble. They adorned the sisters with bracelets on their arms and tiaras on their heads.
 ^43-44 "I said, 'She's burned out on sex!' but that didn't stop them. They kept banging on her doors night and day as men do when they're after a whore. That's how they used Oholah and Oholibah, the worn-out whores.
 ⁴⁵ "Righteous men will pronounce judgment on them, giving out sentences for adultery and murder. That was their lifework: adultery and murder."
 ^46-47 "God says, 'Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder! Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces—kill all their children, burn down their houses!
 ^48-49 "'I'll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you. You'll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You'll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you'll realize that I am God, the Master.'"

Hebrews 10:18-39 (The Message)

 ^11-18Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:

   This new plan I'm making with Israel
      isn't going to be written on paper,
      isn't going to be chiseled in stone;
   This time "I'm writing out the plan in them,
      carving it on the lining of their hearts."
He concludes,
   I'll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there's no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.

Don't Throw It All Away

 ^19-21So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.  ^22-25So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
 ^26-31If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God's Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he'll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won't overlook a thing" and "God will judge his people." Nobody's getting by with anything, believe me.
 ^32-39Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn't touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.

   It won't be long now, he's on the way;
      he'll show up most any minute.
   But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust;
      if he cuts and runs, I won't be very happy.
But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

Psalm 109:1-31 (The Message)

Psalm 109

A David Prayer

 ^1-5 My God, don't turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer. Liars are pouring out invective on me;
   Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,
      barking their hate, nipping my heels—and for no reason!
   I loved them and now they slander me—yes, me!—
      and treat my prayer like a crime;
   They return my good with evil,
      they return my love with hate.

 ^6-20 Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge;
      dispatch Satan to prosecute him.
   When he's judged, let the verdict be "Guilty,"
      and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
   Give him a short life,
      and give his job to somebody else.
   Make orphans of his children,
      dress his wife in widow's weeds;
   Turn his children into begging street urchins,
      evicted from their homes—homeless.
   May the bank foreclose and wipe him out,
      and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
   May there be no one around to help him out,
      no one willing to give his orphans a break.
   Chop down his family tree
      so that nobody even remembers his name.
   But erect a memorial to the sin of his father,
      and make sure his mother's name is there, too—
   Their sins recorded forever before God,
      but they themselves sunk in oblivion.
   That's all he deserves since he was never once kind,
      hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.
   Since he loved cursing so much,
      let curses rain down;
   Since he had no taste for blessing,
      let blessings flee far from him.
   He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes;
      he drank curses, took his baths in curses.
   So give him a gift—a costume of curses;
      he can wear curses every day of the week!
   That's what they'll get, those out to get me—
      an avalanche of just deserts from God.

 ^21-25 Oh, God, my Lord, step in;
      work a miracle for me—you can do it!
   Get me out of here—your love is so great!—
      I'm at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.
   I'm fading away to nothing, passing away,
      my youth gone, old before my time.
   I'm weak from hunger and can hardly stand up,
      my body a rack of skin and bones.
   I'm a joke in poor taste to those who see me;
      they take one look and shake their heads.

 ^26-29 Help me, oh help me, God, my God,
      save me through your wonderful love;
   Then they'll know that your hand is in this,
      that you, God, have been at work.
   Let them curse all they want;
      you do the blessing.
   Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up,
      followed by cheers for me, your servant.
   Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame,
      discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.

 ^30-31 My mouth's full of great praise for God,
      I'm singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,
   For he's always at hand to take the side of the needy,
      to rescue a life from the unjust judge.

 

Proverbs 27:13 (The Message)

 ¹³ Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;
   be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.



Verse of the Day

“Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father.” - 1 John 2:15-16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

English churchman and historian Thomas Fuller wrote, "If it were not for hopes, the heart would break."

Bible Readings for November 10, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 21:1–22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; and Proverbs 27:12. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

Ezekiel 21-22:31 (The Message)

Ezekiel 21

A Sword! A Sword!

^1-5 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, now face Jerusalem and let the Message roll out against the Sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel. Say, 'God's Message: I'm against you. I'm pulling my sword from its sheath and killing both the wicked and the righteous. Because I'm treating everyone the same, good and bad, everyone from south to north is going to feel my sword! Everyone will know that I mean business.' ⁶ "So, son of man, groan! Double up in pain. Make a scene! ⁷ "When they ask you, 'Why all this groaning, this carrying on?' say, 'Because of the news that's coming. It'll knock the breath out of everyone. Hearts will stop cold, knees turn to rubber. Yes, it's coming. No stopping it. Decree of God, the Master.'" ^8-10 God's Message to me: "Son of man, prophesy. Tell them, 'The Master says: "'A sword! A sword!
razor-sharp and polished,
Sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning! "'My child, you've despised the scepter of Judah
by worshiping every tree-idol. ¹¹"'The sword is made to glisten,
to be held and brandished.
It's sharpened and polished,
ready to be brandished by the killer.' ¹²"Yell out and wail, son of man.
The sword is against my people!
The princes of Israel
and my people—abandoned to the sword!
Wring your hands!
Tear out your hair! ¹³"'Testing comes.
Why have you despised discipline?
You can't get around it.
Decree of God, the Master.' ^14-17"So, prophesy, son of man!
Clap your hands. Get their attention.
Tell them that the sword's coming down
once, twice, three times.
It's a sword to kill,
a sword for a massacre,
A sword relentless,
a sword inescapable—
People collapsing right and left,
going down like dominoes.
I've stationed a murderous sword
at every gate in the city,
Flashing like lightning,
brandished murderously.
Cut to the right, thrust to the left,
murderous, sharp-edged sword!
Then I'll clap my hands,
a signal that my anger is spent.
I, God, have spoken." ^18-22 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, lay out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Start them from the same place. Place a signpost at the beginning of each road. Post one sign to mark the road of the sword to Rabbah of the Ammonites. Post the other to mark the road to Judah and Fort Jerusalem. The king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road and he decides by divination which of the two roads to take. He draws straws, he throws god-dice, he examines a goat liver. He opens his right hand: The omen says, 'Head for Jerusalem!' So he's on his way with battering rams, roused to kill, sounding the battle cry, pounding down city gates, building siege works. ²³ "To the Judah leaders, who themselves have sworn oaths, it will seem like a false divination, but he will remind them of their guilt, and so they'll be captured. ²⁴ "So this is what God, the Master, says: 'Because your sin is now out in the open so everyone can see what you've been doing, you'll be taken captive. ^25-27 "'O Zedekiah, blasphemous and evil prince of Israel: Time's up. It's "punishment payday." God says, Take your royal crown off your head. No more "business as usual." The underdog will be promoted and the top dog will be demoted. Ruins, ruins, ruins! I'll turn the whole place into ruins. And ruins it will remain until the one comes who has a right to it. Then I'll give it to him.' ^28-32 "But, son of man, your job is to prophesy. Tell them, 'This is the Message from God, the Master, against the Ammonites and against their cruel taunts: "'A sword! A sword!
Bared to kill,
Sharp as a razor,
flashing like lightning.
Despite false sword propaganda
circulated in Ammon,
The sword will sever Ammonite necks,
for whom it's punishment payday.
Return the sword to the sheath! I'll judge you in your home country,
in the land where you grew up.
I'll empty out my wrath on you,
breathe hot anger down your neck.
I'll give you to vicious men
skilled in torture.
You'll end up as stove-wood.
Corpses will litter your land.
Not so much as a memory will be left of you.
I, God, have said so.'"

Ezekiel 22

The Scarecrow of the Nations

^1-5 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, are you going to judge this bloody city or not? Come now, are you going to judge her? Do it! Face her with all her outrageous obscenities. Tell her, 'This is what God, the Master, says: You're a city murderous at the core, just asking for punishment. You're a city obsessed with no-god idols, making yourself filthy. In all your killing, you've piled up guilt. In all your idol-making, you've become filthy. You've forced a premature end to your existence. I'll put you on exhibit as the scarecrow of the nations, the world's worst joke. From far and near they'll deride you as infamous in filth, notorious for chaos. ^6-12 "'Your leaders, the princes of Israel among you, compete in crime. You're a community that's insolent to parents, abusive to outsiders, oppressive against orphans and widows. You treat my holy things with contempt and desecrate my Sabbaths. You have people spreading lies and spilling blood, flocking to the hills to the sex shrines and fornicating unrestrained. Incest is common. Men force themselves on women regardless of whether they're ready or willing. Sex is now anarchy. Anyone is fair game: neighbor, daughter-in-law, sister. Murder is for hire, usury is rampant, extortion is commonplace. "'And you've forgotten me. Decree of God, the Master. ^13-14 "'Now look! I've clapped my hands, calling everyone's attention to your rapacious greed and your bloody brutalities. Can you stick with it? Will you be able to keep at this once I start dealing with you? ^14-16 "'I, God, have spoken. I'll put an end to this. I'll throw you to the four winds. I'll scatter you all over the world. I'll put a full stop to your filthy living. You will be defiled, spattered with your own mud in the eyes of the nations. And you'll recognize that I am God.'" ^17-22 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, the people of Israel are slag to me, the useless byproduct of refined copper, tin, iron, and lead left at the smelter—a worthless slag heap. So tell them, 'God, the Master, has spoken: Because you've all become worthless slag, you're on notice: I'll assemble you in Jerusalem. As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into a furnace and blow fire on it to melt it down, so in my wrath I'll gather you and melt you down. I'll blow on you with the fire of my wrath to melt you down in the furnace. As silver is melted down, you'll be melted down. That should get through to you. Then you'll recognize that I, God, have let my wrath loose on you.'" ^23-25 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, tell her, 'You're a land that during the time I was angry with you got no rain, not so much as a spring shower. The leaders among you became desperate, like roaring, ravaging lions killing indiscriminately. They grabbed and looted, leaving widows in their wake. ^26-29 "'Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can't tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there's no difference between right and wrong. They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what God, the Master, says..." when God hasn't said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.' ^30-31 "I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one. So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God, the Master."

Hebrews 10:1-17 (The Message)

Hebrews 10

The Sacrifice of Jesus

^1-10The old plan was only a hint of the good things in the new plan. Since that old "law plan" wasn't complete in itself, it couldn't complete those who followed it. No matter how many sacrifices were offered year after year, they never added up to a complete solution. If they had, the worshipers would have gone merrily on their way, no longer dragged down by their sins. But instead of removing awareness of sin, when those animal sacrifices were repeated over and over they actually heightened awareness and guilt. The plain fact is that bull and goat blood can't get rid of sin. That is what is meant by this prophecy, put in the mouth of Christ:

You don't want sacrifices and offerings year after year;
you've prepared a body for me for a sacrifice.
It's not fragrance and smoke from the altar
that whet your appetite.
So I said, "I'm here to do it your way, O God,
the way it's described in your Book."
When he said, "You don't want sacrifices and offerings," he was referring to practices according to the old plan. When he added, "I'm here to do it your way," he set aside the first in order to enact the new plan—God's way—by which we are made fit for God by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. ^11-18Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:

This new plan I'm making with Israel
isn't going to be written on paper,
isn't going to be chiseled in stone;
This time "I'm writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts."
He concludes,
I'll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there's no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.

Psalm 108:1-13 (The Message)

Psalm 108

A David Prayer

^1-2 I'm ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing,
ready to raise a God-song:
"Wake, soul! Wake, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
^3-6 I'm thanking you, God, out in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
And for the sake of the one you love so much,
reach down and help me—answer me!
^7-9 That's when God spoke in holy splendor:
"Brimming over with joy,
I make a present of Shechem,
I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead's in my pocket,
to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim's my hard hat,
Judah my hammer.
Moab's a scrub bucket—
I mop the floor with Moab,
Spit on Edom,
rain fireworks all over Philistia."
^10-11 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
Who'll show me the road to Edom?
You aren't giving up on us, are you, God?
refusing to go out with our troops?
^12-13 Give us help for the hard task;
human help is worthless.
In God we'll do our very best;
he'll flatten the opposition for good.

Proverbs 27:12 (The Message)

¹² A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.


Verse of the Day

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’” - Job 37:5-6

Today's passage is from the New International Version.

 

Thought for the Day

 

American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist Walt Disney wrote, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

Bible Readings for November 8, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 18:1–19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; and Proverbs 27:10. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Ezekiel 18-19:14 (The Message)

Ezekiel 18

Judged According to the Way You Live

 ^1-2 God's Message to me: "What do you people mean by going around the country repeating the saying,
    The parents ate green apples,
   The children got the stomachache?  ^3-4 "As sure as I'm the living God, you're not going to repeat this saying in Israel any longer. Every soul—man, woman, child—belongs to me, parent and child alike. You die for your own sin, not another's.
 ^5-9 "Imagine a person who lives well, treating others fairly, keeping good relationships—
         doesn't eat at the pagan shrines,
         doesn't worship the idols so popular in Israel,
         doesn't seduce a neighbor's spouse,
         doesn't indulge in casual sex,
         doesn't bully anyone,
         doesn't pile up bad debts,
         doesn't steal,
         doesn't refuse food to the hungry,
         doesn't refuse clothing to the ill-clad,
         doesn't exploit the poor,
         doesn't live by impulse and greed,
         doesn't treat one person better than another,
   But lives by my statutes and faithfully
         honors and obeys my laws.
   This person who lives upright and well
         shall live a full and true life.
      Decree of God, the Master.
 ^10-13 "But if this person has a child who turns violent and murders and goes off and does any of these things, even though the parent has done none of them—
         eats at the pagan shrines,
         seduces his neighbor's spouse,
         bullies the weak,
         steals,
         piles up bad debts,
         admires idols,
         commits outrageous obscenities,
         exploits the poor
"—do you think this person, the child, will live? Not a chance! Because he's done all these vile things, he'll die. And his death will be his own fault.
 ^14-17 "Now look: Suppose that this child has a child who sees all the sins done by his parent. The child sees them, but doesn't follow in the parent's footsteps—
         doesn't eat at the pagan shrines,
         doesn't worship the popular idols of Israel,
         doesn't seduce his neighbor's spouse,
         doesn't bully anyone,
         doesn't refuse to loan money,
         doesn't steal,
         doesn't refuse food to the hungry,
         doesn't refuse to give clothes to the ill-clad,
         doesn't live by impulse and greed,
         doesn't exploit the poor.
   He does what I say;
         he performs my laws and lives by my statutes.
 ^17-18 "This person will not die for the sins of the parent; he will live truly and well. But the parent will die for what the parent did, for the sins of—
         oppressing the weak,
         robbing brothers and sisters,
         doing what is dead wrong in the community.
 ^19-20 "Do you need to ask, 'So why does the child not share the guilt of the parent?'
    "Isn't it plain? It's because the child did what is fair and right. Since the child was careful to do what is lawful and right, the child will live truly and well. The soul that sins is the soul that dies. The child does not share the guilt of the parent, nor the parent the guilt of the child. If you live upright and well, you get the credit; if you live a wicked life, you're guilty as charged.
 ^21-23 "But a wicked person who turns his back on that life of sin and keeps all my statutes, living a just and righteous life, he'll live, really live. He won't die. I won't keep a list of all the things he did wrong. He will live. Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn't it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?
 ²⁴ "The same thing goes for a good person who turns his back on an upright life and starts sinning, plunging into the same vile obscenities that the wicked person practices. Will this person live? I don't keep a list of all the things this person did right, like money in the bank he can draw on. Because of his defection, because he accumulates sin, he'll die.
 ^25-28 "Do I hear you saying, 'That's not fair! God's not fair!'?
    "Listen, Israel. I'm not fair? You're the ones who aren't fair! If a good person turns away from his good life and takes up sinning, he'll die for it. He'll die for his own sin. Likewise, if a bad person turns away from his bad life and starts living a good life, a fair life, he will save his life. Because he faces up to all the wrongs he's committed and puts them behind him, he will live, really live. He won't die.
 ²⁹ "And yet Israel keeps on whining, 'That's not fair! God's not fair.'
    "I'm not fair, Israel? You're the ones who aren't fair.
 ^30-32 "The upshot is this, Israel: I'll judge each of you according to the way you live. So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won't drag you down. Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone's death. Decree of God, the Master.
    "Make a clean break! Live!"

Ezekiel 19

A Story of Two Lions

 ^1-4 Sing the blues over the princes of Israel. Say:     What a lioness was your mother among lions!
She crouched in a pride of young lions.
   Her cubs grew large.
She reared one of her cubs to maturity,
   a robust young lion.
He learned to hunt.
   He ate men.
Nations sounded the alarm.
   He was caught in a trap.
They took him with hooks
   and dragged him to Egypt.
 ^5-9When the lioness saw she was luckless,
   that her hope for that cub was gone,
She took her other cub
   and made him a strong young lion.
He prowled with the lions,
   a robust young lion.
He learned to hunt.
   He ate men.
He rampaged through their defenses,
   left their cities in ruins.
The country and everyone in it
   was terrorized by the roars of the lion.
The nations got together to hunt him.
   Everyone joined the hunt.
They set out their traps
   and caught him.
They put a wooden collar on him
   and took him to the king of Babylon.
No more would that voice be heard
   disturbing the peace in the mountains of Israel!
 ^10-14Here's another way to put it:
   Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard,
   transplanted alongside streams of water,
Luxurious in branches and grapes
   because of the ample water.
It grew sturdy branches
   fit to be carved into a royal scepter.
It grew high, reaching into the clouds.
   Its branches filled the horizon,
   and everyone could see it.
Then it was ripped up in a rage
   and thrown to the ground.
The hot east wind shriveled it up
   and stripped its fruit.
The sturdy branches dried out,
   fit for nothing but kindling.
Now it's a stick stuck out in the desert,
   a bare stick in a desert of death,
Good for nothing but making fires,
   campfires in the desert.
Not a hint now of those sturdy branches
   fit for use as a royal scepter!
(This is a sad song, a text for singing the blues.)

Hebrews 9:1-10 (The Message)

Hebrews 9

A Visible Parable

 ^1-5That first plan contained directions for worship, and a specially designed place of worship. A large outer tent was set up. The lampstand, the table, and "the bread of presence" were placed in it. This was called "the Holy Place." Then a curtain was stretched, and behind it a smaller, inside tent set up. This was called "the Holy of Holies." In it were placed the gold incense altar and the gold-covered ark of the covenant containing the gold urn of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, the covenant tablets, and the angel-wing-shadowed mercy seat. But we don't have time to comment on these now.  ^6-10After this was set up, the priests went about their duties in the large tent. Only the high priest entered the smaller, inside tent, and then only once a year, offering a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the people's accumulated sins. This was the Holy Spirit's way of showing with a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't just walk in on God. Under this system, the gifts and sacrifices can't really get to the heart of the matter, can't assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior. It's essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made.

Psalm 106:32-48 (The Message)

 ^32-33 They angered God again at Meribah Springs;
      this time Moses got mixed up in their evil;
   Because they defied God yet again,
      Moses exploded and lost his temper.

 ^34-39 They didn't wipe out those godless cultures
      as ordered by God;
   Instead they intermarried with the heathen,
      and in time became just like them.
   They worshiped their idols,
      were caught in the trap of idols.
   They sacrificed their sons and daughters
      at the altars of demon gods.
   They slit the throats of their babies,
      murdered their infant girls and boys.
   They offered their babies to Canaan's gods;
      the blood of their babies stained the land.
   Their way of life stank to high heaven;
      they lived like whores.

 ^40-43 And God was furious—a wildfire anger;
      he couldn't stand even to look at his people.
   He turned them over to the heathen
      so that the people who hated them ruled them.
   Their enemies made life hard for them;
      they were tyrannized under that rule.
   Over and over God rescued them, but they never learned—
      until finally their sins destroyed them.

 ^44-46 Still, when God saw the trouble they were in
      and heard their cries for help,
   He remembered his Covenant with them,
      and, immense with love, took them by the hand.
   He poured out his mercy on them
      while their captors looked on, amazed.

 ^47-48 Save us, God, our God!
      Gather us back out of exile
   So we can give thanks to your holy name
      and join in the glory when you are praised!
   Blessed be God, Israel's God!
   Bless now, bless always!
   Oh! Let everyone say Amen!
   Hallelujah!

Proverbs 27:10 (The Message)

 ¹⁰ Don't leave your friends or your parents' friends
   and run home to your family when things get rough;
Better a nearby friend
   than a distant family.



Verse of the Day

“But if you don't want to worship the LORD, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the LORD!” - Joshua 24:15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

Author of Fountains of Faith William Arthur Ward wrote, “Happiness is an inside job.”

Bible Readings for November 7, 2012

Today our passages are Ezekiel 16:43–17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; and Proverbs 27:7-9. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Ezekiel 16:43-17:24 (The Message)

 ⁴³ "'Because you didn't remember what happened when you were young but made me angry with all this behavior, I'll make you pay for your waywardness. Didn't you just exponentially compound your outrageous obscenities with all your sluttish ways?
 ^44-45 "'Everyone who likes to use proverbs will use this one: "Like mother, like daughter." You're the daughter of your mother, who couldn't stand her husband and children. And you're a true sister of your sisters, who couldn't stand their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
 ^46-48 "'Your older sister is Samaria. She lived to the north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister is Sodom, who lived to the south of you with her daughters. Haven't you lived just like they did? Haven't you engaged in outrageous obscenities just like they did? In fact, it didn't take you long to catch up and pass them! As sure as I am the living God!—Decree of God, the Master—your sister Sodom and her daughters never even came close to what you and your daughters have done.
 ^49-50 "'The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury—proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives. And you know what happened: I did away with them.
 ^51-52 "'And Samaria. Samaria didn't sin half as much as you. You've committed far more obscenities than she ever did. Why, you make your two sisters look good in comparison with what you've done! Face it, your sisters look mighty good compared with you. Because you've outsinned them so completely, you've actually made them look righteous. Aren't you ashamed? But you're going to have to live with it. What a reputation to carry into history: outsinning your two sisters!
 ^53-58 "'But I'm going to reverse their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters. And—get this—your fortunes right along with them! Still, you're going to have to live with your shame. And by facing and accepting your shame, you're going to provide some comfort to your two sisters. Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will become what they were before, and you will become what you were before. Remember the days when you were putting on airs, acting so high and mighty, looking down on sister Sodom? That was before your evil ways were exposed. And now you're the butt of contempt, despised by the Edomite women, the Philistine women, and everybody else around. But you have to face it, to accept the shame of your obscene and vile life. Decree of God, the Master.
 ^59-63 "'God, the Master, says, I'll do to you just as you have already done, you who have treated my oath with contempt and broken the covenant. All the same, I'll remember the covenant I made with you when you were young and I'll make a new covenant with you that will last forever. You'll remember your sorry past and be properly contrite when you receive back your sisters, both the older and the younger. I'll give them to you as daughters, but not as participants in your covenant. I'll firmly establish my covenant with you and you'll know that I am God. You'll remember your past life and face the shame of it, but when I make atonement for you, make everything right after all you've done, it will leave you speechless.'" Decree of God, the Master.

Ezekiel 17

The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great

 ^1-6 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, 'God, the Master, says: "'A great eagle
   with a huge wingspan and long feathers,
In full plumage and bright colors,
   came to Lebanon
And took the top off a cedar,
   broke off the top branch,
Took it to a land of traders,
   and set it down in a city of shopkeepers.
Then he took a cutting from the land
   and planted it in good, well-watered soil,
   like a willow on a riverbank.
It sprouted into a flourishing vine,
   low to the ground.
Its branches grew toward the eagle
   and the roots became established—
A vine putting out shoots,
   developing branches.  ^7-8"'There was another great eagle
   with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered.
This vine sent out its roots toward him
   from the place where it was planted.
Its branches reached out to him
   so he could water it
   from a long distance.
It had been planted
   in good, well-watered soil,
And it put out branches and bore fruit,
   and became a noble vine.
 ^9-10"'God, the Master, says,
   Will it thrive?
Won't he just pull it up by the roots
   and leave the grapes to rot
And the branches to shrivel up,
   a withered, dead vine?
It won't take much strength
   or many hands to pull it up.
Even if it's transplanted,
   will it thrive?
When the hot east wind strikes it,
   won't it shrivel up?
Won't it dry up and blow away
   from the place where it was planted?'"
 ^11-12 God's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, 'Do you get it? Do you know what this means?'
 ^12-14 "Tell them, 'The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future.
 ¹⁵ "'But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free?
 ^16-18 "'As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape.
 ^19-21 "'Therefore, God, the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God, have spoken.
 ^22-24 "'God, the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God, made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God, said it—and I did it.'"

Hebrews 8:1-13 (The Message)

Hebrews 8

A New Plan with Israel

 ^1-2In essence, we have just such a high priest: authoritative right alongside God, conducting worship in the one true sanctuary built by God. ^3-5The assigned task of a high priest is to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and it's no different with the priesthood of Jesus. If he were limited to earth, he wouldn't even be a priest. We wouldn't need him since there are plenty of priests who offer the gifts designated in the law. These priests provide only a hint of what goes on in the true sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to set up the tent-shrine. It was then that God said, "Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the Mountain."  ^6-13But Jesus' priestly work far surpasses what these other priests do, since he's working from a far better plan. If the first plan—the old covenant—had worked out, a second wouldn't have been needed. But we know the first was found wanting, because God said,

   Heads up! The days are coming
      when I'll set up a new plan
      for dealing with Israel and Judah.
   I'll throw out the old plan
      I set up with their ancestors
      when I led them by the hand out of Egypt.
   They didn't keep their part of the bargain,
      so I looked away and let it go.
   This new plan I'm making with Israel
      isn't going to be written on paper,
      isn't going to be chiseled in stone;
   This time I'm writing out the plan in them,
      carving it on the lining of their hearts.
   I'll be their God,
      they'll be my people.
   They won't go to school to learn about me,
      or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons.
   They'll all get to know me firsthand,
      the little and the big, the small and the great.
   They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven,
      with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.
By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, God put the old plan on the shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust.

Psalm 106:13-31 (The Message)

 ^13-18 But it wasn't long before they forgot the whole thing,
      wouldn't wait to be told what to do.
   They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert,
      provoked God with their insistent demands.
   He gave them exactly what they asked for—
      but along with it they got an empty heart.
   One day in camp some grew jealous of Moses,
      also of Aaron, holy priest of God.
   The ground opened and swallowed Dathan,
      then buried Abiram's gang.
   Fire flared against that rebel crew
      and torched them to a cinder.

 ^19-22 They cast in metal a bull calf at Horeb
      and worshiped the statue they'd made.
   They traded the Glory
      for a cheap piece of sculpture—a grass-chewing bull!
   They forgot God, their very own Savior,
      who turned things around in Egypt,
   Who created a world of wonders in the Land of Ham,
      who gave that stunning performance at the Red Sea.

 ^23-27 Fed up, God decided to get rid of them—
      and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have.
   But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger,
      prevented it from destroying them utterly.
   They went on to reject the Blessed Land,
      didn't believe a word of what God promised.
   They found fault with the life they had
      and turned a deaf ear to God's voice.
   Exasperated, God swore
      that he'd lay them low in the desert,
   Scattering their children hither and yon,
      strewing them all over the earth.

 ^28-31 Then they linked up with Baal Peor,
      attending funeral banquets and eating idol food.
   That made God so angry
      that a plague spread through their ranks;
   Phinehas stood up and pled their case
      and the plague was stopped.
   This was counted to his credit;
      his descendants will never forget it.

Proverbs 27:7-9 (The Message)

 ⁷ When you've stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;
   when you're starved, you could eat a horse.

 ⁸ People who won't settle down, wandering hither and yon,
   are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.

 ⁹ Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,
   a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.



Verse of the Day

“[How To Pray]First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them. Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God.” - 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

American economist, social theorist, political philosopher, and author Thomas Sowell wrote, “It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.”