Bible Readings for December 2, 2017

Today our passages are Daniel 9:1–11:1; 1 John 2:18–3:6; Psalm 121:1-8; and Proverbs 28:27-28. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version..  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.

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Daniel 9-11:1 (Contemporary English Version)

Daniel 9

Daniel Prays for the People

 ^1-2Daniel wrote:   Some years later, Darius the Mede, ^a] who was the son of Xerxes, ^b] had become king of Babylonia. And during his first year as king, I found out from studying the writings of the prophets that the LORD had said to Jeremiah, " Jerusalem will lie in ruins for seventy years." ^c] 3-4Then, to show my sorrow, I went without eating and dressed in sackcloth ^d] and sat in ashes. I confessed my sins and earnestly prayed to the LORD my God: Our Lord, you are a great and fearsome God, and you faithfully keep your agreement with those who love and obey you. ⁵But we have sinned terribly by rebelling against you and rejecting your laws and teachings. ⁶We have ignored the message your servants the prophets spoke to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and everyone else.
    ⁷Everything you do is right, our Lord. But still we suffer public disgrace because we have been unfaithful and have sinned against you. This includes all of us, both far and near--the people of Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel, as well as those you dragged away to foreign lands, ⁸and even our kings, our officials, and our ancestors. ⁹LORD God, you are merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you ¹⁰and rejected your teachings that came to us from your servants the prophets.
    ¹¹Everyone in Israel has stubbornly refused to obey your laws, and so those curses written by your servant Moses have fallen upon us. ¹²You warned us and our leaders that Jerusalem would suffer the worst disaster in human history, and you did exactly as you had threatened. ¹³We have not escaped any of the terrible curses written by Moses, and yet we have refused to beg you for mercy and to remind ourselves of how faithful you have always been. ¹⁴And when you finally punished us with this horrible disaster, that was also the right thing to do, because we deserved it so much.
    ¹⁵Our Lord God, with your own mighty arm you rescued us from Egypt and made yourself famous to this very day, but we have sinned terribly. ¹⁶In the past, you treated us with such kindness, that we now beg you to stop being so terribly angry with Jerusalem. After all, it is your chosen city built on your holy mountain, even though it has suffered public disgrace because of our sins and those of our ancestors.
    ¹⁷I am your servant, Lord God, and I beg you to answer my prayers and bring honor to yourself by having pity on your temple that lies in ruins. ¹⁸Please show mercy to your chosen city, not because we deserve it, but because of your great kindness. ¹⁹Forgive us! Hurry and do something, not only for your city and your chosen people, but to bring honor to yourself.
   

The Seventy Weeks

Daniel wrote:

 ²⁰I was still confessing my sins and those of all Israel to the LORD my God, and I was praying for the good of his holy mountain, ^e] 21when Gabriel suddenly came flying in at the time of the evening sacrifice. This was the same Gabriel I had seen in my vision, ²²and he explained: Daniel, I am here to help you understand the vision. ²³God thinks highly of you, and at the very moment you started praying, I was sent to give you the answer. ²⁴God has decided that for seventy weeks, ^f] your people and your holy city must suffer as the price of their sins. Then evil will disappear, and justice will rule forever; the visions and words of the prophets will come true, and a most holy place will be dedicated. ^g] 25You need to realize that from the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Chosen Leader, ^h] it will be seven weeks and another sixty-two weeks. ^i] Streets will be built in Jerusalem, and a trench will be dug around the city for protection, but these will be difficult times. ^j] 26At the end of the sixty-two weeks, ^k] the Chosen Leader ^l] will be killed and left with nothing. ^m] A foreign ruler and his army will sweep down like a mighty flood, leaving both the city and the temple in ruins, and war and destruction will continue until the end, just as God has decided. ²⁷For one week ^n] this foreigner ^o] will make a firm agreement with many people, and halfway through this week, ^p] he will end all sacrifices and offerings. Then the " Horrible Thing" that causes destruction will be put there. And it will stay there until the time God has decided to destroy this one who destroys.

Daniel 10

Daniel's Vision beside the Tigris River

 ¹In the third year ^q] of Cyrus the king of Persia, a message came to Daniel ^r] from God, and it was explained in a vision. The message was about a horrible war, and it was true. ²Daniel wrote: For three weeks I was in sorrow. ³I ate no fancy food or meat, I drank no wine, and I put no olive oil on my face or hair. ^s] 4Then, on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, ^t] I was standing on the banks of the great Tigris River, ⁵when I looked up and saw someone dressed in linen and wearing a solid gold belt. ^u] 6His body was like a precious stone, ^v] his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming fires, his arms and legs like polished bronze, and his voice like the roar of a crowd. ⁷Although the people who were with me did not see the vision, they became so frightened that they scattered and hid. ⁸Only I saw this great vision. I became weak and pale, ⁹and at the sound of his voice, I fell facedown in a deep sleep. ¹⁰He raised me to my hands and knees ¹¹and then said, " Daniel, your God thinks highly of you, and he has sent me. So stand up and pay close attention." I stood trembling, while the angel said:    ¹²Daniel, don't be afraid! God has listened to your prayers since the first day you humbly asked for understanding, and he has sent me here. ¹³But the guardian angel ^w] of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, who is one of the strongest guardian angels, ^x] came to rescue me from the kings of Persia. ^y] 14Now I have come here to give you another vision about what will happen to your people in the future. ¹⁵While this angel was speaking to me, I stared at the ground, speechless. ¹⁶Then he appeared in human form and touched my lips. I said, " Sir, this vision has brought me great pain and has drained my strength. ¹⁷I am merely your servant. How can I possibly speak with someone so powerful, when I am almost too weak to get my breath?"
    ^18-19The angel touched me a second time and said, " Don't be frightened! God thinks highly of you, and he intends this for your good, so be brave and strong."
   At this, I regained my strength and replied, " Please speak! You have already made me feel much better."
    ²⁰Then the angel said:
   Now do you understand why I have come? Soon I must leave to fight against the guardian angel of Persia. Then after I have defeated him, the guardian angel of Greece will attack me. ²¹I will tell you what is written in The Book of Truth. But first, you must realize that no one except Michael, the guardian angel of Israel, is on my side.
   

Daniel 11

 ¹You also need to know that I protected and helped Darius the Mede ^z] in his first year as king.

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 9:1 Darius the Mede: See 5.31.
2. Daniel 9:1 Xerxes: Hebrew " Ahasuerus."
3. Daniel 9:1 seventy years: See Jeremiah 25.11-13; 29.10.
4. Daniel 9:3 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
5. Daniel 9:20 holy mountain: Jerusalem (see verse 16) or the temple.
6. Daniel 9:24 seventy weeks: Or " seventy times seven years."
7. Daniel 9:24 a most holy place will be dedicated: Or " God's Holy One will appear."
8. Daniel 9:25 the Chosen Leader: Or " a chosen leader." In Hebrew the word " chosen" means " to pour oil (on someone's head)." In Old Testament times it was the custom to pour oil on a person's head when that person was chosen to be a priest or a king.
9. Daniel 9:25 seven weeks and another sixty-two weeks: Or " seven times seven years and another sixty-two times seven years."
10. Daniel 9:25 it will be seven. . . difficult times: Or " it will be seven weeks. Then streets will be built in Jerusalem, and a trench will be dug around the city for protection. But Jerusalem will have difficult times for sixty-two weeks."
11. Daniel 9:26 sixty-two weeks: Or " sixty-two times seven years."
12. Daniel 9:26 the Chosen Leader: See the note at 9.25.
13. Daniel 9:26 left with nothing: Or " no one will take his place."
14. Daniel 9:27 one week: Or " seven years."
15. Daniel 9:27 this foreigner: Or " the Chosen Leader."
16. Daniel 9:27 halfway through this week: Or " for half of this week of seven years."
17. Daniel 10:1 third year: 536 B.C.
18. Daniel 10:1 Daniel: See the note at 2.26.
19. Daniel 10:3 olive oil. . . hair: On special occasions, it was the custom to put olive oil on one's face and hair.
20. Daniel 10:4 first month: Nisan (also known as Abib), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April.
21. Daniel 10:5 solid gold belt: Hebrew " belt of gold from Uphaz."
22. Daniel 10:6 a precious stone: The Hebrew text has " beryl," which is green or bluish-green.
23. Daniel 10:13 guardian angel: Hebrew " prince."
24. Daniel 10:13 one of the strongest guardian angels: Hebrew " chief prince."
25. Daniel 10:13 came. . . Persia: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
26. Daniel 11:1 Darius the Mede: See 5.30.

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1 John 2:18-3:6 (Contemporary English Version)

The Enemy of Christ

 ¹⁸Children, this is the last hour. You heard that the enemy of Christ would appear at this time, and many of Christ's enemies have already appeared. So we know that the last hour is here. ¹⁹These people came from our own group, yet they were not part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, which proves that they did not belong to our group.    ²⁰Christ, the Holy One, ^a] has blessed ^b] you, and now all of you understand. ^c] 21I did not need to write you about the truth, since you already know it. You also know that liars do not belong to the truth. ²²And a liar is anyone who says that Jesus isn't truly Christ. Anyone who says this is an enemy of Christ and rejects both the Father and the Son. ²³If we reject the Son, we reject the Father. But if we say that we accept the Son, we have the Father. ²⁴Keep thinking about the message you first heard, and you will always be one in your heart with the Son and with the Father. ²⁵The Son ^d] has promised us ^e] eternal life. ²⁶I am writing to warn you about those people who are misleading you. ²⁷But Christ has blessed you with the Holy Spirit. ^f] Now the Spirit stays in you, and you don't need any teachers. The Spirit is truthful and teaches you everything. So stay one in your heart with Christ, just as the Spirit has taught you to do.

Children of God

 ²⁸Children, stay one in your hearts with Christ. Then when he returns, we will have confidence and won't have to hide in shame. ²⁹You know that Christ always does right and that everyone who does right is a child of God.   

1 John 3

 ¹Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ ^g] is, they don't know who we are. ²My dear friends, we are already God's children, though what we will be hasn't yet been seen. But we do know that when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is. ³This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ ^h] is holy. ⁴Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law. ⁵You know that Christ came to take away sins. He isn't sinful, ⁶and people who stay one in their hearts with him won't keep on sinning. If they do keep on sinning, they don't know Christ, and they have never seen him.   

Footnotes:

1. 1 John 2:20 Christ, the Holy One: The Greek text has "the Holy One" which may refer either to Christ or to God the Father.
2. 1 John 2:20 blessed: This translates a word which means "to pour olive oil on (someone's head)." In Old Testament times it was the custom to pour olive oil on a person's head when that person was chosen to be a priest or a king. Here the meaning is not clear. It may refer to the ceremony of pouring olive oil on the followers of the Lord right before they were baptized or it may refer to the gift of the Holy Spirit which they were given at baptism (see verse 27).
3. 1 John 2:20 now all of you understand: Some manuscripts have "you understand all things."
4. 1 John 2:25 The Son: The Greek text has "he" and may refer to God the Father.
5. 1 John 2:25 us: Some manuscripts have "you."
6. 1 John 2:27 Christ has blessed you with the Holy Spirit: The Greek text has "You received a pouring on of olive oil from him" (see verse 20). The "pouring on of olive oil" is here taken to refer to the gift of the Holy Spirit, and "he" may refer either to Christ or to the Father.
7. 1 John 3:1 Christ: The Greek text has "he" and may refer to God.
8. 1 John 3:3 Christ: The Greek text has "that one" and may refer to God.

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Psalm 121:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 121

(A song for worship.)

The LORD Will Protect His People

 ¹I look to the hills!   Where will I find help?
    ²It will come from the LORD,
   who created the heavens
   and the earth.
    ³The LORD is your protector,
   and he won't go to sleep
   or let you stumble.
    ⁴The protector of Israel
   doesn't doze
   or ever get drowsy.
    ⁵The LORD is your protector,
   there at your right side
   to shade you from the sun.
    ⁶You won't be harmed
   by the sun during the day
   or by the moon ^a] at night. ⁷The LORD will protect you
   and keep you safe
   from all dangers.
    ⁸The LORD will protect you
   now and always
   wherever you go.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 121:6 harmed. . . sun. . . moon: In ancient times people saw the harmful effects of the rays of the sun, and they thought that certain illnesses (especially mental disorders) were also caused by the rays of the moon.

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Proverbs 28:27-28 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁷Giving to the poor
   will keep you from poverty,
   but if you close your eyes
   to their needs,
   everyone will curse you.
    ²⁸When crooks are in control,
   everyone tries to hide,
   but when they lose power,
   good people are everywhere.

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Verse of the Day

“Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son.” - Hebrews 1:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American writer noted for his detective fiction, Rex Stout wrote, “There's nothing as safe as ignorance — or as dangerous.”

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A Joke for Today

As Bill was approaching mid-life, physically he was a mess. Not only was he going bald, but years of office work had given him a large pot belly. The last straw came when he asked a woman co-worker out on a date, and she all but laughed at him. That does it, he decided. I'm going to start a whole new regimen. He began attending aerobics classes. He started working out with weights.  He changed his diet. And he got an expensive hair transplant. In six months, he was a different man. Again, he asked his female co-worker out, and this time she accepted. 

There he was, all dressed up for the date, looking better than he ever had. He stood poised to ring the woman's doorbell, when a bolt of lightning struck him and knocked him off his feet. As he lay there dying, he turned his eyes toward the heavens and said, "Why, God, why now? After all I've been through, how could you do this to me?" 

From up above, there came a voice, "Sorry. I didn't not recognize you."

Bible Readings for December 1, 2017

Today our passages are Daniel 8:1-27; 1 John 2:1-17; Psalm 120:1-7; and Proverbs 28:25-26. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version..  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.

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Daniel 8:1-27 (Contemporary English Version)

Daniel 8

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 Daniel wrote:

In the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia,^a] I had a second vision ² in which I was in Susa, the chief city of Babylonia’s Elam Province. I was beside the Ulai River,^b] 3 when I looked up and saw a ram standing there with two horns on its head—both of them were long, but the second one was longer than the first. ⁴ The ram went charging toward the west, the north, and the south. No other animals were strong enough to oppose him, and nothing could save them from his power. So he did as he pleased and became even more powerful.

⁵ I kept on watching and saw a goat come from the west and charge across the entire earth, without even touching the ground. Between his eyes was a powerful horn,^c] 6 and with tremendous anger the goat started toward the ram that I had seen beside the river.^d] 7 The goat was so fierce that its attack broke both horns of the ram, leaving him powerless. Then the goat stomped on the ram, and no one could do anything to help. ⁸ After this, the goat became even more powerful. But at the peak of his power, his mighty horn was broken, and four other mighty horns took its place—one pointing to the north and one to the east, one to the south and one to the west.

⁹ A little horn came from one of these, and its power reached to the south, the east, and even to the holy land.^e] 10 It became so strong that it attacked the stars in the sky, which were heaven’s army.^f] Then it threw some of them down to the earth and stomped on them. ^11-12 It humiliated heaven’s army and dishonored its leader^g] by keeping him from offering the daily sacrifices. In fact, it was so terrible that it even disgraced the temple and wiped out true worship. It also did everything else it wanted to do.

¹³ Then one of the holy angels asked another, “When will the daily sacrifices be offered again? What about this horrible rebellion? When will the temple and heaven’s army no longer be trampled in the dust?”

¹⁴ The other answered, “It will be two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings before the temple is dedicated and in use again.”

Gabriel Interprets the Vision

¹⁵ Daniel wrote:

I was trying to figure out the meaning of the vision, when someone suddenly appeared there beside me. ¹⁶ And from beside the Ulai River,^h] a voice like that of a human said, “Gabriel, help him understand the vision.”

¹⁷ Gabriel came over, and I fell to the ground in fear. Then he said, “You are merely a human, but you need to understand that this vision is about the end of time.”

¹⁸ While he was speaking, I fell facedown in a deep sleep. But he lifted me to my feet ¹⁹ and said:

Listen, and I will tell you what will happen at the end of time, when God has chosen to show his anger. ²⁰ The two horns of the ram are the kings of Media and Persia, ²¹ the goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the powerful horn between his eyes is the first of its kings. ²² After this horn is broken, four other kingdoms will appear, but they won’t be as strong.

²³ When these rulers have become as evil as possible, their power will end, and then a king who is dangerous and cannot be trusted will appear. ²⁴ He will gain strength, but not on his own, and he will cause terrible destruction. He will wipe out powerful leaders and God’s people as well.²⁵ His deceitful lies will make him so successful, that he will think he is really great. Suddenly he will kill many people, and he will even attack God, the Supreme Ruler. But God will crush him!

²⁶ This vision about the evenings and mornings is true, but these things won’t happen for a long time, so don’t tell it to others.

²⁷ After this, I was so worn out and weak that it was several days before I could get out of bed and go about my duties for the king. I was disturbed by this vision that made no sense to me.

Footnotes:

1. 8.1 third year. . . Babylonia: 552 B.C., two years after the first vision (see 7.1,2).
2. 8.2 River: Or “Gate.”
3. 8.5 powerful horn: Hebrew “horn of vision.”
4. 8.6 river: See the note at 8.2.
5. 8.9 holy land: Hebrew “the lovely land.”
6. 8.10 heaven’s army: In verses 10-13 the Hebrew word translated “heaven’s army” may also mean “God’s people.”
7. 8.11,12 leader: Hebrew “prince.”
8. 8.16 River: See the note at 8.2.

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1 John 2:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

1 John 2

Christ Helps Us

2 My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us.² Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.

³ When we obey God, we are sure that we know him. ⁴ But if we claim to know him and don’t obey him, we are lying and the truth isn’t in our hearts. ⁵ We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him. ⁶ If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.

The New Commandment

⁷ My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard. ⁸ But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining.

⁹ If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.¹⁰ But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them.^a] 11 If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don’t know where we are going, because we can’t see in the dark.

¹² Children, I am writing you,
    because your sins
have been forgiven
    in the name of Christ.
¹³ Parents, I am writing you,
    because you have known
the one who was there
    from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
because you have defeated
    the evil one.
¹⁴ Children, I am writing you,
because you have known
    the Father.
Parents, I am writing you,
    because you have known
the one who was there
    from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
    because you are strong.
God’s message is firm
    in your hearts,
and you have defeated
    the evil one.

¹⁵ Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.

Footnotes:

1. 2.10 and we don’t cause problems for them: Or “and we can see anything that might make us fall.”

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Psalm 120:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)

A Prayer for the Lord’s Help

When I am in trouble, I pray,
²     “Come and save me, Lord,
    from deceitful liars!”

³ What punishment is fitting
    for you deceitful liars?
⁴     Your reward should be
    sharp and flaming arrows!

⁵ But I must live as a foreigner
among the people of Meshech
    and in the tents of Kedar.^[a]

⁶ I have spent too much time
    living among people
    who hate peace.
⁷ I am in favor of peace,
but when I speak of it,
    all they want is war.

Footnotes:

1. 120.5 Meshech. . . Kedar: Meshech was a country near the Black Sea, and Kedar was a tribe of the Syrian desert.

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Proverbs 28:25-26 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁵ 

^{25 Selfish people cause trouble,
    but you will live a full life
    if you trust the Lord.26 Only fools would trust
    what they alone think,
    but if you live by wisdom,
    you will do all right.}

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Verse of the Day

“In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” - John 1:1-2, 14

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian, and musician whose career spans more than six decades, Woody Allen wrote, “Tradition is the illusion of permanance.”

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A Joke for Today

By the time the sailor pulled into a little town every hotel room was taken. "You've got to have a room somewhere," he pleaded. "Or just a bed, I don't care where."

"Well, I do have a double room with one occupant - an Air Force guy," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past.

I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you."

"No problem," the tired Navy man assured him. "I'll take it." The next morning, the sailor came down to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy tailed. "How'd you sleep?" asked the manager. "Never better." The manager was impressed. "No problem with the other guy snoring?" "Nope. I shut him up in no time," said the Navy guy.

"How'd you manage that?" asked the manager.

"He was already in bed, snoring away, when I came in the room," the sailor explained. "I went over, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, 'Goodnight beautiful,'

...and he sat up all night watching me."