01/31/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 12:14-13:16 ~ Matthew 20:29-21:22 ~ Psalm 25:16-22 ~ Proverbs 6:12-15

Today is January 31st.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you and here we are.  Wow, 1/12th of the way through the year and the Bible.  Yeah, just like that a whole month goes by.  So it is a mile marker.  We’ve achieved something together.  We’ve come into a rhythm.  Congratulations because if you’ve made it this far, you can make it.  You can do it.  I’m pretty sure you can see now that the Bible isn’t this stodgy, old, dusty, antiquated, indecipherable book.  It is alive and well and speaking today.  So congratulations on one month every day in the Bible this year.  We’ll complete this month now.  

We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week and yeah, the showdown between God and the pharaoh is about to come to a conclusion.  Exodus chapter 12, verse 14 through 13, verse 16.

Commentary

We’re moving into really two different stories of emancipation, freedom in the Bible right now.  In the Old Testament we’ve just walked with the children of Israel out of slavery that has lasted for centuries.  Now these slaves have to learn what freedom looks like.  And in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, we’re following along with Jesus as he makes his journey into Jerusalem where he will lay his life down for the emancipation, the freedom, the restoration of humanity.  

Moving into all of this is a really beautiful story.  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.  He has left his home in the Galilee region and is out in the desert and there is one more leg of the trip to get him to Jerusalem from Jericho, all the way uphill, all the way up to Jerusalem.  It is in Jericho that these blind men, they cry out.  They will not be shut up.  The crowds are trying to shut them down, but they won’t stop asking for Jesus to have mercy.  “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”  

Jesus has to be thinking about what the next few days are going to be like for him because over the course of the next few days he is going to be dead. So it is not like it is not on his mind, and yet he stops and says something very, very beautiful to these guys. “What do you want me to do for you?”

Of course their response is, “We want our eyes to be opened.”  And of course they are.  But that question leaps off the page every time I come by this way. “What do you want me to do for you?” For me personally what wells up in my own heart is I want to see.  It is less about my physical eyes and more that I want to see Jesus.  I want to see clearly where he is leading and be willing to walk there without fear or reservation.

But then the psalm today speaks directly into that.  It begins with a rhetorical question.  “Who is the man who fears the Lord?”  

Then it goes on to answer the question in a profound way.  “Him, that guy, that person who fears the Lord, that person will be instructed in the way that he should choose.  His soul shall abide in wellbeing.”  That sounds amazing–abide in wellbeing.  “And his offspring shall inherit the land.  The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him and he makes known to them his covenant.  My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”  

So when I read Jesus’ words, “What do you want me to do for you?” as he’s speaking to these blind men, that wells up in me.  I want to see too.  I want any blindness in me to not be there anymore.  What I’m talking about is intimacy, friendship with God.  We see that is bestowed upon the person who fears and holds in awe and reveres God above all else.  May that be our heart’s cry because so much is riding on it. This friendship, this intimacy, this collaboration in life, this is what we were made to be.  This is how it is supposed to be.  And it is available.  

Prayer

Jesus, this is our cry.  Lord, have mercy on us.  Son of David, let our eyes be opened.  Come by the power of your Holy Spirit in compassion and patience and show us the places that we are blind, the places that we don’t hold you in awe and we don’t fear you, because we desire and we desperately need intimacy and fellowship and friendship with you.  Come Jesus, we pray.  In your name we ask.  Amen.  

Announcements

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you are finding life inside the community here and the rhythm of the scriptures each day, then thank you for helping it to be alive so that it is here every day.  There is a link on the home page of www.DailyAudioBible.com.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner.  Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Dorothy from Destin and I would like you to join me in a prayer for our young people.  Heavenly Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus and we are so grateful for all the young people that are calling in lately.  Lord Jesus, protect them.  Be with them. Bless them.  We lift up all our young people to you, all our children, because as they grow and our influence lessens around them and the cares of the world and the enemy comes in and tries to get them, we ask, we pray the blood of Jesus over each and every one of them.  And we ask that you strengthen these young people that are now calling in, these young people who are asking for prayers and blessing others and praying for their sisters and brothers.  Lord, we are so grateful for them and we ask a mighty blessing over them by the power of your Holy Spirit and that you would just raise them up and protect them as they grow in their faith and strength in you, Lord Jesus. And Lord, for all those that have fallen away, we pray that you would send your Holy Spirit and other Christians and your angels to just bring them back into the fold, Lord.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for Christian parents.  Thank you for these young people.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.  

Good morning DAB family.  This is Shirley in Southeastern Washington.  It is January 26th.  I just got through listening to the reading this morning.  Part of it was Matthew 17:10-27, especially the portion about having faith larger than the mustard seed.  I just want to say thank you, Brian, for what you said afterwards, encouraging and letting us know that we limit God so much, that if we don’t limit him and just have the faith larger than a mustard seed nothing is impossible. So I’m believing that for myself. I’m believing that for the rest of the DAB family and for people who call in and their prayers.  We need to believe that nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with God.  When we have faith in him all things are possible.  I just pray that you all will receive that when you hear that and just know that we can do things through God that others say that we cannot because he says we can.  We need to believe and have faith in that.  God bless you all.  Love you. Bye.  

Hi, this is Susie from Colorado.  Brian, I’m praying for your family.  My husband came home the other day and was really, really brokenhearted. He lost his own mom and we just talked about you and we thank God for you and your family so much.  May I please pray for the church in Williamson, Haiti?  That is __________ area.  I pray that the Holy Spirit would fall on every member and that they would be blessed with medical, nutritional, employment, and especially spiritual needs. There is a such a battle of souls going on down there where the __________ culture and hatred and poverty. I just pray for encouragement for that entire church and that community and that the pastors and the elders there would be salt and light and that the broken would be healed and that great, great, great things would happen to show the glory of God there.  I pray the blood of Christ over the church and over that village.  And Bob and his throat cancer, man, you have already been used to encourage me and I know probably many, many, many more, hundreds who heard you, and we just pray that you would be healed in the name of Christ.  And I pray for the healing from breast cancer for the lady called Salvation is Mine.  Honey, I thought about you all day and how strong you sounded and then how you said, “that is how I feel today.  I’m really going to need prayer to get through the other days that are coming.” Just know that I think about you very, very often and pray about you.  Tim and Carissa from New Mexico who lost your baby, I have lost children as well. We believe that we will see them again and we know not why we lose our children, but we do know that God has made a promise that we will be reunited.  

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible.  This is Esther from Washington, NY.  I want to just pray first of all for everyone, but this is specifically for Salvation is Mine and I also believe Sunshine from Florida who are both battling cancer and anyone else who is battling cancer.  And the young little girl who I believe is Deedee or Gigi from Gainesville who is battling epilepsy.  I just want to thank the Lord first of all that you are all here on this earth, that you all have been blessed with the DAB, that you all have had the opportunity to get to know God in such a mighty way.  May he with his blood cover you from head to toe, inside-out, from top to bottom.  I pray, Father God, for you to give them strength, Father God, wisdom and discernment, Father God, so that they, Father God, can endure this season of their life and knowing that it is just a season, Father God.  Father God, I ask you, Father God, to please just bless all those who are suffering, Father God, whether it is epilepsy, cancer, heart disease, whether it is mental illness because an illness is an illness no matter how you look at it and suffering is suffering, Father God.  And you are the healer, Father God.  For there is no one like you, Father God.  I ask you all this, Father God, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Father God, our sovereign Lord.  Dabbers, I love you all.  I listen daily.  I may not call as often as I should and I’m going to change that, but I just want you to know that I pray for each and every one of you.  God bless you all.  Brian Hardin and family, I love you.  Bye-bye.  

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  It’s Brian from Costa Mesa.  It’s been a while since I called in, but I just finished listening to the January 25th podcast and I heard the prayer request for Tim and Carissa from New Mexico who just lost their pregnancy.  And I just want to say my heart goes out to you.  My wife and I, we lost our first pregnancy and we sought the counsel of other friends, Christian friends that had experienced the same thing and the first thing I would say to you is take time to grieve.  It is not an easy thing to lose a child when you’re expecting one, but then grab hold of the promises of God.  Know that your child is right now with the Father.  He or she is in heaven waiting for you.  Some day you will see that child, but I also want to give you my personal testimony.  I had testicular cancer.  My wife and I thought it was extraordinarily miraculous that we were able to get pregnant the first time and then to lose it was heartbreaking, but the Lord was faithful. He is always faithful and as of today we have a 5-½-year-old beautiful son.  Keep hope.  Know that we are praying for you.  Be well.

Hi DAB family.  This is Julie R. in Western Wisconsin and today I’m calling to pray for the Christians over in Syria and in Iraq.  Because of Paul from Spain really challenging us to care, to not be apathetic and get involved, I’ve searched my heart and asked God to help me.  Didn’t know what to do.  So I’ve already been supporting an agency that helps the persecuted church around the world, so recently I’ve gotten contact from them about the Christians over especially in Aleppo and Mosul.  So I’m going to lead us in prayer.  I hope you’ll join with me.  Our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ and through the power of your Holy Spirit we pray for the rebuilding of Aleppo, Mosul and other cities affected by ISIS, these historic cities that have been completely destroyed and are like ghost towns.  We pray these areas will have life again and that the church will play a major role in bringing Christ to oppressed people.  We pray that the church will be equipped to help the many children who have seen and lived through the hardships of the civil war, these children that have lost loved ones, their education, and have suffered from severe depression.  We also pray that Christians who are driven from their cities by ISIS will return and join in rebuilding their cities and Christ’s witness.  Jesus, we thank you for your angels and we summon them in the name of Jesus Christ and instruct them to destroy all that is raised against the Christians who have stayed in these cities, to establish your kingdom over them and to rebuild the shields and hedges of protection around them and their households and to minister to them your ministry.  Jesus, we ask you to send forth your spirit and rouse us and unite us to raise up a full canopy of prayer and intercession for these Christians in Syria and Iraq and specifically those in Aleppo and Mosul.  

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday January 31, 2017 (NIV)

Exodus 12:14-13:16

14 “‘This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it as a perpetual ordinance from generation to generation. 15 You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day be sure to remove all the leaven from your houses, because any person who eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh will be cut off from Israel. 16 Also, on the first day you’re to hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day you’re to hold a holy assembly. No work is to be done during those days, except for preparing what is to be eaten by each person.

17 “‘You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread, since on this very day I brought your tribal divisions from the land of Egypt. You are to observe this day from generation to generation as a perpetual ordinance. 18 In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month, you are to eat unleavened bread. 19 For seven days leaven is not to be found in your houses. Indeed, any person who eats anything leavened, is to be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether an alien or a native of the land. 20 You are not to eat what is leavened. You are to eat unleavened bread in all your settlements.’”

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Choose sheep for your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bundle of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some of the blood in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you is to go out of the doorway of his house until morning, 23 because the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the doorway, and won’t allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down. 24 You are to observe this event as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you, just as he promised, you are to observe this ritual. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this ritual mean?’[a] 27 you are to say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelis in Egypt when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” Then the people bowed down and worshipped. 28 The Israelis did this. Moses and Aaron did just what the Lord had commanded.

The Death of the Firstborn in Egypt

29 And so at midnight the Lord struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 Pharaoh got up during the night, he, all his officials,[b] and all the Egyptians, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, because there was not a house without someone dead in it. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and told them: “Get up, go out from among my people, both you and the Israelis! Go, serve[c] the Lord as you have said. 32 Take both your sheep and your cattle, just as you demanded[d] and go! And bless me too!”

33 The Egyptian officials[e] urged the people to send them out of the land quickly, because they were saying, “We’ll all be dead!” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 Meanwhile, the Israelis had done as Moses said;[f] they had asked the Egyptians for objects of silver and objects of gold, and for clothes. 36 The Lord had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they requested. As a result, they plundered the Egyptians.

The Exodus Begins

37 About 600,000 Israeli men traveled from Rameses to Succoth on foot, not counting children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with a very large number of livestock, including sheep and cattle. 39 They baked the dough that they brought out of Egypt into thin cakes of unleavened bread. It had not been leavened because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

40 Now the time that the Israelis lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, to the very day, all the tribal divisions of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 That was for the Lord a night of vigil[g] to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night belongs to the Lord, and is to be a vigil for all the Israelis from generation to generation.

Instructions for the Passover

43 The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: No foreigner is to eat it, 44 though any slave[h] purchased with money may eat it after you have circumcised him. 45 But no temporary resident or a hired servant is to eat it. 46 It is to be eaten in one house, and you are not to take any of the meat outside the house, nor are you to break any of its bones. 47 The whole congregation of Israel is to observe it. 48 If an alien who resides with you wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, every male in his household[i] must be circumcised, and then he may come near to observe it. He is to be like a native of the land, but no uncircumcised person is to eat it. 49 A single law exists for the native and the alien who resides among you.”

50 All the Israelis did this. They did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day, the Lord brought the Israelis out of the land of Egypt by their tribal divisions.

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelis, both of humans and of animals, belongs to me.”

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

Then Moses told the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, from the house of bondage, because the Lord brought you out from this place with a strong show of force.[j] Moreover, nothing leavened is to be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your ancestors to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ritual in this month. You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days, and nothing leavened is to be seen among you, nor is leaven to be seen among you throughout your territory. And you are to tell your child on that day, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ It is to be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead,[k] so that you may speak about the instruction[l] of the Lord; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong show of force.[m] 10 You are to keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.”

The Redemption of the Firstborn

11 “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite and gives it to you, just as he promised you and your ancestors, 12 you are to dedicate to the Lord everything that first opens the womb. All the firstborn males[n] of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 You are to redeem every firstborn donkey[o] with a lamb, and if you don’t redeem it, you are to break its neck. You are to redeem every firstborn[p] among your sons. 14 Then when your child asks you in the future, ‘What is this?’, you are to say to him, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage with a strong show of force.[q] 15 And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of humans to the firstborn of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but I redeem every firstborn of my sons. 16 It is to be a sign on your hand and an emblem[r] on your forehead,[s] because the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong show of force.’”[t]

Footnotes:

  1. Exodus 12:26 Lit. is . . . to you?
  2. Exodus 12:30 Or servants
  3. Exodus 12:31 Or worship
  4. Exodus 12:32 Lit. said
  5. Exodus 12:33 The Heb. lacks officials
  6. Exodus 12:35 Lit. according to the word of Moses
  7. Exodus 12:42 Or watching, guarding
  8. Exodus 12:44 Lit. of a man
  9. Exodus 12:48 Lit. belonging to him
  10. Exodus 13:3 Lit. strong hand
  11. Exodus 13:9 Lit. between your eyes
  12. Exodus 13:9 Or Law
  13. Exodus 13:9 Lit. strong hand
  14. Exodus 13:12 Lit. Whatever first opens the womb
  15. Exodus 13:13 Lit. Whatever first opens the womb
  16. Exodus 13:13 Lit. firstborn of man
  17. Exodus 13:14 Lit. strong hand
  18. Exodus 13:16 Or phylacteries
  19. Exodus 13:16 Lit. between your eyes
  20. Exodus 13:16 Lit. strong hand
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Matthew 20:29-21:22

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men(A)

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.[a] 30 When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord,[b] Son of David!” 31 When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

32 Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!”[c] 34 Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.

The King Enters Jerusalem(B)

21 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”

Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said,

“Tell the daughter[d] of Zion,
‘Look, your king is coming to you![e]
He is humble and mounted on a donkey,
even on a colt of a donkey.’”[f]

So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting,

“Hosanna[g] to the Son of David!
How blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord![h]
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[i]

10 When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people[j] were asking, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Confrontation in the Temple over Money(C)

12 Then Jesus went into the Temple,[k] threw out everyone who was selling and buying in the Temple, and overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. 13 He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’[l] but you are turning it into a hideout[m] for bandits!”

14 Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the high priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he had done and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna[n] to the Son of David,” they became furious 16 and asked him, “Do you hear what these people are saying?”

Jesus told them, “Yes! Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have created praise’?”[o] 17 Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(D)

18 In the morning, as Jesus[p] was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the roadside, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He told it, “May fruit never come from you again!” And immediately the fig tree dried up.

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.

21 Jesus answered them, “I tell all of you[q] with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, if you believe.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 20:29 Lit. him
  2. Matthew 20:30 Other mss. read Jesus
  3. Matthew 20:33 Lit. Lord, that our eyes be opened
  4. Matthew 21:5 I.e. people
  5. Matthew 21:5 Cf. Isa 62:11
  6. Matthew 21:5 Cf. Zech 9:9
  7. Matthew 21:9 Hosanna is Heb. for Please save or Praise.
  8. Matthew 21:9 MT source citation reads Lord
  9. Matthew 21:9 Cf. Ps 118:25-26; Ps 148:1
  10. Matthew 21:10 Lit. They
  11. Matthew 21:12 Other mss. read temple of God
  12. Matthew 21:13 Cf. Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11
  13. Matthew 21:13 Lit. cave
  14. Matthew 21:15 Hosanna is Heb. for Please save or Praise.
  15. Matthew 21:16 Cf. Ps 8:2
  16. Matthew 21:18 Lit. he
  17. Matthew 21:21 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Psalm 25:12-22

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
God[a] will teach him the path he should choose.

13 He[b] will experience good things;
his descendants will inherit the earth.
14 The intimate counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him
so they may know his covenant.
15 My eyes look to the Lord continuously,
because he’s the one who releases my feet from the trap.[c]

16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am lonely and oppressed.
17 The troubles of my heart have increased;
bring me out of my distress!
18 Look upon my distress and affliction;
forgive all my sins.

19 Look how many enemies I have gained!
They hate me with a vicious hatred.
20 Preserve my life and deliver me;
do not let me be ashamed,
because I take refuge in you.
21 Integrity and justice will preserve me,
because I wait on you.

22 Redeem Israel, God, from all its troubles.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 25:12 Lit. He
  2. Psalm 25:13 Lit. His soul
  3. Psalm 25:15 Lit. net
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Proverbs 6:12-15

The Folly of Causing Strife

12 A worthless man, a wicked man,
goes around with devious speech,
13 winking with his eyes, making signs[a] with[b] his feet,
pointing with his fingers,
14 planning evil with a perverse mind,[c]
continually stirring up discord.
15 Therefore, disaster will overtake him suddenly.
He will be broken in an instant,
and he will never recover.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 6:13 Lit. scraping
  2. Proverbs 6:13 The Heb. lacks with
  3. Proverbs 6:14 Or heart
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

01/30/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 10:1-12:13 ~ Matthew 20:1-28 ~ Psalm 25:1-11 ~ Proverbs 6:6-11

Today is the 30th of January.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you today to take the next step in our adventure that we are on together through the Bible this year and in the Old Testament today we’ll pick up where we left off, where there are plagues that are falling on Egypt.  Exodus chapter 10, verse 1 through 12:13 today.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for your word.  We thank you for each other.  We thank you for this community centered around your word and we thank you for what you’ve done in these 30 days that we’ve already been at this so far this year. You have been faithful to us and we have learned much.  You have in just a short time begun to shake us in the most kind and gentle and loving ways, pulling us forward.  Finally some of the ruts that we’ve been in we’re moving away from.  So we invite your Holy Spirit to continue to speak through your word every day this year, continue to pull us forward and may we continue to collaborate with you in this work of becoming new, in this work of sanctification in our hearts, which only you can do, and in this world that you have invited us into.  So come Holy Spirit, we pray, in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It is where you find out what is going on around here so check it out.  Check out the resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.  Check out the events like The More Gathering for Women that is coming up this April. You can get all the details, every bit of information that you would want to know there.  You are invited, if you’re a lady, to take this journey even further and come together with your sisters in a sisterhood that is breathtaking in its amazing beauty.  So, yeah, check that out.  Looking forward to that this coming April.  

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And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you.  I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hello Daily Audio Bible.  This is __________ from __________.  I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible today.  I believe that it was __________ 26th day of January and I heard __________, forgive me for not remembering his name, but he called in relation to his wife having a miscarriage a couple days ago and that they are both, especially his wife having a hard time and the fact that this is the first time they have ever been through anything like this.  I’m sure nobody ever wants to go through anything like this.  The thing is I don’t have the right words to say.  I don’t know how to make it better with words, but I just want you to know that you are being prayed for.  I have been praying for both of you constantly and I want you to also know that God will restore everything that you have lost.  So hang in there.  Have faith. Know that __________ from __________ and so many other Dabbers will be praying for you guys nonstop.  Trust and believe that God has his hand in all of this. And just know that I am praying for you and I hope that you feel encouraged and just continue to lean on God and trust what you know, which is who God is in a time when it doesn’t feel right.  I always try to remember that.  You can’t always trust how you feel and in those moments when you can’t, you just have to rely on what you know for a fact and that is that God is unchanging.  He will always be there.  He has your back and he will restore what you have lost because his word says that.  I also want to say where is David from Kansas?  I believe Kansas.  I haven’t heard you since January 2nd.  Check in. Let us know how you’re doing.  I constantly pray for you and I hope all is well.

Hello family.  This is Kenny in Ohio.  Just listened to the January 26th podcast and two individuals just broke my heart and the Holy Spirit led me to call.  The first is McKenzie and the anxiety attacks.  Praying over you, that the Lord moves in mysterious and powerful ways over this anxiety and that in the mighty name of Jesus it will not have any hold over you.  And what Brian was speaking in Matthew, in that what Peter would __________ on this earth would be bound in heaven and we’re binding up this anxiety and that __________ be removed in the mighty name of Jesus right now, Father.  In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Also with Tim and Carissa and the loss of their baby, my heart is grieving over that.  We just had a miscarriage about four months ago and __________ again.  My heart just breaks for you.  Just know that your little one is with God and I just pray that God would open up Carissa’s womb, that there be no barrier to a child being born. Lord, I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.  Amen. Love you all.  Have a great day.  

Hello DAB family.  This is Chante calling from Detroit and I’m calling in for Tim and Carissa.  I am just lifting you all up and I’m so sorry to hear about your baby.  I just wanted to let you know that we are praying for you, we love you, and it will get better.  We have a beautiful testimony here at DAB in regard to Pelham and Molly who were in your circumstance just a year ago and this year they have a new baby boy.  So it will get better and we love you.  And also wanted to call in for McKenzie who deals with anxiety.  I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you.  I can completely relate.  I deal with anxiety as well and it just so happens that day that you called I had a really bad panic attack.  Oftentimes when that happens to me, I find out that my thoughts, I was focusing too much on my ability, putting too much pressure on myself and so I encourage you to read Philippians 4 through 8, but really to focus on do not be anxious for anything.  I don’t mean to sound insensitive when I say this, but we have to be intentional about what we’re thinking, so we need to choose not be anxious.  I know it is not easy.  Like I said, I had a panic attack the same day that you called…

Good afternoon, morning and evening.  This is Bernie from Nashville.  I’m a long time listener and I’m calling today because I would just like to invite you guys into my life and pray over me and my family.  I do for you as well.  I listen to all the prayers that come in.  You guys touch my heart and I pray for certain people.  It’s just a beautiful thing.  So here we go.  I’m just going to share my heart with you.  I have five children.  I’ve been married for about 15 years and my wife homeschools.  I work quite a bit so my wife and I have kind of gone in separate ways, but not really.  I mean, we’re living but we’re not really living.  We’re existing and getting through and just kind of become common.  I just want a deeper walk with my wife.  Just as I’m searching for a deeper walk with God and inviting him into everything, I want to invite him into this too.  I need a little more intimacy with my wife.  So the prayer is just for whatever walls that have been put up, division that has happened, communication and all that, for that to be broken and for intimacy to be strong between us, for our foundation just to be where it needs to be and for God to show me how to love my wife as he designed her to be loved.  I think that is what I’m trying to say.  Yeah, yeah, I want to love my wife like she is designed to be loved, how he made her. So Lord, I just ask right now, Father…

Good morning Dabbers.  I’m a burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our Lord and King.  Today is the 26th, I believe.  Yeah, today is the 26th of January and I just heard little Gigi.  Oh my gosh! Oh my God!  Beautiful Gigi from Gainesville.  Wow, your call was the icing on top of the beautiful cake which was the Bible reading for today and what Brian said.  I mean, this morning we were talking about faith and the disciples being unable to heal a child who had epilepsy and Jesus saying well, you don’t have faith.  You just don’t have faith.  If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you would do this.  And here is Gigi calling in and saying I have faith.  I have faith that God is going to heal me.  Gigi, I agree with you.  I agree with you in prayer today.  I am going to stand by you and believe God for your healing.  Your words are so encouraging and while she was leaving this request, saying I believe God, she had a seizure.  And the phone cut off and she had to call back again.  She said “I just had another seizure, but I believe God.” Oh Gigi, you have inspired me today. Oh God, you’re so amazing.  God is so amazing.  I just pray blessings upon you.  Blessings and blessings upon you.  You will be great.  You are greatness and I pray that God’s hope in your life will be seen to the DAB and the people around you, that you will leave that room and you will just be an inspiration to so many.  And I believe God with you, for your healing, in Jesus’ name.  Hallelujah.  God, you’re so worthy.  God, you’re so worthy.

This is Bob from Michigan and I’m lifting up today Tim and Carissa from New Mexico on the recent loss of their child in the womb.  Tim, I feel your pain.  I hear your pain.  Forty-three years ago my wife and I had the similar circumstance so I know the pain of having to call people you once were excited to tell and have to relay the bad news. I now have a 41-year-old son who is doing great.  Three years ago my daughter had a similar miscarriage and that was going to be my first grandchild, so again I hear your pain.  I can only offer the hope is that you will overcome this, you and your wife.  Keep your focus on the Lord and he will carry you through. God will carry you through this trial and we are praying for you, come alongside you.  A joy shared is doubled.  A sorrow shared is halved.  God bless you.  

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday January 30, 2017 (NIV)

Exodus 10:1-12:13

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I’ve hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials[a] in order to perform[b] these signs of mine among them,[c] so you may tell[d] your children and your grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians and about my miraculous signs that I performed among them, so all of you[e] may know that I am the Lord.

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so they may serve[f] me. But if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I’m going to bring locusts into your territory. They’ll cover the surface of the land so a person[g] cannot see the ground, and they’ll eat what is left for you of the residue from the hail. They’ll also eat all your trees that grow in the orchards. Your houses will be filled, along with the houses of all your officials[h] and the houses of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor your ancestors ever saw from the time they were on earth until now.’” Then Moses[i] turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

Then the officials[j] of Pharaoh told him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go so they may serve the Lord their God! Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is about to be destroyed?”

Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he told them, “Go, serve[k] the Lord your God. But exactly who[l] will go?”

Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and our cattle, because it’s a festival to the Lord for us.”

10 Then Pharaoh[m] told them, “The Lord will certainly[n] be with you if I let you and your little ones go. I know[o] some evil plan is in your mind.[p] 11 No! Let the men go and serve[q] the Lord, for that is what you were seeking.” Then they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.

12 The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to bring[r] the locusts, and they’ll come up over the land of Egypt and eat all the vegetation of the land, everything that the hail left.” 13 Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind into the land all that day and throughout[s] the night. When morning came, the east wind brought the locusts.

14 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on all the territory of Egypt in great swarms.[t] There had never been locusts like this before nor would there ever be again. 15 They covered the surface of the entire land so that it[u] was dark. They ate all the vegetation of the land and the fruit from the trees that the hail left. Nothing green was left on the trees or on the vegetation in all the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly called Moses and Aaron and said, “I’ve sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now, please forgive my sin only this time, and pray to the Lord your God that he would at least remove this[v] from me.”

18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 Then the Lord brought[w] a very strong west wind that took the locusts and drove them into the Reed[x] Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn[y] and he would not let the Israelis go.

The Plague of Darkness

21 Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch your hand toward the sky and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that one can feel.” 22 So Moses stretched his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else, nor could anyone get up from his place for three days. But there was light for all the Israelis in their dwellings.

24 Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go serve[z] the Lord, but your flocks and your cattle are to remain. Even your little ones can go with you!”

25 Moses said, “You must let us have[aa] sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the Lord our God. 26 And even our livestock must go with us. Not a hoof will be left behind because we will use[ab] some of them to serve the Lord our God, and until we get there we won’t know what we need to serve[ac] the Lord.”

27 The Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn,[ad] and he did not want to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh told him, “Get away from me! Watch out that you never see my face again, because on the day you see my face, you will die!”

29 Moses said, “Just as you have said, I won’t see your face again!”

Warning of the Death of the Firstborn

11 Then the Lord told Moses, “I’ll bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he’ll let you leave from here, and when he lets you go, he will certainly drive you out from here. Tell[ae] the people that each man is to ask his neighbor and each woman her neighbor for articles of silver and gold.”

The Lord made the Egyptians look on the people with favor. Also the man Moses was highly regarded[af] in the land of Egypt, both in the opinion[ag] of Pharaoh’s officials[ah] and in the opinion[ai] of the people.

So Moses announced to Pharaoh,[aj] “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I’m going throughout Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl who operates[ak] the hand mill, along with the firstborn of the animals. There will be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt, like there has never been and never will be again. But among the Israelis, from people to animals, not even a dog will bark,[al] so you may know that the Lord is distinguishing between the Egyptians and the Israelis.’ All these officials[am] of yours will come down to me, prostrate themselves to me, and say, ‘Get out, you and all the people following[an] you!’ After that I’ll go out.” Then Moses[ao] angrily left Pharaoh.

The Lord told Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you. As a result, my wonders will increase throughout the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders in front of Pharaoh, but the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn,[ap] and he would not let the Israelis go out from his land.

The Passover is Instituted

12 The Lord told Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month will mark the beginning of months for you. It will be the first month of the year for you. Tell the entire congregation of Israel, ‘On the tenth of this month they’re each to take a lamb for themselves, according to their ancestors’ households, one lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a lamb, then it and its closest neighbor are to obtain one based on the number of individuals—dividing[aq] the lamb based on what each person can eat. Your lamb is to be a year old male without blemish. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. It is to remain under your care until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. They’re to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat the lamb.[ar] That very night they’re to eat the meat, roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water. Instead, roast it over the fire, with its head, legs, and internal organs. 10 Don’t leave any of it until morning, and whatever does remain of it until morning you are to burn in the fire.

11 “‘This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it hurriedly—it’s the Lord’s Passover. 12 I’ll pass through the land of Egypt that night and strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I’ll execute judgments on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. I’ll see the blood and pass over you. There will be no plague to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Footnotes:

  1. Exodus 10:1 Or servants
  2. Exodus 10:1 Lit. put
  3. Exodus 10:1 Lit. him
  4. Exodus 10:2 Lit. declare in the ears of
  5. Exodus 10:2 Lit. you (pl.)
  6. Exodus 10:3 Or worship
  7. Exodus 10:5 Lit. he
  8. Exodus 10:6 Or servants
  9. Exodus 10:6 Lit. he
  10. Exodus 10:7 Or servants
  11. Exodus 10:8 Or worship
  12. Exodus 10:8 Lit. who and who
  13. Exodus 10:10 Lit. he
  14. Exodus 10:10 Lit. it will be thus that
  15. Exodus 10:10 Lit. See!
  16. Exodus 10:10 Lit. is before you
  17. Exodus 10:11 Or worship
  18. Exodus 10:12 Lit. for
  19. Exodus 10:13 Lit. all
  20. Exodus 10:14 Lit. it was very heavy
  21. Exodus 10:15 Lit. the land
  22. Exodus 10:17 Lit. this death
  23. Exodus 10:19 Lit. turned
  24. Exodus 10:19 So MT; LXX reads Red
  25. Exodus 10:20 Lit. strong
  26. Exodus 10:24 Or worship
  27. Exodus 10:25 Lit. give into our hand
  28. Exodus 10:26 Lit. take
  29. Exodus 10:26 Lit. what (or how) we will serve
  30. Exodus 10:27 Lit. strong
  31. Exodus 11:2 Lit. Say in the ears of
  32. Exodus 11:3 Lit. very great
  33. Exodus 11:3 Lit. sight
  34. Exodus 11:3 Or servants
  35. Exodus 11:3 Lit. sight
  36. Exodus 11:4 The Heb. lacks to Pharaoh
  37. Exodus 11:5 Lit. is behind
  38. Exodus 11:7 Lit. will sharpen its tongue
  39. Exodus 11:8 Or servants
  40. Exodus 11:8 Lit. at your feet
  41. Exodus 11:8 Lit. he
  42. Exodus 11:10 Lit. strong
  43. Exodus 12:4 Lit. calculate
  44. Exodus 12:7 Lit. it
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Matthew 20:1-28

The Workers in the Vineyard

20 “The kingdom from[a] heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius[b] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock,[c] he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So off they went. He went out again about noon[d] and about three o’clock[e] and did the same thing. About five o’clock[f] he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with[g] the first.’ Those who were hired at five o’clock[h] came, and each received a denarius.

10 “When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, 12 ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we’ve been working all day,[i] enduring the scorching heat!’

13 “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you? 14 Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you.[j] 15 I am allowed to do what I want with my own money,[k] am I not? Or are you envious[l] because I’m generous?’

16 “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”[m]

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time(A)

17 When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples[n] aside and told them as they were walking along, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 Then they will hand him over to unbelievers[o] to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”

The Request of James and John(B)

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus[p] with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. 21 He asked her, “What do you want?”

She told him, “Promise[q] that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”

22 Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”[r]

They told him, “We can.”

23 He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called the disciples[s] and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers[t] lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. 26 That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. 28 That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 20:1 Lit. of
  2. Matthew 20:2 The denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer.
  3. Matthew 20:3 Lit. the third hour
  4. Matthew 20:5 Lit. the sixth hour
  5. Matthew 20:5 Lit. the ninth hour
  6. Matthew 20:6 Lit. the eleventh hour
  7. Matthew 20:8 Lit. and up to
  8. Matthew 20:9 Lit. the eleventh hour
  9. Matthew 20:12 Lit. we’ve endured the burden of the day
  10. Matthew 20:14 Lit. to this last man as also to you
  11. Matthew 20:15 Lit. things
  12. Matthew 20:15 Lit. Or is your eye evil
  13. Matthew 20:16 Other mss. lack For many are called, but few are chosen
  14. Matthew 20:17 Other mss. lack disciples
  15. Matthew 20:19 Lit. to the gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
  16. Matthew 20:20 Lit. him
  17. Matthew 20:21 Lit. Say
  18. Matthew 20:22 Other mss. read to drink from, or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?
  19. Matthew 20:25 Lit. them
  20. Matthew 20:25 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Psalm 25:1-11

Davidic[a]

A Prayer for Help and Forgiveness

25 I will lift up my soul to you, Lord.
I trust in you, my God,
do not let me be ashamed;
do not let my enemies triumph over me.
Indeed, no one who waits on you will be ashamed,
but those who offend for no reason will be put to shame.

Cause me to understand your ways, Lord;
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me;
for you are the God who delivers me.
All day long I have waited for you.

Remember, Lord, your tender mercies and your gracious love;
indeed, they are eternal!
Do not remember my youthful sins and transgressions;
but remember me in light of your gracious love,
in light of your goodness, Lord.

The Lord is good and just;
therefore he will teach sinners concerning the way.
He will guide the humble[b] to justice;
he will teach the humble[c] his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord lead to gracious love and truth
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.[d]

11 For the sake of your name,[e] Lord,
forgive my sin, for it is great.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 25:1 This acrostic psalm begins each verse with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet
  2. Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
  3. Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
  4. Psalm 25:10 Or testimonies
  5. Psalm 25:11 I.e. reputation
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Proverbs 6:6-11

The Folly of Laziness

Go to the ant, you lazy man!
Observe its ways and become wise.
It has no commander,
officer, or ruler,
but prepares its provisions in the summer
and gathers its food in the harvest.
How long will you lie down, lazy man?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and your poverty will come on you like a bandit
and your desperation like an armed man.

International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

01/29/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 7:25-9:35 ~ Matthew 19:13-30 ~ Psalm 24:1-10 ~ Proverbs 6:1-5

Today is the 29th day of January.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian and it is great to be here with you at the threshold of a brand new, shiny, sparkly week.  Before this week is out, we will be moving into the second month of the year and just like that we are up to cruising altitude and moving on our way through the Bible this year.  So this week we’ll read from the English Standard Version and we’ll dive back into the story that we’re reading in the book of Exodus, where Moses and the Lord and Pharaoh are in the midst of a showdown and signs and wonders known as plagues are coming on the land of Egypt.  Exodus chapter 7, verse 25 through 9:35 today.  

Commentary

Let’s go back over to Egypt.  So these plagues, seven of them have fallen on the land of Egypt as God is insisting that it is time for the people to leave, the people he has chosen, the people he has given a promise to so long ago, all those centuries ago.  They are a vast population now and they are slaves and God is about the business of freeing his children from slavery, so seven plagues have fallen.  There is just so much richness in all of that.  I’ve heard research that ties each one of these plagues to a specific Egyptian god that the pharaoh would have had allegiance to, and so there is a dismantling of what the Egyptians worshiped as divine happening here.  The pharaoh himself would have thought himself to be divine, to be a god to be worshiped.  So another god of a slave people coming into his land and making demands upon him?  Well, you can see where his heart would be hardened toward that.  

A lot of times when I’m reading the Bible, though, I am trying to find myself. I’m looking for hints of my own life in these stories and I can see myself in Pharaoh.  I can see pieces of my history, times in my history where I was like this.  You probably can too.  You know how it is when things go sideways all of a sudden and now you’re facing something that you don’t know how to get out of, right?  It could be a financial problem.  You know, how are you going to get the bills paid?  Or it could be a more long term problem.  You don’t know how to get over this health thing.  Or this relationship, it is heartbreaking and absolutely devastating and there is carnage all around you and you just don’t know how you got to this place with a person you loved so much at one time. Maybe they’ve betrayed you or maybe you’ve betrayed them and it is just a mess.  It is kind of in those times that we turn to God and hold on for dear life, right?  Because it becomes a point where we don’t feel like we have anything else solid to hold onto, so we hold on and our intimacy with God grows profoundly and our awareness of the world that we’re living in, even though we’re in a lot of pain, is clear and we can see and we’re like I’ll never go back to that other me again.  But then, once the hardship has kind of moved on and God has come through in some sort of way and we’ve followed him and he has navigated us out of whatever it was, we harden our heart again, right?  And we find ourselves slipping back toward the old paths, toward the more known places in our lives, the very things that had gotten us into trouble in the first place. We just kind of wander back into that slavery.  

So I kind of get it.  I mean, when we come and have an encounter with God, God is life, God is love, God is true and pure and holy and righteous and all-powerful and all-knowing, he is that He Is, once we’ve experienced that, to turn and move in other directions, to walk away, to betray that friendship and relationship requires that we harden our hearts in order to move there.  And it can happen in very, very subtle ways, but we know it is happening.  Which explains a lot when God says “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.”  Of course, anything other than what God is, well, to be apart from that we have, to harden our hearts, to be away from it, we have to deny what we know and then start questioning what we think we know and move ourselves into doubt and then move ourselves into cynicism in order to get away.  Our hearts have to grow cold and hard.  

I’m pretty sure it’s not just me that has ever experienced this in my life. Like I’m pretty sure we all have in one way or another experienced this in our lives, and so all of a sudden we’re here rooting for Moses and Aaron and looking for God to smite the Egyptians so that his people can be free, not realizing that we’re more like Pharaoh than maybe we realize.  But as we’ll find in the story, we’re very much like the children of Israel too as the story unpacks and unfolds.  We will find ourselves in so many of the nuances of these stories.  So may we look at this one as we continue forward in it and find the places, the times where we’ve allowed our hearts to grow hard, because we’re coming up against the righteousness of God and the invitation to life, but the blinking lights that promise quicker gratification pull us away.

Prayer

Father, we invite you into that.  Our hearts have gotten hard in lots of ways in lots of different seasons, but you haven’t grown hard toward us.  You haven’t turned your back on us at all.  You’ve remained true.  You are that you are and you are present to us.  It is we who have hardened our hearts to you  So we invite you into that, Holy Spirit.  It is like we have things we need to invite you into almost every day.  But this is how life is transformed, by inviting you to access those places, those wounds, those bitternesses, those betrayals, that pain, those situations, our hopes, our dreams and aspirations.  We invite you into all of them to show us the ones that really have nothing to do with you and that we’ve excluded you from because we can see where this road is going and we can choose.  We choose you.  We choose to humble ourselves before you.  Apart from you we can do nothing and it is like that is a lesson we have to keep learning for some reason.  Help us to just know it now.  Apart from you we can do nothing.  With you, you would move heaven and earth to set us free.  So come, Holy Spirit, into all of this, we ask, in the name of Jesus, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It is where you find out what is up, what is going on around here, so be sure to do that and find out what people are needing prayer for and maybe say a prayer, maybe post a word of encouragement.  Or maybe you have something that you want others to pray for. You can post that on the Prayer Wall at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  So be sure to stay tuned there and see what is going on there.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com as well.  There is a link on the home page and if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can push the More button in the lower right-hand corner. Of if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I will be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hey family.  This is Arjen from Florida.  I’m calling to lift up Tim and Carissa from New Mexico.  They lost a child.  Father, first and foremost, I ask that you would make very clear to them that you know this pain of losing a child, that you lose children who don’t know you or go astray, that you know what it is like and you know what grief and sorrow and darkness is like because you went there for us.  Father, first I pray that you would plant that fruit into the heart of Tim and Carissa, Lord.  Father, I also just pray that you would show them that you are there.  Show them that even though this is going on, that through their grief, even through the turbulent waves of their grief, that you are there to comfort them, Lord, and make your presence very clear.  Lord, I pray that you would let them enter into a season of their lives where this will seem so dim because of the children and the love that you are going to give to them, Father.  Strengthen them.  God, Dad, please, please strengthen them and I pray all this in Jesus’ name.  Tim and Carissa, I just want to say we’re here for you as a community.  I’ve lifted up my prayers, but I also offer my shoulder to cry on.  My email is AlexIyer12@gmail.com.  I love you, Brother.  Bye.  

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  I’m new to this ministry.  This is my first day of starting.  I’m not a new believer, but I’m new to this ministry and so, so excited about being able to hear God’s word and everyone responding to prayer.  I’m calling to ask prayer for our brothers and sisters in the central part of India, in __________, specifically a young missionary there. His name is Ahmed D.  They have been working with __________ Christian Mission for the past nine years and this past Sunday he was found in a nearby village, had been stabbed and tortured badly.  The reasons are still unknown, but they are asking for prayer for his wife, Dorothy, his 6-year-old daughter Erica, and also please pray for __________ and __________, the founders of this mission.  This mission is 30 years plus and going strong and has accomplished so much for the gospel in India and for India.  So please be in prayer for the family of this precious young man who was martyred this past Sunday.  We know quite often that the blood of martyrs becomes seed for explosive __________ of the gospel, so please pray that the seed that he has planted through his ministry will land on fertile ground and will continue to produce a crop of souls for the gospel.  Thank you so much.  Be blessed.

Hi, this is Elaine from Victoria, Canada.  This is for Tim and Carissa from New Mexico.  I heard your plea for comfort.  My sister went through the same thing, but I want to give you Matthew 5, the beatitudes.  Matthew 5:3-4:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  I want to give this to you today, dear Brother and Sister, for your comfort. Also I want to give you this that my granddaughter gave me.  I think she was only 8 years old, but she felt the Lord had touched her.  She said someone touched her and I knew it was the Lord. And this is what was given to her. May the Lord bless you wherever you are because he is the one that hears your prayers and he comforts you.  He loves us all and he also takes care of us.  I love him.  So does my Grandma Elaine and so does my brother Riley.  I love him and he loves me.  He is awesome because he died on the cross for all of us.  Love, Aislyn.  That’s my granddaughter.  Bless you. You’re in my prayers, Tim and Carissa. I love you and I love you, Brian, for this ministry that we can reach out to others.  So have a good day everybody.  My prayers are with this program.  Thank you. Bye.  

Hi DAB family.  This is Rob S., worship dude in Nashville, TN.  Thanks to all of you who listen and pray.  I want to offer up my prayers for Brian.  I want to say thank you so much for the piece you did on your mother.  Man, that was just so helpful to hear how you processed the various issues of her passing and we mourn with you, Brother.  God bless you.  Also I want to pray for Mark from Florida who recently got engaged and feeling anxiety about your employment situation.  I pray that the Lord would give you great peace and great joy in this new season of your life and provide for all of your needs.  Also I want to lift up McKenzie, a first-time caller, 13 years old from California.  I pray that the Lord would deliver you from all anxiety attacks and he would give you peaceful and restful sleep and everything that is a cause behind that would be resolved for the glory of Jesus.  Finally, I want to lift up Karen, first-time caller from St. Louis, and her nephew Todd who has been dealing with a lot of mental issues and is being recruited by Islamists.  Lord, we pray that you would deliver him from all evil, that you would give him a right mind and, Lord, we just pray your blessings to be upon him, in Jesus’ name.  Finally, brothers and sisters, if you would please pray for me and my wife.  We are in a season of transition.  I’m leaving employment at the church where I’ve worked for the last five years or so and really seeking the Lord’s clarity, guidance, and provision.  I feel like he is leading me to focus more on my writing and teaching.  I have missions invitations to Eastern Europe for later on this year and anyway, just trusting God to make all things work together for good.  The Lord bless you guys.  Thanks for your prayers.  

McKenzie, a 13-year-old girl suffering with anxiety attacks, I am standing with you.  When two or three are gathered together and I am on my knees right now and going to lift you to the Lord.  Father in Heaven, I thank you, Jesus, for this tender heart of McKenzie, this young teenager. I bring her to you, Lord, with these anxiety attacks.  She realizes, Lord, that you can help her with this and I am praying for healing over these attacks that come in the middle of the night and rob her of sleep.  Father, I just pray for your mighty hand to reach down from heaven and touch her body and her mind and just bring peace and calmness and relaxation, Lord.  Bless her. Encourage her.  Uplift her.  And I pray for healing for her this morning.  Thank you for her sweet spirit, Lord.  We ask these things in Jesus’ precious and holy name.  Amen.  

Hi, this is Doneen K.  I’m in California.  I’ve been listening for three years now.  I just heard Tim and Carissa, they just lost their baby, and I want to tell them that is so horrible.  I know it is so horrible.  I had a miscarriage and it was just terrible, but I want you to know you will get through it and call on the Lord and call on your people in your church.  Don’t let the devil get you down.  You know your baby is alive in heaven.  I love that.  I love that we have a place to go to, to ask Jesus to help us.  So I just want to tell you, Tim and Carissa, I love you from the bottom of my heart.  I’m so sorry you’re going through this and I pray Jesus will help you along the way.  Bye now.  

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday January 29, 2017 (NIV)

Exodus 7:25-9:35

The Plague of Frogs

25 Seven days after[a] the Lord had struck the Nile River,[b] [c]he told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let my people go so they may serve[d] me. And if you refuse to let them go, then I’m going to strike all your territory with frogs. The Nile will swarm with frogs. They’ll come up and enter your house, your bedroom, your bed, and your servants’ houses. They’ll jump on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. The frogs will be all over you and your servants.”’”

[e]Then the Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the Nile River,[f] and over the ponds, and bring up frogs over the land of Egypt.’” So Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same thing[g] with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called to Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord so that he may remove the frogs from me and my people. I’ll let the people go so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

Moses told Pharaoh, “You decide[h] when I should plead for you, your servants, and your people to remove[i] the frogs from you and your household. They’ll remain only in the Nile River.[j]

10 Pharaoh[k] said, “Tomorrow.”

Moses[l] said, “It will be just as you say,[m] so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you, your house, your officials,[n] and your people. They’ll remain only in the Nile River.[o]

12 Then Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs which he had sent[p] on Pharaoh. 13 The Lord did just as Moses asked,[q] and the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields. 14 They gathered them up into large piles and the land smelled terrible. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

The Plague of Gnats

16 Then the Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff, strike the dust of the ground, and the dust[r] will become gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” 17 They did this.[s] Aaron stretched his hand out with his staff, struck the dust of the land, and gnats came on people and animals—all the dust of the ground became gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried[t] to do the same thing[u] with their secret arts, but they were unable to bring out the gnats. The gnats were on the people and the animals.

19 The magicians told Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God!”[v] But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn[w] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

20 The Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he’s going down to the water. You are to say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let my people go so they can serve[x] me. 21 But if you don’t let my people go, I’ll send swarms of insects upon you, your servants, your people, and your households. The houses of Egypt—and even the ground on which they stand—will be filled with swarms of insects. 22 On that day I’ll treat the land of Goshen where my people live[y] differently so that swarms of insects won’t be there. As a result, you will know that I the Lord am in the midst of the land. 23 I’ll make a distinction between my people and your people, and this sign will occur tomorrow.”’”

24 The Lord did this, and dense swarms of insects came into the house of Pharaoh and into the houses of his servants. The land was ruined throughout[z] Egypt because of the swarms of insects. 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, offer sacrifices to your God in the land.”

26 “It wouldn’t be right to sacrifice in this way,”[aa] Moses replied, “because if we do,[ab] we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is offensive to the Egyptians.[ac] If we offer sacrifices that are offensive to the Egyptians[ad] in front of them, they’ll stone us, won’t they? 27 We must go a three-day journey into the desert, and we’ll offer sacrifices to the Lord our God just as he has told us.”

28 Then Pharaoh said, “I’ll let you go so you can offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert. But you must not go very far away. Pray for me.”

29 Moses said, “Right now I’m going to leave you, and I’ll pray to the Lord that the swarms of insects may depart from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people tomorrow. But Pharaoh, don’t continue lying by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

30 Then Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and prayed to the Lord. 31 The Lord did what Moses asked,[ae] and the swarms of insects departed from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not one remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague on the Egyptian Cattle

Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: “Let my people go so they may serve[af] me. But if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, then the hand of the Lord will come[ag] with a very severe plague on your livestock in the fields, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on cattle, and on sheep. The Lord will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing that belongs to the Israelis will die.”’”

The Lord set the time: “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” The Lord did this thing the next day, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died. But not one of the livestock died that belonged to the Israelis. Then Pharaoh inquired and discovered[ah] that not a single one of the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn[ai] and he would not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it into the air[aj] in front of Pharaoh. The soot[ak] will become dust over the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils erupting into sores on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt.”

10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. Then Moses threw it into the air,[al] and it became boils producing running sores on people and animals. 11 The magicians were not able to stand before Moses because of the boils, because the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 The Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn[am] so that he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had told Moses.

The Plague of Hail

13 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning, present yourself to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: “Let my people go so they may serve[an] me. 14 Indeed, this time I’m sending all my plagues against you[ao], your officials,[ap] and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 Indeed, by now I could have sent forth my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been destroyed from the earth. 16 However, I’ve kept you standing[aq] in order to show you my power and to declare my name in all the earth. 17 You are still acting arrogantly against my people by not letting them go. 18 Look! About this time tomorrow, I’ll send a severe hail storm, such as has not happened in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 So send for your livestock and everything that belongs to you that’s out in the field, because[ar] every person and animal found in the field that has not been brought inside to shelters will die when the hail comes down on them.”’”

20 Whoever feared the message from the Lord among Pharaoh’s officials[as] made his servants and livestock flee into shelters. 21 But whoever did not pay attention[at] to the message from the Lord left his servants and his livestock outside in the fields.

22 Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people, animals, and all the vegetation of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. The Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24 There was very heavy hail, and lightning was flashing continuously in the midst of the hail. There had not been anything like it in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 The hail struck everything, including people and animals, outside in the fields throughout the land of Egypt. The hail struck all the vegetation of the fields and shattered all the trees in the orchards. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelis were, was there no hail.

27 Pharaoh sent word[au] and called for Moses and Aaron. “I’ve sinned this time,” he told them. “The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to the Lord! There has been enough of God’s thunder and hail! I’ll let you go, and you need not stay any longer.”

29 Moses told him, “When I leave the city I’ll spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease and the hail won’t continue, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But as for you and your officials,[av] I know that you don’t yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the barley were ruined because the barley was in ear and the flax was in bud. 32 The wheat and the wild grain[aw] were not ruined because they were late crops.)

33 Then Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured out on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he continued to sin. He, along with his officials,[ax] hardened his heart. 35 Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn,[ay] and he did not let the Israelis go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

Footnotes:

  1. Exodus 7:25 Lit. days were filled after
  2. Exodus 7:25 The Heb. lacks River
  3. Exodus 8:1 This verse is 7:26 in MT
  4. Exodus 8:1 Or worship
  5. Exodus 8:5 This verse is 8:1 in MT
  6. Exodus 8:5 The Heb. lacks River
  7. Exodus 8:7 Lit. thus
  8. Exodus 8:9 Lit. you have honor over me. i.e. I’ll defer to your decision
  9. Exodus 8:9 Lit. cut off
  10. Exodus 8:9 The Heb. lacks River
  11. Exodus 8:10 Lit. he
  12. Exodus 8:10 Lit. he
  13. Exodus 8:10 Lit. according to your word
  14. Exodus 8:11 Or servants
  15. Exodus 8:11 The Heb. lacks River
  16. Exodus 8:12 Lit. put
  17. Exodus 8:13 Lit. according to the word of
  18. Exodus 8:16 Lit. it
  19. Exodus 8:17 Lit. thus
  20. Exodus 8:18 Lit. they did
  21. Exodus 8:18 Lit. thus
  22. Exodus 8:19 I.e. an act of God
  23. Exodus 8:19 Lit. strong
  24. Exodus 8:20 Or worship
  25. Exodus 8:22 Lit. are standing
  26. Exodus 8:24 The Heb. lacks throughout
  27. Exodus 8:26 Lit. thus
  28. Exodus 8:26 The Heb. lacks if we do
  29. Exodus 8:26 Lit. an abomination to the Egyptians
  30. Exodus 8:26 Lit. an abomination to the Egyptians
  31. Exodus 8:31 Lit. did according to the word of Moses
  32. Exodus 9:1 Or worship
  33. Exodus 9:3 Lit. be
  34. Exodus 9:7 Lit. sent and behold
  35. Exodus 9:7 Lit. strong
  36. Exodus 9:8 Lit. toward heaven
  37. Exodus 9:9 Lit. it
  38. Exodus 9:10 Lit. toward heaven
  39. Exodus 9:12 Lit. strong; i.e. determined
  40. Exodus 9:13 Or worship
  41. Exodus 9:14 Lit. to your heart
  42. Exodus 9:14 Or servants
  43. Exodus 9:16 Or allowed you to live; Lit. caused you to stand
  44. Exodus 9:19 Lit. and
  45. Exodus 9:20 Or servants
  46. Exodus 9:21 Lit. set his heart
  47. Exodus 9:27 The Heb. lacks word
  48. Exodus 9:30 Or servants
  49. Exodus 9:32 Or spelt
  50. Exodus 9:34 Or servants
  51. Exodus 9:35 Lit. strong
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Matthew 19:13-30

Jesus Blesses the Little Children(A)

13 Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought[a] them. 14 Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from[b] heaven belongs to people like these.” 15 When he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.

A Rich Man Comes to Jesus(B)

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus.[c] “Teacher,”[d] he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”

17 Jesus[e] asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.[f] If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”

18 The young man[g] asked him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You must not murder,[h] you must not commit adultery,[i] you must not steal,[j] you must not give false testimony,[k] 19 honor your father and mother,’[l] and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”[m]

20 The young man told him, “I have kept all of these.[n] What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money[o] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.

Salvation and Reward(C)

23 Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you[p] with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from[q] heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

27 “Look!” Peter replied. “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we get?”

28 Jesus told them, “I tell all of you[r] with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much[s] and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 19:13 The Gk. lacks those who brought
  2. Matthew 19:14 Lit. of
  3. Matthew 19:16 Lit. him
  4. Matthew 19:16 Other mss. read Good Teacher
  5. Matthew 19:17 Lit. He
  6. Matthew 19:17 Other mss. read Why do you call me good? No one is good except for one—God
  7. Matthew 19:18 Lit. He
  8. Matthew 19:18 Cf. Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17
  9. Matthew 19:18 Cf. Exod 20:14; Deut 5:18
  10. Matthew 19:18 Cf. Exod 20:15; Deut 5:19
  11. Matthew 19:18 Cf. Exod 20:16; Deut 5:20
  12. Matthew 19:19 Cf. Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16
  13. Matthew 19:19 Cf. Lev 19:18
  14. Matthew 19:20 Other mss. read kept all of these since I was a young man
  15. Matthew 19:21 The Gk. lacks the money
  16. Matthew 19:23 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  17. Matthew 19:23 Lit. of
  18. Matthew 19:28 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  19. Matthew 19:29 Other mss. read many times as much
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Psalm 24

A Davidic Psalm.

A Song for the King of Glory

24 The earth and everything in it exists for the Lord
the world and those who live in it.
Indeed, he founded it upon the seas,
he established it upon deep waters.[a]

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?[b]
Who may stand in his Holy Place?
The one who has innocent hands and a pure heart;
the person who does not delight in what is false
and does not swear an oath deceitfully.
This person[c] will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation that seeks him.
Those who seek your face
are the true seed of[d] Jacob.
Interlude

Lift up your heads,[e] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
Who is the King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads,[f] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of Glory?
The Lord of the heavenly armies—
He is the King of Glory.
Interlude

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 24:2 Lit. rivers; i.e. the subterranean waters
  2. Psalm 24:3 I.e. the temple mount
  3. Psalm 24:5 Lit. he
  4. Psalm 24:6 The Heb. lacks the true seed of
  5. Psalm 24:7 I.e. Open
  6. Psalm 24:9 I.e. Open
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Proverbs 6:1-5

The Folly of Guaranteeing Loans

My son, if you guarantee a loan for your neighbor,
if you have agreed to a deal[a] with a stranger,
trapped by your own words,
and caught by your own words,
then do this, my son, and deliver yourself,
because you have come under your neighbor’s control.[b]
Go, humble yourself!
Plead passionately with your neighbor!
Don’t allow yourself to sleep
or even to close your eyes.
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a hunter’s hand,[c]
or like a bird from a fowler’s hand.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 6:1 Lit. have clapped your hands; i.e. have shaken hands
  2. Proverbs 6:3 Lit. into the hands of your neighbor
  3. Proverbs 6:5 So MT; LXX Syr Targ read from the hunter; or a noose
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

01/28/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 5:22-7:25 ~ Matthew 18:21-19:12 ~ Psalm 23:1-6 ~ Proverbs 5:22-23

Today is the 28th day of January.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  Wow!  We’re almost all the way through the month of January.  Okay.  See, it goes fast.  That is how this works.  It is great to be here with you today at the close of a week and so we’ll be beginning a new week tomorrow, obviously, but here we are.  We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week, which is today, so let’s move back into this story of Moses and the children of Israel who are in Egypt, a vast multitude that was foretold but are slaves in a land far away from the one that was promised so long ago.  Exodus chapter 5, verse 22 through 7:24.

Commentary

We’re seeing a showdown brewing here between the Israelites, their God, and the Egyptian Pharaoh.  We’ll talk about that as we move through this, but I do want to point out as we move into it that we see another example of things not just disappearing, but things being contended for, things that are difficult to move through to find the freedom that they are looking for.  This is the story of Joseph.  This is the story of the Bible.  

So often in our lives we think okay, I’ve received Jesus.  I’m a regenerated person.  I can do whatever I want, and we start doing things, only to find that we have to contend for them, that we have to move through them and then we’re mad that it doesn’t work like some sort of magic mantra.  But if we look at the stories in the Bible, if we look at the rhythm of the Bible, we see that is really rarely ever the case.  God calls to a person, calls them out of where they are and then the road out into complete freedom is a road that must be contended for.

We can think, well, that’s not fair.  Why can’t it just be made right again, just easily?  But you have to think about your own life.  What were the things that gave you the character that you have?  What are the experiences in your life that are most memorable, that you would say, these are the most pivotal moments of my life that have established who I am and what I believe.  Probably almost all of those have to do with a difficult time that you walked through in one way or another.  We are a people who understand that when we contend for something, when we fight for something, when we stay faithful and true to something so that we can achieve a goal, those things are the things that become true and solid.  We will watch it play out in the story that we’re in, the story of Moses.  We’ll be traveling with Moses for quite a while now.  

When we move into the book of Matthew, we’re seeing Jesus once again talk about what he talks about a lot, what seems to be very important, something that he puts out in his teachings that is unavoidable, although we’ve been trying to avoid it for thousands of years and we still try to avoid it. Jesus talks again about forgiveness.

A lot of times when we begin to think about forgiveness, we get all Moses-like and start trying to figure out all the reasons why this can’t happen. No one understands what that was like. No one knows what that felt like, how I was, how that has affected me.  And Jesus is just saying essentially you’ll never be free until you forgive and let go.  And Jesus used a story, an illustration, like he does all of the time, to unpack it so that we can actually see what this looks and feels like.  

So there is this guy.  He owes a ton of money to the king.  He cannot pay it, but when he is called to account, he is about to lose everything, everything.  He is about to lose himself.  He is about to lose everything because he can’t pay it back, so he falls to the floor and begs just for some more time.  Like, I’ll do this.  Please, please don’t throw everything away.  Give me some more time.  And the king has mercy and forgives the whole thing, like the whole thing.  He walks out of there without the burden of a debt he can’t pay.  But as he is leaving the king’s palace, he finds somebody who owes him a small amount of money and forces the person to pay it or go to prison, actually throws him into prison because he can’t pay.  When the king finds out about this, it’s not a good scene.  Then Jesus says, “that is how my Father in heaven will treat you if you don’t forgive each of my followers with all your heart.”  

Okay, so boom!  It’s like Jesus holds out the mic, drops it and walks away.  There is nothing more to be said.  We have to, we HAVE to understand right at the beginning of the year that as we move into this, these are fundamentals.  This is not an option.  This is not an optional thing.  We cannot walk with God if we do not walk with forgiveness for those around us. It doesn’t work.  

Jesus isn’t trying to issue a command we can’t live up to because we’ve been through too much.  There is no other way to get free because this thing that we’re holding that we cannot seem to find forgiveness in our heart for has us enslaved.  It is becoming a part of our identity and it is not supposed to be, and so it is dead weight.  In a very literal way it is death for us.  We have got to let it go.  The only way to let it go is in collaboration with God.  I release that time, I release that person, I release that whole set of circumstances that was so devastating that I can’t seem to get over, I move on in time, but it is still there, it is still under the surface, it is still there, I release that to you, God.  I ask your Holy Spirit not to let me try to wrestle it back out of your hands.  I release them to you.  I release that to you.  Your mercies are new every morning.  I am not that person anymore.  I forgive myself and everyone else.  Come Jesus.

That is the posture of heart we’ve got to have and it has to become second nature because it is the true nature of the kingdom of heaven.  We see Jesus give this very example.  We will watch this in all of the gospels.  We will watch this as we move forward. There is a time that Jesus is going to be nailed to a cross.  It is not a spoiler alert.  We all know this.  He is going to say as he’s being killed, “Father, forgive them.”  If we can understand this, we will understand that it is gold, that it is treasure, that it is a key that opens doors to freedom everywhere in our lives.  We don’t have to carry it anymore.  We’re looking for some sort of retribution, some sort of penance, some sort of justice and we’re not the sovereign, so we have to let it go.  We have to release it to God.  

Prayer

Father, we can’t really do this on our own.  I mean, we can try.  We can try to be out of sight, out of mind.  We can try to put it away and just move on and just let time heal all things, but without this act of actually releasing things to you, it is still there. So Holy Spirit, we need your help. And so we invite you into this day, bringing up things and people and situations that we just haven’t released. Help us to release those things, to go back into those places, only to go back there with you and not just go back there on our own and find bitterness there.  We go back there hand in hand with you, inviting you to reinterpret and allowing us to free our own selves by letting go of some of this stuff. Some of it is hard.  Some of it is deep betrayal.  Some of it is abuse.  Some of it we may not be able to completely interpret any other way but to get some help. So just help us to do whatever we have to do to find ourselves in a posture of forgiveness.  Lead us however we need to be led so that we can find that place where we really, from the truth of our heart and the depths of our identity can open our hands and let those things float away to you.  Come Holy Spirit.  Without your counsel and guidance, we’ll just be wandering aimlessly. So we need you in this.  And we invite you into it.  Come Jesus.  With all your compassion and your great power, indwell us that we might see the world as you do, through forgiveness, compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness and may we bring those things into this world.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We ask in your name, amen.  

Announcements

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And, of course, we’re a community.  If you have a prayer request, a burden that you’re shouldering that would best be shouldered together in prayer, then we’re a community, we’re a family here, (877) 942-4253 is the number that you can call.

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi, my name is S.B. in Virginia and I have been listening to the Daily Audio Bible since 2006, I believe, right after Brian started and I think this is only my second time calling in, but I had to call.  Today is January 23rd and I just listened to Brian talk about his mom.  I don’t think I’ve cried so hard for a full hour listening to that, but Brian, we are all praying for you in the loss of your mom.  The way you articulated that was so beautiful.  I just dealt with my husband losing his mom last year.  It has been a year and though I thought I understood it, I think I understand it a lot more just listening to you, so thank you for that.  The reason that I’m calling is because this touched a place in me that I just feel like God meant for you to say that message.  I’m sure I’m not the only one that is going to respond this way, but in terms of having to forgive people.  My prayer for this year was to reconcile my relationship with my mother.  She did not raise me.  I was raised by my grandmother, similar to your situation with your mom, and it has been a long road not having her in my life and becoming a mother myself.  It is just something that I feel like God wants me to reconcile, so how timely for you to send this.  Just asking for prayers from everyone as I seek to rebuild this relationship with her.  I think I’m just scared of rejection again and not knowing how this is all going to work out, but I feel like this is the time, so thank you again, Brian.  God bless you and bless the Daily Audio Bible. I’ll be listening.  Everyone take care.  God bless and I’ll be back with an update.  God bless.  Bye-bye.

Hey family.  This is Melisa from Albertville, AL.  I have a praise report.  I called in a few weeks ago and asked you all to pray for my coworker, Gary W. that had a mass on his brain stem.  So they went to the hospital.  They came out and told his fiancée he may have a year, maybe two years to live.  So they went back in.  The neurologist came out and told Kathy, “here’s your miracle. We are 99.9% sure that it is just an infection.”  So he does not have cancer.  God is so good.  God is able. I know somebody prayed for him so I said I’ll say this.  Bob with throat cancer, God is able.  Irma with a stomach disorder, God is able.  Salvation is Mine with breast cancer, God is sure able.  Don’t give up you all.  Little Jillian with cancer, I know your mom called in, God is able.  I just thank you all for praying for him. I know I hadn’t heard anybody mention his name, but I know somebody prayed.  I’m just giving God the praise.  You all don’t give up.  There is nothing too hard for our God.  Brian, I love you so much.  I’ve been praying for you.  I’ve been lifting your family up in prayer.  You all have a great day.  Bye-bye.

This is Reverend Shar E. calling from Aurora, CO, and I listened, Brian, to your talk about your mother last night and I just wanted to tell you that I am in prayer for you as you go through the mourning process and of course we don’t go through that alone.  We go through that with Jesus.  Your message, even though my parents are still alive and I am 67 years old, I really thought about my own children, my three children, and about the day that will come where I will go to my heavenly home.  I know in my heart that they will carry those same feelings that you expressed about your mother and I know those feelings are reciprocal.  I know your mother felt the same way about you and I feel the same way about my own three children, two sons and a daughter.  So I just want to thank you for being vulnerable and talking about the process of your mother dying and talking about the hope of eternal life.  And I wanted to tell you that I am in prayer for you and for all of us in the Daily Audio Bible community as we walk through life, go on this journey, continue on.  Thank you Brian.  God bless.  

Hello, this is Michael from Vancouver, Canada.  I called about probably a year ago regarding my stomach or digestion issue. I was losing weight.  I had throat __________.  I couldn’t digest.  The doctor ordered ultrasound and blood tests for me and couldn’t really find anything wrong so the doctor thought I could wait and see or I could continue to do more tests, a CT scan, things like that.  But we decided to wait and see.  I felt better after that, so I forgot about it and __________.  But recently symptoms came back again and I’ve lost about 10 pounds for the past several months and I’m really, really underweight now.  Couldn’t digest.  I don’t know why.  No matter what I do, no matter how much I try to eat, I am just continuing to lose weight, half a pound to a pound per week losing weight.  So I know I’m not supposed to worry about tomorrow, I should have faith, but in my condition, it is really hard to continue to not worry so I would like to ask for prayer support.  Please pray that the condition is not really, really bad that it can’t be cured, get better soon because of my family responsibilities.  I have a family to take care of and really hope I can get well. Thank you very much for your prayers.

Hi, this is Steve from New Hampshire and I want to just say Brian, I so appreciate your ministry.  I’ve really appreciated what you’ve shared about your mom as you shared with us the journey that you are going through with the loss of your mom.  I think it is very helpful.  Appreciate that.  I’m actually calling today to pray for McKenzie from California.  You were talking about anxiety that you’re dealing with and I’m in my 50s. I know you’re just a teenager, but I last month, December, was dealing with some anxiety big time.  I guess some kind of a chemical thing.  They ended up putting me on medication that has helped and I just want to pray that the Lord would bring you your solution for the anxiety, whatever that is.  So Father, we lift up McKenzie to you and pray for your healing touch, Lord God, whether you use medical means or just supernaturally, but I pray that right now that peace that passes all understanding would guard McKenzie’s heart and mind and just pray that she would continue to have a tender heart towards you and seek you and just be a blessing wherever she goes, Lord God.  Touch her, in Jesus’ name.  Also wanted to pray for Tim and Carissa who lost the baby.  I’m so sorry for that and I just pray that the God of all comfort would guard you and protect your hearts and minds and may he grant you peace.  May God just turn this tragedy into triumph for you.  I just pray that God would give you the resources you need right now, the people, the provision.  Whatever that might be, I pray for.  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.  God bless you.  Bye-bye.

Hi DAB family.  Hi Brian. This is Patty.  I’m calling from Torrance, CA.  I’m a 10-year listener and this is my first call.  Brian, I just listened to your talk about your mom and there are so many emotions that welled up in me.  I thank you for sharing your story, this difficult time that you had, but the beautiful story of your relationship with your mom and her journey.  Family, I’m calling specifically to ask that you pray for my mom. She is going to have knee replacement surgery on January 31st.  She had a different knee done 15 months ago and she had some complications and had to have a second surgery done, so I’m praying that this one would go well, that her recovery would be without any problems, and that she would be relieved  of the pain and regain mobility.  Thank you family.  I love you all.  

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday January 28, 2017 (NIV)

Exodus 5:22-7:24

22 So Moses returned to the Lord and asked him, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why have you sent me here? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have done nothing to deliver your people.”

God Promises to Deliver Israel

The Lord told Moses, “Now you’re about to see what I’ll do to Pharaoh. Indeed, he’ll send them out under compulsion[a] and he’ll drive them out of his land violently.”[b]

Later, God told Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty,[c] and did I not reveal to them my name ‘Lord’? I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as resident aliens for a time. Also, I’ve heard the groaning of the Israelis whom the Egyptians have forced to labor for them, and I’ve remembered my covenant. Therefore, tell the Israelis, ‘I am the Lord. I’ll bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I’ll deliver you from their bondage. I’ll redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.[d] I’ll take you for my own people,[e] and I’ll be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I’ll bring you to the land that I swore[f] to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I’ll give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

Then Moses reported this to the Israelis, but they did not listen to Moses due to their irritation and impatience because there was no deliverance[g] and because of the cruel bondage.

10 Then the Lord told Moses, 11 “Go, speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he should let the Israelis go out of his land.”

12 Then Moses said right in front of the Lord, “Look, the Israelis didn’t listen to me, so how will Pharaoh? I’m not a persuasive speaker.”[h] 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, issuing orders to them regarding the Israelis for delivery to Pharaoh, king of Egypt; that is, to bring the Israelis out of the land of Egypt.

Genealogies of Moses and Aaron

14 These are the heads of their ancestors’ households: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu; Hezron and Carmi.

These are the families of Reuben, including 15 Simeon’s sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the Canaanite woman’s son. These are the families of Simeon.

16 These are the names of Levi’s sons according to their genealogies: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived[i] 137 years. 17 Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18 Kohath’s descendants included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Now Kohath lived for 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi, according to their genealogies.

20 Amram married Jochebed, his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived for 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Then Aaron married Elisheba daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the families of the descendants of Korah. 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phineas. These are the heads of the ancestors of the descendants of Levi, according to their families.

26 This is the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelis out of the land of Egypt by their tribal divisions.” 27 They were the ones speaking to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the Israelis out of Egypt; this is that same Moses and Aaron.

Moses Doubts that Pharaoh will Listen

28 And it happened when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt 29 that the Lord told Moses, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything that I’m saying to you.”

30 Moses said in the presence of the Lord, “Look, I’m not a persuasive speaker,[j] so how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

God Appoints Aaron to Assist Moses

The Lord told Moses, “Listen! I’ve positioned you as God[k] to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to speak everything that I’ve commanded you, and then your brother Aaron will speak to Pharaoh, telling him to let the Israelis go out of his land. I’ll harden Pharaoh’s heart and I’ll add more and more of my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh won’t listen to you, I’ll let loose my power[l] upon Egypt. I’ll bring out my tribal divisions—my people the Israelis—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment.[m] The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand over Egypt to bring the Israelis out from among them.” Moses and Aaron did what the Lord commanded them. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Moses’ Staff Becomes a Snake

Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.”

10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and sorcerers, and they—along with the Egyptian magicians—did the same thing with their secret arts. 12 So each one threw down his staff and it became a serpent, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn[n] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said would happen.

Water is Turned into Blood

14 Then the Lord told Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard. He has refused to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he’s going down to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile River[o] and meet him. Be sure to take with you[p] the staff that was turned into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go so they may serve[q] me in the desert, but until now you haven’t obeyed.”’[r]

17 “‘This is what the Lord says: “This is how you’ll know that I am the Lord: Right now I’m going to strike the water of the Nile River[s] with the staff that’s in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. 18 The fish in the Nile River[t] will die and the river[u] will stink. The Egyptians will be unable[v] to drink water from the Nile River.[w]”’”

19 The Lord also told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their Nile River[x], over their ponds, and over their reservoirs,[y] and they’ll become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in their[z] wood and stone containers.’”[aa]

20 Moses and Aaron did just what the Lord had commanded. Aaron[ab] raised his staff and struck the water in the Nile River[ac] in front of[ad] Pharaoh and his[ae] officials,[af] and all the water in the Nile River[ag] turned to blood. 21 The fish in the Nile River[ah] died and the river[ai] stank. The Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile River,[aj] and blood was throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing[ak] with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn,[al] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Then Pharaoh turned away, went to his palace, and paid no attention to any of this. 24 All the Egyptians dug around the Nile River[am] for water to drink because they could not drink from the water in the Nile River.[an]

Footnotes:

  1. Exodus 6:1 Lit. out by a strong hand
  2. Exodus 6:1 Lit. land by a strong hand
  3. Exodus 6:3 Heb. El Shaddai
  4. Exodus 6:6 Lit. great judgments
  5. Exodus 6:7 Lit. for Myself for a people
  6. Exodus 6:8 Lit. I lifted my hand
  7. Exodus 6:9 Lit. due to shortness of spirit
  8. Exodus 6:12 Lit. uncircumcised of lip; i.e. an unrefined speaker
  9. Exodus 6:16 Lit. Now the years of Levi’s life were
  10. Exodus 6:30 Lit. I’m uncircumcised of lips
  11. Exodus 7:1 Or as a god
  12. Exodus 7:4 Or I’ll put my hand
  13. Exodus 7:4 Lit. great judgments
  14. Exodus 7:13 Lit. strong
  15. Exodus 7:15 The Heb. lacks River
  16. Exodus 7:15 Lit. in your hand
  17. Exodus 7:16 Or worship
  18. Exodus 7:16 Or listened
  19. Exodus 7:17 The Heb. lacks River
  20. Exodus 7:18 The Heb. lacks River
  21. Exodus 7:18 Or the Nile
  22. Exodus 7:18 Or weary themselves
  23. Exodus 7:18 The Heb. lacks River
  24. Exodus 7:19 The Heb. lacks River
  25. Exodus 7:19 Lit. every collection of their waters
  26. Exodus 7:19 The Heb. lacks their
  27. Exodus 7:19 The Heb. lacks containers
  28. Exodus 7:20 Lit. He
  29. Exodus 7:20 The Heb. lacks River
  30. Exodus 7:20 Lit. before the eyes of
  31. Exodus 7:20 Lit. before the eyes of his
  32. Exodus 7:20 Or servants
  33. Exodus 7:20 The Heb. lacks River
  34. Exodus 7:21 The Heb. lacks River
  35. Exodus 7:21 Or the Nile
  36. Exodus 7:21 The Heb. lacks River
  37. Exodus 7:22 Lit. did thus
  38. Exodus 7:22 Lit. strong
  39. Exodus 7:24 The Heb. lacks River
  40. Exodus 7:24 The Heb. lacks River
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Matthew 18:21-19:12

The Parable about an Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and asked him, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?”

22 Jesus told him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times![a] 23 “That is why the kingdom from[b] heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents[c] was brought to him. 25 Because he couldn’t pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. 26 Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Be patient[d] with me, and I will repay you everything!’ 27 The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt.

28 “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[e] He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29 Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ 30 But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt.

31 “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. 32 Then his master sent for him and told him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts.”

Teaching about Divorce(A)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,[f] he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side[g] of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man[h] to divorce his wife for any reason?”

He answered them, “Haven’t you read that the one who made[i] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’[j] and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[k] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”

They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”[l]

He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way. I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”[m]

10 His disciples asked him, “If that is the relationship of a man with his wife, it’s not worth getting married!”

11 “Not everyone can accept this saying,” he replied, “except those to whom celibacy[n] has been granted, 12 because some men are celibate from birth,[o] while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from[p] heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
  2. Matthew 18:23 Lit. of
  3. Matthew 18:24 10,000 talents is the price paid in silver by Haman to King Ahasuerus as a bribe to annihilate the Jews; Cf. Esther 3:9; a talent was worth a lifetime of wages for an average laborer
  4. Matthew 18:26 Other mss. read Master, be patient
  5. Matthew 18:28 The denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer.
  6. Matthew 19:1 Lit. finished these sayings
  7. Matthew 19:1 I.e. the east side
  8. Matthew 19:3 Other mss. lack for a man
  9. Matthew 19:4 Other mss. read created
  10. Matthew 19:4 Cf. Gen 1:27; 5:2
  11. Matthew 19:5 Cf. Gen 2:24
  12. Matthew 19:7 Cf. Deut 24:1, 3
  13. Matthew 19:9 Other mss. read adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery
  14. Matthew 19:11 Lit. it
  15. Matthew 19:12 Lit. from the mother’s womb
  16. Matthew 19:12 Lit. of

Cross references:

  1. Matthew 19:1 : Mark 10:1-12
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Psalm 23

A Davidic Psalm.

The Lord Shepherds His People

23 The Lord is the one who is shepherding me;
I lack nothing.
He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass;
he guides me beside quiet waters.
He revives my life;
he leads me in pathways that are righteous
for the sake of his name.[a]

Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness,[b]
I will not be afraid
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me,
even in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will remain in[c] the Lord’s Temple forever.[d]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 23:3 I.e. his reputation
  2. Psalm 23:4 Or valley of the shadow of death
  3. Psalm 23:6 MT DSS 5/6HevPs read will return to; LXX reads and my residing will be
  4. Psalm 23:6 Lit. for the length of days
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Proverbs 5:22-23

22 The wicked person’s iniquities will capture him,
and he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
and he goes astray because of his great folly.

International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

01/27/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 4:1-5:21 ~ Matthew 18:1-20 ~ Psalm 22:19-31 ~ Proverbs 5:15-21

Today is January 27th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It is a pleasure to be here with you today and we’re here to take the next step forward in the adventure that is the scriptures.  We’re just a couple days into the book of Exodus, which is a very dramatic story that fits in huge puzzle pieces about who these children of Israel are and why they are the chosen ones.  So from the Contemporary English Version this week, Exodus chapter 4, verse 1 through 5, verse 21 today.  

Commentary

We have a number of things that we should talk about today from the scriptures. We’ll begin in the Old Testament.

We’re getting to know this man named Moses who is becoming a large figure in the story and has a hand on us having these writings that we’re reading in the Old Testament at all.  We’re moving into this next season after Joseph.  We found out how the children of Israel, how that family got to Egypt.  We found out how they multiplied and how the Egyptians forgot how they ever got there in the first place and had enslaved them. We learned of Moses and all of the male children that were supposed to be thrown into the Nile.  So Moses was kind of thrown into the Nile, so to speak, but in a wicker basket and the Pharaoh’s daughter found him and he was raised Egyptian even though he was Hebrew.  He killed an Egyptian and ran away.  So we’ve gone through all of that, but now Moses is meeting with God.  Moses is having this conversation with God and his conversation is filled with all kinds of questions, like how can I be sure that you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do?  How are the people going to believe me?  

God is entering into this conversation.  He doesn’t come down and shoot a lightning bolt right next to Moses’ left foot and make him dance away with a singed toe and say, “I am God and that is why they’ll believe me!”  He enters into a conversation.  This is God’s way.  Collaboration.  Intimate relationship.  

So they are having this conversation.  Even though Moses is asking all kinds of questions to indicate that he is not sure that he believes this is true, God begins to show him there is power here, that he is sending him, he has an important role to play and he is going to lead God’s people out of the land of Egypt.  In the end Moses kind of runs out of excuses and so he digs deep into the barrel and says, “But I can’t speak in front of people.  I’m slow at talking.  I can’t think of what to say in those kinds of situations.”  Of course, God's’ reply is, “I will help you. I’ll be with you.  I’ll give you the words to say.”  Moses, who is going to become a large and important figure whose life still affects us today, ends up saying something really sad because it’s in us all.  “Lord, please send someone else to do it.”

So there it is.  The mirror of the Bible goes back up in front of our faces and makes us look at ourselves once again.  How many times have we been in that position?  God is moving.  God is leading.  We’re afraid. We don’t trust.  We’re not sure this is for real and so we start finding all of the reasons that this can’t be real, can’t be happening and then we talk ourselves out of it, just like Moses is doing, send someone else to do it, you’re asking too much of me, you’re asking me for something I can’t do.  It’s like we were talking about yesterday. This life that we live is so often lived from a place of impossible, when that is not something that exists for a person who has been made fully whole and human.  

As we move into the New Testament, we see the same collaboration. We see the same weightiness of choice. We see the same intimacy coming from Jesus’ lips.  “I promise you that God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but he will not allow anything you don’t allow.”  Or put in more traditional language, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. So there is no way to get around this without acknowledging that what we do does matter and the world that we currently live in is the one that we have created for ourselves.  Obviously it is not the one God intended, but it is the one that he allowed.  The choices that we make are creating the world that we live in and we can’t escape that. We try to escape that.  We try to blame everyone.  We try to blame God.  But the mirror isn’t lying.  

We could easily say well, God is sovereign over all of this and why would he allow our choices to matter when our choices aren’t going to be the best ones? This goes all the way back to the beginning.  Love, true love, real authentic, intimate, honest, deep love is something that is entered into by choice.  There is no other way.  You can’t be co-opted into true love.  You can’t be strong-armed into true love.  You can’t be enslaved into true love.  Those things can happen, but the result isn’t true love.  True love is entered into by choice.  The intimacy and collaboration that we have with God, whatever state or shape that it is in, is by choice.  It is one of the gifts of Eden that we are created in the image of God and we get to choose to be truly in love with him or not.  And those choices in big and small ways, they make the life that we have created and the world that we have created for ourselves.

So may we take that to heart today and understand once again, because the Bible is going to hammer this home over and over in all kinds of ways from all kinds of angles, it matters what you do.  This is an invitation to a collaboration with God in restoring all things. We’re part of that story.  If we can’t even do it in our own hearts, if it can’t even spill into our own homes, well then we can’t blame God for what we are allowing because he is allowing what we’re allowing.  

Prayer

Father, there is certainly a weightiness to that.  There is some heft there.  So as we sit with that today, we invite your Holy Spirit because it’s not always about the big mistakes or the big victories.  Those are maybe the things that we remember or focus on most, but all of those things, they came together because of a series of choices, many different nuanced choices that we’ve made.  Where we sit right now, wherever it is that we’re listening to this, whether it’s in a car or on a train or in a bed or in a shower or wherever, we are standing or sitting where we are right now because of the systematic choices that we have made over the course of years.  So here we are and you’ve allowed it because you will allow what we will allow.  So Father, we need some help.  We need your Holy Spirit’s wisdom.  We need to see the way that we habitually make choices that end us up in the same kinds of places.  We need to see how we’ve been trying to manage this on our own as our own sovereign and not even talking to you about the small things, but the small things add up to big things, so we need your counsel.  We need your Holy Spirit to well up within us in everything that we do and say and think because they all go somewhere and we are here to be about the business of bringing and being your Kingdom.  We’re just completely distracted from that on most days.  Give us the eyes and the ears of the Kingdom. Let us lift our heads from the ground up to the horizon and see that it is bigger than us.  It is bigger than we know and you have invited us to play a role. So come Holy Spirit, let us feel the weightiness of that and live our lives nobly, honoring the fact that our choices matter and we choose you.  Come Jesus, we pray in your name, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is home base.  It’s the website.  It is where you find out what is going on around here, so check it out.  Check out the resources that are available there and events and prayers and connection points.  Everything that you would be looking for you can find there.  So check it out.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com as well.   There is a link.  It’s on the home page.  And if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can push the More button in the lower right-hand corner, or if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi, this is Lisa, the Encourager just calling tonight to pray for Bill B.  He called in.  He was on his way to the Veteran’s Hospital and I think it is also appropriate for me to thank him so much for his service and everything he’s done for us in serving in the military and pray for the others that are still serving today, so I’ll do that tonight.  Dear Lord, I pray for Bill as he was on his way to the hospital because he is having some breathing problems.  Lord Jesus, I just pray that you will help the doctors at the Veteran’s Hospital to use wisdom and practice whatever they need to do to help Bill to be better soon and to find a solution to why he is having breathing problems quickly and be able to resolve the issue and there would be minor difficulties, there won’t be anything major wrong and that you just send your guidance and your angels to watch over him and comfort his family and help him to have a speedy recovery from whatever it is that is ailing him at this time, Lord.  And I want to thank you so much for his service for our country as a veteran and everything that he did while he served so that all of us could be right here on the land free and able to exercise our freedom because of what our veterans did for us, Lord.  I also pray for all the veterans that are out there serving today, right now as we are in the comfort of our homes, in the comfort of our lives and our jobs and all the food and all the luxuries of life that we have here as they are out there serving our country.  And I just pray for each and every one of them.  I pray for the ones that don’t have a relationship with you.

Good morning DAB family.  I’m Carol from the UK.  Thank you so much, Brian, for sharing your very moving account of your mom’s last few days.  I’m sure that many people like myself were in tears.  In 1939 I was evacuated into a loving Christian family and their neighbors also were Christians who had a daughter younger than myself.  We formed a lifelong friendship which is still there today, over 76 years later.  She met a local boy who I actually went to school with and because I was an evacuee who was bullied as if I was an alien or an immigrant, he was the only person who stuck up for me and supported me.  A few years ago my friend informed me that her husband was suffering from Parkinson’s and the onset of dementia.  He, like your mom, Brian, couldn’t eat or swallow anything.  My friend told me he was suffering so much she just wanted God to take him.  I told her that God was preparing his room for him when he was ready and a few days later she told me that his room was ready for him early that morning.  She told me that although she was somewhat relieved, she still missed him terribly.  My husband of 59 years is almost 87, reasonably good health, has been a wonderful husband and father and we’re still very much in love with each other.  Although he is a believer as such, he has not yet accepted Jesus as his Savior, so please pray for him to take Jesus as his Lord and Savior before it is too late.  Thank you so much and God bless you all.  

Good morning family and friends.  This is Cherry C., Cherry Pie.  I want to send this to Salvation is Mine.  Hey girl, letting you know I’ve got your back.  You’re covered.  I do understand where you are.  Just knowing that you’re covered, relax.  Just relax and let God just totally take over and you’re going to be fine.  You know you’ve got a lot of people praying for you, thousands of people praying for you.  We’re right here by your side, so just relax.  Try to relax anyway.  I love you and I am going to continue to pray for you.  You guys, I want to do a roll call, Tasha from New York, (there are a lot of people missing that have not called in), Sinner Redeemed, where are you? Blessed Like Me, I miss your calls. There are so many that I can’t even get all the names out, but come on guys.  You all call in.  I’m constantly and I’m sure everybody else is thinking about you guys.  Call in and let us know how you’re doing and where you are in life.  You guys have a great, blessed, and marvelous day.  I am.  I love you guys.  I will talk with you guys soon.  

Hi, this is Loralee from Boynton Beach and I would like to pray for the Hardin family right now.  I was waiting for the Holy Spirit to give me God’s word because I didn’t have any words.  Heavenly Father, I would like to thank you for Mrs. Hardin and I know she is having a really good day right now.  I would like to lift up the comforting words of your son, Jesus, and sow it into the Daily Audio Bible family right now.  The scripture is John 19:26-27.  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother” and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.  Mrs. Hardin, you are home __________ greatly honored to greet you in heaven and I thank you and I pray that we all, as mothers of sons, will leave a legacy in our own son’s lives, that they obey what they were made to do and to sow into lives of many life-giving words every day, giving glory to God.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Good morning, this is Under His Wing, a first-time caller.  I would like to beg prayers for a dear and longtime friend especially of my husband.  His name is Peter and late last summer he was diagnosed with brain cancer.  He was doing well until Christmastime and now isn’t. Hospice has been called in.  Many thanks and blessings to all of you, including Brian Hardin and family.  Thank you.

Hi Brian, this Paula from __________, OH and I just finished listening to your tribute to your mother.  I hope I can get through this message.  I’m just speechless.  It was the most beautiful message and I think it can educate a lot of people on dementia and I hope that I can share this.  But I am late for work now because my makeup is streaming down my face, but thank you so much for opening your heart to us.  We love you.  You’ll never know the changes that you have done for so many people including myself.  I just want to thank you and bless you.  It is such a tribute to know you and to have you share the love that you had for your mother and your father.  My mother will be 91 in March and she is still living and I’ll give her a big hug from you.  God bless you and your family and Jill and Zekey and all your children.  We love you so much, Brian.  Thank you for walking in Christ daily.  Bye-bye.  

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday January 27, 2017 (NIV)

Exodus 4:1-5:21

Moses Argues with God

Then Moses answered, “Look, they won’t believe me and they won’t listen to me.[a] Instead, they’ll say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you.’”

“What’s that in your hand?” the Lord asked him.

Moses[b] answered, “A staff.”[c]

Then God[d] said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it.

Then God told Moses, “Reach out[e] and grab its tail.” So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff[f] in his hand. God said, “I’ve done this[g] so that they may believe that the Lord God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

Again the Lord told him, “Put your hand into your bosom.”[h] He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like snow.[i] Then God[j] said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.” He returned it[k] to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out,[l] it was restored like the rest of[m] his skin.[n]

“Then if they don’t believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second[o] sign. But if they don’t believe even these two signs, and won’t listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River[p] and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River[q] will turn into blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses told the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not eloquent.[r] I never was in the past[s] nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly[t] and I have a speech impediment.”[u]

11 Then God asked him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech,[v] and I’ll teach you what you are to say.”

13 Moses said, “Please, Lord, send somebody else.”[w]

14 Then the Lord was angry with Moses and said, “There’s your brother Aaron, a descendant of Levi, isn’t there? I know that he certainly is eloquent.[x] Right now he’s coming to meet you and he will be pleased to see you. 15 You’re to speak to him and tell him what to say.[y] I’ll help both you and him with your speech,[z] and I’ll teach both of you what you are to do. 16 He is to speak to the people for you as your spokesman[aa] and you are to act in the role of[ab] God for him. 17 Now pick up that staff with your hand. You’ll use it to perform the signs.”

Moses Decides to Return to Egypt

18 Moses left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses[ac] told him, “Please let me go and return to my own people[ad] in Egypt so I can see whether they’re still alive.”

Jethro told Moses, “Go in peace.”

19 The Lord told Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

21 Then the Lord told Moses, “When you set out to return to Egypt, keep in mind[ae] all the wonders that I’ve put in your power,[af] so that you may do them before Pharaoh. But I’ll harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. 22 You are to say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Israel is my firstborn son. 23 And I say to you, ‘Let my son go so he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”’”

Zipporah Circumcises Moses’ Son

24 But later on, at the lodging place along the way, the Lord met Moses[ag] and was about to kill him. 25 Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’[ah] feet with it, saying while doing so,[ai] “…because you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 Then the Lord[aj] withdrew from him, and she said, “…a bridegroom of blood because of circumcision.”

Moses and Aaron Meet and Return to Egypt

27 The Lord told Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the desert.” So Aaron[ak] went, found[al] him at the mountain of God, and embraced[am] him. 28 Moses told Aaron all of the Lord’s messages that he had sent with Moses, and all of the signs that he commanded him to do.[an] 29 Later, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke everything that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Moses[ao] performed the miracles[ap] before the very eyes of the people. 31 The people believed and understood[aq] that the Lord had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship.

Pharaoh Refuses to Let the People Go

After Moses and Aaron arrived, they told Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so they may make a pilgrimage for me in the desert.’”

Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to[ar] him and let Israel go? I don’t know about[as] the Lord, nor will I let Israel go!”

Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God so he does not strike us with pestilence or sword.”[at]

The king of Egypt replied to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping the people from their labor? Go back to your work!”[au] Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people in the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”[av]

Pharaoh Increases the Israelis’ Work

That day Pharaoh ordered the taskmasters of the people and their officials, “You’re no longer to give the people straw for making bricks, as in the past.[aw] They must gather straw for themselves. But you’re to impose the previous quota[ax] of bricks that they’re making. You’re not to reduce it! It is because they’re lazy that they’re crying out, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to our God.’ So increase the work load on the people,[ay] and let them do it so they don’t pay attention to deceptive speeches.”

10 Then the taskmasters of the people and their officials went out and told the people, “This is Pharaoh’s response: ‘I’ll no longer give you any[az] straw. 11 Go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work quotas won’t be reduced at all.’”[ba] 12 So the people scattered throughout the entire land of Egypt to collect stubble[bb] for straw.

13 The taskmasters pressured them by saying, “Finish your work—each day’s quota[bc]—just as when you were given straw.”[bd]

14 The Israeli supervisors whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had appointed over them were beaten and told,[be] “Why didn’t you, both yesterday and today, fulfill[bf] your quota[bg] for making bricks as before?”

The Israelis’ Appeal Rejected by Pharaoh

15 The Israeli supervisors came and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you doing this to us?[bh] 16 No straw is being given to us, yet they’re saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, we are being beaten. It’s wrong how you are treating your people!”

17 Then Pharaoh[bi] said, “You are lazy, lazy! That’s why[bj] you’re saying, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ 18 Now, go! Get to work! And straw won’t be given to you, but you are to deliver the same[bk] number of bricks!” 19 The Israeli supervisors realized they were in trouble when he said,[bl] “You won’t reduce each day’s quota of bricks!”[bm]

The Israelis Blame Moses and Moses Complains to God

20 As they left Pharaoh’s presence,[bn] they met Moses and Aaron standing there.[bo] 21 The supervisors[bp] told them, “May the Lord look on you and judge you![bq] You have made us repulsive to[br] Pharaoh and his servants. You have put[bs] a sword in their hands to kill us.”

Footnotes:

  1. Exodus 4:1 Lit. to my voice. And so through the passage
  2. Exodus 4:2 Lit. he
  3. Exodus 4:2 Or rod
  4. Exodus 4:3 Lit. he
  5. Exodus 4:4 Lit. Stretch out your hand
  6. Exodus 4:4 Or rod
  7. Exodus 4:5 The Heb. lacks God said, “I have done this
  8. Exodus 4:6 I.e. under the folds of the garment at the chest
  9. Exodus 4:6 I.e. his hand was white
  10. Exodus 4:7 Lit. He
  11. Exodus 4:7 Lit. his hand
  12. Exodus 4:7 Lit. out from his bosom
  13. Exodus 4:7 The Heb. lacks the rest of
  14. Exodus 4:7 Lit. flesh
  15. Exodus 4:8 Lit. latter
  16. Exodus 4:9 The Heb. lacks River
  17. Exodus 4:9 The Heb. lacks River
  18. Exodus 4:10 Lit. a man of words
  19. Exodus 4:10 Lit. either yesterday or the day before
  20. Exodus 4:10 Lit. heavy of mouth
  21. Exodus 4:10 Lit. heavy
  22. Exodus 4:12 Lit. will be with your mouth
  23. Exodus 4:13 Lit. by a hand send; i.e. by someone else’s hand send
  24. Exodus 4:14 Lit. he certainly speaks
  25. Exodus 4:15 Lit. put the words in his mouth
  26. Exodus 4:15 Lit. I’ll be with your mouth and with his mouth
  27. Exodus 4:16 Lit. be your mouth
  28. Exodus 4:16 Lit. be
  29. Exodus 4:18 Lit. he
  30. Exodus 4:18 Lit. my brothers
  31. Exodus 4:21 Lit. see, watch
  32. Exodus 4:21 Lit. hand
  33. Exodus 4:24 Lit. him
  34. Exodus 4:25 Lit. his
  35. Exodus 4:25 Lit. touched to his feet
  36. Exodus 4:26 Lit. Then he
  37. Exodus 4:27 Lit. he
  38. Exodus 4:27 Lit. encountered
  39. Exodus 4:27 Lit. kissed
  40. Exodus 4:28 The Heb. lacks to do
  41. Exodus 4:30 Lit. he
  42. Exodus 4:30 Lit. signs
  43. Exodus 4:31 Or they heard
  44. Exodus 5:2 Or obey
  45. Exodus 5:2 The Heb. lacks about
  46. Exodus 5:3 I.e. invasions by foreign armies
  47. Exodus 5:4 Lit. burdens
  48. Exodus 5:5 Lit. from their burdens
  49. Exodus 5:7 Lit. like yesterday and the day before
  50. Exodus 5:8 Lit. as yesterday and the day before
  51. Exodus 5:9 Or men
  52. Exodus 5:10 The Heb. lacks any
  53. Exodus 5:11 Lit. from your labor
  54. Exodus 5:12 I.e. the stalks left in the field after grain is harvested
  55. Exodus 5:13 Lit. matter
  56. Exodus 5:13 Lit. when there was straw
  57. Exodus 5:14 Lit. saying
  58. Exodus 5:14 Lit. complete
  59. Exodus 5:14 Lit. prescribed amount
  60. Exodus 5:15 Lit. your servants; and so throughout the book
  61. Exodus 5:17 Lit. he
  62. Exodus 5:17 Lit. therefore
  63. Exodus 5:18 The Heb. lacks same
  64. Exodus 5:19 Lit. saying
  65. Exodus 5:19 Lit. your bricks
  66. Exodus 5:20 Lit. from with
  67. Exodus 5:20 The Heb. lacks there
  68. Exodus 5:21 Lit. they
  69. Exodus 5:21 The Heb. lacks you
  70. Exodus 5:21 Lit. made our odor stink in the eyes of
  71. Exodus 5:21 Lit. servants to give
International Standard Version (ISV)

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Matthew 18:1-20

True Greatness(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom from[a] heaven?”

Calling a little child forward, he had him stand among them. Then he said, “I tell all of you[b] with certainty, unless you change[c] and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from[d] heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from[e] heaven, and whoever receives a little child like this in my name receives me.”

Causing Others to Sin(B)

“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea. How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

“So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell[f] fire.

10 “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man came to save the lost.”[g]

The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd(C)

12 “What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he? 13 If he finds it, I tell all of you[h] with certainty that he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that haven’t strayed. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your[i] Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

Dealing with a Brother who Sins(D)

15 “If your brother sins against you,[j] go and confront him while the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. 16 But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that ‘every word may be confirmed by the testimony[k] of two or three witnesses.’[l] 17 If, however, he ignores them, tell it to the congregation.[m] If he also ignores the congregation,[n] regard him as an unbeliever[o] and a tax collector.

18 “I tell all of you[p] with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited[q] in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted[r] in heaven. 19 Furthermore, I tell all of you[s] with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven, 20 because where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 18:1 Lit. of
  2. Matthew 18:3 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  3. Matthew 18:3 Lit. turn
  4. Matthew 18:3 Lit. of
  5. Matthew 18:4 Lit. of
  6. Matthew 18:9 Lit. Gehenna; a Gk. transliteration of the Heb. for Valley of Hinnom
  7. Matthew 18:11 Other mss. lack this verse.
  8. Matthew 18:13 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  9. Matthew 18:14 Other mss. read our; still other mss. read my
  10. Matthew 18:15 Other mss. lack against you
  11. Matthew 18:16 Lit. mouth
  12. Matthew 18:16 Cf. Deut 19:15
  13. Matthew 18:17 Or church
  14. Matthew 18:17 Or church
  15. Matthew 18:17 Lit. gentile; i.e. an unbelieving non-Jew
  16. Matthew 18:18 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  17. Matthew 18:18 Or will be prohibited
  18. Matthew 18:18 Or will be permitted
  19. Matthew 18:19 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
International Standard Version (ISV)

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Psalm 22:19-31

19 But as for you, Lord, do not be far away from me;
My Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword;
my precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Deliver me from the mouth of the lion,
from the horns of the wild oxen.

You have answered me.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you, saying,[a]
23 “All who fear the Lord, praise him!
All the seed of Jacob, glorify him!
All the seed of Israel, fear him!
24 For he does not despise nor detest the afflicted person;
he does not hide his face from him,
but he hears him when he cries out to him.”

25 My praise in the great congregation is because of you;
I will pay my vows before those who fear you.[b]
26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him,
“May you[c] live forever!”

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord;
all the families of the nations will bow in submission to the Lord.
28 Indeed, the kingdom belongs to the Lord;
he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous people will eat and bow down in submission.
All those who are about to go down to the grave[d]
will bow down in submission,
along with the one who can no longer keep himself alive.
30 Our[e] descendants will serve him,
and that generation will be told about the Lord.
31 They will come and declare his righteousness
to a people yet to be born;
indeed, he has accomplished it!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 22:22 The Heb. lacks saying
  2. Psalm 22:25 Lit. him
  3. Psalm 22:26 Lit. your heart
  4. Psalm 22:29 Lit. dust
  5. Psalm 22:30 The Heb. lacks our
International Standard Version (ISV)

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Proverbs 5:15-21

The Delights of Marital Faithfulness

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and fresh[a] water from your own well.
16 Should your springs flow outside,
or streams of water in the street?
17 They should be for you alone
and not for strangers who are with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed
and enjoy the wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving deer, a beautiful doe,
let her breasts satisfy you all the time.
Be constantly intoxicated by her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?

21 Indeed, what a man does is[b] always in the Lord’s presence,[c]
and he weighs all his paths.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 5:15 Lit. flowing
  2. Proverbs 5:21 Lit. Indeed, a man’s ways are
  3. Proverbs 5:21 Lit. in front of the Lord’s eyes
International Standard Version (ISV)

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