09/30/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 60:1-62:5, Philippians 1:27-2:18, Psalms 72:1-20, Proverbs 24:11-12

Today is the 30th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible and welcome to the end of the month. We’re here to close down another month and that this is the ninth month of the year. So, well done. Nine months together every day, which makes this the 273rd day of the year. So, we’ve taken a lot of steps together. We’ve covered a lot of ground together and we have one more quarter, right? So, one more stretch to go. I am kinda getting ahead of ourselves though. We’re still here. This is September 30th and we haven’t finished the month yet. So, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 through 62 verse 5 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, like we talked about when we began Philippians this is a letter that Paul wrote while he was incarcerated. And this is a capital…this is a capital case, right? So, what’s hanging in the balance here is Paul’s life and eventually the outcome of the trial would be the end of his life. So, that should add a certain amount, you know, like a little bit of weightiness to the words that we read that Paul wrote while he was imprisoned. So, in our reading today his words encouraged humility, a humble posture toward each other as fellow citizens of heaven. And as he’s prone to do, he gave of us a picture of what our lives should be shaped. So, let’s just…let’s review that. I’m quoting here. “My dear friends, just as you’ve always obeyed, so now not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose. So, do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.” And let’s just pause there for a second because that’s cool. “We shine like stars in the world?” So, I guess if you ever dreamed of being a star, this is how you actually do it. So, Paul says, “among whom you shine like stars in the world by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast of the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing, but even if I am poured out as a drink offering”,  and Paul’s talking about his potential execution here, “so even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith. I’m glad and I rejoice with you.” Okay. So, Paul, you know, there’s lots of lists and character traits to avoid and to stay away from and to embrace and to become in the writings of Paul. So, this isn’t particularly unique. And the idea that we should suffer long, right, be long-suffering and patient with our fellow human beings, this isn’t particularly new concept. We were taught…I was taught the golden rule from childhood and the idea that we should live a clean, upright kind of life and avoid darkness and the muck and mire of life. That’s not revolutionary thought either. But the thing is, Paul’s writing these kinds of lists as like…I don't…like life encouragement…like life tips or like biblical life hacks. Paul was convinced throughout his ministry that this is all going somewhere and that ultimately where we are headed is into our full and complete restoration that would remake us into the image of Jesus our Savior and offer us a place alongside Jesus as joint heirs with Jesus as additional sons and daughters of the most high God, along with Jesus. This is Paul’s view of where this is all going and what Christ actually means. This is the good news. And when you think about it in terms like we just said, it is staggering, right? It’s a big monumental shift in the world. So, much bigger than just a list of characteristics or behavioral traits that we should try to live into, right? Behavior modification wasn’t Paul’s objective. Behavior imitation was Paul’s point, right? You can’t be Christlike if you’re not like Christ. So, in telling us to live a life that’s worthy of our salvation Paul was telling us to imitate and live our lives like Jesus did. And that brings us to one of the best known passages, one that maybe offers the most concise view of Jesus or of Paul’s Christology than any other…any of his other letters. Paul says…and he’s saying this about Jesus, “who existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant taking on the likeness of humanity and when He had come as a man, He humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Okay. So, for Paul, a man who had lost his freedom and was awaiting trial before an Emperor would decide whether he would live or die, Paul’s convictions here would have mattered greatly to him and these words would have made Paul’s chains take on a totally different context to his readers. So, rather than like invalidating the gospel, invalidating Paul, and, you know, sending him into a dungeon where he would disappear from history, Paul was actually walking the path of Jesus, right? Paul was following the same course. These same things happened to Jesus and ended in his death. So, as Paul is considering becoming Christlike himself, we see that he is, in a most iteral way, walking in the footsteps of Jesus here. And, so, for Paul instead of being hopeless about the fact that he’d been thrown into prison and the Emperor could have him killed, Paul realized this is what imitating Christ looks like. But, why would why would he put himself in this position? Like, why would any of the early believers be willing to imitate a person when what you’re gonna to imitate is incarceration and execution? Like, who imitates somebody and tries to imitate them all the way to their death? Paul answers why he’s doing this. He said, “for this reason, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” This is Paul’s view and he embraced it to the point that…that leaving the body, like leaving the human life behind would be preferable because it would be immediate and full restoration in the presence of the Savior, which is far, far, far better than being chained up in a dungeon and wondering whether you’re gonna have your head chopped off today or not and be nailed to a cross and hang there for hours in agony until you die. So, it’s important that we understand that this is Paul's…this is Paul’s cosmic view of what God is doing in the world. And Paul was thoroughly convinced that Jesus is Lord of it all. And, so, knowing Paul’s view of Jesus Lordship helps us understand how we must imitate Christ in our earthly lives. We’re to imitate Christ because we’re being made into his image, which means we’re becoming as he is, which is the center of the gospel and mind boggling to say the least. But this is what we hope and as believers in Jesus

Prayer:

Father, we’ve covered some territory here and, You know, try to dissect it, in part theologically, and it can get tedious but the fundamental truth here is that we are being transformed. As we believe and as we walk with You, we are being renewed or remade. And any time that we turn toward the darkness and walk in that direction we are literally interrupting that process, which is walking away from You but it’s also walking away from who we were created to be. And, so, help us to see it in those terms today and every day. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 30, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

The Lord’s Glory in Zion

60 Arise, shine, for your light has come,(A)
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.[a](B)
For look, darkness will cover the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to your shining brightness.(C)

Raise your eyes and look around:
they all gather and come to you;
your sons will come from far away,
and your daughters on the hips of nannies.(D)
Then you will see and be radiant,(E)
and your heart will tremble and rejoice,[b]
because the riches of the sea will become yours
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.(F)
Caravans of camels will cover your land[c]
young camels of Midian and Ephah—
all of them will come from Sheba.(G)
They will carry gold and frankincense(H)
and proclaim the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you(I)
and go up on my altar as an acceptable sacrifice.(J)
I will glorify my beautiful house.(K)

Who are these who fly like a cloud,
like doves to their shelters?(L)
Yes, the coasts and islands will wait for me(M)
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,(N)
to bring your children from far away,(O)
their silver and gold with them,
for the honor of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,(P)
who has glorified you.(Q)

10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,(R)
and their kings will serve you.(S)
Although I struck you in my wrath,
yet I will show mercy to you with my favor.(T)
11 Your city gates will always be open;
they will never be shut day or night
so that the wealth of the nations
may be brought into you,(U)
with their kings being led in procession.
12 For the nation and the kingdom
that will not serve you will perish;
those nations will be annihilated.(V)
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you(W)
its pine, elm, and cypress together(X)
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will glorify my dwelling place.[d]
14 The sons of your oppressors
will come and bow down to you;(Y)
all who reviled you
will fall facedown at your feet.(Z)
They will call you the City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.(AA)
15 Instead of your being deserted and hated,
with no one passing through,(AB)
I will make you an object of eternal pride,(AC)
a joy from age to age.
16 You will nurse on the milk of nations,
and nurse at the breast of kings;(AD)
you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior(AE)
and Redeemer,(AF) the Mighty One of Jacob.(AG)
17 I will bring gold instead of bronze;
I will bring silver instead of iron,
bronze instead of wood,
and iron instead of stones.
I will appoint peace as your government
and righteousness as your overseers.
18 Violence will never again be heard of in your land;(AH)
devastation and destruction
will be gone from your borders.
You will call your walls Salvation(AI)
and your city gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light by day,
and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,(AJ)
and your God will be your splendor.
20 Your sun will no longer set,
and your moon will not fade;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your sorrow will be over.(AK)
21 All your people will be righteous;(AL)
they will possess the land forever;(AM)
they are the branch I planted,
the work of my[e] hands,
so that I may be glorified.(AN)
22 The least will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
I will accomplish it quickly in its time.

Messiah’s Jubilee

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me,(AO)
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.(AP)
He has sent me to heal[f] the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;(AQ)
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,(AR)
and the day of our God’s vengeance;(AS)
to comfort(AT) all who mourn,
to provide for those who mourn in Zion;
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
festive oil instead of mourning,(AU)
and splendid clothes instead of despair.[g]
And they will be called righteous trees,
planted by the Lord
to glorify him.(AV)
They will rebuild the ancient ruins;(AW)
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.(AX)

But you will be called the Lord’s priests;(AY)
they will speak of you as ministers of our God;
you will eat the wealth of the nations,
and you will boast in their riches.
In place of your shame, you will have a double portion;(AZ)
in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share.
So they will possess double in their land,(BA)
and eternal joy will be theirs.

For I the Lord love justice;(BB)
I hate robbery and injustice;[h]
I will faithfully reward my people
and make a permanent covenant(BC) with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their posterity among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord,
I exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,(BD)
as a groom wears a turban
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.(BE)
11 For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.(BF)

Zion’s Restoration

62 I will not keep silent because of Zion,
and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem,(BG)
until her righteousness shines like a bright light(BH)
and her salvation, like a flaming torch.

Nations will see your righteousness(BI)
and all kings, your glory.
You will be given a new name
that the Lord’s mouth will announce.(BJ)

You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand,
and a royal diadem in the palm of your God’s hand.(BK)
You will no longer be called Deserted,(BL)
and your land will not be called Desolate;
instead, you will be called My Delight Is in Her,[i]
and your land Married;[j](BM)
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land will be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons will marry you;
and as a groom rejoices over his bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.(BN)

Footnotes:

  1. 60:1 = Jerusalem
  2. 60:5 Lit expand
  3. 60:6 Lit cover you
  4. 60:13 Lit glorify the place of my feet
  5. 60:21 LXX, DSS read his
  6. 61:1 Lit bind up
  7. 61:3 Lit a dim spirit
  8. 61:8 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read robbery with a burnt offering
  9. 62:4 Or Hephzibah
  10. 62:4 Or Beulah

Cross references:

  1. 60:1 : Is 9:2; 26:19; 30:26; 51:17; 52:2; Eph 5:14
  2. 60:1 : Is 40:5; 58:8; Mal 4:2
  3. 60:3 : Is 42:6; 49:6; Rv 21:24
  4. 60:4 : Is 49:18-22
  5. 60:5 : Ps 34:5
  6. 60:5 : Is 61:6
  7. 60:6 : Gn 25:3; Ps 72:10
  8. 60:6 : Mt 2:11
  9. 60:7 : Gn 25:13
  10. 60:7 : Is 19:19; 56:7
  11. 60:7 : Is 60:13; Hg 2:7,9
  12. 60:8 : Hs 11:11
  13. 60:9 : Is 51:5
  14. 60:9 : Ps 48:7; Is 2:16
  15. 60:9 : Is 14:2; 43:6; 49:22
  16. 60:9 : Is 1:4; 60:14
  17. 60:9 : Is 55:5
  18. 60:10 : Is 14:1-2; 61:5; Zch 6:15
  19. 60:10 : Is 49:7,23; Rv 21:24
  20. 60:10 : Hab 3:2
  21. 60:11 : Rv 21:25-26
  22. 60:12 : Zch 14:17-19
  23. 60:13 : Is 35:2
  24. 60:13 : Is 41:19
  25. 60:14 : Is 14:1-2; Zch 8:23
  26. 60:14 : Is 49:23; Rv 3:9
  27. 60:14 : Is 1:26
  28. 60:15 : Is 34:10
  29. 60:15 : Is 65:18
  30. 60:16 : Is 49:23; 66:11-12
  31. 60:16 : Is 43:3; 49:26
  32. 60:16 : Is 41:14; 43:14
  33. 60:16 : Gn 49:24; Ps 132:2,5; Is 49:26
  34. 60:18 : Is 11:9
  35. 60:18 : Is 26:1
  36. 60:19 : Zch 14:6-7; Rv 21:23; 22:5
  37. 60:20 : Is 35:10; 65:19; Rv 21:4
  38. 60:21 : Is 52:1
  39. 60:21 : Ps 37:9; Ezk 37:25
  40. 60:21 : Is 61:3
  41. 61:1-2 : Is 11:2; 42:1; 48:16; Lk 4:18-19
  42. 61:1 : Lk 7:22
  43. 61:1 : Is 42:7; 49:9
  44. 61:2 : Is 49:8
  45. 61:2 : Is 2:12; 13:6; 34:2,8
  46. 61:2 : Is 40:1
  47. 61:3 : Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9
  48. 61:3 : Is 60:21; Jr 17:7-8
  49. 61:4 : Is 49:8; 58:12; Ezk 36:33; Am 9:14
  50. 61:5 : Is 14:2; 60:10
  51. 61:6 : Ex 19:6; Is 66:21; 1Pt 2:5,9
  52. 61:7 : Is 54:4
  53. 61:7 : Is 40:2; Zch 9:12
  54. 61:8 : Ps 11:7; Is 59:15
  55. 61:8 : Is 24:5; 55:3
  56. 61:10 : Is 49:18; 52:1; 59:17
  57. 61:10 : Rv 21:2
  58. 61:11 : Is 45:23-24; 60:18,21
  59. 62:1 : Ps 83:1; Is 64:12; 65:6
  60. 62:1 : Is 1:26; 58:8; 61:11
  61. 62:2 : Is 60:3
  62. 62:2 : Is 60:14; Rv 2:17; 3:12
  63. 62:3 : Is 28:5; Zch 9:16; 1Th 2:19
  64. 62:4 : Is 54:6-7; 60:15,18
  65. 62:4 : Hs 2:19-20
  66. 62:5 : Is 65:19
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Philippians 1:27-2:18

27 Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life(A) worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm(B) in one(C) spirit, in one accord,[a] contending together for the faith(D) of the gospel, 28 not being frightened in any way by your opponents.(E) This is a sign of destruction for them,(F) but of your salvation(G)—and this is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe(H) in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

Christian Humility

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love,(I) if any fellowship with the Spirit,(J) if any affection and mercy,(K) make my joy complete by thinking the same way,(L) having the same love,(M) united in spirit, intent on one(N) purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition(O) or conceit,(P) but in humility(Q) consider others as more important(R) than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests,(S) but also for the interests of others.(T)

Christ’s Humility and Exaltation

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God(U)
as something to be exploited.[b]
Instead he emptied himself(V)
by assuming the form of a servant,(W)
taking on the likeness of humanity.(X)
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.(Y)
For this reason God highly exalted him(Z)
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow(AA)
in heaven(AB) and on earth
and under the earth(AC)
11 and every tongue(AD) will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory(AE) of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my dear friends,(AF) just as you have always obeyed,(AG) so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling(AH) and arguing,(AI) 15 so that you may be blameless(AJ) and pure,(AK) children of God who are faultless(AL) in a crooked(AM) and perverted(AN) generation,(AO) among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word(AP) of life. Then I can boast(AQ) in the day of Christ(AR) that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out(AS) as a drink offering(AT) on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:27 Lit soul
  2. 2:6 Or to be grasped, or to be held on to
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 72

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King

Of Solomon.(A)

God, give your justice to the king
and your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
He will judge your people with righteousness
and your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
May the mountains bring well-being[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)

May they fear you[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
May the king be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and well-being abound
until the moon is no more.(H)

May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow in homage to him,
all nations serve him.(L)

12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[d] precious[e] in his sight.(O)

15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders.(S)
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
the whole earth is filled with his glory.(T)
Amen and amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded.(U)

Footnotes:

  1. 72:3 Or peace, also in v. 7
  2. 72:5 LXX reads May he continue
  3. 72:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer read May righteousness
  4. 72:14 Lit their blood is
  5. 72:14 Or valuable
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:11-12

11 Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.(A)
12 If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t he who weighs hearts(B) consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life(C) know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?(D)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

09/29/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 57:15-59:21, Philippians 1:1-26, Psalms 71:1-24, Proverbs 24:9-10

Today is the 29th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you as we walk into a new week together. And, obviously, it’s the 29th of the month. So, before this week is out, we’ll be in a new month together. And on top of all of that, we’re beginning a new week, but also beginning a new book, actually a new letter in the New Testament, the letter to the Philippians and we’ll talk about that when we get there, but first we’re continuing our journey through the book of Isaiah. And this week we’ll read from the Christian Standard Bible. Today, Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 through 59 verse 21.

Introduction to the book of Philippians:

Okay. So, as promised, we’re gonna begin a new letter today, now that we’ve reached the New Testament portion of our time together. So, we finished Paul’s letter, his epic, short but epic letter to the Ephesians, which brings us to Philippians. And with Philippians there’s very little debate among biblical scholars about Paul’s authorship of this letter, and there’s not much debate about Paul’s incarceration when he wrote this letter. Most would agree that Philippians was written somewhere around 61 A.D. from Rome while Paul was awaiting trial before the Emperor. And, so, with this in mind, we realize that were again reading another very early Christian writing that predates the Gospels and for that matter the book of Acts. So, Philippi was a city and its inhabitants were noticed Philippians and it was a Roman colony in Macedonia, which is now like northern Greece and even though Philippi itself was a prosperous city, the church that was planted, those people were not particularly wealthy but they loved, they were rich in love and rich in their concern for the apostle Paul. And, so, in part, this letter to the Philippians is a thank you. Knowing that Paul had been imprisoned in Rome the church at Philippi sent a person named Epaphroditus who was a member of the congregation all the way to Rome to see how he was doing to just like to bring him a gift from the congregation and to lift his spirits. And, so, obviously, Paul was overjoyed. Obviously, he took comfort in that. And Epaphroditus stayed for long time just helping, serving, caring for Paul’s needs. He’s is imprisoned so his mobility is limited, but Epaphroditus got really sick, just about died. And, so, when he was restored to health. Again, Paul was determined to send him back to Philippi and he sent them back with this letter, which shares of his circumstances. So, that gives us a little bit of context but Philippians this is quite a bit more than just a mission’s update, like a newsletter. In Philippians Paul gives language to the joy that we find in our salvation more than any of his other letters, he talks about this and encourages us to persevere, knowing that we actually can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, which is one of the most famous verses in the Scriptures, and it’s found in the letter to the Philippians so we’ll encounter it. I mean joy…joy like actual pure joy…that’s in kind of in short supply around the world. And in these kind of times Philippians is like a light house, like a beacon leading us back to where true hope and joy can actually be found, which is in Christ alone. So, we begin. Philippians chapter 1 verses through 26 today.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for Your word and we thank You for its guidance in our lives, that it is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. And, so, Father as we begin this letter to the Philippians and continue our journey through Isaiah, as we look forward into the new month we invite Your Holy Spirit to continue to guide us forward, guide us in our thoughts, and our words, and our deeds as we greet this new week, we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned, stay connected in any way that you can.

Stay connected on social media if you are on it. Stay connected the Prayer Wall, if you need it or if you’re led to pray for your brothers and sisters. All of the links and all of these things are available dailyaudiobible.com. And, of course, you can access them in the app as well by pushing the little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. Yeah, so, stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link that just kinda hangs out on the homepage and lives there. And, so, I thank you with…with humble gratitude for anyone who’s ever pressed that link. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, which is right next to the little Hotline button that’s new for us or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 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.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 29, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

15 For the High and Exalted One,
who lives forever, whose name is holy,(A) says this:
“I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,(B)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.(C)
16 For I will not accuse you forever,
and I will not always be angry;(D)
for then the spirit would grow weak before me,
even the breath, which I have made.
17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry,(E)
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;
but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort
to him and his mourners,(F)
19 creating words of praise.”[a](G)
The Lord says,
“Peace, peace to the one who is far or near,(H)
and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,(I)
for it cannot be still,
and its water churns up mire and muck.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.(J)

True Fasting

58 “Cry out loudly,[b] don’t hold back!
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Tell my people their transgression
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day
and delight to know my ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God.”(K)
“Why have we fasted, but you have not seen?(L)
We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” [c]
“Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast,
and oppress all your workers.(M)
You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
Will the fast I choose be like this:
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?(N)
Will you call this a fast
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
Isn’t this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,(O)
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?(P)
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,(Q)
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,(R)
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?[d](S)
Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.(T)
Your righteousness will go before you,(U)
and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.(V)

At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer;(W)
when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you get rid of the yoke among you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,(X)
10 and if you offer yourself[e] to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,(Y)
and your night will be like noonday.
11 The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden(Z)
and like a spring whose water never runs dry.(AA)
12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;(AB)
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;(AC)
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live.
13 “If you keep from desecrating[f] the Sabbath,(AD)
from doing whatever you want on my holy day;
if you call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,(AE)
seeking your own pleasure, or talking business;[g][h]
14 then you will delight in the Lord,(AF)
and I will make you ride over the heights of the land,(AG)
and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(AH)

Sin and Redemption

59 Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,(AI)
and his ear is not too deaf to hear.
But your iniquities(AJ) are separating you
from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you(AK)
so that he does not listen.(AL)
For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers, with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongues mutter injustice.
No one makes claims justly;
no one pleads honestly.
They trust in empty and worthless words;
they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.(AM)
They hatch viper’s eggs
and weave spider’s webs.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;
crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
Their webs cannot become clothing,
and they cannot cover themselves with their works.
Their works are sinful works,
and violent acts are in their hands.
Their feet run after evil,(AN)
and they rush to shed innocent blood.(AO)
Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;(AP)
ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.

They have not known the path of peace,(AQ)
and there is no justice in their ways.
They have made their roads crooked;
no one who walks on them will know peace.(AR)
Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, but we live in the night.
10 We grope along a wall like the blind;
we grope like those without eyes.(AS)
We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;
we are like the dead among those who are healthy.
11 We all growl like bears
and moan like doves.(AT)
We hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions have multiplied before you,(AU)
and our sins testify against us.(AV)
For our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:(AW)
13 transgression and deception against the Lord,
turning away from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far off.
For truth has stumbled in the public square,
and honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is missing,
and whoever turns from evil is plundered.
The Lord saw that there was no justice,
and he was offended.
16 He saw that there was no man—
he was amazed that there was no one interceding;(AX)
so his own arm brought salvation,
and his own righteousness supported him.

17 He put on righteousness as body armor,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;(AY)
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.(AZ)
18 So he will repay according to their deeds:(BA)
fury to his enemies,
retribution to his foes,
and he will repay the coasts and islands.
19 They will fear the name of the Lord in the west
and his glory in the east;[i](BB)
for he will come like a rushing stream(BC)
driven by the wind of the Lord.
20 “The Redeemer(BD) will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”(BE)
This is the Lord’s declaration.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,”(BF) says the Lord: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth,(BG) will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. 57:19 Lit creating fruit of the lips
  2. 58:1 Lit with throat
  3. 58:3 These are Israel’s words to God.
  4. 58:7 Lit not hide yourself from your flesh
  5. 58:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read offer your bread
  6. 58:13 Lit keep your foot from
  7. 58:13 Or idly
  8. 58:13 Lit or speak a word
  9. 59:19 Lit sunrise

Cross references:

  1. 57:15 : Lk 1:49
  2. 57:15 : Ps 34:18; 51:17; Is 66:2
  3. 57:15 : Ps 147:3; Is 61:1-3
  4. 57:16 : Gn 6:3; Ps 103:9; Jr 3:12
  5. 57:17 : Is 2:7; 56:11; Jr 6:13
  6. 57:18 : Is 61:1-3
  7. 57:19 : Is 6:7; 51:16; 59:21; Heb 13:15
  8. 57:19 : Ac 2:39; Eph 2:17
  9. 57:20 : Ps 107:29
  10. 57:21 : Is 48:22; 59:8
  11. 58:2 : Ps 119:151; Is 29:13; 57:3; Jms 4:8
  12. 58:3 : Mal 3:14; Lk 18:12
  13. 58:3 : Is 22:12-13; Zch 7:5-6
  14. 58:5 : Est 4:3; Dn 9:3
  15. 58:6 : Jb 36:8; Ps 107:10; Ec 7:26
  16. 58:6 : Neh 5:10-12; Is 58:9; Jr 34:8
  17. 58:7 : Jb 31:19-20; Is 58:10; Ezk 18:7,16
  18. 58:7 : Mt 25:35-36; Lk 3:11
  19. 58:7 : Dt 22:1-4; Lk 10:31-32
  20. 58:8 : Is 30:26; 33:24; Jr 30:17; 33:6
  21. 58:8 : Ps 85:13; Is 62:1
  22. 58:8 : Ex 14:19; Is 52:12
  23. 58:9 : Ps 50:15; Is 55:6; 65:24
  24. 58:9 : Pr 6:13
  25. 58:10 : Jb 11:17; Ps 37:6; Is 42:16; 58:8
  26. 58:11 : Sg 4:15; Is 27:3; Jr 31:12
  27. 58:11 : Jn 4:14; 7:38
  28. 58:12 : Ezr 6:14; Neh 4:6; Is 49:8; 61:4; Ezk 36:10
  29. 58:12 : 1Kg 6:37; Ezr 3:10-12
  30. 58:13 : Ex 31:16-17; 35:2-3; Is 56:2-6; Jr 17:21-27
  31. 58:13 : Is 55:8
  32. 58:14 : Jb 22:26; Ps 37:4
  33. 58:14 : Dt 32:13; 33:29; Is 33:16; Hab 3:19
  34. 58:14 : Is 1:20; 40:5
  35. 59:1 : Nm 11:23; Is 50:2; Jr 32:17
  36. 59:2 : Is 13:11
  37. 59:2 : Dt 31:17-18; 32:20; Is 50:6; Ezk 39:29; Mc 3:4
  38. 59:2 : Dt 3:26; 23:5; Jb 35:13; Is 1:15
  39. 59:4 : Jb 15:35; Ps 7:14; Is 33:11
  40. 59:7-8 : Rm 3:15-17
  41. 59:7 : Pr 1:16; 6:17
  42. 59:7 : Mk 7:21-22
  43. 59:8 : Lk 1:79
  44. 59:8 : Is 57:20-21
  45. 59:10 : Dt 28:29; Jb 5:14
  46. 59:11 : Is 38:14; Ezk 7:16
  47. 59:12 : Ezr 9:6
  48. 59:12 : Is 3:9; Jr 14:7; Hs 5:5
  49. 59:12 : Is 13:11
  50. 59:16 : Is 41:28; 63:5; Ezk 22:30
  51. 59:17 : Eph 6:14,17; 1Th 5:8
  52. 59:17 : Is 9:7; 37:32; Zch 1:14
  53. 59:18 : Jr 25:14; Rv 22:12
  54. 59:19 : Ps 113:3
  55. 59:19 : Is 30:28; 66:12
  56. 59:20 : Is 41:14; 43:14
  57. 59:20-21 : Ezk 18:30-31; Rm 11:26-27
  58. 59:21 : Jr 31:31-34
  59. 59:21 : Is 51:16
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Philippians 1:1-26

Greeting

Paul(A) and Timothy,(B) servants of Christ Jesus:

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,(C) including the overseers(D) and deacons.(E)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,[a] always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day(F) until now.(G) I am sure of this, that he who started a good work(H) in you[b] will carry it on to completion(I) until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right(J) for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart,[c] and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment(K) and in the defense(L) and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness,(M) how deeply I miss all of you(N) with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love(O) will keep on growing(P) in knowledge and every kind of discernment,(Q) 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior(R) and may be pure(S) and blameless(T) in the day of Christ,(U) 11 filled with the fruit(V) of righteousness(W) that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory(X) and praise of God.

Advance of the Gospel

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel,(Y) 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word[d](Z) fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry,(AA) but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love,(AB) knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition,(AC) not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives(AD) or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation[e](AE) through your prayers and help from the Spirit(AF) of Jesus Christ.(AG) 20 My eager expectation and hope(AH) is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life(AI) or by death.(AJ)

Living Is Christ

21 For me, to live is Christ(AK) and to die is gain.(AL) 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful(AM) work(AN) for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ(AO)—which is far better(AP) 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,(AQ) 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting(AR) in Christ Jesus(AS) may abound.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:3 Or for your every remembrance of me
  2. 1:6 Or work among you
  3. 1:7 Or because you have me in your heart
  4. 1:14 Other mss add of God
  5. 1:19 Or vindication
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 71

Psalm 71

God’s Help in Old Age

Lord, I seek refuge in you;
let me never be disgraced.(A)
In your justice, rescue and deliver me;
listen closely to me and save me.(B)
Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and fortress.(C)
Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive.(D)
For you are my hope, Lord God,
my confidence from my youth.(E)
I have leaned on you from birth;
you took me from my mother’s womb.(F)
My praise is always about you.(G)
I am like a miraculous sign to many,
and you are my strong refuge.(H)
My mouth is full of praise
and honor to you all day long.(I)

Don’t discard me in my old age.
As my strength fails, do not abandon me.(J)
10 For my enemies talk about me,
and those who spy on me plot together,(K)
11 saying, “God has abandoned him;
chase him and catch him,
for there is no one to rescue him.”(L)
12 God, do not be far from me;
my God, hurry to help me.(M)
13 May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed;
may those who intend to harm me
be covered with disgrace and humiliation.(N)
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise you more and more.(O)
15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness
and your salvation all day long,
though I cannot sum them up.(P)
16 I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.(Q)

17 God, you have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim your wondrous works.(R)
18 Even while I am old and gray,
God, do not abandon me,(S)
while I proclaim your power
to another generation,
your strength to all who are to come.(T)
19 Your righteousness reaches the heights, God,
you who have done great things;
God, who is like you?(U)
20 You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes,(V)
but you will revive me again.(W)
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.(X)
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.(Y)
22 Therefore, I will praise you with a harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing to you with a lyre,
Holy One of Israel.(Z)
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you
because you have redeemed me.(AA)
24 Therefore, my tongue will proclaim
your righteousness all day long,
for those who intend to harm me
will be disgraced and confounded.(AB)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:9-10

A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to people.

10 If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

09/28/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7

Today is the 28th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is…it is a joy and an honor to be here with you at the close of another of our weeks together. And, yeah, we’ll begin a new week tomorrow, but we are really pretty close to the end of another month together. So, next week, yeah, we’ll be will be graduating into the next month, the month of October. But we’re here at the close of the final full week of the month of September and we’ve been reading from the Voice Translation this week, which is what we’ll do today. Isaiah chapter 54 verse 1 through 57 verse 14 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for bringing us through another week in Your word and we thank You that as we approach the sunset of this month and prepare to move into the final quarter of the year, we invite Your Holy Spirit. You have…You have led and guided us every step of the way to this point and You have transformed us in ways that we would find difficult to even put into words. And this is the power of Your word because it is transforming us from within. So, come Holy Spirit as we release this week into our history and as we look forward with anticipation to all that You have yet to speak to us. Come Jesus we pray. In Your mighty name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And I guess what’s going on around here is we’re finishing our week together strong getting ready to move into a new week and a new week will bring us into a new month and a new month will certainly bring new experiences and new things to pray about, new things to consider and contemplate. And staying connected to one another is one of the things that we do. And, so, dailyaudiobible.com is that hub.

In the Community section you can find all the different social media channels that we’re on. The Prayer Wall lives in there where people are praying for one another on a continual basis. So, be sure to check that out.

The Daily Audio Bible shop lives at dailyaudiobible.com as well and there are a number of resources there for this journey. So, check that out as well.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in this mission that we share to bring the spoken word of God to whoever will listen to it anywhere on this planet anytime of day or night. If that brings light and life and good news into your life, then thank you for giving back in any way that you can. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request a comment, you can press the Hotline button in the app and just start talking or you can dial 877-942 4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Jennifer calling from the Pacific Northwest. I’m calling because I need prayer. My husband of 23 years moved out on Friday, the 13th of September. It’s only been 10 days, but it’s been terrible, and my five children and I are alone. And, so, I’m praying in the name of Jesus that my husband’s affair with this other woman would end and that he would repent and turn to God and would return to our family. So, Daily Audio Bible family if you would please pray for my husband. He’s been a police officer for over 20 years, and I know he has PTSD and I’ve called in for him before but I really would appreciate your prayers for his affair to end and for him to return to Jesus and return to our family in the name of Jesus. Thank you so much Daily Audio Bible. Bye-bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible listeners this is Gina from Orlando. This morning I’m going to pray for those that are experiencing breakups in the family and or your marriages because of mental illness. I pray that the spirit of depression and oppression be cast out of the life and relationships of all those suffering with mental illnesses. I pray that the joy of the Lord renew and your loved ones down and overtake you and saturate your life and the life of those that you love and are connected to. I pray that you experience the abundant life that the Lord died to give you and us. I pray that you and your family and your loved ones live to give a powerful testimony because of the test that you and your family will overcome in Jesus’ name. I pray that the Holy Spirit of God rule you and your loved ones in every area of your life and that you be able to continue to fight and remain faithful until the Lord’s return or your return to Him. My prayer today would be for deliverance for my husband Thomas and for all my family members that are dealing with bipolar depression and pray for family restoration as well. I pray for direction and favor and finances to find a new home. I pray more so that my husband Thomas’s eyes will be opened and he will do is right in God’s will rather than following the leading of his own mind and that he would that the Lord do the work in him so that he can be well and restored. I pray that the Lord will protect my children and grandchildren and our relationship, and the enemy would not be allowed to break us apart or turn them against me because of my stance for God and finally I pray that I do God’s will. Many blessings Daily Audio Bible listeners. Have a great day.

Hello DAB family this is Paula the child advocate from the LA area calling and I’m using the new red button. This is pretty exciting. Thank you, Brian and Jill for doing this. I’ve been hearing a lot of prayer requests for marriages and I have to tell you it really touches my heart. I have been so blessed to be married for my husband for almost 45 years and I just want to share my story with you. When I was a teenager for some reason, I don’t know, I wrote myself a little poem prayer to ask God to send me a godly husband and when I go to bed at night, I used to say this little poem that I wrote. And I just held onto that prayer my whole life. Oh, when I was about 23, 22 I don’t know, I met my husband and before that I had almost been engaged, I had three proposals from three different guys and I came close to being engaged but the Holy Spirit just told me it wasn’t right. It broke my heart because the guy I was dating cried and begged me not to break up with him, but I just knew it wasn’t right. I heard somebody asking in a prayer for us to pray for her because she didn’t know if it was right. Well, the Holy Spirit will tell you in your heart if this is the right person. Well, in our first years of marriage my husband did not go to church with me very often but after we had children, he did go on a regular basis, but I think it was mostly out of obligation. But I want to tell you the miracle that God performed. Now that we been retired, we’re Catholic, and my husband goes to mass every single morning every single morning seven days a week he loves the Lord. He spends time in prayer, he does the hours. I mean, it’s a miracle. So please do not give up hope for your marriages. Pray and trust in Jesus. I love you all. I love to hear your calls. I love your voices. Thank you, Brian and Jill. Bye for now.

Hello daily audio Bible this is been from Legos I would like to pray today against the spirit of depression and its onslaught on the minds of the children of God. I declare that his power is broken in Jesus’ name that even as people see the despair in the world they would see the hand of God at work, they will see the need to preach the gospel more, and to do more for the Lord instead of being overwhelmed and feelings of despair in Jesus’ name. I remember Wade in Japan, I remember Karen and Dublin, and I pray today for Patty who is dealing with extreme anxiety for the healing hand of God will touch her mind and heal her in the name of Jesus. Father we ask for your intervention in Jesus’ name. I thank you for Brian and Jill and the great work they’re doing with the Daily Audio Bible. I declare that the Lord will continue to encourage them in Jesus’ name. I pray for those marriages that are having challenges that the Holy Spirit Himself will intervene and let the desire for peace be paramount above all else, that the internal purpose be paramount above self in Jesus’ name. Thank you.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 28, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

54 Eternal One: Sing, childless woman, you who have never given birth.
Raise a joyful shout, you who have never gone through labor.
You, whose husband is dead, will bring forth much more than the fertile one who has a husband.[a]
Enlarge your house. You are going to need a bigger place;
don’t underestimate the amount of room that you’ll need. So build, build, build.
You will increase in every direction to fill the world.
Your offspring will take over the nations;
Your people will revitalize long-abandoned towns.

Don’t be afraid, for there is no one to shame you.
Don’t fear humiliation, for there is no one to disgrace you.
The shame of your younger years and the sorrow of your widowhood are over.
You’ll forget those days as if they never happened.
Because the One who made you will be your husband;
the One called Commander of heavenly armies
Will set you right again, the Holy One of Israel.
It’s not for nothing that He is called “God of all the earth.”

For the Eternal has called you to come back home,
like a young wife, once deserted and deeply injured.
Now God is pulling you close again. Like a spouse forgives,
He will take you back and be reconciled.
The Eternal, your Redeemer, says this:

Eternal One: Yes, I was angry for a moment, and I rejected you,
but My love endures, and I want you back.
For that moment, when I was so mad,
I made it impossible for you to see Me, to find Me,
But with great tenderness, I will take you back in love.

I think this is like the time when Noah lived.
I promised that I would never again destroy the world by a flood.
So now I am promising never again to be so angry
and punishing as I was when I sent you away.
10 Even if the mountains heave up from their anchors,
and the hills quiver and shake, I will not desert you.
You can rely on My enduring love;
My covenant of peace will stand forever.

So says the Eternal One, whose love won’t give up on you.

This promise stands to God’s covenant people: nothing can happen to them unless God wills it and makes it so. Only if they invite it will destruction come. Throughout this time of rebellion and punishment God makes it clear that they hold their fate in their own hands. And if they haven’t understood the message, God tells them who will do the nation-building—an unworldly restoration. He says that He provides the raw materials; He creates the tools and provides the skills with which the builders build. He alone is responsible for restoring the nation. And no matter what charges the adversary may concoct, God will not be put off. Even though Israel rebelled and was unfaithful at one time, that is in the past. The future is sure: God’s faithfulness to His covenant, His enduring love for His people, will stand for all time. So the challenge goes out from the prophet to God’s people—speaking on God’s authority—to align themselves with God, accept Him as God, and they will surely win.

11 Eternal One: Ah, Jerusalem, so miserable and distressed! I will rebuild you
with floors of shimmering mosaics, set sapphires in your foundations.
12 I will decorate your towers with rubies,
and your gates will sparkle with all manner of precious gems.
Costly jewels will adorn the entire wall that circles your precincts.
13 Every one of your children, the people who call you home,
will be students of the Eternal; oh, they’ll be so happy and live in peace!
14 This time, you will be founded and grounded
on right thought, speech, and action.
And no one will trouble you, abuse or oppress you;
you will know no fear and have no worries.
15 If a nation marches against you,
know that I am not behind it.
Anyone foolish enough to challenge you will fall to you.
16 I have created the blacksmith
who readies the fire and forges weapons for wars;
And I have created the destroyer to ravage and ruin.
17 But no instrument forged against you will be allowed to hurt you,
and no voice raised to condemn you will successfully prosecute you.
It’s that simple; this is how it will be for the servants of the Eternal;
I will vindicate them.

55 Eternal One: If you are thirsty, come here;
come, there’s water for all.
Whoever is poor and penniless can still
come and buy the food I sell.
There’s no cost—here, have some food, hearty and delicious,
and beverages, pure and good.
I don’t understand why you spend your money for things that don’t nourish
or work so hard for what leaves you empty.
Attend to Me and eat what is good;
enjoy the richest, most delectable of things.
Listen closely, and come even closer. My words will give life,
for I will make a covenant with you that cannot be broken, a promise
Of My enduring presence and support like I gave to David.[b]
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander among the nations.
Now you will issue a call to nations from all over the world
people whom you do not know and who do not know you.
They will come running, because of Me, your God
because the Eternal, the Holy One of Israel, has made you beautiful.

So turn your attention and seek the Eternal One while it is still possible;
call on Him while He is nearby.
Let those who are busy plotting violence and doing wrong
stop right now, turn, and do right.
Let them turn back to the Eternal so they can experience His compassion.
God will excuse our past wrongs. Our God’s forgiveness is inexhaustible.

Eternal One: My intentions are not always yours,
and I do not go about things as you do.
My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you,
just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.
10 For as rain and snow can’t go back once they’ve fallen,
but soak into the ground
And nourish the plants that grow,
providing seed to the farmer and bread for the hungry,
11 So it is when I declare something.
My word will go out and not return to Me empty,
But it will do what I wanted;
it will accomplish what I determined.
12 For you will go out in joy, be led home in peace.
And as you go the land itself will break out in cheers;
The mountains and the hills will erupt in song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way
to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good.
And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One
and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever.

The triumph of God over Israel’s enemies is certain. Filled with joy and expectation, God’s covenant people leave behind a strange country and begin the long, dangerous journey back to the promised land. But instead of fear and trepidation at the potential perils ahead, they are overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy. Instead of holding dangers around every turn, the land and creation itself join in the celebration to welcome the exiles home. There is no need to worry about long, hard climbs or treacherous descents, for the mountains and the hills cheer them on. There’s no need to fret about shade from the sun’s blazing heat, for majestic trees grow up to cast their long, cooling shadows across the desert’s arid land. The prophet’s vision of the journey home is nearly complete.

56 Eternal One: Take care that you do what is right and fair,
because before you know it, I will come to save you;
Soon you will see how I rescue.
God’s favor rests on those who attend to justice,
who devote themselves to doing what is right,
Who keep the Sabbath and don’t disregard or belittle it,
who keep from doing what is wrong: destructive, deceitful, or violent.

No stranger who has put trust in the Eternal should ever say,
I don’t count. I’m not part of Eternal’s chosen people.”
And no eunuch should ever say,
“I am all dried up, worthless and empty.”
For this is what the Eternal has to say:

Eternal One: The eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
make good choices, and follow the terms of My covenant
will blossom with My blessing.
I will give them, within My house, an enduring memorial
and a name better than if they had sons and daughters—
A name that will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire
and encourage forever.
And of those strangers who are not among the chosen people Israel
yet have bound themselves to the Eternal,
Attend to God, and love all that the Eternal is and does;
if they serve Him, keep the Sabbath, make good choices, and cling to the terms of the covenant,
I will bring them into My holy mountain where no foreigner is allowed
and give them a joyful welcome within My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will find acceptance on My altar
because My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.[c]

These words must have come as a surprise to the Hebrews. They were the called-out ones and had been commanded to keep themselves separate from their pagan neighbors. Now they hear these words of inclusion. They are told it doesn’t matter who they are or where they’ve come from or what “imperfections” they might have. Any who have bound themselves to Israel’s God—even if they’re not Israel, even if they are not “whole”—belong to Him and will enjoy all the wonders that He has in store for them. One day it will be clear that they are a sign of God’s goodness and mercy, that God’s justice is on display through their lives. They are to live as the light of God to the neighboring countries.

And the One who brings all Israel together, the Lord, the Eternal, declares:

Eternal One: I am not done yet. I will still gather more to this community.

Bring in the ravenous, vicious beasts from forests and fields;
bring them in to pillage Jerusalem to rip and eat!
10 Those who should be guarding and directing the people
are blind and ignorant at best.
They are no better than hounds who can’t be bothered to bark at trouble;
they lie around, lost in their dreams, loving their sleep.
11 But these dogs sure love to eat.
They can’t get enough, greedily devouring Judah.
They are shepherds with no understanding,
guides with no sense of direction.
So they’ve all scattered, each out for himself,
trying to figure out how best to gain advantage.
12 “Come on!” they say, “I’ll get the wine; we’ll get our fill of booze.
Day after day, it just keeps getting better!”[d]

57 Eternal One: The person who does what is right dies, and no one cares.
Good people are carted off, and no one understands why.
For those who are in the right are taken away
and spared a face-to-face encounter with evil.
Nevertheless, those who go through life with integrity and righteousness
will rest in peace and die in their own beds.

But you, you two-faced witch’s spawn, come here.
You are adultery’s children, prostitution’s offspring.
Who is it that you mock?
Whom do you tease and taunt with your vulgar gestures?
You are born of deceit and lies, and nursed on violence and wrong.
You get all excited by other deities and are stimulated by their rituals,
prancing around lush trees and sacrificing innocent children
In valleys and beneath cliffs, dark and sinister.
You’ve made your choice.
You’ve thrown in your lot with idols and smooth stones in dark ravines,
Wining and dining strange gods with offerings of drink and grain.
And you expect Me to tolerate this?

You’ve made your bed in the “sacred places,”
given offerings, and made prayers on high and lofty mountains.
You declare your obedience to Me, but all hidden away—as if I couldn’t see;
behind the very door and doorpost, you set up your shrine.
You turned your back on Me and snuck off to be intimate with other deities;
you made promises to them and bound yourself to them all tight and close.
You offered oils and musky ointments to Molech, your lover-god,
and sent your servants to exotic places far away,
Sent them down even into the grave
to increase your pleasure with a variety of deities.
10 And even when the journey wore you out, your lust drove you on.
You did not give up, thinking it hopeless,
But you found strength and renewed your resolve.
11 Who are you afraid of?
I don’t know why you lied to Me about it;
You never seemed to care what I thought.
Maybe I’ve been patient and quiet too long—
Is that why you’ve lost all respect for Me?
12 I will tell the story of your righteousness and good deeds,
but they can’t help you now.
13 Not even this hodge-podge of idols you call gods can help you.
They’ll not come to your aid if you cry for help.
They’re nothing. A gentle breeze could blow them away;
a breath could topple them,
But whoever stays true to Me, whoever looks to Me for help and support
will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.

14 For those who cling to the true God, it is said,
“Clear the way that they travel; widen the roads and make them smooth!
Take away any difficulty so that they may go easily!”

Footnotes:

  1. 54:1 Galatians 4:27
  2. 55:3 Acts 13:34
  3. 56:7 Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
  4. 56:12 Greek manuscripts omit this verse.
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Ephesians 6

Now to you, children, obey your parents in the Lord because this is right in God’s eyes. This is the first commandment onto which He added a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, and if you do, you will live long and well in this land.”[a]

And, fathers, do not drive your children mad, but nurture them in the discipline and teaching that come from the Lord.

Slaves, respect and fear your earthly masters. Obey and serve them with the same sincerity of heart as you serve the Anointed One. Don’t put on a show just because they are looking (as if you were a people pleaser); but as a slave of the Anointed, do the will of God from your heart. Serve them in good faith as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because all good deeds are gifted back from the Lord, and they are yours whether you are a slave or not.

Masters, hear this: act in kind to your slaves. Stop terrorizing and threatening them. Don’t forget that you have a Master in heaven who does not take sides or pick favorites.

10 Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. 11 Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. 12 We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places.

13 And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate, 15 and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace. 16 Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one. 17 Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Paul knows that the real battles and dangers we face are not against flesh and blood. The enemies we see are real enough, but they are animated by spiritual forces of darkness that stay strategically hidden from view. These powers often reveal themselves in institutional evils—genocide, terror, tyranny, and oppression—but the weapons needed to combat them are not earthly weapons at all. What is needed, Paul advises, is to stand firm in God’s power and to suit up in the full armor of God. Although the devil and his demon armies are destined for destruction, they are serious threats now and must be resisted and beaten back. For Paul, the best offensive weapons we have are the word of God and prayer.

18 Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed. 19 And please pray for me. Pray that truth will be with me before I even open my mouth. Ask the Spirit to guide me while I boldly defend the mystery that is the good news— 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains—so pray that I can bravely pronounce the truth, as I should do.

21 I am sending to you Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful minister in the Lord. He will tell you everything that has been going on here with me 22 so you will know how I am and what I am doing. He’s coming with news that will hopefully comfort your hearts. 23 Brothers and sisters, let me leave you with a blessing:

May peace and love with faith be yours from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed. 24 May His grace surround all who love our Lord Jesus the Anointed with a never-ending love.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 70

Psalm 70

For the worship leader. A song of David for remembering.

O God, hurry to save me;
Eternal One, hurry to my side.
For those who seek to kill me,
God, may they burn in disgrace and humiliation!
Repulse the attacks; ridicule the efforts
of those taking pleasure in my pain.
I hear their taunts: “Nah, nah, nah . . . .”
Let those hecklers fall back upon their brays—ashamed and confused

But let those who pursue You
celebrate and have joy because of You.
And let the song of those who love Your saving grace
never cease: “God is great!”
But I am poor and in serious need,
so hurry to my side, God,
Because You are my helper, my liberator.
Eternal One, please don’t wait.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:8

Whoever schemes to carry out evil
will be labeled a troublemaker.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

09/27/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7

Today is the 27th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you as we end a work week and move ourselves into the weekend and hopefully a little catching up, a little rest for us. But no matter what day it is or what part of the week it is or month or year, whatever, we have a rhythm and that rhythm includes allowing God’s word to speak into our lives bringing us clarity and rest. So, let’s just exhale all of the stuff that’s swirling around us and inhale peace and this serenity that we share around the global campfire as we let God’s word speak. So, we’ve been reading from the Voice Translation this week and we’ll continue to do that until this week is up. Isaiah, chapter 51 through 53 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, as working our way through the book of Isaiah today we encountered a scripture that describes Jesus, right? “So, that when he was hurt because of us He suffered so. Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed Him. He endured the breaking that made us whole. The injuries He suffered became our healing. We all have wandered off like shepherdess sheep scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits. The eternal one laid on him, this silent suffer, the sins of us all.” Right? So, this is in the Voice Translation. “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity”, right? That’s…that’s the passage we’re talking about here in the in the language that we’re most accustomed to. But this portrait in the book of Isaiah is stark and it helps us to understand that the benefits…the panoramas, right, the too good to be true moments that we’ve been experiencing in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, didn’t just happen. That happened at a great cost. It was given as a gift to us freely and we receive it freely and we can’t earn it and we understand this but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t very costly to the gift giver. And, so, understanding that God cares as much as He does about us individually, this should absolutely pull us forward and at least attempt to look clearly at all that God has given us now in this world to live this life because He envisions a life for us.

And this is what Paul starts talking about in our reading from Ephesians today when he instructs us to imitate God. And that’s what he says, “so, imitate God.” I mean, can we pause there for a second? Where do we even start? Imitate God? Like, that this is even possible, or a category is a pretty big deal. Imitate God. Follow Him like adored children and live in love as the Anointed One loved you. And the way that the Anointed One loved us is what we just read out of the book of Isaiah. He loved you so much that He gave himself as a fragrant sacrifice pleasing God. So, on one side of the coin just the idea that we are God’s precious children and that we can imitate our Father the Almighty in everything we do, that’s such…that is so overwhelming, right? Like the rest of Ephesians, it’s like almost too good to be true. On the other side of this coin, what we were just talking about, the gift came at a price and that price was the sacrifice of our beloved Savior, the Anointed, Jesus. So, we can have these awe-inspiring gifts that God has given us and we can receive them joyously because they’re ours for the taking, but the outpouring of love that made this possible should truly and deeply humble us because what we are staring at face-to-face squarely is what true and unconditional love actually looks like. And, so, where does this get…like in our lives where does the rubber meet the road on this. We’re talking about this conceptually, we’re talking about this literally, but it’s overwhelmingly good news. And, so we have to process all this and how do we begin to live this out in our day-to-day lives? Well, one place for sure would be in our marriages, which is where the apostle Paul took the discussion today. So, quoting Paul here, “the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed leads the church and serves as the head. The church is his body, he is her Savior. So, wives should submit to their husbands respectfully in all things, just as the church yields to the anointed one. Husbands you must love your wives so deeply, purely and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love of the Anointed One, the love that he has for His bride, the church. We know He gave himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word. He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished completely free from all impurity, holy and innocent before Him. So, husbands should care for their wives as if their lives depended on it the same way they care for their own bodies. As you love her you are ultimately loving part of yourself. You are one flesh.” So, for years right, this…this passage has been misused really in unhealthy and pretty controlling ways. So, listen. Husbands let’s think about Isaiah. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised…” Isaiah is depicting a person who has been disfigured because they have been beaten nearly to death. Brothers, that is what Jesus did for you. Right? He desired you and loved you and it compelled Him step-by-step forward to death. You’re supposed to love your wife like as Christ loved the church. So, what Ephesians is saying, and this is…this is a big deal. You are tangibly bringing the love of Jesus to your wife. You are Jesus with skin on and you bring the ministry of Jesus to your wife. And wives, let’s think about Isaiah, like the same thing. That sacrifice, that is what Jesus did for you, you, you, not every other woman in the world but you, you. His desire, His love compelled him forward. He loved you that much. That’s how much you are loved. And that’s how you are to submit to your husbands, as you would to the Lord, which does not mean you’re supposed to be abused. That’s not how Jesus treats you. That’s not how you’re supposed to be treated. That’s not God’s intention for you. What’s being revealed here is that if your husband is loving you as Christ loved the church then you have to respond to that respectfully, as you would to Jesus. And that’s not a big stretch to consider submitting to and trusting and respecting a love that would die for you, right? So, there’s no is no room for abuse of control in that kind of equation. And according to Paul, we’re supposed to submit to one another out of our deep respect for Jesus, which means that we’re supposed to love each other with the love of Christ. We’re supposed to bring the love of Christ to each other. So, we can look at it idealistically and just go, “well…if that could be done it would be good”. But this is supposed to be normal. And if we would live into this imagine the turmoil that would be eliminated from our homes. Imagine the joy that we would find living in the light together. But if we’re not in a live into what Paul’s saying here in the letter to the Ephesians then…then we’re not. Paul says, “live as people of the light because the light produces in you what’s good and right and true.” Is that what we’re going for? If that’s what we’re going for then we’ve been given a pathway today with what we’re supposed to be looking for as we live into this. And as we just talked about, there’s no truer place, there is no greater place for this to be lived out than within our own homes, in our own marriages. This is where it actually gets worked out.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, as we end our work and prepare for the weekend we invite You into that because the truth is we haven’t been doing what You’ve…what You’ve been instructing, not with any kind of consistency. It so often boils down to the well-worn ruts that have just been formed over the years and all of the soft spots that we like to go after in each other in ways that we like to hurt each other in order to get control and just all the stuff that we do in relationships. And we have to acknowledge, that’s not how You’ve loved us and we’re not imitating the way You’ve loved us at all. And we acknowledge that’s wrong. Come Holy Spirit. Let us love one another as You have loved us. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Stay connected on social media, stay connected to the Prayer Wall. Continue this lifestyle of having the Scriptures inform life and then giving back in prayer for one another as we…as we are the body of Christ in this world. So, home base is dailyaudiobible.com. So, check out. Stay connected in any way that you can.

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

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 27, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

51 Listen closely, you who diligently work for justice
and look for the Eternal One, for what is fair and true.
It would be good for you to look back, look to the place from where you came,
the rock out of which you were shaped and the quarry from where you were mined.
Look to your spiritual ancestors
Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who birthed you.
Abraham was only one person when I called him.
But with generous goodness, I made from him a numerous people.

The Eternal One will relieve the troubles and worries of Zion
and bring comfort to the rubble of its destruction.
God will turn deserted places into a flourishing garden like Eden of old;
happy voices will ring out in the Eternal’s garden;
Buoyant music and thanksgiving will fill the air.

Eternal One: Listen closely, you who are Mine; lend an ear, My nation;
for My instruction will go straight out into all the world
And My justice will illuminate all people wherever they are.
My justice is coming closer. My rescue is on the way.
My strong arm will extend justice to the nations.
Distant shores are looking to Me with hope that I will accomplish it.
Don’t worry—look up at the sky and down at the earth.
The sky will disappear like smoke; the earth will wear out like a well-used garment;
Every last thing may perish and dissolve, but My salvation is for all time.
My justice will not end.

Listen to Me, you who already live out what is true and right,
who treasure My instruction within your hearts:
Don’t be afraid of people’s scorn.
Don’t let their dismissive criticism, bitter anger, or hatred get you down.
For they’ll come to nothing; they’ll be eaten up as a moth eats a shirt;
they’ll be consumed as a worm feeds on wool.
But My justice will endure. I will extend My saving action to every generation.

This sounds too good to be true. God’s people fear He is asleep, so they attempt to rouse Him to action. They remind Him—and themselves—of when God rescued His people long ago and defeated Egypt. Rahab, a monster of mythic character, is linked to Egypt, a nation of legendary power and cruelty. The prophet assures his discouraged audience that God will come through again for His people. It will be for them like it was when God rescued the Hebrew slaves. The exiled people of God will be freed from Babylon, and God will smooth out and level off the perilous desert highway that leads from Mesopotamia to the promised land.

Get up, power of God! Rise up and strengthen Yourself, arm of God.
Get up and do like in the olden days, when You saved Your special people—
Like when You cut Rahab, that dragon-monster of chaos, in two.
10 And remember when You made the sea dry up
and the waters of the deep retreated for Moses and company;
Then You laid down a road right through for the people You saved to cross over?
11 It’ll be like that for those the Eternal One ransomed from captivity
to return to Zion, Jerusalem. And they’ll come singing with joy.
Overwhelming, never-ending joy will crown their heads with happiness and delight
while desperation and depression melt away.

12 Eternal One: I am the One who comforts you and gives you peace.
So why are you afraid of human beings?
The children of men are only grass; they’ll wither and die.

13 Have you forgotten Me, the One who made you and the whole world,
who stretched out the skies and made sure the earth’s foundations?
Yet you constantly worry about others—how they hate and might harm you.
But their anger counts for nothing.
14 In an instant, those who cower in fear and trepidation will be free to go in confidence;
they won’t die in chains or suffer from hunger.
15 Because I, the Eternal, am your God,
I can make the oceans roil with storm and roll with great waves.
They call Me, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.
16 I have given you My words to speak and protected you with the shadow of My hand.
I am the One who pulled the skies tight and made the earth rock solid.
And I am the same who said to Zion, “You are indeed Mine!”

17 Get up. Get up, and get moving! Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have experienced firsthand the punishing anger of God.
You have drunk that terrible cup to the last gritty drop,
and it left you reeling, drunk on distress.
18 Ah, poor Jerusalem! No one comes to guide her along.
Of all her people, all the ones whom the city nurtured and raised to adulthood,
None take her hand now in her stupor of pain.
19 Twin disasters have befallen you:
devastation and destruction, famine and war.
Who can relieve your anguish and pain?
Who is left to provide comfort?
20 Her people are lying around on every corner,
weary and faint, like an antelope trapped in a net.
Each is overcome with the Eternal’s anger; each suffers His rebuke.

21 But now, listen! Listen, you who are miserable,
you who are intoxicated, but not on wine.
22 The Lord, your God, the Eternal, who pleads for His people, has this to say:

Eternal One: Look! I have taken away the cup that left you reeling—the cup of My anger—
and sobered you up; I will never make you drink it again.
23 And I will give that drink to those who abused and oppressed you—
who ordered you, “Get down so we can walk all over you.”
And your backs became the ground they walked on, the streets they passed by.

52 Wake up, fair Zion; dress in your strength.
Put on your most elegant clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city.
Never again will outsiders—uncircumcised and the unclean—
who once abused and denigrated you move within your elect borders.
So brush off any dust and dirt; rise, take your place of honor, Jerusalem.
Loose the chains from your neck and raise your head in freedom, captive children of Zion.
For the Eternal has this to say:

Eternal One: You were taken for nothing,
and it’s nothing for Me to get you back.

For the Lord, the Eternal, has this to say:

Eternal One: My people willingly went to live in Egypt long ago;
but now Assyria has oppressed My people for no good reason.

So what now? Babylon has assumed it can simply take My people away
with no recompense and no respect.
Their tyrannical rulers jeer and cheer
and continually deride My name.
Well, it’s not over. My people will know My name.
At the time that I determine,
My people will see again who I am.
I will tell them, “I am here. And I am ready.”

Ah, how beautiful the feet of those on the mountain
who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation,[a]
The voice that calls to Zion, that chosen place for God’s promise people,
announcing to them “Your God rules!”
Listen! The ones who watch and wait are crying out and laughing for joy:
Look now, for everyone will see the Eternal One coming back to Zion.
Let the rock and rubble of Jerusalem erupt in joyful song
for the Eternal has brought comfort to His people and redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Eternal has flexed His muscles, bared His holy arm
for the world to see His power;
Every nation, every person, every place on earth
will witness the victory of our God.

The prophet urges God’s exiled people to leave Babylon, trusting in God and bringing with them the sacred vessels necessary to restore the priestly service of the temple.

11 Servants of God, turn away from that place;
As for those who carry the vessels for the Eternal’s temple,
go, without touching any of Babylon’s impurity, and make yourselves pure.
12 Go in confidence and grace—no rushing, no frantic escape.
There’s no need to be anxious—the Eternal One goes before and behind you.
The God of Israel paves the way with assurance and strength.
He watches your back.

13 Eternal One: See here! My servant will succeed.
He will grow in character and reputation, achieving high standing and status.
14 Just as people used to be shocked by you,
even so his appearance was disfigured;
His form—once glorious—was marred until it hardly seemed human.
15 Now many nations will be astonished at his prominence;
world rulers will be speechless in his presence,
For they will see what they’ve never been told;
they will understand what they’ve never heard.[b]

53 Indeed, who would ever believe it?
Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told?[c]
Who has witnessed the awesome power and plan of the Eternal in action?[d]
Out of emptiness he came, like a tender shoot from rock-hard ground.
He didn’t look like anything or anyone of consequence—
he had no physical beauty to attract our attention.
So he was despised and forsaken by men,
this man of suffering, grief’s patient friend.
As if he was a person to avoid, we looked the other way;
he was despised, forsaken, and we took no notice of him.
Yet it was our suffering he carried,
our pain[e] and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness.
We just figured that God had rejected him,
that God was the reason he hurt so badly.
But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so.
Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed him.
He endured the breaking that made us whole.
The injuries he suffered became our healing.
We all have wandered off, like shepherdless sheep,
scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits;
The Eternal One laid on him, this silent sufferer,
the sins of us all.

And in the face of such oppression and suffering—silence.
Not a word of protest, not a finger raised to stop it.
Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered,
he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away.
From this generation, who was there to complain?
Who was there to cry “Foul”?
He was, after all, cut off from the land of the living,
Smacked and struck, not on his account,
because of how my people (my people!)
Disregarded the lines between right and wrong.
They snuffed out his life.[f]
And when he was dead, he was buried with the disgraced
in borrowed space (among the rich),
Even though he did no wrong by word or deed.[g]

It is hard to understand why God would crush His innocent Servant. But it is in His suffering for sin that God deals decisively with sin and its harmful effects.

10 Yet the Eternal One planned to crush him all along,
to bring him to grief, this innocent servant of God.
When he puts his life in sin’s dark place, in the pit of wrongdoing,
this servant of God will see his children and have his days prolonged.
For in His servant’s hand, the Eternal’s deepest desire will come to pass and flourish.
11 As a result of the trials and troubles that wrack his soul,
God’s servant will see light and be content
Because He knows, really understands, what it’s about; as God says,
“My just servant will justify countless others by taking on their punishment and bearing it away.
12 Because he exposed his very self—
laid bare his soul to the vicious grasping of death—
And was counted among the worst, I will count him among the best.
I will allot this one, My servant, a share in all that is of any value,
Because he took on himself the sin of many
and acted on behalf of those who broke My law.”

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Ephesians 5

We come to God as sinners; but He wants to transform our habits, attitudes, and practices into the ways of Jesus: to live, forgive, and love as He did.

So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God.

Listen, don’t let any kind of immorality be breathed among you. Any demoralizing behaviors (perverse sexual acts, uncleanliness, greediness, and the like) are inappropriate topics of conversation for those set apart as God’s people. Don’t swear or spurt nonsense. Don’t make harsh jokes or clown around. Make proper use of your words, and offer them thankfully in praise. This is what we know for certain: no one who engages in loose sex, impure actions, and greed—which is just a form of idolatry—has any inheritance in the kingdom of God and His Anointed.

Don’t be fooled by people whose sentences are compounded with useless words, empty words—they just show they are empty souls. For, in His wrath, God will judge all the children of disobedience for these kinds of sins. So don’t be persuaded into their ignorance; and don’t cast your lot with them because, although you were once the personification of darkness, you are now light in the Lord. So act like children of the light. For the fruit of the light is all that is good, right, and true. 10 Make it your aim to learn what pleases our Lord. 11 Don’t get involved with the fruitless works of darkness; instead, expose them to the light of God. 12 You see, it’s a disgrace to speak of their secrets (so don’t even talk about what they do when no one is looking). 13-14 When the light shines, it exposes even the dark and shadowy things and turns them into pure reflections of light. This is why they sing,

Awake, you sleeper!
Rise from your grave,
And the Anointed One will shine on you.

15 So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! 16 Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times. 17 So understand and be confident in God’s will, and don’t live thoughtlessly. 18 Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. 19 When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; 20 and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done.

Wisdom is a rare commodity. Paul urges believers, then and now, to walk wisely. It involves living well every day. Time itself seems to be co-opted by dark forces. But when believers understand God’s will, avoid drunkenness, and allow God to fill them with His Spirit, they are able to walk wisely and live well. The Spirit-filled life is not just for a special few; it is the normal Christian life, and it affects everything, including how we live in community and how we treat others at home.

21 And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. 22 Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord, 23 for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed leads the church and serves as the head. (The church is His body; He is her Savior.) 24 So wives should submit to their husbands, respectfully, in all things, just as the church yields to the Anointed One.

25-26 Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely, and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the Anointed One has for His bride, the church. We know He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word. 27 He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished—completely free from all impurity—holy and innocent before Him. 28 So husbands should care for their wives as if their lives depended on it, the same way they care for their own bodies. As you love her, you ultimately are loving part of yourself (remember, you are one flesh). 29 No one really hates his own body; he takes care to feed and love it, just as the Anointed takes care of His church, 30 because we are living members of His body. 31 “And this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother and is united with his wife; the two come together as one flesh.”[a] 32 There is a great mystery reflected in this Scripture, and I say that it has to do with the marriage of the Anointed One and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each husband is to love and protect his own wife as if she were his very heart, and each wife is to respect her own husband.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:31 Genesis 2:24
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 69:19-36

19 You know all my opponents;
You see them, see the way they treat me—
humiliating me with insults, trying to disgrace me.
20 All this ridicule has broken my heart,
killed my spirit.
I searched for sympathy, and I came up empty.
I looked for supporters, but there was no one.
21 Even more, they gave me poison for my food
and offered me only sour vinegar to drink.

22 Let them be ambushed at the dinner table,
caught in a trap when they least expect it.
23 Cloud their vision so they cannot see;
make their bodies shake, their knees knock in terror.
24 Pour out Your fiery wrath upon them!
Make a clean sweep; engulf them with Your flaming fury.
25 May their camps be bleak
with not one left in any tent.
26 Because they have persecuted the one You have struck,
add insult to those whom You have wounded.
27 Compound their sins; don’t let them off the hook!
Keep them from entering into Your mercy.
28 Blot out their names from Your book of life
so they will not be recorded alongside those who are upright before You.
29 I am living in pain; I’m suffering,
so save me, True God, and keep me safe in troubled times!

30 The name of the True God will be my song,
an uplifting tune of praise and thanksgiving!
31 My praise will please the Eternal more than if I were to sacrifice an ox
or the finest bull. (Horns, hooves, and all!)
32 Those who humbly serve will see and rejoice!
All you seekers-after-God will revive your souls!
33 The Eternal listens to the prayers of the poor
and has regard for His people held in bondage.

34 All God’s creation: join together in His praise! All heaven, all earth,
all seas, all creatures of the ocean deep!
35 The True God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
So that His servants may own it and live there once again.
36 Their children and children’s children shall have it as their inheritance,
and those who love His name will live in it.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:7

Fools can’t grab hold of wisdom; it’s out of their reach;
they dare not open their mouths in public for no one would listen anyway.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

09/26/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 48:12-50:11, Eph 4:17-32, Ps 69:1-18, Pr 24:5-6

Today is the 26th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you as we move ourselves into the back half of another week and we’re just…let me look at a calendar here…1, 2, 3, 4, 5…5 more days in this month. So, back half of the month. And wow! I look back over any month and consider the territory that we’ve covered in the Scriptures and realize it does matter what month we’re in, there’s something so profound that God speaks through His word into our lives that hits us right where we are, like just talking about growing up and maturing yesterday from the book of Ephesians. And, so let’s take the next step forward on our adventure through the Scriptures this year. We’ve been reading from the Voice this week. Today, Isaiah 48 verse 12 through 50 verse 11.

Commentary:

Alright. So, have you ever heard the sentiment like, “be…like…be all you can be?” Like, “maximize your potential”, right? “Be the best version of yourself”, this kind of sentiment. “Live into your absolute full potential”, right? I have never in my life…ever…I can’t remember a time that those kinds of ideas weren’t swirling around, probably because their great marketing, right? “If you buy this thing, then you will be all you can be.” And that gets attached to every kind of product and service you can imagine, right? Because if this product or service will make you the best version of you, like you will become your maximum potential and you will live up to it, then, who wouldn’t want to buy that? And, so, kind of dovetailing with what we were talking about in Ephesians yesterday, Paul kinda goes there in today’s reading by first describing what our maximum impact potential is not. He says, “they are blind to true understanding, they are strangers and aliens to the kind of life God has for them because they live in ignorance and immorality and because their hearts are cold, hard stones. And now since they’ve lost all natural feelings, they’ve given themselves over to sensual, greedy and reckless living. They stop at nothing to satisfy their impure appetites”. So basically, according to Paul, the close minded hardhearted person has no real good way forward. And there’s a reason. I mean Paul, throughout his entire writings and his entire ministry, the promise was that faith was the activator, faith started with Abraham, faith is the thing, it activates renewal and it’s the only path that will lead us to God. So, to truly have faith would mean that we would believe with our whole heart in a certain direction. So, a closed mind and a hard heart isn’t gonna get us there. That’s not who we were created to be. So, yesterday we were talking about growing up and maturing and how do we do that. So, in today’s reading, like how do we move toward a person that is living into their maximum potential? Paul actually gives those instructions. “Take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self, that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust. Take a fresh breath. Let God renew your attitude and spirit, then you’re ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God, truthful, righteous and holy.” Okay, pause here for a second and think of what we just read less as a list of things that you gotta get your act together on. Like, let’s let what we just read sink in because now we’re talking about things that are unbelievably good news, like too good, another vista again. We’re speaking about a fully restored humanity, created in God’s image. We’re talking about who we were actually created to be all along. And, so, obviously we can’t give ourselves a new nature but we can receive one from God and that is exactly what being made new through faith is. Right? So, we can’t make it happen. We absolutely have to collaborate, but we have to collaborate. We have to do our part. And Paul told us at length what it looks like. Tell the truth. That’s you doing your part. Don’t let anger control you. That’s you collaborating. Don’t steal. That’s you partnering with God in His work. Work hard, give generously, don’t use foul language, be an encouragement, don’t be better, be kind. Forgive as God has forgiven you through Jesus. If we’ll live into this then we can, as Paul says, allow the spirit to renew, remake, make new again our thoughts and attitudes. So, basically, the Holy Spirit will remind us of who we are and who we were created to be. So, if we go back to the beginning of our little discussion on like living into our max potential then anger and bitterness isn’t going to get us there and unforgiveness isn’t gonna work. This is actually choosing the least impactful version of ourselves. It causes the maximum damage in our lives. So, let’s think about it today. Where are we going? If we don’t know where we’re going, we still will end up somewhere. It will just be confusing as to why. Are we intentionally living into becoming all that we were made to be, all that’s being outlined in this letter to the Ephesians, where we’re being told we are being fashioned in the image of our Creator, that we are the sons and daughters of the most high God upon this earth, that we are supposed to grow up and be that on the earth and reveal God’s kingdom in the process. So, do we want to be who we are or are we just loving being less?

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. There’s…there’s just so much in this letter to the Ephesians that lifts our eyes. It’s like we’ve been staring at the ground walking one foot in front of the other just in single file line kinda just trying to keep it together and stay in the margins and we haven’t lifted our heads to the horizon to realize what we can see now, what there is, what You’ve actually done for us. And we want to be that. We’ve deferred what that might be like until after we die. Like we thought all of the benefits of this faith journey, they don’t actually kick in until I’m dead. But that’s not what we’re seeing in Your word. You have actually created us to be impactful, maximized, mature people who are growing forward every day and being transformed and set apart as holy to You. That’s what we’re supposed to be like. That’s what normal is. And understanding that that’s what normal is, that gives us pause as we examine ourselves. Come Holy Spirit and continue the work of pulling us forward we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 26, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, Israel whom I’ve specially named,
specially chosen, and not without purpose.
I Am the first of all things, and I will be the last.
13 It is by My power, My desire, My doing that the earth was anchored.
My hand flung the skies. I established them,
And when I call, they pay the strictest attention.

14 Come and listen, all of you! Did any of you tell in advance
that the Eternal’s beloved would press diligently
Against Babylon’s might and overcome Chaldea as He desired?

15 Eternal One: No, only I, I the Eternal One knew this would happen.
I was the one who summoned him, who led him,
Who determined that he would have such victory.
16 Come even closer, and hear: from the beginning I spoke,
not hiding away in hushed secret. I Am and will be;
I was before anything was at all.

The Lord, the Eternal, has sent me and His Spirit.
17 The Eternal One, who rescued you, the Holy One of Israel declares,

Eternal One: I am the Eternal One your God. I have given you My instruction
for living well and right, leading you in how you should be and do.
18 If only you had listened to My instruction,
then you would have been flooded with peace;
Your righteousness would have risen and crested like waves on the sea.
19 Your people would have multiplied to become like the grains of sand,
and your children would be like grains of wheat.
And they would be forever in My mind and My presence.

20 Leave Babylon; run swiftly from Chaldea! And let it be known
with a joyous shout, to the ends of the earth,
That the Eternal One has rescued Jacob, His servant!
21 And though He guided them through desert places, with no water in sight,
they were never thirsty.
Just as in Moses’ time, God made the rocks gush water,
split the rock and made water pour streaming out.

22 Eternal One: Ah, but the malicious and wicked will never be at peace.

True peace begins with knowing God. Those who listen and live by His teachings find that wholeness and goodness flood into their lives. The wicked, however, face a different reality; they live with constant danger and problems.

49 Listen to this, everyone—near and far:
The Eternal One singled me out, even before I was born.
He called me and named me when I was still in my mother’s belly.
Even then, God was preparing my mouth to speak like a sharp sword.
He kept my purpose quiet, kept me safe in the shadow of His hand,
He crafted me into a sharp-tipped arrow and tucked me away in His quiver;
God said to me, “You are My servant, Israel.
Through you, I will be glorified.”
I said, “I’ve worked hard for nothing.
I spent my strength, and what have I accomplished—nothing,
Yet my justice and reward are secure with my God, the Eternal One.”
And now the Eternal who watched, shaped, and made me His own servant
from the womb has determined to restore Jacob’s family;
Israel will be made right with the Eternal again.
For God has counted me worthy and He has been my strength right along.

Eternal One: As My servant you will do even more than this,
even more than restoring Jacob’s family to Me
And making Israel right with Me again.
I will make you a light for the nations,
And You will illumine them until My salvation reaches to the ends of the earth.[a]

This is what the Eternal One, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,
told to the one who is despised and loathed by the nation,
To the servant of national leaders.

Eternal One: At the sight of you, kings will rise and princes will bow down,
for I, the Eternal, faithful and true, the Holy One of Israel, have chosen you.

The Eternal has this to say:

Eternal One: When the time was right, I answered you;
on the day you were delivered, I was your help.[b]
I will watch over you, and give you
as a promise, a binding covenant to the people.
Through you, My gift to the people, the land of promise will recover.
Ancestral ground, once deserted, will be entrusted to them.
Through you, My gift to the people, I will declare to the prisoners,
“Come out. Now you are free”;
To those who are held in darkness, “Come out into the light.
They will find sustenance wherever they are
Along the roads or in the open hills—
with peace of mind, in comfort and security.
10 Wherever they are, they will be fine, never hungry nor thirsty.
They will be protected from oppressive heat and the burning sun
Because the One who loves them—as a mother loves her child—will be their guide.
God will lead them to restful places, rejuvenating springs of water.
11 I will make their going easy, level the mountain road
and smooth the path that leads them home.
12 Look! Even now, they are coming from lands far away,
some from the north, others from the west, these from the land of Sinim.[c]

13 Oh joy! Be glad—sky! Take joy—earth! Burst into song—mountains!
For the Eternal, moved to compassion, has comforted and consoled His people.

There are many kinds of love—and not enough words to tell the differences. Hebrew has a word for “love” that is related to its word for a woman’s womb. English has no such word. It is too bad, for it is difficult to describe womb-love, the bearing-and-birthing love of a mother, the kind of love that the Lord has for the people of God’s promise, Jacob’s children. God shaped this people as His own and bound them with no ordinary promise. God loves them in the same way a mother loves the child growing in her womb. It can’t be said so neatly and completely with one “love” word, but that is the idea that threads its way through this text.

14 Zion: The Eternal One has abandoned me. God has walked out the door;
my Lord left me alone. He has forgotten all about me.

15 Eternal One: Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed,
however hurt, to forget her nursing child?
Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed?
Even if she could, I, God, will never forget you.
16 Look here. I have made you a part of Me, written you on the palms of My hands.
Your city walls are always on My mind, always My concern.
17 Now sweet Zion your children are running pell-mell back to you
Just as fast as those who destroyed you are leaving.
18 Raise your head, lift up your eyes,
and watch your heart’s desire come
All your children, gathered and returning to you. As I live, so I promise.
You will wear them with pride all like shining ornaments;
you will put them on as a bride on her wedding day.
19 Because of all of your destroyed land—the barren fields and abandoned farms—
you are now too small, too cramped for all your citizens;
And those who tried to swallow you whole will be far, far away.
20 The children you mourned, those born in exile, will return and say,
“It is too cramped and crowded for us;
We’re going to need more room if we are to live here.”
21 You’ll say to yourself, “Where in the world did all these people come from?
Could these really be mine?
I thought I’d been desolated, left empty.
Where have you all been? Where did you come from?”

22 This is what the Lord, the Eternal, has to say:

Eternal One: I will lift My hand and signal every nation that holds your people
And they will bring your children back again:
boys bundled in their arms, girls riding on their shoulders.
23 Kings will tend the children of Zion, and their queens will nurse and nurture them.
These greats will humble themselves before you.
They will bow and lick the dust off your feet,
and in the course of it all, you will remember that I am the Eternal.
Whoever trusts in Me will never be put to shame.

24 Jerusalem: Can the spoil of war be taken from the mighty?
Can the captives be freed from the hand of a tyrant?

25 Eternal One: Hard to believe, but it shall be so.
The captives will be taken from the hand of the mighty,
And the spoil of war will be rescued from the tyrant.
I will liberate them from their captors and contend with your enemies.
I will save your children.
26 I will turn your enemies’ violence back on themselves,
and they will suffer their own atrocities:
They will feed on their own flesh and drink their own blood like wine.
Then every person on earth will know for certain that I, the Eternal, am your Savior.
I am your hero, the strong One of Jacob from whom you come.
I will rescue you, whatever the price.

50 Eternal One: Where is the document of My divorce from your mother, Israel?
And to whom did I turn you over when I could no longer pay?
No, it was you who amassed debta debt of constant wrongdoing—
And that’s why your mother was sent away.
Why is it that when I came to visit, no one was there to greet Me;
and when I called out for you, no one answered?
Do you think My reach insufficient, My power too limited to rescue you?
I need only to speak the words and entire oceans will evaporate;
rivers will become deserts, leaving fish to stink and die for lack of water.
I can dress the heavens with blackness
and trade its velvet skies for the scratchy clothes of mourning.

The Lord, the Eternal, equipped me for this job
with skilled speech, a smooth tongue for instruction.
I can find the words that comfort and soothe the downtrodden, tired, and despairing.
And I know when to use them.
Each morning, it is God who wakes me and tells me what I should do,
what I should say.
The Lord, the Eternal, has helped me to listen,
and I do as He says. I have not been rebellious or run away from God’s work.
But it’s been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting.

The prophet speaks, but his words are those of the Servant of God. The Servant is in tune with God, the Master Teacher. He teaches as he has been taught, and—for the first time it seems—He understands that suffering is an integral part of the work God has for him. The reality for God’s Servant and any who follow him is this: to be close with God means to be at odds with people.

Because the Lord, the Eternal, helps me I will not be disgraced;
so, I set my face like a rock, confident that I will not be ashamed.
My hero who sets things right is near.
Who would dare to challenge me?
Let’s stand and debate this head-to-head!
Who would dare to accuse me? Let him come near.
See here, the Lord, the Eternal, helps me—who could possibly win against me?
All my accusers will wear out like a ratty old moth-eaten shirt.

10 So, you who are listening, do you acknowledge the Eternal One as God?
And do you take seriously what the servant of God has to say?
If you are enveloped in darkness, with no light to see,
take confidence in the name of the Eternal One; rely on your God.
11 Ah, but if you’ve tried to go it alone,
the light by which you go is your own consuming fire,
And the torches you light will be your undoing.

Eternal One: By My hand you will go down in torment.

Footnotes:

  1. 49:6 Acts 13:47
  2. 49:8 2 Corinthians 6:2
  3. 49:12 Likely a reference to southern Egypt
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Ephesians 4:17-32

17 Therefore, as a witness of the Lord, I insist on this: that you no longer walk in the outsiders’ ways—with minds devoted to worthless pursuits. 18 They are blind to true understanding. They are strangers and aliens to the kind of life God has for them because they live in ignorance and immorality and because their hearts are cold, hard stones. 19 And now, since they’ve lost all natural feelings, they have given themselves over to sensual, greedy, and reckless living. They stop at nothing to satisfy their impure appetites.

20 But this is not the path of the Anointed One, which you have learned. 21 If you have heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him, 22 then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust— 23 to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit. 24 Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.

25 So put away your lies and speak the truth to one another because we are all part of one another. 26 When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.[a] Don’t let the sun set with anger in your heart or 27 give the devil room to work. 28 If you have been stealing, stop. Thieves must go to work like everyone else and work honestly with their hands so that they can share with anyone who has a need. 29 Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. 30 It’s time to stop bringing grief to God’s Holy Spirit; you have been sealed with the Spirit, marked as His own for the day of rescue. 31 Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander, and any and all malicious thoughts—these are poison. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the Anointed, our Liberating King.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:26 Psalm 4:4
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 69:1-18

Psalm 69

For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Lilies.”[a]

This Davidic lament complains to God of enemies, false witnesses, insults, abandonment by friends and family, and even poisoning. Early Christians interpreted this psalm prophetically in order to understand Jesus’ experience in His suffering and death on the cross.

Reach down for me, True God; deliver me.
The waters have risen to my neck; I am going down!
My feet are swallowed in this murky bog;
I am sinking—there is no sturdy ground.
I am in the deep;
the floods are crashing in!
I am weary of howling;
my throat is scratched dry.
I still look for my God
even though my eyes fail.

My enemies despise me without any cause;
they outnumber the hairs on my head.
They torment me with their power;
they have absolutely no reason to hate me.
Now I am set to pay for crimes
I have never committed!
O True God, my foolish ways are plain before You;
my mistakes—no, nothing can be hidden from You.

Don’t let Your hopeful followers face disgrace because of me,
O Lord, Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies;
Don’t let Your seekers be shamed on account of me,
O True God of Israel.
I have been mocked when I stood up for You;
I cower, shamefaced.
You know my brothers and sisters?
They now reject me—they act as if I never existed.
I’m like a stranger to my own family.

And here’s why: I am consumed with You, completely devoted to protecting Your house;
when they insult You, they insult me.
10 When I mourn and discipline my soul by fasting,
they deride me.
11 And when I put on sackcloth,
they mock me.
12 Those who sit at the gate gossip about me;
I am shamed by the slurred songs of drunkards.

13 But, Eternal One, I just pray the time is right
that You would hear me. And, True God,
because You are enduring love, that You would answer.
In Your faithfulness, please, save me.
14 Pluck me from this murky bog;
don’t let it pull me down!
Pull me from this rising water;
take me away from my enemies to dry land.
15 Don’t let the flood take me under
or let me, Your servant, be swallowed into the deep
or let the yawning pit seal me in!

16 O Eternal One, hear me. Answer me. For Your enduring love is good comfort;
in Your great mercy, turn toward me.
17 Yes, shine Your face upon me, Your servant;
put an end to my anguish—don’t wait another minute.
18 Come near; rescue me!
Set me free from my enemies.

Footnotes:

  1. 69:title Hebrew, shoshannim, white lily-like flowers, perhaps the melody to which the song is sung
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:5-6

A wise man possesses great strength,
and an intelligent man knows how to increase it;
For with wise guidance, you can wage a successful war,
and with a council of many advisors, you will be victorious!

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.