Month: November 2021

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday November 21, 2021 (NIV)

Ezekiel 42-43

Chambers for the Temple

42 Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the north, and brought me to the chamber that was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on the north. 2 Its length was 175 feet[a] on the north side,[b] and its width 87½ feet.[c] 3 Opposite the 35 feet[d] that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories. 4 In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet[e] wide at a distance of 1¾ feet,[f] and their entrances were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space[g] from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore, the upper chambers[h] were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle ones. 7 As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet[i] long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet[j] long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet[k] long. 9 Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the outer court.

10 At the beginning[l] of the wall of the court toward the south,[m] facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers 11 like those on the north with a passage in front of them. The chambers that were toward the south were the same length and width as those on the north, and had matching exits and entrances and arrangements. 12 There was an opening at the head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the east when one enters.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers that face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests[n] who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”

15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out by the gate that faces east and measured all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick[o] as 875 feet[p] by the measuring stick. 17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick. 20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.

The Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then he brought me to the gate that faced toward the east. 2 I saw[q] the glory of the God of Israel[r] coming from the east;[s] the sound was like that of rushing water,[t] and the earth radiated[u] his glory. 3 It was like the vision I saw when he[v] came to destroy the city, and the vision I saw by the Kebar River. I threw myself face down. 4 The glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate that faces east. 5 Then a wind[w] lifted me up and brought me to the inner court; I watched[x] the glory of the Lord filling the temple.[y]

6 I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man was standing beside me. 7 He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne[z] and the place for the soles of my feet,[aa] where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their spiritual prostitution or by the pillars of their kings set up when they die.[ab] 8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger. 9 Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern. 11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole design—all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its statutes and do them.

12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 “And these are the measurements of the altar:[ac] Its base[ad] is 1¾ feet[ae] high[af] and 1¾ feet[ag] wide, and its border nine inches[ah] on its edge. This is to be the height[ai] of the altar. 14 From the base of the ground to the lower ledge is 3½ feet,[aj] and the width 1¾ feet;[ak] and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, 7 feet,[al] and the width 1¾ feet; 15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 16 Now the altar hearth[am] is a perfect square, 21 feet[an] long and 21 feet wide. 17 The ledge is 24½ feet[ao] long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border around it is 10½ inches,[ap] and its surrounding base 1¾ feet.[aq] Its steps face east.”

18 Then he said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it,[ar] 19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You will take some of its blood and place it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will purify it and make atonement for it.[as] 21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.

22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. 24 You will present them before the Lord, and the priests will scatter salt on them[at] and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided. 26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they will consecrate it.[au] 27 When the prescribed period is over,[av] on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings;[aw] I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  2. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
  3. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  4. Ezekiel 42:3 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  5. Ezekiel 42:4 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  6. Ezekiel 42:4 tc Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm). The LXX and the Syriac read: “100 cubits” (= 175 feet or about 53m).
  7. Ezekiel 42:5 tn The verb יוֹכְלוּ (yokhelu) “took space” is listed by BDB 37 as אָכַל (’akhal, “eat, consume”), though it prefers to emend the text. HALOT also lists this verb as אכל (1:46) while also listing it under יכל,“prevail” (2:410-11). If אָכַל is correct, then the א (’alef) has dropped out. See the note at Ezek 21:28. BHS refers to a few medieval manuscripts and a Qumran manuscript including the א, יֹאכְלוּ instead of יוֹכְלוּ; both are pronounced the same.
  8. Ezekiel 42:6 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
  9. Ezekiel 42:7 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  10. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  11. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  12. Ezekiel 42:10 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
  13. Ezekiel 42:10 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads: “east.”
  14. Ezekiel 42:13 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).
  15. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “reed” (also in the following verses).
  16. Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters).
  17. Ezekiel 43:2 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  18. Ezekiel 43:2 sn This same title appears in 8:4; 9:3; 10:19; 11:22.
  19. Ezekiel 43:2 sn Earlier Ezekiel had observed God leaving the temple to the east (11:23).
  20. Ezekiel 43:2 sn See Ezek 1:24; Rev 1:15; 14:2; 19:6.
  21. Ezekiel 43:2 tn Heb “shone from.”
  22. Ezekiel 43:3 tc Heb “I.” The reading is due to the confusion of yod (י, indicating a first person pronoun) and vav (ו, indicating a third person pronoun). A few medieval Hebrew mss, Theodotion’s Greek version, and the Latin Vulgate support a third person pronoun here.
  23. Ezekiel 43:5 tn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
  24. Ezekiel 43:5 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  25. Ezekiel 43:5 sn In 1 Kgs 8:10-11 we find a similar event with regard to Solomon’s temple. See also Exod 40:34-35 and Isa 6:4.
  26. Ezekiel 43:7 sn God’s throne is mentioned in Isa 6:1 and Jer 3:17.
  27. Ezekiel 43:7 sn See 1 Chr 28:2; Pss 99:5; 132:7; Isa 60:13; Lam 2:1.
  28. Ezekiel 43:7 tn Heb “by their corpses in their death.” But the term normally translated “corpses” is better understood here as a reference to funeral pillars or funerary offerings. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:583-85, and L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:257.
  29. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “the measurements of the altar by cubits, the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes. On the altar see Ezek 40:47.
  30. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The Hebrew term normally means “bosom.” Here it refers to a hollow in the ground.
  31. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  32. Ezekiel 43:13 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  33. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  34. Ezekiel 43:13 tn Heb “one span.” A span was three handbreadths, or about nine inches (i.e., 22.5 cm).
  35. Ezekiel 43:13 tc Heb “bulge, protuberance, mound.” The translation follows the LXX.
  36. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “2 cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
  37. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm; the phrase occurs again later in this verse).
  38. Ezekiel 43:14 tn Heb “4 cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters; the phrase also occurs in the next verse).
  39. Ezekiel 43:16 tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.
  40. Ezekiel 43:16 tn Heb “12 cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
  41. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “fourteen”; the word “cubits” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood from the context; the phrase occurs again later in this verse. Fourteen cubits is about 7.35 meters.
  42. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “half a cubit” (i.e., 26.25 cm).
  43. Ezekiel 43:17 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
  44. Ezekiel 43:18 sn For the “sprinkling of blood,” see Lev 1:5, 11; 8:19; 9:12.
  45. Ezekiel 43:20 sn Note the similar language in Lev 16:18.
  46. Ezekiel 43:24 sn It is likely that salt was used with sacrificial meals (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5).
  47. Ezekiel 43:26 tn Heb “fill its hands.”
  48. Ezekiel 43:27 tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”
  49. Ezekiel 43:27 sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

James 5

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud[a] over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure![b] 4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[c] 5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.[d] 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.[e]

Patience in Suffering

7 So be patient, brothers and sisters,[f] until the Lord’s return.[g] Think of how the farmer waits[h] for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient[i] for it until it receives the early and late rains. 8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,[j] so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates![k] 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters,[l] take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name. 11 Think of how we regard[m] as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.[n] 12 And above all, my brothers and sisters,[o] do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

Prayer for the Sick

13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint[p] him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up—and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.[q] 16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.[r] 17 Elijah was a human being[s] like us, and he prayed earnestly[t] that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! 18 Then[u] he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest.

19 My brothers and sisters,[v] if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path[w] will save that person’s[x] soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes:

  1. James 5:1 tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”
  2. James 5:3 tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”
  3. James 5:4 tn Traditionally, “Lord of Hosts” or “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”
  4. James 5:5 sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).
  5. James 5:6 tn Literally a series of verbs without connectives, “you have condemned, you have murdered…he does not resist.”
  6. James 5:7 tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  7. James 5:7 tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).
  8. James 5:7 tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”
  9. James 5:7 tn Grk “being patient.”
  10. James 5:9 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  11. James 5:9 sn The term gates is used metaphorically here. The physical referent would be the entrances to the city, but the author uses the term to emphasize the imminence of the judge’s approach.
  12. James 5:10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  13. James 5:11 tn Grk “Behold! We regard…”
  14. James 5:11 sn An allusion to Exod 34:6; Neh 9:17; Pss 86:15; 102:13; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2.
  15. James 5:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  16. James 5:14 tn Grk “anointing.”
  17. James 5:15 tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”
  18. James 5:16 tn Or “the fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful”; Grk “is very powerful in its working.”
  19. James 5:17 tn Although it is certainly true that Elijah was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) has been translated as “human being” because the emphasis in context is not on Elijah’s masculine gender, but on the common humanity he shared with the author and the readers.
  20. James 5:17 tn Grk “he prayed with prayer” (using a Hebrew idiom to show intensity).
  21. James 5:18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events.
  22. James 5:19 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  23. James 5:20 tn Grk “from the error of his way” (using the same root as the verb “to wander, to err” in the first part of the verse).
  24. James 5:20 tn Grk “his soul”; the referent (the sinner mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:1-16

Psalm 119[a]

א (Alef)

119 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,[b]
who obey[c] the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.[d]
4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.[e]
5 If only I were predisposed[f]
to keep your statutes.
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if[g] I were focused on[h] all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks,[i]
when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.[j]

ב (Bet)

9 How can a young person[k] maintain a pure life?[l]
By guarding it according to your instructions.[m]
10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands.
11 In my heart I store up[n] your words,[o]
so I might not sin against you.
12 You deserve praise,[p] O Lord.
Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed.[q]
14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules[r]
as if[s] they were riches of all kinds.[t]
15 I will meditate on[u] your precepts
and focus on[v] your behavior.[w]
16 I find delight[x] in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions.[y]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 119:1 tn The psalmist celebrates God’s law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into twenty-two sections (corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter alef (א), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.
  2. Psalm 119:1 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”
  3. Psalm 119:1 tn Heb “walk in.”
  4. Psalm 119:3 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
  5. Psalm 119:4 tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”
  6. Psalm 119:5 tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”
  7. Psalm 119:6 tn Or “when.”
  8. Psalm 119:6 tn Heb “I gaze at.”
  9. Psalm 119:7 tn Heb “I will give you thanks with an upright heart.”
  10. Psalm 119:8 tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase עַד מְאֹד (ʿad meʾod, “to excess”), see Ps 38:6, 8.
  11. Psalm 119:9 tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”
  12. Psalm 119:9 tn Heb “purify his path.”
  13. Psalm 119:9 tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”
  14. Psalm 119:11 tn Or “hide.”
  15. Psalm 119:11 tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”
  16. Psalm 119:12 tn Heb “[are] blessed.”
  17. Psalm 119:13 tn Heb “of your mouth.”
  18. Psalm 119:14 tn Heb “in the way of your rules.”
  19. Psalm 119:14 tn Heb “as upon,” meaning “as if” (see 2 Chr 32:19).
  20. Psalm 119:14 tn Heb “all wealth.” The phrase refers to all kinds of wealth and riches. See Prov 1:13; 6:31; 24:4; Ezek 27:12, 18.
  21. Psalm 119:15 tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.
  22. Psalm 119:15 tn Heb “gaze [at].”
  23. Psalm 119:15 tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).
  24. Psalm 119:16 tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude the psalmist maintains toward God’s law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight…I will not forget.”
  25. Psalm 119:16 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural here.
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:6-7

6 A poor person[a] who walks in his integrity is better
than one who is perverse in his ways[b] even though[c] he is rich.[d]
7 The one who keeps the law[e] is a discerning child,[f]
but a companion of gluttons brings shame to[g] his parents.[h]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 28:6 sn This chapter gives a lot of attention to the contrast between the poor and the rich, assuming an integrity for the poor that is not present with the rich; the subject is addressed in vv. 6, 8, 11, 20, 22, 25, and 27 (G. A. Chutter, “Riches and Poverty in the Book of Proverbs,” Crux 18 [1982]: 23-28).
  2. Proverbs 28:6 tn The Hebrew term translated “ways” is in the dual, suggesting that the person has double ways, i.e., he is hypocritical. C. H. Toy does not like this idea and changes the form to the plural (Proverbs [ICC], 497), but his emendation is gratuitous and should be rejected.
  3. Proverbs 28:6 tn Heb “and he is rich.” Many English versions treat this as a concessive clause (cf. KJV “though he be rich”).
  4. Proverbs 28:6 sn This is another “better” saying, contrasting a poor person who has integrity with a rich person who is perverse. Of course there are rich people with integrity and perverse poor people, but that is not of interest here. If it came to the choices described here, honest poverty is better than corrupt wealth.
  5. Proverbs 28:7 tn The Hebrew word could refer (1) to “instruction” by the father (cf. NCV) or (2) the Mosaic law (so most English versions). The chapter seems to be stressing religious obedience, so the referent is probably the law. Besides, the father’s teaching will be what the law demands, and the one who associates with gluttons is not abiding by the law.
  6. Proverbs 28:7 tn Heb “son,” but the immediate context does not suggest limiting this only to male children.
  7. Proverbs 28:7 sn The companion of gluttons shames his father and his family because such a life style as he now embraces is both unruly and antisocial.
  8. Proverbs 28:7 tn Heb “father,” but the immediate context does not suggest limiting this only to the male parent.
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Posted on

11/20/2021 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 40:28-41:26, James 4:1-17, Psalms 118:19-29, Proverbs 28:3-5

Today is the 20th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we bring another one of our weeks to a close continuing forward on the journey that will bring us to the end of the year and the end of the Bible. We are at the part of the Bible that is known as the book of Ezekiel and we’re working our way through Ezekiel in the Old Testament. We have been reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Today Ezekiel 40 verse 28 through 41 verse 26.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for another week in the Scriptures together and this magnificent gift of Your word that You have given us, and that is always available to us. We are humbled. We are grateful and we take to heart what we read from James today, “humble Yourselves before the Lord.” We are told to do this, which means that we can do this, that we may humble ourselves before You and You will exalt us. And, so, we humble ourselves before You and not exalt ourselves. We exalt You and…and You, alone. Only You are worthy of praise. And, so, we worship You ad we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is…is home base, it is the website, it’s where you find out what’s happening around here. If you are using the app, just press the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and pop open that drawer and you can find out what’s going on around here.

In the Daily Audio Bible Shop we have a brand-new resource that we’re very, very excited about, very, very excited to see the enthusiasm and the energy behind it, and that we are beginning to send them all over the world and that is this new book. It’s called Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible. And, so, it is an end table or a coffee table photography book centered around the locations where the Bible happened and attempts to kinda give a regional view of what it looks like in modern Israel and what…what these places look like what their geography is like for some of the stories that we have encountered in the Bible, many of the stories we’ve encountered in the Bible, from what it looks like to be in the wilderness, not just any desert but the wilderness of the Bible or to be in the Galilee, which is a region that is very different than the wilderness, even though they’re not that far apart geographically, radically different looking place. But the Galilee of course is where Jesus life and ministry was largely carried out. The different regions of the Bible and the differences in the geography, they can all be seen at graphically in this new resource, Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible. And this resource is available now at dailyaudiobible.com in the Shop in the Books and Audiobooks category. It’s also in the Lifestyle category. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission to continue every day reading the Bible fresh and in getting it out there for anyone to encounter anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, anyone who will listen and to build community around that rhythm so that we…more than just kind of metaphorically understanding that we’re not alone, actually understanding that we’re not alone. Our brothers and sisters all over the world are moving through this together and that makes a difference. If that has made a difference to you then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can at the Hotline button in the app and share from anywhere in the world 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:

Good morning DAB family this is Ray I’m calling today about my sister Alice. About 10 days ago the doctor said she had what’s called a stroke of her spine and she’s lost feeling and use of her legs from her waist down. Well, I know how our God works so I’m asking you to pray for healing and the desire to get better and not to settle in this, not to be OK with where she’s at but to work hard. The doctors say that if she rehabs and works at it that she could get her mobility back. And, so, I’m asking for you to pray for that. And also, we want, I want her in her family to get closer to Jesus and not to be caught up in religion but to be caught up in His arms. Thank you so much for praying. We love you very much. Amen.

Lord God, thank You for Your love and faithfulness. Thank You, Lord for where You have placed us. Thank You for our homes and our communities and our various networks and thank You Lord for our families and our friends and our neighbors. And I pray that You would help us to be a shining light in our community. I pray Lord that You would be equipping us and filling us with Your Spirit and helping us to be salt and light to those around us and giving us the tools we need to overcome the hurdles that we face. Thank You, Lord that You are with us and that You help us to face those giants. Lord we lift up our loved ones to You thinking especially of my cousin William and others like him. Thank You, Lord that You are at work. We pray Lord that…that he might come to know You more. Thank You, Lord for his apprenticeship. Thank You, Lord for what…for the opportunities that he has. And thank You Lord that he’s taking them. And I pray Lord that You’d be blessing him greatly. Father God we do lift up those who are searching, whether they’re searching for meaning or searching for their place in the world. And I pray Lord that You would show them the way, that You would be giving them opportunities and equipping them to take them, help them to be the best version of themselves. Thank You, Lord for Your love and Your faithfulness and that we can come to You with these things.

Hi family this is Janice from phoenix AZ. I…I wanted to update you on my husband Dave. He’s back in the hospital for a few days now and the doctor called me today and said that we need to discuss Hospice services. He’s just had one too many strokes. And he tries so hard to come back but thinks the Lords calling him home. And lucky him is all I can say. It’s weird. I feel like I’m gonna throw up and yet I have perfect peace inside. It’s a strange combo but I’m thanking the Lord for that peace. So, if you could just pray that the Lords will be done that Dave won’t have to suffer. He’s a little confused and he thinks he’s in a Mexican jail and he wants me to help him break out. It’s heartbreaking and funny at the same time. He’s a…he’s a funny guy. OK family I’ll keep you posted. God bless you all and thank you…

Hi this is Pug Mum 3 from Georgia I am calling in in response to a prayer request from Blind Angel in Happy Valley. I heard your prayer request today on November 17th. My heart reaches out to you. You have such a full plate, but I know that God never gives us more than we can handle. And that sounds very trite, but I know it is so true because He proves character to us every single day, His intense and unfailing love for us. I pray God would just wrap his arms around you, that your infections would be healed, that your kidney would be functioning and that your transplant is successful. I pray for comfort for you regarding the loss that you’re experiencing in your life and just that you would know deep in your spirit and in your soul and your heart the deep an unending love that God has for you. Thank you. God bless.

Oh, good morning, friends this is Erin in Michigan. Holy moly. It’s Wednesday the 17th but I just finished Monday the 15th and I am shaken, and you’ll see why that is the perfect word for this. I’m listening to Brian talk to God shaking everything that can be shaken and so that everything that remains is unshakable. I’m out for my walk, that’s why I’m breathing heavy friends. Ok, so anyway wow wow wow wow wow. So, I have gone through since April the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do with my life. I ended a 23-year relationship with someone I thought it would be with for the rest of my life. But that’s not exactly true because God told me several years ago that I needed to leave the relationship and I wouldn’t do it. And, so, finally in April I had to and I’m not proud of how I ended it, but I know that I had to end it. I know God told me too. So, fast forward to Monday, the day that this podcast dropped this particular one and I had a feeling of sadness. I had a feeling of missing that person in my life. I had a feeling of wishing I had never left. And now after hearing what Brian said I see that for what it was. That was the Israelites wanting to go back to slavery because they missed cucumbers, right? So, the cool cool thing is that I have this podcast. And friends, God loves us so, so, so much. So, if he’s shaking you as He’s shaking me let us remember forever that He is getting rid of anything that is shakeable and what will be left will be unshakable. Praise you Jesus. Have a great day.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday November 20, 2021 (NIV)

Ezekiel 40:28-41:26

The Inner Gates

28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others. 29 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 30 (There were porticoes all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet wide.[a]) 31 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others. 33 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 34 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gate.(A) When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, 36 as did its recesses, jambs, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 37 Its portico[b] faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

38 There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico.[c] The burnt offering was to be washed there.(B) 39 Inside the gate’s portico there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering,(C) and guilt offering.(D) 40 Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41 So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done. 42 There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering,(E) each 31½ inches[d] long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. 43 There were three-inch[e] hooks[f] fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.

Rooms for Singers and Priests

44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers:[g](F) one[h] beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south[i] gate, facing north. 45 Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.(G) 46 The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,(H) the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve him.”(I) 47 Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar(J) was in front of the temple.

48 Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were 8¾ feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24½ feet,[j] and the side walls of the gate were[k] 5¼ feet[l] wide on each side. 49 The portico was 35 feet[m] across and 21[n] feet[o] deep, and 10 steps led[p] up to it.(K) There were pillars by the jambs, one on each side.(L)

Inside the Temple

41 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the jambs;(M) on each side the width of the jamb was 10½ feet.[q][r] 2 The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,[s] and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet[t] wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,[u] and the width, 35 feet.[v](N) 3 He went inside the next room and measured the jambs at the entrance;(O) they were 3½ feet[w] wide. The entrance was 10½ feet wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side[x] was 12¼ feet.[y] 4 He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet.(P) And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”(Q)

Outside the Temple

5 Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.[z](R) 6 The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.[aa] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.(S) 7 The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.[ab](T)

8 I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.[ac](U) 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the outer chambers was 35 feet wide all around the temple.(V) 11 The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet wide all around.

12 Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet[ad] wide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet.[ae]

13 Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet[af] long.(W) In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. 14 The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. 15 Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries[ag] on each side;(X) it was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— 16 the thresholds, the beveled windows,(Y) and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on all sides.(Z) They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17 reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern 18 carved with cherubim and palm trees.(AA) There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.(AB) Each cherub had two faces: 19 a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,(AC) and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides. 20 Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

21 The doorposts of the great hall were square,(AD) and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance. 22 The altar was[ah] made of wood, 5¼ feet[ai] high and 3½ feet long.[aj] It had corners, and its length[ak] and sides were of wood.(AE) The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”(AF)

23 The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,(AG) 24 and each of the doors had two swinging panels.(AH) There were two panels for one door and two for the other. 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy[al](AI) outside, in front of the portico. 26 There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,(AJ) on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.[am]

Footnotes:

  1. 40:30 Some Hb mss, LXX omit v. 30
  2. 40:37 LXX; MT reads jambs
  3. 40:38 Text emended; MT reads door was by the jambs, at the gates
  4. 40:42 Lit one and a half cubits
  5. 40:43 Lit one handbreadth
  6. 40:43 Or ledges
  7. 40:44 LXX reads were two chambers
  8. 40:44 LXX; MT reads singers, which was
  9. 40:44 LXX; MT reads east
  10. 40:48 Lit 14 cubits
  11. 40:48 LXX; MT omits 24½ feet, and the side walls of the gate were
  12. 40:48 Lit three cubits
  13. 40:49 Lit 20 cubits
  14. 40:49 LXX; MT reads 19¼
  15. 40:49 Lit 12 cubits
  16. 40:49 MT reads and it was on steps that they would go
  17. 41:1 LXX; MT reads jambs; they were 10½ feet wide on each side—the width of the tabernacle
  18. 41:1 Lit six cubits, also in vv. 3,5
  19. 41:2 Lit 10 cubits
  20. 41:2 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 9,11,12
  21. 41:2 Lit 40 cubits
  22. 41:2 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 4,10
  23. 41:3 Lit two cubits, also in v. 22
  24. 41:3 LXX; MT reads width of the entrance
  25. 41:3 Lit seven cubits
  26. 41:5 Lit four cubits
  27. 41:6 Lit another three and thirty times
  28. 41:7 Hb obscure
  29. 41:8 Lit a full rod of six cubits of a joint; Hb obscure
  30. 41:12 Lit 70 cubits
  31. 41:12 Lit 90 cubits
  32. 41:13 Lit 100 cubits
  33. 41:15 Or ledges
  34. 41:21–22 Or and in front of the sanctuary was something that looked like 22 an altar
  35. 41:22 Lit three cubits
  36. 41:22 LXX reads long and 3½ feet wide
  37. 41:22 LXX reads base
  38. 41:25 Hb obscure
  39. 41:26 Hb obscure

Cross references:

  1. 40:35 : Ezk 47:2
  2. 40:38 : 2Ch 4:6
  3. 40:39 : Lv 1:3–4; 4:2–3
  4. 40:39 : Lv 5:1–6
  5. 40:42 : Ex 20:25
  6. 40:44 : 1Ch 6:31–32; 16:41–43; 25:1–7
  7. 40:45 : 1Ch 9:23; Ps 134:1
  8. 40:46 : 1Kg 2:35
  9. 40:46 : Lv 6:12–13; Ezk 43:19; 44:15
  10. 40:47 : Ezk 43:13–17
  11. 40:49 : 1Kg 6:3
  12. 40:49 : 1Kg 7:15–22; 2Ch 3:17; Jr 52:17–23; Rv 3:12
  13. 41:1 : Ezk 40:2–3,17
  14. 41:2 : 1Kg 6:2,17
  15. 41:3 : Ezk 40:16
  16. 41:4 : 1Kg 6:20
  17. 41:4 : 1Kg 6:16
  18. 41:5 : 1Kg 6:5–10
  19. 41:6 : 1Kg 6:6
  20. 41:7 : 1Kg 6:8
  21. 41:8 : Ezk 40:5
  22. 41:10 : Ezk 40:17
  23. 41:13 : Ezk 40:47
  24. 41:15 : Ezk 42:3,5
  25. 41:16 : 1Kg 6:4; Ezk 40:16,25
  26. 41:16 : 1Kg 6:15
  27. 41:18 : 1Kg 6:29
  28. 41:18 : 2Ch 3:5; Ezk 40:16
  29. 41:19 : Ezk 1:10; 10:14
  30. 41:21 : 1Kg 6:33; Ezk 40:9,14,16; 41:1
  31. 41:22 : Ex 30:1–3; 1Kg 6:20; Rv 8:3
  32. 41:22 : Ex 25:23,30; Lv 24:6; Ezk 23:41; 44:16; Mal 1:7,12
  33. 41:23 : 1Kg 6:31–35
  34. 41:24 : 1Kg 6:34
  35. 41:25 : 1Kg 7:6
  36. 41:26 : Ezk 40:16
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.

James 4

Proud or Humble

4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions(A) that wage war within you?[a] 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war.[b] You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.(B)

4 You adulterous people![c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.(C) 5 Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?[d](D)

6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:

God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.[e](E)

7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(F) 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.(G) 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.(H) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer[f] defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(I) 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[g] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?(J)

Our Will and God’s Will

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”(K) 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.(L)

15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.(M) 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.(N)

Footnotes:

  1. 4:1 Or war in your members
  2. 4:2 Or You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and wage war.
  3. 4:4 Lit Adulteresses
  4. 4:5 Or Scripture says: He jealously yearns for the spirit he made to live in us?, or Scripture says: The Spirit he made to dwell in us longs jealously?
  5. 4:6 Pr 3:34
  6. 4:11 Or his brother or sister
  7. 4:12 Other mss omit and judge

Cross references:

  1. 4:1 : Rm 7:23; Ti 3:9
  2. 4:3 : Ps 18:41; 1Jn 3:22; 5:14
  3. 4:4 : Jn 15:19; Jms 1:27; 1Jn 2:15
  4. 4:5 : 1Co 6:19; 2Co 6:16
  5. 4:6 : Ps 138:6; Pr 3:34; Mt 23:12
  6. 4:7 : Eph 4:27; 6:11; 1Pt 5:8–9
  7. 4:8 : 2Ch 15:2; Is 1:16; Jms 1:8
  8. 4:9 : Mt 5:4; Lk 6:25
  9. 4:11 : Mt 7:1; Jms 1:22; 1Pt 2:1
  10. 4:12 : Mt 10:28; Rm 14:4
  11. 4:13 : Pr 27:1; Lk 12:18–20
  12. 4:14 : Jb 7:7; Ps 102:3
  13. 4:15–16 : Ac 18:21; 1Co 5:6
  14. 4:17 : Lk 12:47–48; Jn 9:41; 2Pt 2:21
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 118:19-29

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.(A)
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.(B)
21 I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.(C)
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(D)
23 This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.(E)
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.(F)

25 Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!(G)
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.(H)
From the house of the Lord we bless you.(I)
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.(J)
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.(K)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(L)

Cross references:

  1. 118:19 : Is 26:2
  2. 118:20 : Ps 24:3–6; Rv 22:14
  3. 118:21 : Ps 116:1
  4. 118:22 : Lk 20:17; Ac 4:11; 1Pt 2:4,7
  5. 118:23 : Mt 21:42; Mk 12:11
  6. 118:24 : Ps 31:7
  7. 118:25 : Neh 2:20; Ps 122:6–7
  8. 118:25–26 : Mt 21:9; Mk 11:9–10; Lk 13:35; Jn 12:13
  9. 118:26 : Ps 129:8
  10. 118:27 : Ex 27:2; Ps 18:28; 1Pt 2:9
  11. 118:28 : Is 25:1
  12. 118:29 : 2Ch 5:13; Ezr 3:11; Ps 100:5
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 28:3-5

3 A destitute leader[a] who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.(A)

4 Those who reject the law praise the wicked,(B)
but those who keep the law pit themselves against them.(C)

5 The evil do not understand justice,(D)
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.(E)

Footnotes:

  1. 28:3 LXX reads A wicked man

Cross references:

  1. 28:3 : Ex 9:25
  2. 28:4 : Rm 1:32
  3. 28:4 : 1Kg 18:18; Neh 13:11,15; Mt 3:7; 14:4; Eph 5:11
  4. 28:5 : Ps 92:6
  5. 28:5 : Ps 119:100; Jn 7:17; 1Co 2:15; Jms 1:5; 1Jn 2:20,27
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.

Posted on

11/19/2021 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 39:1-40:27, James 2:18-3:18, Psalm 118:1-18, Proverbs 28:2

Today is the 19th day of November, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you today, as we continue our journey through this month, through this year through the Scriptures around the Global Campfire together. It’s my favorite place, my favorite place to be is right here with you around this Global Campfire, moving forward together and so let’s do that. We are continuing our journey through the book of Ezekiel. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week, Ezekiel chapter 39 verse 1 through 40 verse 27.

Commentary:

Okay, we have been in the letter from James for a few days and we should be pretty clear it’s got a different kind of complexion, it’s very direct and we’ve kind of moved through the halfway point in the letter and it should be pretty clear what the point is: James is saying that you gotta have faith, there is, it’s impossible to please God without faith. Faith is the activator, faith is the point, faith is the way that we enter into a relationship with God. But faith isn’t just a concept. Faith isn’t just a definition. It’s not just made up of words, it actually goes into action, it changes the way we do everything and if what you are calling your faith is essentially a definition, a theological formula, words or even an understanding that is not actually incorporated into the way that we live then it’s not faith. At least of faith, that’s alive, it’s dead, it’s not words and songs that we reserve for the weekend and get spiritual and then forget all about, faith, it is everything, it touches everything. It’s not a compartment in our lives. You know, like some kind of drawer that says faith on it and we keep all our faith-y things in that drawer of our lives, but the stuff in the faith drawer doesn’t really incorporate into the rest of the stuff in our lives, that isn’t faith. Faith touches all of us. Everything, all that we do, all that we say, all that we think. It’s how we navigate in this world or to put it concisely, in the words of James, “Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” And we’ve noticed over the last couple of days when James is driving a direct point home, gives some kind of analogy so that it makes sense, like yesterday he was saying, faith without corresponding action is like looking at yourself in the mirror and walking away and forgetting what you look like. So, in today’s reading he brings another example that should pretty well fall squarely in our laps, unavoidable because one of the ways that we put our faith into action and not just make it words is that our words and our deeds are in alignment. Our mouths get us into all kinds of trouble. Our tongues are a small thing, but so is a rutter of a ship, so is a bit in a horse’s mouth. These small things can turn big things. Our tongue turns our life, navigates our lives and according to James we can take our lives and burn them down with our tongues. James says we use that tongue, the tongue that we’ve been given that forms words to worship the Almighty God and to curse our brothers and sisters made in his image with the same tongue, with the same mouth and it’s not acceptable. It’s not right. If that’s not landing, like if that isn’t landing, we need to meditate upon it some more. Maybe we’re not like that. But if we’re not aware enough to know that that is what is going on out there, then maybe you’re doing the right thing by avoiding social media and that kind of, and just talking head news, just analysis type stuff because this is all of the time going on. We can bless God and curse our brothers and sisters with the same mouth, in the same conversation and it’s not right. And so, James is giving us well, first of all, he’s telling us we know, we know this, we’re just usually not paying attention and we usually don’t apply it to our, like it easy to pick out in other people’s lives. We don’t usually pick it out in our own and say yeah, I got a fundamentally change because I have to align my thoughts, words and deeds so that I’m a true person. James is giving us an opportunity today to take something that we very well understand, a concept that we can clearly grasp, an issue that that we all face, our words, what we say, how we react, what comes out of our mouths, that that is a wonderful place to start the work of faith, and aligning our thoughts, words and deeds. Actually, if we can’t get this one little thing which is a very big thing, but if we can’t get this tongue under control. If we can’t change that, then it’s gonna keep burning things down all around us. It’s gonna slash and cut and destroy. And then we’re going to try to use self-words, kind kindness, gracious words to do healing and so we can be, we can be like a messenger from heaven or we can be like a pathological killer using the same instrument called our tongue. Let’s give that some thought.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we do, we’re thinking about it now. We have a lot of work to do, we understand that. But this being brought up as a category, being brought up as a category so directly so that it’s not like some kind of foreign concept. The outcomes are clear, the outcomes are if we have incongruency between what we say and what we do then, then the thing we are claiming is faith is…is dead. Or maybe not even present. Stark as that is we need to look at it and we need to look at it through Your eyes. We need Your Holy Spirit to help us. There is no way we will master this on our own. What we need to do is surrender it. Humble ourselves before You and start paying attention to what we’re saying. Come, Holy Spirit into this we ask, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. If you are using the app you can press the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and access all the different things there, from within the app. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. We have this brand-new resource that we’re jumping up and down about, really excited about. With the supply chain issues that are out there I was pretty sure this wasn’t going to arrive before well, I didn’t see, think this is going to see the light of day before next year, but we got a bunch of them here. Not all of them but we have some of them here and they are shipping all over the world now. This new resource is Promised Land, Photographs from the Land of the Bible and it is a beautiful coffee table addition that allows…allows you to kind of glance through and engage with the different regions of the land and some of the important places where pivotal things in the Bible took place and I believe it’s artfully done and I believe it’s done with excellence and it is an excellent piece that attempts to bring the essence of a place to life. So, you can check that out either at dailyaudiobible.com or using the app in the Shop and when you get to the Shop you’ll see that there’s departments in different categories there. The lifestyle category and the books and audiobooks category have Promised Land in it and so check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that in the same places using the app or going to the web. There is a link on the homepage or using the app, there is the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. And I thank you with all of my heart. I thank you, humbly for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. So, thank you.

If you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that’s the little red button up at the top 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.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday November 19, 2021 (NIV)

Ezekiel 39:1-40:27

The Disposal of Gog

39 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[a] Meshech and Tubal.(A) 2 I will turn you around, drive you on,(B) and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. 4 You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals. 5 You will fall on the open field,(C) for I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord God.

6 “‘I will send fire against Magog(D) and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 7 So I will make my holy name known among my people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.(E) 8 Yes, it is coming, and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord God. This is the day I have spoken about.

9 “‘Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires. 10 They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them.(F) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

11 “‘Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel—the Travelers’ Valley[b] east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called Hordes of Gog[c] Valley. 12 The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.(G) 13 All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread(H) on the day I display my glory.(I) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

14 “‘They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders[d] who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months. 15 When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in Hordes of Gog Valley. 16 There will even be a city named Hamonah[e] there. So they will cleanse the land.’

17 “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals, ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel;(J) you will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan. 19 You will eat fat until you are satisfied(K) and drink blood until you are drunk, at my sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you. 20 At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’

Israel’s Restoration to God

21 “I will display my glory among the nations,(L) and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them. 22 From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. 23 And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with me.(M) Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid my face from them.

25 “So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob(N) and have compassion on the whole house of Israel,(O) and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They will feel remorse for[f][g] their disgrace(P) and all the unfaithfulness they committed against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten them. 27 When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of many nations.(Q) 28 They will know that I am the Lord their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.[h] 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel.”(R) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

The New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured,(S) on that very day the Lord’s hand was on me,(T) and he brought me there. 2 In visions of God(U) he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain.(V) On its southern slope was a structure resembling a city. 3 He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze,(W) with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.(X) He was standing by the city gate. 4 He spoke to me: “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears,(Y) and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.”(Z)

The Wall and Outer Gates

5 Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple.(AA) The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inches;[i] each unit was the standard length plus three inches.[j] He measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was 10½ feet,[k] and its height was the same. 6 Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps.(AB) He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10½ feet deep—one threshold was 10½ feet deep. 7 Each recess was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet deep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet[l] between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was 10½ feet. 8 Next he measured the gate’s portico; 9 it[m] was 14 feet,[n] and its jambs were 3½ feet.[o] The gate’s portico was on the temple side.

10 There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the jambs on either side also had the same measurements. 11 Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17½ feet,[p] while the width[q] of the gate was 22¾ feet.[r] 12 There was a barrier of 21 inches[s] in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10½ feet[t] square. 13 Then he measured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet.[u] The openings of the recesses faced each other. 14 Next, he measured the porch—105 feet.[v][w] 15 The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87½ feet.[x] 16 The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate.(AC) The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.(AD)

17 Then he brought me into the outer court,(AE) and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court.(AF) Thirty chambers faced the pavement, 18 which flanked the courtyard’s gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet.[y] This was the east; next the north is described.

20 He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width. 21 Its three recesses on each side, its jambs, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 22 Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them. 23 The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.

24 He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and portico; they had the same measurements as the others. 25 Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 26 Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side. 27 The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.

Footnotes:

  1. 39:1 Or Gog, prince of Rosh,
  2. 39:11 Hb obscure
  3. 39:11 = Hamon-gog, also in v. 15
  4. 39:14 Or basis, some to pass through the land, and with them some to bury those
  5. 39:16 In Hb, Hamonah is related to the word “horde.”
  6. 39:26 Some emend to will forget
  7. 39:26 Lit will bear
  8. 39:28 Lit behind there any longer
  9. 40:5 = a long cubit
  10. 40:5 Lit six cubits by the cubit and a handbreadth
  11. 40:5 Lit was one rod, also in v. 7
  12. 40:7 Lit five cubits, also in v. 30
  13. 40:8–9 Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read gate facing the temple side; it was one rod. 9 Then he measured the gate’s portico; it
  14. 40:9 Lit eight cubits
  15. 40:9 Lit two cubits
  16. 40:11 Lit 10 cubits
  17. 40:11 Lit length
  18. 40:11 Lit 13 cubits
  19. 40:12 Lit one cubit, also in v. 42
  20. 40:12 Lit six cubits
  21. 40:13 Lit 25 cubits, also in vv. 21,25,29,33,36
  22. 40:14 MT adds To the jamb of the court, the gate was all around; Hb obscure
  23. 40:14 Lit 60 cubits
  24. 40:15 Lit 50 cubits, also in vv. 21,25,29,33,36
  25. 40:19 Lit 100 cubits, also in vv. 23,27,47

Cross references:

  1. 39:1 : Ezk 38:2–3
  2. 39:2 : Ezk 38:4
  3. 39:5 : Ezk 32:4
  4. 39:6 : Am 1:4,7,10
  5. 39:7 : Ezk 36:20–23
  6. 39:10 : Is 14:2; 33:1
  7. 39:12 : Dt 21:23
  8. 39:13 : Jr 33:9; Zph 3:19–20
  9. 39:13 : Ezk 28:22
  10. 39:17 : Rv 19:17–18
  11. 39:19 : Rv 19:21
  12. 39:21 : Ezk 36:23; 38:16,23
  13. 39:23 : Ezk 36:18–20,23
  14. 39:25 : Is 27:12–13; Jr 33:7; Ezk 34:13
  15. 39:25 : Ezk 36:10; 37:21–22; Hs 1:11
  16. 39:26 : Ezk 16:53–54,63
  17. 39:27 : Ezk 20:41; 38:23
  18. 39:29 : Ezk 36:27; 37:14; Jl 2:28
  19. 40:1 : 2Kg 25:1–7; Jr 39:1–9; 52:4–11; Ezk 33:21
  20. 40:1 : Ezk 1:3; 3:14,22; 37:1
  21. 40:2 : Ezk 1:1; 8:3; Dn 7:1,7
  22. 40:2 : Is 2:2–3; Ezk 17:23; 20:40; 37:22; Mc 4:1; Rv 21:10
  23. 40:3 : Ezk 1:7; Dn 10:6; Rv 1:15
  24. 40:3 : Ezk 47:3; Zch 2:1–2; Rv 11:1; 21:15
  25. 40:4 : Ezk 2:1,3,6,8; 44:5
  26. 40:4 : Ezk 43:10
  27. 40:5 : Is 26:1; Ezk 42:20
  28. 40:6 : Ezk 43:1
  29. 40:16 : 1Kg 6:4; Ezk 41:16,26
  30. 40:16 : 1Kg 6:29,32,35; 2Ch 3:5; Ezk 41:18–20,25–26
  31. 40:17 : Ezk 10:5; 42:1; 46:21; Rv 11:2
  32. 40:17 : 2Kg 23:11; 1Ch 9:26; 23:28; 2Ch 31:11
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.

James 2:18-3

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[a] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.(A) 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.(B)

20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,(C) 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[b](D) and he was called God’s friend.(E) 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?(F) 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Controlling the Tongue

3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers,[c] because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.(G) 2 For we all stumble in many ways.(H) If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.(I) 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us,(J) we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.(K) Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed[d] among our members. It stains the whole body,(L) sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.(M) 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness.(N) 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

The Wisdom from Above

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.(O) 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.(P) 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.(Q) 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.(R) 18 And the fruit of righteousness(S) is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Footnotes:

  1. 2:18 The quotation may end here or after v. 18b or v. 19.
  2. 2:23 Gn 15:6
  3. 3:1 Or brothers and sisters
  4. 3:6 Or places itself, or appoints itself

Cross references:

  1. 2:18 : Rm 3:28; Heb 11:33; Jms 3:13
  2. 2:19 : Dt 6:4; Mt 8:29; Lk 4:34
  3. 2:21–22 : Gn 22:9; 1Th 1:3; Heb 11:17
  4. 2:23 : Gn 15:6; Rm 4:3; Gl 3:6
  5. 2:23 : 2Ch 20:7; Is 41:8
  6. 2:25 : Jos 2:4,6,15; Heb 11:31
  7. 3:1 : Mt 23:8; Rm 2:20–21; 1Tm 1:7
  8. 3:2 : 1Kg 8:46; Pr 20:9; Jms 2:10
  9. 3:2 : Mt 12:37; Jms 1:26; 1Pt 3:10
  10. 3:3 : Ps 32:9; 39:1
  11. 3:5 : Ps 12:3–4; 73:8–9
  12. 3:6 : Ps 120:2–3; Pr 16:27; Mt 15:11,18
  13. 3:8 : Ps 140:3; Ec 10:11; Rm 3:13
  14. 3:9 : Gn 1:26; 1Co 11:7
  15. 3:13 : Jms 1:21; 2:18
  16. 3:14 : Rm 2:8; 13:13; 2Co 12:20
  17. 3:15 : 2Th 2:9; 1Tm 4:1; Jms 1:17; Rv 2:24
  18. 3:17 : Lk 6:36; Rm 12:9; 1Co 2:6; Heb 12:11; Jms 2:4
  19. 3:18 : Pr 11:18; Is 32:17; Hs 10:12; Am 6:12; Gl 6:8; Php 1:11
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 118:1-18

Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for Victory

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(B)
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(C)
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(D)

5 I called to the Lord in distress;(E)
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.[a](F)
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?(G)
7 The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.(H)

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humanity.(I)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.(J)

10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(K)
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(L)
12 They surrounded me like bees;(M)
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(N)
13 They[b] pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.(O)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.(P)

15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!(Q)
16 The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!” (R)
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.(S)
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.(T)

Footnotes:

  1. 118:5 Or answered me with freedom
  2. 118:13 Lit You

Cross references:

  1. 118:1 : 2Ch 5:13; Ezr 3:11; Ps 100:5
  2. 118:2 : Ps 115:9
  3. 118:3 : Ps 115:10; 135:19
  4. 118:4 : Ps 22:23; 115:11
  5. 118:5 : Ps 18:6; 120:1
  6. 118:5 : Ps 18:19
  7. 118:6 : Ps 56:4,11; Rm 8:31; Heb 13:6
  8. 118:7 : Ps 54:4,7; 59:10
  9. 118:8 : Ps 40:4; 108:12; Jr 17:5
  10. 118:9 : Ps 146:3
  11. 118:10 : Ps 3:6; 88:17
  12. 118:11 : Ps 18:40
  13. 118:12 : Dt 1:44
  14. 118:12 : Ps 58:9; Nah 1:10
  15. 118:13 : Ps 140:4
  16. 118:14 : Ex 15:2; Ps 27:1; Is 12:2
  17. 118:15 : Ex 15:6; Lk 1:51
  18. 118:16 : Ps 89:13
  19. 118:17 : Ps 73:28; Hab 1:12
  20. 118:18 : Ps 86:13; Jr 30:11; 2Co 6:9
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 28:2

2 When a land is in rebellion, it has many rulers,(A)
but with a discerning and knowledgeable person, it endures.

Cross references:

  1. 28:2 : 1Kg 16:8–28; 2Kg 15:8–15
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.

Posted on

11/18/2021 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 37:1-38:23, James 1:19-2:17, Psalms 117:1-2, Proverbs 28:1

Today is the 18th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a privilege to be here with you today around the Global Campfire where we can keep warm and find comfort in fellowship with one another and nourishment from the scriptures for our souls. So, wonderful, wonderful to be here with you today as we do take that next step forward. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week and our next step forward is Ezekiel chapters 37 and 38.

Commentary:

Okay. So, while we were reading through the letter to the Hebrews, we had all kinds of theological concepts. We had all kinds of discussion that gave us the story from a Hebrew perspective and connected Jesus to the Hebrew story, explaining that this was always expected to happen. And, so, we had those kinds of concepts. In the letter to the Romans, another long letter in the New Testament we got a lot of theology that that forms Christian theology from the apostle Paul. We should be noticing now that we’re just a couple of days into reading this rather short letter from James that this is different. This isn’t like trying to explore theological concepts per se sort of to give us an underpinning or an understanding of things. It’s very, very, very practical. It’s sort of like, okay so you’ve got the theology. If you don’t live the theology though, like if you don’t live what you have learned, if it’s just information it’s a problem. So, he’s practically trying to get us to sow into our lives what we’ve learned, what we’ve heard so that it becomes a way of life. So, I quote from James because he says it better. “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.” So, that’s the analogy that James chooses to use. And we can…we can understand it just as well today as they would’ve been able to understand it in the first century. If you are just gonna hear and you’re gonna to take on board the Bible as information for informational purposes but you don’t implement anything that you’ve heard, it doesn’t actually begin to transform your life because you're…you’re adapting yourselves to it, than that is the same as look…as looking at yourself in the mirror, walking away and forgetting what you look like, right? So, we can see that James is interested in our actions. It’s a nonbiblical proverb but one that we’ve all heard, “actions speak louder than words.” And this is basically James’ point. And sort of the next point that he’s making that has to be put into action and that we should listen to is that favoritism, making a distinction that someone is better than someone else or making a distinction between us, we are better in some way than someone else is completely misguided. He also tells us today that you think your religious and you think you’re walking it out, but you can’t control your tongue then you are only fooling yourself. And like, we should take a long pause on that one. If your words and your deeds are not in alignment there is a disconnect in your life and you’re fooling yourself. I told you. James is unflinching and we were led into probably the most famous passage in James, “faith without works is dead” and that’s what he’s been leading up to. You’re fooling yourself if you’re just talking a talk but not living into it or walking the walk. I don’t want to be to cliché here, but I don't…I mean what could be more poignant in our world today? And let's…James is not trying to externalize this so not…let’s not go, “oh yeah, it’s really bad out there, a lot of people are duplicitous. A lot of people are saying things that they don’t do or they’re talking out of both sides of their mouths.” That’s all true. What about you? What about me? What about us? This is in our laps. James isn’t gonna let us divert. We’re njot gonna be able to disassociate from our own selves while judging everybody else. And, so, putting it back in the words of James, I quote, “what good is it my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?” And then he says, “faith without works is dead.” And he uses another example to show us how that’s true. So, you have somebody. You see somebody that is suffering that has a lack, that is in need, without clothes, they don’t have enough food and you encounter them, pat them on the back and tell them to go in peace and stay warm. Maybe even say a prayer for them and ask God to give them food but you don’t help them, then faith without works is dead. So, I quote, “if a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them go in peace, stay warm and be well fed but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith if it does not have works, is dead by itself.” Just kind of what to leave it there. I’m kind of wanting to leave it there for my own self, but I don’t want to fill in a bunch more words. This is what it is saying, and we have some things to examine and they’re not gonna go away just because we ignore them. We can keep reading the Bible and ignore this until we come to James next November and it’s still gonna be true, and we will have reaped what we sowed. We have to change the way that we are living our faith and make our speech and our action both be true of one another. I dream for that. I dream for that in myself, but I dream for that in the body of Christ. We would change the world if we were true. If our faith was actually in action, we would…we would change the world. And it’s not as if we haven’t been a part of many changes in the world over history, but the world really needs a witness right now. The world…the world really needs light in the darkness, salt as a preservative, a city on a hill that can’t be hidden. And it seems so often, like we fellow believers, we’re just playing king of the mountain. We want to individually be a city on a hill or whatever and so we’ll push everybody else down so we can be on the top and then somebody will push us down and then we’ll just battle each other for who gets to be on top when it’s like beside the point. And, so, I hope, especially after all that we’ve been through in the world over the last couple of years now, going on a couple of years with just the craziness that we’ve seen on display in ways that we’ve never really seen before and have endured things that have never been faced by anybody that’s alive today. We’ve had to deal with some things and we need to stop warring with each other over who gets to be right and get about the business of saving the world as the body of Christ where all are necessary, everyone is irreplaceable, everyone has a role to play, everybody has a part in this story, the story of redemption. That’s our story. It’s our story to tell and if our words and deeds are in alignment, then we are being true and telling the truth.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. We invite You into all that was spoken from the letter from James today. We’re sitting up and paying attention. We’re not zoning out or pretending that this doesn’t apply to us in some way because it’s directly speaking to us clearly and we know we need to repent, and we know we’ve got to make changes. And, so, Holy Spirit we can’t do it without You. We have too much wounding, too much baggage, too much history, too much all kinds of pull to comply and fit into our culture. We have all kinds of things that pull us in all kinds of directions, and we are encouraged to be false. You are encouraging us that freedom is being true. So, Holy Spirit come. Help us catch ourselves, help us see the ways that we’re not being true. May our words and our deeds tell the truth, we pray. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app that is another way to find out what’s going on around here.

We have this brand-new…brand-new resource that I’m kinda giddy about. It took a long time, years, years in the making and it’s this new book, book number five for me, a little different kind of book but really, really truly excited for it to find its way out into the world. It’s called Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible and it is a book of photography, it is a coffee-table edition. It is this beautiful 12 x 12 square book that’s the right size for viewing and engaging with the photography from Israel from some of the key places where the Bible happened. And when we put this together, we really went for quality really to make the best quality edition, something that’s excellent, something that’s worshipful, something that’s meaningful, something that will last and we have that. It’s beautiful. Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible is available now in the Daily Audio Bible Shop and you can get there on the web, at dailyaudiobible.com or in the app. And once you get into the Shop there’s a bunch of categories of different resources. You’ll find Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible in the lifestyle section or in the books and audiobooks section and you can take a peek at it there. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we do together brings life and good news and hope and encouragement into your day and into your week and month and year, then thank you, humbly, profoundly, deeply for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can first of all, hit the Hotline button in the app and use that hotline no matter where you are in the world or there are a number of numbers that you can dial. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

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:

Hey, my outstanding DAB fam this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Hey Beautiful Sunsets, I’m praying for your family for the restoration for the freedom for the peace and the reuniting that the Lord is at work in even now. And I agree with you and I’m standing with you for Isaiah 54:17 that that would be the umbrella that God would raise up over you that no weapon formed against you and your family will prosper but every lie that will come against you it shall be condemned in the Lord. That’s your heritage. And, so, be encouraged to know that the Lord is fighting for you and your family. To my brother Terry the brother that’s incarcerated. Man, I appreciate you for the shout out for the love man. Know that God is with you. He’s with you in this struggle, He’s with you in the fight, He’s with you in the test. Whether it’s testing or tempting God is with you. We know God, God doesn’t tempt us. So, He’s definitely in the test…in the testing process with you but you will win, you will overcome, and God is setting up reinforcements even now for you behind the walls my brother. So, know that He’s protecting you, He’s watching out for you. So, be encouraged man. Keep running. He’s got you. And for Jenny, the sister from the Bay Area, sister I so appreciate you and your fight and you’re pressing life and going after your masters and even for the class that you’re going away for right now. I pray that God is watching over your 11 your 15-year-old and just appreciate you for your determination sis. And know that He is with you on this journey, and you shall overcome. To Holly from California, your 8-year-old grandson Jackson is struggling to get to know other kids and blend in. I pray God will come around him and give him the friends that he needs in Jesus’ name. Love you.

Hi, I’m calling on behalf of my mom Susan who is a faithful listener of the DAB. She has…she has many else problems one of them being diabetes and she’s very sick with COVID right now. So, she’s requesting prayer and she believes in the power of prayer and would be so encouraged to know that the DAB family is praying for her and interceding on her behalf. So, please pray for wisdom for us and peace for her and a full recovery. And we’re just so thankful for this community and the support. Thank you.

Hey DAB family this is Jasmine calling from New York and I haven’t called in a while but I just wanted to let you guys know that it’s basically been a full year of me listening to this podcast and, yeah, I just wanted to say thank you to Brian and Jill for the podcast, just creating it, yeah and y’all’s obedience to the Lord. I just thank you because it really has brought me through a lot and it was basically the beginning of my journey with Christ in my faith and it helped grow my faith with Jesus. So yeah, I thank you all. And I just wanted to encourage others out there who are just beginning to listen to this podcast to just keep going even if you miss a day. Just keep going because it is taking you somewhere. And yeah, it’s all working for our good. So…

Good afternoon DAB family God bless you all. Jerry, you called in saying that you’re fighting the enemy trying to drag you back in the name of Jesus Satan we command you right now in the name of Jesus we declare those chains broken in Jesus’ name. You could not have Jerry anymore. He is no longer a part of that. He is now a new creation in Christ a son of the most high king and you must release him right now in the name of Jesus. And Jerry you are no longer the man incarcerated you are now Jerry birthed in freedom in the name of Jesus. Jesse, you called in regarding your grandmother sick for a year now standing and walking across the room in the name of Jesus Father God. We thank you Lord for the healing that is continuing to take place Father God in the name of Jesus. A woman called in seven times or recorded seven times Father is purely good. Yes He is for us. The enemy is a liar. We must continue to declare that every moment of every day. Rebecca in the name of Jesus I am declaring peace, peace among our brothers and sisters in this Ethiopian civil war Father God. Father God we break those chains in Jesus name of hatred Father God, of strife Father God, of jealousy and bring them together Father God to dine at a table of love Father God in the name of Jesus Father God. James, you called in how many times you moved and changed churches and now in a divorce. We bind that in the name of Jesus Father God. We’re declaring marriage reconciliation Father God in the name of Jesus. Nothing’s too late for you Father God in the name of Jesus and thank God the DAB has been a constant for us. Mikey you called in regarding your baby. Thank you for calling as a first-time caller. And we’re praying for your baby. We’re praying for that spirit of auditory neuropathy to be gone in the name of Jesus Father God we’re declaring healing over this baby Father God in the name of Jesus Father God. I love you Esther…

Hello this is Max from Madison. I am a little behind as usual on Daily Audio Bible. Listened to November 5th today, the prayer requests and Elene ileen from I believe it was Colchester called in about her son Daniel and I just want to say a prayer for Daniel and for Elene and let you know that you are not alone. You have many brothers and sisters suffering the same. 1 Peter 5:7. And the best thing to do is know and let Daniel know that he’s not alone. And if there is a support group, a youth support group in your area I would highly advise because that helped me a lot when I was his age. Also, I want to praise report. I’ve been working on for several years trying to help teens in my local neighborhood using the performing arts and I almost lost hope a year ago when I called in and it looked like it’s going to happen. I’m partnering with the local school district, and it looks like we might have our first club meetings in June, and I’ll actually be paid and have a job career doing what I love. And, so, just let Daniel know that he is loved. Lord Daniel is your child, he’s in pain right now but let him know that You have him. You have in your embrace and give his mom Elene strength to deal with this in compassion and love. God bless you all. Bye.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday November 18, 2021 (NIV)

Ezekiel 37-38

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,(A) and he brought me out by his Spirit(B) and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I replied, “Lord God, only you know.”(C)

4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.(D) 6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”(E)

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,[a] prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” (F) 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them,(G) and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.(H) Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up,(I) and our hope has perished;(J) we are cut off.’(K) 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them,(L) my people, and lead you into the land of Israel. 13 You will know that I am the Lord, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.(M) 14 I will put my Spirit in you,(N) and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it.(O) This is the declaration of the Lord.’”

The Reunification of Israel

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it:(P) Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him.(Q) 17 Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.(R) 18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—(S) 19 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in my hand.’

20 “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,(T) 21 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.(U) I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land,(V) on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.(W) They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols,(X) their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions.(Y) I will save them from all their apostasies by which[b] they sinned,(Z) and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.(AA) 24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them.(AB) They will follow my ordinances, and keep my statutes and obey them.(AC)

25 “‘They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,(AD) where your ancestors lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and my servant David will be their prince forever.(AE) 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them;(AF) it will be a permanent covenant(AG) with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them;(AH) I will be their God, and they will be my people.(AI) 28 When my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’”(AJ)

The Defeat of Gog

38 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Magog,(AK) the chief prince of[c] Meshech and Tubal.(AL) Prophesy against him 3 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws,(AM) and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders,(AN) who are all splendidly dressed, a huge assembly armed with large and small shields, all of them brandishing swords. 5 Persia,(AO) Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets; 6 Gomer(AP) with all its troops; and Beth-togarmah(AQ) from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops—many peoples are with you.

7 “‘Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and your whole assembly that has been mobilized around you; you will be their guard. 8 After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war[d] and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin.(AR) They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them now live securely. 9 You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

10 “‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11 You will say, “I will advance against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely,(AS) all of them living without walls and without bars or gates”(AT)— 12 in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder,(AU) to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world. 13 Sheba(AV) and Dedan(AW) and the merchants of Tarshish(AX) with all its rulers[e] will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you mobilized your assembly to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize plenty of spoil?”’

14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely,(AY) will you not know this 15 and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north(AZ)—you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses—a huge assembly, a powerful army? 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against my land so that the nations may know me, when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.(BA)

17 “‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them? 18 Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel—this is the declaration of the Lord God—my wrath will flare up.[f] 19 I swear in my zeal and fiery wrath:(BB) On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before me. The mountains will be demolished, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the declaration of the Lord God—and every man’s sword will be against his brother.(BC) 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.(BD) 23 I will display my greatness and holiness, and will reveal myself in the sight of many nations.(BE) Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Footnotes:

  1. 37:9 Or wind, or spirit, also in v. 10
  2. 37:23 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym; other Hb mss read their settlements where
  3. 38:2 Or the prince of Rosh,
  4. 38:8 Lit from the sword
  5. 38:13 Lit young lions, or villages
  6. 38:18 Lit up in my anger

Cross references:

  1. 37:1 : Ezk 1:3
  2. 37:1 : Ezk 8:3; 11:24
  3. 37:3 : Dt 32:39; 1Sm 2:6
  4. 37:5 : Gn 2:7; Ps 104:29–30
  5. 37:6 : Jl 2:27; 3:17
  6. 37:9 : Ps 104:30
  7. 37:10 : Rv 11:11
  8. 37:11 : Ezk 36:10
  9. 37:11 : Ps 141:7
  10. 37:11 : Eph 2:12
  11. 37:11 : Is 49:14; Lm 3:54
  12. 37:12 : Is 26:19; 66:14; Hs 13:14; Rm 11:15
  13. 37:13 : Jn 5:28–29; 1Co 15:21–22; Rv 20:4–5
  14. 37:14 : Ezk 36:27
  15. 37:14 : Ezk 17:24
  16. 37:16 : Nm 17:2–3
  17. 37:16 : 2Ch 11:11–17
  18. 37:17 : Is 11:13; Hs 1:11
  19. 37:18 : Ezk 12:9; 24:19
  20. 37:20 : Ezk 12:3
  21. 37:21 : Ezk 36:24
  22. 37:22 : Jr 3:18
  23. 37:22 : Ezk 34:23–24
  24. 37:23 : Ezk 36:25
  25. 37:23 : Ezk 36:28–29
  26. 37:23 : Rm 11:26
  27. 37:23 : Ezk 36:38
  28. 37:24 : Ezk 34:23–24; Jn 10:16
  29. 37:24 : Ezk 36:27
  30. 37:25 : Is 60:21
  31. 37:25 : Jn 12:34
  32. 37:26 : Is 54:10; Ezk 34:25
  33. 37:26 : Is 55:3; Jr 32:40; Ezk 16:60; Heb 13:20
  34. 37:27 : Jn 1:14
  35. 37:27 : Ezk 36:28
  36. 37:28 : Ezk 20:12
  37. 38:2 : Gn 10:2; Ezk 39:1; Rv 20:8
  38. 38:2 : Ezk 27:13
  39. 38:4 : 2Kg 19:28; Ezk 29:4
  40. 38:4 : Dn 11:40
  41. 38:5 : Ezk 27:10
  42. 38:6 : Gn 10:2
  43. 38:6 : Gn 10:3
  44. 38:8 : Ezk 36:8–11
  45. 38:11 : Jdg 18:7
  46. 38:11 : Jr 49:31
  47. 38:12 : Is 10:6; Ezk 29:19
  48. 38:13 : Ezk 27:22
  49. 38:13 : Ezk 27:20
  50. 38:13 : Ezk 27:12
  51. 38:14 : Jr 23:6
  52. 38:15 : Ezk 39:2
  53. 38:16 : Ezk 28:22
  54. 38:19 : Ezk 36:6
  55. 38:21 : Ezk 14:17
  56. 38:22 : Rv 16:18–21
  57. 38:23 : Ezk 37:28
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.

James 1:19-2:17

Hearing and Doing the Word

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,(A) 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent,[a] humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.(B)

22 But(C) be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face[b] in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.(D)

26 If anyone[c] thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue,(E) his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows(F) in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.(G)

The Sin of Favoritism

2 My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(H) 2 For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(I) to be rich in faith(J) and heirs(K) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonored the poor.(L) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(M) you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?(N)

8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,[d](O) you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism,(P) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(Q) 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery,[e] also said, Do not murder.[f](R) So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.(S) 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.(T) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?(U) 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:21 Or the abundance of evil
  2. 1:23 Or at his natural face
  3. 1:26 Other mss add among you
  4. 2:8 Lv 19:18
  5. 2:11 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
  6. 2:11 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17

Cross references:

  1. 1:19 : Pr 10:19; 17:27; Ec 5:1–2
  2. 1:21 : Eph 1:13; 4:22; Col 3:8
  3. 1:22–25 : Mt 7:24–27; Rm 2:13; Jms 2:14–20
  4. 1:25 : Jn 13:17; Jms 2:12
  5. 1:26 : Ps 34:13; 39:1; 141:3; Jms 3:2–3; 1Pt 3:10
  6. 1:27 : Jb 31:17; Is 1:17,23; Mt 25:36
  7. 1:27 : Rm 12:2; 1Jn 5:18
  8. 2:1 : Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; Ac 10:34; Rm 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25
  9. 2:5 : Jb 34:19; 1Co 1:27
  10. 2:5 : Lk 12:21; Rv 2:9
  11. 2:5 : Rm 4:13–14; 8:17; Gl 3:29; 4:7; Ti 3:7; Heb 1:2; 11:7
  12. 2:6 : 1Co 11:22
  13. 2:6 : Ac 8:3; 17:6; 18:12
  14. 2:7 : Is 63:19; 65:1; Am 9:12; Ac 15:17
  15. 2:8 : Lv 19:18; Mt 22:39
  16. 2:9 : Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; Ac 10:34; Rm 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25
  17. 2:10 : Mt 5:10; Gl 3:10
  18. 2:11 : Ex 20:13–14; Dt 5:17–18
  19. 2:12 : Mt 7:12,24–29; 19:17–21; 22:36–40; 28:20
  20. 2:13 : Jb 22:6; Pr 21:13; Mt 5:7; 18:32–35
  21. 2:14–16 : Mt 25:35–36; Lk 3:11; 1Jn 3:16–18
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 117

Psalm 117

Universal Call to Praise

1 Praise the Lord, all nations!
Glorify him, all peoples!(A)
2 For his faithful love to us is great;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.(B)
Hallelujah!

Cross references:

  1. 117:1 : Rm 15:11
  2. 117:2 : Ps 100:5; 103:11; 146:6
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 28:1

28 The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them,(A)
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 28:1 : Lv 26:17; Ps 53:5
  2. 28:1 : Eph 6:19–20
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.

Posted on

11/17/2021 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 35:1-36:38, James 1:1-18, Psalm 116:1-19, Proverbs 27:23-27

Today is the 17th day of November, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian. It is, it’s, it’s, it’s a joy to be here around this Global Campfire together with you as we continue our journey forward and take the next step together. That next step will lead us into the book of Ezekiel, I can’t talk today, back into the book of Ezekiel which we are winding down and working our way through. When we get to the New Testament today, we have some new territory. We concluded the letter to the Hebrews yesterday which will bring us to the book of, or the letter from James and I we’ll talk about James when we get there, but firsts Ezekiel chapters 35 and 36 today.

Introduction to the Book of James:

Alright so, as we mentioned a few minutes ago, we’re moving into some new territory as we approach the New Testament today and we’ll be moving into the epistle or letter of James. James is somebody that we’ve heard of before in the Scriptures, although there is debate about what James we’re even talking about when we talk about this letter. But nevertheless, no matter which James we’re talking about, this is not a voice that we’ve heard. This is not somebody that has spoken to us through Scripture in a voice that we’ve heard before. So, this is kind of new territory for us in the New Testament. And, like I said, there has been scholarly debate for quite a while about who this James, who exactly, which James we’re talking about and that makes then dating James a bit difficult because trying to identify the exact author. But there is a likely scenario, one that does have quite a bit of traditional and solid support and that would be that this letter very likely, probably, was written by James, who was the half-brother of Jesus Christ, who was not a believer in Jesus divinity, he grew up with him, he was His brother, he didn’t believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry. It seems like that scenario changed for lots of people after Jesus was, arose from the dead. And you can imagine why of course, but James the brother of Jesus did become a leader of the early church. And he was involved in really pivotal monumental decisions like the Jerusalem Council, the decision that we read of in the Book of Acts and talked about it extensively then, the decision that invited Gentiles into the faith that made it an inclusive, encompassing faith. That all you had to do was believe, you didn’t have to have a certain ethnicity or abide by Hebrew customs and Mosaic law. One of the reasons that this James, the brother of Jesus, rises to the top is because he was leader of the church in Jerusalem and it’s, it’s like Hebrews, we…we don’t exactly know who the author of Hebrews is, but whoever did write the letter to the Hebrews it was preserved, it held authority, it was kept, it was passed down and it’s a long letter. James is like that as well. Whichever James we’re talking about, people in the early church, the early believers, preserved and held onto this letter. And we’re not certain of another specific James that would hold that kind of clout. You can imagine that you would hold onto a letter, I would. Would you not hold onto a letter that was written to you by the brother of our Lord? And so, this is probably the James that we’re talking about. This James was not a Gentile, was definitely a Hebrew and this letter is very much written from a Hebrew perspective. It’s addressed to the 12 tribes that are scattered which helps us know who this is written to and it kind of opens up a can of worms to: is he writing to all of the Hebrew people throughout all of the world who have been scattered through exile all over the earth, or is he talking more to more immediate times, that persecution and marginalization has begun and so people are fleeing looking for a freedom to worship. We remember from the Book of Acts that Stephen, in Jerusalem, he was stoned, became the first martyr, the first person to actually die for the name of Jesus and the apostle Paul, who was Saul at the time, was there watching this all go down. So, some of that could have been a catalyst, it would’ve been a catalyst for a lot of things. And you have somebody in your church that gets murdered by…by a mob right, even in this day and age, that would be a catalyst. So if James is writing to those people who are just gonna fleeing and looking for freedom and persecution in quieter places, then they may have at one point been a part of the mother church, the Jerusalem church, in which James was the pastor and so you would be writing a letter that gets passed around to people that he had been a pastor to. Which, then, kind of gives even more credibility to James, the brother of Jesus, being the author because yes you would preserve a letter that you received from the brother of the Lord. But if you received a letter from the brother of the Lord who had also previously been your pastor and was the leader of the Jerusalem church, a place that you had had to leave and flee from but still felt your hearts connection to then, you’d see why these, this letter would be held and kept in high regard and copied and passed around. If this all is true than this is an early Christian document. Many scholars think like first Thessalonians is the earliest Christian writing that exists but this letter of James, many people feel is very, very early Christian document, many scholars find in the letter from James’s sort of an encapsulation of a Hebrews centric understanding of the faith that is nuanced a little bit from Paul. And some of this comes from the idea in James that faith, and look, if we haven’t got the idea that faith animates our entire experience with God, then we should get that pretty clear. It should be pretty clear because the Bible’s been shouting it all along, like faith is the thing that animates our intimacy and relationship with God. And Paul’s pretty clear that this is all a gift and there’s no way to earn it and we can’t. Whereas James preserves maybe a tradition a little more Hebrew-centric when he says faith though, faith yes, but faith without works is dead. Which means it’s not an alive faith and so even famous people in church history, like the Roman Catholic priest Martin Luther, who began sort of inaugurated, a domino thing that happened that became the Protestant Reformation. He was not a big fan of this letter from James because of that, because of that, that one thing right there: faith without works is dead. I guess when we get to that particular passage, we should talk about but we could probably all reason that if you don’t live what you say, especially in this day and age, anybody can say anything, oh my goodness. Anybody can say anything about anything. So, if you don’t actually live what you say, well anybody can say anything and that’s kind of James point. If you’re not living what you’re saying then, is that even really faith? It’s not an alive faith, at least according to James. But I guess, we’ll get there when we get there. One thing that I can tell you is that we need to buckle up. We need to open our hearts and lower our defenses. If there is a book that is direct, a letter that is direct, like words that are intended to be looking at you directly in the eyes, eyes to eyes, right into your soul, it will be James. There’s no flinching here. This is a very direct letter. Nearly every time we come to this place and we’re beginning James I say like this, if, just prepare to have your butt kicked if…if you’re open to it. This book does not back down, it’s a butt kicker and it’s ultimately trying to tell us that we do have to live our lives by faith and we have to live our faiths in by what we do and that’s just as relevant, now as it would’ve been in the first century, maybe even, maybe even more, I’m not sure how to quantify, but the opportunities for duplicity in our world today because of technology and stuff, we have been opportunities to assume all kinds of different identities and be all kinds of different ways which is not a unified faith. And James is essentially saying that isn’t faith and wants nothing to do with it. So, with that in mind, let’s get going. James chapter 1 verses one through 18.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for all of the nuances and complexions that we find and that we encounter in all of the different nuanced kinds of people that we encounter because we are so nuanced and complex as people and so we find ourselves in these stories, we find You in these stories, it gives us context for our own lives and we are grateful. So, as we continue this journey and now into the letter of James, we open ourselves to You that You might correct, that You might reprioritize and make the way straight before us. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is home base, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can access all the things that are on the web by pushing the little drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app screen and whether on the web or using the app inside that drawer or along the navigation bar you will find the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Inside the Daily Audio Bible Shop, you’ll find the brand-new resource that we have been talking about for well, not even a week yet: Promised Land, Photographs from the Land of the Bible which simply builds upon a mission that we started many years ago to try to bring the locations, the places where the Bible happened nearer, closer. And so, we spent years doing the Promised Land films and releasing those, giving little snippets, little glimpses into some of the key places where pivotal things happened in the Bible. And now in book form: Promised Land, Photographs from the Land of the Bible. And it’s beautiful. It’s 12" x 12", a real, real good size for, for enjoying and a real good size for like a coffee table, end table piece. And this resource is available now, so you can find it in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and given freely to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night and to build community around that rhythm so that we’re not in this alone, we’re in this together. If that makes a difference in your life then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app 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.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday November 17, 2021 (NIV)

Ezekiel 35-36

A Prophecy against Edom

35 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, face Mount Seir(A) and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Look! I am against you, Mount Seir.
I will stretch out my hand against you
and make you a desolate waste.(B)
4 I will turn your cities into ruins,
and you will become a desolation.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.

5 “‘Because you maintained a perpetual hatred(C) and gave the Israelites over to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster, the time of final punishment,(D) 6 therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.(E) 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.(F) 8 I will fill its mountains with the slain;(G) those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation; your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

10 “‘Because you said, “These two nations and two lands will be mine, and we will possess them”—though the Lord was there(H)— 11 therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them. I will make myself known among them[a] when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the blasphemies you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate. They have been given to us to devour!” 13 You boasted against me(I) with your mouth, and spoke many words against me. I heard it myself!

14 “‘This is what the Lord God says: While the whole world rejoices, I will make you a desolation. 15 Just as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it became a desolation, I will deal the same way with you: you will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and so will all Edom in its entirety. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Restoration of Israel’s Mountains

36 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.(J) 2 This is what the Lord God says: Because the enemy has said about you, “Aha!(K) The ancient heights(L) have become our possession,”’ 3 therefore, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,(M) 4 therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become plunder(N) and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around.

5 “‘This is what the Lord God says: Certainly in my burning zeal I speak against the rest of the nations and all of Edom,(O) who took[b] my land as their own possession with wholehearted rejoicing and utter contempt(P) so that its pastureland became[c] plunder. 6 Therefore, prophesy concerning Israel’s land, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I speak in my burning zeal(Q) because you have endured the insults of the nations. 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I swear[d] that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.(R)

8 “‘You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches(S) and bear your fruit for my people Israel, since their arrival is near. 9 Look! I am on your side; I will turn toward you,(T) and you will be tilled and sown. 10 I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety.(U) The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will fill you with people and animals,(V) and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(W) 12 I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you,(X) and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.

13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: Because some are saying to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of children,”(Y) 14 therefore, you will no longer devour people and deprive your nation of children.[e] This is the declaration of the Lord God. 15 I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples anymore;(Z) you will no longer cause your nation to stumble.[f] This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Restoration of Israel’s People

16 The word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions.(AA) Their behavior before me was like menstrual impurity.(AB) 18 So I poured out my wrath(AC) on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries.(AD) I judged them according to their conduct and actions.(AE) 20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name,(AF) because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave his land in exile.’ 21 Then I had concern for my holy name,(AG) which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act,(AH) house of Israel, but for my holy name,(AI) which you profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will honor the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the Lord—this is the declaration of the Lord God—when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.(AJ)

24 “‘For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.(AK) 25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.(AL) I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.(AM) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;(AN) I will remove your heart of stone[g] and give you a heart of flesh.(AO) 27 I will place my Spirit within you(AP) and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.(AQ) 28 You will live in the land that I gave your ancestors;(AR) you will be my people, and I will be your God.(AS) 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine on you.(AT) 30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.

31 “‘You will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good,(AU) and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.(AV) 32 It is not for your sake that I will act(AW)—this is the declaration of the Lord God—let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!

33 “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.(AX) 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 They will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden.(AY) The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and demolished are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was demolished and have replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it.(AZ)

37 “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them:(BA) I will multiply them in number like a flock.[h] 38 So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as Jerusalem(BB) is filled with a flock of sheep for sacrifice[i] during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes:

  1. 35:11 LXX reads you
  2. 36:5 Lit gave
  3. 36:5 Or contempt, to empty it of; Hb obscure
  4. 36:7 Lit lift up my hand
  5. 36:14 Alt Hb tradition reads and cause your nation to stumble
  6. 36:15 Some Hb mss, Tg read no longer bereave your nation of children
  7. 36:26 Lit stone from your flesh
  8. 36:37 Lit flock of people
  9. 36:38 Lit as the consecrated flock, as the flock of Jerusalem

Cross references:

  1. 35:2 : Ezk 25:12–14
  2. 35:3 : Ezk 6:14
  3. 35:5 : Ps 137:7; Ezk 25:15
  4. 35:5 : Ezk 7:2; 21:25,29
  5. 35:6 : Is 63:2–6; Ezk 16:38; 32:6
  6. 35:7 : Ezk 33:28
  7. 35:8 : Ezk 31:12; 32:4–5
  8. 35:10 : Ps 48:1–3; Ezk 48:35
  9. 35:13 : Jr 48:26,42; Ob 12; Zph 2:8
  10. 36:1 : Ezk 6:2
  11. 36:2 : Ezk 25:3; 26:2
  12. 36:2 : Dt 32:13
  13. 36:3 : Ezk 35:13
  14. 36:4 : Ezk 34:8,28
  15. 36:5 : Dt 4:24
  16. 36:5 : Ezk 35:10,15
  17. 36:6 : Ps 74:10; 123:3–4
  18. 36:7 : Ezk 20:5
  19. 36:8 : Ezk 17:23
  20. 36:9 : Lv 26:9
  21. 36:10 : Ezk 37:21–22
  22. 36:11 : Jr 33:12
  23. 36:11 : Is 51:3
  24. 36:12 : Ob 17
  25. 36:13 : Nm 13:32
  26. 36:15 : Ezk 34:29
  27. 36:17 : Jr 2:7
  28. 36:17 : Lv 15:19
  29. 36:18 : Ezk 16:36; 22:3
  30. 36:19 : Dt 28:64; Ezk 22:15
  31. 36:19 : Rm 2:6
  32. 36:20 : Is 52:5; Rm 2:24
  33. 36:21 : Is 48:9; Ezk 20:44
  34. 36:22 : Dt 9:5
  35. 36:22 : Ps 115:1; Is 43:25; 48:11; Ezk 20:9; Dn 9:18–19
  36. 36:23 : Ezk 20:41; 38:23; 39:7,25
  37. 36:24 : Ezk 34:13; 37:21
  38. 36:25 : Ps 51:7; Heb 9:13,19; 10:22
  39. 36:25 : Jr 33:8
  40. 36:26 : Ezk 18:31; Jl 2:28
  41. 36:26 : Dt 30:6; Ezk 11:19; 2Co 3:3
  42. 36:27 : Ezk 37:14
  43. 36:27 : Jr 24:7; 31:33; 32:40
  44. 36:28 : Ezk 37:23–25
  45. 36:28 : Ezk 34:30
  46. 36:29–30 : Ezk 34:27,29
  47. 36:31 : Ezk 16:61–63
  48. 36:31 : Ezk 6:9; 20:43
  49. 36:32 : Dt 9:5
  50. 36:33 : Ezk 36:10
  51. 36:35 : Is 51:3; Jl 2:3
  52. 36:36 : Ezk 17:24
  53. 36:37 : Ezk 14:3
  54. 36:38 : 2Ch 35:7–9
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.

James 1:1-18

Greeting

1 James,(A) a servant of God(B) and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

To the twelve tribes(C) dispersed abroad.[a](D)

Greetings.(E)

Trials and Maturity

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,(F) 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.(G) 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting.[b] For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.[c](H)

9 Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.(I) 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.(J)

12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown(K) of life that God[d] has promised to those who love him.(L)

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.(M) 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.(N)

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.(O) 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.(P) 18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.(Q)

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Gk diaspora; Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands
  2. 1:6 Or without divided loyalties
  3. 1:8 Or in all his conduct
  4. 1:12 Other mss read that the Lord

Cross references:

  1. 1:1 : Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3; Ac 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gl 1:19; 2:9,12; Jd 1
  2. 1:1 : Ac 16:17; Rm 1:1; Eph 6:6; Jms 1:1; 1Pt 2:16; Rv 1:1
  3. 1:1 : Gn 49:28; Ex 24:4; Ezk 47:13; Mt 19:28; Ac 26:7; Rv 21:12
  4. 1:1 : Jn 7:35; 1Pt 1:1
  5. 1:1 : Ti 1:1
  6. 1:2 : Mt 5:12; 1Pt 1:6
  7. 1:5 : 1Kg 3:9; Pr 2:3–6; Mt 7:7
  8. 1:8 : Jms 4:8; 2Pt 2:14
  9. 1:10 : 1Co 7:31; 1Pt 1:24
  10. 1:11 : Ps 102:4,11; Is 40:7
  11. 1:12 : 1Co 9:25; 2Tm 4:8; 1Pt 5:4; Rv 2:10; 3:11
  12. 1:12 : Mt 10:22; Jms 2:5
  13. 1:14 : Pr 7:6–23
  14. 1:15 : Jb 15:35; Ps 7:14; Is 59:4; Rm 6:23
  15. 1:16 : 1Co 6:9; Jms 1:19
  16. 1:17 : Nm 23:19; Mal 3:6; Jn 3:27; 1Jn 1:5
  17. 1:18 : Jn 1:13; Eph 1:12
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 116

Psalm 116

Thanks to God for Deliverance

1 I love the Lord because he has heard
my appeal for mercy.(A)
2 Because he has turned his ear to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.(B)

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.(C)
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!” (D)

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.(E)
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and he saved me.(F)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.(G)
8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.(H)
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.(I)
10 I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”(J)
11 In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(K)

12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?(L)
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.(M)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.(N)

15 The death of his faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.(O)
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.(P)

17 I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.(Q)
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,(R)
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.(S)
Hallelujah!

Cross references:

  1. 116:1 : Ps 18:1; 66:19
  2. 116:2 : Ps 17:6; 40:1
  3. 116:3 : Ps 18:4–5
  4. 116:4 : Ps 18:6; 118:5
  5. 116:5 : Ex 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 112:4
  6. 116:6 : Ps 19:7; 79:8; 142:6
  7. 116:7 : Ps 13:6; Jr 6:16
  8. 116:8 : Ps 49:15; 56:13
  9. 116:9 : Ps 27:13
  10. 116:10 : 2Co 4:13
  11. 116:11 : Ps 31:22; 62:9; Rm 3:4
  12. 116:12 : 2Ch 32:25; 1Th 3:9
  13. 116:13 : Ps 16:5; 105:1
  14. 116:14 : Ps 22:25; 50:14
  15. 116:15 : Ps 72:14
  16. 116:16 : Jb 12:18; Ps 86:16; 107:14
  17. 116:17 : Lv 7:12; Ps 50:14
  18. 116:18 : Ps 22:25; 50:14
  19. 116:19 : Ps 96:8; 102:21
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 27:23-27

23 Know well the condition of your flock,(A)
and pay attention to your herds,
24 for wealth is not forever;(B)
not even a crown lasts for all time.
25 When hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grain from the hills is gathered in,
26 lambs will provide your clothing,
and goats, the price of a field;
27 there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—
food for your household
and nourishment for your female servants.(C)

Cross references:

  1. 27:23 : Ezk 34:12; Jn 10:3,14; Ac 20:28
  2. 27:24 : Lk 16:9
  3. 27:27 : Pr 31:15
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.

Posted on

11/16/2021 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 33:1-34:31, Hebrews 13:1-25, Psalms 115:1-18, Proverbs 27:21-22

Today is the 16th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is awesome to be here with you today. It’s a privilege and an honor to come around this Global Campfire together and continue our journey through this week and month and year and the Bible. Our journey takes us back into the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament and into the book of…or the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament. We will conclude Hebrews today and prepare to move forward as we continue our journey. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Ezekiel chapters 33 and 34 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, just a few minutes ago we concluded the book of Hebrews or the letter to the Hebrews. And once again, let’s just remember, Hebrews is the gospel written through Hebrew…through a Hebrew lens to Hebrew believers. So, it’s one of the greatest texts found in the New Testament that reflects back on the Hebrew Scriptures or what we know as the Old Testament and brings the story of Jesus through that lens or through that Hebrew experience into the hearing and into the hearts of people who believed and people who were investigating. And as we were talking about when we began this journey through the letter to the Hebrews, it is a supremely difficult task to completely separate the Christian faith from its origin story which is in the Hebrew context. And, so, we who are mostly Gentile and have heard the good news and maybe have been around the faith for a while, there’s a lot of things that we can take for granted. But having never grown up in that culture with that background, we can look at the different things that are being said and say, “wait a second, we take these apart one by one. This is very, very interesting and very very different” because the terminology and the understanding, because of the terminology and the ritual practice aren’t things that we mostly do. And, so, some of the ways that the gospel is so revolutionary, and for that matter really controversy don’t always shine through. But once we start looking through a Hebrew lens then we can see pretty clearly. For example, as we’re ending the letter today, and let me just quote. “We have an altar”…again…just put yourself in this position where you don’t have this background, you don’t have this Hebrew background and so you’re hearing this terminology about Jesus. Jesus Christ is being tied to this terminology. You can see the things that we just kind of take for granted. “We have an altar.” If I just stop there after the first four words that we’re reading from this verse. We do? Where? Like, I don’t have an altar anywhere in my house. But let’s continue. “We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle.” If we had no background, we wouldn’t know what the tabernacle was. “For those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat”, right? And again, what can you eat after it’s been sacrificed? This is for the priest. There are rules about this. We don’t normally practice these things. And, so, we don’t really have the context for them. But I continue. “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering.” Right? Just this sentence. Blood? Most holy place? High priest? Sin offering? This is kind of fundamental to the Christian story, but we can see how the terminology is something that can just blow by us. We’ve heard it many many times. We understand the concepts, but we don’t always understand how profound what’s being said actually is. So, let me read this sentence again because I’m stopping to say too much. “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp”, which is Mosaic law by the way. “Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp bearing His disgrace.” So, the language here is attaching Jesus to the sacrificial system in a way that shows Jesus as the final sacrifice in that system while acknowledging the argument of the fact that Jesus was nailed onto a cross by Romans, who were executing Him in disgrace and humiliation and then attaching that to the current Hebrew believers by telling them we must associate ourselves with that disgrace and humiliation because we must associate ourselves and give ourselves over completely to the…the person that was disgraced and humiliated who happens to be the Lord of Heaven’s armies, God incarnate, Jesus God in flesh. That is a word of encouragement to people who are being marginalized because of what they believe about Jesus. And, so, this idea that you go outside the city wall, is you go outside the camp has multiple meanings. It’s following the tradition of the Mosaic law, but it’s also saying like, “hey, you’re not going to be understood. People aren’t going to get this. Not everybody is going to get this. So, you might have to go outside the camp and bear the disgrace associating yourself, associating ourselves with the Savior”, which is to say that we should generally expect the same type of treatment that we saw the Savior undergo, which will require endurance. And, so, from here as we’ve concluded the last sentence of Hebrews, if we look back over the letter we see that we’ve learned God was doing a new thing in the world and He was doing that new thing in person in the person of Jesus. And the new thing that He was doing was instituting a new covenant, one that doesn’t require the blood of animals or animal sacrifice or atonement once a year for all of the people but…but generally we’re separated from God because of our sinfulness. This new covenant dealt with sin once and for all, end of the story. There is not a separation between us and God in this new covenant. We can enter the holy of holies, as it were, which is to enter God’s presence and we can do this as a child…a child coming to be with its Father. And those of us who are fathers or parents, like we don’t expect any of our kids to go kill something and bring it to us so that they can be in our presence. They don’t have to atone for something. Something doesn’t have to die so that they can come and ask us if we can take him to the store or if we’ll play with them. And now we have access to the most-high God personally. And the way that that is engaged is through faith, which…which is what started the Hebrew story, which we find in the writings of Paul and the writings…the letter to the Hebrews when we go back to Abraham. Faith started the story, faith as animated the story, faith is what is required. Without faith it is impossible to please God. And, so, it is our faith that we must live into, and it is our faith that we must strengthen and in order to strengthen anything there will be resistance. We might call this endurance. And this is like exercise. And, so, we train to run the race set before us. And as we read today part of that endurance or perseverance is…is standing in the face of being marginalized or even persecuted. We’re not supposed to slink back and disappear. We’re city on a hill, we are the salt of the earth. We are the witness to the world that this is a true story. So, rather than slinking back we live boldly. And often we confuse that boldness with what we post on social media rather than looking at our lives and saying, “am I a light in the darkness.” Do I bring light? Do I bring life? Do I bear good news?” And, so, often we get distracted in trying to correct each other instead of trying to be the light of the world and exercising our faith. And, so, Hebrews has brought us plenty. I mean we could literally just start Hebrews over and go through it again and then do it again and then do it again. There’s always something more there, and it’s really really valuable in the New Testament, especially when we’re reading the whole Bible in a year like we are because it really really brings things together in a Hebrew perspective that really ties Jesus through the Old Testament story through the Jewish story, the Hebrew story. And without that context, we lose a lot of the deep powerful truths that are expressed through the life of Jesus and for that matter through the New Testament.

Prayer:

Father we thank You. We thank You for the letter to the Hebrews. We thank You for…we thank You for everything in the Scriptures. We thank You for the opportunity that we can pour over them anytime we want pretty much and that it’s always available to us. We are deeply, deeply grateful. We are deeply grateful to be included in this story at all. The further we go through the Scriptures and the further that we go through life we become more and more aware of how we do not deserve fellowship with You. We take it for granted. We treat You like Santa Claus and we do not deserve to even be known. We do not deserve Your presence, and yet it is always available. May we hold it in deep dear reverence as we look back at the heritage and where this story came from and how we would have never dreamed of having any kind of personal relationship with You and yet You have adopted us and Your family as children. This is such a world changing thing. Forgive us for taking our salvation for granted and may we live into it with all of our heart, with all of our increasing faith as You continue to lead us forward. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the websites, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. We’ve…lots of things going on around here based on the time of the year that it is.

A few days ago, we launched a brand-new resource that I’ve been talking about and that I’m excited to continue to share about because I think it serves a mission in bringing the land of the Bible closer, that these stories that we’re reading, they happened somewhere and that somewhere is a known place. And, so, Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible is long time coming, but it is now here and now available. It is a beautiful coffee table edition and it’s made as such. Only the finest quality materials that we could find, the best art paper to print on, everything so that it will be a lasting memento, a thing to refer to often, but also a nice piece for the coffee table for anyone to kind of thumb through. So, check that out. It is in the Daily Audio Bible Shop either using the Daily Audio app or going to dailyaudiobible.com and then you’ll find it in the Shop in the Lifestyle or Books and Audiobooks sections, and it is available now. In fact, a whole bunch of them are shipping all over the world today. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. If what we do when we come around the Global Campfire every day and building a serene oasis for ourselves and allowing the Scriptures to speak clearly into our lives, if that is life-giving to you than thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, of course, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that’s the little red button up at the top 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:

Hello DAB family this is Gin in Min which is short for Virginia in Minnesota. I’m calling to bring up to you my dear friend Sue Yantzer in Michigan. She is in the ICU suffering from complications of COVID. She sent me a text a couple minutes ago and asked for my church family to pray for her and I thought of you. I have a local church for sure here, but I thought of my DAB family. This family that I hear prayer request upon prayer request and loves people. And, so, would you please pray for my dear friend Sue Yantzer in Michigan for being in the ICU, complicated…respiratory complications with COVID. She also has a twin sister Suzanne who is also suffering from COVID but she’s home. They both need to be covered and lifted up. And I love this community. Thank you for everything that you do. My heart is warmed by the fire, and I’m so encouraged that I can bring this to you and know that you hear. This is Gin ion Min. Bye.

Hey Daily Audio Bible my name is Irene and I have called in a couple of times anonymously just praying for different people, but I never like really called in for prayer request. But I’m going to try to keep this really short and simple. So, I had been adopted into this wonderful amazing family and I came from the country of Zambia which is in Africa for those who didn’t know and my whole life I’ve grown up, you know, in a very different world and the Lord has protected me in a lot of ways from a lot of racial things, you know, scary things that have happened to other black people. Even most places I go to, like going to the South, I’ve had no problems. I enjoy it very much but I think with me being a senior this year and I’m, you know, 17 and I’m going off to college, the realization that because I’ve been sheltered, and not intentionally. It’s just so happens to be that way because my parents are both white. I’ve just kind of come to the realization of the dark evil wicked people in this world who don’t have the Lord and who will despise and hate me for my skin color primarily. And I have another actually have been afraid of this before, like I’ve never truly been afraid of what people think because I’ve mostly just always…set on God will take care of my enemies. But God will, not only that, but I don’t know…I just don’t want to battle with it. I am…I’ve cried, I’ve been scared and I’m like, Lord I don’t know what to do. And, so, I just really appreciate your prayers that I would overcome this fear and that I would endure. And listening to Brian’s thing about faith, I think this is where my faith is meant to grow and I just help and prayer through this. So, thank you so much. Alright. Bye.

Hello DAB family this is Thankful and Still in Texas it is the 13th of November. I wanted to call up and pray for a couple of you all. I want to lift up Rodney. I know there’s been a lot of calls praying for you, but God Rodney I am praying for you too and I’m just praying that that God work healing in your…in your mind and in your heart and in your body and that He would bring reconciliation between your wife and you and that you all would be unified as a family. I do pray for her return in Jesus’ name. And I want to pray for Holly Heart as you were talking about a lupus flare up after your trip your vacation, I just pray that God’s healing hand be upon you, that He comfort you through the flare up and get you past it and that you would be full of energy and just feeling back to yourself in Jesus’ name. And I want to lift up Shannon from Texas. I just heard you right now. It’s 11/13 or the 13th of November. And, so, I know that feeling of being attacked and I know that God’s purpose is so great for you. And be encouraged because yes, God is with you. And I was just reading this morning in James, to count it joy when you face these different trials because the trying of your faith is going to produce perseverance. So, I pray that the fruit of all of these attacks be made evident to you and that you would have peace and that God would uphold you, just like it says in Isaiah, don’t be…don’t be weary. He is your God, and He will strengthen you and He will help you and He will uphold you with His righteous right hand. And I pray that upon you Shannon in Jesus’ name. And I do lift up your son to God, that He would do His work in him too. In Christ’s name.

Hi DAB family this is Harvester from Missouri. I just want to encourage Shannon from Texas. I heard your message today on November 13th and that you have a son who got out of rehab and that’s been abusive and it’s kind of getting you down and you weren’t able to go to work. I mean, I’m reminded of this story about Moses when he was tired and couldn’t hold his arms up for the battle and they started losing so he had two people on either side of him to hold his arms up so that he would have strength to continue the battle. And I just encourage you to find a couple friends from your ministry or something, maybe that can help hold your arms up. And I know we will join with you in prayer also. I do know what it’s like to be in an abusive situation. I was abused for several years while I…when I was in my home growing up. And it does get to you and you…you need somebody that you can talk to. And if you don’t have any friends right now, I know you can find people in the Celebrate Recovery program or in an Al-Anon program that would understand what you’re going through and can help you through this time. God, I just lift up to You Shannon from Texas and i ask that You would bless her, that You would encourage her, and that You would give her Your comfort and Your strength and Your love in Jesus name Amen.

Good morning, DABbers this is Mommy’s Little Rock in Arkansas. Today is November 13th and it’s my mother’s birthday. It’s my first birthday without my mother. She passed on New Year’s Eve of 2020. So, this has been a year of firsts as they say and I’ve navigated through it as best as I guess you can, you know, when you lose a parent. So, I’m asking for prayers for myself and My family. This has been an interesting year without my mom. And my brother and I and my uncle are left to cherish her memory and all the things that she taught us and gave us over the years. So, as I celebrate her day, I just ask for y'all’s prayers. I just ask that you keep me in mind, and you pray for my heart because I know she’s with the Lord. And boy oh boy what a birthday to be in heaven and celebrating with her family and friends that are there and the Lord. And, so, I just ask that you just keep us in prayer, and I thank you all so much. I love you. Take care. God bless.