The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday July 21, 2023 (NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11

Furnishings for the Temple

Solomon[a] also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high.[b] Then he cast a great round basin, 15 feet across from rim to rim, called the Sea. It was 7 1⁄2 feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference.[c] It was encircled just below its rim by two rows of figures that resembled oxen. There were about six oxen per foot[d] all the way around, and they were cast as part of the basin.

The Sea was placed on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east, and the Sea rested on them. The walls of the Sea were about three inches[e] thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 16,500 gallons[f] of water.

He also made ten smaller basins for washing the utensils for the burnt offerings. He set five on the south side and five on the north. But the priests washed themselves in the Sea.

He then cast ten gold lampstands according to the specifications that had been given, and he put them in the Temple. Five were placed against the south wall, and five were placed against the north wall.

He also built ten tables and placed them in the Temple, five along the south wall and five along the north wall. Then he molded 100 gold basins.

He then built a courtyard for the priests, and also the large outer courtyard. He made doors for the courtyard entrances and overlaid them with bronze. 10 The great bronze basin called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the Temple.

11 Huram-abi also made the necessary washbasins, shovels, and bowls.

So at last Huram-abi completed everything King Solomon had assigned him to make for the Temple of God:

12 the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the two networks of interwoven chains that decorated the capitals;
13 the 400 pomegranates that hung from the chains on the capitals (two rows of pomegranates for each of the chain networks that decorated the capitals on top of the pillars);
14 the water carts holding the basins;
15 the Sea and the twelve oxen under it;
16 the ash buckets, the shovels, the meat hooks, and all the related articles.

Huram-abi made all these things of burnished bronze for the Temple of the Lord, just as King Solomon had directed. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan.[g] 18 Solomon used such great quantities of bronze that its weight could not be determined.

19 Solomon also made all the furnishings for the Temple of God:

the gold altar;
the tables for the Bread of the Presence;
20 the lampstands and their lamps of solid gold, to burn in front of the Most Holy Place as prescribed;
21 the flower decorations, lamps, and tongs—all of the purest gold;
22 the lamp snuffers, bowls, ladles, and incense burners—all of solid gold;
the doors for the entrances to the Most Holy Place and the main room of the Temple, overlaid with gold.

So Solomon finished all his work on the Temple of the Lord. Then he brought all the gifts his father, David, had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the various articles—and he stored them in the treasuries of the Temple of God.

The Ark Brought to the Temple

Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of Israel. They were to bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant to the Temple from its location in the City of David, also known as Zion. So all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn.[h]

When all the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites picked up the Ark. The priests and Levites brought up the Ark along with the special tent[i] and all the sacred items that had been in it. There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count!

Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place,[j] which is in front of the Most Holy Place, but not from the outside. They are still there to this day. 10 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai,[k] where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left Egypt.

11 Then the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day. 12 And the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers—were dressed in fine linen robes and stood at the east side of the altar playing cymbals, lyres, and harps. They were joined by 120 priests who were playing trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words:

“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”

At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. 14 The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God.

Solomon Praises the Lord

Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”

Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father, ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’”

Then Solomon said, “My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord told him, ‘You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good, but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.’

10 “And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 There I have placed the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with the people of Israel.”

Footnotes:

  1. 4:1a Or Huram-abi; Hebrew reads He.
  2. 4:1b Hebrew 20 cubits [9.2 meters] long, 20 cubits wide, and 10 cubits [4.6 meters] high.
  3. 4:2 Hebrew 10 cubits [4.6 meters] across . . . 5 cubits [2.3 meters] deep and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] in circumference.
  4. 4:3 Or 20 oxen per meter; Hebrew reads 10 per cubit.
  5. 4:5a Hebrew a handbreadth [8 centimeters].
  6. 4:5b Hebrew 3,000 baths [63 kiloliters].
  7. 4:17 As in parallel text at 1 Kgs 7:46; Hebrew reads Zeredah.
  8. 5:3 Hebrew at the festival that is in the seventh month. The Festival of Shelters began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day occurred in late September, October, or early November.
  9. 5:5 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; i.e., the tent mentioned in 2 Sam 6:17 and 1 Chr 16:1.
  10. 5:9 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version (see also 1 Kgs 8:8); Masoretic Text reads from the Ark.
  11. 5:10 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Romans 7:1-13

No Longer Bound to the Law

Now, dear brothers and sisters[a]—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature,[b] sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

God’s Law Reveals Our Sin

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[c] But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

Footnotes:

  1. 7:1 Greek brothers; also in 7:4.
  2. 7:5 Greek When we were in the flesh.
  3. 7:7 Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 17

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

O Lord, hear my plea for justice.
Listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer,
for it comes from honest lips.
Declare me innocent,
for you see those who do right.

You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.
I am determined not to sin in what I say.
I have followed your commands,
which keep me from following cruel and evil people.
My steps have stayed on your path;
I have not wavered from following you.

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
By your mighty power you rescue
those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.[a]
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me.
10 They are without pity.
Listen to their boasting!
11 They track me down and surround me,
watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—
like young lions hiding in ambush.

13 Arise, O Lord!
Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!
Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!
14 By the power of your hand, O Lord,
destroy those who look to this world for their reward.
But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.
May their children have plenty,
leaving an inheritance for their descendants.
15 Because I am righteous, I will see you.
When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

Footnotes:

  1. 17:8 Hebrew as the pupil of your eye.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 19:22-23

22 Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest.

23 Fear of the Lord leads to life,
bringing security and protection from harm.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


7/20/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17, Romans 6:1-23, Psalm 16:1-11, Proverbs 19:20-21

Today is the 20th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here. Great to be here with you today, as we gather again and take another step forward together. And our step forward today, like right now, right here in the Old Testament leads us into new territory. There’s not a whole lot for us to talk about, we’re…we’re migrating between First Chronicles and now we will begin Second Chronicles but we’re not moving into an entirely new era, or a completely different genre of writing. We’re just moving from one page to the next. First and Second Chronicles, as well as the books of Kings, First and Second Kings, and the books of Samuel, First and Second Samuel, these were like, all one contiguous document at one point and time. But they were broken apart for the ease of locating things and finding things. So, we’re not moving into a new story, we’re continuing the one we were already in. We will simply now be transitioning between David’s reign and his son Solomon’s reign, and the generations that follow Solomon. A similar thing happens when we migrate between First and Second Kings. So, let's…let’s move into it. Today, Second Chronicles chapters 1, 2 and 3.

Commentary:

Okay, so we have reached a point in the letter to the Romans where we are beginning to see some very profound implications to the Gospel that Paul is laying out in this letter. Implications that are life-changing, implications that have changed our lives, but implications that are supposed to irreversibly change us going forward forever. So, over the last couple of days, we’ve watched Paul go back to Abraham, go back to the beginning of the story, begin laying out the argument that it wasn’t Abraham’s adherence or obedience or anything. It was Abraham’s faith in God’s promise that made him righteous before God. We’ve also learned that, according to Paul, the purpose of the Mosaic law was ultimately to reveal mankind’s inability to obey it perfectly, to make themselves perfect, to perfect or sanctify themselves so that they can come into the presence of God and say I have made myself perfect. You must now accept me as righteous. Paul says that nobody can ever do that. Nobody is righteous and nobody can make themselves righteous. And then, Paul has unveiled the fact that even in that state, that state of complete unrighteousness with nothing that we can do about it, completely estranged from God, God’s enemies, even in that state, He still loved us, and still came for us. Because it is His true desire to be in relationship with us. And the thing that destroys that relationship is sin and its sin, that Paul was talking about today. Basically, with all of this good news that’s being laid out, that we have freedom from sin, and that we can be made right before God by faith. Then, Paul asked the question, should we keep on sinning, like we don’t have to worry about this anymore. Should we keep on sinning, so that God shows us more and more of his wonderful grace. In other words, the more that we sin, the more glory God gets because His grace is on display. Should we keep doing that. And Paul was like absolutely not. We should not keep doing that. And I quote from Paul, “we know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” Which brings up one of these profound implications. If that’s true, then sin is not supposed to be an ongoing part of our reality. Wow! That there is even a way for that to be true, that we can stand righteous before God, wow! But as Paul is telling us, we don’t have any way to make that happen to make ourselves sinless, any more than the Hebrew people had a chance at completely and perfectly obeying the Mosaic law. This cannot be achieved on our own. But Paul’s point is, we’re not on our own anymore. When we put our faith in Jesus, we were transformed and a major thing happened. We died. The person that we were without God came to an end. Crucified with Christ and we were remade, re-created, read born, born again, into a new life. One that is not separated by sin from God. One that is intertwined with the divine nature of God, through Jesus our Savior, restoring us to the way we were intended to be all along. Sin isn’t the default posture anymore. It just boils down to our choice of who and what we will obey. Or quoting from Paul from the letter to the Romans again, “don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” The implication here is that we are not bound to be slaves to sin any longer. We choose to do that. We don’t have to live partially in the dark and try to partially live within the light of God’s kingdom. That’s not what the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers to us. We are invited to end the person that we were, and live as new creations, who no longer have enslavement to the darkness or any ties to the darkness in any way. Those chains have been broken by the work of Christ on our behalf. That’s what we are offered when we put our faith in Jesus. But it is an utter transformation, the old has passed away, the new has come, and we must break ties and move away from anything that would chain…chain us to a former reality without Christ. I mean, we probably all lived long enough to know that we end up in the direction we are going, the direction we are going with Jesus is toward wholeness, that all things are made new. Which means we have to sever the agreements with the darkness that we’ve made throughout our lives that will pull us in any other direction. We will end up where we are going, and the spirit of God is leading us into all truth, leading us into life, leading us on the pathway of sanctification and transformation. All we have to do is believe and walk the path. We will become the slave to whatever it is that we submit ourselves to and obey.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we thank You for this, this stark reality, this fantastic way of looking at things. And it makes the choice obvious. It’s very, very clear that where we want to be is wherever You are, and wherever You are leading. And we confess that so often, even though that’s the desire of our hearts, we make choices that lead us in other directions. We choose to obey and enslave ourselves to things that will not free us, forgive us Lord. Forgive us, we become our own worst enemies when this happens. Forgive us Lord. We accept this free gift of righteousness. We acknowledge there’s nothing that we could do to earn this, we received this is a free gift by faith, and now may we live into that faith by severing ties with the darkness that we may live in the light and reveal the pathway that leads to life. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, this is Saved by His Grace in Happy Valley. I was, my grandfather was a Methodist Minister. So, I’ve pretty much gone to church all my life and fancied myself a Christian because of that. I had a few lost years. But I did come back to the church. Even so, until I found this app, and listened not to lofty sermons or cutesie sermons but just to your explanation of what the Bible, what the words in the Bible meant when they were written and what they mean to us today. That’s…that’s what my soul needed. And I wanna thank you Brian and Jill and China for finally bringing me into the fold. I’m 82 now. I can say that perhaps for the last 7 years, I truly understand and I’m still becoming, I understand that. And then a woman, I think Rosanne from Mississippi came on today and she sort of said the same thing. I just, thank you. I just wanna thank you for helping me to truly find the Lord and begin to have a honest relationship with Him. Thank you and God bless you. Bye.

This is Jersey Jane for Jesus. Listening again to Not Shaken. And the awful situation her daughter is in. I pray for Minny Mouse, the children, for Not Shaken. You’ve been ill. The children need a steady home. Father, I ask You to create an umbrella. To place this umbrella over the entire family of Not Shaken. Father, put this umbrella in the hands of Minny Mouse. Father, put this umbrella over the entire DAB Family, as they pray for this family. They are in dyer need of help. They don’t have an attorney that is paying any attention. The court case hasn’t proceeded yet. It needs to be finished, that these people may heal. Father, put this umbrella over all that need Your help. That are desperate for confidence in themselves that they can, with Your trust and belief, go forward with their lives. Put all this behind them. Oh Father, Abbah Father, Jehovah Jirah, Adonai, help these people. Help them now. I ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Hello, this is CeCe from North Carolina. I’m just calling in today to give ya’ll some wonderful news that I have to share. My husband of 6 years, has accepted Jesus into his heart. I have prayed so many years for him to come to Jesus. He has always been on the fence about faith. He never really understood it. Never really believed it. But he has known. And recently he had a revelation that God had came to him in a dream and he’s considered that maybe he’s been missing God in his life and that’s why all the things that he has done in his life, either he hasn’t reached full potential or somethings been holding him back. And it’s simply amazing that after all this time of praying and hoping for him to come home to Jesus and he finally did. I am truly thankful for God and Jesus for answering my prayers. I just want to let everyone know that, if you have someone in your life, whether it be a spouse, family member, friend, someone you truly care about, and you know, they’re not fully committed to the Lord or Jesus, never give up on them. Never stop praying. Because God will answer your prayer in His time. It might not be immediate. But if you keep your prayer, God will answer you. And you just gotta keep faith. And I did and I am so happy. Happy Sunday everyone. God bless.

Hi DAB family. This is my first time calling in. And DAB has been such a gift to me. Such a gift. I’m on my third year but this is the first year that I’ve truly been consistent. And I’ve been amazed by the way that God shown up through this podcast and through spending better and more time in His word. I need prayer for my family. We have four kids. All underneath the ages of 10. And it’s really hard right now. My oldest, is full of rebellion and anger and he can be violent toward his siblings and toward me and also his dad. And we’re kind of at our wits end. We don’t know what to do and we want to parent him well and parent him gently. But we just, we’re stuck. And we’re needing Jesus to show up and I’m on my knees praying. And asking for help and asking for the Holy Spirit to show us the way. And I know that He’s faithful. But it’s hard in the meantime. And I want life and life abundant for my kids. And I want kid, my kids to know and love the Lord and to feel safe in their own homes. And I want to be a good mom. And so, we need your prayer. And I know that God is faithful and that He will show up. And I know that He can change hearts. And He does change hearts. So, just lift us up in prayer. Thank you DAB family.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday July 20, 2023 (NIV)

2 Chronicles 1-3

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

Solomon son of David took firm control of his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him very powerful.

Solomon called together all the leaders of Israel—the generals and captains of the army,[a] the judges, and all the political and clan leaders. Then he led the entire assembly to the place of worship in Gibeon, for God’s Tabernacle[b] was located there. (This was the Tabernacle that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had made in the wilderness.)

David had already moved the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur was there[c] at Gibeon in front of the Tabernacle of the Lord. So Solomon and the people gathered in front of it to consult the Lord.[d] There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the Lord’s presence and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Solomon replied to God, “You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. O Lord God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! 10 Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly,[e] for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

11 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— 12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

13 Then Solomon returned to Jerusalem from the Tabernacle at the place of worship in Gibeon, and he reigned over Israel.

14 Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses.[f] He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.[g] 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt[h] and from Cilicia[i]; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. 17 At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver,[j] and horses for 150 pieces of silver.[k] They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Preparations for Building the Temple

[l]Solomon decided to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord, and also a royal palace for himself. [m]He enlisted a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 men to quarry stone in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen.

Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram[n] at Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father, David, when he was building his palace. I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God. It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.

“This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?

“So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.

“Also send me cedar, cypress, and red sandalwood[o] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber in Lebanon. I will send my men to help them. An immense amount of timber will be needed, for the Temple I am going to build will be very large and magnificent. 10 In payment for your woodcutters, I will send 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley,[p] 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.[q]

11 King Hiram sent this letter of reply to Solomon:

“It is because the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king! 12 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son, gifted with skill and understanding, who will build a Temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi, who is extremely talented. 14 His mother is from the tribe of Dan in Israel, and his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and he also works with stone and wood. He can work with purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and fine linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.

15 “Send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine that my lord has mentioned. 16 We will cut whatever timber you need from the Lebanon mountains and will float the logs in rafts down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea[r] to Joppa. From there you can transport the logs up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all foreigners in the land of Israel, like the census his father had taken, and he counted 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 as quarry workers in the hill country, and 3,600 as foremen.

Solomon Builds the Temple

So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David, his father. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah[s] the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. The construction began in midspring,[t] during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.

These are the dimensions Solomon used for the foundation of the Temple of God (using the old standard of measurement).[u] It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.[v] The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet[w] wide, running across the entire width of the Temple, and 30 feet[x] high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

He paneled the main room of the Temple with cypress wood, overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with carvings of palm trees and chains. He decorated the walls of the Temple with beautiful jewels and with gold from the land of Parvaim. He overlaid the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors throughout the Temple with gold, and he carved figures of cherubim on the walls.

He made the Most Holy Place 30 feet wide, corresponding to the width of the Temple, and 30 feet deep. He overlaid its interior with 23 tons[y] of fine gold. The gold nails that were used weighed 20 ounces[z] each. He also overlaid the walls of the upper rooms with gold.

10 He made two figures shaped like cherubim, overlaid them with gold, and placed them in the Most Holy Place. 11 The total wingspan of the two cherubim standing side by side was 30 feet. One wing of the first figure was 7 1⁄2 feet[aa] long, and it touched the Temple wall. The other wing, also 7 1⁄2 feet long, touched one of the wings of the second figure. 12 In the same way, the second figure had one wing 7 1⁄2 feet long that touched the opposite wall. The other wing, also 7 1⁄2 feet long, touched the wing of the first figure. 13 So the wingspan of the two cherubim side by side was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced out toward the main room of the Temple.

14 Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim.

15 For the front of the Temple, he made two pillars that were 27 feet[ab] tall, each topped by a capital extending upward another 7 1⁄2 feet. 16 He made a network of interwoven chains[ac] and used them to decorate the tops of the pillars. He also made 100 decorative pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17 Then he set up the two pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one to the south of the entrance and the other to the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz.[ad]

Footnotes:

  1. 1:2 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
  2. 1:3 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 1:6, 13.
  3. 1:5a As in Greek version and Latin Vulgate, and some Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text reads he placed.
  4. 1:5b Hebrew to consult him.
  5. 1:10 Hebrew to go out and come in before this people.
  6. 1:14 Or charioteers; also in 1:14b.
  7. 1:15 Hebrew the Shephelah.
  8. 1:16a Possibly Muzur, a district near Cilicia; also in 1:17.
  9. 1:16b Hebrew Kue, probably another name for Cilicia.
  10. 1:17a Hebrew 600 [shekels] of silver, about 15 pounds or 6.8 kilograms in weight.
  11. 1:17b Hebrew 150 [shekels], about 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms in weight.
  12. 2:1 Verse 2:1 is numbered 1:18 in Hebrew text.
  13. 2:2 Verses 2:2-18 are numbered 2:1-17 in Hebrew text.
  14. 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant spelling of Hiram; also in 2:11.
  15. 2:8 Or juniper; Hebrew reads algum, perhaps a variant spelling of almug; compare 9:10-11 and parallel text at 1 Kgs 10:11-12.
  16. 2:10a Hebrew 20,000 cors [4,400 kiloliters] of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley.
  17. 2:10b Hebrew 20,000 baths [420 kiloliters] of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.
  18. 2:16 Hebrew the sea.
  19. 3:1 Hebrew reads Ornan, a variant spelling of Araunah; compare 2 Sam 24:16.
  20. 3:2 Hebrew on the second [day] of the second month. This day of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in April or May.
  21. 3:3a The “old standard of measurement” was a cubit equal to 18 inches [46 centimeters]. The new standard was a cubit of approximately 21 inches [53 centimeters].
  22. 3:3b Hebrew 60 cubits [27.6 meters] long and 20 cubits [9.2 meters] wide.
  23. 3:4a Hebrew 20 cubits [9.2 meters]; also in 3:8, 11, 13.
  24. 3:4b As in some Greek and Syriac manuscripts, which read 20 cubits [9.2 meters]; Hebrew reads 120 [cubits], which is 180 feet or 55 meters.
  25. 3:8 Hebrew 600 talents [20.4 metric tons].
  26. 3:9 Hebrew 50 shekels [570 grams].
  27. 3:11 Hebrew 5 cubits [2.3 meters]; also in 3:11b, 12, 15.
  28. 3:15 As in Syriac version (see also 1 Kgs 7:15; 2 Kgs 25:17; Jer 52:21), which reads 18 cubits [8.3 meters]; Hebrew reads 35 cubits, which is 52.5 feet or 16.5 meters.
  29. 3:16 Hebrew He made chains in the inner sanctuary. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  30. 3:17 Jakin probably means “he establishes”; Boaz probably means “in him is strength.”
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Romans 6

Sin’s Power Is Broken

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. 6:12 Or Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 16

Psalm 16

A psalm[a] of David.

Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.

Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!

I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.[b]
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead[c]
or allow your holy one[d] to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.[e]

Footnotes:

  1. 16:Title Hebrew miktam. This may be a literary or musical term.
  2. 16:9 Greek version reads and my tongue shouts his praises. Compare Acts 2:26.
  3. 16:10a Hebrew in Sheol.
  4. 16:10b Or your Holy One.
  5. 16:11 Greek version reads You have shown me the way of life, / and you will fill me with the joy of your presence. Compare Acts 2:28.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 19:20-21

20 Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.

21 You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday July 19, 2023 (NIV)

1 Chronicles 28-29

David’s Instructions to Solomon

28 David summoned all the officials of Israel to Jerusalem—the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army divisions, the other generals and captains,[a] the overseers of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, the mighty men, and all the other brave warriors in the kingdom. David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a Temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it, but God said to me, ‘You must not build a Temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’

“Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, has chosen me from among all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen the tribe of Judah to rule, and from among the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. And from among my father’s sons the Lord was pleased to make me king over all Israel. And from among my sons—for the Lord has given me many—he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the Lord’s kingdom. He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’

“So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”

11 Then David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple and its surroundings, including the entry room, the storerooms, the upstairs rooms, the inner rooms, and the inner sanctuary—which was the place of atonement. 12 David also gave Solomon all the plans he had in mind[b] for the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple, the outside rooms, the treasuries, and the rooms for the gifts dedicated to the Lord. 13 The king also gave Solomon the instructions concerning the work of the various divisions of priests and Levites in the Temple of the Lord. And he gave specifications for the items in the Temple that were to be used for worship.

14 David gave instructions regarding how much gold and silver should be used to make the items needed for service. 15 He told Solomon the amount of gold needed for the gold lampstands and lamps, and the amount of silver for the silver lampstands and lamps, depending on how each would be used. 16 He designated the amount of gold for the table on which the Bread of the Presence would be placed and the amount of silver for other tables.

17 David also designated the amount of gold for the solid gold meat hooks used to handle the sacrificial meat and for the basins, pitchers, and dishes, as well as the amount of silver for every dish. 18 He designated the amount of refined gold for the altar of incense. Finally, he gave him a plan for the Lord’s “chariot”—the gold cherubim[c] whose wings were stretched out over the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. 19 “Every part of this plan,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.[d]

20 Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly. 21 The various divisions of priests and Levites will serve in the Temple of God. Others with skills of every kind will volunteer, and the officials and the entire nation are at your command.”

Gifts for Building the Temple

29 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble.

“And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold[e] from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver[f] to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?”

Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army,[g] and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold,[h] 10,000 gold coins,[i] 375 tons of silver,[j] 675 tons of bronze,[k] and 3,750 tons of iron.[l] They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.

David’s Prayer of Praise

10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel,[m] may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Named as King

21 The next day they brought 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 male lambs as burnt offerings to the Lord. They also brought liquid offerings and many other sacrifices on behalf of all Israel. 22 They feasted and drank in the Lord’s presence with great joy that day.

And again they crowned David’s son Solomon as their new king. They anointed him before the Lord as their leader, and they anointed Zadok as priest. 23 So Solomon took the throne of the Lord in place of his father, David, and he succeeded in everything, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officials, the warriors, and the sons of King David pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and he gave Solomon greater royal splendor than any king in Israel before him.

Summary of David’s Reign

26 So David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 He reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. Then his son Solomon ruled in his place.

29 All the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in The Record of Samuel the Seer, The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Record of Gad the Seer. 30 These accounts include the mighty deeds of his reign and everything that happened to him and to Israel and to all the surrounding kingdoms.

Footnotes:

  1. 28:1 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
  2. 28:12 Or the plans of the spirit that was with him.
  3. 28:18 Hebrew for the gold cherub chariot.
  4. 28:19 Or was written under the direction of the Lord.
  5. 29:4a Hebrew 3,000 talents [102 metric tons] of gold.
  6. 29:4b Hebrew 7,000 talents [238 metric tons] of silver.
  7. 29:6 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
  8. 29:7a Hebrew 5,000 talents [170 metric tons] of gold.
  9. 29:7b Hebrew 10,000 darics [a Persian coin] of gold, about 185 pounds or 84 kilograms in weight.
  10. 29:7c Hebrew 10,000 talents [340 metric tons] of silver.
  11. 29:7d Hebrew 18,000 talents [612 metric tons] of bronze.
  12. 29:7e Hebrew 100,000 talents [3,400 metric tons] of iron.
  13. 29:10 Israel is the name that God gave to Jacob.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Romans 5:6-21

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Adam and Christ Contrasted

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 15

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
Those who refuse to gossip
or harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
Those who lend money without charging interest,
and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 19:18-19

18 Discipline your children while there is hope.
Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

19 Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


07/19/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30, Romans 5:6-21, Psalms 15:1-5, Proverbs 19:18-19

Today is the 19th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today. I trust that all is well as we navigate through this week. I know that all is well here around the Global Campfire. Things are always well here. We can drag whatever’s going on in our life in here but this is a safe place away from all of that where we’ve come for simple reasons to be together, to know we’re not alone and to allow God to speak to us through His word. So, it’s always wonderful to be here in this peaceful place together taking the next step forward. Our steps have been leading us currently through the book of first Chronicles in the Old Testament. That will be the case today but today we will conclude the book of first Chronicles before continuing our journey through the letter to the Romans. So, today first Chronicles chapters 28 and 29.

Commentary:

Okay. So, listen to these words from…from Romans that we read today. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time.” Like really…really what else is there to say? Like that says it all. That gives us the context for the life we are now living. And this is where Paul is going in this letter. So, we were talking about Abraham going back to the beginning of the story and how one might be righteous before God in a relationship that is in right standing before God. And Paul has been using Abraham as the example that it was faith that made Abraham righteous before God, not works, not following the Mosaic law. Paul is saying that God came for us. We’re not working our way to Him. We can’t do that. There’s no way. He came for us. And, so, I quote out of Romans today. “Since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His son while we were still his enemies we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So, now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” And I personally say Amen to that. And as for the law, according to Paul, it's…its purpose is to reveal our inability to become righteous before God in our own strength and by our own power because nobody can obey it perfectly. So, the point here is what we were just saying. We can’t take these commandments and try to perfectly obey them to then claim that we have been on our own in our own power made righteous before God. We simply have ascended to that power through…through righteousness that comes from within us. That’s not possible. We can’t work our way to God. He came for us while we were still His enemies. It’s not about something that we can achieve or do. There’s nothing we could do. He came for us. And the law, according to Paul, reveals our inability to get to Him on our own. This is good news. I mean, think about it. It…it’s so easy for us to think that because we love God because we know that He loves us that He owes us something, but He doesn’t, and He didn’t. He owes us nothing. He didn’t need to do any of this. And while we were His enemies, He came for us which should humble us. God came to rescue us from the darkness we made for ourselves, and we were and are helpless to do anything about it. And still God came for us, which leads us to where we started. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time. And the implications are astounding. I…I quote from Paul. “Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death now God’s wonderful grace rules instead giving us right standing with God, and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let’s take some time today to be grateful. Let’s take some time today to ponder. God doesn’t owe us anything. He never has. He never will. While we were helpless and in the darkness of our own making, while we were His enemies He came for us and loved us. That actually ought to change the way we live today. And, so, let’s give it some thought.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come. Come into this. This is…this is something that we know we know this is a theological fact in and we notice in our lives but it’s so easy for us to just kind of keep going on at warp speed and ignoring the fact that you actually love us and you actually came for us even when we were completely against you. You are trustworthy in ways that are beyond even our comprehension. And yet we choose to not trust you a lot or give us we’ve been missing out. You’ve invited us to be in a relationship. The fun in beauty and joy of life together and so often we’ve distilled it down into certain rules and principles that we need to follow to get you to do something for us and yet the realization is that while we were your enemies you already came mainly rest in the joy that this brings all throughout this day to pray in Jesus name, amen.

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Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

7/18/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34, Romans 4:13-5:5, Psalm 14:1-7, Proverbs 19:17

Today is the 18th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, just like it is every day and I mean it. It’s great to be together, isn’t it. It’s great to have this place that we can come and let our cares evaporate and just kind of be in the background and just let God’s word wash into our lives. I am grateful, grateful every day to come here to the Global Campfire and be together and take that next step forward. And so, let’s do that. We’ve been working our way through the book of First Chronicles and we’re working our way through it. There are 29 chapters in First Chronicles, and today we will read chapter 26 verse 12 through 27 verse 34.

Commentary:

Okay, as we are continuing the beautiful letter to the Romans, Paul is spending a lot of time talking about Abraham, and there’s a reason for this and it’s central to all the Paul teaches. So, we remember when we were moving through the book of Acts, we were moving along with Paul like the life and times of Paul in his missionary journeys. So, we’re kind of like traveling along with Paul. And he had this experience where Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, a place that he was going to persecute believers, he met Jesus on this road, and that changed Paul, and has certainly had repercussions the world over until this very day. Like, it’s been revolutionary since then. But before that, before it’s been revolutionary in the world, Jesus intervened and introduced himself to Paul, and Paul had a personal revolution in his life, like a complete transformation. This is a person that was devoutly trying to stamp out the name of Jesus and wipe it from the lips of anyone who would udder it. He hated this teaching; he went from that to being an advocate who died in defense of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel. That is a complete turnaround, that is a revolution in his life, and we can read it and go and then clap our hands and go, praise the Lord, thank God for the Apostle Paul or whatever. But if we think about the things that have made us completely turn around and go in a totally opposite direction, that does not happen without revolution in our lives, without incredible disruption. And one of the greatest disruptions that a person can face is a crisis of faith, and Paul went through a crisis of faith. He believed things a certain way and had ordered his life devoutly believing that he was serving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and he was believing and living in that direction, and he met Jesus, and went in the other direction. That didn’t happen without turmoil. It doesn’t happen without turmoil in our lives. Moments that feel like we’re in freefall where we just don’t know what’s going on. So, it’s not surprising then to see Paul in this state, working through these things, hearing from Jesus, being taught, being raised up understanding the way. It’s not surprising then for Paul to go okay, I’ve been living in a story, the Hebrew experience. I have believed to be a chosen of God devoutly trying to obey God’s law. Now I see I didn’t have the whole story and my framing of the story has had me trying to serve God with all my heart while being in opposition to what God is doing. So, Abraham goes back to the beginning of the story. The place where the Hebrew people find their origination and that is with a person named Abram, who becomes Abraham. And so, Paul goes back to the beginning of the story that he’s living in and looking at it and going what is, what is this story, where did we miss the plot. And that’s when he realizes Abraham believed God, and God counted it toward him as righteousness. He didn’t order his life to obey a law to become righteous. He had faith. He believed God, and God considered him righteous, and that was revolutionary for Paul. And since Paul is speaking to a predominantly Jewish audience in this letter, it can be revolutionary for them as well. If they can see what he is saying. So, in today’s reading, Paul’s discussing Abraham’s life to contrast the life of faith, versus life under the law. And I quote from Paul, “if God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary, and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break.” So, for Paul and we who believe what Paul is saying here, faith is the bridge for interaction with God. Faith is the way to find yourself right, in right standing, righteous before God. God wants us to engage him through faith, not just obeying a set of rules. So, Paul is inviting his readers to do what he did, go back to the beginning of the story, go back to the origin story and look deeply at what God did in the world through Abraham, and see for yourself that it was faith in God’s promise that began the story. Abraham simply had to believe. And so, Paul’s argument is that for the Jewish people, it is faith and not the law, that actually contains their real true identity as chosen people. Or I just quote from the letter to the Romans, “The promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift, and we are all certain to receive it. Whether or not we live according to the law of Moses. If we have faith like Abraham’s.” And what does that look like? Well, we’ve read this story this year. Abraham hoped against all the odds that the promise could be possibly true that maybe, in God’s almighty power, he, Abraham, might be the father of many nations. And that was not a small thing, right. Like we read the story. Abraham’s 100 years old. Sarah’s nearly that old and they’re being promise that they will have a child and that will be the beginning of more children that will one day be more numerous than the sands on the seashore or more numerous than the stars in the heavens. So, Abraham was invited to believe, to hope in the impossible and he did. He did believe. And it did happen, and Isaac was born. And so, Paul is trying to make this the central point. It is faith that makes us righteous before God and not adherence to the Mosaic law, which felt, to those who would been devout and followed the Hebrew traditions, like Paul was tearing down the religion. What Paul was trying to do was share the good news that through faith, mankind can be restored and become righteous before God. I quote again from Paul in our reading today, “since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand. And we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” And so, Paul’s saying, through faith our reality changes and we stand right with God and this should give us great immeasurable hope and should cause us to reframe the circumstances of our lives and reinterpret the obstacles and trials we face, because they have a purpose, they build endurance in us, and that endurance leads to character, and that character builds great hope in our right standing with God, that hope allows us to enter into the story of Abraham and hope in the impossible. And as Paul said today, this hope will not lead to disappointment.

Prayer:

And so, Father our hope is in You that we believe. We know that you love us and that you are for us and that You have invited us into Your family, and we lose sight of that all the time. And so, we doubt and take control of things and make messes all of the time, when there is such a great hope. We can’t do anything to be righteous before us, but You can. And because You can and did, we are right with You, right before You and we have great hope, not only for our lives but for the world. We are carrying the hope. We are carrying what everybody is looking for. So, thank You Jesus for rescuing us and may we be Your hands and feet and continuing to share the Good News that there is hope for restoration in righteousness before God. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that’s, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, brand new announcement. So, brand-new item in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Just becoming available today. So, here’s the story. We have several different Daily Audio Bible channels, like Daily Audio Bible Chronological and Daily Audio Bible, which is what we’re doing right here, right now. We also have Daily Audio Bible Kids, and that’s been running a long time and our son Ezekiel began to read through the New Testament for kids a couple of years ago. So, he’s been in the Scriptures and reading along, just like his parents for the last couple of years. Many, many, many years ago his older brother, when his older brother was a little boy, his older brother Max, he used to also read Daily Audio Bible for kids. And Max, you have to know him. He’s like a beautiful boy, a creative person through and through. A brilliant creative person who’s can be all over the place. And just comes up with all kinds of interesting and creative things. And so, he, he, he had a sign off back when he was doing Daily Audio Bible Kids and he would say rubber ducky. It means absolutely nothing. It’s just how he was saying goodbye, I’ll see you tomorrow. Some of you who have been around a long time might even remember that. There were rubber ducky T-shirts back in those days. And I still them around once in a while. Kind of run into somebody vintage from around here, who has a rubber ducky t-shirt. Well, fast forward a good decade and we’re here with Ezekiel and he’s reading through the Daily Audio Bible for kids, moving through the New Testament. And he starts, he comes up with his own signoff. Just all of his own and he says every day on Daily Audio Bible Kids and those of you who are listening can say it with me, byeeeeeeeee. And then sometimes he’ll stretch that out. He’ll say byeeeeeee and he’ll stretch the E out as long as he has breath. Sometimes it’s short, it’s always different, each and every day, but that’s how he ends the Daily Audio Bible for kids each day. And so, we have made Daily Audio Bible Kids, byeeeeee t-shirts and they’re actually pretty awesome. They have Ezekiel’s picture on them and he’s waving. He’s like a cartoon character and the Daily Audio Bible logo behind it and Daily Audio Bible Kids and he’s waving byeeeeee. So, announcing those, those are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop as of today. And we have adult sizes and all of the kids sizes as well. So, we just want to love on the kids, we just want to love on all the kids of Daily Audio Bible Kids and make this resource available. And you can find it in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, in the Lifestyle Section. So, certainly, check that out and check out the other resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you, humbly thank you. 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.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family, this is Emmie. I haven’t called at all this year. I feel like this year has been so hard for me with my faith. But I’m just calling to encourage anyone that has felt the way I’ve felt this year. Keep pressing on. Keep listening, keep praying. Sometimes we feel that God doesn’t hear you but He’s there. And I’m trusting in Him. I’m speaking to myself as I’m speaking to everybody else right now. So, just keep listening, keep praying, keep trusting God for who He is and for what He has done. Even if you don’t see it now. Remember the things He’s done. Remember how He’s come through for you. I just want to encourage anybody that thinks that just keep pressing forward. And sometimes it’s hard …

Hi, this is Victorious Soldier, just calling to pray for some of the DABers. I just wanted to say congratulations to Peter for having another birthday and I’m glad that he and God’s Smile got out and went to the beach, it was so nice. And I’m praying the Lord continues to strengthen and bless you all. I also want to pray for the young man who moved out of his parent’s house and has moved into a place that has got rather challenging. I ask that the Lord bless and protect them and open doors for them that no man can close. I want to pray for Rhonda. I also want to pray for her, her cousin that, whose husband has to have a heart transplant. I’m praying with them that the transplant goes, goes successful. And I’m also praying for the marriages. Gracious Father, we just ask You to touch the names that I called out and also the marriages that are going through, Father. Only You can be in the midst of those marriages. Only You can touch their heart, Lord, and bring them together in every aspect of the way. We ask that You bring them together and You bless them knowing that they’re, they have a reason for being together. And let their marriage go even greater than it was before. And we just ask You to touch in that heart transplant. You are a doctor that never lost a case. We just ask You to guide the doctors hands and to touch the heart of those family members as they wait on the one having the operation. That God will be with him and bless him and let him come out with successful results with the doctors being successful in it also. And Lord, we give You the glory and the honor. We thank You Lord for Your goodness and Your mercy. We thank You for blessing the DABers and we just thank you …

Hi, DAB community. It’s Morning Lift again. Calling out just to continue to ask you to pray for me and my wife and our marriage. We’re going through a separation, as you know. And it’s been very challenging to say the least. The Lord has blessed me this week with an opportunity to attend a leadership class led by two Christian authors. And it’s been a really good time of introspection and healing and doing some really hard work on myself. And I’m really grateful to God for this opportunity. And I am just constantly in prayer for my wife and our marriage and our family, that we would both grow closer to God, that we would both deal with the problems that we have in our thought processes and the way we resolve conflict and the way we interact with others. I’ve seen so many things in my own the past couple days that were just blind spots that I had missed on my own. And I’m thankful to God for this opportunity to be at this training seminar that I wasn’t even really planning to be at. And God just put it in my path. And I got on the plane and here I am. And I’m grateful to God for this opportunity and I’m just praying at the same time that God would use it to draw me closer to Him, I know He is, doing that. But He would also use the things that I’m learning and the way my mental health is improving, to help just reconcile the relationship that I have with my wife. In Jesus name. Amen.

Good evening family. It’s Soaring on Eagles Wings from Canada. And I have a prayer request this evening. My dear friend and sister, God’s Yellow Flower, is coming back to Manitoba with her son, Keith, for two weeks visit. They’re from here originally, so it will be a delight for them to return home and for Keith to see his friends that he hasn’t seen for quite a while. And for God’s Yellow Flower, to meet up and engage with her friends, here in Manitoba. So, would you please pray for traveling mercies with me. And you know, you know all about Keith’s illness and his lung capacity. So, please join me in prayer for them both. Abba Father, what a delight it will be for God’s Yellow Flower and Keith to return to Manitoba for us to be able to see them and them to interact with us. Now I’m asking You for traveling mercies. Go ahead of them and prepare the way for traveling on July 18th, that there will be no hiccups along the way. And I pray that the two week visit here will just be one that is spent with just talking about the goodness of God. And having Keith’s friends see him and see what the Lord has done. We can say, look what the Lord has done. And thank you all for praying. I know you love them as much as I do.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday July 18, 2023 (NIV)

1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34

12 These divisions of the gatekeepers were named for their family leaders, and like the other Levites, they served at the house of the Lord. 13 They were assigned by families for guard duty at the various gates, without regard to age or training, for it was all decided by means of sacred lots.

14 The responsibility for the east gate went to Meshelemiah[a] and his group. The north gate was assigned to his son Zechariah, a man of unusual wisdom. 15 The south gate went to Obed-edom, and his sons were put in charge of the storehouse. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate and the gateway leading up to the Temple.[b] Guard duties were divided evenly. 17 Six Levites were assigned each day to the east gate, four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two pairs at the storehouse. 18 Six were assigned each day to the west gate, four to the gateway leading up to the Temple, and two to the courtyard.[c]

19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the clans of Korah and Merari.

Treasurers and Other Officials

20 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to the Lord. 21 From the family of Libni[d] in the clan of Gershon, Jehiel[e] was the leader. 22 The sons of Jehiel, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

23 These are the leaders that descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel:

24 From the clan of Amram, Shebuel was a descendant of Gershom son of Moses. He was the chief officer of the treasuries. 25 His relatives through Eliezer were Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zicri, and Shelomoth.

26 Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of the treasuries containing the gifts that King David, the family leaders, and the generals and captains[f] and other officers of the army had dedicated to the Lord. 27 These men dedicated some of the plunder they had gained in battle to maintain the house of the Lord. 28 Shelomoth[g] and his relatives also cared for the gifts dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. All the other dedicated gifts were in their care, too.

29 From the clan of Izhar came Kenaniah. He and his sons were given administrative responsibilities[h] over Israel as officials and judges.

30 From the clan of Hebron came Hashabiah. He and his relatives—1,700 capable men—were put in charge of the Israelite lands west of the Jordan River. They were responsible for all matters related to the things of the Lord and the service of the king in that area.

31 Also from the clan of Hebron came Jeriah,[i] who was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records. (In the fortieth year of David’s reign, a search was made in the records, and capable men from the clan of Hebron were found at Jazer in the land of Gilead.) 32 There were 2,700 capable men among the relatives of Jeriah. King David sent them to the east side of the Jordan River and put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were responsible for all matters related to God and to the king.

Military Commanders and Divisions

27 This is the list of Israelite generals and captains,[j] and their officers, who served the king by supervising the army divisions that were on duty each month of the year. Each division served for one month and had 24,000 troops.

Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was commander of the first division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the first month. He was a descendant of Perez and was in charge of all the army officers for the first month.

Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah, was commander of the second division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the second month. Mikloth was his chief officer.

Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest was commander of the third division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the third month. This was the Benaiah who commanded David’s elite military group known as the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was his chief officer.

Asahel, the brother of Joab, was commander of the fourth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the fourth month. Asahel was succeeded by his son Zebadiah.

Shammah[k] the Izrahite was commander of the fifth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the fifth month.

Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa was commander of the sixth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the sixth month.

10 Helez, a descendant of Ephraim from Pelon, was commander of the seventh division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the seventh month.

11 Sibbecai, a descendant of Zerah from Hushah, was commander of the eighth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the eighth month.

12 Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin was commander of the ninth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the ninth month.

13 Maharai, a descendant of Zerah from Netophah, was commander of the tenth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the tenth month.

14 Benaiah from Pirathon in Ephraim was commander of the eleventh division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the eleventh month.

15 Heled,[l] a descendant of Othniel from Netophah, was commander of the twelfth division of 24,000 troops, which was on duty during the twelfth month.

Leaders of the Tribes

16 The following were the tribes of Israel and their leaders:

TribeLeader
ReubenEliezer son of Zicri
SimeonShephatiah son of Maacah
17 LeviHashabiah son of Kemuel
Aaron (the priests)Zadok
18 JudahElihu (a brother of David)
IssacharOmri son of Michael
19 ZebulunIshmaiah son of Obadiah
NaphtaliJeremoth son of Azriel
20 EphraimHoshea son of Azaziah
Manasseh (west)Joel son of Pedaiah
21 Manasseh in Gilead (east)Iddo son of Zechariah
BenjaminJaasiel son of Abner
22 DanAzarel son of Jeroham

These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

23 When David took his census, he did not count those who were younger than twenty years of age, because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as numerous as the stars in heaven. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began the census but never finished it because[m] the anger of God fell on Israel. The total number was never recorded in King David’s official records.

Officials of David’s Kingdom

25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the palace treasuries.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the regional treasuries throughout the towns, villages, and fortresses of Israel.

26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the king’s lands.

27 Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the king’s vineyards.

Zabdi from Shepham was responsible for the grapes and the supplies of wine.

28 Baal-hanan from Geder was in charge of the king’s olive groves and sycamore-fig trees in the foothills of Judah.[n]

Joash was responsible for the supplies of olive oil.

29 Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle on the Sharon Plain.

Shaphat son of Adlai was responsible for the cattle in the valleys.

30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah from Meronoth was in charge of the donkeys.

31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the king’s flocks of sheep and goats.

All these officials were overseers of King David’s property.

32 Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a wise counselor to the king, a man of great insight, and a scribe. Jehiel the Hacmonite was responsible for teaching the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel was the royal adviser. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend. 34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king’s army.

Footnotes:

  1. 26:14 Hebrew Shelemiah, a variant spelling of Meshelemiah; compare 26:2.
  2. 26:16 Or the gate of Shalleketh on the upper road (also in 26:18). The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 26:18 Or the colonnade. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  4. 26:21a Hebrew Ladan, a variant spelling of Libni; compare 6:17.
  5. 26:21b Hebrew Jehieli (also in 26:22), a variant spelling of Jehiel; compare 23:8.
  6. 26:26 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
  7. 26:28 Hebrew Shelomith, a variant spelling of Shelomoth.
  8. 26:29 Or were given outside work; or were given work away from the Temple area.
  9. 26:31 Hebrew Jerijah, a variant spelling of Jeriah; compare 23:19.
  10. 27:1 Hebrew commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
  11. 27:8 Hebrew Shamhuth, a variant spelling of Shammah; compare 11:27 and 2 Sam 23:25.
  12. 27:15 Hebrew Heldai, a variant spelling of Heled; compare 11:30 and 2 Sam 23:29.
  13. 27:24 Or never finished it, and yet.
  14. 27:28 Hebrew the Shephelah.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Romans 4:13-5:5

13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[a] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[b] 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Faith Brings Joy

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace[c] with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:17 Gen 17:5.
  2. 4:18 Gen 15:5.
  3. 5:1 Some manuscripts read let us have peace.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 14

Psalm 14

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!

The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.[a]
No one does good,
not a single one!

Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the Lord will protect his people.

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the Lord restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

Footnotes:

  1. 14:3 Greek version reads have become useless. Compare Rom 3:12.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 19:17

17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord
and he will repay you!

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday July 17, 2023 (NIV)

1 Chronicles 24:1-26:11

The Divisions of the Priests

24 The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.(A) But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.(B) Together with Zadok(C) from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families[a] were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s. They(D) were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech(E) son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family[b] was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,(F)

11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

19 These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

20 As for the rest of Levi’s sons:

from Amram’s sons: Shubael;

from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.

21 From Rehabiah:

from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first.

22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth;

from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.

23 Hebron’s[c](G) sons:

Jeriah the first, Amariah the second,

Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

24 From Uzziel’s sons: Micah;

from Micah’s sons: Shamir.

25 Micah’s brother: Isshiah;

from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.

26 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi,

and from his sons, Jaaziah his son.[d]

27 Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah:[e]

Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

29 From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel.

30 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families.[f] 31 They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.(H)

The Levitical Musicians

25 David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman,(I) and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy(J) accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals.(K) This is the list of the men who performed their service:

From Asaph’s sons:

Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph’s authority, who prophesied under the authority of the king.

From Jeduthun:(L) Jeduthun’s sons:

Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,[g] Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six—under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.

From Heman: Heman’s sons:

Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer,(M) were given by the promises of God to exalt him,[h] for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the Lord’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority. They numbered 288 together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the Lord. They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.(N)

The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his relatives—12[i]
to Gedaliah the second: him, his relatives, and his sons—12
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his relatives—12
11 the fourth to Izri,[j] his sons, and his relatives—12
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his relatives—12
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his relatives—12
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his relatives—12
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his relatives—12
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his relatives—12
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his relatives—12
18 the eleventh to Azarel,[k] his sons, and his relatives—12
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his relatives—12
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his relatives—12
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his relatives—12
22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his relatives—12
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his relatives—12
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his relatives—12
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his relatives—12
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his relatives—12
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his relatives—12
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his relatives—12
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his relatives—12
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his relatives—12
31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his relatives—12.

The Levitical Gatekeepers

26 The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

Meshelemiah had sons:

Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second,

Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth,

and Eliehoenai the seventh.

Obed-edom also had sons:

Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second,

Joah the third, Sachar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth,

for God blessed him.

Also, to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled their ancestral families[l] because they were strong, capable men.

Shemaiah’s sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semachiah were also capable men. All of these were among the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and relatives; they were capable men with strength for the work—sixty-two from Obed-edom.

Meshelemiah also had sons and relatives who were capable men—eighteen.

10 Hosah,(O) from the Merarites, also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen in all.

Footnotes:

  1. 24:4 Lit house of fathers
  2. 24:6 Lit father’s house
  3. 24:23 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss; other Hb mss omit Hebron’s; 1Ch 23:19
  4. 24:26 Or Mushi; Jaaziah’s sons: Beno.
  5. 24:27 Or sons, Jaaziah: Beno,
  6. 24:30 Lit the house of their fathers
  7. 25:3 One Hb ms, LXX; other Hb mss omit Shimei
  8. 25:5 Lit by the words of God to lift a horn
  9. 25:9 LXX; MT lacks his sons, and his relatives—12
  10. 25:11 Variant of Zeri
  11. 25:18 Variant of Uzziel
  12. 26:6 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 13
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.

Romans 4:1-12

Abraham Justified by Faith

What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather(A) according to the flesh, has found?[a] If Abraham was justified[b] by works,(B) he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.[c](C) Now to the one who works,(D) pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly,(E) his faith is credited for righteousness.

David Celebrating the Same Truth

Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the person
the Lord will never charge with sin.[d](F)

Abraham Justified before Circumcision

Is this blessing only for the circumcised,(G) then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.[e](H) 10 In what way, then, was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision(I) as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith[f](J) while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father(K) of all who believe(L) but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. 12 And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:1 Or What then shall we say? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh? or What, then, shall we say that Abraham our forefather found according to the flesh?
  2. 4:2 Or was declared righteous, or was acquitted
  3. 4:3 Gn 15:6
  4. 4:7–8 Ps 32:1–2
  5. 4:9 Gn 15:6
  6. 4:11 Lit righteousness of faith, also in v. 13
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 13

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?(A)
How long will I store up anxious concerns[a] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(B)

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(C)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(D)

But I have trusted in your faithful love;(E)
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.(F)
I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.(G)

Footnotes:

  1. 13:2 Or up counsels
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 19:15-16

15 Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.(A)

16 The one who keeps commands preserves himself;(B)
one who disregards[a] his ways will die.(C)

Footnotes:

  1. 19:16 Or despises, or treats lightly
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.

7/16/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Chronicles 22:1-23:32, Romans 3:9-31, Psalm 12:1-8, Proverbs 19:13-14

Today is the 16th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today. Every day is a wonderful day. This is a special day, it’s a brand-new week. So, here we go again. Stepping into a brand-new, sparkly week together. We have a reset as we start a new week, and we can choose wisely how we will live this week. And let’s do that. And one of the wise choices that we make is…is to come back to the Scriptures each day. So, we’ve got a brand-new week, we’ll read from the New Living Translation this week, and picking up where we left off will lead us back into the book of First Chronicles, today chapters 22 and 23.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us again into this brand-new shiny, sparkly week. And once again, we just consider the fact that it’s a new week, it’s a reset, it’s in front of us. We can live into it in any way that we want, and we will by the choices that we make, the conversations that we have, the thoughts and intents of our hearts. And so, we submit those to You here at the beginning. We want a glorious week, a glorious week in Your presence, collaborating with You and sensing Your leadership in our lives. This is how we want to live, and we just get in our own way a lot of the time because of the cares of this life. And so, here we are at the threshold, submitting those things to You, the cares of this life. We open our hearts to You, lead us into all truth Holy Spirit, lead us on the narrow path that leads to life. Lead us into Jesus more deeply, we pray, in his name we ask. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Good morning, I’m a Beloved Christian calling for Karen in St. Louis. Karen, you are absolutely right when you say it’s not good for us to spend decades alone. God did not design this world with single adults in mind. Rather, he designed us to need the spiritual and physical and imperial benefits of a spouse. And He also designed us to fulfill those needs for our spouse. So, I want to pray for you today. Lord of all, we thank You that You know it is not good for Karen to be alone and You also know the what the highest good for her is. We also thank You that Karen has such a strong desire to be rooted in You and to keep her eyes fixed on You. So, we ask Lord, that as Karen and her future husband and we believe You have in mind for her. I say seek first You and Your kingdom and righteousness. That Your word will be a lamp unto their path, guiding them together in Your perfect way and in Your perfect time. And we thank You for Karen to terry with You each and every day as she awaits what You have in store for her. Thank You Lord, that Your Holy Spirit intercedes on Karen’s behalf. Amen.

Hi, I’m a first-time caller and would like to ask for prayers for my best friend’s daughter, Leanna, who is in her mid-twenties. My friend is a Christian and her daughter is a die-hard atheist. My friend recently went to her daughter’s home to help her move and saw that Leanna is deeply involved in witchcraft. She has witchcraft books, tarot cards and altar and other paraphernalia. Leanna’s house has deteriorated, and her attitude has become negative. She can lose her temper easily and snaps at her husband and her mother. DAB family, will you please lift me up in prayer. I pray that she and her husband, who is also an atheist, be lifted out of this darkness, will find the truth, love, mercy and glory, in the loving arms of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much and God bless you all.

Good morning DAB family, this is Samantha from Tennessee. And I wanted to pray for Lynn. Lord Jesus, I know what it feels like to go to things that aren’t You when I’m sad or when I’m lonely. My vice specifically is sugar. But Lord, I just ask for Lynn that she would be filled with Your Holy Spirit. I couldn’t help but think about in Acts when Pentecost happened, and they were so full of the Holy Spirit and they were loose and free and full of joy that people were just convinced that they had to be drunk. Because I don’t know what else would make you feel that way. And so, Lynn, I just pray that you be able to be drunk on the Holy Spirit. That you wouldn’t go to alcohol and that you would feel that soothing and that freedom. Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. So, I just pray that You would be filled to the brim with His comfort and his guidance. So, that you would feel what your soul longs for through that instead of through the alcohol, which leads to regret. The Holy Spirit will not leave you with regret. I plead the blood of Jesus over you, I plead His grace over you that the Gospel is not shame on you but shame off of you. So, I declare that the shame is off of you and that you can live free. Because Jesus forgave you already. Jesus name.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family, this is Karen in Florida. Just listening to the prayers today on the 12th of July. And listening to Lynn and I just want to pray for Lynn. So, Lord, thank You so much for Lynn and her courage to call in and request for our prayers today. I just ask You Father to help her with her struggles with her addictions to alcohol and to just wanting to drown out all the fears and all the worry in her life by having a temporary fix of something that will make her feel temporarily good. And you know, I’ve been there too in my life Lord, where I, I struggled with…with things and did things that I regret and I thank You that You have been gracious to me Lord, and I pray for that for Lynn. That You just help her to get out of this place. Help her to find the way-out Lord God. She her the path that she needs to walk on. Give her the strength to walk on that path. Bring good friends into her life that will help her through this time. I just really thank You Lord, that You are our strength. Without You Lord, we would have no hope. So, I just pray to hear a good report from Lynn and what You’re gonna do. And I thank You Lord, that You are great and mighty and powerful. In Jesus name. Amen.