05/11/2020 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 10:1-11:15, John 6:43-71, Psalms 107:1-43, Proverbs 15:1-3

Today is the 11th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we move forward and take the next step in our journey or sail the next mile or whatever metaphor we want to use for forward movement. We’re moving forward into this shiny new week and living into it for all that it’s worth. So, we’re reading from the New International Version this week and we’re moving our way through the book of first Samuel. So, we’ve met Samuel, we kinda know his story even from before he was born. We know that he grew up under the high priest and was trained as a priest. We know that he’s a prophet and a priest and the final judge of Israel. And now we’re in the process…I mean…it may not seem like it but we’re in the process of a humongous transition in the story of the ancient Hebrew people. They’ve asked for a king. So, they want their kingdom or their country to be a monarchy. They want a king to rule them all and to organize them in some sort of way. And we have met a person and his name is Saul and Samuel’s telling him that he’s gonna be the king. That’s pretty hard for Saul to believe but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s pick up the story. First Samuel chapter 10 and 11 today.

Commentary:

Okay. In the book of first Samuel, today we have turned the page, like we have entered a new era. We now have a king in Israel and that changes the dynamic, right? So, this begins to bring to close…to a close time of the Judges. And we read the book of Judges and we know that everybody was doing whatever they wanted, and it wasn’t working out all that great. And, a judge would emerge and would lead the people for their lifetime usually but, you know, then as soon as the vacuum…as soon as they were gone and there’s a void then it just kinda filled in with everybody doing whatever they want until some other catastrophe was upon them. And now they want a king, or they wanted to king and just kinda be done with that back-and-forth just to have a sovereign to rule them. And we met this guy and he became the king, Saul. So, now there is King Saul, the first king of Israel. Here’s where it kinda gets interesting. Remember that last story we read in the book of Judges, that horrible story about the man from Ephraim and the concubine and she gets killed, raped to death, basically and then parts of her are sent to different places, the regions, the tribes and everybody comes together against Benjamin. And then there’s this war and tens of thousands of people die and in the end the tribe of Benjamin is obliterated, like there are 600 people left in the tribe of Benjamin. It’s been essentially wiped from the face of the earth and we saw all the people mourning over that, like just realizing the loss of it. So, how they kind of try to repopulate…like to give the men that were left wives so that the tribe wouldn’t just completely disappear. But, you know, if you have a tribe of Judah and there are 30,000 people who can fight and, you know, that represents maybe 100,000 people or whatever, that’s a very, very different thing than 600 people are left in this tribe. So, you’re…you can be like, “okay. Thank you for that review. That was a nasty story, I didn’t need to hear that story again. What has that got to do with now? What has that got to do with what we’re reading?” Actually, kinda has a lot to do with God’s redemption in all things. So, Saul was not the firstborn, right? He didn’t have any rights in his family. He was not the first of his family. He was not the first of his clan. And he was not from the most populous or powerful tribe of Israel either as we might suspect. He was from that try that tribe, the of Benjamin. The one that was nearly wiped out provided the first king of Israel. And we see what he did. Like what he’s trying to rally people against the ammonites, he cuts up a sacrificial animal and sends it out to summon the people and they come, and they become victorious and this firmly places Saul on his throne. Unfortunately, he won’t firmly be placed on his throne for long but that is a story for another day. And there is a lot that King Saul can teach us about some of the darker avenues of our lives. And the first lesson was taught, in today’s reading. Saul was named as the chosen one to be the king of Israel, and Saul could not be found because Saul was hiding…hiding at his own coronation. And this little clue into the fear of man, that Saul can be swayed by what people think about him, this is gonna cause some problems but we all face that to some degree, some of us in very severe…like we can’t do anything without thinking about what people are going to think about us. If we watch the story of Saul we can learn an awful lot about that road,

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for bringing us into this new week. We thank You for bringing us into this new era in the Scriptures. We invite Your Holy Spirit to quicken us, to make us alert and aware as we move through these next days because there’s so much for us to learn about ourselves. And, so, we open ourselves to You. Come Holy Spirit as we continue the journey forward in the Scriptures, we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

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

If you’re, you know, if you’re struggling with some things there’s a Prayer Wall there at dailyaudiobible.com. And you can get to this in the app as well. But people are praying continually there and people are reaching out for prayer there. And it’s a great place to go for that. So, be aware that the Prayer Wall is there.

Check out the different social media links. This is…these are places that we are connecting in moving together in community. Check out the Daily Audio Bible women’s group. You can find the links to that in the Community section. If you are a woman and you’re not there then you’re missing out on a sisterhood as we move through the Bible that Jill leads up and is continually encouraging, encouraging, encouraging. And, so…so be aware of that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

05/10/2020 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 8:1-9:27, John 6:22-42, Psalms 106:32-48, Proverbs 14:34-35

Today is the 10th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we approach and move into a shiny, sparkly new week that is out in front of us, just waiting for us to live into and tell our story with. This gift of life that is before us is…is the gift from God and we get to make of it through our choices, through our thoughts, words and deeds whatever we like of it. And we can choose to honor God in it, which is what we’re choosing to do, in part, by meeting here around the Global Campfire every day and just allowing this space to exist, this safe, warm place that we have to let God’s word wash into our lives. So, let’s do that. We are getting to know Samuel. And, so, we’ve kind of learned his origin story, this…the story before he was even born and his mom…his mother Hanna and her prayer to God and for Samuel being raised up in Shiloh at the tabernacle and then we’ve gone through the loss of the Ark and Samuel’s emergence as the final judge of Israel. And, so, we will…we will continue that story. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. First Samuel chapters 8 and 9 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. And even as we begin a new week so often the things that we think about are the things that we need to do and the things we need to accomplish in the span ahead. And then, often when we think of our relationship with You, we’re wondering similar things, “what am I supposed to do to make God happy? Like, what is God requiring of me?” And thankfully, as we begin this new week that question was answered in the Gospel of John from Your own lips, Jesus. And, so we’re thankful for that. You were asked that question, “what must we do to do the work God requires?” And so often we are internally asking that, “how do we find ourselves in Your will and in Your good graces?” You answered the question, “the work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” And, so, as we begin this new week, we do indeed declare that. We believe in the one God has sent. We believe that to be You, Lord Jesus. So, as we move into this week, we pray that we would become more and more like You, Christ like, Your hands and feet in this world. And we pray that Your Holy Spirit would guide and lead us into all truth. Come Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth as we open ourselves to the truth. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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

So…well…here in the United States today is Mother’s Day. So, I don’t want to let that pass by. Happy Mother’s Day mother’s! It’s pretty safe to say that none of us would be here without you. And, so… yeah…might be…I…I mean…a day for celebrating mothers, I don’t always mention these kinds of holidays because they are commemorated at different times of the year in different countries around the world. So…but…I was thinking about my own mom today. So, yeah, lost her a couple years ago. And, so, was thinking about her, was thinking about my wife, I was thinking about all you mothers. Happy Mother’s Day. It is an honor to be your sons and daughters. Thank you for bringing us into the world. Happy Mother’s Day.

And then, let’s see, dailyaudiobible.com is the website, and that is how you stay connected. Like, that’s the portal of entry, that's…what…where you get connected. And there is a Community section there that will give you social media links and access to the Prayer Wall. And this kind of how you step in and make points of connection. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. Within the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer the mail, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is it for today. I’m Brian it is great to be here with you for a brand-new week I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family this is Abba’s Joy I am just calling. I just want to say thank you to Brian and I want to lift up his family right now during this time because it’s hard, it’s challenging, and the DAB community and Brian’s readings is what’s keeping me moving forward. And I just want to say thank you to Brian and to everyone who is part of this Campfire. And I just want to shout out to Blind Tony. I haven’t heard him in a while and I just pray all is well. And Tony the truck driver, I always love hearing from him, and I believe it’s been a minute and I just pray everything is going well with you. And I’d like to just pray or share a verse for those teachers, especially this is teacher’s appreciation week and also now parents who have now become homeschool teachers, educators. It’s been challenging as a teacher myself to juggle work and family and children and sometimes we lose sight. And, so, here’s a reminder. Galatians 6:9 says, “and let us not grow weary while doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” So, I encourage everyone to stay in the Word, walk by faith because God’s blessings and strength will be provided to us as His children. I thank you guys so very much. I love you. God bless.

Lord I just want to say thank You. Lord I just want to say thank You. Lord I just want to say thank You for everything that You’re doing in people’s lives, for everything that You’re going to do. Lord just touch everyone in the sound of my voice. Lord continue take our mind, body and soul. And Lord just do…have Your way. Lord if it is Your will Lord it shall be done. Lord continue to keep us, continue to love us, continue to do us and be us in our lives. Lord I want to say thank You for everything that You’re doing and that You have done Lord. Lord because You don’t do anything else Lord You’ve done enough. Lord and I just want to say thank You for everything that we have Jesus. Lord just touch those hospitals, touch the police, touch the nurses, touch the president, Lord just going touch everybody. And Lord this too shall come to pass Jesus. Lord You can do any and all things. And Lord I just want to say thank You and in Jesus’ name. Amen. Make sure y’all give. I love You guys.

For God so loved Elijah that He gave His one and only son Jesus, that if Elijah would believe in Jesus Elijah would not die forever but Elijah would live forever with Jesus in heaven. Hey, my little buddy Elijah, this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel from Chicago. Hey buddy. I love you man, but you know what? God loves you so much more and He is fighting for you. He is going to protect your mind, your heart, and your whole household. But don’t you worry one second, the devil will not win. You know why Elijah? Because the Bible says, greater is Jesus that lives inside of Elijah than the devil that hangs out in the world. So, you already win. You have the victory Elijah and I want you to know God is so proud of you buddy. We’re praying for you we love you and God’s got your back. You hang in there, man. God bless you buddy.

Hey everybody this is Pelham calling from Arab, actually right now I’m in Albertville Alabama, Addicted to Christ calling. I want to…it’s Cinco de Mayo and I just wanted to…I tried calling earlier and it dropped the call and apparently I wasn’t supposed to call at that time but now I’m standing in the back office in the cutting department and he said go ahead try again. So, I’m trying again. And this is still making me laugh but, Cinco de Mayo, and guess what people are going out and buying Corona’s to drink right now. So, hopefully that you know…don’t drink the Corona, don’t drink it, come on. Prodigal, I heard your call today on the show. By the way, I’m sorry to everybody because I have been very focused on myself, and I am now being told by the Holy Spirit, “hey Pelham, one of your things is to care about others. In fact, that’s your main reason why you still breathe.” So, He brings me the people I’m supposed to focus on. The girl who has the daughter who was on the streets, I think your name was Sonny. I’m…really was man attention when I was driving, and the Lord was speaking to me and I am a doofus. So, I might have your name wrong but let me talk with Prodigal. Prodigal that Glock, He wants you to see actually the Word of God. Your Glock is your sword and you are a trained assassin sent forth by the Lord to rebuke the enemy and break the chains that he’s put on his people…on the Lord’s people. There’s a time right now for us to fight to, to realize that we are sharing in His suffering only so that we can handle the glory that’s coming because the glory is coming. I don’t know if you all see it yet but if you’re suffering, guess what that means? You’re still alive, He loves you and He’s preparing you for something. Prodigal, man your call, it helped me. That shovel help me dude. I love you people…

Hi DAB family this is Rebecca Joy from Illinois calling in for the second time. It is May 5th today and I wanted to kind of touch on that something Brian said after all the verses today because he was talking about the difference the Spirit and then your thoughts and your emotions. And, my gosh, if I did not live by my thoughts and my emotions even a few years ago or even last year I…oh…geez, it’s so…so tiring. It’s so tiring. And I’m sure that people who are like me who have really bad anxiety and sometimes even falling into depression, man, it is just, it’s one of the worst things that you can feel and life because you just, it’s…it’s like you’re on a treadmill that keeps going faster and faster and you overthink things and I…I know for me I was trying to…I was trying to do better and much like Brian said, I was trying to find God in what I could feel and what I could think but every single time I didn’t think the right thing or I didn’t feel the right thing I would just…I would feel worse and worse and I would attribute that to me being a bad person and I didn’t understand what was wrong with me because if…if I was a Christian wasn’t I supposed to be getting better at this? But my middle name is Joy and I’ve learned more about what that means in the past few years. It’s taken a while for me to understand fully, but my…my gosh…if I only knew…if I only knew how much joy and love and just God in general does not count on your feelings or your thoughts about yourself. Whatever those things are, whatever you’re feeling negatively that’s not God, that’s fear, and I hope you remember that. Be blessed.

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Mira Martha from Georgia it’s actually my second time calling in. Tonight, I wanted to call in because Cindy the flute player’s message just really pricked my heart. Lord we all are struggling right now with this COVID and the struggles that are caused by all of this and I just…Cindy I…I want to pray for You and… Lord, thank You for all You are and Your guidance. And Lord I come to You tonight just asking that You be with Cindy and comfort her and give her wisdom and give her guidance what Your plan is. It’s so hard for us to see Your plan in the midst of turmoil or __. I pray that You’ll help her find the job that that is going to help her prosper and help her spread Your Word Lord. And I also ask that You pray for that You help her find a place to live or send the right people her way to help her stay where she is, whatever Your will is Lord. But I pray that You just be there for her and comfort her and give her the guidance that only comes from…form You Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Good morning I’ve never done this before my name it is Vincent. Hello. And I heard Cindy the flute player. The sadness in your voice reminds me of the sadness I sometimes feel in my heart. I don’t know much but what I do know is that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. So, I pray in agreement with you that you find your job, your home, and your way and that you keep your faith as I need to keep mine. I ask in return that this Campfire group pray that I find love in my life. And as Brian says, I love you. You people are amazing.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday May 10, 2020 (NIV)

1 Samuel 8-9

Israel Asks for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,(B) and they served at Beersheba.(C) But his sons(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes(F) and perverted(G) justice.

So all the elders(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.(I) They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king(J) to lead[b](K) us, such as all the other nations(L) have.”

But when they said, “Give us a king(M) to lead us,” this displeased(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen(O) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,(P) but they have rejected me as their king.(Q) As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking(R) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know(S) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told(T) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take(U) your sons and make them serve(V) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.(W) 12 Some he will assign to be commanders(X) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your(Y) fields and vineyards(Z) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.(AA) 15 He will take a tenth(AB) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer(AC) you in that day.(AD)

19 But the people refused(AE) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want(AF) a king(AG) over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations,(AH) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated(AI) it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen(AJ) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

There was a Benjamite,(AK) a man of standing,(AL) whose name was Kish(AM) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome(AN) a young man as could be found(AO) anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller(AP) than anyone else.

Now the donkeys(AQ) belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” So he passed through the hill(AR) country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha,(AS) but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys(AT) were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

When they reached the district of Zuph,(AU) Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying(AV) about us.”

But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God;(AW) he is highly respected, and everything(AX) he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift(AY) to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel[d] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire(AZ) of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)(BA)

10 “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw(BB) water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

12 “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice(BC) at the high place.(BD) 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless(BE) the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”

14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint(BF) him ruler(BG) over my people Israel; he will deliver(BH) them from the hand of the Philistines.(BI) I have looked on my people, for their cry(BJ) has reached me.”

17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This(BK) is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

19 “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys(BL) you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire(BM) of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

21 Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe(BN) of Israel, and is not my clan the least(BO) of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?(BP) Why do you say such a thing to me?”

22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”

24 So the cook took up the thigh(BQ) with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

25 After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof(BR) of his house. 26 They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

Footnotes:

  1. 1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges
  2. 1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
  3. 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men
  4. 1 Samuel 9:8 That is, about 1/10 ounce or about 3 grams

Cross references:

  1. 1 Samuel 8:1 : Dt 16:18-19
  2. 1 Samuel 8:2 : 1Ch 6:28
  3. 1 Samuel 8:2 : Ge 22:19; 1Ki 19:3; Am 5:4-5
  4. 1 Samuel 8:3 : 1Sa 2:12
  5. 1 Samuel 8:3 : Ne 9:29; Job 34:27; Ps 14:3; 58:3; Isa 53:6
  6. 1 Samuel 8:3 : Ex 23:8; 1Sa 12:3; Job 8:22; Pr 17:23
  7. 1 Samuel 8:3 : S Ex 23:2
  8. 1 Samuel 8:4 : S Jdg 11:11; 1Sa 11:3
  9. 1 Samuel 8:4 : S 1Sa 7:17
  10. 1 Samuel 8:5 : ver 19; S Dt 17:14-20; 1Sa 10:19; 12:12, 13; Hos 13:11
  11. 1 Samuel 8:5 : 1Sa 3:20; 12:2
  12. 1 Samuel 8:5 : ver 20
  13. 1 Samuel 8:6 : Hos 13:10
  14. 1 Samuel 8:6 : 1Sa 12:17; 15:11; 16:1
  15. 1 Samuel 8:7 : ver 22; 1Sa 12:1
  16. 1 Samuel 8:7 : S Nu 11:20
  17. 1 Samuel 8:7 : S Ex 16:8
  18. 1 Samuel 8:8 : 1Sa 12:10; 2Ki 21:22; Jer 2:17
  19. 1 Samuel 8:9 : ver 11-18; S Dt 17:14-20; 1Sa 10:25
  20. 1 Samuel 8:10 : S Ex 19:7
  21. 1 Samuel 8:11 : 1Sa 14:52
  22. 1 Samuel 8:11 : S Ge 41:46
  23. 1 Samuel 8:11 : S Dt 17:16; 2Sa 15:1; 1Ki 1:5; 2Ch 1:14; 9:25; SS 3:7
  24. 1 Samuel 8:12 : S Dt 1:15
  25. 1 Samuel 8:14 : Eze 46:18
  26. 1 Samuel 8:14 : 1Ki 21:7, 15; Mic 2:2
  27. 1 Samuel 8:14 : 2Ki 22:12
  28. 1 Samuel 8:15 : S Ge 41:34; 1Sa 17:25
  29. 1 Samuel 8:18 : 1Sa 28:6; Job 27:9; 35:12, 13; Ps 18:41; 66:18; Pr 1:28; Isa 1:15; 58:4; 59:2; Jer 14:12; Eze 8:18; Mic 3:4
  30. 1 Samuel 8:18 : 1Sa 10:25; 1Ki 12:4
  31. 1 Samuel 8:19 : Pr 1:24; Isa 50:2; 66:4; Jer 7:13; 8:12; 13:10; 44:16
  32. 1 Samuel 8:19 : Ac 13:21
  33. 1 Samuel 8:19 : S ver 5
  34. 1 Samuel 8:20 : S ver 5
  35. 1 Samuel 8:21 : S Jdg 11:11
  36. 1 Samuel 8:22 : S ver 7
  37. 1 Samuel 9:1 : Jos 18:11-20
  38. 1 Samuel 9:1 : S Ru 2:1
  39. 1 Samuel 9:1 : 1Sa 14:51; 1Ch 8:33; 9:39; Est 2:5; Ac 13:21
  40. 1 Samuel 9:2 : S Ge 39:6
  41. 1 Samuel 9:2 : 1Sa 10:24
  42. 1 Samuel 9:2 : 1Sa 10:23
  43. 1 Samuel 9:3 : ver 20; 1Sa 10:14, 16
  44. 1 Samuel 9:4 : S Jos 24:33
  45. 1 Samuel 9:4 : 2Ki 4:42
  46. 1 Samuel 9:4 : 1Sa 10:2
  47. 1 Samuel 9:5 : 1Sa 1:1
  48. 1 Samuel 9:5 : 1Sa 10:2
  49. 1 Samuel 9:6 : S Dt 33:1; S Jdg 13:6
  50. 1 Samuel 9:6 : 1Sa 3:19
  51. 1 Samuel 9:7 : S Ge 32:20; 1Ki 13:7; 14:3; 2Ki 4:42; 5:5, 15; Jer 40:5
  52. 1 Samuel 9:9 : S Ge 25:22
  53. 1 Samuel 9:9 : 2Sa 15:27; 24:11; 2Ki 17:13; 1Ch 9:22; 21:9; 26:28; 29:29; 2Ch 19:2; Isa 29:10; 30:10; Am 7:12
  54. 1 Samuel 9:11 : S Ge 24:11, 13
  55. 1 Samuel 9:12 : Nu 28:11-15; S 1Sa 7:17
  56. 1 Samuel 9:12 : S Lev 26:30
  57. 1 Samuel 9:13 : S Mt 14:19; 1Co 10:16; 1Ti 4:3-5
  58. 1 Samuel 9:16 : Ex 30:25; S 1Sa 2:35; 12:3; 15:1; 26:9; 2Ki 11:12; Ps 2:2
  59. 1 Samuel 9:16 : 2Sa 7:8; 1Ki 8:16; 1Ch 5:2
  60. 1 Samuel 9:16 : Ex 3:7-9
  61. 1 Samuel 9:16 : 1Sa 23:4; 2Sa 3:18
  62. 1 Samuel 9:16 : S Ge 16:11; Ps 102:1
  63. 1 Samuel 9:17 : 1Sa 16:12
  64. 1 Samuel 9:20 : S ver 3
  65. 1 Samuel 9:20 : 1Sa 12:13; Ezr 6:8; Isa 60:4-9; Da 2:44; Hag 2:7; Mal 3:1
  66. 1 Samuel 9:21 : Ps 68:27
  67. 1 Samuel 9:21 : S Ex 3:11; Mt 2:6; 1Co 15:9
  68. 1 Samuel 9:21 : Jdg 6:15; 20:35, 46; 1Sa 18:18
  69. 1 Samuel 9:24 : S Lev 7:32-34
  70. 1 Samuel 9:25 : S Dt 22:8; S Jos 2:8; S Mt 24:17; Lk 5:19
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

John 6:22-42

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake(A) realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.(B) 23 Then some boats from Tiberias(C) landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.(D) 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,(E) when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,(F) not because you saw the signs(G) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures(H) to eternal life,(I) which the Son of Man(J) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal(K) of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe(L) in the one he has sent.”(M)

30 So they asked him, “What sign(N) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?(O) What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna(P) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a](Q)

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven(R) and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”(S)

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am(T) the bread of life.(U) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes(V) in me will never be thirsty.(W) 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me(X) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven(Y) not to do my will but to do the will(Z) of him who sent me.(AA) 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,(AB) but raise them up at the last day.(AC) 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son(AD) and believes in him shall have eternal life,(AE) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,(AF) whose father and mother we know?(AG) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”(AH)

Footnotes:

  1. John 6:31 Exodus 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 106:32-48

32 By the waters of Meribah(A) they angered the Lord,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled(B) against the Spirit(C) of God,
and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[a](D)

34 They did not destroy(E) the peoples
as the Lord had commanded(F) them,
35 but they mingled(G) with the nations
and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,(H)
which became a snare(I) to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons(J)
and their daughters to false gods.(K)
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons(L) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves(M) by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted(N) themselves.

40 Therefore the Lord was angry(O) with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.(P)
41 He gave them into the hands(Q) of the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed(R) them
and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,(S)
but they were bent on rebellion(T)
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;(U)
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant(V)
and out of his great love(W) he relented.(X)
46 He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.(Y)

47 Save us,(Z) Lord our God,
and gather us(AA) from the nations,
that we may give thanks(AB) to your holy name(AC)
and glory in your praise.

48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”(AD)

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 106:33 Or against his spirit, / and rash words came from his lips
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 14:34-35

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,(A)
but sin condemns any people.

35 A king delights in a wise servant,
but a shameful servant arouses his fury.(B)

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

05/09/2020 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 5:1-7:17, John 6:1-21, Psalms 106:13-31, Proverbs 14:32-33

Today is the 9th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you, yeah, as we close down a week, bring another one of the weeks that we have together to a close. And it’s been a great week. We’ve moved through a lot of territory, complete…concluding the book of Judges, into the book of Ruth, and meeting Samuel and getting to know the last judge of Israel, and a priest and a prophet that had significant influence over ancient Israel, and obviously in the Bible. So, continuing to…to influence us until today. So, let’s dive back into that story. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week, which is today. First Samuel chapters 5, 6, and 7 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for leading us through another week in Your word. And if we just pay close attention to what the last thing we read for this week will be, “wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart. It’s not found among fools.” And, so, Father enshrine wisdom within us. Give us an understanding heart as we move forward and navigate the days ahead. We thank You for Your guidance. We thank You for Your presence in and among us and all around us. We thank You for the comfort of Your Holy Spirit and we pray all of these things with gratitude in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base. And that is where the Prayer Wall lives. That is where the things that are going on like in the Initiatives section. That’s where you find those things out. That’s where the Daily Audio Bible Shop lives.

And if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access these things as well. But this is how you stay connected. This is home base. And, so, stay…stay connected in any way that you can, any way that you want.

You’ll find all the different social media channels that we are interacting or announcing things on. Those are in the community section. The Prayer Wall is there. The Daily Audio Bible Shop is there. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you. Thank you profoundly. Thank you humbly. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudibible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button, which is in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, yeah, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is that little red Hotline button at the top, or you can press…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…well…next week, which happens to be tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning family this is brave from New Jersey I’m calling regarding the prayer point that sister calling herself Worthy and Redeemed in Nebraska calling in on April 25th about her daughter her 10-year-old daughter whose having an eating disorder because of the past rape from her brother and also her son who is also confused, gender confused, due to the molestation by that same brother. And she’s in the middle of a spiritual battle. My sister, I’m calling to encourage you, to pray for you, that the Lord Almighty that sees all things, knows all things, and who all things will visit your home and Lord that the enemies, the…the…the…the seed that the enemy is trying to scatter around your house will be pulled and uprooted and your house will come together, you will build a new foundation. As we are praying, we are lifting you up. Holy Spirit visit this home. Lord destroy all the work of the enemy concerning this family. I pray this over their 10-year-old daughter especially. I call You that You will restore her, her strength, her dignity, her value. You will pull together Yourself Lord everything that she is lost through this ordeal. I pray for the son to, that Lord You will just redeem him, make him a man that You have created them to be, a strong and beautiful and mighty warrior in Your kingdom. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Hi DAB family this is Walta the burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our God and King. It is 8:41 May 4th and I just heard Elijah’s prayer request praying for Satan to not tempt him. And Elijah I pray for you, may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He cause His face to shine on you, may He cause you to get to know Him better. I pray that God will visit you and make Himself so clear to you, clearer than He was to the kid Samuel when Samuel was called to Him. I pray that God will bless your parents for allowing you to do this and I pray that you will find richness in God’s word. I know God answered your prayers already because he said, “__ little children to come to me for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” And I know God hears your prayers before He hears any of our prayers. So, thank you for calling. And God bless. God bless.

Hi everybody this is Tony the Narrator. This one’s a special shout out to Elijah. Elijah, little brother, could you pray the same praying for me please because we’re all going through that my friend. We’re all trying desperately to listen to Jesus, and we’re all being tempted by Satan because this is part of a big war that’s been going on since the beginning of time. And basically, Satan’s trying to steal us away from Jesus. But Jesus came so that when He died on the cross, He was able to pay for all of our sins with His blood. Okay? So, yes, it’s right for us to feel wrong about the things that we do wrong but not forever. We shouldn’t let these things eat us up and beat us up. Okay? What we do is we turn to Jesus and we say, “Lord I know what I’ve done is terrible, I’m really really sorry, I’m not going to do it again with your help.” And then what you do is you pick up your Bible and you start reading. I recommend reading the book of John. It’s very, very, very good Elijah. Anyway, little brother, it was a joy to hear your voice. Please call back in again. God bless you and God bless everybody in the DAB. Love you all. Bye-bye.

Hi, my name is Terry and I’m a first-time caller second-year listener and I just want to give God praise for this podcast and for Brian and his family. This is truly a blessing, it’s encouraging, it’s motivating and even challenging. The word says, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” So, I’m grateful to be able to grow in my faith daily as I listen to the word of God being spoken and even explained by Brian. I pray for those who call on this podcast and I’m grateful to be able to get the opportunity to pray for them. Please know that during this coronavirus that we are to claim the victory and not the virus and know that God is in control. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of his family as I share it with many people as has been shared with me. Thank you again. God bless and I love you all.

This is Elise from Cape Cod Massachusetts I’ve listened for about a year now and this is my second time calling. I’m a senior citizen alone in the world and I have severe spinal stenosis and arthritis and I have been in a lot of pain. And I just…it…suddenly last night…acute. And I’ve had two major neck surgeries and I just need mercy and healing and grace and strength right now. Thank you. God bless.

Heavenly father I lift up to you little Elijah in a prayer I agree with Father. Each of us…each of us needs to listen to you. Each of us needs to draw near…draw near to you Father. And in Christ Jesus you have made it possible. Come on to me all ye who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Jesus said. Father thank you for your goodness and love. Thank you that we can come to you and ask for strength and power to resist the devil and to receive the good things that you have through us…for us through your word. I pray you’ll just guide Elijah, draw him closer to You in Jesus’ name.

Hello, this message is for Joe the Protector who called a few months back regarding his daughter who wanted to become a sex worker and he wanted prayer for that. And I just wanted him to know that I’ve been praying for him. I’m sure others have been praying for him and his daughter and his family these months, especially during quarantine time a lot of things and just be worse too. So, praying for you Joe and your family and your daughter. This is Chris in the California gold country.

05/08/2020 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalms 106:1-12, Proverbs 14:30-31

Today is the 8th day of May. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we approach the end of another week. And we’re approaching the end of the first full week of this month and…yeah…we’re continuing to move forward, step-by-step, day by day. This is…this is what we do. What a difference it makes to have this rhythm of life here together around the Global Campfire every day one step forward. So, we…we…we stepped into the book of first Samuel today and we talked about that yesterday but just by way of quick reminder, Samuel was the final judge of Israel. So, we read the book of Judges and now we are in first Samuel. He served…he’s just a little kid right now where we are in the story, but he served as Israel’s final judge bringing them into the age or era of the monarchy where they had a king and we’ll get to that over the coming days. Right now, we’re just getting to meet everybody. Hannah Samuel’s mother was childless, and she prayed at Shiloh before the Lord and Shiloh was the capital, like the tabernacle was permanently situated there for almost 4 centuries long, long, long before there was ever a temple in Jerusalem. And, so, she’s there and she’s praying and God gives her a son and she dedicates him to God and his name is Samuel and she brings him back to Shiloh and gives him to the priest, Eli, who is beginning to train him along with his own…his own children, his own sons Hophni and Phinehas and there is a stark contrast between Eli’s biological sons and the one that he’s kind of raising up in the temple Samuel and we’ll see that more and more clearly as the days go by. So, we’re reading from the New Living translation this week. Today, first Samuel chapter 2 verse 22 through 4 verse 22.

Commentary:

Okay. So, Jesus is having a conversation with the religious leaders and they’re questioning Him and wanting to know about His authority, all these things that…that are common as we moved our way through the Gospels Jesus is having this discussion with them and He tells them some very poignant things today. And one of the things that He…He says is just…man…like it goes right to the heart. At least it goes to my heart when we pass this territory because it’s like I’m guilty of the same thing. I’ve done the same thing for years and yet Jesus is giving immense clarity. So, speaking to these people Jesus says, “you search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life, but the Scriptures point to me, yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” So, honestly, like if I’m just going back into a part of my story, for me…I’m a Pastor’s son. I grew up around the Bible but before the Daily Audio Bible ever began, I just, you know, realized I’m a mile wide and an inch deep. There is no depth to this faith whatsoever. I’m not even sure its real. And, so, I turned to the Scriptures, as I should have, as we should and I, you know, spent like the next decade giving my all to the study of the Scriptures. And it’s not like I don’t give my all to that every day now. I study the Scriptures every day, but what I was looking for was God. Like, what I was looking for was how to understand God and I thought that the more I could know these Scriptures the more I could know God, only to find out the Scriptures are there to point the way to God. They can’t become God. The Bible isn’t God. And yet, the Pharisees and scribes of the time, they’re studying the Torah, they’re studying the Scriptures of their time, they’re trying to obey them as best as they can, they’re trying to control everybody else to get them to do the same thing and they had become God. Like the plot of the story had been lost and we’ve mentioned this many times in the Old Testament. We’re like there’s the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. And this is what Jesus is getting at here. That’s when He says, “you search the Scriptures because you think they give you…they give you eternal life, but the Scriptures point to me, yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” And then He goes on, “your approval means nothing to me because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. I came in my Father’s name and you rejected me, but if people come around in their own name and…and…and toot their own horn ten you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe. You…you honor each other. You gladly honor each other but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who is God alone.” And then He goes on, “yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father, Moses will accuse you.” So, why is He referring to Moses?” Because they are studying the Mosaic law and trying to flesh it out and…and…and use it to control the people. And Moses teachings for them are the Scriptures. So, He’s basically saying, “the Bible is gonna condemn you because it showed you the way…it told you about me and you still don’t believe it.” And that is entirely possible. I mean there are fantastic biblical and cultural scholars who do nothing for a profession outside of studying the times of the Bible and don’t believe it. We can know the Bible back-and-forth and not know God. And knowing everything that there is to know or that you can know about someone doesn’t mean you’re in a relationship with them. Trying to wrestle through that and this particular Scripture was one of the inspiring things about that, you know, led me to write the book Reframe and really explore, “what is…what are we talking about when we’re talking about a relationship with God?” And, so, this leaves us with some things to think about today. Like are…are we studying the Scriptures so that they will draw us deeper into a relationship with God or are we studying the Scriptures to find out what we’re supposed to do? Are we studying the Scriptures and calling that a relationship? And then we just have to think about whether that could work in any other relationship in our lives. If like, say you’re married, could you just read about your spouse and call that a relationship or do you have to actually offer yourself completely? Like do you have to open yourself? Do you have to be present and offer your presence in order for a relationship to happen? In so many ways this is what Jesus is telling the religious leaders and they won’t listen. Like we know that, but they don’t listen, they don’t have the eyes to see that Jesus keeps talking about. And stepping into a relationship with Jesus means that, yes, we study the Scriptures. We do this every single day, but the Scriptures will lead us to a leap of faith and that leap of faith will be beyond, it will be into what we don’t understand. We are talking about the most-high God after all. But it’s not faith if you control it. By definition faith is reaching out for…for what we cannot see but we do perceive. It gives substance to what we hope for and the Bible leads us to understand that reality. So, we have to wonder in our own lives, “what is it that I am calling my relationship with God? Is it doing everything that I think I should do? Is it devoting devotional time each and every day?” These things can be part of it but when we’re studying God and not being with God, then that’s not a relationship by any definition. So…so that’s…that gives us some things to think about. But then we can think, “well I’ve been going about this maybe in the wrong way. And, you know, how…how do I find that…that sweet spot?” Listen, God for sure will take us where we are and lead us forward from that place or this place. He wants to be in a relationship with us, one that we are intertwined in, one that we collaborate in, one…one that we do life together in. We’ve been reading the stories of the Bible and God will not give up. Like, if we if we have learned anything so far, He won’t stop. He might get exasperated. He might punish even. But He will not give up. He will not stop coming. So, it’s not like we gotta figure this out and get ready. It’s that we gotta take a leap of faith and believe, which is the message of Jesus. Or let me just…let me just use the words of Jesus instead of my own words. Let me just read from our reading in the Gospel of John. “The father who sent Me has testified about Me Himself. You have never heard His voice or seen him face-to-face and you do not have His message in your hearts because you do not believe Me, the One He sent to you.” So, you see, we can become all the scholars that we want and still not know God and we can have no scholarly training and leap into His arms and have a relationship. Right now, what I desire more than anything is to just be in His lap instead of in the laboratory trying to figure Him out. I have found that it is a whole lot easier to figure out somebody that you know than it is trying to study somebody at a distance.

Prayer:

Father, that is our desire. It’s built into us. We long for You. Life pulls us toward You. We can’t do it without You although we try all the time. Ironically, You want this. You want us even more. You were willing to come for us and give Your life for us. You want this relationship and yet we muddy it up with all kinds of things all the time. When, no matter what, it all comes back to a leap of faith. And, so, Holy Spirit, strengthen our faith that we might walk in Your will and Your ways, that we might live in a dynamic, always on, never off relationship with You. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, and that makes it home base for us around the Global Campfire. So, being aware of that is good and I try to mention it just about every day so that we’re aware of it because that’s where you take the journey deeper.

Now if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can do all these things from within the app, it’s the portal into community. So…so, just be aware and explore.

Explore the Community section. The Prayer Wall lives there. It lives within the app as well. That’s always happening. People are always praying at the Prayer Wall or asking for prayer, So, know that that’s a resource…that’s a place to reach out. And there are many points of connection on social media as well, those are in the community section. So, check that out. Stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link and it is on the homepage. And I thank you. I thank you for your partnership beyond words. We would not be here if we were not throwing some logs on together. So, thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Diane from Newburgh Indiana this is an infantryman from Georgia. I just wanted to let you know you that you sang a song from Mr. Rogers that was aired on the April 27th podcast. And let me tell you, I was on the way to work as a military and essential employee during the COVID-19 response in Georgia and I just want to let you know that I was listening to that podcast on the way to work on just another one of many groundhog days over the past 45 days where we’re confronted with the need to go into work with so many sheltering at home and so many dealing with the economy as it is and all the stresses that come with that. Anyways, I found my 40-year-old combat arms military self, singing along with you and bawling my eyes out to Mr. Rogers lyrics as I was passing through base security and heading to the joint force headquarters. Now I’ve served overseas in combat in Afghanistan and I’ve been employed in response operations at home from Hurricane Katrina to COVID-19 and I’ve not felt this appreciated for my service in spite of all the overtures so as such until your simple musical tribute which resonated with my childhood. And I just wanted to say thank you from a soldier of war to a soldier of faith.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this is Debbie in Texas, it’s Sunday, May 3rd. This is my first time calling in. I’ve been listening since January. I think my story is so much like everyone else’s. Just so appreciative of Brian and his ministry and his family’s ministry to reach out to all of us. I can’t remember everyone’s names as I’m trying to recall this and record this and I’m nervous. So, I pray for all of you along with the prayer requests and I just ask that maybe you would just also say a prayer for me. Really too much to go into and just not super comfortable anyway saying what’s going on in my life. But anyway, huge changes. So, I thank you. I lift you all up and I hope you all have a great day. Thank you. Bye.

Hi this is May 3rd, and this is Sam and I’m calling from Barcelona Spain and my prayer is for the gentleman that called today regarding his mother in New York being confined with coronavirus. I want to pray for her. And as a coronavirus survivor I know it means to be cooped up in a very small room for 20 days. So, praying for your mother and for your family. Dear Lord, You are the giver of life and the taker of life and You have the whole world in Your hands and under Your control. So, we thank You for those that You provide and grant salvation and healing from this virus. And for those that You do not Father, we ask that You give them comfort, that You give them light, that You give them years to hear Your voice and Your word and Your message of hope and eternal life. And I’m praying for this mother that is having difficulties being confined Lord. And I pray that You send her understanding, that You send her peace, and that You surround her with a great support group that would be able to withstand this time. In the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Fear is not my friend. Fear is not my friend. It is __ worm tongue hissing in my ear pretending to protect me while feeding off my pain. What a sick and twisted codependency. It has left me small and hard and gray. Fear has been my counselor for a long time, but I’ve finally seen through its slithering disguise. I have divorced fear and its poisonous comfort, and I will resist and reject every attempt it makes to worm its way back into my affections. I have a new comforter now the spirit of adoption. Daddy. Daddy, my heart cries and He answers with truth. There is so much joy and beauty ahead Cherry. He isn’t pretending. He sees. He knows. “What if” used to torment me, now what widens my eyes with wonder.

Sweet Elijah from May the 3rd, I just want you to know my love that it is okay to lean on others when you’re feeling struggles and temptations all around you. Satan is like that. He likes to get in and try to trip us up and first he’ll…he’ll make it seem okay and then we need to…when you follow him, he’ll say, “see, God’s not gonna want you now. See, what do you do that for? Now you’re not such a good Christian.” But I want to tell you something, God loves you no matter what. And every time you get a thought or temptation, if you just kind of quickly close your eyes really quick and say, “Lord I can’t handle the situation, can you please help me?” And you know what? Jesus promised in His word that He will do that, that any time we call upon Him He will step in and He will help us, He will give us a way out. So, you just keep praying, you keep coming back here for support, keep reminding us that you need us to pray for you and we certainly will. I know this is a hard time right now. It’s a hard time to be growing up but things will get better because God loves you and He will do everything He can to keep you safe. I’m gonna put you in my prayer book and I’m gonna pray for you every time I pray for my grandchildren and my children. And I just want you to know that you are His precious child, His precious gift. You take care my darling and any time at all you…you call here and tell us what’s going on. This is Paula Living on the Rock standing…

Oh wow…rejoice with me Daily Audio Bible family of God. Thank you for your prayers. Early this morning my third grandchild was born, and mama is doing great. Dada’s doing great. We went and picked up little baby number three’s brothers and brought them home and they stayed the night last night and we were notified via text that all is well. So, thank you for praying. So grateful, so grateful. Please welcome Valentine is his name, into this world. God bless You all. Lord God shower down a blessing upon all the women that have a desire in their heart to be a mother Father God. I pray Lord God that You would bless them in Your favor and grant them this gift in Jesus’ precious and holy name. And bless all the mothers with toddlers and bless all our children Father God of every age. We love them dearly and we are Your children God and we are so grateful. Praise You Lord. Praise You Lord Jesus’ name. Amen. This is Treasured Possession. God bless you.

Good morning been a listener since January 15th, and I’ve needed it so much to just keep my anxiety low and my sadness high and it’s really helped to encourage me. And I finally had to call in. There’s been something on my heart since then and I thank you Walta, Walta the burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our God and King a week ago, Saturday on the community prayer talked about generational transference and I’m in the middle of that right now. My son is 19. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was six and it’s been very difficult for me to handle but the __ it was more important than, you know, Jesus above anything and here at 19 he’s claiming to be an atheist and agnostic and my heart is broken. And Walta thank you for praying for our children. You mentioned about that we take our kids to church and they watch and do what they see us do. And he’s been at church since he was born and now, he wants to do things his way and God is not a part of that. So, I do pray for that generational transference, that he will connect to Jesus, that God will be an option for him to long, thirst, understand and be in love with Him. So, I’m just thankful that you encourage me to call in. My name is Carrie, his name, his Jared and I pray that God, it has to be the Holy Spirit that’s only going to work in his heart to save him. So, thank you Walta for encouraging me and I pray that everybody will pray for my son. It’s pretty heartbreaking. This is the worst blow then really the diagnosis of muscular dystrophy…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday May 9, 2020 (NIV)

1 Samuel 5-7

The Ark in Philistia

After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again. But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod will step on its threshold.

Then the Lord’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors.[a] When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, “We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.” So they called together the rulers of the Philistine towns and asked, “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?”

The rulers discussed it and replied, “Move it to the town of Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath. But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the Lord’s heavy hand fell on its men, young and old; he struck them with a plague of tumors, and there was a great panic.

10 So they sent the Ark of God to the town of Ekron, but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, “They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us, too!” 11 The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, “Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it[b] will kill us all.” For the deadly plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town. 12 Those who didn’t die were afflicted with tumors; and the cry from the town rose to heaven.

The Philistines Return the Ark

The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all. Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to return it to its own country.”

“Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.”

“What sort of guilt offering should we send?” they asked.

And they were told, “Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land. Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land. Don’t be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. By the time God was finished with them, they were eager to let Israel go.

“Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just given birth to calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen. Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart, and beside it place a chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors you are sending as a guilt offering. Then let the cows go wherever they want. If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the Lord who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t, we will know it was not his hand that caused the plague. It came simply by chance.”

10 So these instructions were carried out. Two cows were hitched to the cart, and their newborn calves were shut up in a pen. 11 Then the Ark of the Lord and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors were placed on the cart. 12 And sure enough, without veering off in other directions, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they were overjoyed! 14 The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the Lord as a burnt offering. 15 Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark of the Lord and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors from the cart and placed them on the large rock. Many sacrifices and burnt offerings were offered to the Lord that day by the people of Beth-shemesh. 16 The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron that same day.

17 The five gold tumors sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering to the Lord were gifts from the rulers of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 18 The five gold rats represented the five Philistine towns and their surrounding villages, which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rock[c] at Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of the Lord, still stands in the field of Joshua as a witness to what happened there.

The Ark Moved to Kiriath-Jearim

19 But the Lord killed seventy men[d] from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. And the people mourned greatly because of what the Lord had done. 20 “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”

21 So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord. Come here and get it!”

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.

Samuel Leads Israel to Victory

Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.

Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)

When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. “Don’t stop pleading with the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him.

10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. 11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.

12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.[e] He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. 14 The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.

15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life. 16 Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places. 17 Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:6 Greek version and Latin Vulgate read tumors; and rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout the city.
  2. 5:11 Or he.
  3. 6:18 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version; most Hebrew manuscripts read great meadow or Abel-haggedolah.
  4. 6:19 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read 70 men, 50,000 men. Perhaps the text should be understood to read the Lord killed 70 men and 50 oxen.
  5. 7:12 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Shen.
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.


John 6:1-21

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money[a] to feed them!”

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

14 When the people saw him[b] do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”[c] 15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles[d] when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here![e] 21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

Footnotes:

  1. 6:7 Greek Two hundred denarii would not be enough. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
  2. 6:14a Some manuscripts read Jesus.
  3. 6:14b See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6.
  4. 6:19 Greek 25 or 30 stadia [4.6 or 5.5 kilometers].
  5. 6:20 Or The ‘I am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
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 106:13-31

13 Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!
They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
14 In the wilderness their desires ran wild,
testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
15 So he gave them what they asked for,
but he sent a plague along with it.
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses
and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.
17 Because of this, the earth opened up;
it swallowed Dathan
and buried Abiram and the other rebels.
18 Fire fell upon their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.

19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai[a];
they bowed before an image made of gold.
20 They traded their glorious God
for a statue of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot God, their savior,
who had done such great things in Egypt—
22 such wonderful things in the land of Ham,
such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 So he declared he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people.
He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents
and refused to obey the Lord.
26 Therefore, he solemnly swore
that he would kill them in the wilderness,
27 that he would scatter their descendants[b] among the nations,
exiling them to distant lands.

28 Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor;
they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!
29 They angered the Lord with all these things,
so a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas had the courage to intervene,
and the plague was stopped.
31 So he has been regarded as a righteous man
ever since that time.

Footnotes:

  1. 106:19 Hebrew at Horeb, another name for Sinai.
  2. 106:27 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads he would cause their descendants to fall.
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 14:32-33

32 The wicked are crushed by disaster,
but the godly have a refuge when they die.

33 Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart;
wisdom is not[a] found among fools.

Footnotes:

  1. 14:33 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew lacks not.
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 Friday May 8, 2020 (NIV)

1 Samuel 2:22-4

22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[a] 23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God[b] can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.

A Warning for Eli’s Family

27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord: “I revealed myself[c] to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. 28 I chose your ancestor Aaron[d] from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest[e] as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. 29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

30 “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi[f] would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. 31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. 32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. 33 The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.[g] 34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!

35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever. 36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”

The Lord Speaks to Samuel

Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle[h] near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God[i] and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Samuel Speaks for the Lord

15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle[j] as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” Samuel replied.

17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it[k] will save us from our enemies.”

So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

“What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived, they panicked. “The gods have[l] come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

The Death of Eli

12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief. 13 Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town.

14 “What is all the noise about?” Eli asked.

The messenger rushed over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and blind. 16 He said to Eli, “I have just come from the battlefield—I was there this very day.”

“What happened, my son?” Eli demanded.

17 “Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”

18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years.

19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. 20 She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. “You have a baby boy!” But she did not answer or pay attention to them.

21 She named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead. 22 Then she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.”

Footnotes:

  1. 2:22 Hebrew Tent of Meeting. Some manuscripts lack this entire sentence.
  2. 2:25 Or the judges.
  3. 2:27 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Did I reveal myself.
  4. 2:28a Hebrew your father.
  5. 2:28b Hebrew an ephod.
  6. 2:30 Hebrew that your house and your father’s house.
  7. 2:33 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version, which read die by the sword; Masoretic Text reads die like mortals.
  8. 3:3 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.
  9. 3:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made themselves contemptible.
  10. 3:15 Hebrew the house of the Lord.
  11. 4:3 Or he.
  12. 4:7 Or A god has.
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.


John 5:24-47

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.[a] 28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. 30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.

Witnesses to Jesus

31 “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. 32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. 33 In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. 34 Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. 35 John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. 36 But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38 and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.

39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

41 “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.[b]

45 “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. 46 If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

Footnotes:

  1. 5:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  2. 5:44 Some manuscripts read from the only One.
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 106:1-12

Psalm 106

Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?
There is joy for those who deal justly with others
and always do what is right.

Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;
come near and rescue me.
Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.
Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;
let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.[a]
Even so, he saved them—
to defend the honor of his name
and to demonstrate his mighty power.
He commanded the Red Sea[b] to dry up.
He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.
10 So he rescued them from their enemies
and redeemed them from their foes.
11 Then the water returned and covered their enemies;
not one of them survived.
12 Then his people believed his promises.
Then they sang his praise.

Footnotes:

  1. 106:7 Hebrew at the sea, the sea of reeds.
  2. 106:9 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 106:22.
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 14:30-31

30 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

31 Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,
but helping the poor honors him.

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 Thursday May 7, 2020 (NIV)

1 Samuel 1:1-2:21

Elkanah and His Family

There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph[a] in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion[b] because the Lord had given her no children. So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.[c] Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.[d] 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.[e]

12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[f] for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.[g]

23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.[h]” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull[i] for the sacrifice and a basket[j] of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they[k] worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.[l]
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

“Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave[m] but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.

“He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
10 Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength[n] of his anointed one.”

11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.

16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.

18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.[o] 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.[p] 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads in Ramathaim-zophim; compare 1:19.
  2. 1:5 Or And because he loved Hannah, he would give her a choice portion. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 1:7 Hebrew the house of the Lord; also in 1:24.
  4. 1:9 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.
  5. 1:11 Some manuscripts add He will drink neither wine nor intoxicants.
  6. 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew term for “asked of God” or “heard by God.”
  7. 1:22 Some manuscripts add I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.
  8. 1:23 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads may the Lord keep his promise.
  9. 1:24a As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek and Syriac versions; Masoretic Text reads three bulls.
  10. 1:24b Hebrew and an ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].
  11. 1:28 Hebrew he.
  12. 2:1 Hebrew has exalted my horn.
  13. 2:6 Hebrew to Sheol.
  14. 2:10 Hebrew he exalts the horn.
  15. 2:18 Hebrew He wore a linen ephod.
  16. 2:20 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads this one he requested of the 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.


John 5:1-23

Jesus Heals a Lame Man

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda,[a] with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.[b] One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.

13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God

16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing[c] Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. 17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” 18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.

19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. 21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. 22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, 23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:2 Other manuscripts read Beth-zatha; still others read Bethsaida.
  2. 5:3 Some manuscripts add an expanded conclusion to verse 3 and all of verse 4: waiting for a certain movement of the water, for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and stirred up the water. And the first person to step in after the water was stirred was healed of whatever disease he had.
  3. 5:16 Or persecuting.
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 105:37-45

37 The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold;
and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they were gone,
for they feared them greatly.
39 The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering
and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
40 They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;
he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.
41 He split open a rock, and water gushed out
to form a river through the dry wasteland.
42 For he remembered his sacred promise
to his servant Abraham.
43 So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy,
his chosen ones with rejoicing.
44 He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,
and they harvested crops that others had planted.
45 All this happened so they would follow his decrees
and obey his instructions.

Praise the 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.


Proverbs 14:28-29

28 A growing population is a king’s glory;
a prince without subjects has nothing.

29 People with understanding control their anger;
a hot temper shows great foolishness.

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 May 6, 2020 (NIV)

Ruth 2-4

Ruth Works in Boaz’s Field

Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.

One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”

Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.

While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” he said.

“The Lord bless you!” the harvesters replied.

Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”

And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”

Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”

14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.

15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!”

17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket.[a] 18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.

19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!”

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

20 “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband.[b] That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”

21 Then Ruth[c] said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”

22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.”

23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth at the Threshing Floor

One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”

“I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied. So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of her mother-in-law.

After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he lay down at the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”

10 “The Lord bless you, my daughter!” Boaz exclaimed. “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. 12 But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.”

14 So Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet until the morning, but she got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. For Boaz had said, “No one must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz said to her, “Bring your cloak and spread it out.” He measured six scoops[d] of barley into the cloak and placed it on her back. Then he[e] returned to the town.

16 When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “What happened, my daughter?”

Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her, 17 and she added, “He gave me these six scoops of barley and said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

18 Then Naomi said to her, “Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won’t rest until he has settled things today.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”

The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”

Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”

“Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”

Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”

Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”

11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

The Descendants of Boaz

13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:

Perez was the father of Hezron.
19 Hezron was the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab.
20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.[f]
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz.
Boaz was the father of Obed.
22 Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of David.

Footnotes:

  1. 2:17 Hebrew it was about an ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].
  2. 2:20 Hebrew to the living and to the dead.
  3. 2:21 Hebrew Ruth the Moabite.
  4. 3:15a Hebrew six measures, an unknown quantity.
  5. 3:15b Most Hebrew manuscripts read he; many Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate read she.
  6. 4:20 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 4:21); Hebrew reads Salma.
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.


John 4:43-54

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

43 At the end of the two days, Jesus went on to Galilee. 44 He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown. 45 Yet the Galileans welcomed him, for they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen everything he did there.

46 As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die.

48 Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”

49 The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”

50 Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

51 While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. 52 He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” 53 Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus. 54 This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.

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 105:16-36

16 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan,
cutting off its food supply.
17 Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
19 Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,[a]
the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
20 Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
21 Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household;
he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.
22 He could instruct[b] the king’s aides as he pleased
and teach the king’s advisers.

23 Then Israel arrived in Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel
until they became too mighty for their enemies.
25 Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,
and they plotted against the Lord’s servants.

26 But the Lord sent his servant Moses,
along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 The Lord blanketed Egypt in darkness,
for they had defied[c] his commands to let his people go.
29 He turned their water into blood,
poisoning all the fish.
30 Then frogs overran the land
and even invaded the king’s bedrooms.
31 When the Lord spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians,
and gnats swarmed across Egypt.
32 He sent them hail instead of rain,
and lightning flashed over the land.
33 He ruined their grapevines and fig trees
and shattered all the trees.
34 He spoke, and hordes of locusts came—
young locusts beyond number.
35 They ate up everything green in the land,
destroying all the crops in their fields.
36 Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home,
the pride and joy of each family.

Footnotes:

  1. 105:19 Hebrew his word.
  2. 105:22 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads bind or imprison.
  3. 105:28 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads had not defied.
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 14:26-27

26 Those who fear the Lord are secure;
he will be a refuge for their children.

27 Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain;
it offers escape from the snares of 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.


05/06/2020 DAB Transcript

Ruth 2:1-4:22, John 4:43-54, Psalms 105:16-36, Proverbs 14:26-27

Today is the 6th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we move to the center of another of our weeks together. So, yesterday we began the book of Ruth, even as we ended the book of Judges and we talked about it being a breath of fresh air and…and it is. It’s a beautiful story of character. Today we will conclude…it’s a short story…so we’ll conclude the book of Ruth today. So, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Ruth chapters 2, 3, and 4.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank for this story, the book of Ruth that we have been able to enjoy over the last couple of days. We thank You for story of character and loyalty and uprightness because it’s severely contrasted with what we’ve worked our way through in the book of Judges. And, so, we…we have this picture of what it looks like for everybody to go do what they want and over centuries what that does to people individually and collectively. And we have this picture here of uprightness, of goodness, of loyalty, of humility, of mercy, of not taking advantage. We thank You for this contrast between Judges and Ruth. We also thank You for showing us and beginning to set up the story that will lead us to King David who we will meet before too long. Thank You Father for ministering to us through Your word each and every day, giving us things to apply into our lives and hearts and to think about and to change and to repent of and to find comfort in. Like, You are constantly present and we thank You for leading us and directing us through Your word and we invite Your Holy Spirit to keep bringing up things into our hearts, into our minds, that we need to ponder, that You are leading us into as we move through this day. Come Holy Spirit we pray. 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.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey, DABbers this is Mike In Awe in Kansas City Missouri I wanted to call in and pray against anxiety and confusion in relation to this virus. I think a lot of us have been going through it. I had a lot of anxiety at the beginning of this and I’ve really had to press into the Scriptures and pray and started ignoring all news related to it but I’m still doing my part like hand sanitizing and wearing a mask when I go to the store. Anyway, Lord, please bless the mental health of Your people Lord. Help us to increase, enjoy, in n wisdom, imagination, kindness, love, peace, purity, and patience Lord. Bless us with these things. Help us to see the truth that You are in control Lord, that You are all-powerful during this time, nothing has caught You off guard. Nothing is stronger than You Lord. Nothing can happen to us. You know us individually Lord. The Scripture say that You’ve counted the hairs on our head, and nothing will befall us, nothing will happen to us outside of Your approval. And help us to lean in on that Lord. Help Your Psalms 91 promises Lord that You will keep the us under the pinions of Your wings, metaphorically. Help us keep that in our heart Lord. Help that to resonate with us and become who we are Lord that we know that You’re our shield like David said, You’re our glory, the lifter of our head Lord. Bless us with joy abundantly during this time that we can see the trickery of the enemy and that we can rise above it in joy, that we can share Your life with others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hey there DAB family this is Catherine the South African from Houston calling. I’m a little behind on my DAB listening and I had listened to April 18th today and I heard Val from Vegas. And Val am so glad to hear you, are doing so well and that everything turned out so well for you. I am thrilled to hear the joy in your voice, and you gave me so much joy. So, God bless you and I hope that’s…you just continue to get stronger and stronger. And then there was a lady called Good News Cindy I think and she called and really made me smile just thinking of all the things that she’s enjoying about COVID if there’s…if one can even look at it in that light. But it made me think about what I’m grateful for and there is so much, there is so much to be grateful for. You touched about having time to be outdoors and take…to be…take notice of things that you’d otherwise miss when you’re at work. And we’ve been spending so much time outdoors just appreciating how beautiful the area we live in is, seeing spring slowly come and…well…quite quickly in Houston, take over. But the thing that I most value is that the fact that my husband’s home. He’s been furloughed. I’m working from home part time and we just have this amazing time together and it occurred to me, the next time we’re probably gonna be sitting around, “what do you feel like doing today love” is probably going to be when we’re both retired. And, so, I encourage married copies to just love each other and just enjoy this time together because goodness knows it’ll probably be a long time before we get something like this again. I love you all so much family and I just love this podcast. Thank you, Brian, thank you everyone involved and all you listeners. I love you and pray for you.

Alicia from Pennsylvania calling. I just heard some woman talking about her daughter and I just wanted pray for them. Lord, just give that mother the words to be able to talk with her daughter. Her daughter had said that she hadn’t slept in four days and I feel like I can relate to that and just the amount of mental strain that that brings. Crying on the floor in the fetal position for an hour, like just reminds me of my teenage years. And my mother was so…I know…I know that those times weighed so heavy on my mother’s heart and that she would have done anything to help me. And I just couldn’t hear her at the time. And I want to just tell you that there’s hope. I’m medicated now for bipolar and I have never felt better emotionally and I would say the only main difference between her and me is that I have seen God work in my life and I just pray that she does experience something in her life that shows You that You are real and that You’re here in that You are with her Lord. Lord I just pray that You lift them up, just let them be able to put in Your arms all the things that they can’t explain that have happened to them. Lord just help them to put it aside and to find the silver lining and to find the love that does exist. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Cindy the flute player. I’m just going to be straight up and not stay on here very long. I lost my job. I have not been able to secure employment and today I found out that I have to leave my…my home. So, I don’t have any words, but I want you to know that I appreciate this group, this family and I’m praying for you out there. Been fasting and praying and so, what’s Your reason? There must be a really strong reason why He’s put me in such a trial like this. I don’t know what needs to be cultivated or eliminated or…I don’t know…I don’t know a lot but I know that He really is our only hope. So, anyway, talk to you later. Bye.

Good morning DAB fam this is Stephen from Alabama May the 1st and I just want to make everyone…and praise God for this ministry. And I hope everyone realizes the value of this ministry, the incredible immense value from the insight that we get from Brian to just this week Miss Brown singing Mr. Rogers. I wept as well when I heard that. And Miss Brown I’ve adopted you as my third grandmother. My…my grandmothers have both passed on to heaven. And, so, I’m adopting you and I don’t know that we will ever leave this side of heaven, but I can’t wait to hug your neck in heaven. I also want to reiterate what Nicole who called in who’s gone through the incredible tragedy in her life and difficulty. I too, in the nine years I have been listening to the Daily Audio Bible, I’ve gone through…I went through about four or five years of…of failures in business. Our personal income dropped about 80% from where it once was. A couple years ago I had a virus, very similar…very, very similar to this virus that’s going around now. Caused me to have pneumonia. Never been in a hospital a day of my life. Had pneumonia. Attacked my heart. Gave me heart failure. About a year ago this month I had a pacemaker defibrillator implanted. So, through that all I was…God gave me an incredible amount of peace simply because I showed up every day and pressed play. And that’s my encouragement to you. Jesus said this life is still gonna be difficult, but if you will just show up and push play, Jesus…and Brian has done all the hard work. Just push play and let God speak. God bless. Love you.

This is an encouragement for my sister who is dealing with husband that is abusive and selfish and trying to take away the child that he said he never wanted. And I understand. I went through that myself. All I can say is that God is able to do so much more than you can ever ask, think, or imagine. After my situation was over God had provided a way for me to be the sole provider of my child and also gave me an amazing husband that I love so much. And we would never have been able to have children. So, it’s an amazing thing. God works through our trials and our battles are His battles. So, put on your armor every day. Gird your loins, expect to fight, but then just submit fully to the hand of the Lord and trust Him because He will deliver you. He is your deliverer. He loves you and your daughter beyond measure. May God bless you and keep you. May God make His face to shine upon you and give you peace. May He cover you with His pinions. May He protect you. May He give you outrageous strength and eyes to see and ears to hear above all the noise that the enemy is throwing at you. And it’s in Jesus’ precious and holy name I pray for you and ask these things. I love you. Treasured Possession.