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06/10/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 22:1-23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Psalms 122:1-9, Proverbs 16:19-20

Today is the 10th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you as we bring to a close another one of our weeks together. Excited for all that is in front of us, grateful for all that we have been able to navigate through this year, excited to be here with you today around the Global Campfire as we take the next step forward. And our next step leads us back into Solomon’s reign and back into the book of first Kings. Solomon has built the temple of the most high God and he isn’t done building. So, let’s pick up the story. First Kings chapter 7 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us through another week. We thank You that step-by-step day by day. This all comes into our hearts and into our lives a little bit at a time, a little bite-size at a time and it fills us up with Your word, it plants seeds that bear fruit in our lives and our hearts, and we are grateful. And, so, Holy Spirit come and seal what we’ve read this week. Plant it in the soil of our lives, that it may begin to grow and nourish our hearts and our minds, our spirits and that this bounty that grows up in our lives may spill out into the world around us and we may be a blessing to all that we encounter. Come Holy Spirit into all of this we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website and you can find out what’s going on around here there. And also the Daily Audio Bible app will put that in the palm of your hand. And you can get the Daily Audio Bible app from the app store that works with your device. So, check that out.

We’ve been mentioning all week, and this is the last mention. The ball caps, the Daily Audio Bible snapback ballcaps which are awesome have been on sale this week as we launch ourselves into summertime and wear our ballcaps and go outside and do things. Wear your colors. You may run into of a…a…a fellow DAB and you didn’t even know it. That stuff has happened so many times. So, check it out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to anybody who will listen wherever they may be in life for on this planet. Regardless of the time zone or whatever is going on in life the Scriptures are available to speak. And as we show up around the Global Campfire every day and make this the rhythm of our lives then we do this together, no matter where we are in the world, we do this together as a family as a community. If that is life-giving to you then thank you, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you are using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

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6/9/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 5:1-6:38, Acts 7:1-29, Psalms 127:1-5, Proverbs 16:28-30

Today is the ninth day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you today, as we gather yet again around the Global Campfire together, for a reason. We gather to take the next step forward together, and I’m referring to the next step forward in the Bible, since we’re here at the Daily Audio Bible. And that next step leads us back into the book of First Kings, where we are understanding Solomon, King Solomon’s reign. Today, First Kings, chapters 5 and 6.

Commentary:

Okay, so, we have a couple of things going on, both in Old and New Testaments, so that we stay in the stories as were moving through them. So, in First Kings, we are learning of King Solomon and his reign, and his governance and how he established things and how he put rulers under him and how he had peace on every side. And he has decided now, to build the temple of God, something his father David and wanted to do, but was prohibited from doing. And so, David stored up all kinds of resources in preparation for the building of the temple. And then Solomon got to work. Seven years later, seven years later the temple is completed. And now there is this permanent home. This permanent representation of God’s presence dwelling among His people. So, this is the first permanent temple built, God had been moving around in the tabernacle, the portable tabernacle, moving around with the children of Israel and it had made its home for centuries in Shiloh. But now, there is this permanent structure in Jerusalem, the temple of the Most High God, giving the people an identity. And this is the first temple built to the Lord God in Jerusalem. And so, now, when we, when we look back biblically or we look back historically, this is known as Solomon’s Temple or the first temple. Later, during the time of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, He also visited the temple, it’s just a different temple. It’s known as the Herodian Temple or the second Temple, or the second temple period. And before we finish the books of Kings, we’ll understand why there needed to be a second temple constructed and that it came quite a bit later. But for now, there’s a brand-new Temple in Jerusalem, a temple to the Most High God, and the centerpiece of Solomon’s construction.

And then, we flip over into the Book of Acts and we’re hearing a story being told, that sounds like…like it’s a review of everything that we’ve read since we began the Bible, going all the way back to the book of Genesis, and meeting up with Abraham. And what we’re reading is actually testimony from somebody who’s defending themselves. So, we met this man named Stephen yesterday, we learned about the diaconate and people helping the orphans and the widows and just the way that things were beginning to become structured and spread out, as the early church grew. And Stephen was one of these helpers, but he was arrested, and he’s been brought before the High Council and they are charging him with blasphemy. And so, in his own defense he is telling the Hebrew story and in telling the story he is establishing himself as a Hebrew person who actually knows the story. Who actually knows where they came from. So, he is retelling this to the High Council so that they know he has a pedigree and that he is a Jew and that he understands the Hebrew customs and the Hebrew rituals and the Hebrew law. And he’s telling this to establish his heritage and defense that he is in no way trying to abolish Moses’ teachings and that he is in no way trying to commit blasphemy. He knows who the Lord God is, he knows who he is, he knows who the people are. And so, as we listen to Stephen’s testimony in his own defense, we have this opportunity to review some of the major stories that we, that we encountered as we’ve navigated our way until this very day, since the beginning of the year. And so, let’s enjoy Stephen’s testimony over these days.

And then lastly, the Psalms, Psalm 127. One of my favorite scriptures, something that I refer back to in my life often. Unless the Lord builds the house, the work of the builders, or the laborers is in vain. Unless the Lord protects the city, guarding it isn’t going to do any good. I mean, I’m kind of a risk-averse person. I’m looking for the problems out in front of me and there’s a nasty little trick in all of that, and that is to get control over things so that you’re in control over things, so that you know what’s coming and what’s not coming. Only, I have found that, no matter how well-prepared a person might be, there’s no way to know everything that a day may bring, or a week or month or a year, may bring. And so, returning back to Psalms 127 and saying, unless the Lord builds the house, the work is wasted. There’s something really comforting in there, but something really reassuring in there and that’s because of the pace of the world. Like we live behind right, like we live literally feeling like if we can get through this day well, we’re going to be behind, and we’ll never catch up. And so, we’re running, running, running, running, running, and then we run right into this Psalm that tells us, unless the Lord is building this, this is a waste of time. If God isn’t included in what we’re doing, if God, through His Holy Spirit, isn’t guiding what we’re doing, then we’re driving ourselves in, into insanity because our culture is telling us to go faster. But unless the Lord builds the house, going faster is in vain. Unless the Lord is the foundation of the plans and the motivations of our lives, we’re wasting our time. And so, often when we’re told something like that in the Scriptures, we can go yeah, okay, I see that, I get that inside, I get that truth. But the converse is true, if the Lord is building the house, if we are collaborating with God in our lives, then nothing is wasted and we will have rest, shalom, the way things are supposed to be. And so, let’s just examine our lives today, in light of Psalm 127. And invite the Holy Spirit to help us determine which, which path we’re walking.

Prayer:

And so, Holy Spirit, come into that we ask You. We confess life can be so fast with obligations so, so wide, we’re so overcommitted to so many things that we can lose ourselves, and we can lose even the direction that we’re going in. And then we run into Psalm 127 and are reminded yet again, rest is something that You want us to have. Peace is how we were created to live, shalom, how things are supposed to be, is how things are supposed to be. And we try to arrange for that using our own strength, only to find out that we’re laboring in vain. And so, come, Holy Spirit, and show us where we’re wasting our time and energy. Where we’re wasting our lives. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that is where to find out what’s going on around here. And so, check that out. You can do all of the checking out within the Daily Audio Bible app, as well. Which you can download free from the App Store that works with your device. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. I’ve been mentioning this week, it’s ballcap season so, we’ve put all the snapback Daily Audio Bible hats, including the…the limited-edition camo one, on sale this week. So, that’s just today and tomorrow. So, grab yourself a ballcap for the summer festivities out in front of us. You can see those and check them out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop in the Lifestyle Section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you, humbly, especially thank you, humbly, here in the summertime. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together and so, thank you. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello, this is Kristen, aka Christ in Me. While listening to the DAB community prayer this week, my grief began to surface. This was an old grief, but it was still there, as grief is something that we deal with for the rest of our lives. This grief was for my mother. I lost her when I was 14, a very difficult time in a girl’s life, to lose a mother. I experience isolation and depression like I never had before. I felt lost and alone. This affected me for the rest of my life. I had lost the most important person in my life. She was an amazing, wonderful woman. I could not have been blessed with a better mother than the one that I have. I have been listening and hearing prayers, due to loss, losses in families. But the common thread is there are children in these families who are experiencing the loss of a mother. Father, I lift up these children to You. I pray Your wings around them to comfort them. I pray they seek You in this difficult time. I pray the enemy would not have a hold on them. Lord, keep them on a path to You. I pray their families would pull them close and remember to love on them and be there for them. I pray for them in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible. I am Debra from Culling, Texas. I just came to tell you that every morning, I read a story from the Bible. And I am here to encourage you to keep reading the Bible or Daily Audio Bible if that is more easier for you. God is good. He is always moving and keeps His promises no matter what you’re going through, God will help and guide you. Ask God for guidance and He will guide you. There is surely a future hope for you and your hope will not be cut off. Keep your faith and trust in God, for He is faithful through all things. Don’t lose hope. When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.

I come to you DAB, this Carpi Diem Driver from Maryland. I come to you seeking your prayers and we all deal with fear and chains that hold us back from being the best that we can possibly be. I ask the community to come together to break these chains of fear. Break the chain for God of thought of anxiety. Break those chains and heal that knot in our stomach, those stones, Lord God. Heal those stones, Lord God. Allow us to face the fear and to do it anyway, know that You are with us. Knowing, Lord God, that You are there to guide us, to give us wisdom, to give us the clarity, Lord God. To allow us to see the truth of these fears and the truth of these fears is they are lies that the enemy wants us to believe about Your love. But Your love can conquer all fear. Allow that love to penetrate our hearts, our minds and our souls and our spirits, allowing us to when we feel those fears, to give them to You. We allow these fears to be laid at Your feet and allow Your spirit, Lord God, to give us the wisdom and clarity to face these fears and to do it anyway, because we know that You are with us every step of the way. Release the anxiety, release the depression, release that spirit that holds us back from allowing us to be the blessing to this world. To be the light in this world. To be the best that we can possibly be because of You. Because we are child’s of the Most High God.

Hello, I’m returning a call. I called way back in December, around the holidays. My name was God is With Me. And it’s June. And I just wanted to give a good update. I was the one that called, and I heard prayers requests for me, and I thank you so much. I was the one that called about my son that wanted to take his life. And he was 18 years old, 17 at the time when he was saying it, but he turned 18 in January. And he’s in the 12th grade and he is doing so much better. And I remember I’ve heard somebody call and say they had a someone, their daughter was in that same predicament. My son told me something that happened to him 10 years ago when he was 7. And it just made him spiral in the years. And tomorrow he is graduating. And he is so much better. He is doing so much better. Please continue to pray for me and my family. This was a journey I didn’t think we were gonna get through 12th grade. And he did well in his school, he’s going to college in the fall. And I just pray for continuing prayer for me, and I just pray for those. I listen every day. And I’m so thankful that I have an outlet for someone to hear my voice and my family and pray for us also. I am, I heard the man call about his son that was 24 that took his life. You are in my prayers. I know how hard; I don’t know but I can just imagine how difficult that is. Please pray for our teens and young adults in this world we live in, it’s so hard. And it was so hard for me.

First time caller to the prayer line. I want to thank the Daily Audio Bible for offering this opportunity and my dad for introducing me to Daily Audio Bible. I wanted to let the woman know who was asking for prayer who’s been hit by a vehicle, had a prosthetic eye placed, had her tibia/fibia shattered. Had family members or that had been hit with dementia. That you’re being prayed for, and God is hearing your prayers. And you’re loved. I’m calling today because I, myself, am a nurse and I had surgery earlier this year. And I’m not currently on leave. If I could be prayed for, I would greatly appreciate it. And also, I’m 40 years old, desperately looking for love still, for a Godly man to enter my life, wanting children. I have to thank Brian for his un-favoring, unwavering faith in the Lord for the last 18 and a half years. I’m not consistent every day but this is consistent in my drive to work of over an hour to the hospital and through COVID it helped me stay faithful in believing in what I was doing to help patients on my way to work. Thank you, Brian and my faith, in the Lord. I appreciate you and I thank you for what you do to serve our community. God bless. Bye Bye.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday June 9, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 5-6

Wood and stone for the temple

5 [a] Because King Hiram[b] of Tyre was loyal to David throughout his rule, Hiram sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that Solomon had become king after his father. 2 Solomon sent the following message to Hiram: 3 “You know that my father David wasn’t able to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. This was because of the enemies that fought him on all sides until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 Now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side, without enemies or misfortune. 5 So I’m planning to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord indicated to my father David, ‘I will give you a son to follow you on your throne. He will build the temple for my name.’ 6 Now give the order and have the cedars of Lebanon cut down for me. My servants will work with your servants. I’ll pay your servants whatever price you set, because you know we have no one here who is skilled in cutting wood like the Sidonians.”

7 Hiram was thrilled when he heard Solomon’s message. He said, “Today the Lord is blessed because he has given David a wise son who is in charge of this great people.” 8 Hiram sent word back to Solomon: “I have heard your message to me. I will do as you wish with the cedar and pinewood. 9 My servants will bring the wood down the Lebanon Mountains to the sea. I’ll make rafts out of them and float them on the sea to the place you specify. There I’ll dismantle them, and you can carry them away. Now, as for what you must do for me in return, I ask you to provide for my royal house.”

10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and pinewood that he wanted. 11 In return, Solomon gave an annual gift to Hiram of twenty thousand kors[c] of wheat to eat, and twenty thousand kors of pure oil for his palace use. 12 Now the Lord made Solomon wise, just as he had promised. Solomon and Hiram made a covenant and had peace.

13 King Solomon called up a work gang of thirty thousand workers from all over Israel. 14 He sent ten thousand to work in Lebanon each month. Then they would spend two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the work gang. 15 Solomon had 70,000 laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the highlands. 16 This doesn’t include Solomon’s 3,300 supervisors in charge of the work, who had oversight over the laborers. 17 At the king’s command, they quarried huge stones of the finest quality in order to lay the temple’s foundation with carefully cut stone. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram, along with those of Byblos, prepared the timber and the stones for the construction of the temple.

Solomon builds the temple

6 In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the month of Ziv, the second month,[d] in the fourth year of Solomon’s rule over Israel, he built the Lord’s temple. 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 3 The porch in front of the temple’s main hall was thirty feet long. It ran across the whole width of the temple and extended fifteen feet in front of the temple. 4 He made recessed and latticed windows[e] for the temple 5 and built side rooms against the temple walls around both the main hall and the most holy place. 6 The lower walls were seven and a half feet wide. At the second floor the walls were nine feet wide, and at the third floor they were ten and a half feet wide. He made niches around the outside of the temple so the beams wouldn’t be inserted into the temple walls.[f] 7 When the temple was built, they did all the stonecutting at the quarry. No hammers, axes, or any iron tools were heard in the temple during its construction. 8 The door to the stairs was at the south side of the temple. Winding stairs went up to the second floor and from there to the third floor. 9 He completed the temple with a roof of cedar beams and cross-planks.[g] 10 Then he built the side rooms all around the temple. They were seven and a half feet high. He attached them to the temple with cedarwood.

11 The Lord’s word came to Solomon, 12 Regarding this temple that you are building: If you follow my laws, enact my regulations, and keep all my commands faithfully, then I will fulfill for you my promise that I made to your father David. 13 I will live among the Israelites. I won’t abandon my people Israel.

14 So Solomon constructed the temple and completed it. 15 He built the walls within the temple with cedar planks, paneled from the floor to the ceiling. He overlaid the floor of the temple with pine planks. 16 At the back of the temple he built thirty feet of cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling. Solomon built the inner sanctuary, the most holy place. 17 In front of this, the main hall was sixty feet. 18 The cedar inside the temple was carved with gourds and blossoming flowers. The whole thing was cedar. No stone was seen. 19 He set up the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that he could put the chest containing the Lord’s covenant there. 20 The inner sanctuary was thirty feet in length, width, and height. Solomon overlaid it with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar.[h] 21 Solomon covered the temple’s interior with pure gold. He placed gold chains in front of the inner sanctuary and covered it with gold. 22 He overlaid the whole temple inside with gold until the temple was completely covered. He covered the whole altar that was in the inner sanctuary with gold. 23 He made two winged creatures of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, each fifteen feet high. 24 The wings of the first winged creature were each seven and a half feet long. It was fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other. 25 The second winged creature also measured fifteen feet. Both winged creatures had identical measurements and form. 26 The height of both winged creatures was fifteen feet. 27 Solomon placed the winged creatures inside the temple. Their wings spread out so that the wing of the one touched one wall and the wing of the other touched the other wall. In the middle of the temple, the wings of the two winged creatures touched each other. 28 He covered the winged creatures with gold.

29 Solomon carved all the walls of the temple—inner and outer rooms—with engravings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. 30 He also covered the floor of the temple with gold, in both the inner and the outer rooms. 31 He made the doors of the inner sanctuary from olive wood and carved the doorframes with five recesses.[i] 32 He overlaid the two olive-wood doors with gold-plated carvings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. 33 He made the door of the main hall with doorframes of olive wood with four recesses.[j] 34 The two doors of pinewood each pivoted on a socket. 35 Solomon carved winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers, and covered them with gold. 36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone followed by one row of trimmed cedar.

37 Solomon laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple in the fourth year in the month of Ziv.[k] 38 He finished the temple in all its details and measurements in the eleventh year during the eighth month, the month of Bul.[l] He built it in seven years.

Footnotes:

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 5:15 in Heb
  2. 1 Kings 5:1 Chronicles spells the king’s name Huram; for example, 2 Chron 2:3, 11-12; but cf 1 Chron 14:1 Kethib.
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 One kor is possibly equal to fifty gallons.
  4. 1 Kings 6:1 April–May, Iyar; Ziv is a month from a Canaanite calendar.
  5. 1 Kings 6:4 Heb architectural and decorative terminology in 6:4-6 and elsewhere in chaps 6–7 is often uncertain.
  6. 1 Kings 6:6 Heb uncertain; Heb lacks the beams.
  7. 1 Kings 6:9 Heb uncertain
  8. 1 Kings 6:20 Heb uncertain
  9. 1 Kings 6:31 Heb uncertain
  10. 1 Kings 6:33 Heb uncertain
  11. 1 Kings 6:37 April–May, Iyar; Ziv is a month in the Canaanite calendar.
  12. 1 Kings 6:38 October–November, Heshvan; Bul is a month in the Canaanite calendar.
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Acts 7:1-29

7 The high priest asked, “Are these accusations true?”

2 Stephen responded, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your homeland and kin, and go to the land that I will show you.’[a] 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God had him resettle in this land where you now live. 5 God didn’t give him an inheritance here, not even a square foot of land. However, God did promise to give the land as his possession to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham had no child. 6 God put it this way: His descendants will be strangers in a land that belongs to others, who will enslave them and abuse them for four hundred years.[b] 7 And I will condemn the nation they serve as slaves, God said, and afterward they will leave[c] that land and serve me in this place. 8 God gave him the covenant confirmed through circumcision. Accordingly, eight days after Isaac’s birth, Abraham circumcised him. Isaac did the same with Jacob, and Jacob with the twelve patriarchs.

9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into slavery in Egypt. God was with him, however, 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. The grace and wisdom he gave Joseph were recognized by Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole palace. 11 A famine came upon all Egypt and Canaan, and great hardship came with it. Our ancestors had nothing to eat. 12 When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there for the first time. 13 During their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives—seventy-five in all—and invited them to live with him. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had purchased for a certain sum of money from Hamor’s children, who lived in Shechem.

17 “When it was time for God to keep the promise he made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly expanded. 18 But then another king rose to power over Egypt who didn’t know anything about Joseph.[d] 19 He exploited our people and abused our ancestors. He even forced them to abandon their newly born babies so they would die. 20 That’s when Moses was born. He was highly favored by God, and for three months his parents cared for him in their home. 21 After he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and cared for him as though he were her own son. 22 Moses learned everything Egyptian wisdom had to offer, and he was a man of powerful words and deeds.

23 “When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit his family, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being wronged so he came to his rescue and evened the score by killing the Egyptian. 25 He expected his own kin to understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn’t. 26 The next day he came upon some Israelites who were caught up in an argument. He tried to make peace between them by saying, ‘You are brothers! Why are you harming each other?’ 27 The one who started the fight against his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who appointed you as our leader and judge? 28 Are you planning to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’[e] 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he lived as an immigrant and had two sons.

Footnotes:

  1. Acts 7:3 Gen 12:1
  2. Acts 7:6 Gen 15:13
  3. Acts 7:7 Gen 15:14
  4. Acts 7:18 Exod 1:8
  5. Acts 7:28 Exod 2:14
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 127

Psalm 127

A pilgrimage song. Of Solomon.

127 Unless it is the Lord who builds the house,
the builders’ work is pointless.
Unless it is the Lord who protects the city,
the guard on duty is pointless.
2 It is pointless that you get up early and stay up late,
eating the bread of hard labor
because God gives sleep to those he loves.

3 No doubt about it: children are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a divine reward.
4 The children born when one is young
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
5 The person who fills a quiver full with them is truly happy!
They won’t be ashamed when arguing with their enemies in the gate.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Proverbs 16:28-30

28 Destructive people produce conflict;
gossips alienate close friends.
29 Violent people entice their neighbors
and walk them down a path that isn’t good.
30 Those who wink their eye plot destruction;
those who purse their lips plan evil.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday June 8, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 3:3-4:34

3 Now Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the laws of his father David, with the exception that he also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines.

4 The king went to the great shrine at Gibeon in order to sacrifice there. He used to offer a thousand entirely burned offerings on that altar. 5 The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.”

6 Solomon responded, “You showed so much kindness to your servant my father David when he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and with a heart true to you. You’ve kept this great loyalty and kindness for him and have now given him a son to sit on his throne. 7 And now, Lord my God, you have made me, your servant, king in my father David’s place. But I’m young and inexperienced. I know next to nothing. 8 But I’m here, your servant, in the middle of the people you have chosen, a large population that can’t be numbered or counted due to its vast size. 9 Please give your servant a discerning mind in order to govern your people and to distinguish good from evil, because no one is able to govern this important people of yours without your help.”

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— 12 I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. 13 I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”

15 Solomon awoke and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood before the chest containing the Lord’s covenant. Then he offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices, and held a celebration for all his servants.

Solomon and the prostitutes

16 Sometime later, two prostitutes came and stood before the king. 17 One of them said, “Please, Your Majesty, listen: This woman and I have been living in the same house. I gave birth while she was there. 18 This woman gave birth three days after I did. We stayed together. Apart from the two of us, there was no one else in the house. 19 This woman’s son died one night when she rolled over him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him on her chest and laid her dead son on mine. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the daylight, it turned out that it wasn’t my son—not the baby I had birthed.”

22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive! Your son is the dead one.”

But the first woman objected, “No! Your son is dead! My son is alive!” In this way they argued back and forth in front of the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.’ The other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.’ 24 Get me a sword!” They brought a sword to the king. 25 Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two! Give half to one woman and half to the other woman.”

26 Then the woman whose son was still alive said to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the living child; please don’t kill him,” for she had great love for her son.

But the other woman said, “If I can’t have him, neither will you. Cut the child in half.”

27 Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living newborn. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”

28 All Israel heard about the judgment that the king made. Their respect for the king grew because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him so he could execute justice.

Solomon’s administration

4 King Solomon became king of all Israel.

2 These were his officials: the priest Azariah, Zadok’s son; 3 the scribes Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha; Jehoshaphat, the recorder, Ahilud’s son; 4 the general Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son; the priests Zadok and Abiathar; 5 Azariah, Nathan’s son, who was in charge of the officials; Zabud, Nathan’s son, a priest and royal friend; 6 Ahishar, who was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram, Abda’s son, who was supervisor of the work gangs.

7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel. They supplied the king and his palace with food. Each would provide the supplies for one month per year. 8 Here are their names:

Ben-hur in the highlands of Ephraim;

9 Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan;

10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth, who had Socoh and all the land of Hepher;

11 Ben-abinadab in all of Naphath-dor (Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, was his wife);

12 Baana, Ahilud’s son, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean beside Zarethan and below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and over to the region opposite Jokmeam;

13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead, who controlled the villages of Jair, Manasseh’s son, which were in Gilead, and who had the Argob region that was in Bashan—sixty large walled cities with bronze bars;

14 Ahinadab, Iddo’s son, in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali, who also took Solomon’s daughter Basemath as his wife;

16 Baana, Hushai’s son, in Asher and Bealoth;

17 Jehoshaphat, Paruah’s son, in

Issachar;

18 Shimei, Ela’s son, in Benjamin;

19 Geber, Uri’s son, in the land of Gilead, the land of the Amorite king Sihon and of King Og of Bashan;

and there was a single officer who was in the land of Judah.[a]

20 Judah and Israel grew numerous like the sand alongside the sea. They ate, drank, and celebrated.

21 [b] Solomon ruled over all the states from the Euphrates River through the Philistines’ land and as far as the border of Egypt. These areas brought tribute to Solomon and served him all the days of his life. 22 Solomon’s food requirements for a single day included thirty kors[c] of refined flour; sixty kors of flour; 23 ten head of grain-fattened cattle; twenty head of pastured cattle; one hundred sheep; as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and the best of fowl. 24 He ruled over all the lands west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all sides. 25 The people of Judah and Israel from Dan all the way to Beer-sheba lived securely under their vines and fig trees throughout the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had forty thousand horse stalls for his chariots and twelve thousand additional horses. 27 The officials provided King Solomon and all who joined him at the royal table with monthly food rations. They left out nothing. 28 Each brought their share of barley and straw for the horses and for the chariot horses, bringing it to its proper place. 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding—insight as long as the seashore itself. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than all the famous Easterners, greater even than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone, more wise than Ethan the Ezrahite or Mahol’s sons: Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His reputation was known throughout the region. 32 Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and one thousand five songs. 33 He described the botany of trees, whether the cedar in Lebanon or the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He also described cattle, birds, anything that crawls on the ground, and fish. 34 People came from everywhere to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; even the earth’s kings who had heard about his wisdom came!

Footnotes:

  1. 1 Kings 4:19 LXX; MT lacks of Judah.
  2. 1 Kings 4:21 5:1 in Heb
  3. 1 Kings 4:22 One kor is possibly equal to fifty gallons.
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Acts 6

Selection of seven to serve

6 About that time, while the number of disciples continued to increase, a complaint arose. Greek-speaking disciples accused the Aramaic-speaking disciples because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food service. 2 The Twelve called a meeting of all the disciples and said, “It isn’t right for us to set aside proclamation of God’s word in order to serve tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, carefully choose seven well-respected men from among you. They must be well-respected and endowed by the Spirit with exceptional wisdom. We will put them in charge of this concern. 4 As for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and the service of proclaiming the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the entire community. They selected Stephen, a man endowed by the Holy Spirit with exceptional faith, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 The community presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 God’s word continued to grow. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased significantly. Even a large group of priests embraced the faith.

Arrest and murder of Stephen

8 Stephen, who stood out among the believers for the way God’s grace was at work in his life and for his exceptional endowment with divine power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose from some who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Former Slaves. Members from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia entered into debate with Stephen. 10 However, they couldn’t resist the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11 Then they secretly enticed some people to claim, “We heard him insult Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the legal experts. They caught Stephen, dragged him away, and brought him before the Jerusalem Council. 13 Before the council, they presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. 14 In fact, we heard him say that this man Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and alter the customary practices Moses gave us.” 15 Everyone seated in the council stared at Stephen, and they saw that his face was radiant, just like an angel’s.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 126

Psalm 126

A pilgrimage song.

126 When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,
it was like we had been dreaming.
2 Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;
our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.
It was even said, at that time, among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them!”
3 Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,
and we are overjoyed.

4 Lord, change our circumstances for the better,
like dry streams in the desert waste!
5 Let those who plant with tears
reap the harvest with joyful shouts.
6 Let those who go out,
crying and carrying their seed,
come home with joyful shouts,
carrying bales of grain!

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Proverbs 16:26-27

26 The appetite of workers labors for them,
for their hunger presses them on.
27 Worthless people dig up trouble;
their lips are like a scorching fire.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Posted on

06/08/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 22:1-23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Psalms 122:1-9, Proverbs 16:19-20

Today is the 8th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is…it is a delight to be here with you today as we gather again around the Global Campfire. It’s a special day of memory for me today. Today was my mom’s birthday and she has been gone for several years now. Both of my parents are. But when these days come around each year, certainly those of us who have lost somebody along the way, they come to mind. And, so, she is certainly on my mind today. I miss my mom very, very, very, very much. I also believe she is very, very, very whole, and very, very happy. And I’m glad that we are here and that we have gathered yet again to take the next step forward together each and every day as we continue to immerse ourselves in the story of the Scriptures, and that will lead us back into the book that…well…we’re kind of moving into books in both old and new Testaments. But we’re in the book of first Kings now. We experienced the death of King David yesterday. His son Solomon is now on the throne in his place. Solomon’s had a little bit of drama in the transition, but Solomon is now firmly established as the King of all Israel. And, so, now we turn our focus onto Solomon’s reign as we move through first Kings. Today chapter 3 verse 3 through 4 verse 34.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in first Kings today Solomon has consolidated his power. He is in firm control of the kingdom of Israel. He is on…he is on the throne of his father David and things are beginning to prosper and Solomon does something that is certainly famous, but he does something that is certainly necessary, he goes before the Lord and certainly offers sacrifices but praise to God, puts himself before the Lord, sits before the Lord, opens himself before the Lord, and the Lord comes to him and…and says, ask anything. What do you request? And that’s when we see the character of Solomon beginning to rise and emerge because he can ask for anything, that his enemies be destroyed, that he live twice as long as anybody else, that…that is people are at peace and prosperous, any…anything that he wants to ask. And he asks for wisdom and discernment. He confesses before the Lord, that he knows where he’s at, that he is the king of Israel sitting on the throne of his father. So, he gets it. He gets where his position is, but he also sees his own deficits and inadequacies to do this job. It’s too big for him. It’s bigger than he is. It’s bigger than anyone can be. And, so, he asks God to help them administer justice, to have wisdom as he stewards the people of God. And God tells Solomon, that because this is what he seeks that he will have that and he will have all of the things that he could’ve named that he didn’t name. And, so, this is certainly a beautiful picture. If we want to apply this to our lives, we all have stewardship over something. May…maybe the only thing we’re stewarding right now is our sock drawer or maybe we are stewarding human beings in the form of our children or maybe we lead an organization or a department and there are hundreds of people that we are responsible for, at least for their output and work. So, in one way or another we have stewardship at a certain level in our lives. And we spend a lot of our lives trying to figure out how to make it work when this example from Solomon is maybe the right example, understanding that life is too big for us to manage and life is moving too fast for anybody to manage and maybe what we actually need is a discerning heart full of wisdom so that we are able to differentiate between the things that are just going to take life from us and take an enormous amount of energy, things we don’t even belong spending time on so that were focusing on the things that were stewarding.

Then we move into the book of Acts today and we see the further…the furtherance of the emerging church in the first century around Jerusalem as people are flocking to this message of Jesus and people are being cared for in certain ways in. And that’s causing some conflict. We have these Hellenistic Jews, so, like Jews of Greek origin, and then we have these Hebraic Jews who consider themselves ethnically more true to what a Jew is and it seems that the widows are being cared for in different ways. So, lest we read the book of Acts as this glorious moment, it is a glorious moment. It wasn’t a perfect moment. People were involved. And, so, it’s an imperfect moment. So, we see these things beginning to crop up in the early church where people have to sort of figure out and discern and understand like the way forward. And that leads us to what we now know as the diaconate as deacons. This is where we get this deacon. Helpers were appointed today to distribute food and to care for the people so that the apostles could focus their attention on hearing from the Holy Spirit and being out sharing the good news. And, so, we see helpers coming in that are appointed to serve God’s people. And we met somebody today that was one of those appointees named Stephen. We’re gonna have a minute with Stephen over these next couple of days. So, he is doing what he was appointed to do. He is full of the Holy Spirit. He is well respected. These things we get from the book of Acts. But he does engage in these kind of theological sparring matches with other people and a plot is hatched against Stephen to drag him before the high council because of the things that he is saying. So, basically where we sit at the moment is that this new appointed helper, Stephen, who is in good devout person is being accused of grievous things like blasphemy. And we haven’t gotten to hear Stephen defend himself. That’s where we’re going. Stephen is going to have an opportunity to say his piece and that’s an important piece for us at this point in the New Testament because what Stephen has to do is convince the council that he truly is Hebrew, that he truly does understand the Hebrew story and the Hebrew context and that this Jesus is part of that Hebrew context. And, so, as he shares his testimony, we will be reviewing in pretty fast motion all of the stories that we have been working our way through since the beginning of the year. And, so, that testimony is coming out before us here in the next couple of days.

Prayer:

Father, we love You. We thank You for Your word. We thank You that we have the opportunity to have Your word freely and to pour over it and to allow it to speak into our lives and we thank You for the Global Campfire. We thank You that You have allowed us to live at a time on the earth where we can gather together no matter where we are geographically and the center ourselves in the Scriptures, allowing them to speak the world over and fall into our lives and transform us so that we might reveal Your kingdom wherever we may be. And, so, come Holy Spirit and plant what we’ve read into our lives we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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And I was mentioning yesterday and I will…I’ll I will mention it while we have supplies. It is baseball season. It is ball cap season. So, we have these awesome Daily Audio Bible with these genuine leather imprint stamps on them with the Daily Audio Bible logo on them and we put them on sale. This is the season. And, so, at the Daily Audio Bible shop in the Lifestyle section you can find these. There’s…well…there are a couple of different varieties, a couple of different options including the…the special edition one that we have right now which has got like a camo version with a…with a leather patch on the front. It looks really sharp. Those will not last outside of this month; this will be the last month for the camo hats. They probably won’t last through this month, but they won’t last beyond this month. So, those are available right now, like a spring sale. And, so, check them out while we have them.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you find that the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and that we come together as a community and allow that to speak into our lives, if that is life-giving to you then thank you deeply for your partnership as we move through the summer. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement there are number of ways. You can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button up at the top or there are a number of numbers. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

Posted on

6/7/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 2:1-3:2, Acts 5:1-42, Psalm 125:1-5, Proverbs 16:25

Today is the seventh day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it’s wonderful to be here with you today. Today, and every day, as we gather each day to do what we do, take the next step forward, and that always leads us to where we left off, so that we can take the next step forward. And that leads us back into the book of book of First Kings, which we’re just getting moved into. King David is nearing the end of his life. There has been some drama about who will take his place when he dies, that has turned out to be Solomon. And so, let’s pick up the story First Kings chapter 2 verse 1 through 3 verse 2, today.

Commentary:

Okay, so, we’re just a couple days into First Kings and we’re still really at the beginning of the Book of Acts. So, let’s just kind of keep up with the territory that we are moving through. Today, as we were reading in First Kings, we said goodbye to somebody that we have, we have become friends with, we’ve gotten to know pretty well. We said goodbye to King David, he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death, and we’ve been moving along with David for a long time. All the way since First Samuel, getting to know Saul and then getting to know David and watching David ascend to the throne and all of the drama in David’s family. The missteps that he made, and yet his heart, as big of mistakes as David did indeed make, his heart was after God, and he repented of his sin and was a man after God’s own heart. So, we haven’t heard the last of David, we read David’s writings in the Psalms. And David is a figure that is very prominent until this very day, in the Hebrew culture. And so, we will hear references to King David throughout our journey through the Bible, but as far as the narrative of David’s life and his reign as king, we said goodbye, David has died. And so, Solomon is now on the throne, and we were able to witness that some of the drama of the transfer of power between David and Solomon, did not go smoothly either. But Solomon is now firmly the king of Israel. And so, we will move now, as we move forward, into Solomon’s reign and get to know him.

And then as we’re reading to the Book of Acts, this emerging church era, everything that comes after Jesus ascends to the Father, we see that many are drawn to the message of reconciliation. The message of forgiveness of sins, the good news of Jesus coming. And so, daily people are coming, and daily they’re gathering in the temple complex near Solomon’s colonnade and people are finding healing and they’re also finding resistance. And so, the Sanhedrin has come and warned the Apostles not to use the name of Jesus. Like, not to teach in this person’s name. And they are arrested, and then they are freed, miraculously and they just go right back to doing what they were doing, which is teaching the people about Jesus. And so, they are confronted by the High Council and the High Council reveals itself, like you keep doing this and you keep trying to make us guilty of Jesus death, you try to make us look bad, basically. Stop teaching in this person’s name, you’re confusing everybody, you’re filling Jerusalem with this. Of course, the Apostles are like, look, we have to obey God. Like, that’s the thing you’re supposed to be teaching us. We have to obey God. And the High Council wants to do away with the Apostles, they just want to get on the bandwagon of stamping out the name of Jesus, so that it’s lost, so that its memory is forgotten. And there’s this man on the High Council, his name is Gamaliel, famous teacher, very well respected. In fact, later on the Apostle Paul, talks about a teacher named Gamaliel, back in Jerusalem. Gamaliel, speaks to the Council and essentially tells them wisdom. Which is like, you’re up in arms about all of this, but think of the different people that have risen up in our history and caused rebellion or caused unrest. They’ve all disappeared and if these men who are teaching about this dead, crucified Jesus, are making this up, doing this all on their own, then they’re gonna fade away too. But my brothers if this is of God, nobody will be able to stop it. We’ll end up fighting against God. And this gives us some clues to the discussions that were happening around this name of Jesus. This message of Jesus. Some were totally convinced that this was evil and needed to be stamped out, including this Saul, who becomes the Apostle Paul. Others had actually heard Jesus, and although they were afraid of the cultural implications, if they announced they were a follower, they still were. And others like Gamaliel, were saying like, look, these things, these things go. If God is in this, then we don’t want to find ourselves on the other side of God. If God is in this nothing can stop it. And we see the joy among the Apostles, among the early believers, just to be associated with the ridicule that Jesus underwent that they had all seen, just to be associated with that, was a badge of honor. And through all this, we see the Holy Spirit in surprising ways, protecting His children and moving the message forward. And this is how the faith, this is how the Gospel began to take root and spread throughout the land.

Prayer:

And Father, we are grateful because we stand here today reading of this time and we are the recipients of the repercussions, the good news has traveled forward, for these thousands of years and has landed in our lives and is transforming us. And it is Your Holy Spirit, the same spirit, the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, that dwells in us and empowers us to navigate our time. So, Holy Spirit, come. We are watching our brothers and sisters rejoice, even as they face obstacles and that sounds like our lives. We face obstacles too, and we have the opportunity to invite You into all of it, rearranging the ways that we look at things, changing us to look outward beyond just what we are experiencing and to see Your work in this world and our place in it. So, come Holy Spirit, we pray in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base and that is where you can find out what is going on around here. And the Daily Audio Bible app does that as well. Just search for Daily Audio Bible at your app store. And then, when you’re checking things out, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. We introduce some really, really high-quality snapback, like ballcaps, a couple months ago. And those are being loved really well, and it’s springtime, and it’s like ballcap season. I wear a ballcap pretty much every day, no matter what season it is, but it’s that season. So, we got those snapback hats on sale, while supplies last. And that includes the special edition, the camo addition and those, well, they will be available as long as they last, but they won’t be available after this month, no matter what. So, you can check those out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop in the lifestyle section. Sport your colors, wear your colors at all of the festivities of summer and all of the sports and games.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the Global Campfire is a source of hope and life, then thank you deeply and humbly for your partnership, as we navigate the summer time. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Good morning DAB family, my name is Tamra, I’m calling from Northern California. I’m calling with a blanket prayer today, over the DAB family. But especially I want to reach out to those that are heavy in their heart and their mind is racing and they’ve been carrying around a lot of things that need to be put at the feet of Jesus. And so, I want to pray for you all today. Father God, I just pray that You meet Your children at that point of need. You know exactly what it is that they need, on today. Whether it’s an emotional need, mental, physical, spiritual, or perhaps even financial, You know that need. And I pray, Father God, that You meet them there. And You will supply that need. I pray that whatever they ask for, Father God, in Your name, You will bring it to pass. Because You said Father, in Your word, You can do exceedingly, abundantly above whatever we ask for or think, according to the power that lies within us. So, may we all stand firm on Your word today, trusting You, believing You, to deliver on Your word. Be encouraged on today family. God hears your prayers, and He will answer. God bless.

Hi, DAB Family, it’s Liza calling from the East Coast. I also go by Philippians 4:6 on the Prayer Wall. Thank you so much for your continued prayers about my healing from cancer. I’ve had a kind of rough time the last month. But it’s just been amazing to see God just get me through every day. I would love some prayers about nutrition and God helping me continue to eat and not lose weight. It’s been a little bit harder recently to not feel nauseous by different foods and I’m just praying that God helps me find food that’s nutritious and that doesn’t make me feel nauseous and just to kind of get that excitement back about food. I also would love some prayers about joy. I’ve just been asking God to show me kind of some of those moments of joy in every day life. And it’s been pretty amazing. God has allowed me to go on some short trips with friends recently and I really enjoyed that. And it’s just been really, really cool to see that I can walk with a cane right now. Something that I wasn’t able to do a few months ago. I also planned a trip abroad for a week in a couple months. And I could just use your prayers that God protects me in advance of that trip. And if it’s meant to be, that He just continues to help me get stronger. My oncologist just okay’d the trip and is, was saying that it’s a great idea. So, I’m just gonna keep praying and if it’s something that’s meant to happen, it will. And I’m pretty excited about just having kind of like a break from cancer. And some adventures that don’t relate to going to the hospital or going to the emergency room. Thank you guys so much for all your prayers. In means a lot that you’re thinking of me and I’m thinking of all of you, as well.

Hi, my name is Sherrie Youngword. I’ve been a long-time listener here at Daily Audio Bible. 17 years I believe. And I think I’ve called in 4 times over those years. This morning, I was having a hard time getting out of bed and I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible and listening to the prayer requests. And kinda had a gentle tap on my shoulder, why don’t you call in and ask for prayer. So, that’s what I’m doing. I have been in full time ministry for over 25 years, traveling and stuff. And now, I’m doing mostly things from home. I say that cause I’ve had some health things, type 1 diabetes, that’s the insulin kind. But I’ve been dealing with something new for about three years. And it just seems to be getting worse. I’ve had tests, I was in the ER last week, had a CT scan, and anyway, nothing shows up. But the pain is getting worse. And so, I would just love to ask for prayer for this pain, for a miraculous healing or a correct diagnosis. And yeah, I would love that. And I know you’ll pray. And with a few seconds left, Lord, I just would like to pray for the Hardin Family, Lord. That You just continue to bless them, God. Make them mindful of the little schemes of the devil. We don’t fight against flesh and blood. I pray that You’d overcome and bless them in every way, Lord. I pray for Victorious Soldier, Blind Tony, all the listeners, Lord, right now, that You’d just bless them and give us all a fresh revelation of You Jesus. We love so much. I pray that in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Good morning, Daily Audio Bible Family. This is Karen in Florida. Just calling in. I heard Phillip speaking today about his marriage. Just wanted to pray a little bit for that. So, Lord, I do thank You for Phillip and his, and his humbleness to call in and confess to us things about his own struggles in life and where he’s at, Lord. And I pray for his wife, right now, Lord God. I just lift her up to You and ask You to protect her mind, Lord, from the enemy. I pray that You would open up her eyes and ears to see and hear Your truth, that is all around her, Lord God. And that she would not be taken in by some sort of extremity that may want to bring confusion and division in her marriage, Lord God. I just pray for complete healing of this marriage. I pray for restoration that this marriage would be a mighty testimony for You, Lord. That many would come to know You through this, through the testimony of this husband and wife, and what You’re gonna do there, Lord God. Father, just help Phillip to be strong through this, never give up, but to keep his eyes on You. And I thank You for bringing brothers into his life, who can help him to, to get through what he’s going through. And I just really ask, Father, that You would bring good Christian women into his wife’s life, who could love on her like a sister. And just help her to know Your love and Your grace and all that You have for her family. And I pray these things in Your name, Lord Jesus. And thank You again. Amen.

So, today, we finished the Gospels. And I just wanna thank Brian for honing in on Jesus’ last words. When He says, what is that to you. And he’s talking about what happens to John’s life. What is that to you, as for you, follow me. I thought about the landscape of the church right now, and how we look at the culture. How we look at the church. Even how we look at our own families, our sons, our daughters. We tend to focus on the wrong thing and ask about their lives, right. What about their lives, what about the sin that they’re engaging in. And in actuality, the mirror of Jesus words says, what is that to you, as for you, follow me. And if we’re following Him, that means that we’re living out the Gospel. And that we are sharing the major theme of the Gospel, which is redemption. The redemption of Jesus, the redemption of our lives that all is redeemable, that every person is redeemable. And when we take off our focus and look at how people are living their lives, then that is not what Jesus wants for us. So, I just want to thank for that revelation. Thank Brian for honing in on that. And just give a word of advice to the church out there, to all of us believers. Let’s keep the focus on the redemption of Jesus, that all is redeemable in the major theme of the Gospel. And let’s not forget also, that we’re gonna suffer a little bit, we’re gonna suffer for the Gospel. And we gotta share that too. This is Delta Oscar Foxtrot, calling from the Central Texas front. Give a shout out to Blind Tony, our poet laureate. Just wanna say thank you for all you do, brother.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday June 7, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 2:1-3:2

David’s last words

2 David’s time was coming to an end. So he commanded Solomon his son, 2 “I’m following the path that the whole earth takes. Be strong and be a man. 3 Guard what is owed to the Lord your God, walking in his ways and observing his laws, his commands, his judgments, and his testimonies, just as it is written in the Instruction from Moses. In this way you will succeed in whatever you do and wherever you go. 4 So also the Lord will confirm the word he spoke to me: ‘If your children will take care to walk before me faithfully, with all their heart and all their being, then one of your own children will never fail to be on the throne of Israel.’ 5 You should know what Joab, Zeruiah’s son, has done to me and what he did to the two generals of Israel, Abner, Ner’s son, and Amasa, Jether’s son. He murdered them, spilling blood at peacetime and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 So act wisely: Don’t allow him to die a peaceful death. 7 As for Barzillai’s sons from Gilead, show them kindness. Let them eat with you. When I was running away from your brother Absalom, they came to me. 8 Now as for this Shimei, Gera’s son—a Benjaminite from Bahurim—who is with you, he cursed me viciously when I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘Surely I won’t execute you with the sword.’ 9 But you don’t need to excuse him. You are wise and know what to do to him. Give him a violent death.”

10 Then David lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David’s City. 11 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

Solomon secures his throne

12 Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his royal power was well established. 13 Adonijah, Haggith’s son, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She said, “Are you coming in peace?”

He said, “Yes. 14 I have something to say to you.”

She said, “Say it.”

15 He said, “You know how the kingdom was mine. All Israel had appointed me as their king. Then suddenly the kingdom went to my brother as the Lord willed. 16 Now I have just one request of you. Don’t refuse me!”

She said to him, “Go on.”

17 Adonijah continued, “Ask King Solomon to let me marry Abishag from Shunem—he won’t refuse you.”

18 Bathsheba said, “Okay; I’ll speak to the king for you.”

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk with him about Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her and bowed low to her. Then he returned to his throne and had a throne set up for the queen mother. She sat to his right. 20 She said, “I have just one small request for you. Don’t refuse me.”

The king said to her, “Mother, ask me. I won’t refuse you.”

21 “Let Abishag from Shunem be married to your brother Adonijah,” she said.

22 King Solomon replied to his mother, “Why ask only for Abishag from Shunem for Adonijah? Why not ask for the entire kingdom for him? After all, he is my older brother and has the support of Abiathar the priest and Joab, Zeruiah’s son.” 23 King Solomon swore by the Lord, “May God do to me as he sees fit! Adonijah has made this request at the cost of his life! 24 Now, as surely as the Lord lives—the one who supported me, put me on the throne of my father David, and provided a royal house for me exactly as he promised—Adonijah will be executed today.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son. He attacked Adonijah, and Adonijah died.

26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to your fields at Anathoth, because you are a condemned man. However, I won’t kill you today because you carried the Lord’s chest in front of my father David and because you shared in all my father’s sufferings.” 27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from the Lord’s priesthood in order to fulfill the Lord’s word that was spoken against Eli’s family at Shiloh.

28 Now the news reached Joab because he had supported Adonijah, though he hadn’t supported Absalom. Joab ran to the Lord’s tent and grabbed the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the Lord’s tent and was now beside the altar. So Solomon sent Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, instructing him, “Go. Attack Joab!”

30 Benaiah came to the Lord’s tent and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”

Joab said, “No! I’d rather die here.”

Benaiah sent a report back to the king: “This is what Joab said and how he answered me.”

31 The king said to him, “Do as he said. Attack him and then bury him. In doing this, you will remove from me and from my father’s royal house the guilt over the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 May the Lord return that bloodguilt back on his own head for attacking the two men who were better and more righteous than he was. He murdered those two with the sword: Abner, Ner’s son and Israel’s general, and Amasa, Jether’s son and Judah’s general. But my father David didn’t know about it. 33 May the bloodguilt for their deaths return on Joab’s head and on the head of his family line forever. But may the Lord’s peace be on David, his family, and his royal house forever.” 34 So Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, went and attacked Joab and killed him.

Joab was buried at his home in the wilderness. 35 In his place, the king gave leadership of the army to Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son. The king put the priest Zadok in Abiathar’s position. 36 Then he sent for Shimei and said, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and stay in the city. Don’t leave to go anywhere else. 37 If you try to leave, be advised that on the day you cross the Kidron Valley you will most certainly die. Your bloodguilt will be on your own head.”

38 Shimei said to the king, “This is a good idea. Your servant will do just what my master the king said.” So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39 After three years, two of Shimei’s servants fled to the king of Gath, Achish, Maacah’s son. Shimei was informed, “Your servants are now in Gath.” 40 Shimei saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to look for his servants. Shimei then brought his servants back from Gath. 41 Solomon was told that Shimei had left Jerusalem for Gath and then returned.

42 The king sent for Shimei and asked him, “Didn’t I make you swear a solemn pledge by the Lord? And didn’t I swear to you, ‘If you try to leave and go anywhere, be advised that on that very day you will most certainly die’? You said to me, ‘This is a good idea. I agree to it.’ 43 Why didn’t you keep your solemn promise to the Lord and the command that I gave you?” 44 The king said further, “You know quite well all the evil that you did to my father David. May the Lord return your evil on your own head. 45 However, may King Solomon be blessed and David’s throne be secure before the Lord forever.” 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, who went and attacked Shimei, and he died.

In these ways royal power was handed over to Solomon.

Solomon first meets God

3 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, when he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to David’s City until he finished building his royal palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 Unfortunately, the people were sacrificing at the shrines because a temple hadn’t yet been built for the Lord’s name in those days.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Acts 5

Pretenders of sharing

5 However, a man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s knowledge, he withheld some of the proceeds from the sale. He brought the rest and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles. 3 Peter asked, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has influenced you to lie to the Holy Spirit by withholding some of the proceeds from the sale of your land? 4 Wasn’t that property yours to keep? After you sold it, wasn’t the money yours to do with whatever you wanted? What made you think of such a thing? You haven’t lied to other people but to God!” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard this conversation was terrified. 6 Some young men stood up, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.

7 About three hours later, his wife entered, but she didn’t know what had happened to her husband. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you and your husband receive this price for the field?”

She responded, “Yes, that’s the amount.”

9 He replied, “How could you scheme with each other to challenge the Lord’s Spirit? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out too.” 10 At that very moment, she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men entered and found her dead, they carried her out and buried her with her husband. 11 Trepidation and dread seized the whole church and all who heard what had happened.

Responses to the church

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. They would come together regularly at Solomon’s Porch. 13 No one from outside the church dared to join them, even though the people spoke highly of them. 14 Indeed, more and more believers in the Lord, large numbers of both men and women, were added to the church. 15 As a result, they would even bring the sick out into the main streets and lay them on cots and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow could fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Even large numbers of persons from towns around Jerusalem would gather, bringing the sick and those harassed by unclean spirits. Everyone was healed.

The Jerusalem Council harasses the apostles

17 The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. 18 They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison. 19 An angel from the Lord opened the prison doors during the night and led them out. The angel told them, 20 “Go, take your place in the temple, and tell the people everything about this new life.” 21 Early in the morning, they went into the temple as they had been told and began to teach.

When the high priest and his colleagues gathered, they convened the Jerusalem Council, that is, the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent word to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. 22 However, the guards didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison locked and well-secured, with guards standing at the doors, but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!” 24 When they received this news, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were baffled and wondered what might be happening. 25 Just then, someone arrived and announced, “Look! The people you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain left with his guards and brought the apostles back. They didn’t use force because they were afraid the people would stone them.

27 The apostles were brought before the council where the high priest confronted them: 28 “In no uncertain terms, we demanded that you not teach in this name. And look at you! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are determined to hold us responsible for this man’s death.”

29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than humans! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God has exalted Jesus to his right side as leader and savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins. 32 We are witnesses of such things, as is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When the council members heard this, they became furious and wanted to kill the apostles. 34 One council member, a Pharisee and teacher of the Law named Gamaliel, well-respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be taken outside for a few moments. 35 He said, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you intend to do to these people. 36 Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and some four hundred men joined him. After he was killed, all of his followers scattered, and nothing came of that. 37 Afterward, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and got some people to follow him in a revolt. He was killed too, and all his followers scattered far and wide. 38 Here’s my recommendation in this case: Distance yourselves from these men. Let them go! If their plan or activity is of human origin, it will end in ruin. 39 If it originates with God, you won’t be able to stop them. Instead, you would actually find yourselves fighting God!” The council was convinced by his reasoning. 40 After calling the apostles back, they had them beaten. They ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, then let them go. 41 The apostles left the council rejoicing because they had been regarded as worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name. 42 Every day they continued to teach and proclaim the good news that Jesus is the Christ, both in the temple and in houses.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 125

Psalm 125

A pilgrimage song.

125 The people who trust in the Lord
are like Mount Zion:
never shaken, lasting forever.
2 Mountains surround Jerusalem.
That’s how the Lord surrounds his people
from now until forever from now!
3 The wicked rod won’t remain
in the land given to the righteous
so that they don’t use their hands to do anything wrong.[a]
4 Lord, do good to people who are good,
to people whose hearts are right.
5 But as for those people who turn to their own twisted ways—
may the Lord march them off with other evildoers!

Peace be on Israel!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 125:3 Heb uncertain
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Proverbs 16:25

25 There is a path that may seem straight to someone,
but in the end it is the path of death.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday June 6, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 1

David and Abishag

1 King David had become very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he couldn’t stay warm. 2 They said to him, “Allow us to find a young woman for our master the king. She will serve the king and take care of him by lying beside our master the king and keeping him warm.” 3 So they looked in every corner of Israel until they found Abishag from Shunem. They brought her to the king. 4 She was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him, but the king didn’t have sex with her.

Adonijah’s rebellion

5 Adonijah, Haggith’s son, bragged about himself and said, “I’ll rule as king myself.” He got his own chariot and horses with fifty runners to go in front. 6 Now Adonijah’s father had never given him direction; he never questioned why Adonijah did what he did. He was very handsome and was born after Absalom. 7 He took advice from Joab, Zeruiah’s son, and from the priest Abiathar. They assisted Adonijah. 8 But Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei and his friends, and David’s veterans didn’t join Adonijah. 9 So Adonijah prepared lamb, oxen, and fattened cattle at the Stone of Zoheleth, next to En-rogel. He invited his brothers (the royal princes) and all the citizens of Judah who were the royal servants to come. 10 But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, David’s veterans, or his brother Solomon.

11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Did you hear that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, but our master David doesn’t know about it? 12 Let me give you some advice on how you and your son Solomon can survive this. 13 Go to King David and say, ‘Didn’t my master the king swear to your servant, “Your son Solomon will certainly rule after me. He will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are speaking there with the king, I’ll come along and support your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was serving the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed down on her face before the king.

The king asked, “What do you want?”

17 She said to him, “Your Majesty, you swore by the Lord your God to your servant, ‘Your son Solomon will certainly rule after me. He will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king, and my master the king doesn’t know about it. 19 He has prepared large quantities of oxen, fattened cattle, and lamb. He has invited all the royal princes as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the general. However, he didn’t invite your servant Solomon. 20 As for you, my master the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will follow you on the throne of my master the king. 21 When my master the king lies down with his ancestors, then I and my son Solomon will become outlaws.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. 23 The king was informed, “The prophet Nathan is here.” Then Nathan came in before the king and bowed his face to the ground. 24 He said, “My master the king, you must have said, ‘Adonijah will become king after me and will sit on my throne.’ 25 Indeed, today he went down and prepared oxen, fattened cattle, and lamb in large numbers. He invited all the royal princes, the generals, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking with him, and they said, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 Adonijah didn’t invite me, your servant, Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, or your servant Solomon. 27 If this message was from my master the king, you didn’t make it known to your servant. Who should follow you on the throne of my master the king?”

28 King David answered, “Bring me Bathsheba.” She came and stood before the king. 29 The king made a solemn pledge and said, “As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued me from every trouble, 30 regarding what I swore to you by the Lord, Israel’s God, ‘Your son Solomon will certainly succeed me; he will sit on the throne after me’—I’ll see that it happens today.”

31 Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground. She honored the king and said, “May my master King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Bring me Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son.” They came to the king, 33 who said to them, “Take with you the servants of your masters. Put my son Solomon on my mule and bring him down to Gihon. 34 There Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan will anoint him king over Israel. Blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You will follow him. He will enter and sit on my throne, and so he will succeed me as king. I have appointed him to become ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, responded to the king, “Yes, may it happen as the Lord, the God of my king, says. 37 Just as the Lord was with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon. May his throne be even greater than the throne of my master King David.” 38 Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule. They led him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed him playing flutes and celebrating. The ground shook at their noise.

41 Adonijah and all his invited guests heard this when they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he said, “What’s that noise coming from the city?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan, Abiathar the priest’s son, arrived.

Adonijah said, “Come on in! You are an honest man and will bring a good report.”

43 Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon king! 44 To support him, the king sent along Zadok the priest; the prophet Nathan; Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son; and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. They’ve put Solomon on the royal mule. 45 Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They went up from there celebrating so that the city was thrown into a commotion. That is the sound you heard. 46 There’s more: Solomon has taken over the throne of the kingdom. 47 The royal attendants blessed our master King David: ‘May your God make Solomon’s name better than your name. May God elevate his throne above your throne.’”

The king then worshipped on his bed 48 and said, “Bless Israel’s God, the Lord, who today has set my son[a] on my throne, and has allowed my eyes to see it.”

49 Trembling with fear, all of Adonijah’s guests got up and fled, each going a different way. 50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to grab hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Solomon was told, “Look! Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and has grabbed the horns of the altar. He’s saying, ‘King Solomon must swear to me first that he won’t execute his servant with the sword.’”

52 Solomon said, “If he shows himself to be an honorable person, then not a hair of his head will be harmed. But if any evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 King Solomon sent word and had him brought down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon. Solomon said to him, “Go home!”

Footnotes:

  1. 1 Kings 1:48 Heb lacks my son; other versions have it or something similar.
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Acts 4

Peter and John questioned

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. 2 They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. 3 They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) 4 Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand.

5 The next day the leaders, elders, and legal experts gathered in Jerusalem, 6 along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others from the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and asked, “By what power or in what name did you do this?”

8 Then Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, answered, “Leaders of the people and elders, 9 are we being examined today because something good was done for a sick person, a good deed that healed him? 10 If so, then you and all the people of Israel need to know that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is the stone you builders rejected; he has become the cornerstone! 12 Salvation can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been given among humans through which we must be saved.”

13 The council was caught by surprise by the confidence with which Peter and John spoke. After all, they understood that these apostles were uneducated and inexperienced. They also recognized that they had been followers of Jesus. 14 However, since the healed man was standing with Peter and John before their own eyes, they had no rebuttal. 15 After ordering them to wait outside, the council members began to confer with each other. 16 “What should we do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem is aware of the sign performed through them. It’s obvious to everyone and we can’t deny it. 17 To keep it from spreading further among the people, we need to warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.” 18 When they called Peter and John back, they demanded that they stop all speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus.

19 Peter and John responded, “It’s up to you to determine whether it’s right before God to obey you rather than God. 20 As for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 They threatened them further, then released them. Because of public support for Peter and John, they couldn’t find a way to punish them. Everyone was praising God for what had happened, 22 because the man who had experienced this sign of healing was over 40 years old.

The believers pray

23 After their release, Peter and John returned to the brothers and sisters and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said. 24 They listened, then lifted their voices in unison to God, “Master, you are the one who created the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25 You are the one who spoke by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand
and the rulers gathered together as one
against the Lord and against his Christ.[a]

27 Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with Gentiles and Israelites, did gather in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and plan had already determined would happen. 29 Now, Lord, take note of their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with complete confidence. 30 Stretch out your hand to bring healing and enable signs and wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus, your holy servant.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.

Sharing among the believers

32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need.

36 Joseph, whom the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (that is, “one who encourages”), was a Levite from Cyprus. 37 He owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles.

Footnotes:

  1. Acts 4:26 Or anointed one; Ps 2:1-2
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 124

Psalm 124

A pilgrimage song. Of David.

124 If the Lord hadn’t been for us—
let Israel now repeat!—
2 if the Lord hadn’t been for us,
when those people attacked us
3 then they would have swallowed us up whole
with their rage burning against us!
4 Then the waters would have drowned us;
the torrent would have come over our necks;[a]
5 then the raging waters would have come over our necks!

6 Bless the Lord
because he didn’t hand us over
like food for our enemies’ teeth!
7 We escaped like a bird from the hunters’ trap;
the trap was broken so we escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 124:4 Or soul; also in 124:5, 7
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Proverbs 16:24

24 Pleasant words are flowing honey,
sweet to the taste and healing to the bones.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Posted on

06/06/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 22:1-23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Psalms 122:1-9, Proverbs 16:19-20

Today is the 6th day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is a joy to be here with you today, a beautiful time here in the rolling hills of Tennessee and I trust a beautiful time wherever you may be. It’s always a beautiful time here around the Global Campfire. Really matter what’s going on in the weather or in our lives. It’s an oasis, a safe place for us. And, so, it’s wonderful to be here with you today as we gather and do what we do which is to take the next step forward. And our next step forward today leads us into some new territory. We finished the book of second Samuel yesterday.

Introduction to first Kings:

And, so, we will begin today the book of first Kings and we’ll…we’ll notice…I mean second Samuel kind of ends in a certain way sort of abruptly and we’ll notice that kind of moving into Kings and continuing the story forward from Samuel with some differences. As with some of the other books in the Bible like first and second Kings first and second Chronicles these were one manuscript at a certain point of time and they were broken up into first and second for ease of finding things in the text. First and second Kings and then first and second Chronicles, which follows cover essentially the same point in history, but it’s observation from two different vantage points. So, the books of Kings that we’re going into now will deal with the Kings. More prominence will be given to the royalty and the way that they interact with the prophetic voices, whereas when we get into Chronicles we’ll be looking at the same point in history from more of a priestly are a common view and have different perspective on the same time period. So, as we move into first Kings we will still be with King David but we will witness the end of his reign, and then some additional family drama as his son Solomon ascends to the throne. And then Solomon will guide Israel into peace and prosperity and abundance as they worship the Lord. Solomon will build the first Temple to God. This is known as the first Temple in Jerusalem. And the worship and praise of God, taken iconic place in the Hebrew culture as this society is being knit together as a nation under a king. And, so, we’ll see an apex, a finest hour, but it’s not without problems. Solomon has problems of his own and we’ll get to those soon enough and we’ll watch things begin to unravel. And then after King Solomon things will get a little bit tricky and will lead to a division. And, so, this kingdom of Israel, these 12 united tribes, they will divide. And the 10 tribes in the north will become the kingdom of Israel and then the southern kingdom will be called Judah. And we’ll get to know prophets, the prophetic voices in this time - Elijah and Elisha. And then…then…then…then…and then we watch it all fall apart and military overthrow comes to the land and exile comes to the land and the people are carried away. But all will not be lost. All is never lost. And that is the hope of the gospel. And, so, as we move through this territory, historically we will find that the Bible continues to reveal many things for us to consider about our own lives. As it has done thus far in the year, that will continue as we continue. And, so, let us continue forward. Today first Kings chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this brand-new territory that we have entered as we move into the book…books of Kings in the Old Testament. And we thank You for the journey that we are on in the book of Acts as we learn our heritage and of Your work among them, and Your work among us that continues until this day. Holy Spirit, come into all that we have read today. Plant it in the soil of our lives. And may we collaborate with You in cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, that there may be a harvest that is bountiful for Your kingdom. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website, and where you can find out what’s going on around here. And, so, certainly check it check out or check out the Daily Audio Bible app from the app store that works of your device.

Yeah, check out the Community section. This is where different links to get connected on social media can be found but it is also the Prayer Wall is. And we all need to pray for each other, don’t we? We all need prayer, and we all need to pray for each other and we have a place for that matter what time of day or night it may be. And, so, check that out in the Community section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you. Thank you humbly. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you are using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174. And, as, always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

Posted on

6/5/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25, Acts 3:1-26, Psalm 123:1-4, Proverbs 16:21-23

Today is the fifth day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we take the next step forward on our adventure together through the Scriptures this year. And obviously we will pick up where we left off. That leaves us, leads us back into the book of Second Samuel and we’re wrapping things up. We’re learning of all of the elite warriors that were around David and some of the details of the end of David’s life. We will finish the book of Second Samuel today. And so, let’s dive in, Second Samuel chapter 23 verse 24 through 24 verse 25.

Commentary:

Okay, so, we’re just getting going in the Book of Acts, we’re just a few chapters in, but we have spent plenty of time, in fact, our entire year so far, moving through the Gospels, walking alongside Jesus and watching Him and His ministry. And one of the things, of the many things that we notice about Jesus as we move through the Gospels, is that He heals people, He restores people. Blind see, lame can walk, miraculous signs and wonders follow Him where he goes. So today, in the Book of Acts, we see something pretty remarkable. Peter and John are moving through the temple complex, there’s a person there, that is at the beautiful gate, begging. That’s not unusual, that wouldn’t of, that wouldn’t have been unusual then, it’s not particularly unusual now, for there to be people begging all around the old city. So, that’s not unusual, but what happened in the interaction is very unusual. Peter speaks to the man, who’s looking for like, some type of monetary donation. And he tells him, I don’t have any money, but I have something that I will give you. And then he tells him, in the name of Jesus, to get up and walk. And he pulls the man up and the man does get up and walk and jump around. This is the first recorded instance of a miracle after Jesus ascension. Jesus had ascended to the Father, so Jesus was not physically there. And yet, He was totally present in the power of the Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus was physically absent, but the work of Christ was continuing forward, like Jesus said it would and could. And crowds form around this event, as you can imagine. They’re seeing this guy that they see begging all the time, now he’s leaping and jumping around. And so, a crowd is gathered, and Peter asks an important question of the people. And it’s an important question for us, as we enter into the Book of Acts, like we are now. Because we are entering into the story of everything that comes next, what some would call the church era. And we are still in that time, like we’re reading about the Book of Acts, the beginning of all of this, this has been ongoing until today. Peter asks the astounded crowd, what is so surprising about this? Obviously, what’s so surprising about it is that a lame man is leaping and jumping, a miracle has taken place. But Peter’s saying like, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. This is what you saw Jesus doing, the one that was turned over to be killed, the one that you saw die. He has been raised back to life and this is the ongoing revelation of the kingdom He came to announce. What’s so surprising about this? This is everything that He said would happen. This is everything that has been foretold to happen. So, what we see is that Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit came back to lead and guide, and Jesus has told them, told them the stuff you see me do, you can do these things, you can do greater these things, greater than these things because I am going to the Father. And so, Peter’s question, what is so surprising about this is certainly a question for the crowds that were there in the moment. But it’s also a question for us, what if this is all true? What if our lives were shaped around the enormous, unstoppable power of Christ within us, and what if when we read the Book of Acts, we understand that these are examples and maybe the wholeness that Jesus said He came to bring, the healing of the broken heart, the setting of the captive free, the restoring of sight to the blind, the restoring of strength to the lame. What if this is available to us? What if this is the point, putting what is broken, back together. Let’s spend some time today thinking about what wholeness would look like in our lives. Let’s think about what is broken and then let’s think about the power of God and then let’s think about Peter asking, what is so surprising about this. Maybe healing and restoration are available for us. And so, let’s give it some thought today. Let’s just dream about what it might look like today. And then invite Jesus into that.

Prayer:

And Jesus, we confess, we spend all of our lives trying to organize and order things in such a way that we can feel not broken, we can feel not behind. And so, we spend most of our energy in these efforts, only to find that the second we get something fixed, something else is broken and it’s a never-ending cycle. But what if we stepped back and realized that we aren’t the ones that can make ourselves whole. Only You can and You are not withholding from us. So, what if we turned our affection and our energy toward You and allowed You to heal what is broken in us, and then, we too, along with Peter, can say what’s so surprising about this? Of course, He would come for us. Of course, He loves us. Of course, He’s here to heal the brokenhearted and set us free. So, come into this Holy Spirit, as we think about the different areas that we believe will never be fixed. Maybe what we need to do is acknowledge that we can’t fix it and we can’t do it. And so, we surrender to You, come and invade our space, filling us with Your presence. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base and, as I say most every day, home base is also the Daily Audio Bible app. And that puts home base in the palm of your hand, and you can download that from the App Store that works with…with your tablet or your phone. And so, check that out. And yeah, the Community Section. The Community Section, whether the app or the web, this is where you can find different links to the different social media channels that we participate in. It is also the home of the Prayer Wall and that is where it lives, that’s where it is, it’s here for this community. This is where we can go and reach out to each other, knowing that who we’re reaching out to, the story that we’re sharing, what we’re asking for prayer for, we’re reaching to brothers and sisters who are around the Global Campfire, taking the next step forward with us, knowing that we are here, together, in community, as we move through the Scriptures. So, that is the Prayer Wall and that can be found in the Community Section, so certainly don’t be a stranger.

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

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, neighbors, it’s Lisa the Encourager. I was just calling in today, to say hello and hope you all are having a good day. And I hope that you are blessed, and I just wanted to share something with you that was actually read in 1st Samuel. I know we’re in 2nd Samuel now. But I just wanted to share it with you because it really stood out to me. And it was the story about Eli and Samuel and Samuel was in the temple and he was a little boy. And God was calling out to him. And Eli was helping him understand it was God and not him. And he was also telling him what to say. And he, when he went back and he realized it was God, he said to God, he said, speak your servant is listening. And I just think those words are so profound. Speak, your servant is listening. And it was just like a challenge in my mind that said, you know, I should be ending my prayers that way or beginning my prayers that way. When I’m talking to God and you know, we’re dealing with different things in life. And just you know, addressing God that you know, we’re His servants and that we’re listening to what He wants to share with us. What He wants to lay on our hearts. You know we, obviously, want to ask for things and give Him all of our burdens, as we should. But this is just a good reminder to listen. And I thought it was a beautiful way that Eli taught Samuel to you know, be the servant and to listen to our God.

Good morning, DABers. This is God’s Chosen from Georgia. It’s the beginning of another new month. And I want to thank God for all of us. Thank You God for Your grace that You have extended to us to enter into this new month of June. We thank You Lord, for Your unwavering provision for all of us. We trust that Your peace will watch over us as we step into this new month. We thank You Lord that, during this month of June, all of us will rely on the riches of Your love and Your grace to provide for us in the physical, in our emotional and in our spiritual well-being. We thank You Lord, that You will help us to walk according to Your will. Father, forgive us when we error or stray. Help us Lord, to stay in Your truth and be the light that shines to the world. We ask You once again Lord Jesus, to guide our footsteps throughout this month of June. Help us Lord, God Almighty, to keep our eyes on You. Grant us grace to continually acknowledge and thank You for all the blessings that You have poured upon us. Let us be mindful of all those who are around us, who are suffering and let us be a kind person. Show kindness to each and every one of them. We pray for those who are sick amongst us. We pray for all those who are waiting upon You, those whose hearts have been torn. Just by the diagnosis they have received. We pray for restoration. We pray for healing. We pray in the name of Jesus, Lord, that You will continue to guide us throughout this month. Help us Lord, to keep our eyes on You, to trust You. Help us to live by Proverbs 3:5 and 6. We all love You Jesus. And we thank You. For we pray in Jesus name.

Hey, Daily Audio Bible Family. I’m gonna call myself Just John. It’s what my mentor called me, some years ago. Anyway, the reason for the prayer request is for the last year and a half, I have really been struggling with finding work that supports me and treats me well. I’m currently in a job now, this is week 5. I’m hoping that they’re gonna make it so I can be supported and have the basic tools needed to do my job properly. I’m going in day-by-day hoping for the best. And the powers that be, know what I need, and we’ll see what happens. So, my request is also direction for what kind of work to do. I can continue to do the same type of work. I find fulfillment in it, but I also have a desire to start a small business. So, that’s my request. I feel good. I’m not down even though in these past 4 weeks I had sometimes where I was really upset and angry. But I know God’s gonna work it out. I appreciate your prayers. Thank you for listening.

Good morning, Daily Audio Bible Family. This is Beloved in Arizona. I am calling to ask for prayer for family that just lost their father and grandfather. There was a, there’s a man in Prescot Valley who, he was a good Christian man, youth pastor, beloved by the whole community. And he was found murdered in his home just Monday night. He’s got three children: Justin, Courtney and Sarah, they’re adults. And Courtney just, a few months ago, lost her 8-month-old baby. I’m not sure the cause. So, Courtney has lost her baby and her father. And Justin and Sarah have lost their father. Please pray for them.

Hey, fellow DABers. This is Shepherding Outside of Seattle. As a pastor, I’m probably like a lot of pastors, facing a lot of decisions to make to go left or right, to go up or down, backwards/forwards, all those kinds of things. And there’s just a lot of things that are pressing in and it seems like, when it rains, it pours. And I really appreciate your prayers for wisdom for me, to have wisdom in decisions that I have to make. I pray for God to open doors and to provide, where I can’t see provision at the moment. And, yeah, I could really use your help in that. And yeah, I would just encourage you to pray for your pastors. Some people think that pastors never struggle. But I could really use your help. So, appreciate your prayers for just sustaining my enthusiasm, my anticipation of what God’s gonna do. And He has given me no reasons whatsoever to doubt Him. It’s just, sometimes, it’s a struggle, to hold on and wait. And so, I’m trying to do that. Hold on and wait for His provision, His answers. And in the meantime, do what I need to do and wait patiently and be wise. So, thank you for your prayers. It’s Shepherding Outside Seattle.