The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday October 1, 2020 (NIV)

Isaiah 62:6-65:25

I have appointed watchmen upon your walls, Jerusalem;
all day and all night they shall never be silent.
You who profess Yahweh have no rest.
And you must not give him rest until he establishes,
and until he makes[a] Jerusalem an object of praise[b] in the earth.
Yahweh has sworn by his right hand,
and by his mighty arm,[c]
“Surely I will never again give your grain as food to your enemies,[d]
and surely foreigners[e] shall not drink your new wine at which you have labored.”
But those who gather it shall eat it, and they shall praise Yahweh,
and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts.[f]
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!
Make the way clear for[g] the people!
Pile up, pile up the highway; clear it of stones![h]
Lift up an ensign over the peoples!

11 Look! Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth:

Say to daughter Zion, “Look, your salvation is coming!
Look, his reward is with him,
and his reward before him.
12 And they shall call them “The Holy People,[i] The Redeemed Of Yahweh,”
and you[j] shall be called “Sought After, A City Is Not Forsaken.”

Yahweh’s Day of Vengeance

63 Who is this, coming from Edom,
from Bozrah in bright red garments?
Who is this honored in his garment,
lying down in his great strength?
It is I, speaking in justice,
mighty[k] to save!”
Why are your garments[l] red,
and your garments like he who treads in the winepress?
“I have trodden the winepress alone,
and there was no man from the peoples with me.
And I trod them in my anger,
and I trampled them in my wrath,
and spattered their juice on my garments,
and stained all my clothing,
for the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and the year of my blood-vengeance has come!
And I looked, but[m] there was no helper,
and I was appalled, but[n] there was no one who sustains,
so[o] my arm came to assist me,
and my wrath was what[p] sustained me.
And I trampled peoples in my anger,
and I made them drunk in my wrath,
and I brought their juice down to the earth.”

Remembering Yahweh’s Mercy

I will mention the loyal love of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh, according to all that Yahweh has done for us,
and the greatness of goodness to the house of Israel that he has done to them according to his mercy and the abundance of his loyal love.

And he said, “Surely my people are children; they will not break faith.” And he became a Savior to them.

In all their distress, there was no distress,[q]
and the messenger of his presence[r] saved them,
in his love and compassion he himself redeemed them,
and he lifted them up,
and he supported them all the days of old.
10 But[s] they were the ones who[t] rebelled,
and they grieved his Holy Spirit,[u]
so[v] he became an enemy to them;[w]
he himself fought against them.
11 Then[x] his people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is the one who led up them from the sea with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who puts his Holy Spirit[y] inside him,
12 who made[z] his magnificent arm move at[aa] the right hand of Moses,
who divided[ab] the waters before them,[ac]
to make an everlasting name for himself,
13 who led[ad] them through the depths?
They did not stumble like a horse in the desert;
14 like cattle in the valley that goes down, the Spirit of Yahweh gave him rest,[ae]
so you lead your people to make a magnificent name for yourself.

Prayer for Mercy

15 Look from heaven,
and see from the lofty residence of your holiness and glory.
Where are your zeal and strength?
Your compassion[af] and mercy to me hold themselves back.
16 For you are our father, although Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, Yahweh are our father,
Our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 Why do you make us wander, Yahweh?
You harden our heart from your ways so that we do not fear[ag] you.
Turn back for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance.
18 Your holy people[ah] took possession for a little while;
our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 We have been since antiquity; you did not rule them;
they were not called by your name.[ai]

64 [aj] Would that you would tear the heavens and come down;
the mountains would quake before you,
[ak] as fire kindles brushwood,
the fire causes water to boil,
to make your name known to your adversaries,
that the nations might tremble from your presence.[al]
When you did terrible deeds which we did not expect,[am] you came down;
the mountains quaked because of your presence.[an]
And since ancient times they have not heard,
have not listened,
no eye has seen a God except you;
he acts[ao] for the one who waits for him.
You meet with the one who rejoices,
one who does righteousness.
In your ways they remember you.
Look! You were angry and we sinned against them in ancient times and we were saved.
And we all have become like the unclean,
and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth,
And we all wither like a leaf,
and our iniquities take us away like the wind.
And there is no one who calls on your name,
who pulls himself up to keep hold of you,
for you have hidden your face from us,[ap]
and melted us into the hand of our iniquity.
Yet now Yahweh, you are our father;
we are the clay and you are our potter,[aq]
and we all are the work of your hand.
You must not be exceedingly angry, Yahweh,
and you must not remember iniquity forever!

Look! Behold, now! We all are your people!

10 Your holy cities[ar] have become a wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful temple,[as] where our ancestors[at] praised you has been burned[au] by fire,
and all our precious objects have become ruins.[av]
12 Will you control yourself because of these, Yahweh?
Will you be silent?
And will you oppress us exceedingly?

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I let myself be sought by those who did not ask;
I let myself be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here I am; here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name;
I spread out my hands all day to a stubborn people,
those who walk after their thoughts in the way that is not good,
the people who provoke[aw] me to anger continually to my face,
slaughtering for sacrifices in the garden,
and making smoke offerings on bricks,
who sit[ax] in graves
and spend the night in secret places,[ay]
who eat[az] the flesh of swine
with[ba] a fragment[bb] of impurity in their vessels,
who say,[bc]Keep to yourself![bd]
You must not come near me, for I am too holy for you!”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,[be]
a fire burning all day.
Look! It is written before me: I will not be silent, but I will repay;
and I will repay in[bf] the fold of their garment
your iniquities and the iniquities of your ancestors[bg] together, says Yahweh,
because they made smoke offerings on the mountains
and they taunted me on the hills,
I will measure their punishment from the beginning into the fold of their garment.”

Thus says Yahweh: “Just as the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say ‘You must not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for the sake of my servants by[bh] not destroying everyone.[bi]

And I will bring descendant s[bj] out from Jacob,
and a people[bk] from Judah to take possession of my mountain,
and my chosen ones shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.
10 And Sharon shall become a pasture for[bl] flocks,[bm]
and the valley of Achor a resting place for[bn] herds[bo]
for my people who have sought me.
11 But[bp] you who forsake[bq] Yahweh,
forgetting my holy mountain,[br]
who set a table for Fortune,
and who pour out[bs] a jug of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 and I will remit you to the sword,
and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,
because I called, but[bt] you did not answer;
I spoke, but[bu] you did not listen,
but[bv] you did the evil in my eyes,
and you chose that in which I do not delight.”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh:

“Look! My servants shall eat but[bw] you, you shall be hungry.
Look! My servants shall drink but[bx] you, you shall be thirsty.
Look! My servants shall rejoice but[by] you, you shall be ashamed.
14 Look! My servants shall shout for joy,[bz] but[ca] you, you shall cry out for pain[cb] and howl for sadness.[cc]
15 And you shall leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse,
and the Lord Yahweh will kill you, and he will give[cd] his servants another name.
16 Whoever blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of trustworthiness,
and the one who swears an oath in the land shall swear by the God of trustworthiness,
because the former troubles are forgotten,
and they are hidden from my eyes.

New Creation

17 For look! I am about to create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered,
and they shall not come to mind.[ce]
18 But rejoice and shout in exultation forever and ever over what I am about to create!
For look! I am about to create Jerusalem as a source of rejoicing,
and her people as a source of joy.
19 And I will shout in exultation over Jerusalem,
and I will rejoice over my people,
and the sound of weeping shall no longer be heard in it,
or[cf] the sound of a cry for help.
20 There will no longer be a nursing infant who lives only a few[cg] days,
or[ch] an old man who does not fill his days,
for the boy will die a hundred years old,[ci]
and the one who fails to reach[cj] a hundred years[ck] will be considered[cl] accursed.
21 And they shall build houses and inhabit them,
and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat.
For the days of my people shall be like the days of a tree,
and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor for nothing,
and they shall not give birth to horror,
for they shall be offspring blessed by[cm] Yahweh,
and their descendants with them.
24 And this will happen: before they call, I myself will answer;
while still they are speaking, I myself will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed like one,
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
but[cn] dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall do no evil,
and they shall not destroy on all my holy mountain,”[co] says Yahweh.

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 62:7 Literally “places”
  2. Isaiah 62:7 Literally “a praise”
  3. Isaiah 62:8 Literally “the arm of his might”
  4. Isaiah 62:8 Literally “those who are hostile to you”
  5. Isaiah 62:8 Literally “sons of a foreign country”
  6. Isaiah 62:9 Literally “the courts of my holiness”
  7. Isaiah 62:10 Literally “of”
  8. Isaiah 62:10 Hebrew “stone”
  9. Isaiah 62:12 Literally “People of the Holiness”
  10. Isaiah 62:12 Literally “to you it”
  11. Isaiah 63:1 Literally “great”
  12. Isaiah 63:2 Hebrew “garment”
  13. Isaiah 63:5 Or “and”
  14. Isaiah 63:5 Or “and”
  15. Isaiah 63:5 Or “and”
  16. Isaiah 63:5 Literally “it”
  17. Isaiah 63:9 The reading tradition (Qere) has “he had distress”
  18. Isaiah 63:9 Literally “face”
  19. Isaiah 63:10 Or “And”
  20. Isaiah 63:10 Literally “they”
  21. Isaiah 63:10 Literally “the spirit of his holiness”
  22. Isaiah 63:10 Or “and”
  23. Isaiah 63:10 Literally “was changed to them to one who is hostile”
  24. Isaiah 63:11 Or “And”
  25. Isaiah 63:11 Literally “the spirit of his holiness”
  26. Isaiah 63:12 Literally “bringing”
  27. Isaiah 63:12 Literally “to”
  28. Isaiah 63:12 Literally “dividing”
  29. Isaiah 63:12 Literally “from their face”
  30. Isaiah 63:13 Literally “leading”
  31. Isaiah 63:14 Literally “caused to rest”
  32. Isaiah 63:15 Literally “The agitation of your intestines”
  33. Isaiah 63:17 Literally “from the fear of”
  34. Isaiah 63:18 Literally “The people of your holiness”
  35. Isaiah 63:19 Literally “your name was not called over them”
  36. Isaiah 64:1 Isaiah 64:1 in the English Bible begins here. In the Hebrew Bible, 63:19 continues
  37. Isaiah 64:2 Isaiah 64:2–12 in the English Bible is 64:1–11 in the Hebrew Bible
  38. Isaiah 64:2 Literally “face”
  39. Isaiah 64:3 Literally “await”
  40. Isaiah 64:3 Literally “face”
  41. Isaiah 64:4 Literally “makes”
  42. Isaiah 64:7 Or “him”
  43. Isaiah 64:8 Literally “one who fashions”
  44. Isaiah 64:10 Literally “The cities of your holiness”
  45. Isaiah 64:11 Literally “the house of our holiness and our beauty”
  46. Isaiah 64:11 Or “fathers”
  47. Isaiah 64:11 Literally “been for burning”
  48. Isaiah 64:11 Hebrew “ruin”
  49. Isaiah 65:3 Literally “provoking”
  50. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “sitting”
  51. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “watches”
  52. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “eating”
  53. Isaiah 65:4 Or “and”
  54. Isaiah 65:4 The reading tradition (Qere) has “broth”
  55. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “saying”
  56. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “Come near to you”
  57. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “nose”
  58. Isaiah 65:6 Or “on”
  59. Isaiah 65:7 Or “fathers”
  60. Isaiah 65:8 Literally “to”
  61. Isaiah 65:8 Literally “all”
  62. Isaiah 65:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  63. Isaiah 65:9 Literally “man”
  64. Isaiah 65:10 Literally “of”
  65. Isaiah 65:10 Hebrew “flock”
  66. Isaiah 65:10 Or “of”
  67. Isaiah 65:10 Hebrew “herd”
  68. Isaiah 65:11 Or “and”
  69. Isaiah 65:11 Literally “forsaking”
  70. Isaiah 65:11 Literally “the mountain of my holiness”
  71. Isaiah 65:11 Literally “fill”
  72. Isaiah 65:12 Or “and”
  73. Isaiah 65:12 Or “and”
  74. Isaiah 65:12 Or “and”
  75. Isaiah 65:13 Or “and”
  76. Isaiah 65:13 Or “and”
  77. Isaiah 65:13 Or “and”
  78. Isaiah 65:14 Literally “from goodness of heart”
  79. Isaiah 65:14 Or “and”
  80. Isaiah 65:14 Literally “from pain of heart”
  81. Isaiah 65:14 Literally “from a breaking of the spirit”
  82. Isaiah 65:15 Literally “call”
  83. Isaiah 65:17 Literally “go up to heart”
  84. Isaiah 65:19 Or “and”
  85. Isaiah 65:20 Literally “of”
  86. Isaiah 65:20 Or “and”
  87. Isaiah 65:20 Literally “a son of a hundred year”
  88. Isaiah 65:20 Literally “misses”
  89. Isaiah 65:20 Literally “a son of a hundred year”
  90. Isaiah 65:20 Literally “treated”
  91. Isaiah 65:23 Literally “the offspring of the blessing of”
  92. Isaiah 65:25 Or “and”
  93. Isaiah 65:25 Literally “the mountain of my holiness”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Philippians 2:19-3:3

Timothy’s Proven Character

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged when I[a] know your circumstances[b]. 20 For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely be concerned about your circumstances[c]. 21 For they all seek their own interests[d], not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see my circumstances[e]. 24 And I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will arrive shortly also.

Epaphroditus’ Mission

25 But I considered it[f] necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger and servant of my need, 26 because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick, coming near to death, but God had mercy on him and not on him only, but also on me, so that I would not have grief upon grief. 28 Therefore I am sending him with special urgency, in order that when[g] you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious. 29 Therefore welcome him in the Lord with all joy, and consider such people highly honored, 30 because on account of the work of Christ he came near to the point of death, risking his life in order that he might make up for your inability to serve me[h].

Warning Against Evil Workers

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, but is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation.[i] For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship[j] by the Spirit[k] of God and boast in Christ Jesus and do not put confidence in the flesh,

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 2:19 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Philippians 2:19 Literally “the things concerning you”
  3. Philippians 2:20 Literally “the things concerning you”
  4. Philippians 2:21 Literally “the things of themselves”
  5. Philippians 2:23 Literally “the things concerning me”
  6. Philippians 2:25 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  7. Philippians 2:28 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“see”) which is understood as temporal
  8. Philippians 2:30 Literally “he might fill up your lack of service to me”
  9. Philippians 3:2 This term is a wordplay on the Greek word “circumcision”
  10. Philippians 3:3 Or “who serve”
  11. Philippians 3:3 Or “in the Spirit”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Psalm 73

The Wicked and the Righteous Contrasted

A song of Asaph.[a]

73 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those pure of heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled.
My steps had nearly slipped,
because I envied the boastful
when I saw the well-being[b] of the wicked.
For there are no pains up to their death,
and their bodies are healthy.[c]
They do not have ordinary trouble,[d]
and they are not plagued as other people.[e]
Therefore pride is their necklace;
an outfit of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fat.[f]
Imaginings overflow their heart.
They mock and speak maliciously of oppression;
they speak as though from on high.
They set their mouth against the heavens,
and their tongue roams the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn there,[g]
and abundant waters are slurped up by them.
11 And they say, “How does God know?”
and, “Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 See, these are the wicked,
and they increase wealth, ever carefree.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure,
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 And I have been plagued all day
and rebuked every morning.[h]
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
behold, I would have acted treacherously
against your children’s generation.
16 When I thought about how to understand this,
it was troubling in my eyes
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God.
Then I understood their fate.
18 Surely you set them on slippery places.
You cause them to fall onto ruin.[i]
19 How they become a desolation in a moment!
They come to a complete end by terrors.
20 Like a dream upon awakening,
when you wake up, O Lord,
you will despise their fleeting form.[j]
21 When my heart was embittered
and I felt stabbed in my kidneys,
22 then I was brutish and ignorant.
With you I was like the beasts.
23 But I am continually with you;
you have hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice,
and afterward you will take me into honor.[k]
25 Whom do I have in the heavens except you?
And with you I have no other desire on earth.
26 My flesh and heart failed,
but God is the strength[l] of my heart and my reward forever.
27 For indeed, those distancing themselves from you will be ruined.
You destroy each who abandons you for harlotry.
28 But as for me, the approach to God is for my good.
I have set the Lord Yahweh as my refuge,
in order to tell all your works.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 73:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 73:3 Or “peace” or “prosperity”
  3. Psalm 73:4 Literally “fat”
  4. Psalm 73:5 Literally “the trouble of man”
  5. Psalm 73:5 Hebrew “humankind”
  6. Psalm 73:7 A slightly different Hebrew reading might be reflected in the LXX’s “their iniquity comes out of fatness”
  7. Psalm 73:10 That is, toward the wicked
  8. Psalm 73:14 Literally “to the mornings”
  9. Psalm 73:18 Or “fall for deceptions”
  10. Psalm 73:20 Or “image”
  11. Psalm 73:24 Or “to glory”
  12. Psalm 73:26 Literally “rock”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Proverbs 24:13-14

13 My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the dripping of the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Thus know wisdom for the sake of your soul,[a]
if you find it, then there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 24:14 Or “life,” or “inner self”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

10/01/2020 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 62:6-65:25, Philippians 2:19-3:3, Psalms 73:1-28, Proverbs 24:13-14

Today is the 1st day of October welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you. Welcome to the fourth quarter of the year, three quarters of the year behind us, yeah. It…it’s weird when you just start thinking about it isn’t it? It’s like we crossed through the new year and we got into the new year and then it…well…we went to Israel and then…then we got back from Israel and there was this virus going around the world and things were closing down and…and then it’s just, you know, been a number of things that have dominated the conversation and dominated and even change the way that we do things around the world since then. And, so, now we find ourselves kind of on the home stretch. Three months is a long time so we’ve got a lot of territory to cover in the Bible and quite a bit of territory to cover in our lives but knowing that we are turning into the home stretch gets us…well…starts getting us to think about how we want to finish this year, or it should. We can just go…we can go stumbling like a tumbleweed through into the new year or we can be firmly rooted and planted as we move into the new year. It’s like we say at the beginning of every week, it’s shiny, sparkly, new week, and we get to choose how we’re going to live into it. Well, we have a shiny, sparkly, final quarter of the year and how next year is gonna look is gonna, in part, be dependent on how we live this final quarter of the year. And, so, that's…I mean that should hold some gravity. It’s weighty. It’s not scary. It’s just a reality. The daily choices that we make are gonna…are gonna tell the story of how we end our year. And, so, just being aware of that, knowing that starting something new means…well…is best accomplished by finishing well what we are already doing. And, so, let’s band together brothers and sisters. We’re on the same ship here and let’s finish well in our lives and in the Scriptures. And one other thing, when we’re done with our reading today, I have something to announce, I have something to tell you. And, so, make sure you stay tuned for that. Okay, we got a new month and a new quarter and all that but we’re in the same week that we were in so we’re reading from the Lexham English Bible this week and picking up where we left off yesterday. Isaiah chapter 62 verse 6 through 65 verse 25 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’ve got a brand-new month and we’ve got a brand-new quarter and it’s the final quarter of the year. So, it’s kind of the home stretch. And we find ourselves in the book of Psalms today seeing a crossroads, something very appropriate with this transition into the new quarter into the new month to consider the crossroads. And we’ve talked about crossroads many times on our journey through the Scriptures this year, especially when it comes to wisdom, when it comes to Proverbs and understanding that wisdom is at every crossroads yelling to all of humanity, “hey this is the way to go. That’s not the way to go.” And it’s always available if we’re paying attention. So, we kinda have a picture of a crossroads today in the book of Psalms. So, Psalm 73 is what we read. And Asaph, he’s not feeling strong. He’…he’s completely down about what he’s seeing. It’s perplexing to him. It's…it's…it’s supremely frustrating. And his frustration, although we are reading this back by thousands of years, his frustrations are still frustrations on the earth today because what he was seeing is, basically that he’s trying to be a righteous person among righteous people but when he looks out across his culture it’s like the evil ones are the ones that are…are rising to the top. It's…it’s like those who are corrupt are the ones who are actually prospering and seem…seemingly having such a very, very nice life. And, so, he’s like, “I was at a precipice”, basically, “I was about to fall off the wagon. I was about to slip. I…I…it almost happened. I almost went overboard. I envied the proud. I saw them prospering and even though they were wicked and I envied them.” And he’s asking himself, “what is it all for. I’m disciplining myself. I’m trying to be righteous. I’m trying to live into a holy life. And its hard and all of the things that could possibly go wrong seem to but I look out and I see people prospering who couldn’t care less about you Lord, couldn’t care less about where this is all going, couldn’t care at all what you might have to say to the…to Earth’s people.” And, so, he says and I’m quoting, “surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence and I have been plagued all day and rebuked every morning. If I had said I will speak with us,” in other words, “if I had been willing to say this out loud in front of people behold, I would’ve acted treacherously against your children’s generation. When I thought about how to understand this it was troubling in my eyes until” and we’ll get back to that in a second because the “until” is the crossroads. So, like we’re probably tracking with what Asaph is saying here. We probably have felt that way in one way or another. We may feel that way continually right now going through the year and the seasons that we’re going through. The thing to understand is that we’re at a crossroads. Life always brings us to a crossroads and life brought Asaph to a crossroads. So, he’s like, “when I thought about how to understand what I’m seeing it was troubling to even try to understand until”, the crossroads, “until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their fate.” So, what we see is Asaph being honest in his human perception. He’s not…there’s like no sugar coating to what he’s saying. He’s crying out. He doesn’t understand. It doesn’t make sense. And, so, rather than just going on a bender and some sort of way like, just going, “forget it. I’m not being righteous anymore. These guys have the easy way. I’m going the easy path.” He…he didn’t do that. He went into the presence of God instead. And in the presence of God he was reoriented in the way that he was looking at things, right? Because he went into the presence of God and the world didn’t change when he left the sanctuary. Like it was all the same thing. It was his perspective, the way that he saw, the way that he had eyes to see and ears to hear that it changed. And what he realized was there is more going on than I understand, which is something that we learned so clearly in the book of Job, but it’s something that we learned so clearly in so many of the stories of the Bible. What he began to realize with this was that the foundation that the wicked had built their lives upon was frivolous and wasn’t a foundation at all and had no eternal value and was nothing in the grand scheme of things, that their security, although they might’ve felt secure wasn’t gonna help them at all. In light of eternity they were completely exposed and completely unprotected. And one of the ways that the lights went on for Asaph, like one of the ways that he got eyes to see was that it wasn’t about other people prospering and him not. It was about his envy of what they had that he longed for that he didn’t have, which led him into the tornado of comparison that was spinning him around so that he couldn’t see up from down anymore. But once he got his feet back on the ground in the presence of God, he could see how he was behaving and confess. And I’m quoting, “when my heart was embittered, and I felt stabbed in my kidneys then I was brutish and ignorant. With you I was like the beasts”, right? was acting like an animal. Once he had gotten reoriented he was able to see. He was able to see clearly what was really happening. And he said, “I’m continually with you. You have hold of my right hand. You will guide me with your advice and afterward you will take me into honor. Who do I have in the heavens, except you? And with you I have no other desire on earth,” right? There it is. He’s made the choice at the crossroads. The envy has been released. “With you I have no other desire on earth. My flesh and heart failed but God is the strength of my heart and my reward forever.” A beautiful picture of repentance. And repentance as we’ve talked about so many times, like it  sounds religious and it sounds hard but it’s changing your mind. It’s like just opening your eyes and seeing things clearly and going, “ahh…I was looking at this wrong and changing your mind and moving in a different direction. That is repentance and that’s what we see here. Asaph had first of all, noticed some discrepancies, some inequities that were bothering him. He was watching people prosper that he felt like they shouldn’t because they don’t honor God in any way. And yet God’s people are here still slogging along any he becomes envious, which is poison to the soul. And once envy and comparison get inside of us, kind of all bets are off, right? Have we not had the same experience? Like, once you go there all you can do is come up short or if you’re doing better and you’re making comparisons to people who are doing worse than you then all you can do is become proud, which is disaster in the making, as we know. And, so, to come back into God’s presence, say the truth, say what it looks like and then be humble before God knowing, “I don’t know all there is to know and I am certainly not looking at the big picture. I am looking at the little picture. The big picture is that I am a child of the most-high God. I am a joint heir with Jesus to the kingdom of God. I’m not lacking here. I don’t have to be better than anybody else. All I need is God’s presence.

Prayer:

Father, that leads us into this new month and thank You for that. We need it badly, badly. And, so, Holy Spirit we invite You to plant it deeply in our lives in the soil of our hearts. We need You. God, we need You. You are all that we need. When we are in Your presence and we are aware of it we realize we lack nothing. We have all that we need. We are going in the right direction. We are going somewhere good and we love You and we trust You and we invite Your Holy Spirit to continually bring this back to mind, that we might continually reorient ourselves to You by repenting. When we find our feet are about to slip and we’re about to go off the deep end we run do You. Come Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

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And I was mentioning yesterday that there’s something to tell you today. And I mentioned earlier before we started reading theirs something to tell you today. And there’s something to tell you today. And I’m telling it with the utmost joy. And I can also tell you that, joy has been in short supply this year, at least for me, maybe for you too, well I know for lots of you too. So, when you get a little something that’s full, just full, seeping, dripping with joy it's…you just want to share it. And, so, I want to tell you this. I guess it was a few weeks ago that we made a discovery, or a discovery was revealed to us and that is this. I don’t even know how…I’ve never actually ever said this before. Jill and myself, we have a daughter. Her name is China and you probably know that, and she’s married and her son-in-law, his name is Ben and they have informed us…you see where this is going? They have informed us that they will be having a baby, yeah, this coming spring, spring of 2021, April of 2021, we are expecting the newest addition. And man, it is such a bright spot. Like when I’m feeling overwhelmed or just bowled over, just to remember there’s a new one coming, a new little baby coming brings so much joy. So, they let us know a couple weeks ago and we had to keep it all under wraps because China is announcing this on Daily Audio Bible Chronological and social media and all of her friends and etc. etc. etc. today. So, I had to wait until today to let you know. But is this exciting or what? I have been wanting to tell for…well…I’ve wanted to tell since the next day after I found out. But here we are, and I get to say it. China that are pregnant. We are so excited. Thank you for your prayers over them. over China. She’s never done this before. It’s a brand-new thing but she glows. She glows…she…they are so happy. We are so happy for them. We were having dinner and she just kind of blurted it out…like it was so nonchalant that I had to…we just stopped and said, “wait. What…what are you talking about?” So, we had to make all the plans, let the rest of the family know and how this is gonna all rollout. Max found out and he’s like, “dude, you impregnated my sister.” And it’s been a really, really, really bright spot in a pretty challenging year. Wouldn’t…wouldn’t you say it’s been…I mean…I know it’s been challenging for just about everybody. So, new life, new life is coming. And I’ve been then thinking about the day that I would announce this since China was like a little girl. And, so, here it is. China, our little sweet baby girl has went and grown up and went find her…found herself a spouse, and now…now they’re beginning their own family and we are rejoicing and there’s really nothing else I could say today to top that. So, I’m just gonn let that stay right here and maybe we can all be lifted and maybe we can all rejoice and pray a prayer of blessing over them. In fact, let’s just end that way today.

Father thank You. Thank You for what You have created in making a community like this one, such a diverse community all over the world. Such a strange new invention, that we could be alive to be a part of this moving through the Bible together in community. And we have gotten to know each other and we have gotten to know so many stories over the course of the year but over the course of all of the years, so many stories so many miles so much joy and so much shouldering of burdens but today is a happy day. And, so, we thank You for China and we thank You for her contribution to the Daily Audio Bible all of these years and all those words and all of those verses all of those times through the Scriptures, and now it comes time for her and Ben to begin a family of their own and we are certainly gushing and we are certainly overjoyed, but we know that You are too, that You’ve been looking forward to this and we are looking forward to this. And, so, we pray blessing over them as they move through this pregnancy as they…as they continue to understand the transition that becoming a parent will be as they begin to live into that as they begin to settle into this idea that new life is coming and we bless them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And we pray these things in the beautiful name of the risen Christ. Amen.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello this is Cheryl from Ontario I just started listening to the DAB earlier this year and I have called in before a couple times, but I especially want to express my appreciation for this podcast and community. I love the way Brian reads the Scriptures slowly and meaningfully and hearing all those who call in. I pray for the requests and rejoice with answered prayers and enjoy hearing those with encouraging words. God is at work and God is so good and gracious. Just to mention a few people. Maria, missionary in Mexico who called in for her coworker Barbara with a tumor. I’m praying for her but I also wanted to…I was also reminded to pray for you and your husband as a missionary pilot because I have known firsthand the blessing and benefits of this ministry and how challenging and stressful it can be. Also, someone had mentioned the groups struggling with addictions. I would like to mention a couple other groups that are struggling as well, those in nursing home facilities who don’t have the usual visitors or programs. I used to go in twice a month to do music programs and I know how important it was to them and it’s hard on families that can’t visit so easily and freely. The other group are those with mental illnesses or the development play challenge for handicapped who depend on social gatherings and activities. I know a few of these folks were really having a hard time. There are others I’d like to mention but my time is about up, so I just want to say for now blessings on you all.

Good morning family I hope you are well it’s Monday it’s a rainy Monday but that’s all right it’s going to be a good Monday because God’s got us. I was listening today…I’m caught up. That’s a “yay! Praise you Jesus!” I’m caught up. And, so, and Brian you’re just your killing it friend. Like this whole idea of maturing. Like the moment I try to point to someone else and say you need to be doing this or why are you doing that, or you need to believe in this. I need to look at the mirror and I need to mature. Wow. That floored me. And then yesterday at church there was a woman who sang and I’m not gonna sing for you, but I will read it to you, and I think that it goes with what Brian has been telling us. I need you you need me where all a part of God’s body. Stand with me agree with me where all a part of God’s body. It is His will that every knee…need should be supplied. You are important to me I need you to survive. You are important to me I need you to survive. I pray for you you pray for me I love you I need you to survive. It goes on to talk about I won’t harm you with words from my mouth. That song is just so beautiful, and I encourage you to go listen to it today. But above all let’s look in the mirror. Let’s tell each other we need each other. But above all let’s point our hearts and minds up to God and say we need you to survive. All right family make it a great week you are loved and appreciated. Peace.

Hello, DABbers this is Duncan the piano man from Fredericksburg Texas. As I make this recording it is September 28th. On October 2nd we will have marked the first anniversary of the date my wife Sharon went to be with the Lord after 43 years and two months of marriage. That was last year at 8:52 in the evening Central Daylight Time. I want to mark that date not with just sitting here and grieving which I will do but I will also want to mark that date with some sort of celebration of life, of her life just as I did for my anniversary. I’m asking prayer for me, yes for me as I observed that date. I hope to take a very of very, very pleasant and dear friends to a favorite restaurant that Sharon and I would often visit after church for lunch or after…some other time just on a whim. And I’m gonna just do that Friday if nothing else. So, I’m asking you to pray for me. Also, I’ve been very thankful for hospice. They have…the grief counselor has been super but now I’m going to a seminar or weekly support thing at our church now called grief share and so far, I’ve been very impressed. I don’t like pad answers that quote the…quote the Bible ala King James or some other translation and…and say yada yada yada that’s it, as if they don’t really know because they don’t. I like it, I like to work through it and that’s the way it is. Thank you very much. God bless you and any of you who are grieving you got my back too and I have yours, I hope.

Hello, DABbers I’m here with Ben and Hock and we heard the prayer request for Bryson and Desiree and we are praying for them and we know that Jesus can do all things. He can heal both of them. And for Bryson we just pray Lord that you will let him not feel embarrassed about his teeth, that you’ll take away the pain, that he’ll just be filled with joy and the friends and family that he has will just make him happy and that he won’t, you know, feel sad about his teeth and that they will grow back in and be perfect and beautiful and that his body will be healthy and strong. And for Desiree we pray the same thing, that she would just be completely healed, cancer be gone in Jesus’ name because God has all power and is able to do all things and we believe that, right guys? Yeah. And, so, we just wanted to say that we are praying and thank you for putting out those requests so that we can pray and we’re praising God for what he’s going to do and we look forward to hearing the praise reports. And here’s the scripture that I read this morning, “the young lions do grow tired and hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” So, I’m sharing that with you and everyone. Enjoy your day. Bye. Bye. Bye.

Hey guys I just wanted to call in in regards to the prayer request from Janice from Arizona for Desiree who has cancer all over her body and had to amputate her legs when she was younger. And man I just…really…really made me sad and I just want to pray for her and just want to, yeah, lift her up to the Lord. Father God I just want to pray for Desiree Lord. I pray that You would heal her, that You would remove all the tumors, all the cancer cells in a miraculous way in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. God encourage her, continue to just give her the joy that only comes from You. Surround her with the body of Christ to encourage her to look to things that are not seen, the joy that time is not seen when we have suffering all around us, the joy that is in You. So, God I just pray for full healing, for full healing Lord and let it be a glorious…glorious day for You Lord. Let Your name be glorified through all this. God I just pray for everyone that calls in about cancer. I pray that You would bring healing. In Jesus’ name I pray in Your powerful name Lord bring this healing I pray this in Your name Jesus. Amen. And guys I continue to ask for prayers for my wife who also has cancer. Pray for a…a miraculous healing from the Lord Jesus. Thank you all. Bye. And this is Sonny from Florida.

This is the __ calling from Israel I’m enjoying listening to the Scriptures in reading along with Brian on 28 September 2020. It’s Yon Kippur the day of atonement and I wanted to share and encourage DAB listeners of how Ephesians 6 helped me see the light and is my life Scripture, but I always come back to and stand on. I was saved from living in a very dark and sinister life of drugs and sex and witchcraft. Ephesians 6 was the chapter that showed me that I was not struggling against people but the stratagems of Satan, the darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness. I had to put on the armor of God the belt of truth the breast prayed of righteousness the shoes of the gospel of peace holding the shield of faith to extinguish the evil that is coming against me putting on the helmet of salvation to protect my mind and lifting the sword of the Spirit to let God’s word accomplish that which it was sent to do. As I was praying with close friends the other day, I realized that all the attacks my family’s currently experiencing are not with flesh and blood but spiritual wickedness. Getting out a bottle of oil I began anointing my house the doors and gates and in a loud voice commanded the devil to get out of my home and leave my family alone in Yeshua’s name. I then proceeded to slam the door feeling a lift in the spirit and a sense of freedom. So, I pray for all the DAB listeners who are struggling with the confusion of who they are fighting against. I pray that you will become strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength to outwit the enemy and that you will be filled with the Spirit of God so He can help you stand strong fighting through this journey we call life. Hallelujah.