Month: June 2021

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday June 20, 2021 (NIV)

1 Kings 22

Micaiah Warns Ahab about Disaster

22 For the next three years there was peace between Israel and Syria. 2 During the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel.

3 Ahab asked his officials, “Why haven’t we tried to get Ramoth in Gilead back from the Syrians? It belongs to us.” 4 Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Would you go to Ramoth with me and attack the Syrians?”

“Just tell me what to do,” Jehoshaphat answered. “My army and horses are at your command. 5 But first, let’s ask the Lord.”

6 Ahab sent for about four hundred prophets and asked, “Should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth?”

“Yes!” the prophets answered. “The Lord will help you defeat them.”

7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Just to make sure, is there another of the Lord’s prophets we can ask?”

8 “We could ask Micaiah son of Imlah,” Ahab said. “But I hate Micaiah. He always has bad news for me.”

“Don’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. 9 Then Ahab sent someone to bring Micaiah as soon as possible.

10 All this time, Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes and were seated on their thrones at the threshing place near the gate of Samaria. They were listening to the prophets tell them what the Lord had said.

11 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah was one of the prophets. He had made some horns out of iron and shouted, “Ahab, the Lord says you will attack the Syrians like a bull with iron horns and wipe them out!”

12 All the prophets agreed that Ahab should attack the Syrians at Ramoth, and they promised that the Lord would help him defeat them.

13 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, “Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing.”

14 “I’ll say whatever the living Lord tells me to say,” Micaiah replied.

15 Then Micaiah went to Ahab, and Ahab asked, “Micaiah, should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth?”

“Yes!” Micaiah answered. “The Lord will help you defeat them.”

16 “Micaiah, I’ve told you over and over to tell me the truth!” Ahab shouted. “What does the Lord really say?”

17 He answered, “In a vision[a] I saw Israelite soldiers walking around in the hills like sheep without a shepherd to guide them. The Lord said, ‘This army has no leader. They should go home and not fight.’”

18 Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you he would bring bad news!”

19 Micaiah replied:

Listen to this! I also saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. 20 The Lord asked, “Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed?”

They talked about it for a while, 21 then finally a spirit came forward and said to the Lord, “I can trick Ahab.”

“How?” the Lord asked.

22 “I’ll make Ahab’s prophets lie to him.”

“Good!” the Lord replied. “Now go and do it.”

23 This is exactly what has happened, Ahab. The Lord made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed.

24 Zedekiah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him on the face. Then he asked, “Do you really think the Lord would speak to you and not to me?”

25 Micaiah answered, “You’ll find out on the day you have to hide in the back room of some house.”

26 Ahab shouted, “Arrest Micaiah! Take him to Prince Joash and Governor Amon of Samaria. 27 Tell them to put him in prison and to give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.”

28 Micaiah said, “If you do come back, I was wrong about what the Lord wanted me to say.” Then he told the crowd, “Don’t forget what I said!”

Ahab Dies at Ramoth

29 Ahab and Jehoshaphat led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead. 30 Before they went into battle, Ahab said, “Jehoshaphat, I’ll disguise myself, but you wear your royal robe.” Then Ahab disguised himself and went into battle.

31 The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack only Ahab. 32 So when they saw Jehoshaphat in his robe, they thought he was Ahab and started to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat shouted out to them, 33 they realized he wasn’t Ahab, and they left him alone.

34 However, during the fighting a soldier shot an arrow without even aiming, and it hit Ahab where two pieces of his armor joined. He shouted to his chariot driver, “I’ve been hit! Get me out of here!”

35 The fighting lasted all day, with Ahab propped up in his chariot so he could see the Syrian troops. He bled so much that the bottom of the chariot was covered with blood, and by evening he was dead.

36 As the sun was going down, someone in Israel’s army shouted to the others, “Retreat! Go back home!”

37 Ahab’s body was taken to Samaria and buried there. 38 Some workers washed his chariot near a spring in Samaria, and prostitutes washed themselves in his blood.[b] Dogs licked Ahab’s blood off the ground, just as the Lord had warned.

39 Everything else Ahab did while he was king, including the towns he strengthened and the palace he built and furnished with ivory, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 40 Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became king.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

43-46 Jehoshaphat obeyed the Lord, just as his father Asa had done, and during his rule he was at peace with the king of Israel.

He got rid of the rest of the prostitutes[c] from the local shrines, but he did not destroy the shrines, and they were still used as places for offering sacrifices.

Everything else Jehoshaphat did while he was king, including his brave deeds and military victories, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah.

47 The country of Edom had no king at the time, so a lower official ruled the land.

48 Jehoshaphat had seagoing ships[d] built to sail to Ophir for gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion-Geber and never sailed. 49 Ahaziah son of Ahab offered to let his sailors go with Jehoshaphat’s sailors, but Jehoshaphat refused.

50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem,[e] and his son Jehoram became king.

King Ahaziah of Israel

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s rule in Judah, and he ruled two years from Samaria.

52 Ahaziah disobeyed the Lord, just as his father, his mother, and Jeroboam had done. They all led Israel to sin. 53 Ahaziah worshiped Baal and made the Lord God of Israel very angry, just as his father had done.

Footnotes:

  1. 22.17 vision: In ancient times, prophets often told about future events from what they had seen in visions or dreams.
  2. 22.38 prostitutes. . . blood: Or “they cleaned his weapons.”
  3. 22.43-46 prostitutes: See the note at 14.24.
  4. 22.48 seagoing ships: See the note at 10.22.
  5. 22.50 Jerusalem: Hebrew “the city of his ancestor David.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 13:16-41

16 Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said:

People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! 17 The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, 18 and for about forty years he took care of[a] them in the desert. 19 He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. 20 All this happened in about 450 years.

Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, 21 but the people demanded a king. So for forty years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”

23 God promised that someone from David’s family would come to save the people of Israel, and that one is Jesus. 24 But before Jesus came, John was telling everyone in Israel to turn back to God and be baptized. 25 Then, when John’s work was almost done, he said, “Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”

26 Now listen, you descendants of Abraham! Pay attention, all of you Gentiles who are here to worship God! Listen to this message about how to be saved, because it is for everyone. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn’t realize who Jesus was. And they didn’t understand the words of the prophets that they read each Sabbath. So they condemned Jesus just as the prophets had said.

28-29 They did exactly what the Scriptures said they would. Even though they couldn’t find any reason to put Jesus to death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross[b] and placed in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from death! 31 Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him.

32 God made a promise to our ancestors. And we are here to tell you the good news 33 that he has kept this promise to us. It is just as the second Psalm says about Jesus,

“You are my son because today
I have become your Father.”

34 God raised Jesus from death and will never let his body decay. It is just as God said,

“I will make to you
the same holy promise
that I made to David.”

35 And in another psalm it says, “God will never let the body of his Holy One decay.”

36 When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed. 37 But God raised Jesus from death, and his body did not decay.

38 My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. 39 But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free. 40 Make sure that what the prophets have said doesn’t happen to you. They said,

41 “Look, you people
who make fun of God!
Be amazed
and disappear.
I will do something today
that you won’t believe,
even if someone
tells you about it!”

Footnotes:

  1. 13.18 took care of: Some manuscripts have “put up with.”
  2. 13.28,29 cross: This translates a Greek word that means “wood,” “pole,” or “tree.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 138

(By David.)

Praise the Lord with All Your Heart

138 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels[a]
I sing your praises.
2 I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.[b]
3 When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.[c]

4 All kings on this earth
have heard your promises, Lord,
and they will praise you.
5 You are so famous
that they will sing
about the things you have done.
6 Though you are above us all,
you care for humble people,
and you keep a close watch
on everyone who is proud.

7 I am surrounded by trouble,
but you protect me
against my angry enemies.
With your own powerful arm
you keep me safe.

8 You, Lord, will always
treat me with kindness.
Your love never fails.
You have made us what we are.
Don’t give up on us now![d]

Footnotes:

  1. 138.1 angels: Or “gods” or “supernatural beings” who worship and serve God in heaven or “rulers” or “leaders.”
  2. 138.2 You were. . . before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 138.3 and gave me courage: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 138.8 You have. . . now: Or “Please don’t desert your people.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:17-18

17 A friend is always a friend,
and relatives are born
to share our troubles.
18 It’s stupid to guarantee
someone else’s loan.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

6/20/2021 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalm 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18

Today is the 20th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is so good to be here with you today as we just catch our breath, exhale, come around this Global Campfire. Stretch, let it all go, we’re moving into a brand new shiny, sparkly new week. And maybe last week was difficult or even brutal on us but this is a new week. And maybe it looks like this is gonna be the same kinda week but maybe it’s not. Maybe, we have an oasis here that can center us and guide and direct us as we navigate and so let’s press into that as we move into this new week together because it’s all out in front of us. So, in the Old Testament we’ve been working through the Book of 1 Kings. We will actually reach the conclusion and complete the Book of 1 Kings today and then move into 2 Kings tomorrow. We can talk a little bit, a little tiny bit about that as we go forward. We’ll read from the Contemporary English Version this week, 1 Kings chapter 22.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this brand new shiny, sparkly week that we’re entering into together. We look forward to all that You have to teach us in the scriptures this week. And even as we leave 1 Kings behind and prepare to move into 2 Kings tomorrow, we mark time, we mark the fact that we have reached a conclusion of another book in the Bible and we just keeping moving forward and we will read every book, every word, every paragraph, every sentence and we pray that through the power of Your Holy Spirit that it will transform and change us. And so, we remain open with hands outstretched, open, reaching for You our Father asking You to lead our steps and guide us we pray and we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Here in the United States today is Father’s Day. So Happy Father’s Day to all of the father’s out there, the physical, biological fathers and the spiritual fathers and oh the spiritual fathers get overlooked. We thank God for your direction and your counsel over time and what a joy it is when our biological father can also be our spiritual fathers. And that was my story. Course my father’s been gone now a long, long time and I miss him on a day like this but I’m also grateful for my children who come around me. And some of my children who are also fathers, so, it’s a beautiful day and I hope that you have a wonderful day wherever you are. And I know there are different Father’s Day or different days in different countries in different cultures that honor fatherhood. This is just the day that’s on our radar here cause this is where I’m at but Happy Father’s Day to everybody whether it’s Father’s Day or not if you’re a father thank you.

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

Prayers and Encouragements:

Blessed morning DABers, my name is Melissa and I’m calling from Kingston, Jamaica. It is, I joined the app on the 12th and it has been such a blessing to me, can I tell you? To be able to add my prayers to everybody else’s and to pray over the situation actually it has helped me to take my mind off my own situation because just hearing the people who need prayers, I’ve been, my prayer life has taken on a new damage on this week. But I’m calling because I’m in need of prayer. I have an online business that I started last year and it’s not, the profit hasn’t started coming as I know it’s going to. I owe rent, I’m behind on my rent but God has given me favor with my landlord thank You Jesus. I owe other bills as well and I am just waiting for God to open up an opportunity and a door. I’ve been job hunting, I’ve been sending out applications as well and the mother of an awesome 10-year-old son, Joshua Daniel Bennet. He is, oh, he’s a blessing to me. And I went through infertility before I had him so that’s another story. But I wanted to ask you please to pray that God will open a way for me. He will send an opportunity, He will do what He does best. Pray for my son Joshua Daniel as well. He’s in the midst of his exam. In Jamaica they take this major exam at the age of eleven to determine which High School they go to and it’s a big deal. Please pray that he will get through for the school of his choice and that he will do well. He’s a bright kid and God has blessed him with a lot of talent. Today is the 16th of June and it’s 8:57 in Jamaica. Love you all.

Hi, my name is Amanda Martin just north of the Boston area in Massachusetts. And, I wanted to hop on here quick. I was introduced to this Daily Audio Bible just a few days ago from a dear sister in Christ and on my very first listen, June 14th, I was extremely blessed. So, thank you Daily Audio Bible but what impressed on me the most is the prayer at the end. And, while I was entering into that prayer time with God and you guys, during the first prayer I started to doodle and for some reason I wrote ‘Hello Sunshine.’ The very next prayer was from a girl named Sunshine in New York and so I wanted to reach out and hopefully Sunshine you will hear this, oh boy does God love you, does He desire you, does He see you and he will honor your heart’s desire for community and connection. I am praying for you here in Boston. I feel so deeply connected to you now just through this app and this prayer time, in fact, of all the things I could have doodled I doodled Hello Sunshine. Oh Sunshine, God see’s you, He’s saying hello, He’s wrapping His arms around you, He’s loving you and carrying you through this season in your life and He will do that till He takes you home. So please know that you are not alone. I am here, I am praying for you, I love you and most importantly Jesus loves you. You are loved you are cherished.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this prayer is for all DABers. Father we place into Your hands the things we cannot do. Father we place into Your hands the things that we’ve been through. Father we place into Your hands the way that we should go for we know we always can trust You. Father we place into Your hands our friends and family. Father we place into Your hands the things that trouble us. Father we place into Your hands the person we would be for we know we can trust You. Father we love to see Your face. We love to hear Your voice. Father we love to sing Your praise and, in Your name rejoice. Father we love to walk with You and in Your presence rest for we know we always can trust You. Father we want to be with You and do the things You do. Father we want to speak the words that You are speaking too. Father we want to love the ones that You would draw to You for we know we can always trust You. DABers I know so many of us are going through but God is on the throne and He hears us. Thank you again Brian for putting this podcast together. God Bless.

Hi neighbors it’s Lisa the Encourager. I’m calling in from my back yard tonight so if you hear the summer bugs chirping in the background I hope you can still hear me. I’m calling into pray for God’s Property, all the way in Brooklyn, New York. So, I’m way down in here in Florida and I’m calling for God’s Property all the way in Brooklyn, New York. I think that’s so special, I love us and the fact that we can do that. And God’s Property was calling in over the Community Prayer about her Parkinson’s Disease and how she thinks it’s getting worse so I’m gonna pray for healing for her and I’m also gonna be praying for her daughter. Her daughter lost her son, I think she said 7, when he was 17, nine years ago. So, she’s still depressed about that and I can imagine that is something that never goes away when you have a loss of a child and then when they’re a 17-year-old, I mean, we all can relate how hard that would be so, I want to pray for God’s Property in Brooklyn, New York from Florida. So, let’s pray. Dear Lord, thank You so much for all Your blessings. Thank You, God, for this opportunity that I’ve been blessed to pray for God’s Property tonight and I pray special healing over her Lord. I pray that Your angels would just lay hands on her and just heal her body from this Parkinson’s Lord, don’t let it get worse, help it to get better. And please God bless her daughter. Bless her daughter so she can have joy back in her life again God and that she would be able to have it spilling over and it’ll be an abundant amount of joy that you will bring.

Hello DAB family I’m calling because I heard the cry of Shannon from Texas. And I just wanted to say sister that I’m praying for you today. All we need to do is just sit back, sit back, we gonna get bullets but God is gonna be there for us. Last timed I listened to this prayer I was just tired and I didn’t really pay attention and God made me stop, He just told me that’s okay, you know, listen to it other time because you’re just sizing off what I’m talking right now. And, yeah, so I had to give it a couple days and I listened to it again and it was just like, it was just really deep in my heart to pray for you. So, Heavenly Father I lift up Shannon from Texas her and her child and everybody who’s involved in the situation. Lift her spirit up Lord and all I’m praying is just for the joy while you keep her in trial and Your will be done. Just keep the joy inside of her Lord, just let her know You got it. Just let her don’t stress of how she acts or what she does, she, ya know, something goes wrong, something depends on her, nothing depends on her and her actions Lord. So, just let her know that please. Let her just relax and take it in, You got it all, trust. Amen. Jesus name.

Posted on

06/19/2021 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16

Today is the 19th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s always great to be here with you. Great to be here with you today as we bring to a close another one of the weeks that we get to spend together. We’ve been reading from the New Living Translation this week, which is what we’ll continue to do today. And we’ve been working our way through the book of first Kings which is what we’ll continue to do today. First Kings chapters 20 and 21.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for another week that we have been able to share time together centered around the Scriptures, time together to allow Your Holy Spirit to plant seeds in our lives that will reap a harvest. We thank You for another week in Your word. And as we continue this journey, come Holy Spirit. It’s almost our constant cry and request. Come Holy Spirit lead us into all truth we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find what’s going on around here. And it’s one of two places to do that the. The other place is the Daily Audio Bible app. And if you’re using that just click the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. And, yeah, check out the different sections.

Check out the Shop, the Daily Audio Bible Shop. It has a lot of resources that we’ve crafted over the years. There’s an entire Global Campfire section in the Daily Audio Bible Shop that is just…yeah…there’s stuff in there that reminds us of the journey that we’re on and that we come around the Global Campfire every day. So, like things to drink from or the Global Campfire candle. I remember when made this I guess a year and half ago-ish, working with a perfumer getting the aroma correct so that it’s pleasing but also so it kind of resembles campfire. When you smell the Global Campfire candle…yeah…it smells like a campfire. And what we’ve found over the years is just all of these little things inserted into our lives, these little things that, that change the atmosphere, they’re just a part of our story, but they give us that sense of connection and rootedness to the journey that we’re on together as we move through the Scriptures. And, so, yeah, check out the  Global Campfire candle as well as the other stuff in the Global Campfire section of the Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you, thank you humbly especially here as we’re in the summertime. Thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can dial 877-942-4253 or just hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top no matter where you are in the world and share from there.

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:

Hi DAB family this is Kathleen formerly Mt. Zion IL. I’ve got a new name coming that I will…I’ve never taken like a name outside of my name, but I think I finally have something. So, I will share that later but anyway I wanted to pray today for Chane, I believe you said. I’m not sure if you said Chanel or Chane but you’re from South Africa. And I just wanted to…you just touched me because it sounds like you…you’re either still a student, maybe high school, college I’m not sure but you said that you were…your parents had moved, and they don’t seem to understand what you’re going through with your loneliness and all. And I just wanted to tell you, you know, I was a high school teacher for 20 years and I often tell kids that, you know, a lot of the struggles they have with their parents is part of the separation process. I mean you…you become your own person. You know, someday you will be out of their house, and you will have to find your way. So…but I wanted to pray for you during this time because I know that. I have also…I’m also somebody who has moved many, many times and that horrible loneliness that you first feel. I mean I’m feeling it right now. We moved to another town, and I no longer have my job and I've…there’s just…yeah…there’s loneliness that really comes with that. But I've…I’m kind of a loner anyway. So, I…it doesn’t hit me maybe as hard as it does some other people. But I just…I want you to know I’m praying for you Chane. Lord Jesus…in fact I’m just going to pray right now. Lord Jesus I lift up Chane to You and just pray that You will let her see You and that You will bring her peace and joy. Amen.

Hi, I’m calling in today because I…I am beginning a new chapter in my life in a couple of short months, but I am gonna have to leave a lot of things behind. I’m going to college and as excited as I am for the journey and to move on with my future and start building it, I’m really nervous. I’ve never been away from home. I’ve never really been on my own and I’m just unsure what’s going to happen. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately and a lot of it’s because, obviously, I’m going to miss my parents being at home every day, but it’s going to be really hard for me to leave my boyfriend that I’ve had for over a year now in high school. A lot of people say it’s just puppy love but it’s very hard for me because as much as I do trust God and what His journey has from me, I would love if it was this guy in my life. And I see him in my life. But this journey is just going to be very hard, and I don’t know what it’s going to do to us. And I trust in God. I…I’m just looking for a prayer to help ease my nerves and truly believe that this process will be OK.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Candace from Oregon. Please know that I’m praying for you each one as your calling in requests. And I want to share with you something the Holy Spirit has said to me over…many times over the last five years. And I think He is saying this to many of you as well. No groveling, no apologizing…apologies for who you are in Christ. Take the higher ground and bring others with you. [singing starts] Lord lift us up and let us stand by faith on heaven’s table land. A higher plane then I have found Lord plant my feet on higher ground [singing stops]. The brother who called who…who has been through a divorce and…and…and an abandonment through adultery. I just wanted to say when your body tells you you need a lot of sleep you probably do need a lot of sleep. You’re recovering from a lot. So be patient and sleep a lot and just do really good self care. Spend your time with your eyes focused on the Lord who loves you so dearly.

Hey guys it’s Sparky from Texas I just ask this group that you guys keep me in your prayers. And it’s been a rough day. My ex-wife wants to move a long way away with my boys. And she’s done that before, and it became a legal battle. And I just pray that y'all could stop that from happening and to help me be like Christ. I’m trying so hard not to…to react in anger. And I know Jesus wept and I’ve been weeping. And I know the power of this community and I just ask for prayer. It’s not a big thing to a lot of people, but I just love my kids and we’ve been through this. And, anyway I just wanted to give that to you all because you all are the most powerful people in the world and I love you all and be blessed.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday June 19, 2021 (NIV)

1 Kings 20-21

Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

20 About that time King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his army, supported by the chariots and horses of thirty-two allied kings. They went to besiege Samaria, the capital of Israel, and launched attacks against it. 2 Ben-hadad sent messengers into the city to relay this message to King Ahab of Israel: “This is what Ben-hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and so are your wives and the best of your children!’”

4 “All right, my lord the king,” Israel’s king replied. “All that I have is yours!”

5 Soon Ben-hadad’s messengers returned again and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have already demanded that you give me your silver, gold, wives, and children. 6 But about this time tomorrow I will send my officials to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take away everything you consider valuable!’”

7 Then Ahab summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “Look how this man is stirring up trouble! I already agreed with his demand that I give him my wives and children and silver and gold.”

8 “Don’t give in to any more demands,” all the elders and the people advised.

9 So Ahab told the messengers from Ben-hadad, “Say this to my lord the king: ‘I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but I cannot accept this last demand of yours.’” So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad with that response.

10 Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers.”

11 The king of Israel sent back this answer: “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”

12 Ahab’s reply reached Ben-hadad and the other kings as they were drinking in their tents.[a] “Prepare to attack!” Ben-hadad commanded his officers. So they prepared to attack the city.

Ahab’s Victory over Ben-Hadad

13 Then a certain prophet came to see King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

14 Ahab asked, “How will he do it?”

And the prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: The troops of the provincial commanders will do it.”

“Should we attack first?” Ahab asked.

“Yes,” the prophet answered.

15 So Ahab mustered the troops of the 232 provincial commanders. Then he called out the rest of the army of Israel, some 7,000 men. 16 About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two allied kings were still in their tents drinking themselves into a stupor, 17 the troops of the provincial commanders marched out of the city as the first contingent.

As they approached, Ben-hadad’s scouts reported to him, “Some troops are coming from Samaria.”

18 “Take them alive,” Ben-hadad commanded, “whether they have come for peace or for war.”

19 But Ahab’s provincial commanders and the entire army had now come out to fight. 20 Each Israelite soldier killed his Aramean opponent, and suddenly the entire Aramean army panicked and fled. The Israelites chased them, but King Ben-hadad and a few of his charioteers escaped on horses. 21 However, the king of Israel destroyed the other horses and chariots and slaughtered the Arameans.

22 Afterward the prophet said to King Ahab, “Get ready for another attack. Begin making plans now, for the king of Aram will come back next spring.[b]”

Ben-Hadad’s Second Attack

23 After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains. 24 Only this time replace the kings with field commanders! 25 Recruit another army like the one you lost. Give us the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight against them on the plains. There’s no doubt that we will beat them.” So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested.

26 The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek. 27 Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside!

28 Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

29 The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30 The rest fled into the town of Aphek, but the wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Ben-hadad fled into the town and hid in a secret room.

31 Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “Sir, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. So let’s humble ourselves by wearing burlap around our waists and putting ropes on our heads, and surrender to the king of Israel. Then perhaps he will let you live.”

32 So they put on burlap and ropes, and they went to the king of Israel and begged, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’”

The king of Israel responded, “Is he still alive? He is my brother!”

33 The men took this as a good sign and quickly picked up on his words. “Yes,” they said, “your brother Ben-hadad!”

“Go and get him,” the king of Israel told them. And when Ben-hadad arrived, Ahab invited him up into his chariot.

34 Ben-hadad told him, “I will give back the towns my father took from your father, and you may establish places of trade in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

Then Ahab said, “I will release you under these conditions.” So they made a new treaty, and Ben-hadad was set free.

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

35 Meanwhile, the Lord instructed one of the group of prophets to say to another man, “Hit me!” But the man refused to hit the prophet. 36 Then the prophet told him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me.” And when he had gone, a lion did attack and kill him.

37 Then the prophet turned to another man and said, “Hit me!” So he struck the prophet and wounded him.

38 The prophet placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself and then waited beside the road for the king. 39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Sir, I was in the thick of battle, and suddenly a man brought me a prisoner. He said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds[c] of silver!’ 40 But while I was busy doing something else, the prisoner disappeared!”

“Well, it’s your own fault,” the king replied. “You have brought the judgment on yourself.”

41 Then the prophet quickly pulled the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed,[d] now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.” 43 So the king of Israel went home to Samaria angry and sullen.

Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”

3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”

4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!

5 “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”

6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.

7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

11 So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. 12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death. 14 The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” 16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.

17 But the Lord said to Elijah,[e] 18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. 19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”

20 “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.

“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. 21 So now the Lord says,[f] ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! 22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’

23 “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.[g]’

24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”

25 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols[h] just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)

27 But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.

28 Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: 29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

Footnotes:

  1. 20:12 Or in Succoth; also in 20:16.
  2. 20:22 Hebrew at the turn of the year; similarly in 20:26. The first day of the year in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in March or April.
  3. 20:39 Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms].
  4. 20:42 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
  5. 21:17 Hebrew Elijah the Tishbite; also in 21:28.
  6. 21:21 As in Greek version; Hebrew lacks So now the Lord says.
  7. 21:23 As in several Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate (see also 2 Kgs 9:26, 36); most Hebrew manuscripts read at the city wall.
  8. 21:26 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Acts 12:24-13:15

24 Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned,[a] taking John Mark with them.

Barnabas and Saul Are Commissioned

13 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”[b]), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas[c]), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

4 So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant.

6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.

9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.

12 When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul Preaches in Antioch of Pisidia

13 Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia.[d]

On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses[e] and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”

Footnotes:

  1. 12:25 Or mission, they returned to Jerusalem. Other manuscripts read mission, they returned from Jerusalem; still others read mission, they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch.
  2. 13:1a Greek who was called Niger.
  3. 13:1b Greek Herod the tetrarch.
  4. 13:13-14 Pamphylia and Pisidia were districts in what is now Turkey.
  5. 13:15 Greek from the law.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 137

Psalm 137

1 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
as we thought of Jerusalem.[a]
2 We put away our harps,
hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.
3 For our captors demanded a song from us.
Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:
“Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”
4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a pagan land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget how to play the harp.
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.

7 O Lord, remember what the Edomites did
on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem.
“Destroy it!” they yelled.
“Level it to the ground!”
8 O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who takes your babies
and smashes them against the rocks!

Footnotes:

  1. 137:1 Hebrew Zion; also in 137:3.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 17:16

16 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool,
since he has no heart for learning.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday June 18, 2021 (NIV)

1 Kings 19

Elijah Flees to Sinai

19 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

The Call of Elisha

19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!”

Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”

21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

Footnotes:

  1. 19:8 Hebrew to Horeb, another name for Sinai.
  2. 19:16 Hebrew descendant of Nimshi; compare 2 Kgs 9:2, 14.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Acts 12:1-23

James Is Killed and Peter Is Imprisoned

12 About that time King Herod Agrippa[a] began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.[b]) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. 5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders[c] had planned to do to me!”

12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

18 At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.

The Death of Herod Agrippa

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, 21 and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”

23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

Footnotes:

  1. 12:1 Greek Herod the king. He was the nephew of Herod Antipas and a grandson of Herod the Great.
  2. 12:3 Greek the days of unleavened bread.
  3. 12:11 Or the Jewish people.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 136

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.

4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever.

10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
11 He brought Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
12 He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love endures forever.
13 Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea.[a]
His faithful love endures forever.
14 He led Israel safely through,
His faithful love endures forever.
15 but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness.
His faithful love endures forever.

17 Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love endures forever.
18 He killed powerful kings—
His faithful love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites,
His faithful love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan.
His faithful love endures forever.
21 God gave the land of these kings as an inheritance—
His faithful love endures forever.
22 a special possession to his servant Israel.
His faithful love endures forever.

23 He remembered us in our weakness.
His faithful love endures forever.
24 He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love endures forever.

Footnotes:

  1. 136:13 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 136:15.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 17:14-15

14 Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate,
so stop before a dispute breaks out.

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
both are detestable to the Lord.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Posted on

6/18/2021 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 19:1-21, Acts 12:1-23, Psalm 136:1-26, Proverbs 17:14-15

Today is the 18th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it is great to be here with you today as we move toward another weekend and finish up another week. So, let’s dive in, we’ve been reading from the New Living Translation this week. In the Old Testament we’re in the Book of 1 Kings and we’re getting to know this prophet who has come onto the scene named Elijah who has had a confrontation with the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Ashera and they’re, well, they’re dead, he’s still alive, fire has come from heaven, rain that has been withheld for years has now come back to the land. King Ahab is racing back towards Jezreel in the rain and Elijah is running faster that he can ride on his chariot. And that’s kind of where we’re at, Ahab is arriving back in Jezreel. He’s about to tell his wife, her name is Jezebel, that her prophets are no more. So, let’s pick up the story, 1 Kings chapter 19.

Commentary:

Okay, let’s talk about 1 Kings for a minute. Like we kind of recapped the story before we started reading so, there was this showdown and Elijah was involved and prophets of Baal were killed and rain came. So, Ahab the King tells his wife Jezebel that her prophets are dead and she sends a note to Elijah and this is like, I talk about this every single year we come by this territory, it’s so riveting to me, it’s so challenging to me. I just…it’s incredible. It’s incredible how human Elijah is in that moment. It’s like…so like us. He got a nasty a note and it was a threatening note that changed the complexion of his entire day. Actually, got him moving because the note brought up fear, that got him moving and he ran away. It’s like, how many times have we got a nasty text like that? Or a nasty post on social media like that? Until we’re obsessing about it, it’s in our every thought, it’s derailed our day, in fact it’s derailed our lives, at least temporarily and then we’re hiding and running. And this is Elijah, this is what he’s doing and this is right after fire has fallen from heaven consuming a sacrifice that brought the demise of the pagan prophets and restored the people’s hearts toward God and God unleashed the rain. So, remember Elijah is on top of Mount Carmel praying until there’s a cloud coming out of the ocean the size of a fist and this rain is released back upon the land. So, God has been moving mightily and powerfully through Elijah until he gets this nasty note. And we can do the same thing so often, we can see God moving mightily in so many ways in our lives until the nasty note shows up, the nasty post shows up. And then it’s just erased, is it so weird how that can happen. It’s just erased and we’re confused and we’re on the run. And this is Elijah’s story and he didn’t run a little way. Like, he’s in Jezreel and goes all the way to Beersheba which it’s a pretty…I think it’s probably 100 miles, pretty far on foot and then all the way to Mount Sinai which is like hundreds of miles out into the desert so he traveled a long way. Interesting that he would go to the mountain of God back to Mount Sinai, right? He, he has been very, very much shaken by this Jezebel thing. But, he had also been like, on the run and hiding during the famine and so he’s exhausted and he’s just crying out to God “I’m the only one left.” And so, for him to kind of go back to where the story begins and just seek, we can all kind of understand that. And we know this story now we just read it. God invites Elijah to come out and meet with Him on the mountain and this huge wind and God isn’t in that mighty powerful wind, He’s not in it. And there’s an earthquake and He’s not in it and there’s fire and He’s not in it. And then there’s this still small gentle whisper and that is God and He’s in it. And He asks Elijah just like He asks us sometimes “What are you doing here?, What are you doing here?”, Elijah’s like I’m the only one. And God’s like, go back the way you came, you have a couple of kings to anoint. You’re not the only one and you’re going to meet you’re…you’re replacement. You’re going to mentor Elisha up and then you can be done. You’ve asked to be done, then you can be done but for now you’re not the only one, go back the way you came, you have some kings to anoint. There’s just so much there for us to think about on our own path, on our own journey. How we go on the run, how God is not finished. How so often we run away and God is like, no, go back the way you came, or what are you doing here? And so, as we go into this weekend let’s carry this with us, let’s ponder, contemplate, invite God into these things.

Prayer:

And so, Father, that’s what we do, we invite You into this and into this story. Cause we can find ourselves into this story of Elijah on so many levels and so Holy Spirit come. Minster healing to us, minister that we’re not the only ones and we’re not finished. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can find out what’s going on around here as well by pressing the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app screen. So, check out the different sections like the Community section where the Prayer Wall is and where to get connected. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop, there are resources there for the journey that, yeah, the journey that we are on through the bible in a year together in community. And what a journey it is and what a journey it’s been. So, stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, profoundly and humbly thank you. We wouldn’t…we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be having a Global Campfire, we wouldn’t be on this journey if we weren’t on it together. And so, the fact that we are on this together has been how the Daily Audio Bible has been here these 16 years every day. And so, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com if you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer the mailing address is P.O. 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 there are a number of numbers you can use depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you’re in the UK or Europe 44-2036-088078 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.  

Prayers and Encouragements:

Hi, this message is for Shinae from South Africa. I listened to your message today and I just felt moved to call in and share my story because so much sounded similar to yours. I don’t know how much it’s similar and this may not apply to you but I just felt moved to share. I…when I was in college I experienced crippling anxiety and depression as well and a lot of what you said resonated with me. I remember feeling like a ghost, like a shell of myself I just cried all the time. I was a professing Christian my whole life, read my bible, attended church every week, prayed every day and was just a slave to the anxiety and depression. And I would read my bible almost superstitiously hoping that just by reading comforting passages somehow magically the words would come true. And I was reading in Psalm 34 where it says The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. And as I read that I just felt some one asking me do you really believe that? And I stopped and thought about it and I thought well, no I don’t, He feels a million miles away, He does not feel close. I am the definition of the broken hearted. He does not feel close at all. But then I realized if I can’t hold onto this as true can I believe any of it. And so, I thought about it for a while and I finally decided, in faith, I said yes Lord, I believe you’re close even though I can’t feel you. In that moment my depression melted away, the anxiety was a battle that I fought over the years but it was at that moment that I truly gave my life to Christ before then I wanted Jesus to have a part of my life. I didn’t want him as the center of my life, I wanted to be in control I didn’t want Him in control and I hadn’t fully given myself to Him. And that…I’m so thankful for that trial because it’s what brought me to the Lord.

Hi DABers this is Emily in Seattle again. And this message and prayer is for Andrew and I just wanted to encourage you. I got saved when I was 20 and the first thing I did was try to find shows and broadcasts that keep me in touch with the word cause Psalms 1 says that those who are planted by…like trees planted by rivers living water will always thrive and when you listen to the Daily Audio Bible every day and seek and ask God for help then He always and He will make sure that you will go from glory to glory and grow up in Him. And I just wanted to encourage you to stay close to God, stay close to the Daily Audio Bible and be encouraged that we’re praying for you every day. And Lord Jesus I lift up Andrew to You right now and I ask You Lord to help him to find Christian communities like this one in his school, in his town, in his community where he can find some Christians who will give him encouragement, pray for him and we just ask you Lord that the word would come alive to him when he seeks Your face and he seeks Your word and that everything he does will prosper and succeed and that he will go from glory to glory as he partakes of Your grace and Your wisdom in the word and the Daily Audio Bible. In Jesus name we thank You Lord for Andrew, bless him today Lord. Make everything that he does a successful endeavor. In Jesus name we thank You for Andrew Lord. Hallelujah. Amen.

Hi everybody, this is Megan from Sydney, Australia and I’m calling today to ask for prayer. I’ve been listening for a long time, I love, love hearing your prayer requests and prayers and encouragements. I’ve been offered a pastoral role in my church in a different city, that’s really exciting. But I’m still praying about it and I would love if you would pray for me as well. I would be leaving a relationship probably behind and as well as work community, family and it’s a big ask and I just want to make sure that it’s what God has. Anyway, I love you all. Thank you, bye.

Hey family, this is Meleesa from Aborville, Alabama. It’s 4am on June 15th. I’m awake because I sometimes go in early to work. But I got a call a few minutes ago from my sister. She said there’s been a active shooter at a plant that’s right down the road from where I work. As of right now, 3 people are shot and I’m shook. I am shook. So, I need ya’ll to pray. I don’t know the situation yet. I’m pretty sure the road is probably blocked and I can’t get to work anyway but ya’ll we need the Lord. We are in perilous times. I know Jesus is coming back but I know it’s gonna get darker and darker before he does come back. So ya’ll pray for each other, love on each other. I love you Brian, I love you Jill. Thank you for this podcast. It is such a lifesaver. Congratulations China/Ben on baby Reagon. I hadn’t called in, been real busy but I want ya’ll to know that I love ya’ll and I pray for you all the time. Pray for us in my town. I love you family. Bye Bye.

Hello, good morning my DAB family. This is Tim Tickle from the Corn State. I am calling to ask for some prayer requests for my father. We just found out that his cancer has gotten to stage 4. And so just the stress on the family and my mother and my dad has been escalated as of lately. I know that all things work for God’s glory so we can count the wonderful deeds that he does for us. So, I know that everything is gonna be okay no matter which direction the Lord takes us. But if we can just be praying for my father, his name’s Jeff and be praying for my mom that’d be tight dudes. Alright, well I love each and every one of you. I’m praying for you all I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day. If you woke up this morning then today is a gift you opened your eyes, it’s a gift. You smell the air, it’s a gift. Things go wrong, things look dark but you know we’re alchemists and magicians given power from the Almighty to transform that darkness into a light for the whole world to see. I thank you all. God Bless you all and thank you for this wonderful, wonderful community. Have a wonderful day.

Posted on

06/17/2021 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 18:1-46, Acts 11:1-30, Psalms 135:1-21, Proverbs 17:12-13

Today is the 17th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy and an honor and privilege to be here with you today. So excited., so excited that we get to be here around the Global Campfire, that there’s little safe place in the world that we can go to in our hearts and in our minds and release everything else that’s going on and just to have this one place that we can look forward to every day where we don’t have to answer all those texts and we don’t have to keep checking social and we don’t have to keep respond…like just a for a few minutes we can exhale, let God’s word to speak into our lives, informing us and leading us. And, so, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. In the Old Testament we are working through the book of first Kings and we’ve we move through several of the different kings, kings of Israel which are the 10 tribes in the north, kings of Judah which are the tribes, the two tribes in the South, including Jerusalem. And we met a prophet. His name is Elijah, and he has forecast that God is upset, and the rains will not come. And, so, famine is upon the land. And we’ll pick up that story. First Kings chapter 18.

Commentary:

Okay. So, just to keep us connected to and centered in the stories that we are in in the old and new Testaments let’s…let’s kinda talk about them for second. In the Old Testament we met the prophet, Elijah. He seems to be quite powerful character. God is definitely speaking through him. He has stopped the rain and they searched everywhere and couldn’t find them. And, so there was a massive, massive showdown today on top of Mount Carmel. And to this very day there’s a monastery on the top of Mount Carmel that protects, preserves the traditional site of this kind of showdown between the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the prophets…of the prophet of God, the one, Elijah. What we learned from today’s reading is the wife of Ahab who is the king, his wife’s name is Jezebel and she’s a princess from another country and she’s been working pretty systematically to purge Israel of prophets of the true God, replacing them with her own prophets. And that’s been a very tedious thing. Now, after this showdown her prophets are gone and the people, their hearts have been reawakened to their covenantal relationship with God. They are turning back toward God. And this is happening in the north where the people have been led into idolatry since the breaking up of the kingdom. And, so, Elijah has quite a level of influence. And we’ll see about that. We’ll see about that influence going forward into tomorrow.

In the book of Acts we’re worst kind of still moving through this story where Peter gets some very confusing information…a confusing vision about clean and unclean and that…that that is beginning to shift, from a heavenly perspective that is beginning to shift. And then after he has that vision he goes into Cornelius’s house, which is a Roman soldier, a Gentile and the Holy Spirit falls upon them. They’re not even supposed to be communicating with each other. Like, the Jews and the Gentiles, they don’t mix. And, so, when the Holy Spirit falls upon these Gentiles after Peter’s vision, he’s able to take a step back and realize God is doing something new. We thought, like we had…like we thought we understood how this is supposed to go and what we’re supposed to major on what we’re supposed a minor on and how this all lines up theologically, but God has made a decision here and it flies in the face of what we thought we knew. But God has made a decision here. What are we supposed to do but step back and acknowledge that…that even though this flies in the face of what we thought we knew God is making this choice? And, so, he goes back to Jerusalem, and he is confronted about it and he tells a story and everybody realizes what he’s saying, like that this is a pivotal moment, that God is inviting the whole world into this kingdom as they believe in the Savior Jesus. And then we kinda complete that story and not really turn the page, but just kinda move forward and understand that the book of Acts tells us that the people who had fled after Steven’s persecution, they were…they fled all over. There…there was a dispersion of people all over the place and some of them went into Gentile territories, Gentile cities and began to…to speak about Jesus. And they mostly looked for the Jews, but not everybody did. And when people spoke to Gentiles the same Holy Spirit, the same thing that was happening among the Jews was happening among the Gentiles. And, so, this began to spread. And the last thing we knew Barnabas, he leaves from Jerusalem, and he verifies what Peter said and then he goes to Tarsus to find Saul and then they go back to Antioch, and this is a very, very Gentile city and…and they spent a whole year there developing the church in Antioch. This is the place where the…the term Christian began. And, so, that gives us some of the lay of…lay of the land of the early church as we’re moving through this history, but it…it also shows us, sort of this point, this point at which God made it clear that His intention was to restore all of humanity, that had always been His intention even way, way, way, way, way back with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all of the events in Egypt, Moses, Joshua. God was setting a people unto Himself holy so that they could be a nation of priests to the world to tell the whole world the story and that became a very separatist thing. It got convoluted enough and isolated enough that when God came in the person of Jesus He wasn’t recognized. And, so, now God is moving through the power of his Holy Spirit and falling upon all who believe Jew or Gentile. Like He’s accomplishing what He set out to do in the first place, despite the obstacles that humans put in the way. And this story continues forward and we’re a part of that story. And what a joy to be here seeing how the story continues to develop and evolve in our own lifetimes.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for letting us be a part of Your story at all. That we exist at all is such a gift, and that we can bear witness to what You are doing in this world is such a gift. And we spend so much of our time obsessing about anything but what You’re doing, but we’re here to bear witness. Our lives are changed because You have drawn us to Yourself and have invited us to participate in sharing the good news and inviting everyone into this story. And, so, as we continue to find our place in the story we ask that You continue to lead and guide us and how we invite others. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can find these things as well. There’s a Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app that opens up Drawer. So, you can find things on the web or in the app like the Community section. And that is where the Prayer Wall lives. And it’s good to know that because it’s always there and always available, always there for us to go to and pray for people, always there for us to ask for prayer. And, so, be familiar with that as well as the different links to social media channels that we participate in so you can get connected there. Yeah, being connected as we take this journey, knowing that this isn’t a solitary endeavor, this is one of the things that keeps us going day by day step-by-step as we move through a year of life together. So, check out the community section and stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly and with a heartful of gratitude. Thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, 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:

This message is for Sunshine from Queens. I just heard your message, and I heard the weariness in your voice when you were talking about being ostracized by your family and being by yourself. And I was like listening to my inner thoughts, but I want you to remember Jesus is a friend to the friendless, a father to the fatherless, a husband to the husbandless. You’ve got to hold on and you’ve got to believe that in your heart and in your mind. And I know it’s difficult when you’re out there walking that tightrope every day because it’s very exhausting to participate in…in the world, in your job, all of that when you’re walking that tightrope. It makes it very exhausting when you don’t have a net. However, you can come out like the Flying Wallenda’s who could walk a tightrope and it wouldn’t shake. They could balance. If you continue listening to the Daily Audio Bible, reading it, believing it, and listening to the Holy Spirit. Let…spend some time alone, which you do I know, but try to contact with the Holy Spirit because if you look back in your life, I’m sure you can…if you…if you really think about a see times where the comforter has comforted you or saved you in an instance and you maybe didn’t know what it was at the time. So, hold on…

Good morning DAB community this is Tierra from Texas. I first and foremost want to say thank you God for this day, that you’ve allowed us to be here and listen on this message and to hear the voices of our brothers and sisters on this day and to hear their prayers and their worries and concerns. I first want to again say thank you for this community for praying for me in my weariness. __ and it’s not perfect always but…but as of right now I’m, you know, I’m getting closer to God, and I’m being pulled back. So…and that, you know, a deep-down low mood I’m coming back up slowly. I was listening to today’s message on June 14th and Sunshine from Queens came on the call and immediately her voice really shined a light on some of the things that I’ve been trying hard to articulate. I just want to pray for her to have someone that she can truly trust, someone…God please send her someone that, you know, she can be vulnerable with, that she can be open with, that you can just protect her in her time of need and protect her from the enemy in her vulnerable state, in a state that many people can take advantage of. I just pray for guidance and love and peace in this moment and that from Texas all the way to Queens I just…I just send my love and my care and my support and my empathy to you because I felt you through this call. I’m running out of time but please know I’ll be praying with you immensely. God loves you, the body of Christ, Jesus loves you always, and you will shine light just like…just as bright as Jesus and He will help you shine. Thank you. Bye.

Hey Daily Audio Bible this is Morrison from California. It’s June 14th and I just heard the prayer request from the mom in Oklahoma with three kids who’s working from home. I was so moved by your prayer request. I really was moved by your humility and honesty in confessing that you are not able to be the mom that you want to be. And I just wanted to pray for you. So, Father I just wanna ask for Your comfort and Your grace to just wash over this woman as she comes two for community honestly. I pray that You would just give her such a reassurance that You are in charge of sanctifying her to become the woman and the mom and the daughter that You want her to be. I just pray for mercy and for grace and for peace. And I just pray that this time, though it seems difficult, would bring about such a deep intimacy between this woman and You, that she would lean on You for comfort and for strength and that You would just do a work in her family. God bless you. I am praying for you. You will be in my thoughts today. And I love you and the Lord sees you. And He is proud of how you’re trying and what you’re doing even now.

Hi DAB family my name is Dawn and I started listening back in January and this has just been amazing. And thank you Brian and thank you to all of you. I’m asking for prayer for my husband Mark. He…Father’s Day is coming this Sunday and our son committed suicide last August. He was 20 years old, no history of depression. We…we never saw this coming. It just really shook us up and we’re just still trying to cope and trying to understand exactly what happened. And he…he really did affect a lot of people. He had a lot of friends. And anyway, if you can just pray for my husband and especially just for Father’s Day being the first Father’s Day since he died. Please send some prayers for his brother too and just lift us up all with such a hard year. My husband’s a police officer and I’m a nurse and his brother Spencer is also a police officer. So, it’s just been a really trying year. So, thank you so much and God bless you all. And just thank you for all being a part of this.

Hi this is Bonnie from Richmond VA today is June 12th and I was listening to the prayer request from Shannon I think as she said she’s from South Africa. And it seems like there is misunderstanding going on between her and the family and she has…they have moved to the new place and she’s struggling there. I wanted to encourage you, Shannon. Seems like you are like my daughter. My daughter and I used to have so many conflicts and fights. She was trying to do some of the things that she liked, and I had some expectations. This is how it happens in the family. Parents have different expectations toward their children, and we sometimes forget that they are __ and they also have their own plans and interests or desires or goals. So, I would encourage you to continuously pray for your family so that God could help them to understand you, what you want to do as long as it is God’s…I mean inside of God, everything what you are doing is good. And if you could continuously pray for your family that they will be able to understand you. Just be strong. I’ll be praying for you. My daughter and I have a very good relation now. So, I hope you and your family will also be able to understand each other and we’ll have a good…

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday June 17, 2021 (NIV)

1 Kings 18

The Contest on Mount Carmel

18 Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” 2 So Elijah went to appear before Ahab.

Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria. 3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the Lord. 4 Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules.” 6 So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” he asked.

8 “Yes, it is,” Elijah replied. “Now go and tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

9 “Oh, sir,” Obadiah protested, “what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? 10 For I swear by the Lord your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, ‘Elijah isn’t here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 11 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ 12 But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life. 13 Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me.”

15 But Elijah said, “I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.”

16 So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”

18 “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 19 Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.[a]”

20 So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.”

26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself.[b] Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”

28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

30 Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,[c] 32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.[d] 33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.[e]

Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.”

34 After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, 35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.

36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,[f] prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

40 Then Elijah commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.

Elijah Prays for Rain

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”

42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.”

The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt[g] and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

Footnotes:

  1. 18:19 Hebrew who eat at Jezebel’s table.
  2. 18:27 Or is busy somewhere else, or is engaged in business.
  3. 18:31 Hebrew each of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the Lord had said, “Your name will be Israel.”
  4. 18:32 Hebrew 2 seahs [14.6 liters] of seed.
  5. 18:33 Verse 18:34 in the Hebrew text begins here.
  6. 18:36 Hebrew and Israel. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
  7. 18:46 Hebrew He bound up his loins.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Acts 11

Peter Explains His Actions

11 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers[a] in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. 2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers[b] criticized him. 3 “You entered the home of Gentiles[c] and even ate with them!” they said.

4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. 5 “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. 6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. 7 And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’

8 “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.[d]’

9 “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ 10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.

11 “Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. 12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. 13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. 14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’

15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. 16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with[e] water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”

The Church in Antioch of Syria

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles[f] about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers[g] were first called Christians.)

27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters[h] in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. 30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

Footnotes:

  1. 11:1 Greek brothers.
  2. 11:2 Greek those of the circumcision.
  3. 11:3 Greek of uncircumcised men.
  4. 11:8 Greek anything common or unclean.
  5. 11:16 Or in; also in 11:16b.
  6. 11:20 Greek the Hellenists (i.e., those who speak Greek); other manuscripts read the Greeks.
  7. 11:26 Greek disciples; also in 11:29.
  8. 11:29 Greek the brothers.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 135

Psalm 135

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord!
Praise him, you who serve the Lord,
2 you who serve in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.

3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
celebrate his lovely name with music.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own special treasure.

5 I know the greatness of the Lord—
that our Lord is greater than any other god.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him
throughout all heaven and earth,
and on the seas and in their depths.
7 He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.

8 He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home,
both people and animals.
9 He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his people.
10 He struck down great nations
and slaughtered mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
a special possession to his people Israel.

13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever;
your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation.
14 For the Lord will give justice to his people
and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
16 They have mouths but cannot speak,
and eyes but cannot see.
17 They have ears but cannot hear,
and mouths but cannot breathe.
18 And those who make idols are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.

19 O Israel, praise the Lord!
O priests—descendants of Aaron—praise the Lord!
20 O Levites, praise the Lord!
All you who fear the Lord, praise the Lord!
21 The Lord be praised from Zion,
for he lives here in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 17:12-13

12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.

13 If you repay good with evil,
evil will never leave your house.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Posted on

06/16/2021

1 Kings 15:25-17:24, Acts 10:24-48, Psalm 134:1-3, Proverbs 17:9-11

Today is the 16th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you today as we do what we do every day, take the next step forward together and so let’s do that. We are working through the Book of 1 Kings now and we have kind of moved beyond Solomon and his son Rehoboam and Jeroboam and the dividing of the kingdoms. And so, we are definitely in a period now where there was once the kingdom of Israel there are now two kingdoms: Israel and Judah. So, we’re working through the different kings of both of those individual nations. 1 Kings chapter 15 through verse 25 through chapter 17 through verse 24.

Commentary:

Okay, so in the Book of Acts today Peter has gone to Cornelius’s house and if we remember this…this whole meeting began in our reading yesterday with Cornelius receiving this vision to send for Peter. Even as Peter is having a vision of his own where a sheet is coming down from…well he’s on the roof of the house and he’s essentially told that…well this sheet is full of unclean animals that are forbidden to eat and he’s told that he can and that he should. And so, he’s confused about this but it’s symbolic and it’s revealing something very, very, very, very profound. And so, Peter is told to go with these people who’ve gone to go get him and he goes and he enters the home of a gentile. Something they’re not supposed to do. Something that is loaded with all kind of complexities. The Jews felt marginalized by the Romans, the Jews felt they needed to be separated from the gentiles. In so many ways they felt like that those in the land, the Romans in the land that we occupying the land that they were the enemy. This is one of the reasons that they’re looking for a Messiah to defeat this enemy. And so, here’s Peter being told by the Holy Spirit to go and enter the home of a gentile. So, Peter’s gotten this vision that is rewiring things in his mind and then he’s instructed to go into the home of a gentile which is rewiring things in his mind and but he knows that God has sent him they have this discussion and Cornelius has his entire household waiting to hear what Peter’s got to say and Peter doesn’t even know why he’s there but he shares the good news about Jesus. And a profound thing occurs, they hear about this and the Holy Spirit descends upon them and they receive the Holy Spirit and they haven’t been baptized. In this moment, baptism is part of the conversion process. And so, the Holy Spirit has come onto these people who don’t really understand and Peter’s like…I mean the Holy Spirit has come upon these people is there any reason they shouldn’t be baptized. Because this is definitely tweaking with what they thought that they knew. It’s definitely tweaking their theology all together. This isn’t how it was supposed to go like, this isn’t how they had forecasted. And yet these gentiles come into the kingdom and what we witness in today’s reading is the first recorded gentiles coming into the kingdom. And this is a very, very big deal. It actually ultimately causes a split, a very, very large disagreement in the church that requires ultimately the very first church counsel where people get together and talk this out. What are the implications because previous to this those that who believed in Jesus were Jewish people who were not leaving Judaism and were not converting to something, they were following the Messiah and following his ways and they path that he set out before them and this was a Jewish thing. And so, the Jewish people had always been separatists they were set apart. The whole world wasn’t allowed in then all of a sudden, we see God acting. Like God making the…because the Holy Spirit is the only Spirit of God. So, the Holy Spirit came upon these gentile people who were hearing the good news. The Lord made the decision and that made everybody have to step back and go, this isn’t what we were expecting, this doesn’t jive with our expectations, this doesn’t jive with our theology, this doesn’t jive with our understanding of anything and yet we can’t deny what God is doing. Otherwise they put themselves in the position that the Pharisee’s were in according to…against Jesus. Remember, like Jesus flew in the face of what they thought that they knew and yet He absolute signs and wonders following Him to verify that what he was doing was of God and they still rejected Him. Now the church is about…well in the position to do the same thing. God has made a move: He has sent his Holy Spirit among these gentiles, He has spoken. They could reject that or they could embrace that God is doing a new thing in the world that they didn’t have a grid for. We’ll continue with this story going forward because ultimately Peter’s got to go back to the Jewish people that he’s in fellowship with, that he’s in leadership with and he’s got to tell this story. This isn’t gonna stay a secret. And so, it’s going to be told to people who are also not expecting to hear it and it’s gonna tweak their theology and their understanding. And so, it’s gonna cause a lot of discussion. And we’ll talk about that as we go forward. But it’s important for us to see because this is a profound shift in things, that God is doing a new thing in the world and everybody is invited to the story, to the party. A very big deal indeed. A very, like a big enough deal that I am going to guess that 99%, 98% of those listening right now including myself, were gentiles. This is the story that opened the door that would one day allow us to be graphed into the family of God and to be joined heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of Heaven, pretty profound indeed.

Prayer:

So, thank You Father, thank You Father for Your word and for the way that it counsels us and instructs us, teaches us, opens our eyes. And we are grateful in particular for what we read of today in the Book of Acts where You clearly sent Your Holy Spirit upon people that, that that clearly wasn’t supposed to happen to. At least in the way that people understood it. And You changed things opening the door for we who are here today to be apart. And so, we’re humbled by that, we’re grateful, deeply grateful that You made a way where there was no way and You continue to make a way into the hearts of those that You love. So, as we meditate upon this today may we continue with an attitude of gratefulness and humility. We thank You for welcoming us into Your family. And we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here and how to get connected and stay connected and so, definitely check that out. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop while you’re visiting, there are resources there that have been crafted and created over time to accompany the journey that we’re on. Some things that are just fun, some things to wear, some things to use, some things to read. Check out the different written resources that have been created over time, like the book Reframe, Sneezing Jesus, Passages, The God of Your Story. The God of Your Story of course is 365-day kind of written companion to the Daily Audio Bible. Like gold of the things that we’ve talked about over the years each day incorporated into a written text form and so, any of these things take the journey deeper and further as we move through the scriptures and so, check them out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible well, if this mission that we have always shared in common, to bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen to it, anywhere on this planet, any time of day or night and to build community around that rhythm so that we’re in this together, we know we’re not alone. And not alone in our spiritual journey and not alone in life either. We’re sharing history together even though we may be all over the world we get to know people that we would have never, ever met, ever, and got to know their stories over a year. And that makes a difference. And if that has made a difference in your life than thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or the mailing address is P.O. 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, the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday June 16, 2021 (NIV)

1 Kings 15:25-17:24

Nadab Rules in Israel

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. 26 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.

27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel.

29 He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit.

31 The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Baasha Rules in Israel

32 There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 33 Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. 34 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.

16 This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: 2 “I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. 3 So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”

5 The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and the extent of his power are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 6 When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became the next king.

7 The message from the Lord against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The Lord’s anger was provoked by Baasha’s sins.

Elah Rules in Israel

8 Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.

9 Then Zimri, who commanded half of the royal chariots, made plans to kill him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. 10 Zimri walked in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Then Zimri became the next king.

11 Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. 12 So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the Lord had promised through the prophet Jehu. 13 This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.

14 The rest of the events in Elah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Zimri Rules in Israel

15 Zimri began to rule over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, but his reign in Tirzah lasted only seven days. The army of Israel was then attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 16 When they heard that Zimri had committed treason and had assassinated the king, that very day they chose Omri, commander of the army, as the new king of Israel. 17 So Omri led the entire army of Israel up from Gibbethon to attack Tirzah, Israel’s capital. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the citadel of the palace and burned it down over himself and died in the flames. 19 For he, too, had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit.

20 The rest of the events in Zimri’s reign and his conspiracy are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Omri Rules in Israel

21 But now the people of Israel were split into two factions. Half the people tried to make Tibni son of Ginath their king, while the other half supported Omri. 22 But Omri’s supporters defeated the supporters of Tibni. So Tibni was killed, and Omri became the next king.

23 Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned twelve years in all, six of them in Tirzah. 24 Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for 150 pounds of silver.[a] He built a city on it and called the city Samaria in honor of Shemer.

25 But Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 26 He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit. The people provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.

27 The rest of the events in Omri’s reign, the extent of his power, and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 28 When Omri died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became the next king.

Ahab Rules in Israel

29 Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 31 And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. 32 First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

34 It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub.[b] This all happened according to the message from the Lord concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

Elijah Fed by Ravens

17 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.

The Widow at Zarephath

8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”

19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”

21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”

24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 16:24 Hebrew for 2 talents [68 kilograms] of silver.
  2. 16:34 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads He killed his oldest son when he laid its foundations, and he killed his youngest son when he set up its gates.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Acts 10:24-48

24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” 27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.

28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. 29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. 31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! 32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,[a] 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public,[b] but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. 45 The Jewish believers[c] who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues[d] and praising God.

Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Footnotes:

  1. 10:39 Greek on a tree.
  2. 10:41 Greek the people.
  3. 10:45 Greek The faithful ones of the circumcision.
  4. 10:46 Or in other languages.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 134

Psalm 134

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary,
and praise the Lord.

3 May the Lord, who made heaven and earth,
bless you from Jerusalem.[a]

Footnotes:

  1. 134:3 Hebrew Zion.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 17:9-11

9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.

10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

11 Evil people are eager for rebellion,
but they will be severely punished.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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