Month: September 2021

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 7, 2021 (NIV)

Song of Solomon 5-8

5 Him (to her): I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh with its natural spices.
I have tasted the honeycomb dripping with my honey
and have drunk my wine and milk together.

(to his young friends of Jerusalem) Eat, friends, drink your fill!
Be intoxicated with love.

2 Her: I was sleeping, but my heart was awake
when I heard a sound, the sound of my love pounding at the door.

Him: Open yourself to me, my sister, my dearest,
my sweet dove, my flawless beauty.
My head is drenched with dew;
my hair is soaked with the wetness of the night.

Her: 3 I have taken off my robe.
How could I ever put it on again?
I have washed my feet.
How could I walk across this dirty floor?
4 My love put his hand on the latch;
my insides began to throb for him.
5 I leaped from my bed to let my love in.
My hands were dripping sweet myrrh,
My fingers were coated with myrrh
as I reached for the handles of the lock.
6 I opened for my love, but he had turned away and was gone.
He’d left, and my heart sank.
I looked for him, but I did not see him.
I called out to him, but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they left bruises on my skin,
and they took away my veil, those watchmen on the walls.

8 (to the young women of Jerusalem)
Promise me that if you find my love,
you will speak with him, telling him that I am faint with love.

9 Young Women of Jerusalem: How is your beloved better than all the other lovers,
most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved worth more than all the rest,
that you would make us promise this?

10 Her: Because my love is radiant and ruddy,
he stands out above 10,000 other men.
11 His head is pure gold;
his hair is thick and wavy and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves at the edge of a stream,
mounted like jewels and bathed in pools of milk.
13 His bearded cheeks are like a spice garden, with towers of spice:
His lips are lilies dripping and flowing with myrrh,
14 His hands are like strong rods of gold, each set with jewels.
His body displays his manhood like an ivory tusk inlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are like pillars of white marble,
both set on bases of gold.
He stands tall and strong like the mountains of Lebanon,
with all its majestic cedars.
16 His mouth tastes sweet, so sweet;
he is altogether desirable.
This is my love. This is my dear one, as I am his,
O young women of Jerusalem.

6 Young Women of Jerusalem (to her): Where has your love gone,
most beautiful of women?
Do you know which direction he went
so we can help you find him?

They pass through many obstacles as they celebrate their union in different venues. Love is found in a garden or a parental home. Ecstasy comes in a dream or reality.

2 Her: Women of Jerusalem, I know where my love is.
My love has gone into his garden
Among the beds of aromatic spices,
like a gazelle grazing among his gardens
and a gardener gathering the lilies.
3 I belong to my love, and my love to me.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.

4 Him (to her): You are beautiful, my dear, as beautiful as Tirzah,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as regal as an army beneath their banners.
5 Turn your eyes from me
because they overpower me as always.
Your hair moves as gracefully as a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are pearl white like a flock of sheep shorn,
fresh up from a wash.
Each is perfect and paired with another;
not one of them is lost.
7 Your cheeks are rosy and round beneath your veil,
like the halves of a pomegranate.
8 There may be 60 queens and 80 concubines—
there may be more virgins than can be counted—
9 But my dove, my perfect love is the only one for me,
the only daughter of her mother,
the pure and favored child to the one who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.

10 Young Women of Jerusalem: Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
as radiant as the full moon, as bright as sunlight,
as majestic as an army beneath their banners?

11 Her: I went down to walk among a stand of walnut trees,
to take in the new growth of the valley,
To see if the vines had budded
or the pomegranates were blooming.
12 Before I knew it, my passions set me before some chariots,
those belonging to my noble people.[a]

13 Young Women of Jerusalem: Come back, come back, O Shulammite!
Come back, come back to us, so that we can look upon you.

Him: Why should you look upon the Shulammite,
as you would stare at the dance of joyous victory at Mahanaim?

7 Him: Your feet are so beautiful,
perfectly fitted in sandals, noble daughter![b]
Your sculpted thighs are like jewels,
the work of a master hand.
2 Your hidden place is open to me like a goblet, perfect and round,
that never runs dry of blended wine;
Your waist is a mound of wheat—curved and white and fertile—
encircled by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is as stunning as an ivory tower;
your eyes shimmer like the pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is strong and proud like the tower of Lebanon,
which points toward Damascus.
5 Your head is as stately as Mount Carmel;
your hair shines like a tapestry of royal purple cloth—
the king is held captive by your locks.
6 How beautiful you are, my love, and how pleasing
In all your delightful and satisfying ways.
7 Your stature is as elegant as a date palm tree,
and your breasts are sweet, attractive, and round like clusters of its fruit.
8 I say, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,
the fragrance of your mouth[c] like fresh apples,
9 and may your kisses satisfy like the best wine.

Her: May the wine go down smoothly for my love,
flowing gently over his lips and teeth.[d]
10 I belong to my love,
and he has desire for me.

11 (to him) Come out into the fields, my love,
and there spend the night in the villages.
12 Let’s rise with the morning and go to the vineyards
to see if the vines have budded,
If their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes send out their seductive fragrance,
and the finest fruits wait at our doors—
New pleasures as well as old—
I have stored them up for you, my lover.

Why would she break the parallel language and say that he “has desire” for her instead of saying he “belongs” to her as she does to him? Certainly he does belong to her, now that they are intimately bound in covenant. Her words may be said in light of Genesis 3:16, the passage where God outlines humanity’s punishment for their first sin. There it is narrated that Eve is to have desire for her husband who will rule over her. What the woman has said here is the exact opposite of the post-sin marriage structure: it is the man who desires the woman. Therefore, the depiction of the marriage relationship in Song of Songs gives a glimpse of what marriage might have looked like prior to the first sin in Eden. God designed the relationship between husband and wife to be one of love, passion, and pleasure. This should be the ideal all couples strive for in their marriages as they work together to avoid sin in their lives.

8 Her (to him): If only you were like my brother, my love,
nursed at my mother’s breast!
Then we could show our affection in public.
I would kiss you, and no one would think anything of it.
Nobody would look down on me.
2 I would take you by the hand
and bring you to my mother’s house—
she has taught me to be a woman.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
and you could enjoy the juice of my pomegranates.

3 His left hand cradles my head,
and his right hand reaches out to embrace me.

4 (to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning:
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

Three times in this most beautiful song (2:7; 3:5; 8:4), the female lover encourages her friends not to stoke the fires of passion until the proper time. This is wise instruction because unbridled passion can be very satisfying or quite destructive. The woman is presumably reminding the royal harem of this proverb to hold off on sexual intimacy. The “young women of Jerusalem” is probably a reference to the concubines of the king and how they, like most women, want to experience true and lasting intimacy. The difficulty is that these women may only know one night with the king and have their dreams of deep relationship go unrequited.

5 Young Women of Jerusalem: Who is this woman coming up from the desert,
leaning on her love?

Her: Under the apple tree I roused your love for me,
in the place where your mother conceived you,
in the place where she gave birth to you.
6 Set me as a seal over your heart;
wear me as an emblem on your arm
For love is as strong as death,
and jealousy is as relentless as the grave.
Love flares up like a blazing fire, a very ardent flame.
7 No amount of water can quench love;
a raging flood cannot drown it out.
If a person tried to exchange all of his wealth for love,
then he would be surely rejected.

8 Young Women of Jerusalem: We have a little sister
whose breasts have not yet developed.
How shall we protect her
until the time when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build silver towers of protection;
If she is a door,
we will barricade the door with the strongest cedar.

10 Her: I was a wall,
and now my breasts are like towers;
At that time I found completeness and satisfaction in his eyes.

11 Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon;
he let farmers tend it and charged each a ransom for its produce—1,000 pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard is my own—mine to lend or mine to lease.
Solomon, you may have your 1,000;
Those who tend the fruit, your 200.

13 Him: You who dwell in the gardens,
whose friends are always attentive to your voice,
Let me hear it.

14 Her: Come quickly, my love.
Be like a gazelle or young stag on the mountains of spices.

Footnotes:

  1. 6:12 Hebrew, Ammi-nadiv; meaning is uncertain.
  2. 7:1 Hebrew, Bath-nadiv; meaning is uncertain.
  3. 7:8 Literally, nose
  4. 7:9 Hebrew manuscripts read, “lips of sleepers.”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 9

9 There’s nothing further I could add about your efforts for God’s people in Judea. 2 I know you are ready. I bragged on you throughout Macedonia, telling them how the people in Achaia have been prepared since last year; and your passion has been contagious. 3 Still I thought it would be best to send these brothers and sisters ahead to help you finish the final details so all my bragging wouldn’t be for nothing. 4 If some of the Macedonians decide to travel with me, all of us would be more than embarrassed if we arrived and you weren’t ready to give after the way we’ve been going on about you. 5 So to help you get your previously promised gift ready, it made sense to me to ask the brothers and sisters to go on ahead so you will have all the time you need to put it together as planned and so it doesn’t look thrown together or coerced.

Giving away money is one of the hardest things believers do, especially when there are bills to pay and more expenses than income. However, helping others with their physical needs and not only their spiritual needs is a fundamental principle of Christian spirituality. Perhaps it would be easier to give our financial resources if we could turn away from our own continual consumption and live simpler lifestyles. Then there would be not only the willingness but also the ability to share God’s blessings with others.

6 But I will say this to encourage your generosity: the one who plants little harvests little, and the one who plants plenty harvests plenty. 7 Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.”[a] 8 God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. 9 Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord:

He scattered abroad; He gave freely to the poor;
His righteousness endures throughout the ages.[b]

10 The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your righteous actions. 11 You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. 12 For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need—it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. 13 When this mission reaches Jerusalem and meets with the approval of God’s people there, they will give glory to God because your confession of the gospel of the Anointed One led to obedient action and your generous sharing with them and with all exhibited your sincere concern. 14 Because of the extraordinary grace of God at work in you, they will pray for you and long for you. 15 Praise God for this incredible, unbelievable, indescribable gift!

Footnotes:

  1. 9:7 Proverbs 22:8
  2. 9:9 Psalm 112:9
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 51

Psalm 51

For the worship leader. A song of David after Nathan the prophet accused him of infidelity with Bathsheba.

One of the most difficult episodes in King David’s life was his affair with Bathsheba and all that resulted from it. Psalm 51 reflects the emotions he felt after Nathan confronted him with stealing Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11–12).

At one time or another, all people experience the painful consequences of sin. Psalm 51 has been a comfort and a help to millions who have prayed these words as their own. It invites all who are broken to come before God and lean upon His compassion. It teaches that we need not only to be forgiven for the wrong we have done, but we also need to be cleansed of its effects on us. Ultimately, it helps us recognize that if we are to be healed, it is the work of God to create in us a heart that is clean and a spirit that is strong.

1 Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God,
according to Your generous love.
According to Your great compassion,
wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes.
2 Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds.
Cleanse me from my sins.

3 For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong,
and my guilt is there, staring me in the face.
4 It was against You, only You, that I sinned,
for I have done what You say is wrong, right before Your eyes.
So when You speak, You are in the right.
When You judge, Your judgments are pure and true.[a]
5 For I was guilty from the day I was born,
a sinner from the time my mother became pregnant with me.

6 But still, You long to enthrone truth throughout my being;
in unseen places deep within me, You show me wisdom.
7 Cleanse me of my wickedness with hyssop, and I will be clean.
If You wash me, I will be whiter than snow.
8 Help me hear joy and happiness as my accompaniment,
so my bones, which You have broken, will dance in delight instead.
9 Cover Your face so You will not see my sins,
and erase my guilt from the record.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
restore within me a sense of being brand new.
11 Do not throw me far away from Your presence,
and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You;
let Your willing Spirit sustain me.

13 If You do, I promise to teach rebels Your ways
and help sinners find their way back to You.
14 Free me from the guilt of murder, of shedding a man’s blood,
O God who saves me.
Now my tongue, which was used to destroy, will be used to sing with deep delight of how right and just You are.

15 O Lord, pry open my lips
that this mouth will sing joyfully of Your greatness.
16 I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret,
but You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings.
17 What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit
because a broken spirit, O God,
a heart that honestly regrets the past,
You won’t detest.

18 Be good to Zion; grant her Your favor.
Make Jerusalem’s walls steady and strong.
19 Then there will be sacrifices made,
burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings,
With right motives that will delight You.
And costly young bulls will be offered up to Your altar, only the best.

Footnotes:

  1. 51:4 Romans 3:4
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:24-25

24 Do not befriend someone given to anger
or hang around with a hothead.
25 Odds are, you’ll learn his ways, become angry as well,
and get caught in a trap.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

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9/6/2021 DAB Transcript

Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, Psalm 50:1-23, Proverbs 22:22-23

Today is the 6th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it is great to be here with you today as we take the next step forward together, which is what we repeatedly do, every day, take another step forward together in life and in the Scriptures. And this next step forward leads us into some new territory. So, we’ve come through the book of Job, we’ve come through the book of Ecclesiastes and explored some of may be that that kind of stuff we avoid exploring. Kind of stuff we just keep running and running and running to avoid. But the Bible puts it right there in the middle and it’s there so we can, well, so we can take the time to look into what we’re wrestling with. So, in Job we certainly watched Job claim innocence and seek God while his friends were telling him of his guilt and his need for repentance and then we heard from God, who very clearly revealed there’s a whole lot more to any of our stories than we really understand and we remember those famous words from Job when he’s speaking to God, “I had only heard about you before, but now I’m seeing you and I don’t have any, I put my hand over my mouth, I’ve already said too much.” And then we moved into Ecclesiastes and looked at cautionary wisdom from the perspective of a person who had done it and seen it all and ultimately arrived at a place that we spend our whole lives chasing the wind, we could spend our whole lives in meaningless pursuits. But if we can be present and awake to the now to what’s actually happening now and treat what is happening now as a gift and be grateful for what God has given us, then we won’t waste our whole lives trying to achieve the next thing which isn’t to diminish achievement, it’s just what we were talking about, how we can run and run and run and we’re running away from some things and we’re running towards some things but we’re only ever running we’re never actually grateful in the moment that we’re in, we might have gratitude for what God has yet to do in front of us or what he’s done but to be here now is in fact, one of the greatest gifts that we get, we get to be alive in God’s presence now. So, we move through that territory which brings us today into some new territory. This is still part of the grouping of what we would know as wisdom literature, but a very different complexion. This new book we’ll read today and tomorrow and it is known as the Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs and so it’s very, very different than the territory we were in Job and Ecclesiastes. It’s short, like I said, we’ll read it in a couple days but it…it touches a lot of our lives, depending on how we want to read it. So, let’s begin with the fact that this is poetry, and whether we’re poets or whether we’ve studied poetry or whether we’ve maybe rarely ever read a poem, we probably should all understand that poems, they say thing things and rhyme and phrase that is well beyond their words so stanza of poetry that’s super beautiful and super well-constructed can say what all page would need to say if it were just being explained. Poetry uses plenty of metaphorical language so this is like that or allegorical language, symbolic language, where the symbolism has greater meaning and so the Song of Solomon can be read in a number of ways. If…if we just read it as a poem, literally, for what it’s saying, then we will encounter the story of passion and a passionate consummation of love between a man and a woman who are deeply in love with each other, lost in love with one another, and so the poem itself stands on its own, just as it is, a witness to marital love and the bliss that occurs when two become one a, passionate, physical relationship which bothers some people because knowing what’s a sex book in the Bible for? I guess because God created this type of intimacy, invalidates this type of intimacy, but there are other ways, if we look allegorically or metaphorically and look at the Jewish tradition, then this is an allegory of a poem that is intended to show the passionate love, the desire for intimacy that God has for his children, and in this case the Jewish people and that has been a way of reading the Song of Songs for a very, very long time and it’s a fine way to read it. There’s a Christian tradition about the Song of Song’s and that is that it’s an allegorical look at Jesus, at Christ’s love and desire and passion for his bride. So, as we go through this and go through this in any number of ways using any of these lenses and all of them are fine. How is it getting you? How are you receiving it? And so, let’s dive in and drink deep of this beautiful poetry, known as the Song of Solomon and since this poem is largely an interaction between a man and woman, we have a tradition around here at the Daily Audio Bible that my wife Jill, she comes in and we read this together and it’s a favorite for us and she is of course over at Daily Audio Bible chronological, and so, they in the chronological order came to Song of Solomon a little bit earlier and so I was able to read Song of Solomon with her over on chronological earlier this year. Now she’s here with us to read the Song of Solomon together over these next couple of days. So, let’s dive in, Song of Solomon chapters 1 through 4.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this new week. We thank You for this new territory that we are in as we move through the Song of Solomon. Come Holy Spirit as we transition into some new territory in the Scriptures, open our hearts, open our minds and we might love You well and we might love You from a whole heart, that we might surrender to You, knowing that is the safest thing in the whole and the experience of life that we could ever do. Surrender and walk with You. Come Holy Spirit we pray, all of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. I always love it when we get to this time that we’re doing Song of Solomon, and Jill gets to join me and I look forward to that every year. That’s fun and that will be happening tomorrow as well and we’ll finish the Song of Solomon and that’s one of the things that are going on around here. But stay tuned and stay connected by being aware of dailyaudiobible.com or the Daily Audio Bible app. If you don’t have the Daily Audio Bible app you can download that from your app store. It’s free and its good way to stay connected stay connected with the journey through the Scriptures because it helps you keep track and see your progress but you can also access the things that are on the website as well. And so, like the Community section. This is, this is a place to get connected, the different links to the places on social media where the Daily Audio Bible is, you can find those there as well as the Prayer Wall and the Prayer Wall is a beautiful thing in this Community because it does matter what time zone, we’re in, we’re all over the world is the Global Campfire Community. And so, when it’s night for me in the rolling hills of Tennessee, it’s daytime somewhere else in the world and so the Prayer Wall is just always on, always happening. There are always things to pray about and maybe it’s our turn. Maybe we’re carrying some things that we’ve been trying to shoulder it all by ourselves, or dragging along all by ourselves and maybe we’re exhausting ourselves when we have brothers and sisters, we have a spiritual family that we can reach out to and the Prayer wall is a very, very good place to do exactly that. So, that is in the Community section, whether on the web or in the app, check it out.

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

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, I’m a first-time caller. I’ve only been listening to the DAB for less than a year, I found it by accident. It’s been a great blessing to me. I want to let you know that I pray for all of you and sometimes I pray later and do it again. I’m asking for prayer for my adult children that come back to the Lord and also for I have three grandsons with Autism, that one that’s the worse is non-verbal, he has aggression and self-injurious behavior. And his life is not good, he’s got medical issues and I’m asking for prayer for Willam. And thank you very much. Bye Bye.

Hi DAB this is Ani from Nigeria. First of all congratulations ….. and I’m so thankful for all God is doing for you and in this time, it was much needed journey. Family, I just need prayer to be, today was a hard day, it was a hard day and then I came home. What I need prayer for is just (inaudible) my family. My family is not – towards me but just being around me is almost like – damage. And I – and most times I try to block it out. (Inaudible) And so I’m just praying for healing for myself and for my heart and for my family. There’s a lot of pain and I don’t necessarily know what the solution is but God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can imagine. So, I am just desiring this prayer for healing for myself especially. And as I’m going into another season of my life, I’m praying that I don’t carry any of this that I have seen or I have experienced into my own life and internalize it. So, that’s really what I want healing from and just freedom really. Freedom from this situation and everything that it in. So yeah, thank you very much guys, I really appreciate this community and I appreciate this family and I would have never have thought this would have become such a stable force in my life but I’m so thankful for it. Have a good day everybody. Bye.

Hi, this is Victorious Solider, just calling tonight, my heart was really heavy for my precious sister Mercy, the one with the 9 children and the 22 grandchildren. My God Mercy, that is such a challenge that only our God can do. Lord, we just ask you to touch Mercy and her precious family. Oh Lord, in the name of Jesus, we need your healing, not only for the children but also Lord for the mother and even the father that they have to be apart of something of this magnitude. Lord, we just ask you Lord, there is nothing to hard for you as you told Moses. You said nothing is to hard for you. Lord, we just ask you to have mercy Lord on our children Lord. We ask you to bless, we ask you to heal them, we ask you to guide them, we ask you to touch that whole family Father. In the name of Jesus, wrap them in Your arms and protect them Father. In the name of Jesus. I want to also pray for Yolanda. The woman who is in the hospital with COVID and her precious baby, about to deliver her baby. God, You are a doctor that (inaudible). The doctors may not know how to handle this but You know how to handle anything. We just ask your protection, we just ask your wisdom, to give them wisdom they need. Oh Lord, that this baby and this mother will be fine. Lord, You open doors no man can close. Oh Father, in the name of Jesus, I saw Your rainbow yesterday and Your promises and Your promises are still fresh that you are God that won’t hold back anything from them. Lord, they Love You so much, we ask You to touch, we ask You to heal, we ask you to deliver and set free. And this COVID Lord, and every aspect of a way, even in this young woman’s life, You have Your way, Father. In the name of Jesus. I want to also pray for God’s Life Speaker who’s struggling with her 21-year-old.

Hi, this is Marked As His, I haven’t called in a long time. But I’m calling years later because I realize that my husband and I need more help than we can do on our own. I don’t know if you guys remember but I was in nurse practitioner school, I have now completed my program. So, I’m a doctor or nursing practice, family nurse practitioner. My husband, we got married last November, we’re both dairy farmers and things are very, very hard right now. We don’t have enough help. We are working very long hours because we believe in what we do and being stewards of the land. But we’re tired and we want to start a family and we devoted all of our time and our energy and our focus towards building this farm and now we’re really struggling to keep it going. So, if you could all please pray for providence, we keep praying for daily bread every day and you know, it seems like we have enough just to get through today but we really wanna live abundantly. And, right now, it seems like the harvest is really dry. So, thank you all and take care, bye.

Hello, DAB fam this is Laura from Eugene. I just wanted to thank everyone for the updates. It has been so good to hear updates and GG, thank you for calling in. You were such a blessing; I pray for God to continue to bless you. And it was so good to hear about Izzy’s situation, I will keep Izzy and the family in my prayers. I just have a little story and a prayer request to tell as well. My friend was at the gym and he see’s this woman in a wheelchair with a significant injury to her leg, it looks like a hole in her leg basically. And my friend notices this and then she hears the Lord tell her to pray with this woman. And my friend does probably what I would do and just say Lord, are you talking to me? Do you mean hear? Do you mean now, really? And my friend wrestles with this a little bit but she goes and speaks with the woman and the woman proceeds to tell her that she’s been to many doctors and no one can heal her or help her get better and so my friend says well, I would like to pray with you and the woman immediately says well, what good is that gonna do? No doctors can help me, I don’t think that can help, and so my friend says well, I could either pray with you or I’ll just pray for you as I go and the woman continues to resist and my friend says okay and she starts to leave and as my friends leaving the woman says well, wait, what can it hurt. And so, my friend prayed for her and I’m just gonna ask for our community to also pray for this woman, her name is Joan and she has the hole in her leg that doctors cannot heal. And we know that God is the great healer and we know this community prays so I would love for God to be glorified through this woman.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 6, 2021 (NIV)

Song of Solomon 1-4

Song of Songs, which is a “book” of the Bible, actually has more in common with Handel’s Messiah or Puccini’s Tosca than any prose work of the Old Testament—it’s a libretto, a record of the words sung in a musical or opera. While this song is certainly the longest libretto in the Bible, it is not the only one. The Book of Psalms is replete with them; and they often open with directions for musical instruments such as in Psalm 4, which begins, “For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.” Song of Songs lacks such instrumental direction; but through the poetic phrasing and pronoun usage, three distinct vocal parts are inherently identifiable: the female lover (who would sing soprano), the male lover (who would sing tenor), and the observing young women (who would function as the chorus). Even without the musical score, it is possible to imagine these actors breathing life into the libretto on a great stage.

1 For Solomon. The most sublime song of all.

2 Her (to him): Kiss me with the sweet kisses of your lips,
for your love delights me more than wine.
3 The pleasant aroma of your fragrance rises in the air;
your name is like precious perfume poured out:
This is why young women adore you.
4 Take me away with you;
let’s run away together!

(to the young women) The king has brought me into his bedroom.

Young Women of Jerusalem (to him): We will shout for joy and celebrate over you.
We will make it known that your love is better than the finest of wines.

Her (to him): Everyone loves you, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t.

5 (to the young women) Look at me, young women of Jerusalem.
I am dark but beautiful.
I am dark like the tents of Kedar;
I am beautiful like the curtains of Solomon’s temple.
6 Don’t stare at my dark skin,
for the sun looked down on me.
My brothers’ anger scorched me;
they made me work all day long in the vineyards,
So I did not have time to care for my own vineyard,
to cultivate my own body.

7 (to him) Tell me, my dearest love,
where are your sheep grazing today?
Where are you resting with your flock at midday?
I want to come to you.
Why must I go looking for you like the veiled women
wandering among the flocks of your friends?

8 Him (to her): If you do not know where I am,
most beautiful of women,
Follow the tracks of my sheep—
they will lead you to me—
And graze your flocks of young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 You remind me, my dear,
of an honored mare among Pharaoh’s stallion-driven chariots;
10 The strings of jewels against your cheeks frame your elegance,
as also the tender curve of your neck with precious gems.

11 Young Women of Jerusalem (to her): We will make for you golden jewelry to lay against your skin,
golden jewelry studded with silver to frame your elegance.

12 Her: When the king was relaxing at his table,
the seductive fragrance of my perfume filled the air.
13 My love is close to my heart,
like a sachet of myrrh tucked between my breasts.
14 My love is like a fragrant bouquet of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of Engedi.

Him: 15 How beautiful you are, my dear! How so very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.

16 Her: You, my love, are so handsome! A pleasure to behold!
Our bed is a lush, green field,
17 The beams of our house are majestic cedars,
and the rafters are tall pines.

2 Her: I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily found in one of the valleys.

2 Him: Like a lily among thorns, that is what she is;
my dear is a captivating beauty among the young women.

3 Her: My love is like an apple tree in a wooded forest;
he is a ripe tree among a grove of saplings, those young men.
I sat beneath his ample shade, filled with such joy.
I tasted the sweetness of his fruit and longed for more.
4 He placed me at his banquet table,
for everyone to see that his banner over me declares his love.

5 (to those around) Sustain me with sweet raisins.
Refresh my energy with apples
Because I am lovesick for him.
6 His left hand cradles my head;
his right embraces me.

7 (to the young women) You of Jerusalem heed my warning.
By the gazelles and deer of the field,
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.
8 I hear his voice! The voice of my love!
Here he comes,
Leaping over the mountains,
bounding among the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle,
sure-footed and swift as a young stag.
Look, there he is! Standing behind my wall,
watching through the windows, peering through the lattice.
10 My love responded and said to me,

Him: Arise, my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
11 Don’t you see? The winter is done.
The rains and clouds have come and gone.
12 The flowers are unfolding in the fields;
the birds are warming up their songs,
The cooing of the turtledove
is heard throughout the land.
13 The fig trees are bringing forth their first fruit,
and the vines are in blossom, filling the air with their fragrance.
So arise my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
14 Now, my dove, don’t be shy.
Don’t hide from me in the clefts of the rock
or nest like a bird in secret among the cliffs.
Show me your lovely form.
Let me hear your beautiful voice,
For it sounds so sweet,
and your face is so lovely.

15 Young Women of Jerusalem (to the couple): Catch the foxes for us,
those little foxes that menace the vineyards,
For our vineyards are so vulnerable when they are in full bloom.

16 Her: My love is mine, and I am his.
He grazes among my lilies.
17 As the day breathes its morning breeze
and shadows turn and flee,
Turn to me, my love, like a gazelle;
come to me like a young stag on rugged mountains.

3 Her: Restless night after night in my bed,
I longed and looked for my soul’s true love;
I searched for him,
but I could not find him.
2 I will get up now and search the city,
wander up and down streets and plazas;
I will look for my soul’s true love.
I searched for him, but I could not find him.
3 The watchmen found me as they kept watch on the silent city.
“Have you seen my soul’s true love?” I asked.
4 Not long after I left them,
I found him—I found my soul’s true love.

This libretto is full of imagery. Two of the most common images are that of the gazelle and the lotus blossom (translated here as “lily”), both frequently used in many ancient Near Eastern cultures. The gazelle is a species of antelope whose males have long horns. Both males and females move with grace and strength as they cross flat savannahs or climb steep cliffs. It is because of these traits that the gazelle is equated with sexuality, youth, and stamina. The Israelites used it in poetry to represent the youthful joys of love and sexual vigor, while many Near Eastern pagan religions used it in images honoring fertility goddesses. The lotus is a type of lily found in watery regions. Because of its shape, which resembles the womb, and its fragrance, which is alluring, the lotus became the flower of choice for lovers across the Near East. In Israel it was featured in poetry and even dominated the capitals of the columns supporting Solomon’s temple; in Egyptian and Phoenician cultures, it represented the gods themselves. With just one word, “gazelle” or “lotus,” this poet conveys a bevy of ideas about love, youth, strength, and passion.

I pulled him to me and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
to the very room where she conceived me.

5 (to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning:
By the gazelles and deer of the field,
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

6 Young Women of Jerusalem: Who is this coming up from the desert,
with billowing clouds of dust and smoke,
with a sweet aroma of burning myrrh and frankincense,
with fragrant spices fresh from the merchant?

The royal litter carries the groom to the wedding, and upon the litter is the king with his crown.

7 Look, it is Solomon’s litter,
surrounded by 60 strong men,
some of the very best soldiers in Israel,
8 All armed swordsmen,
battle-hardened heroes, experts at war,
Marching with swords at their sides,
ready to guard the king from the terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon built his own royal carriage
from the trees of Lebanon.
10 He had its posts fashioned from silver,
its back made of gold,
its seat covered with royal purple,
its interior decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.
11 O go out, young women of Zion,
and see King Solomon
Wearing the crown with which his mother has crowned him on his wedding day,
on the day his heart overflows with joy.

4 Him (to her): You, my love, are beautiful.
So beautiful!

Because stimulating images come forth when the lovers describe in intimate detail each other’s bodies, Jewish men were discouraged from reading this greatest of songs until the age of 30.

Your eyes are like doves
nestled behind your veil.
Your hair moves as gracefully as a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are pearl white like a flock of sheep shorn,
fresh up from a wash.
Each perfect and paired with another;
not one of them is lost.
3 Your lips are as red as scarlet threads;
your mouth is beautiful.
Your cheeks rosy and round are beneath your veil,
like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is elegant like the tower of David,
perfectly fit stone-by-stone.
There hang a thousand shields,
the shields of mighty men.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin gazelles grazing in a meadow of lilies.
6 As the day breathes its morning breeze
and shadows turn and flee,
I will go up your myrrh mountain
and climb your frankincense hill.
7 You are so beautiful, my love,
without blemish.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Journey with me from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir even the summit of Hermon,
From the lions’ dangerous den,
from the mountain hideouts of leopards.
9 My heart is your captive, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen it with one glance,
caught it with a single strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
Your love is more pleasing than the finest wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume brings more delight than any spice!
11 Your lips taste sweet like honey off the comb, my bride;
milk and honey are beneath your tongue.
The scents of your clothes are like the fresh air of Lebanon.
12 You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride, open only to me;
a spring closed up tight, a sealed fountain.
13 Your sprouts are an orchard of pomegranates and exotic fruits—
with henna and nard,
14 With nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon—
With rows of frankincense trees
and myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15 My bride, you are a fountain in a garden,
a well of life-giving water flowing down from Lebanon.

What does he mean by “my sister, my bride”? Is this a sudden revelation of an incestuous relationship? No. He is describing how sexual expression can bring two people intimately together, as close as two people can be; the man and woman are now family. This image would have been particularly meaningful in ancient Israelite society, where life was centered on familial relationships and calling someone “brother” or “sister” was a sign of deep intimacy and care. Blood relatives lived together, worked together, traded with each other, and were buried together. By calling the woman “sister,” he is declaring they are now blood relatives. In the covenant relationship called marriage, blood is drawn during consummation, bonding the two parties together as man and wife, as brother and sister, forever.

16 Him (to the winds): Rise, you north wind;
come, you south wind.
Breathe on my garden,
and let the fragrance of its natural spices fill the air.

Her: Let my love come into his garden
and feast from its choice fruits.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

16 I praise God who lovingly burdened Titus’s heart for you just as He did mine. 17 You see, when we approached him about you, he eagerly stepped up, not only because of our request but because of his own desire to help. 18 We’re also sending with him a brother who is well known among the gatherings of believers because of how well he proclaims the good news. 19 And there’s more you should know: he has been handpicked by the churches to accompany us as we carry on this work of grace. All this is being done for the glory of the Lord and to show our own good will. 20 We’re being careful so that no one can claim that we are mishandling the funds we’ve collected. 21 For we are taking every precaution to remain aboveboard—not only in the Lord’s eyes, but in the eyes of the people too. 22 So we are also sending another brother who’s proven himself time and again. He’s certainly trustworthy and enthusiastic for the gospel; and after hearing about all you are doing, he’s even more excited because he has confidence in you. 23 If anyone asks about Titus, he’s my partner and coworker in this ministry to you. If there’s any question about who the other brothers and sisters are, they are emissaries[a] of the churches, traveling to bring glory to the Anointed One, our Liberating King. 24 So welcome them before the community in love; show the churches they represent that I have not exaggerated your charity and kindness.

Footnotes:

  1. 8:23 Literally, apostles
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 50

Psalm 50

A song of Asaph.

1 The Mighty God, the Eternal—God of past, present, and future—
has spoken over the world,
calling together all things from sunrise to sunset.
2 From Zion, that perfectly beautiful holy place,
shines the radiance of God.

3 Our God will come, and He will not enter on a whisper.
A fire will devour the earth before Him;
the wind will storm wildly about Him.
4 He calls heaven above and earth below
to assist in bringing judgment on His people.
5 “Gather up those who are aligned with Me; bring them to Me;
bring everyone who belongs to Me who have made covenant sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens shout of His justice,
for He is the True God, an honest judge.

[pause][a]

7 “Listen, My people, I have something to say:
O Israel, My testimony comes against you;
I am God, your God.
8 I am not going to scold you because of your sacrifices;
your burnt offerings are always before Me.
9 I will not accept the best bull from your fields
or goats from your meadow,
10 For they are already Mine, just as the forest beast
and the cattle grazing over a thousand hills are Mine.
11 Every bird flying over the mountains I know;
every animal roaming over the fields belongs to Me.

12 I would not come to you if I were hungry,
for the world and all it contains are Mine.
13 Do you really think I eat bull meat?
Or drink goat’s blood?
14 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Be true to your word to the Most High.
15 When you are in trouble, call for Me.
I will come and rescue you,
and you will honor Me.”

16 But to those acting against Him, God says,
“Who do you think you are?
Listing off My laws,
acting as if your life is in alignment with My ways?
17 For it’s clear that you despise My guidance;
you throw My wise words over your shoulder.
18 You play with thieves,
spend your time with adulterers.

19 Evil runs out of your mouth;
your tongue is wrapped in deceit.
20 You sit back and gossip about your brother;
you slander your mother’s son.
21 While you did these things, I kept silent;
somehow you got the idea that I was like you.
But now My silence ends, and I am going to indict you.
I’ll state the charge against you clearly, face-to-face.

22 All you who have forgotten Me, your God, should think about what I have said,
or I will tear you apart and leave no one to save you.
23 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Do this, and you will honor Me.
Those who straighten up their lives
will know the saving grace of God.”

Footnotes:

  1. 50:6 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:22-23

22 Do not cheat poor people just because they are vulnerable
or use shady tactics in court to crush those already suffering;
23 For the Eternal is ready to take their case,
and He ruins anyone who is out to ruin them.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

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09/05/2021 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Psalms 49:1-20, Proverbs 22:20-21

Today is September 5th welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m by Brian it is wonderful to be here with you as we greet a brand-new week, and we walk through the threshold together and look out across what will be and realize none of it is yet to be yet. I don’t even know if that’s proper English, but none of it is here yet it’s in front of us and we have…we have a say. And if we plan and consider our steps, we have a say in what this week is going to look like. And, so, allowing the Scriptures to be a part of those decisions…yeah…that’s only gonna do us…that’s only gonna do us good. And, so, let’s take that next step forward together. We’ve been reading from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. We will conclude this work of Ecclesiastes today and move forward into some new territory tomorrow. This week we’ll read from the Voice Translation. Ecclesiastes chapters 10, 11, and 12.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You. We thank You for Your word and we thank You as we walk into this brand-new shiny sparkly week that Your word is there to guide us as we come together around this Global Campfire every day, as we come into this oasis of safety together to allow You to speak. And, so, come Holy Spirit and plant what we’ve learned today, what we read today in our hearts and continue to challenge us with all of the different places in our hearts and lives that You’ve touched so far this year through the Scriptures. We open ourselves to the continued transformative nature of sanctification as we continue the process of being set apart, being made holy. Come Jesus we ask in Your precious name. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DAB family this is Lita calling from Maryland. This goes out to Gigi from G…from Gville. I heard your testimony on August 30th, and it aired on August 27th. I’m a little behind but I’m so glad that I didn’t skip ahead and miss your testimony. Girl, I am so proud of you, how you got the revelation that God has brought you through, that he healed you, He healed you of Lyme disease, He comforted you over your father’s death and now He’s blessed you with a baby. And I am so excited for you and so happy for you. And it just takes that revelation and the prayers of the DAB family. So, I am really excited for you, grateful for your testimony, and just thankful that you got that revelation girl. Everything will be well. Take care.

Hey DAB family this is his Beloved in Texas and I just ask you guys to come…to just agree with me in prayer right now. Father You know the financial struggles that my family’s going through right now and I know that You can make a way where there seems to be no way. Father You can provide all of our needs according to Your riches and glory in Christ Jesus and Your strengths are made of gold so there is nothing that our God cannot do. There is no…there is no lack that You can’t fill Father. And I just pray that You will forgive us for the times that we’ve not been good stewards of what You’ve given us Father. I ask for wisdom in that stewardship Lord, and I ask for blessing. I ask for You to just show up and show out Father and for that to be a testament of Your power and Your glory and Your love to my 14-year-old who doesn’t even believe there is a God Father. I pray that You would use these situations to show Yourself to her, not only to strengthen our faith but to show Yourself to her in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hello, my beautiful family it’s Susan from Canada, God’s Yellow Flower calling in and this is August 31st and today is one of those days where every single one of the prayer requests have touched my heart, especially the lady who called in who has many children and grandchildren and found out her husband is a pedophile. And having had some sexual…childhood sexual abuse, not from my father but from other people I’m really, really with that and I pray healing upon the children and grandchildren and healing and forgiveness and mercy within the wife’s soul for her husband and of course for her healing…for her husband as well. Dear sweet Jesus You heard my prayer request and I just ask Your healing touch upon each and every one that is…it is a disaster like she said, and I just ask that You move in this family. Be the comfort, be the healing power within and help forgiveness and mercy to reign in that family. Unite them together in cords of love that cannot be broken as they support one another and work through this horrible, horrible situation. Lord God help them well to recover and soar with You once again. In Jesus’ precious and holy name, I pray Amen.

Hi, my name is Jack I live in Birmingham. So, I’ve got these like really hard tests coming up and I was hoping you guys could pray for me before the tests start. And I usually don’t do very well so that’s the reason I’m calling in. If you could pray for me that would be really helpful.

Hi this is Paul from Ohio. I am once again amazed as I listen to the Daily Audio Bible. I’ve been listening for over a decade, and it still amazes me that this seems to be one of the only places in the world that I found where people truly, truly love each other the way Jesus loved us or loved the church. People cry for other people they’ve never met on the other side of the world. I mean there’s no hidden motives there. We are truly invested in the welfare of our brothers and sisters and just seeing that lets me know, gives me faith that this exists as it says in John 13:34-35, a new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you. So, you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Again, where else do we see this? Where else do we see a British man praying for an American person who they’ve never met, they’ve never seen? They’re crying tears for their travails. It is truly amazing and truly faith providing, faith insurance for me. And we know the last 30 minutes is the hardest part of faith and it’s with each other that we get through that. I pray everybody has a blessed day. Amen.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 5, 2021 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 10-12

10 Teacher: Remember the saying,
Dead flies can spoil a good perfume.
In the same way, all the wisdom and honor in the world cannot outweigh a moment’s folly.
2 Wise people move to the right where they honor the goodness of God’s creation,
while fools move to the left and choose to ignore it.

Verse two states that “wise people move to the right . . . while fools move to the left.” The contrast between “right” and “left” reflects the ancient Near Eastern ideas of “clean” and “unclean.” The right hand was considered the clean hand and was a symbol for prosperity, while the left hand was considered the unclean hand and a symbol for disaster. The clean hand was used for eating, for acts of hospitality, and for greeting others. The unclean hand was used for personal hygiene. Thus, in this metaphor the right is equated with God’s goodness, while the left is equated with ignorance of God’s goodness.

3 Teacher: Fools are easily spotted when they walk down the street:
their lack of sense is obvious to everyone.
4 If someone in charge becomes angry at you, don’t leave your post;
a calm reply puts great offenses to rest.

5 I have seen another restless evil in this world, the kind of error that arises from those in power: 6 fools and their folly are promoted to positions of authority, while the rich and talented are assigned menial tasks. 7 I have seen slaves riding on horseback like royalty and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

8 If you dig a pit, you may fall into it.
If you tear down an old wall, a snake may come out and bite you.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be crushed by them,
and whoever splits wood may be hurt by flying debris.
10 If a tool is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the work will be harder;
the advantage of wisdom is this: it brings success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage in being a snake charmer.
12 The words of the wise bring them favor,
but those of the foolish endanger them.
13 The first words out of a fool’s mouth are folly;
the last words he utters are evil madness.
14 The fool babbles on and on, not knowing when to stop.
Though no one knows what will happen next, he may think he knows.
Who can tell what the future holds?
15 The fools’ work wears them out;
they’re so weary they can’t find their way to the city.
16 Woe to the land whose king is a child
and whose princes start their feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble heritage
and whose princes know when to feast,
Who discipline themselves with strength and avoid drunkenness.
18 The roof sags over the head of lazybones;
the house leaks because of idle hands.
19 Feasts are happy occasions;
wine brings joy to life;
money is the answer for everything.
20 Don’t curse the king in your thoughts
or demean the rich even in private.
If you do, a little bird or other winged creature overhead might overhear
and wing your words and report what you said to those in power.

11 Teacher: Don’t be afraid to release your bread upon the waters,
for in due time you will find it.
2 Divide your portion—put seven here, maybe eight there—
for you can never be sure when or where disaster will strike.
3 When the clouds are dark and heavy with rain,
showers will fall upon the earth.
When a tree falls—whether to the south or the north—
it will stay where it lands.
4 Those who watch and wait for favorable winds never plant,
and those who watch and fret over every cloud never harvest.

5 You can no more predict the path of the wind than you can explain how a child’s bones are formed in a mother’s womb. Even more, you will never understand the workings of the God who made all things.

6 Get up early to sow your seed,
and in the evening find worthwhile things to do,
For you never know which will profit you—
maybe this, maybe that, maybe both.

Hard work, not idleness, is at the heart of wisdom. Rewards come when we most need and least expect them.

7 Light is sweet;
one glimpse of the sun delights the eyes.

8 If a person lives many years, then he should learn to enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come—whether bright days or dark—is fleeting. 9 Be happy, and celebrate all of the goodness of youth while you are young. Cultivate a cheerful heart every day you have youth. Go where your heart takes you. Take in the sights. Enjoy, but remember that God will hold us accountable for all that we do. 10 When all is said and done, clear your mind of all its worries. Free your body of all its troubles while you can, for youth and the prime of life will soon vanish.

12 Teacher: And so we come to the end of this musing over life. My advice to you is to remember your Creator, God, while you are young: before life gets hard and the injustice of old age comes upon you—before the years arrive when pleasure feels far out of reach— 2 before the sun and light and the moon and stars fade to darkness and before cloud-covered skies return after the rain. 3 Remember Him before the arms and legs of the keeper of the house begin to tremble—before the strong grow uneasy and bent over with age—before toothless gums aren’t able to chew food and eyes grow dim. 4 Remember Him before the doors are shut in the streets and hearing fails and everyday sounds fade away—before the slightest sound of a bird’s chirp awakens the sleeping but the song itself has fallen silent. 5 People will be afraid of falling from heights and terrifying obstacles in the streets. Realize that hair turns white like the blossoms on the almond tree, one becomes slow and large like a gluttonous grasshopper, and even caper berries no longer stimulate desire. In the end, all must go to our eternal home while there are mourners in the streets. 6-7 So before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is shattered: before the earthen jar is smashed at the spring and the wheel at the well is broken—before the dust returns to the earth that gave it and the spirit-breath returns to God who breathed it, let us remember our Creator. 8 Life is fleeting; it just slips through your fingers. All vanishes like mist.

The teacher advises the readers to “remember” their Creator. Remembrance is a pervasive theme in Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God remembers His covenant people, and the covenant people are told to remember the promises and actions of God on their behalf. In the Book of Psalms, “remember” occurs 45 times, sometimes written by the suffering faithful who cry out to God to remember (Psalms 25:6–7; 74:2, 18, 22; 89:47), and sometimes by the worshiper who marvels that God has remembered (Psalms 8:4; 78:39; 111:5; 136:23). Thus remembering in the Old Testament is an action of both God and God’s people.

Memory was as fundamental to the faith of ancient Israel as it is today. Believers gather together to remember who they are and to whom they belong. This communal memory shapes reality, forms identities, and determines right living.

9 Not only did the teacher attain wisdom by careful observation, study, and setting out many proverbs, but he was also generous with his knowledge and eagerly shared it with people. 10 The teacher also searched for just the right words to bring hope and encouragement, and he wrote honestly about truth and the realities of life.

11 The words of the wise are like goads; the collected sayings of the masters are like the nail-tipped sticks used to drive the sheep, given by one Shepherd.

Wise words ring true in our ears, whether we want to hear them or not. They prod us, convict us, and move us; and heeding them strengthens us.

12 So be warned, my child, of anything else that might be said! There is no end to writing books, and excessive study only exhausts the body. 13 And, when all is said and done, here is the last word: worship in reverence the one True God, and keep His commands, for this is what God expects of every person. 14 For God will judge every action—including everything done in secret—whether it be good or evil.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

8 Now, brothers and sisters, let me tell you about the amazing gift of God’s grace that’s happening throughout the churches in Macedonia. 2 Even in the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. 3 I watched as they willingly gave what they could afford and then went beyond to give even more. 4 They came to us on their own, begging to take part in this work of grace to support the poor saints in Judea. 5 We were so overwhelmed—none of us expected their reaction—that they truly turned their lives over to the Lord and then gave themselves to support us in our work as we answer the call of God. 6 That’s why we asked Titus to finish what he started among you regarding this gracious work of charity. 7 Just as you are rich in everything—in faith and speech, in knowledge and all sincerity, and in the love we have shown among you[a]—now I ask you to invest richly in this gracious work too. 8 I am not going to command you, but I am going to offer you the chance to prove your love genuine in the same way others have done. 9 You know the grace that has come to us through our Lord Jesus the Anointed. He set aside His infinite riches and was born into the lowest circumstance so that you may gain great riches through His humble poverty. 10-11 Listen, it’s been a year since we called your attention to this opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace, so here’s my advice: pull together your resources and finish what you started.

Remember how excited you were at first; it’s time to complete this task in the same spirit. 12 Now if there is a willingness to help, give within your means. That’s perfectly acceptable. No one expects you to go without or borrow to give. 13-14 The objective is not to go under so others will have some relief; the objective is to use this opportunity today to supply their needs out of your abundance. One day it may be the other way around, and they will need to supply your needs from what they have. That’s equality. 15 As it is written, “The one who gathered plenty didn’t have more than he needed; the one who gathered little didn’t have less.”[b]

Footnotes:

  1. 8:7 Other manuscripts read “you have shown us.”
  2. 8:15 Exodus 16:18
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 49

Psalm 49

For the worship leader. A song of the sons of Korah.

Some songs are described as “wisdom psalms.” Similar in theme to the short sayings of Proverbs or the reflective essays of Ecclesiastes, these songs offer practical advice to the worshiper of the one True God. In Psalm 49 we find a meditation on wealth and wisdom, but others describe daily activities (127–128; 133), encouragement when evil succeeds (37; 73), and the results of following God or wickedness (112). The purpose of these songs is to edify those who sing and those who hear, reminding them, and us, how to live life as God intends.

1 Listen up, everyone!
All you who reside in this world, give an ear!
2 Everyone—rich and poor,
young and old, wise and foolish, humble and mighty—
3 My mouth will overflow with wisdom;
the reflections of my heart will guide you to understand the nature of life.
4 I will tune my ear to the words of a proverb;
to the sounds of a harp, I will reveal my riddle.

5 Why should I be afraid when dark evils swirl about me,
when I am walking among the sin of evildoers—
6 Those who depend on their own fortunes,
who boast about their earthly riches?
7 One person can’t grant salvation to another
or make a payment to the True God for another.
8 Redeeming a life is costly;
no premium is enough, ever enough,
9 That one’s body might live on forever
and never fear the grave’s decay.

10 Everyone knows that even the wisest ones die,
perishing together with the foolish and the stupid.
For all die—beggars and kings, fools and wise men.
Their wealth remains behind for others.
11 Although they wish to dwell in fine houses forever,
their graves are their real resting places.
Their homes are for all future generations,
yet for a while they have named lands after themselves.
12 [No one, regardless of how rich or important, can live forever;
he is][a] just like the animals that perish and decay.

13 This is the destiny of those foolish souls who have faith only in themselves;
this will be the end of those happy to follow in their ways.

[pause][b]

14 The fate of fools is the grave, and just like sheep,
death will feast on them.
The righteous will rule over them at dawn,
their bodies, their outward forms, rotting in the grave
far away from their great mansions.
15 But God will reach into the grave and save my life from its power.
He will fetch me and take me into His eternal house.

[pause]

16 Do not be afraid of the rich and powerful
as their prestige and honor grow,
17 For they cannot take anything with them when they die.
Their fame and glory will not follow them into the grave.
18 During their lives, they seek every blessing and advantage
because others praise you when you’ve done well.
19 But they will soon join their ancestors, for all of time,
among the tombs of the faithless—a place of no light.
20 Anyone who is rich or important without understanding
is just like the animals that perish and decay.

Footnotes:

  1. 49:12 Greek manuscripts read, “Anyone who is rich without understanding.”
  2. 49:13 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:20-21

20 In fact, didn’t I already write down for you
Thirty axioms of good advice and sound knowledge
21 To reveal to you what is reliably true
so you can answer those who sent you with these truths you’ve learned?

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Posted on

09/04/2021 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19

Today is the 4th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you as we bring to the close another one of our weeks together. This first close of the week, in this brand-new month and tomorrow we’ll start this first full-blown Sunday through Saturday week in the month of September. So, let’s dive in and take the next step forward that will lead us back into the book of Ecclesiastes, which we have been working our way through for the last few days. We’re reading from the New International Version this week, Ecclesiastes 7 through 9.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for the Proverb that You teach even us, even us, You give us the ability to have wisdom, if we’ll slow down and pay attention. And so, as we continue our journey through Ecclesiastes and Proverbs and Psalms make us wise. It seems that becoming wise is to become aware and to observe and to learn and to be content and to be satisfied and to take the long view and pause and consider what You are saying before we react, those are life lessons to be sure, and they may take our entire life to learn but we want to be walking in the right direction and not have to retrace steps or go in circles anymore. We want to be moving in the right direction, intentionally, one foot in front of the other. The next step forward together toward wisdom. So come Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth, we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that on the app or on the web as well. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi everybody, this is Veronica calling in from Oklahoma City. I’ve called in a few times before to ask for prayer for this reason but my little brother is 20-years-old and has Outports which is a kidney disease. He is on dialysis; he had a handful of seizures yesterday before being transferred to the hospital via ambulance. It’s a very small town, they kept him there for a couple of hours and then transported him via helicopter to a larger town. He is currently in ICU, he is intubated, his blood pressure is still high. He has leisure’s on his brain that were caused by the consistent high blood pressure due to the kidney failure. My mom is there with him. Please ask for prayer for him, he has a twin brother who also is on dialysis and a little younger sister who is 17 who will eventually be on dialysis also. It is a genetic kidney disease that they all three have called Outports. So, please, please, please pray, we desperately need your prayers. My mom just lost her best friend and her father within the last six months so this is really difficult, really difficult time. Anyway, I’m running out of time.

Hey Daily Audio Bible, this is Susie from Colorado calling to tell my brothers and sisters in Christ that your prayers have lifted me up. Before I go any further I wanna just reach out to Dr. John. Dr. John, me and the kids are praying for you and your eyesight. Please don’t be discouraged, my brother, we love you so much. I’m actually in Haiti and I’m starting to feel a lot more encouraged because of your prayers. I was really down, as you all know, quite depressed, but I’m seeing my kids and that just makes me so happy. My little kids actually packed over 300 aid relief boxes for the earthquake victims here and then we took them with trucks and went to the epicenter of the earthquake and my little kids passed out, we passed out 40,000 meals and so we just feel like God has blessed us. I’m sitting here with son Ronald and he wanted to say something to you all. Hello guys, my brothers and sisters in Christ. May God bless you. So thank you for supporting us in your prayers that help us to know who we are in God. So, your prayer, just helping us to be safe. You know our country has a lot of big stuff happen, like the earthquake. And your prayers has made great miracles in our life. So, my brothers, my sisters, my mom feed the people that have no house, no where to stay.

Hello Brian, it’s Righteously Ransomed. I wanted to share something that I feel like God has laid on my heart cause this is something that has happened to me a long time ago. But I was at the very end of my rope, feeling this massive weight on my chest. Desperate in search for just a change at a breath. A pain in distress, a life full of regret. All that awaits me is death. As the coldness enclosed a whisper speaks to my soul – “Don’t give up, not just yet, you are Mine, don’t forget that debt paid for in full by the blood of My Son, blood so pure it can clean the soul.” And I feel a weight begin to pull slowly away. At last, a new breath I can take. My heart no longer to ache from all these mistakes for they are gone by his namesake. By his namesake. That was something that God put me on me 24 hours before I was in a hospital bed fighting for my life. Maybe somebody else needs it. You guys have a great one. Love you. Bye.

Hello, hello beautiful DAB family. This is Christian Fletcher in Oceanside, California. I listen to you every day I’m here I’m here I’m here. I prayed a couple months back to bring women of faith into my life. They came into my life. Now, I just I have no time. But I listen to the DAB every day, all day. So, I work, I deliver mail and so I work six days a week and its 60 hour weeks, so I just work and so that entire time, I am listening to you and I cry with you while I’m working and I’m just praying, I’m in the truck. I hear you I hear you. I wanted to let you know I love you. I am here, I am listening. I don’t call in, I want to, every second, but I’m finally sending this so you all can know I hear you, I am right there with you, I feel what you are going through and I thank you, I thank you so much, you impact my life so positively. I feel the love, I feel the encouragement and I just I’m so thankful for you and I just am finally getting on here to tell you all. So, thank you so much for everything you do. Love you, bye family.

Hello my DAB family, this is Walking in the Light in Tennessee. I haven’t really called in for sometime now. A lot going on in my life and in my family. And in my spirit as well as I’m sure many of you understand. But I heard the commentary on Job from the 24th I think it was of August, just heart it. And it really spoke to me because I know I haven’t gone to the depths of Job but it seems like my life has been one issue after another, after another, one heartbreak, one headache, one this, one that. And you know it just gets to be a little overwhelming so, I come asking for prayers on behalf of me and my sons, my family. And I pray for so many of you. I love you all, I listen to the stories, the requests, the discipline that you know it just gets to be a little overwhelming, so I come asking for prayers on behalf of me and my sons my family and I pray for so many of you I love you all on this to the stories the requests, the situations, everything and so I know that we’re all going through and so I know that I also don’t get a pass, but life can get a little overwhelming, so Brian I wanted to say to you that the commentary on Job was spectacular. I go to Job a lot as I read and it seems like to be one of the places that I’m drawn to in the Scriptures, and it goes so deep in so many ways and so it really spoke to me tonight and I just want to say thank you for pouring yourself into the Daily Audio Bible to your family, to all of you for the grace and the for the privilege of listening is so special to me and so I asked for your prayers ask all of you for the prayers. Remember, my son, Marcus, who is struggling so much with alcoholism and is just really taken a toll on me. Love you guys. Love you all dearly and Audio Bible, Daily Audio Bible, that’s where it’s at. God bless you all.

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9/3/2021 DAB Chronological Transcription

Ezekiel 22-23

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I’m Jill, and it is the third day of September. It’s a brand new month. Let me just put this year into perspective. We are four months away from Christmas. I know it’s still hot for a lot of us. We can’t even think about it. But when you get to this time of the year, it just seems to fly by and we’ll go, how did we get to Christmas already? So here is your loving reminder that you have four months until Christmas. Okay. The third day of September, that’s been established. We are reading in Ezekiel and we’re reading Chapter 22 and 23 today. And we’re reading in the New International version this week. And if I didn’t say, I’m Jill. And it’s great to be here with you, today. Ezekiel chapter 22.

Prayer: 

Oh, Father, we thank you for your word again. We thank you that you graciously, speak to us. You…through your people. Sometimes people. It doesn’t make sense to people You use to graciously warn us, to show us the dangers ahead. You show us the dangers of not following through. And you welcome us back if we would just swallow our pride, humble ourselves, let down our guard and come back to you. I thank you for the many, many times you spoke in my life to people, through other people, things that didn’t make sense. Things that did make sense out of the clear blue. It gave me hope- that renewed my hope again. That helped me endure a little longer. I pray, Father, that we would endure well, a little longer, as it gets dark and it gets bleak. Sometimes we look for the love of Christ and all we see is hate and division, hypocrisy, selfishness. But if we look deeper, we will find you. We will find your love. If we look in the mirror, we are reminded we bear the image of God. You are there. You are in us. Nothing can separate us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. So we thank you for these words today. May we take heed. May we take notice. May we do inventory once again on our own hearts. Are we exuding the love of Christ to all we come into contact with? We pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements: 

Daily Audio Bible, that is home base. Take a look around. If you haven’t download the app, check out the prayer wall, if you haven’t. Just posting a prayer request to the prayer wall is literally just a few clicks of the keyboard on your mobile device, or on the website. If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, we thank you so much for this partnership and we could not do it with out you. If you’re giving by mail, it’s D-A-B PO box 1996, Springfield, Tennessee 37174, or you can give right at the website. Look for the give icon, or right on your mobile device. Just hit the give icon. It’s up at the top right hand corner. If you would like prayer, if you’d like to call in and pray for someone that’s previously called in and pray for them. If God is just moving on your heart, you can do so. 800-583-2164 that is a toll free telephone number. Toll free. Back in the day we used to have to say it was a toll free, otherwise you had to pay to call. You remember the days of phone booths and if you didn’t have $0.20, you were in bad shape because if you didn’t have $0.20, you couldn’t even call in a prayer to a friend. $0.20 to call anybody, anywhere local. Yeah, we don’t even need to say toll free, but it’s a free number.

800-583-2164 or hit the red circle button, it’s up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device and make sure you hit submit. Turn the little dial to chronological and it’ll get off to the right place. Check out our social media platforms: Daily Audio Bible, DAB Friends, Daily Audio Bible Chronological, D-A-B-C Friends and a lot of emails coming in, can’t find Daily Audio Bible Women. Just go to the search bar up at the top and type in Daily Audio Bible Women that page will come up and if you just like the page, I think there’s a little thumb. You hit the little thumb or you hit the like. You will get all of the notifications, the daily encouragement there and you can connect with other women on that page as well. Daily Audio Bible Women. That’s going to do it for me today. I’m Jill. We will turn the page in our stories together tomorrow. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line: 

Hi DABC, this is Emmy from Illinois. I am calling in requesting prayer for my dad today. He is going to turn 80 on Friday and was put on a ventilator yesterday due to COVID. He’s had it for a couple of weeks now and his oxygen levels were just not getting up there without massive help from the bypass machine and a couple of other things. So just asking for prayer that he’ll be able to relax into this and heal so that he can come out of it. I know he’s lived a long and healthy and prosperous life. And he would have no regret going home to the Lord. But selfishly, I want him here to meet my baby in three months, and I’m not ready to let him go. So if you can pray for us, that would be great.

Good morning, my DABC family. It’s Susan from Canada, God’s Yellow Flower calling. And I left a message in the DAB and I’m going to ask again here for prayer for President Biden, whether you agree with him or not. He’s the President of the United States of America, and he needs God’s wisdom right now. So, dear Lord, I just come before you with President Biden in my heart, and I bring him before the throne of Grace and ask that your wisdom be imparted on to him, that he would have the heart of God within Him, the wisdom of God and the courage and strength of God. And we pray that the decisions he makes concerning Afghanistan and how this bombing will affect the world. We pray dear God, that you would impart your wisdom on to him as he is burdened with this responsibility. I pray to your God that the supporters he has in the military will give good and Godly advice. I don’t know what the answer is, but you do, Lord. You know all things. I pray the light of Christ which shine upon Afghanistan and that God the one true God would be revealed and that many people would come to know you through this horrible situation. In Jesus precious and Holy name I pray. Amen.

Giving all praise, glory and honor to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the head of my life. This is Walking in the Wilderness in Georgia, Laura. And I just need to say, Jill, Jill, Jill my sister in Christ. Woman, what you said at the end of today, this would be August the 28th message was so on point. I receive that I’m not offended by it because I can have opinions all day long. But if it doesn’t line up with the word and the will of the Father, the Creator, the mighty King of King and Lord of Lords, it doesn’t matter. Thank you, Jill, for your obedience to speaking what God placed in your spirit to say. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Forgive my breathing heart. I’m walking on my treadmill. But I could not stop and get off to say what I had to say because I’m being obedient to the Spirit of the Lord. Peace and blessings to everyone. Love you.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 4, 2021 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 7-9

Wisdom

7 A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(C) is the destiny(D) of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
3 Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
5 It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
so is the laughter(I) of fools.
This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe(J) corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience(K) is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked(L) in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.(M)

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(N) better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(O)
and benefits those who see the sun.(P)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done:(Q)

Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?(R)
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.(S)
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life(T) of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(U)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?(V)
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God(W) will avoid all extremes.[a]

19 Wisdom(X) makes one wise person more powerful(Y)
than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(Z)
no one who does what is right and never sins.(AA)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you(AB) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(AC)—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?(AD)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(AE)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.(AF)

26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,(AG)
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.(AH)

27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[b](AI) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28 while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman(AJ) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

8 Who is like the wise?
Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
and changes its hard appearance.

Obey the King

2 Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(AK) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(AL)”

5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(AM)
though a person may be weighed down by misery.

7 Since no one knows the future,
who can tell someone else what is to come?
8 As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
so[c] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[d] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(AN)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[e] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(AO) with those who fear God,(AP) who are reverent before him.(AQ) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(AR) it will not go well with them, and their days(AS) will not lengthen like a shadow.

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(AT) This too, I say, is meaningless.(AU) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(AV), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(AW) and be glad.(AX) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(AY) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(AZ)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(BA) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(BB)

A Common Destiny for All

9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(BC) 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[f] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,
so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.(BD)

3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(BE) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(BF) and afterward they join the dead.(BG) 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope[g]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;(BH)
they have no further reward,
and even their name(BI) is forgotten.(BJ)
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.(BK)

7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(BL) with a joyful heart,(BM) for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white,(BN) and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife,(BO) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(BP) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(BQ) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(BR) for in the realm of the dead,(BS) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(BT)

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(BU)
nor does food come to the wise(BV)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(BW) happen to them all.(BX)

12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(BY)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(BZ)

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(CA) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(CB) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(CC)

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(CD) is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

Footnotes:

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
  3. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
  4. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  5. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten
  6. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
  7. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope

Cross references:

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:1 : Pr 22:1; SS 1:3
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:1 : S Job 10:18
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:2 : S Pr 11:19
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:2 : S Ecc 2:14
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:3 : S Pr 14:13
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:4 : S Ecc 2:1; Jer 16:8
  7. Ecclesiastes 7:5 : S Pr 13:18; 15:31-32
  8. Ecclesiastes 7:6 : S Ps 58:9
  9. Ecclesiastes 7:6 : S Pr 14:13
  10. Ecclesiastes 7:7 : S Ex 18:21; S 23:8
  11. Ecclesiastes 7:8 : Pr 14:29
  12. Ecclesiastes 7:9 : S Mt 5:22
  13. Ecclesiastes 7:9 : S Pr 14:29
  14. Ecclesiastes 7:10 : S Ps 77:5
  15. Ecclesiastes 7:11 : Ecc 2:13
  16. Ecclesiastes 7:11 : Ecc 11:7
  17. Ecclesiastes 7:13 : Ecc 2:24
  18. Ecclesiastes 7:13 : Ecc 1:15
  19. Ecclesiastes 7:14 : S Job 1:21; S Ecc 2:24
  20. Ecclesiastes 7:15 : S Job 7:7
  21. Ecclesiastes 7:15 : S Job 21:7; Ecc 8:12-14; Jer 12:1
  22. Ecclesiastes 7:17 : Job 15:32
  23. Ecclesiastes 7:18 : S Ecc 3:14
  24. Ecclesiastes 7:19 : S Ecc 2:13
  25. Ecclesiastes 7:19 : S Pr 8:14
  26. Ecclesiastes 7:20 : S Ps 14:3
  27. Ecclesiastes 7:20 : S 2Ch 6:36; S Job 4:17; S Pr 20:9; Ro 3:12
  28. Ecclesiastes 7:21 : Pr 30:10
  29. Ecclesiastes 7:23 : S Ecc 1:17
  30. Ecclesiastes 7:24 : S Job 28:12
  31. Ecclesiastes 7:25 : S Job 28:3
  32. Ecclesiastes 7:25 : S Ecc 1:17
  33. Ecclesiastes 7:26 : S Ex 10:7; S Jdg 14:15
  34. Ecclesiastes 7:26 : S Pr 2:16-19; 5:3-5; S 7:23; 22:14
  35. Ecclesiastes 7:27 : S Ecc 1:1
  36. Ecclesiastes 7:28 : 1Ki 11:3
  37. Ecclesiastes 8:3 : Ecc 10:4
  38. Ecclesiastes 8:4 : Est 1:19
  39. Ecclesiastes 8:6 : Ecc 3:1
  40. Ecclesiastes 8:10 : S Ecc 1:11
  41. Ecclesiastes 8:12 : S Dt 12:28
  42. Ecclesiastes 8:12 : S Ex 1:20
  43. Ecclesiastes 8:12 : Ecc 3:14
  44. Ecclesiastes 8:13 : Ecc 3:14
  45. Ecclesiastes 8:13 : Dt 4:40; Job 5:26; Ps 34:12; Isa 65:20
  46. Ecclesiastes 8:14 : S Job 21:7
  47. Ecclesiastes 8:14 : S Ecc 7:15
  48. Ecclesiastes 8:15 : S Ps 42:8
  49. Ecclesiastes 8:15 : S Ex 32:6; S Ecc 2:3
  50. Ecclesiastes 8:15 : S Ecc 2:1
  51. Ecclesiastes 8:16 : S Ecc 1:17
  52. Ecclesiastes 8:16 : Ecc 1:13
  53. Ecclesiastes 8:17 : S Job 28:3
  54. Ecclesiastes 8:17 : S Job 28:23; Ro 11:33
  55. Ecclesiastes 9:1 : Ecc 10:14
  56. Ecclesiastes 9:2 : Job 9:22; Ecc 2:14
  57. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : S Job 9:22; S Ecc 2:14
  58. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : Jer 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 17:9
  59. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : S Job 21:26
  60. Ecclesiastes 9:5 : S Job 14:21
  61. Ecclesiastes 9:5 : S Ps 9:6
  62. Ecclesiastes 9:5 : S Ecc 1:11
  63. Ecclesiastes 9:6 : S Job 21:21
  64. Ecclesiastes 9:7 : S Nu 6:20
  65. Ecclesiastes 9:7 : S Ecc 2:24
  66. Ecclesiastes 9:8 : S Rev 3:4
  67. Ecclesiastes 9:9 : S Pr 5:18
  68. Ecclesiastes 9:9 : S Job 31:2
  69. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : S 1Sa 10:7
  70. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : Ecc 11:6
  71. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : Nu 16:33; S Ps 6:5; Isa 38:18
  72. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : S Ecc 2:24
  73. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Am 2:14-15
  74. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Job 32:13; Isa 47:10; Jer 9:23
  75. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Ecc 2:14
  76. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : S Dt 8:18
  77. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : S Pr 29:6
  78. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : S Ps 73:22; S Ecc 2:14
  79. Ecclesiastes 9:13 : S 2Sa 20:22
  80. Ecclesiastes 9:15 : S Ge 40:14; S Ecc 1:11
  81. Ecclesiastes 9:16 : Est 6:3
  82. Ecclesiastes 9:18 : S Ecc 2:13
New International Version (NIV)

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2 Corinthians 7:8-16

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,(A) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation(B) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,(C) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you,(D) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong(E) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus(F) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you,(G) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus(H) has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,(I) receiving him with fear and trembling.(J) 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.(K)

Cross references:

  1. 2 Corinthians 7:8 : 2Co 2:2, 4
  2. 2 Corinthians 7:10 : Ac 11:18
  3. 2 Corinthians 7:11 : ver 7
  4. 2 Corinthians 7:12 : ver 8; 2Co 2:3, 9
  5. 2 Corinthians 7:12 : 1Co 5:1, 2
  6. 2 Corinthians 7:13 : ver 6; S 2Co 2:13
  7. 2 Corinthians 7:14 : ver 4
  8. 2 Corinthians 7:14 : ver 6
  9. 2 Corinthians 7:15 : 2Co 2:9; 10:6
  10. 2 Corinthians 7:15 : Ps 55:5; 1Co 2:3; Php 2:12
  11. 2 Corinthians 7:16 : S 2Co 2:3
New International Version (NIV)

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

Psalm 48

Psalm 48[a]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)

2 Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
the city of the Great King.(H)
3 God is in her citadels;(I)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)

4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(K)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(L)
6 Trembling seized(M) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
shattered by an east wind.(P)

8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[c](Q)

9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(R) on your unfailing love.(S)
10 Like your name,(T) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(U)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(V)

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(W)
13 consider well her ramparts,(X)
view her citadels,(Y)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(Z)

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AA) even to the end.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 48:1 In Hebrew texts 48:1-14 is numbered 48:2-15.
  2. Psalm 48:2 Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
  3. Psalm 48:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 48:1 : Ps 86:10; 96:4; 99:2; 135:5; 147:5; Jer 10:6
  2. Psalm 48:1 : S 2Sa 22:4; S 1Ch 16:25; Ps 18:3
  3. Psalm 48:1 : S Ps 46:4
  4. Psalm 48:1 : S Dt 33:19; Ps 2:6; 87:1; Isa 11:9; 32:16; Jer 31:23; Da 9:16; Mic 4:1; Zec 8:3
  5. Psalm 48:2 : Ps 50:2; La 2:15; Eze 16:14
  6. Psalm 48:2 : S Jos 13:27
  7. Psalm 48:2 : S Ps 2:6
  8. Psalm 48:2 : Mt 5:35
  9. Psalm 48:3 : ver 13; Ps 122:7
  10. Psalm 48:3 : Ps 18:2
  11. Psalm 48:4 : 2Sa 10:1-19
  12. Psalm 48:5 : Ex 15:16; Isa 13:8; Jer 46:5; Da 5:9
  13. Psalm 48:6 : S Job 4:14
  14. Psalm 48:6 : S Ge 3:16
  15. Psalm 48:7 : S Ge 10:4; S 1Ki 10:22; 22:48
  16. Psalm 48:7 : S Ge 41:6
  17. Psalm 48:8 : Jer 23:6; Zec 8:13; 14:11
  18. Psalm 48:9 : S Ps 39:3
  19. Psalm 48:9 : Ps 6:4
  20. Psalm 48:10 : S Ex 6:3; S Jos 7:9
  21. Psalm 48:10 : 1Sa 2:10; Ps 22:27; 65:5; 98:3; 100:1; Isa 11:12; 24:16; 42:10; 49:6
  22. Psalm 48:11 : Ps 97:8
  23. Psalm 48:12 : S Ne 3:1
  24. Psalm 48:13 : 2Sa 20:15; Isa 26:1; La 2:8; Hab 2:1
  25. Psalm 48:13 : S ver 3
  26. Psalm 48:13 : Ps 71:18; 78:6; 109:13
  27. Psalm 48:14 : Ps 25:5; 73:24; Pr 6:22; Isa 49:10; 57:18; 58:11
New International Version (NIV)

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

Proverbs 22:17-19

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying 1

17 Pay attention(A) and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;(B)
apply your heart to what I teach,(C)
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 22:17 : S Pr 1:8
  2. Proverbs 22:17 : S Pr 1:6; 30:1; 31:1
  3. Proverbs 22:17 : S Pr 2:2
New International Version (NIV)

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

Posted on

09/03/2021 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7, Psalms 47:1-9, Proverbs 22:16

Today is the 3rd day of September welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today. Yeah, we’re moving toward the end of the week still getting moved into a brand-new month working our way through a new book, the book of Ecclesiastes, which we talked about yesterday as a part of the grouping of books known as wisdom literature. And Solomon in Ecclesiastes is kind of giving us the lay of the land from the perspective of a person who has lived their life with no boundaries, going after and having access to whatever they could dream of and what that perspective brings when you’re older and looking back. So, Ecclesiastes 4, 5, and 6 today.

Commentary:

Okay, as we continue our journey through the book of Ecclesiastes, we are receiving cautionary wisdom. The book is articulating some things where we could be like, this is in the Bible? This is being said out…out loud out of the Bible? And it’s not that it’s so foreign or strange. It’s our experiences. We have experienced many of these things and come to these conclusions of, what am I doing all this for? What is the point of all of this? Where is all of this going? Where does this lead to? Why am I killing myself to do this? Those kinds of questions are things that we arrive at in exhaustion and frustration at times in our lives. It…it's…just…just that when we…we do encounter those kinds of situations we have friends around us that are giving us…feeding us Bible verses of encouragement and we’re doing the same thing to ourselves, which is fine, it’s just that Ecclesiastes is doing that. It’s letting it be kind of what it is so that it can be a cautionary offering of wisdom. So, let’s just look back at a couple of points of wisdom coming from the book of Ecclesiastes today. And I quote. “I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Right? So, this idea that we can one up or we need to stay in competition with each other, it does propel us forward, it does drive us but unto what? What do we get if we win? More stuff and less life? Ecclesiastes is saying this is kind of a…a pointless attempt. It’s meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind. Or “a dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.” Right? So, restless sleep when there is anxiety, and many many cares and obligations and responsibilities that they…they just keep being churned in our mind, even while we’re asleep. And, so, we wake up tired. I am a person…I have definitely experienced this in my life plenty of times. And it goes on to say, “many words mark the speech of a fool.” Right? So, the one that’s always gabbing, the one that’s always talking, the one that never listens, the one that never understands the value of silence, that marks the speech of a fool. Or this, “whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” In other words, enough will never be enough. And that is cautionary and important wisdom because we’re hearing this wisdom from someone who had it all. And, so, this idea, if I could just achieve this place, if I could just arrive at a certain level of security, if I could just have this much than that will be enough because then the things that I want to do I can do. What we’re being told is once you get on that treadmill, it’s never going to be enough and in the end you accumulate a lot of stuff and chase the wind or miss life. Or this one. When God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them to accept their lot and be happy in their toil, this is a gift from God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. So, in other words, a person who is satisfied is a person who understands what they have has been given from God and accepting and appreciating that, having the ability to just enjoy where you are in the process. This is a gift of God. And those who have found that place, they’re not always out in front of themselves and they’re…they’re not always living in the past mistakes because they’re occupied with gladness of heart in the now. Wow! Could we…could we use that lesson. So, what we’re seeing is wisdom being dispensed and given to us in such a way that cautions us about the natural tendencies…tendencies we have to try to create an identity that when we reach the conclusion the closing chapters of our lives, we will look back and feel like we wasted so much time, that there was so much meaninglessness. This is wisdom being given to us in a cautionary way so that we get off that treadmill so that we don’t follow that path so that we find meaning in where we are right now instead of the hope for meaning in a future that we envision, that will still be in adequate when we get there because we will just need to go on to the next thing and never actually really truly and fully appreciate the gifts that are bestowed upon us by God that have less to do with accumulation and more to do with actually living.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You, of course, like every day, we invite You into what…what we’ve read, we invite and ask Your Holy Spirit to plant what we’ve read in our hearts and in our lives so that it will stick, so that it will become part of the fabric of who we are and so that the wisdom being offered to us can be heeded so that we can live an abundant life so that we can realize that what that looks like may be different than what our culture is trying to tell us. Come Holy Spirit. May we find satisfaction and contentment in You we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website and that is how to get connected and stay connected and find out what’s going on around here. So, check that out. If you don’t have the Daily Audio Bible app download that. It’s free from…from…well…from…from your app store depending on which device that you have. But it’s free and you can download it and you can access all of the things that we’re talking about here at the web within the app. There’s a little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app screen that does what it’s supposed to do, it opens a drawer and then you can find things like the Community section. And within the Community section you can find different links to where we are on social media. Also there in the Community section is the Prayer Wall, a very important part of what we do around here around the Global Campfire is pray for each other. It is a beautiful thing, actually, to behold. And on some days, it’s extraordinarily humbling to hear what people are willing to offer, like to hear a piece of your life to…to hear your story, to hear your struggle, to hear your victory. It’s a humbling thing when that is offered to the community as a gift. And we have always treated that way. We have loved each other well and that’s what we will continue to do so. And, so, we pray for one another, and the Prayer Wall is a place to go. It’s always happening. There’s always things to pray for and it’s always open for requesting prayer from those in the community who are there. So, be sure to check that out. It’s in the…well…the Community section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly, with deep gratitude. This mission that we launched…well…almost 16 years ago now and that we just began and have never stopped, and have never missed a day was always centered around bringing the spoken word of God to whoever would listen to it and knowing that it’s a rhythm and knowing that so many…so many millions and millions of people start the Bible but so few finish it. So, to be able to navigate through a year to live a year of life together showing up every day around the Global Campfire taking the next step forward together and then praying for one another, if that makes a difference in your world than thank you for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. So, there is a link on the homepage. 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, of course, 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:

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible family my name is Josh from Omaha. I just wanted to call in today after attending a funeral of a young man a 53-year-old man. I was prompted to just call him the day before he passed away and I didn’t. Again, I was prompted two weeks ago to call in an I didn’t hear it and I’m doing it today. My daughter went to school at Creighton University and had an anxiety attack. And since then, we’ve gone…come to find out that so many young men and women are facing the same thing especially now in our nation today. And we just want to come against the spirit of fear and anxiety, and we want to cast that out. And if you want to join me in the prayer today, I’d really appreciate it. My daughter’s name is Emily and I just want to pray for anybody and everybody that’s in our nation today, that they would be free of anxiety. So, would you please join me in prayer? Dear Jesus, we just come against the spirit of the evil one today and I call out him and I ask in Your name Jesus would You just call out anxiety, fear, angst, depression, panic, pain, and suffering and that You would crush them underneath Your feet in Jesus’ name. And I just put a call in and say that you have no hold on our children or adults today or ever from this day on and I cast them out and I pronounce that the battle is won in Jesus’ name. Amen.

My name is Dora and I want…can you please pray for me because I…I am scared and I…I don’t want to be scared and I want to believe that God is with me every time I go…

Hello, DABbers this is God’s Chosen from Georgia. I’m calling in to ask for prayer for all medical workers in different capacities. Pray for God’s protection over them. Pray that God almighty would give them wisdom as to discharge their duties. Pray that God will give them compassion. We pray also, that in everything they do they will see the love of God and the peace that He gives. Pray also for all patients, those whose bodies are wrapped up with pain, those who are dealing with cancer, those who are dealing with terrible diseases and so many others whose conditions are beyond repair. Please pray that God will visit them in a divine way and pray for peace all over the world. We all need Jesus. So, come and save us from all the chaos, the uncertainty, and the decay of the society. Pray that peace would reign, that God will have compassion over all His children.

Hey DAB it’s Emmy from Illinois I’m just calling asking for prayer for my dad. He is a retired pastor about to turn 80 this week and has had COVID the last two weeks and was put on a ventilator yesterday. There are thousands of people that he has touched over the years that are praying for him but I’m asking for additional prayer support from my DAB family. I am 28 weeks pregnant and would really love for my dad to meet my baby. So, if you could just pray for that. Also, I’m on my way right now to get my glucose test done for pregnancy. And while I’m not concerned just based on my overall health, but still a little nervous about the idea of having to deal with gestational diabetes. So, if you could just pray. I know that you will get this long after the test is done but just pray for healing in that way as…well…not healing but that I be healthy with that as well. And then just lastly just continued prayers for my marriage and that this baby and just life would settle, and my husband would reach back out to God, find satisfaction and contentment in God. Thank you.

Hi DAB community this is Jeanette from Denmark I wanna send a great big thank you for this continuing DAB ministry. I’m in my 11th year of listening. I was originally from the States and when I began, I really wanted something for my faith also in English that would keep my heart going. It’s a little bit difficult when you’re an expatriate. My husband started listening about four years ago and right now he’s moved on to the chronological reading. He loves being able to listen in the quiet hours in the morning of the afternoon and we’ve been really blessed by the prayer time. We…we have a community of people who are strong believers here in Denmark. And you guys, we remember you in our prayers so much because there are strong heart ties between Denmark and the United States in the faith community. We love you so much and we want you to know that God is with you. No matter what is going on He is constantly with you and loves you so dearly. He loves us and He loves you and we are as the body of Christ with Christ at the head and Jesus a powerful God. He walked here He was resurrected from the dead and He indeed is coming for his people as well, the bride of Christ. We love you very much. Remember you are a part of something big and it’s going to be wonderful. We love you.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 3, 2021 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 4-6

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression(A) that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.(B)
2 And I declared that the dead,(C)
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.(D)
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,(E)
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.(F)

4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(G)

5 Fools fold their hands(H)
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil(I)
and chasing after the wind.

7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content(J) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Advancement Is Meaningless

13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Fulfill Your Vow to God

5 [a]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.(K)
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.(L)
3 A dream(M) comes when there are many cares,
and many words mark the speech of a fool.(N)

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.(O) He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.(P) 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.(Q) 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.(R)

Riches Are Meaningless

8 If you see the poor oppressed(S) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.(T)

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:(U)

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.(V)
They take nothing from their toil(W)
that they can carry in their hands.(X)

16 This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
and what do they gain,
since they toil for the wind?(Y)
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink(Z) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor(AA) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions,(AB) and the ability to enjoy them,(AC) to accept their lot(AD) and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.(AE) 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.(AF)

6 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them,(AG) and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.(AH)

3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn(AI) child is better off than he.(AJ) 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?(AK)

7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
yet their appetite is never satisfied.(AL)
8 What advantage have the wise over fools?(AM)
What do the poor gain
by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
9 Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.(AN)

10 Whatever exists has already been named,(AO)
and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?

12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days(AP) they pass through like a shadow?(AQ) Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

Footnotes:

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:17, and 5:2-20 is numbered 5:1-19.

Cross references:

  1. Ecclesiastes 4:1 : S Ps 12:5
  2. Ecclesiastes 4:1 : La 1:16
  3. Ecclesiastes 4:2 : Jer 20:17-18; 22:10
  4. Ecclesiastes 4:2 : S Job 3:17; S 10:18
  5. Ecclesiastes 4:3 : S Job 3:16
  6. Ecclesiastes 4:3 : S Job 3:22
  7. Ecclesiastes 4:4 : S Ecc 1:14
  8. Ecclesiastes 4:5 : S Pr 6:10
  9. Ecclesiastes 4:6 : Pr 15:16-17; S 16:8
  10. Ecclesiastes 4:8 : Pr 27:20
  11. Ecclesiastes 5:2 : S Jdg 11:35
  12. Ecclesiastes 5:2 : S Job 6:24; S Pr 20:25
  13. Ecclesiastes 5:3 : S Job 20:8
  14. Ecclesiastes 5:3 : Ecc 10:14
  15. Ecclesiastes 5:4 : S Dt 23:21; S Jdg 11:35; Ps 119:60
  16. Ecclesiastes 5:4 : S Nu 30:2; Ps 66:13-14
  17. Ecclesiastes 5:5 : Nu 30:2-4; Jnh 2:9
  18. Ecclesiastes 5:7 : Ecc 3:14
  19. Ecclesiastes 5:8 : S Ps 12:5
  20. Ecclesiastes 5:12 : Job 20:20
  21. Ecclesiastes 5:13 : Ecc 6:1-2
  22. Ecclesiastes 5:15 : S Job 1:21
  23. Ecclesiastes 5:15 : Ps 49:17; 1Ti 6:7
  24. Ecclesiastes 5:15 : Ecc 1:3
  25. Ecclesiastes 5:16 : S Ecc 1:3
  26. Ecclesiastes 5:18 : S Ecc 2:3
  27. Ecclesiastes 5:18 : Ecc 2:10, 24
  28. Ecclesiastes 5:19 : S 1Ch 29:12
  29. Ecclesiastes 5:19 : Ecc 6:2
  30. Ecclesiastes 5:19 : S Job 31:2
  31. Ecclesiastes 5:19 : S Ecc 2:24
  32. Ecclesiastes 5:20 : S Dt 12:7, 18
  33. Ecclesiastes 6:2 : Ecc 5:19
  34. Ecclesiastes 6:2 : Ecc 5:13
  35. Ecclesiastes 6:3 : S Job 3:16
  36. Ecclesiastes 6:3 : S Job 3:3
  37. Ecclesiastes 6:6 : Ecc 2:14
  38. Ecclesiastes 6:7 : S Pr 27:20
  39. Ecclesiastes 6:8 : S Ecc 2:15
  40. Ecclesiastes 6:9 : S Ecc 1:14
  41. Ecclesiastes 6:10 : Ecc 3:15
  42. Ecclesiastes 6:12 : S Job 10:20; S 20:8
  43. Ecclesiastes 6:12 : S 1Ch 29:15; S Job 14:2; S Ps 39:6
New International Version (NIV)

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

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7

Warning Against Idolatry

14 Do not be yoked together(A) with unbelievers.(B) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?(C) 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]?(D) Or what does a believer(E) have in common with an unbeliever?(F) 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?(G) For we are the temple(H) of the living God.(I) As God has said:

“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[b](J)

17 Therefore,

“Come out from them(K)
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”[c](L)

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,(M)
says the Lord Almighty.”[d](N)

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,(O) dear friends,(P) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness(Q) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

2 Make room for us in your hearts.(R) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts(S) that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.(T) I am greatly encouraged;(U) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.(V)

5 For when we came into Macedonia,(W) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn(X)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.(Y) 6 But God, who comforts the downcast,(Z) comforted us by the coming of Titus,(AA) 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:15 Greek Beliar, a variant of Belial
  2. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Lev. 26:12; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 37:27
  3. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Isaiah 52:11; Ezek. 20:34,41
  4. 2 Corinthians 6:18 2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8

Cross references:

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:14 : Ge 24:3; Dt 22:10; 1Co 5:9, 10
  2. 2 Corinthians 6:14 : 1Co 6:6
  3. 2 Corinthians 6:14 : Eph 5:7, 11; 1Jn 1:6
  4. 2 Corinthians 6:15 : 1Co 10:21
  5. 2 Corinthians 6:15 : Ac 5:14
  6. 2 Corinthians 6:15 : 1Co 6:6
  7. 2 Corinthians 6:16 : 1Co 10:21
  8. 2 Corinthians 6:16 : S 1Co 3:16
  9. 2 Corinthians 6:16 : S Mt 16:16
  10. 2 Corinthians 6:16 : Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27; Rev 21:3
  11. 2 Corinthians 6:17 : Rev 18:4
  12. 2 Corinthians 6:17 : Isa 52:11; Eze 20:34, 41
  13. 2 Corinthians 6:18 : Ex 4:22; 2Sa 7:14; 1Ch 17:13; Isa 43:6; S Ro 8:14
  14. 2 Corinthians 6:18 : 2Sa 7:8
  15. 2 Corinthians 7:1 : 2Co 6:17, 18
  16. 2 Corinthians 7:1 : S 1Co 10:14
  17. 2 Corinthians 7:1 : 1Th 4:7; 1Pe 1:15, 16
  18. 2 Corinthians 7:2 : 2Co 6:12, 13
  19. 2 Corinthians 7:3 : 2Co 6:11, 12; Php 1:7
  20. 2 Corinthians 7:4 : ver 14; 2Co 8:24
  21. 2 Corinthians 7:4 : ver 13
  22. 2 Corinthians 7:4 : S 2Co 6:10
  23. 2 Corinthians 7:5 : 2Co 2:13; S Ac 16:9
  24. 2 Corinthians 7:5 : 2Co 4:8
  25. 2 Corinthians 7:5 : Dt 32:25
  26. 2 Corinthians 7:6 : 2Co 1:3, 4
  27. 2 Corinthians 7:6 : ver 13; S 2Co 2:13
New International Version (NIV)

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

Psalm 47

Psalm 47[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 Clap your hands,(A) all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.(B)

2 For the Lord Most High(C) is awesome,(D)
the great King(E) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(F) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(G) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(H) whom he loved.[b]

5 God has ascended(I) amid shouts of joy,(J)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(K)
6 Sing praises(L) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(M)
sing to him a psalm(N) of praise.

8 God reigns(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;(Q)
he is greatly exalted.(R)

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 47:1 In Hebrew texts 47:1-9 is numbered 47:2-10.
  2. Psalm 47:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  3. Psalm 47:9 Or shields

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 47:1 : S 2Ki 11:12
  2. Psalm 47:1 : S Ps 33:3
  3. Psalm 47:2 : Ge 14:18
  4. Psalm 47:2 : S Dt 7:21
  5. Psalm 47:2 : Ps 2:6; 48:2; 95:3; Mt 5:35
  6. Psalm 47:3 : Ps 18:39, 47; Isa 14:6
  7. Psalm 47:4 : Ps 2:8; 16:6; 78:55; 1Pe 1:4
  8. Psalm 47:4 : Am 6:8; 8:7
  9. Psalm 47:5 : Ps 68:18; Eph 4:8
  10. Psalm 47:5 : S Job 8:21; S Ps 106:5
  11. Psalm 47:5 : S Nu 10:2; S 2Sa 6:15
  12. Psalm 47:6 : S 2Sa 22:50
  13. Psalm 47:7 : Zec 14:9
  14. Psalm 47:7 : 1Ch 16:7; Col 3:16
  15. Psalm 47:8 : S 1Ch 16:31
  16. Psalm 47:8 : S 1Ki 22:19; S Ps 9:4; Rev 4:9
  17. Psalm 47:9 : S Job 25:2
  18. Psalm 47:9 : Ps 46:10; 97:9
New International Version (NIV)

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

Proverbs 22:16

16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

New International Version (NIV)

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