The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday April 26, 2023 (NIV)

Judges 6

Gideon

Once again the people of Israel sinned against the Lord, so he let the people of Midian rule them for seven years. The Midianites were stronger than Israel, and the people of Israel hid from them in caves and other safe places in the hills. Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites would come with the Amalekites and the desert tribes and attack them. They would camp on the land and destroy the crops as far south as the area around Gaza. They would take all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and leave nothing for the Israelites to live on. They would come with their livestock and tents, as thick as locusts. They and their camels were too many to count. They came and devastated the land, and Israel was helpless against them.

Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help against the Midianites, and he sent them a prophet who brought them this message from the Lord, the God of Israel: “I brought you out of slavery in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and from the people who fought you here in this land. I drove them out as you advanced, and I gave you their land. 10 I told you that I am the Lord your God and that you should not worship the gods of the Amorites, whose land you are now living in. But you have not listened to me.”

11 Then the Lord's angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him. 12 The Lord's angel appeared to him there and said, “The Lord is with you, brave and mighty man!”

13 Gideon said to him, “If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the Lord is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the Lord used to do—how he brought them out of Egypt? The Lord has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord ordered him, “Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you.”

15 Gideon replied, “But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family.”

16 The Lord answered, “You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.”

17 Gideon replied, “If you are pleased with me, give me some proof that you are really the Lord. 18 Please do not leave until I bring you an offering of food.”

He said, “I will stay until you come back.”

19 So Gideon went into his house and cooked a young goat and used a bushel of flour to make bread without any yeast. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, brought them to the Lord's angel under the oak tree, and gave them to him. 20 The angel told him, “Put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did so. 21 Then the Lord's angel reached out and touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick he was holding. Fire came out of the rock and burned up the meat and the bread. Then the angel disappeared.

22 Gideon then realized that it was the Lord's angel he had seen, and he said in terror, “Sovereign Lord! I have seen your angel face-to-face!”

23 But the Lord told him, “Peace. Don't be afraid. You will not die.” 24 Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it “The Lord is Peace.” (It is still standing at Ophrah, which belongs to the clan of Abiezer.)

25 That night the Lord told Gideon, “Take your father's bull and another bull seven years old,[a] tear down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, which is beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on top of this mound. Then take the second bull[b] and burn it whole as an offering, using for firewood the symbol of Asherah you have cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his family and the people in town to do it by day, so he did it at night.

28 When the people in town got up early the next morning, they found that the altar to Baal and the symbol of Asherah had been cut down, and that the second bull had been burned on the altar that had been built there. 29 They asked each other, “Who did this?” They investigated and found out that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 Then they said to Joash, “Bring your son out here, so that we can kill him! He tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the symbol of Asherah beside it.”

31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, “Are you arguing for Baal? Are you defending him? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself. It is his altar that was torn down.” 32 From then on Gideon was known as Jerubbaal,[c] because Joash said, “Let Baal defend himself; it is his altar that was torn down.”

33 Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribes assembled, crossed the Jordan River, and camped in Jezreel Valley. 34 The spirit of the Lord took control of Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout the territory of both parts of Manasseh to call them to follow him. He sent messengers to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they also came to join him.

36 Then Gideon said to God, “You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel. 37 Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, then I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel.” 38 That is exactly what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Don't be angry with me; let me speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground be wet.” 40 That night God did that very thing. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew.

Footnotes:

  1. Judges 6:25 bull and another bull seven years old; or bull, the seven-year-old one.
  2. Judges 6:26 the second bull; or the bull.
  3. Judges 6:32 This name in Hebrew means “Let Baal defend himself.”
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Luke 22:54-23:12

Peter Denies Jesus(A)

54 They arrested Jesus and took him away into the house of the High Priest; and Peter followed at a distance. 55 A fire had been lit in the center of the courtyard, and Peter joined those who were sitting around it. 56 When one of the servant women saw him sitting there at the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “This man too was with Jesus!”

57 But Peter denied it, “Woman, I don't even know him!”

58 After a little while a man noticed Peter and said, “You are one of them, too!”

But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”

59 And about an hour later another man insisted strongly, “There isn't any doubt that this man was with Jesus, because he also is a Galilean!”

60 But Peter answered, “Man, I don't know what you are talking about!”

At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned around and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered that the Lord had said to him, “Before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.” 62 Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked and Beaten(B)

63 The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him. 64 They blindfolded him and asked him, “Who hit you? Guess!” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus before the Council(C)

66 When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council. 67 “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”

He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; 68 and if I ask you a question, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”

70 They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”

He answered them, “You say that I am.”

71 And they said, “We don't need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”

Jesus before Pilate(D)

23 The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate, where they began to accuse him: “We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”

Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“So you say,” answered Jesus.

Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no reason to condemn this man.”

But they insisted even more strongly, “With his teaching he is starting a riot among the people all through Judea. He began in Galilee and now has come here.”

Jesus before Herod

When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man a Galilean?” When he learned that Jesus was from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle. So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus. 11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 95-96

A Song of Praise

95 Come, let us praise the Lord!
Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs of praise.
For the Lord is a mighty God,
a mighty king over all the gods.
He rules over the whole earth,
from the deepest caves to the highest hills.
He rules over the sea, which he made;
the land also, which he himself formed.

Come, let us bow down and worship him;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
(A)He is our God;
we are the people he cares for,
the flock for which he provides.

Listen today to what he says:
(B)“Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
as they were that day in the desert at Massah.
There they put me to the test and tried me,
although they had seen what I did for them.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with those people.
I said, ‘How disloyal they are!
They refuse to obey my commands.’
11 (C)I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘You will never enter the land
where I would have given you rest.’”

God the Supreme King(D)

96 Sing a new song to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord, all the world!
Sing to the Lord, and praise him!
Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.
Proclaim his glory to the nations,
his mighty deeds to all peoples.

The Lord is great and is to be highly praised;
he is to be honored more than all the gods.
The gods of all other nations are only idols,
but the Lord created the heavens.
Glory and majesty surround him;
power and beauty fill his Temple.

(E)Praise the Lord, all people on earth;
praise his glory and might.
Praise the Lord's glorious name;
bring an offering and come into his Temple.
Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;[a]
tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say to all the nations, “The Lord is king!
The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with justice.”
11 Be glad, earth and sky!
Roar, sea, and every creature in you;
12 be glad, fields, and everything in you!
The trees in the woods will shout for joy
13 when the Lord comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the peoples of the world
with justice and fairness.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 96:9 when he appears; or in garments of worship.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 14:5-6

A reliable witness always tells the truth, but an unreliable one tells nothing but lies.

Conceited people can never become wise, but intelligent people learn easily.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday April 25, 2023 (NIV)

Judges 4-5

Deborah and Barak

After Ehud died, the people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. So the Lord let them be conquered by Jabin, a Canaanite king who ruled in the city of Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles. Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he ruled the people of Israel with cruelty and violence for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.

Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time. She would sit under a certain palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel would go there for her decisions. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam from the city of Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given you this command: ‘Take ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor. I will bring Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to fight you at the Kishon River. He will have his chariots and soldiers, but I will give you victory over him.’”

Then Barak replied, “I will go if you go with me, but if you don't go with me, I won't go either.”

She answered, “All right, I will go with you, but you won't get any credit for the victory, because the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah set off for Kedesh with Barak. 10 Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men followed him. Deborah went with him.

11 In the meantime Heber the Kenite had set up his tent close to Kedesh near the oak tree at Zaanannim. He had moved away from the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses.

12 When Sisera learned that Barak had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he called out his nine hundred iron chariots and all his men, and sent them from Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles to the Kishon River.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! The Lord is leading you! Today he has given you victory over Sisera.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with his ten thousand men. 15 When Barak attacked with his army, the Lord threw Sisera into confusion together with all his chariots and men. Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles, and Sisera's whole army was killed. Not a man was left.

17 Sisera ran away to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because King Jabin of Hazor was at peace with Heber's family. 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, sir; come into my tent. Don't be afraid.” So he went in, and she hid him behind a curtain.[a] 19 He said to her, “Please give me a drink of water; I'm thirsty.” She opened a leather bag of milk, gave him a drink, and hid him again. 20 Then he told her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you if anyone is here, say no.”

21 Sisera was so tired that he fell sound asleep. Then Jael took a hammer and a tent peg, quietly went up to him, and killed him by driving the peg right through the side of his head and into the ground. 22 When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come here! I'll show you the man you're looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera on the ground, dead, with the tent peg through his head.

23 That day God gave the Israelites victory over Jabin, the Canaanite king. 24 They pressed harder and harder against him until they destroyed him.

The Song of Deborah and Barak

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

Praise the Lord!
The Israelites were determined to fight;
the people gladly volunteered.
Listen, you kings!
Pay attention, you rulers!
I will sing and play music
to Israel's God, the Lord.
Lord, when you left the mountains of Seir,
when you came out of the region of Edom,
the earth shook, and rain fell from the sky.
Yes, water poured down from the clouds.
(A)The mountains quaked before the Lord of Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.

In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
caravans no longer went through the land,
and travelers used the back roads.
The towns of Israel stood abandoned, Deborah;
they stood empty until you came,[b]
came like a mother for Israel.
Then there was war in the land
when the Israelites chose new gods.
Of the forty thousand men in Israel,
did anyone carry shield or spear?
My heart is with the commanders of Israel,
with the people who gladly volunteered.
Praise the Lord!
10 Tell of[c] it, you that ride on white donkeys,
sitting on saddles,
and you that must walk wherever you go.
11 Listen! The noisy crowds around the wells
are telling of the Lord's victories,
the victories of Israel's people!

Then the Lord's people marched down from their cities.[d]
12 Lead on, Deborah, lead on!
Lead on! Sing a song! Lead on!
Forward, Barak son of Abinoam,
lead your captives away!
13 Then the faithful ones came down to their leaders;
the Lord's people came to him[e] ready to fight.
14 They came[f] from Ephraim into the valley,[g]
behind the tribe of Benjamin and its people.
The commanders came down from Machir,
the officers down from Zebulun.
15 The leaders of Issachar came with Deborah;
yes, Issachar came and Barak too,
and they followed him into the valley.
But the tribe of Reuben was divided;
they could not decide to come.
16 Why did they stay behind with the sheep?
To listen to shepherds calling the flocks?
Yes, the tribe of Reuben was divided;
they could not decide to come.
17 The tribe of Gad stayed east of the Jordan,
and the tribe of Dan remained by the ships.
The tribe of Asher stayed by the seacoast;
they remained along the shore.
18 But the people of Zebulun and Naphtali
risked their lives on the battlefield.

19 At Taanach, by the stream of Megiddo,
the kings came and fought;
the kings of Canaan fought,
but they took no silver away.
20 The stars fought from the sky;
as they moved across the sky,
they fought against Sisera.
21 A flood in the Kishon swept them away—
the onrushing Kishon River.
I shall march, march on, with strength!
22 Then the horses came galloping on,
stamping the ground with their hoofs.

23 “Put a curse on Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord,
“a curse, a curse on those who live there.
They did not come to help the Lord,
come as soldiers to fight for him.”

24 The most fortunate of women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite—
the most fortunate of women who live in tents.
25 Sisera asked for water, but she gave him milk;
she brought him cream in a beautiful bowl.
26 She took a tent peg in one hand,
a worker's hammer in the other;
she struck Sisera and crushed his skull;
she pierced him through the head.
27 He sank to his knees,
fell down and lay still at her feet.
At her feet he sank to his knees and fell;
he fell to the ground, dead.

28 Sisera's mother looked out of the window;
she gazed[h] from behind the lattice.
“Why is his chariot so late in coming?” she asked.
“Why are his horses so slow to return?”
29 Her wisest friends answered her,
and she told herself over and over,
30 “They are only finding things to capture and divide,
a woman or two for every soldier,
rich cloth for Sisera,
embroidered pieces for the neck of the queen.”[i]

31 So may all your enemies die like that, O Lord,
but may your friends shine like the rising sun!

And there was peace in the land for forty years.

Footnotes:

  1. Judges 4:18 hid him behind a curtain; or covered him with a rug.
  2. Judges 5:7 abandoned, Deborah … you came; or abandoned; they stood empty until I, Deborah, came.
  3. Judges 5:10 Tell of; or Think about.
  4. Judges 5:11 from their cities; or to their gates.
  5. Judges 5:13 One ancient translation him; Hebrew me.
  6. Judges 5:14 Probable text They came; Hebrew Their root.
  7. Judges 5:14 One ancient translation into the valley; Hebrew in Amalek.
  8. Judges 5:28 Some ancient translations gazed; Hebrew cried out.
  9. Judges 5:30 Probable text queen; Hebrew plunder.

Cross references:

  1. Judges 5:5 : Exod 19:18
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Luke 22:35-53

Purse, Bag, and Sword

35 (A)Then Jesus asked his disciples, “When I sent you out that time without purse, bag, or shoes, did you lack anything?”

“Not a thing,” they answered.

36 “But now,” Jesus said, “whoever has a purse or a bag must take it; and whoever does not have a sword must sell his coat and buy one. 37 (B)For I tell you that the scripture which says, ‘He shared the fate of criminals,’ must come true about me, because what was written about me is coming true.”

38 The disciples said, “Look! Here are two swords, Lord!”

“That is enough!”[a] he replied.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives(C)

39 Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples went with him. 40 When he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

41 Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed. 42 “Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[b]

45 Rising from his prayer, he went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief. 46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

The Arrest of Jesus(D)

47 Jesus was still speaking when a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He came up to Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?”

49 When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Shall we use our swords, Lord?” 50 And one of them struck the High Priest's slave and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “Enough of this!” He touched the man's ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard and the elders who had come there to get him, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs, as though I were an outlaw? 53 (E)I was with you in the Temple every day, and you did not try to arrest me. But this is your hour to act, when the power of darkness rules.”

Footnotes:

  1. Luke 22:38 That is enough; or Enough of this.
  2. Luke 22:44 Some manuscripts do not have verses 43-44.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 94

God the Judge of All

94 Lord, you are a God who punishes;
reveal your anger!
You are the judge of us all;
rise and give the proud what they deserve!
How much longer will the wicked be glad?
How much longer, Lord?
How much longer will criminals be proud
and boast about their crimes?

They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress those who belong to you.
They kill widows and orphans,
and murder the strangers who live in our land.
They say, “The Lord does not see us;
the God of Israel does not notice.”

My people, how can you be such stupid fools?
When will you ever learn?
God made our ears—can't he hear?
He made our eyes—can't he see?
10 He scolds the nations—won't he punish them?[a]
He is the teacher of us all—hasn't he any knowledge?
11 (A)The Lord knows what we think;
he knows how senseless our reasoning is.

12 Lord, how happy are those you instruct,
the ones to whom you teach your law!
13 You give them rest from days of trouble
until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.
14 The Lord will not abandon his people;
he will not desert those who belong to him.
15 Justice will again be found in the courts,
and all righteous people will support it.

16 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
Who took my side against the evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have gone quickly to the land of silence.[b]
18 I said, “I am falling”;
but your constant love, O Lord, held me up.
19 Whenever I am anxious and worried,
you comfort me and make me glad.

20 You have nothing to do with corrupt judges,
who make injustice legal,
21 who plot against good people
and sentence the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord defends me;
my God protects me.
23 He will punish them for their wickedness
and destroy them for their sins;
the Lord our God will destroy them.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 94:10 them?; or our wicked leaders?
  2. Psalm 94:17 The world of the dead (see 6.5).

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 94:11 : 1Cor 3:20
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 14:3-4

Proud fools talk too much; the words of the wise protect them.

Without any oxen to pull the plow your barn will be empty, but with them it will be full of grain.[a]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 14:4 your barn will be … grain; or you may grow a little grain, but with them you can grow much more.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

04/25/2023 DAB Transcript

Judges 4:1-5:31, Luke 22:35-53, Psalms 94:1-23, Proverbs 14:3-4

Today is the 25th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather again around the Global Campfire and move forward on our journey through the year and through the Bible together. We have just recently gotten ourselves moved into the book of Judges. We’ve talk about that plenty, that…that there are several centuries passing in the book of Judges and the judges, the story isn’t about judgment per se. It’s about the judges that led Israel between the time of Joshua and the time that they established their first king. So, they didn’t have kings. They had judges that would just rise up as the Lord answered the cries of the people and lead them out of trouble, which they would just walk right back into. Nevertheless, today we are going to learn something interesting. Israel had a female judge. Her name was Deborah, and we’ll learn about her today. So, we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Judges, chapters 4 and 5.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Judges today we met the only female judge during the time of the judges. Her name was Deborah and we learned of her leadership. We even learned of her prophetic words to Barak about being set free from their oppressors. And Barak is like, yeah, I will go if you will go. If you don’t go I won’t go. And she’s like, okay. And then the battle is coming to a woman. And that is what happens. And we also met another woman named Jael who finished off Sisera the general of king Jabin of a…a Canaanite king, who reigned in Hazor. Hazor, the ruins of Hazor still exist today, at least in part, and the entire cities kind of been identified even though it’s below the ground. And it was a big dominant city. So anyway, Sisera’s army was defeated. Sisera goes on the run and he runs to Jael and to her tent and she covers them over like she’s going to give them shelter and then she drives a tent peg through his head. Wow! Let’s just say that. Wow! That and the battle. Israel was victorious and had peace for 40 years. That is quite a bold act for Jael. Had she been unsuccessful she would’ve been dead. She risked her life. We see valiant women in this story today.

Then we flip over into the gospel of Luke, and we have entered the time of Jesus passion. So, we saw Jesus arrested today. And as we embrace the story, a place for us to consider and meditate upon and allow the Scriptures to penetrate into our lives would be the scene when the mob came, right? So, Jesus is in anguish. And that’s what the Bible tells us. He’s in anguish and he’s crying out to the Father asking if the cup could pass but yet surrendering His will to the will of God regardless. And He’s sweating as…like big drops of sweat like drops of blood fall…like this is a person under a lot of stress. So, let's…let’s center ourselves there. Jesus is about to take a step that there is no stepping back away from. Once He’s captured then there’s no going back. And there’s a mob coming with His friend leading them. And he comes to Jesus to kiss Him. A kiss is an intimate thing. You don’t just kiss anybody. I mean if you try that you’re probably gonna get a slap in the face, maybe even arrested like Jesus. We give a kiss to somebody with whom we have an intimate relationship. And it doesn’t have to be like a passionate romantic kiss. We just…we kiss people that we love and that…that love us, like that we have an intimate relationship with. Not necessarily a sexual relationship, an intimate relationship with. We are known and known by that person and are close enough that we can give each other a kiss. Judas knows Jesus that well and he’s using that intimacy to betray Him. God was betrayed by humanity by a kiss, an intimate act. And it’s so easy to just look at this devil Judas, this awful person who would betray the Son of the living God, this awful person. And we know that he ends up in grief and…and…and hanging himself once the gravity and the weight of what had happened descends upon him. It’s easy to just…just make Judas the villain, but we have to think about our own lives and the ways that we betray the intimacy that God has bestowed upon us, that He has come to rescue us and make us whole and we take advantage and betray that, which is so much of the story that we are reading in the Bible. If we’re looking into the Old Testament we see that the children of Israel are continually betraying the intimacy that they have, the covenant, the covenantal intimacy that they have with God by giving themselves to other gods, to other things, letting their hearts leap in worship toward other things. For Judas there was an exchange of money, a blood price of 30 pieces of silver. That was the value of God. But we also can betray this covenantal intimacy offered to us by God, that we have accepted and entered into a covenantal relationship with God. We can betray that in the same ways that we see depicted in the Bible for a lot less than 30 pieces of silver. Something for us to think about today, meditate upon, invite the Holy Spirit into.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come. We invite You into this. We realize that it can become cheap to us. So, we’re trying to pay close attention, immerse ourselves in the story of our salvation and this sacrifice of love on our behalf. May we not betray that for anything. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us to the places where…where we do. Come. Guide us into repentance, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that is the website, and you can find out what’s going on around…around here. You can also download the Daily Audio Bible app. That’s free and you can find it in whatever app store works with your device. And, so, check that out.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there for the journey that we are on in a number of different categories, whether that be things to wear, things to write with, things to write on, things to listen to, things to read and to look at. So, yeah, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission that we share each and every day to bring the spoken word of God read fresh and offered freely to anybody who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm so that no one has to feel alone, if that is life-giving then thank you humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DAB family. Good morning. Today’s April 18th. I am calling to pray for the couple who tried IVF and it did not take. I ask Yahweh, that You in Your infinite wisdom and power would wrap Your loving arms around them. I ask O dear Lord God almighty for comfort for them. I ask O dear Lord God that Your Holy Spirit will lead them in the path in which they ought to take, and I ask O dear Lord God that where Your spirit is there is freedom there is liberty. I ask O God almighty that Your spirit would abide with them, that they would not feel alone, they would not feel lost, that in this…in this loss they would cling to You, the author and finisher of their faith. Help them O dear Lord God. I also want to pray for the lady who called regarding a friend who committed suicide, the lady who helps take care of cats. Adonai, I ask O dear Lord God for comfort for every single person this individual left behind. I pray O dear Lord God almighty that You would surround them in Your embrace, You will breathe Your name over them, You will speak peace into them. And I pray that the void that she has left will be filled by Your Holy Spirit, that You will give them strength we are needed O God and You would reassure them in every way possible. Thank You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Love you, DABbers.

Hello Chichi from Colorado this is God’s Smile here and I just listened to your call in for your young John who’s 14 years old an orphan in Haiti where you’re working with these orphans, and he’s been taken to hospital with seizures. And you’ve spoken to the doctors about intubation. And then there’s the war that’s taking over beheading people and trying to get access to the food and your food supplies are not coming in by boat. And Father God, this just stopped me, Lord. First of all, I would just like to ask for protection by Your Holy Spirit in every area of this orphanage in Haiti Lord. Protect the people Father from these evil men. Father, I felt stuck. I didn’t know what else to pray and all this week I’ve been thinking about the Lord’s prayer and Your will, what Your heart beats Lord for this Young lad and for Carol Lord in her heart, I pray Your kingdom come and Your will be done on this earth as it is in heaven Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit would You do something beautiful here, something mighty? Bring us Your love through him and protect this orphanage Lord and the people. O Father God silence these evil men. Bind them up in Jesus’ mighty name. Carol, our hearts are with you, and we love you and we’re praying for you and holding you and time is ticking away. Kiss kiss Carol. Love God’s Smile.

Hi, blessed family I just want to say thank you so much Brian for everything and specifically the reading on the 17th of April where in the gospel we looked at blind Bartimaeus who wanted to receive sight and he was crying out, “Son of David have mercy on me”. The way you emphasize that in your exposition really touched me because I think that I’ve been in this season where I just felt like I’d drawn away from God and I couldn’t see Him really anymore. I couldn’t see where He was in my day-to-day life and outside of, you know, just intense devotional moments and really really trying to press in and even still struggling and only just barely catching a glimpse of that light. I was just so guided in what to pray by that scripture, to actually pray God have mercy on me because I knew that I was the one that had pulled away, had drawn away through irreverence, disinterest, and sin. So, thank you so much because since I prayed that prayer, I just feel like I’ve been encouraged. I’ve come back and the Lord is as present as He was before and…but I just didn’t realize. So, I thank you so much and I just encourage anybody else who is kind of in a similar position where they feel like they’ve fallen away just to pray that prayer, have mercy on me. God bless you all.

Hi, my name is Darlene and I…my husband and I listen to Daily Bible every…every day we sit together, and we pray and we’re so thankful. So, thank you first of all for this platform that we’re able to enjoy every day. And today I’ve been…we’ve been listening for a couple of years and I've…I wanted to call in but I’m a little shy and even now I had to google how…how to call because I just couldn't…well I’m very distressed right now. So, that’s why I called. I just got a phone call from my daughter, and she said my granddaughter’s in the hospital with anorexia and that her heart rate is low. And we knew she had a problem. We didn’t know what. She’s 14 years old and she just moved from Virginia to California. So, we know there’s some adjustments there. But she’s a very bright girl, wonderful granddaughter. And, so, I am just reaching out for prayer for her because I don’t know what to do. I’m not even near the hospital where…where she’s at. So…so, I’m praying and I’m reaching out to you my family to join me in prayer for not only for Sophia who is my granddaughter but for all these young girls that have so much potential. And God’s hand is on them and yet they get thwarted by the enemy. And I’m so distressed by that because these girls, these young people who have so much potential are being sideswiped so to speak by the enemy. And, so, lord we lift up not only Sophia but all the young…young ladies that are struggling with anorexia, that you will come into their lives and you will tear away all the…

This is Doctor John from Illinois. This is a message for Libby of Queensland. Sister, I just heard your cry, and you said something’s preventing you from crying out, something’s preventing you from asking for help. Well, we just heard you ask for help and there are millions of DAB family right now listening to you and praying for you. And most important we have a Redeemer that listens, and we have a Redeemer that’s faithful and He’s listening right now and He’s beckoning you to seek His face. The word says that if you seek Me…you will find Me if you seek Me with all your heart. Christ said if you hunger and thirst for righteousness you will be filled. He said ask and you receive, seek and you’ll find, knock and the door will be opened. Over and over and over He repeated those things, and He constantly wants the love and attention of His believers. And I know sister there’s been a lot of times that I thought I could handle a situation in my own life, and I have friends and patients and brothers and sisters that rallied around me but not until I asked for help. So, I’m saying to you now, we hear you and post important you have a Redeemer, you have a Savior that hears you. And the enemy is coming to get you. Those dreams that you’re getting, that’s probably what that is more than anything else. It’s just an attack. But he knows that you have help and you have strength in your Redeemer. So, where with your sister. God bless you. We’re gonna pray for complete healing for you for your mind and your heart in Jesus’ name.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday April 24, 2023 (NIV)

Judges 2:10-3:31

Israel Disobeys the Lord

10 After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. 12 They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. 13 They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. 14 This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. 15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

The Lord Rescues His People

16 Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. 17 Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 So the Lord burned with anger against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands, 21 I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 22 I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” 23 That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.

The Nations Left in Canaan

These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.

Othniel Becomes Israel’s Judge

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim.[a] And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. 11 So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud Becomes Israel’s Judge

12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. 13 Eglon enlisted the Ammonites and Amalekites as allies, and then he went out and defeated Israel, taking possession of Jericho, the city of palms. 14 And the Israelites served Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

15 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord again raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites sent Ehud to deliver their tribute money to King Eglon of Moab. 16 So Ehud made a double-edged dagger that was about a foot[b] long, and he strapped it to his right thigh, keeping it hidden under his clothing. 17 He brought the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.

18 After delivering the payment, Ehud started home with those who had helped carry the tribute. 19 But when Ehud reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He came to Eglon and said, “I have a secret message for you.”

So the king commanded his servants, “Be quiet!” and he sent them all out of the room.

20 Ehud walked over to Eglon, who was sitting alone in a cool upstairs room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you!” As King Eglon rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 The dagger went so deep that the handle disappeared beneath the king’s fat. So Ehud did not pull out the dagger, and the king’s bowels emptied.[c] 23 Then Ehud closed and locked the doors of the room and escaped down the latrine.[d]

24 After Ehud was gone, the king’s servants returned and found the doors to the upstairs room locked. They thought he might be using the latrine in the room, 25 so they waited. But when the king didn’t come out after a long delay, they became concerned and got a key. And when they opened the doors, they found their master dead on the floor.

26 While the servants were waiting, Ehud escaped, passing the stone idols on his way to Seirah. 27 When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Ehud sounded a call to arms. Then he led a band of Israelites down from the hills.

28 “Follow me,” he said, “for the Lord has given you victory over Moab your enemy.” So they followed him. And the Israelites took control of the shallow crossings of the Jordan River across from Moab, preventing anyone from crossing.

29 They attacked the Moabites and killed about 10,000 of their strongest and most able-bodied warriors. Not one of them escaped. 30 So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.

Shamgar Becomes Israel’s Judge

31 After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath rescued Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:8 Aram-naharaim means “Aram of the two rivers,” thought to have been located between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
  2. 3:16 Hebrew gomed, the length of which is uncertain.
  3. 3:22 Or and it came out behind.
  4. 3:23 Or and went out through the porch; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Luke 22:14-34

14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.[a] 15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.[b]

21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. 22 For it has been determined that the Son of Man[c] must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” 23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.

24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

28 “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. 29 And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Footnotes:

  1. 22:14 Or reclined together.
  2. 22:19-20 Some manuscripts do not include 22:19b-20, which is given for you . . . which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
  3. 22:22 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 92-93

Psalm 92

A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening,
accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp,
and the melody of a lyre.

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
O Lord, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.
Only a simpleton would not know,
and only a fool would not understand this:
Though the wicked sprout like weeds
and evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.

But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

Psalm 93

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.

Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 14:1-2

14 A wise woman builds her home,
but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;
those who take the wrong path despise him.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


04/23/2023 DAB Transcript

Judges 1:1-2:9, Luke 21:29-22:13, Psalms 90:1-91:16, Proverbs 13:24-25

Today is the 23rd day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we greet a brand-new shiny week out in front of us. And as we begin this week we’re moving into some new territory, some brand-new shiny sparkly territory as we navigate into the book of Judges.

Introduction to the book of Judges:

When we hear that name (judges), we can easily think this is a book of judgment but that’s not the purpose of the book of Judges. Let’s just look back for a second. We know that the children of Israel…that that whole story began with Abraham and Isaac, and then Jacob. And we know Jacob’s name was eventually changed to be Israel. And then his children became known as what they were, the children of Israel. And we know that those children grew up and proliferated and became the tribes of Israel while they were in slavery in Egypt. We know that they were freed from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses. And we spent an entire generation in the wilderness with the children of Israel before we were able to finally cross the Jordan River. Like, it took from Genesis to Joshua to get there but we finally crossed the Jordan River into the promised land, and it was Joshua who led the people across the Jordan. Yesterday, as we enter the book of Joshua, Joshua died. So, now as we turn the page the land is settled. Not every single corner of the land is settled, but the tribes have been granted their land as an inheritance. And, so, they have their boundaries and they’ve moved in. And Judges is the story of what happens next, and we’ll watch. Without this…this dominant leader the tribes will begin, as we will be told in Judges quite a few times, that they begin to do whatever seems right in their own eyes. It’s like Judges is very, very much trying to make that point. The people are doing whatever seems right in their own eyes and that will bring challenges. And we get to begin to observe patterns that…that mark ancient Israel’s existence. Judges will take us through the next several centuries, beyond Joshua and we’ll find the story of Israel’s slow and steady abandonment of God. And over time they begin to suffer the repercussions of their choices as they had been warned by Moses and Joshua both. And then we’ll see that in their misery they will remember. In their suffering they will remember in their wilderness again. They will remember and turn to God and cry out in repentance and we’ll see that God is relentless in coming for them and He answers them by sending a leader which is called a judge to lead the people forward. Hence the name Judges. But Judges is also kind of a bridge between two different ways of doing things. And, so, we’re moving from this period of Joshua. The children of Israel had been led by Moses and Joshua a certain way. Like, they were prophetic voices. They heard from God. And we will move through this time of the judges which will take several centuries and we will and Judges with the children of Israel wanting a king, which escorts us into that the time of the monarchy when Israel had a king. And we’ll get to know some of those kings. We’ll get to know all of them briefly but some of them we’ll get to know very well as we continue our journey forward. So, what we’re about to read as we embark on the journey of Judges, it will be a bit different than what we’ve been reading. It’s not gonna be all pretty but it will give us plenty to consider in our own lives because we’ll see it’s these little things that pull Israel in little…little bits of directions, moving in certain sorts of directions that they keep moving in that are unhealthy. And we still do that today. And since Judges is going to take us through several centuries, so really fast through time, we get to look at where the pathways lead. And, so, with that we begin. We’ll read from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Judges chapter 1 verse 1 through 2 verse 9.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us safely and successfully into a brand-new week and that this brand-new week has brought us brand-new territory in the Scriptures as we’ve begun the book of Judges. And we ask Holy Spirit that You will lead and guide us as we take steps forward every day, that we might hear from Your word and apply it to our lives and that we might center ourselves in You and that we might pause and allow Your leadership in our lives instead of just running off in our own directions doing what is right in our own eyes as we will learn from the book of Judges. Come Holy Spirit into this week, lead and guide us that we might reveal You in the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday April 23, 2023 (NIV)

Judges 1:1-2:9

Judah and Simeon Conquer the Land

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Which tribe should go first to attack the Canaanites?”

The Lord answered, “Judah, for I have given them victory over the land.”

The men of Judah said to their relatives from the tribe of Simeon, “Join with us to fight against the Canaanites living in the territory allotted to us. Then we will help you conquer your territory.” So the men of Simeon went with Judah.

When the men of Judah attacked, the Lord gave them victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites, and they killed 10,000 enemy warriors at the town of Bezek. While at Bezek they encountered King Adoni-bezek and fought against him, and the Canaanites and Perizzites were defeated. Adoni-bezek escaped, but the Israelites soon captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Adoni-bezek said, “I once had seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off, eating scraps from under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They took him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it, killing all its people and setting the city on fire. Then they went down to fight the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the western foothills.[a] 10 Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath-arba), defeating the forces of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there they went to fight against the people living in the town of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher). 12 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” 13 Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz, was the one who conquered it, so Acsah became Othniel’s wife.

14 When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him[b] to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What’s the matter?”

15 She said, “Let me have another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

16 When the tribe of Judah left Jericho—the city of palms—the Kenites, who were descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, traveled with them into the wilderness of Judah. They settled among the people there, near the town of Arad in the Negev.

17 Then Judah joined with Simeon to fight against the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they completely destroyed[c] the town. So the town was named Hormah.[d] 18 In addition, Judah captured the towns of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, along with their surrounding territories.

Israel Fails to Conquer the Land

19 The Lord was with the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots. 20 The town of Hebron was given to Caleb as Moses had promised. And Caleb drove out the people living there, who were descendants of the three sons of Anak.

21 The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.

22 The descendants of Joseph attacked the town of Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 They sent men to scout out Bethel (formerly known as Luz). 24 They confronted a man coming out of the town and said to him, “Show us a way into the town, and we will have mercy on you.” 25 So he showed them a way in, and they killed everyone in the town except that man and his family. 26 Later the man moved to the land of the Hittites, where he built a town. He named it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan,[e] Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all their surrounding settlements, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region. 28 When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they never did drive them completely out of the land.

29 The tribe of Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

30 The tribe of Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron and Nahalol, so the Canaanites continued to live among them. But the Canaanites were forced to work as slaves for the people of Zebulun.

31 The tribe of Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. 32 Instead, the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land, for they failed to drive them out.

33 Likewise, the tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. Instead, they moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land. Nevertheless, the people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were forced to work as slaves for the people of Naphtali.

34 As for the tribe of Dan, the Amorites forced them back into the hill country and would not let them come down into the plains. 35 The Amorites were determined to stay in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but when the descendants of Joseph became stronger, they forced the Amorites to work as slaves. 36 The boundary of the Amorites ran from Scorpion Pass[f] to Sela and continued upward from there.

The Lord’s Messenger Comes to Bokim

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides,[g] and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

The Death of Joshua

After Joshua sent the people away, each of the tribes left to take possession of the land allotted to them. And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah[h] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:9 Hebrew the Shephelah.
  2. 1:14 Greek version and Latin Vulgate read he urged her.
  3. 1:17a The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
  4. 1:17b Hormah means “destruction.”
  5. 1:27 Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan.
  6. 1:36 Hebrew Akrabbim.
  7. 2:3 Hebrew They will be in your sides; compare Num 33:55.
  8. 2:9 As in parallel text at Josh 24:30; Hebrew reads Timnath-heres, a variant spelling of Timnath-serah.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Luke 21:29-22:13

29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

22 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

The Last Supper

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”

“Where do you want us to prepare it?” they asked him.

10 He replied, “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, 11 say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 12 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 13 They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 90-91

Book four (Psalms 90–106)

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.

You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
We wither beneath your anger;
we are overwhelmed by your fury.
You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
We live our lives beneath your wrath,
ending our years with a groan.

10 Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.

13 O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!

Psalm 91

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 13:24-25

24 Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

25 The godly eat to their hearts’ content,
but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


4/22/2023 DAB Transcript

Joshua 24:1-33, Luke 21:1-28, Psalm 89:38-52, Proverbs 13:20-23

Today is the 22nd day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather once again and take the next step forward and lead ourselves to the end of our week. And we will actually conclude a book today. We’ve been working our way through the book of Joshua in the Old Testament for a bit here, and we will conclude the book of Joshua today, and begin the week in some brand-new territory. So, let’s dive in and complete the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 24.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and another week to spend together in community, as we move step-by-step and day-by-day through the Scriptures, and we thank You for all that they do in our lives each and every day, as they go inside of us and challenge everything and do the work of transformation in our lives as we cooperate with Your Holy Spirit’s guidance. We are grateful, we are grateful that we have been able to move all the way through the Book of Joshua now. Once again, we saw Joshua setting up a memorial stone as part of his last acts, and we see this theme so often through the Scriptures, including it in the Gospel of Luke today, Jesus where You talk about the fact that some will be handed over to persecution in prison and brought before kings and governors on account of Your name. And then You say so, we will bear testimony, as if we have become living stones as a memorial, as a testimony in this world as a witness, in this world about You are and who we are and where this is all going. Help us to not lose sight of that. Help us to walk in Your ways, knowing that our lives are a light, a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand to give light in the darkness. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray, in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base and that is indeed where you can find out what’s going on around here. And so, yeah, check, check it out. And if you don’t have the Daily Audio Bible app yet, you can download that from the App Store, wherever it is that your smart device is connected, just search for Daily Audio Bible and download the app and put that in the palm of your hand. And yeah, check out the different sections, like the Community Section. This is where to get connected. This is where the Prayer Wall lives, or the Daily Audio Bible Shop. This is where resources are for the journey that we are on, so check that out.

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

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey, DAB family, it’s Beloved on the Beach, here in Florida. And I got up early once on a Sunday and got my Bible reading done before church, and I’m so glad that I did. It’s April 16th and I just, first prayer request was from a mom pleading for her 19-year-old son, Jayden. Oh, Lord, I am an Estatition, ya’ll for over 20 years. And so, I know the depths aside from experiencing myself I understand what this family is going through and especially this son Jayden. So, I just want to stop right now and pray for him. Oh dear Heavenly Father and Great Physician, we come to You. Right now and we lift up Jayden to You. We pray for all the areas of his, his psyche and his physiological body that is being affected so deeply by this systemic issue, Lord. We pray right now in Your name, right now, that You will show up in this circumstance in mighty, mighty miraculous ways, Lord. That whatever is going on would be cleared up, right now. That the demons of dishealth and disfuntion and acne are lifted from him, right now. Right now, Lord. In Jesus name, they don’t have a place in his story, in this mans story anymore. You made him for great purpose and it’s about time he can focus on that, Lord. So, we praise You in advance for the ways that You’re gonna show up, we praise You in advance, right now, in this moment for healing this, this precious son of Yours, Lord. And we pray for the dear mother who is aching and wanting to support her son. And I just want to tell you mommy, you did the best thing you could have done, was to reach out and pray, ask for prayer. So, we’ll all be praying. And I can’t wait for you to call in. Please, please, please, let us know how this unfolds in the next coming days and months. Amen.

It’s Sunday, Daily Family. This is J in New York City. Last month I went to go visit my daughter in ___ and I’m just asking for prayer for my daughter Ashley. She’s 35 and smoking a lot of marijuana every day and I don’t know what else she’s doing or has done these past years. But my son is visiting there right now. And he doesn’t really want to spend time with her you know. He feels embarrassed by her. He says it’s not really nice how she looks. I agree, I was there. My beautiful daughter, her future is just dark now. And she’s going through a breakup with her boyfriend. But they’re staying living together, which is pretty strange. Anyway, I’m asking for Lord Jesus Christ to, to free her from this bondage that’s she’s in. That she would look in the mirror and she would know that she needs to make a change. I’ve tried to talk to her you know, texted her, Bible verses. Now we’re at the point where she’s not even answering my text lately. And I’m really worried about her. I mean, my son is there, I know she’s okay but I see that she’s getting my texts, she’s not responding and not making calls with me. And I’m just asking for everyone to join me in prayer because that’s my weapon right now. That’s all I can do is pray for her. God has to do something because I cannot. I’m not there. I cannot do anything from far away. So, let’s pray, pray, pray that Jesus would save Ashley. That Ashley would be once again this beautiful, productive woman that she should be. That God made her to be.

Good morning, this is Romans 12:2. I want to pray for Jayden and Eyes of a Dove. Father, this morning, I thank You, Oh God, that You will do a work in Jayden’s life, Lord. Father, that I hear his, the broken heart of his mom. Father, I pray, Oh God, that whatever medication that is being used, that You will be used through that medicine, Oh God, that his face will be healed and cleared up, God. Father, that the root cause would be revealed in the name of Jesus. I pray, oh God, for strength for Jayden, like You told Caleb and Joshua, be strong and courageous. Father, I pray oh God, that he will be a testimony to his classmates. That he will dig deep with his faith, oh God, will go into solid bedrock, that he will be unmovable, oh God, unswayable. Father, that this trial, oh God, would cause his faith to grow even more. That he would trust You even more, that he would lean on You even more. Father, we just pray, oh God, Father, that You would encourage him. That You would surround him with those that would encourage him, regardless of the situation, that he would look up to the hills in when’s forth come his health because his health come from the Lord. Father, I pray oh God, that he would not come despondent or depressed. Father, lift up his spirit today, oh God. And we believe You Lord that You would clear his face, in Jesus name. I also pray for Eyes of a Dove, Lord. That this tumor would be benign. Father, what the enemy meant for evil, that God will turn for good. That You would make crooked paths straight in her life, in the name of Jesus. All of these obstacles, oh God, that You will push them out of the way. Father, we appeal to You, today, for the strong hand. You said, can your right hand be stopped. Father, we just thank You today, oh God, for the testimony, that will come from Jayden and from Eyes of a Dove. We thank You in advance for what You’re doing. We bless You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Hello, my DAB family, this is Mark Street from Sydney, Australia. Today is Sunday, the 16th of April. And I’ve just heard Eyes of a Dove calling in worrying about her medical results. And I want to pray for you, Eyes of a Dove. And I’m believing in faith that God is gonna make sure that everything is fine, is well. It is scary when you have health troubles and I’m sure you’ve heard many others have plenty of health scares. But I want to pray for you now. Dear Heavenly Father, Eyes of a Dove is coming to You worried about this cancer scare for her, Lord. And Lord, You can heal everything as well, Lord. If you want the doctors to do it, Lord, You, You will send her to the right the doctors. And You’ll give the right skills for them to fully heal Eyes of a Dove. As she said, she’s has many more things to do, with your children as well, Lord. In these earthly times. Lord, I know that You want her to keep witnessing to all of us as well. Lord, and we ask in Your Devine name that You fully heal her. In Your name, Lord Jesus. Love you family. Love you, Eyes of a Dove.

Hello, DAB family. This is Vonnie in Northern California. And I just heard the prayer request for a boy in Haiti. I think it was Susie from Colorado. I, my heart is breaking for what’s happening in Haiti, these days. I know that there’s just an awful lot of evil. I just think that there’s a spiritual onslaught in that area, due to the practices of witchcraft and vedo or whatever is going on in that area. But I pray against that, in Jesus name. I ask You Lord, to break the evil chains that are happening in that area, in that nation. That has the chains that have impoverished those people. But I’m so grateful for the emissaries that You have sent in Your name to work in that area, that is so dangerous. Father, I pray for the group of missionaries or the group that has been helping these orphans and I ask especially for this young John, who’s 14 or 15, being taken up to Port O Prince by boat because the roads are so dangerous. I pray for your touch and miraculous touch on that boy. Please Lord, glorify Your name. And bring healing and protection. Send Your angels to encamp around the hospitals and the places where your people are working and serving You in Your name. I pray against the enemy in Jesus precious name. Thank You God for what You’re going to do. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday April 22, 2023 (NIV)

Joshua 24

The Lord’s Covenant Renewed

24 Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God.

Joshua said to the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River,[a] and they worshiped other gods. But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people. But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea,[b] the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers. When your ancestors cried out to the Lord, I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years.

“Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land. Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.

11 “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them. 12 And I sent terror[c] ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory. 13 I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build—the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.

14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

16 The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. 17 For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. 18 It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”

19 Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”

21 But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”

22 “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”

23 “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.

27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”

28 Then Joshua sent all the people away to their own homelands.

Leaders Buried in the Promised Land

29 After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31 The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel.

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the plot of land Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver.[d] This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.

33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, in the town of Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas.

Footnotes:

  1. 24:2 Hebrew the river; also in 24:3, 14, 15.
  2. 24:6 Hebrew sea of reeds.
  3. 24:12 Often rendered the hornet. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  4. 24:32 Hebrew 100 kesitahs; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Luke 21:1-28

The Widow’s Offering

21 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.[a]

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus Speaks about the Future

Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’[b] and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” 10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[c] 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.

20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man[e] coming on a cloud with power and great glory.[f] 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

Footnotes:

  1. 21:2 Greek two lepta [the smallest of Jewish coins].
  2. 21:8 Greek claiming, ‘I am.’
  3. 21:13 Or This will be your testimony against them.
  4. 21:17 Greek on account of my name.
  5. 21:27a “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  6. 21:27b See Dan 7:13.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 89:38-52

38 But now you have rejected him and cast him off.
You are angry with your anointed king.
39 You have renounced your covenant with him;
you have thrown his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken down the walls protecting him
and ruined every fort defending him.
41 Everyone who comes along has robbed him,
and he has become a joke to his neighbors.
42 You have strengthened his enemies
and made them all rejoice.
43 You have made his sword useless
and refused to help him in battle.
44 You have ended his splendor
and overturned his throne.
45 You have made him old before his time
and publicly disgraced him. Interlude

46 O Lord, how long will this go on?
Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my life is,
how empty and futile this human existence!
48 No one can live forever; all will die.
No one can escape the power of the grave.[a] Interlude

49 Lord, where is your unfailing love?
You promised it to David with a faithful pledge.
50 Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced!
I carry in my heart the insults of so many people.
51 Your enemies have mocked me, O Lord;
they mock your anointed king wherever he goes.

52 Praise the Lord forever!
Amen and amen!

Footnotes:

  1. 89:48 Hebrew of Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 13:20-23

20 Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble.

21 Trouble chases sinners,
while blessings reward the righteous.

22 Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren,
but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.

23 A poor person’s farm may produce much food,
but injustice sweeps it all away.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday April 21, 2023 (NIV)

Joshua 22:21-23:16

21 Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day. 23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the Lord himself punish us.

24 “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the Lord.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the Lord.

26 “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 27 but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to the Lord.’

28 “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened. 33 And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “Witness,”[a] for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.”

Joshua’s Final Words to Israel

23 The years passed, and the Lord had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies. Joshua, who was now very old, called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, “I am now a very old man. You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies. I have allotted to you as your homeland all the land of the nations yet unconquered, as well as the land of those we have already conquered—from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea[b] in the west. This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

“So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left. Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

“For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. 10 Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

12 “But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them, 13 then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! 15 But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you. 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 22:34 Some manuscripts lack this word.
  2. 23:4 Hebrew the Great Sea.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Luke 20:27-47

Discussion about Resurrection

27 Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.[a] 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 30 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. 31 Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 33 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”

34 Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. 35 But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord[b] as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[c] 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

39 “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40 And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

41 Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? 42 For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
43 until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.’[d]

44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

45 Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, 46 “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. 47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

Footnotes:

  1. 20:28 See Deut 25:5-6.
  2. 20:37a Greek when he wrote about the bush. He referred to the Lord.
  3. 20:37b Exod 3:6.
  4. 20:42-43 Ps 110:1.
New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Psalm 89:14-37

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.
15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness.
17 You are their glorious strength.
It pleases you to make us strong.
18 Yes, our protection comes from the Lord,
and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.

19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
I have selected him from the common people to be king.
20 I have found my servant David.
I have anointed him with my holy oil.
21 I will steady him with my hand;
with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
22 His enemies will not defeat him,
nor will the wicked overpower him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him
and destroy those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
and by my authority he will grow in power.
25 I will extend his rule over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
26 And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 I will make him my firstborn son,
the mightiest king on earth.
28 I will love him and be kind to him forever;
my covenant with him will never end.
29 I will preserve an heir for him;
his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.
30 But if his descendants forsake my instructions
and fail to obey my regulations,
31 if they do not obey my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their sin with the rod,
and their disobedience with beating.
33 But I will never stop loving him
nor fail to keep my promise to him.
34 No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.
35 I have sworn an oath to David,
and in my holiness I cannot lie:
36 His dynasty will go on forever;
his kingdom will endure as the sun.
37 It will be as eternal as the moon,
my faithful witness in the sky!” Interlude

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


Proverbs 13:17-19

17 An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,
but a reliable messenger brings healing.

18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;
if you accept correction, you will be honored.

19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true,
but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

New Living Translation (NLT)

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


04/21/2023 DAB Transcript

Joshua 22:21-23:16, Luke 20:27-47, Psalms 89:14-37, Proverbs 13:17-19

Today is the 21st day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today like it is every day in our little safe place around the globe…Global Campfire as we gather to take the next step forward like we do every day. And like we do every day we’ll go back to the point that we left off and pick up from there, which leads us back to the book of Joshua. And by way of reminder, yesterday the 2-½ tribes who were allowed to…to have the land on the east side of the Jordan River as long as their…their men, their warriors would cross the Jordan and assist the other tribes, that has…that has been accomplished. And, so, they have been dismissed, allowed to return to the Jordan and cross back over the Jordan to the other side to their ancestral territory. And, so, they do. They leave. They go to the Jordan River and then they construct this altar on the west side of the Jordan River before they cross, which has caused a bunch of confusion. And, so, the tribes on the west side of the Jordan have gathered together to kind of talk it over and they decided they need to go down to the other tribes immediately because if they’re doing what they think they’re doing it’s going to be civil war and there’s gonna be war among the tribes because what it looks like is that the tribes that are going back to the other side of the Jordan are already breaking covenant with God and covenant with the other tribes. And, so, that’s where we will pick up the story. Emissaries have come to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half of Manasseh asking what is going on here. Why are you breaking faith with God and us already? And that’s where we pick up. Joshua 22 verse 21 through 23 verse 16 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, it’s taken a couple of days for us to kinda move through the story that we moved through today that we completed today in the book of Joshua. And, so, basically this scene takes place back at the Jordan River, this…this nearly mythic River that has so much…so much history and symbolism in the Scriptures. The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh are back at the Jordan River having been dismissed from their service of helping the other tribes settle the land. There by the Jordan River they erect a replica of the altar and they do this as a memorial something we have talked about before, something that is it repeated throughout the Scriptures, setting up stones or creating something that causes remembrance when people pass by that way. And, so, they’re just kind of following with tradition here and erecting an altar. And their intention is that they are one with the people on the other side of the Jordan. They worship at one altar. They worship one God. They belong together because they fear that as the generations go by people are gonna forget, and the Jordan is going to become this mighty boundary line and there’s going to come a day when the children of Israel look at the other children of Israel and the other side of the Jordan and say you’re not one of us, you’re not part of us. You have no belonging to us, you have no worship of the Lord, you have no share in the Lord. And, so, that they make this memorial to be a witness between the two that they all do belong together. Meanwhile, the other tribes on the western side of the Jordan River who are settling their land here about this, begin to gather and discuss this, begin making assumptions about what is going on and make a determination that they will have to go and annihilate those 2-½ tribes for breaking faith with God and with the rest of the children of Israel. Had they attacked them based upon the rumor and assumptions we’d be reading quite a different story that would’ve been unbelievably tragic, to say the least. Thankfully they…they decided that they needed to verify their assumptions before they could proceed. And, so, they sent messengers to get answers and those answers changed the story because Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh explained why they built the altar and what it was to represent. They weren’t rebelling against God or anybody. They didn’t make an altar to be worshiped upon or to have sacrifices slain upon. It was a witness, a memorial, a reminder. They were brothers. They were sisters. They were family. They belonged together, which gives us a beautiful picture of reconciliation and the bit of the story that we’re moving through, but also an invitation, as the Bible always does, to…to become the mirror that pears into our souls as we look back at our own reflection and our own lives. Rumor and assumptions destroy relationships, especially when we believe them and do not verify them because we then act upon and believe something that is not true. We invent a false reality, but about somebody or somebody’s or some people group or whatever. And when we act on those rumors and assumptions in negative ways relationships are destroyed. This is what we see here back at the Jordan River once again between the tribes of Israel. Had the tribes attacked Gad and Ruben and the half tribe of Manasseh a lot of people would’ve died for no reason other than a false reality was created. In fact, let’s take this symbolism of the Jordan River and look close at it. They’re back at the Jordan River, the very place they had been traveling toward for centuries to cross into the promise and into their freedom. Had the children of Israel attacked each other at that Jordan River they would have destroyed each other. They had just experienced victory and conquest throughout the promise land and they would’ve gone back to the Jordan River and annihilated each other. There would probably be people living on both sides, but they would never be the same. They would never be the same after that. And so often we find ourselves back at the point of our freedom again carrying in assumption and rumor and being willing to burn the place down. Rumors and assumptions destroy relationships, but we seem modeled by the children of Israel today was a rumor and assumption, and then a pause, a step back and wisdom flood sin, we should probably verify this. And when they do the assumptions and rumors melt away into actual reality. Let’s take this lesson from the ancient people of God who have given us this beautiful story and its multiple layers that we can apply them into our lives.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come into this we ask, we beg. Assumption and rumor are currency in our culture, and we trade this these bits of false information all over the place all of the time and we are guilty because it’s tasty. It’s like we’re getting inside secret knowledge to pass around. It’s also poison. Help us to avoid the poison of assumption and rumor in our lives and in our relationships, knowing that these kinds of things can destroy relationships and cause us to be at odds with our brothers and sisters who we belong with. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base and that is the website and that’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. So, indeed do that. You can also download the Daily Audio Bible app free from whatever app store works with your device. Just look for Daily Audio Bible.

And while you’re looking around, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are a number of resources in a number of different categories, whether that be things to sort of take the journey wider, written resources of our Daily Audio Bible journals and all of the things to write with, sort of journal our way through the Scriptures or our brand-new snapback hats, the brand-new camo Daily Audio Bible snapback hats and beanies. Those are there in the lifestyle section. The promise land films give us little glimpses and the best that we can do, just like air dropping us into a location and really looking around and seeing what it looks like now. So many of the places that we experience in the Bible, those are the promise land films or even the promise land coffee table addition, to be able to just leaf through and see some of the pivotal places where the Bible happened. There are a number of resources there and a number of categories. And, so, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. We wouldn’t have a Global Campfire if we weren’t here together. So, thank you deeply for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

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

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…