June 2023 – Page 3 – A Walk Through The Word

June 20, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday June 20, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 22

Micaiah Warns Ahab about Disaster

(2 Chronicles 18.2-27)

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

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

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

⁶Ahab sent for about 400 prophets and asked, “Should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁹^(B) Micaiah replied:

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

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

“How?” the Lord asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ahab Dies at Ramoth

(2 Chronicles 18.28-34)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Jehoshaphat of Judah

(2 Chronicles 20.31—21.1)

⁴¹Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in Ahab's fourth year as king of Israel. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Ahaziah of Israel

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

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

Footnotes:

22.17 vision: In ancient times, prophets often told about future events from what they had seen in visions or dreams.
22.38 in his blood: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text.
22.43-46 prostitutes: See the note at 14.24.
22.48 seagoing ships: See the note at 10.22.
22.50 Jerusalem: Hebrew “the city of his ancestor David.”

Cross references:

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Acts 13:16-41

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

People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! ¹⁷^(A) The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, ¹⁸^(B) and for about 40 years he took care of^[a] them in the desert. ¹⁹^(C) He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. ²⁰^(D) All this happened in about 450 years.

Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, ²¹^(E) but the people demanded a king. So for 40 years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. ²²^(F) Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

13.18 took care of: Some manuscripts have “put up with.”
13.28-29 cross: This translates a Greek word that means “wood,” “pole,” or “tree.”

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Psalm 138

(By David.)

Praise the Lord with All Your Heart

¹With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels^[a]
I sing your praises.
²I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.^[b]
³When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.^[c]

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

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

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

Footnotes:

138.1 angels: Or “gods” or “supernatural beings” who worship and serve God in heaven; or possibly “rulers” or “leaders.”
138.2 You were … before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
138.3 and gave me courage: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
138.8 You have … now: Or “Please don't desert your people.”

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Proverbs 17:17-18

¹⁷^(A) A friend is there to help,
in any situation,
and relatives are born
to share our troubles.
¹⁸It's stupid to guarantee
someone else's loan.

Cross references:

17.17 : Si 6.7-10.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

June 19, 2023

06/19/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the 19^th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today from the lush, rolling hills of Tennessee and excited, excited that we’re here around the Global Campfire, excited for our next step forward. And that next step leads us back to where we left off and that happens to at this point be in the book of first Kings where we are moving chronologically through all of the different leaders of the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah, or the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah, the northern and southern kingdoms. Today we’ll read first Kings chapter 20 and 21.

Commentary:

Okay, so we just read the 137^th Psalm, a Psalm or song of lament from the Israelites who were in exile. And that is actually out in front of us. That’s still in the future as we move through the Bible. But this Psalm is showing us where the story is going. So…so really to appreciate and even to consider in our own lives, we just need to remind ourselves of the story that we’re on or in. We started this journey back in the book of Genesis back in the month of January and we’ve the moving day by day step-by-step since then. And, so, we’ve moved through a lot of territory and learned about a lot of people and a lot of things. We met Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We saw Jacob change…his name changed to Israel. And he had children, and they were the children of Israel. And we followed the story of Joseph and the slavery in Egypt and the Exodus from slavery in Egypt and the wilderness journey and that conquering of the promised land and the time of the judges and then finally they wanted a king, and so we met King Saul and all of his story and the intermingling with king David who was his successor, and then all the intrigue of David’s life and then king Solomon brought us to this kind of mountaintop apex moment and we…we…it just went by so fast. We talked about it. Like we just reached the top of this story. It’s kind of gonna slide downward from here. And that’s where we are in the story now. We’re watching the fact that the children of Israel, they decided to divide themselves into two nations - the northern kingdom of Israel, the southern kingdom of Judah - each having their own government, their own monarch, their own king. We’ve seen at times they’ve been friendly toward one another. They are family after all. We’ve seen other times where they are absolutely at war with each other. We have begun to see the prophetic voices in and among the kings like Elijah. We even watched the Lord rescue Samaria from Benhadad the Syrian king, only to watch king Ahab kill Naboth to get his property. Although once he was confronted he was repentant. Nevertheless, this kingdom that we spent our time in today, the northern kingdom with the capital city of Samaria, eventually…eventually they won’t be able to hold out. Eventually the northern kingdom of Israel will be conquered by the Assyrian Empire and following that the kingdom of Judah will have its time in exile. They will be conquered by the Babylonian Empire. And, so, we get into Psalm 137 today and it’s a song written from exile because exile was the way of building an empire in those days. One of the methods used for conquering and resettling the people. So, in the case of the northern kingdom…and we’ll go through all the story and talk about this again when we get there. The Assyrians conquered the northern 10 tribes of Israel and displaced them, carted them off, made them leave their homeland, made them settle in a different land, a different land that had been conquered by the Assyrian Empire. They…they were moving people around, intermingling people displacing them from this possession of a homeland so that over the course of centuries as the generations would continue, because people were still going to continue to have children and families, eventually the homeland and the story and the identity of it would be forgotten so that all that would be left of it would be the stories of the Empire. This is the posture that this Psalm, Psalm 137 is written, from people who have been conquered and have had to gather whatever they could and be forcibly removed from their homeland and re-settled somewhere else. Families being split apart, people being lost never to be seen again, drug away into a new land where you’re supposed to build a new life as part of this empire that just conquered you. When we know that and we begin to read this Psalm it’s so sad. By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down. There and wept when we remembered Zion. On the Willows nearby we hung our harps. Those who captured us told us to sing. They told us to entertain them. Sing as a song about Zion. How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land? May I never be able to play the harp again if I forget you Jerusalem. May I never be able to sing again if I do not remember you, if I do not think of you as my greatest joy. Now we can appreciate where this Psalm is coming from. It’s coming from a deep place of disorientated pain and anguish that everything seems lost, that they are now in a place they don’t even recognize, told build a life and entertain the people with the songs of their homeland. We can certainly appreciate the depth of emotion that’s coming from the Psalms today. But have we…have we ever felt that way? Now certainly most of us have never had the experience of being conquered and being on the run for our lives. Although I know that’s true of…of many that I have heard from in the community around the Global Campfire throughout the years. So, I know some people have actually had that experience and can read this Psalm in a way that most of us can’t. But we can understand the situation. Even though we haven’t been conquered and on the run for our lives we have felt like life has tipped upside down and we don’t recognize what’s going on exactly anymore. We don’t know exactly where we are or how we got here. What’s familiar is not familiar and we’re in a world where we see people that should be familiar, but something’s changed…likes things changed. Things changed through death or things changed through betrayal. And all the sudden the people we thought we knew we didn’t or any kind of thing that crushes our spirit. We’ve faced these kinds of pain before where we feel disoriented enough to not know what we’re looking at and not know exactly where to go from here. The Psalm we read today allows us to have language. It allows us to see that we’re not alone, not the only ones who have these kinds of feelings or that have ever felt this way. And as with so many beautiful things in the Bible, Psalm 137 doesn’t put a bow on what’s going on. It’s simply acknowledging what’s going on. In other words, it’s simply being honest about what’s going on. And maybe there’s a lesson in there for us when we feel that way, when we have those feelings exile, when we feel disoriented and upside down and confused. Maybe the first move is to get honest, honest with what we’re feeling and what it’s connected to and what it actually feels like to be in it instead of numbing it or running away from it, to be in it just for a minute to look at it in the eye, to look at it face to face, to see what this monster of emotion is. What is going on here? To be honest with ourselves and to be honest with God. Because when we find ourselves in these wilderness experiences where things are disoriented and upside down, usually we are closer to ourselves and to God then…then we realize and that we normally are. And, so, taking the pain of it, the experience of it and becoming honest in it and inviting God into it. If we remember, the wilderness was not the end of the story for the children of Israel. And even though exile is out in front of us in this story it’s not the end of their story either. And when we have these kinds of experiences and these kinds of emotions it’s not the end of our story either. It’s just that the fastest way through these kinds of things is to be honest and learn the lesson that is there for us so that it’s a place that we visited but never returned to. Our Psalm today, Psalm 137 is honest and may it compel us to be honest in the seasons that are disorienting to us.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. These things come, they go, they last, they’re short or long. We are disoriented, so we just don’t even know. And yet, You are always in north star. You are always the place to get oriented, the place to get right side up again, to get oriented again that we might see clearly. And, so, we run to You, father asking for Your interpretation of what’s going on. We’re making ourselves crazy trying to figure it out and we lose sight that…that there is a long story of life that we are walking through and this is but a chapter and so we stay stuck. We need You. We’re never gonna navigate anywhere successfully without You. And, so, Holy Spirit come into the seasons that are difficult and that are hard to understand and may we walk in complete trust in You as we put one foot in front of the other. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, it’s home base and that is the website and that is where you find out what is happening around here. So, certainly check it out.

Check out the different sections like the Community section. This is where the Prayer Wall lives. And the Prayer Wall is there for us to go and invite people into our stories and pray for us but it’s also there for us to go and be involved in other people’s stories by praying for them and encouraging them. And that can be found in the Community section whether using the Daily Audio Bible app or visiting on the website. And, so, certainly be familiar with that. Check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you find this mission to bring God’s spoken word read fresh every day and offered freely to whoever may encounter it wherever they may be whatever time of day or night it may be, whatever part of the earth they may be on and to build community around the rhythm of showing up every day for each other here around the Global Campfire, if that is good news, if that is life-giving, if that is encouraging into your life then thank you humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the home page 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 outline button in the that’s the little red button 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:

This is Doctor John in Illinois. I’m just calling in this morning for our sister Victoria Soldier with her sister-in-law. And how often that she has held up the DAB family and how many times that she’s made an effort to pray for people and be consistent in her prayer. And so, our sister, our dear sister is asking for help. So, I’ll be in agreement with you sister. God bless you for your caring and for your love and your grace and your mercy to all of us. And we share your hurt and your heartache but we want to share your joy and your hope in God’s perfect work. And this is a prayer also for Ethan who’s called in for help. He doesn’t know which way to go. He’s struggling with situations or maybe habits or just trying to make a change in his life and he’s having a hard time making those changes. So, brother, I want to pray with you too. Heavenly Father we just thank You for Your mercy to us. And I guess most of all God the gift that we have that You hear us and You’re mindful of our needs since You know our hearts. Your word says that You know our needs before we ask. So, Father I’m asking for my sister right now. I’m asking for my brother that You would meet their needs. And Father I guess most important that You would show Yourself to them, You reveal Yourself to them in a mighty way and give them the peace and assurance that You’re always there, that You’re always listening, that Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are not our thoughts but they’re always good. And truly all things do work for good for them that love You and are called according to Your purpose. So, Father would You hear, would You listen? God, bless You DAB. God bless You sister and brother. Father we thank You for Your mercy to us in Jesus…

Hello this is Kay from Ohio I wanted to pray for Ethan. Man I don’t know how old you are but you remind me so much of both of my boys. So I’m gonna say my son instead of my brother. My son, I’m praying for you. I hear you. Oh God that You will restore, renew, refresh Your Spirit in him right now. He feels alone like…like he’s disappointed every. I can’t remember if he even mentioned himself but he's…he needs a breakthrough. God, he feels like the waves are crashing in on him. He can barely keep his head above waters. Oh God that you would come and see about him great Jehovah. Only you can do it. If you don’t do it, it can’t be done, and we know that you can do it. God come and see about Ethan. Let him feel your presence right now as the prayer request floods in about other people, that he will pray for them and feel that his problem starts to lessen because he took the focus off himself. But lord we ask that those prayer…answered prayers start coming in, that we’re praying for her my son Ethan, that he will feel You that he will draw closer to You and leave it at Your feet, and that heaviness on his heart will start to dissipate because he left it in Your hands, Your capable hands. Father, we know You’re able. We know You can do it. We asked that it ne in your divine will God and we’re asking for those suddenly and immediate prayers to come through in Jesus’ name. God bless you.

Hey DAB family this is DJ from Ohio. This is probably my second time calling, second year DABber but I always listen daily and pray for everyone. I’m calling because I just wanted to give everyone encouragement to keep praying. Prayer is so important, and it just really solidifies how well God can really do great things in our life. I really was thinking about first Kings 3:5-4 where God had appeared to Solomon in his dream at Gibeon and where He just said ask Me for what you need, and I will answer it. It also made me think about John 14, if you ask for anything in My name, I will do it. Just encourage everyone to go continue praying. Even when you feel like it’s not being heard or you feel like it’s just not going anywhere continue to pray, continue to stay faithful in God. Every day I write in my journal to stay prayerful, stay hopeful, and stay faithful. So, everyone continue to pray. God will see it through. He will continue to bless you, He will continue to bless us. And just remember that we call in daily to pray for others and we call in daily to ask for prayer for ourselves. So, prayer is so powerful. So, I just want to encourage you all to continue to pray. I love you all and…

Hey DAB this is White as Snow from Tennessee and just giving an update on my daughter Rachel who’s on the strict diet trying to heal herself with her stomach issues. She switched to potatoes. She was eating just fruit. Now she’s on potatoes so it’s a little better. But we just went on a trip and she kind of broke down at one point and confided in us that she deals with fear quite a bit. You know, she feels like she needs to be doing things but her mind, you know, is telling her that she can’t do it. So, just asking for prayers for that. We’re thankful that she kind of opened up to us and confided in us and, you know, we…and I’m thankful that we got to spend some time with her. But yeah, just appreciate your prayers with that. Thanks so much.

Hello this is Purchased and Owned by him from Texas my first time calling in. I’ve been listening for about a year now. Please pray for the salvation of my daughter Rebecca and family who live in the UK. My other daughter and her husband are going to visit them the first week of July. Also please pray for restoration and healing of my relationship with one of my sons. And here’s a prayer from Colossians 1. How about praise you, Lord for the love for each other that the Holy Spirit gives us. I ask you God to give us all spiritual wisdom and understanding so then the way we live will always honor and please you and that our lives by your power will produce every kind of good fruit. I also pray that we will be strengthened through all Your glorious power, that we will have the insurance and the patience we need to live in the way You want. May we be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit so that we can always be thanking You Abba Father for You have been enabled us to share in the inheritance that belongs to Your people for You have rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into Your Kingdom, the Kingdom of Your dear son Jesus who has purchased our freedom and forgiven us all of our sins. Amen.

June 19, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday June 19, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 20-21

Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ahab’s Victory over Ben-Hadad

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

¹⁴Ahab asked, “How will he do it?”

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

“Should we attack first?” Ahab asked.

“Yes,” the prophet answered.

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

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

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

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

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

Ben-Hadad’s Second Attack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

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

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

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

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

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

Naboth’s Vineyard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

Acts 12:24-13:15

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

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

Barnabas and Saul Are Commissioned

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

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

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

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

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

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

Paul Preaches in Antioch of Pisidia

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

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

Footnotes:

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 137

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

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

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

Footnotes:

137:1 Hebrew Zion; also in 137:3.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 17:16

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

June 18, 2023

6/18/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the 18th day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today, as we gather and take the next step forward and Happy Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there. Today, is Father’s Day here in the United States. And like I say with mothers, like I realize, no matter where we live around the world, we honor our mothers and our fathers and on different days, and in different cultures, for different reasons, but it’s Father’s Day here in the United States. So Happy Father’s Day, fathers. May you be honored today, as you point your families to our heavenly Father.

We have been working our way through the book of First Kings, which is what we’ll continue to do. And the life and times of the kings of Israel in the North and Judah in the south, and the intermingling with the prophetic voices. So, we’ve met Elijah; there was famine in the land for three years. Nobody could find Elijah; King Ahab in the North is married to a woman named Jezebel. The northern kingdom is fully immersed in Baal worship. Elijah shows back up, says rain is coming and then there’s a showdown with the prophets of Baal. God answers with fire from heaven, Elijah tells Ahab, he better get back to his home before the rains overtake him. That’s kind where we left off. Ahab was riding his chariot back to Jezreel and the prophet Elijah tucked in his robe and outran the chariots and outran Ahab back to Jezreel. And so, we picked up the story from there. We’ll read from the Good News Translation this week, first Kings chapter 19.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for this brand-new, shiny, sparkly week we are stepping into. And we look forward, with great anticipation, for all that You will lead us into and through, all that we will experience as we experienced this week in Your presence. And we pray that our thoughts, words and deeds may glorify You. May we make You proud Father, this week. And we ask, with the power of Your Holy Spirit, that You would continue to lead us day-by-day, step-by-step, as we engage and immerse ourselves in the Scriptures. Lead us on the way that we should go. We ask in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, everybody, this is Bernie. I’m calling in to ask for prayer for my marriage; we’re kind of in dire straits. And I don’t know which way to go. I’m crying out to God and I’m just asking for you guys to pray along with me. So, heavenly Father, Lord, I just ask that You intervene, and You bring healing where healing needs to come and understanding, Father. And I lay everything down before You Lord, and I just ask that You save my marriage and protect my children’s hearts for any more wounding. Unite us together, Father, in Jesus name. Thank you, guys.

Hey, DAB Family. This is James in LA. I just heard Winters prayer request for Quill. And you called Quill they. And God sees Quill. He/she/they God sees Quills heart and soul. Sees, God sees what He made, and God sees what redemption looks like. And we don’t necessarily know what that looks like, but we can trust God that He knows what He’s doing. So, Father God, we pray for Quill. Whatever Quills birth name, whatever Quill’s assigned gender at birth. Whatever Quill’s life experience, all of that. God, You seen all of it, You know all of it. You know all the pain that they’ve gone through, You know all the pain that they’re in right now and all their choices good, bad, and otherwise, and You love them. You love them. You love them. You didn’t send Jesus to condemn any of us. Please God, apply the blood of Christ to Quill. And open Quills eyes to see Your pursuing love, especially through Winter. Thank you, God for Winter. Jesus name. Amen.

Hi, Daily Audio Bible Family. I hope you’re all having a God Blessed day, nigh, whenever you’re all listening to this. Anyway, if ya’ll could please say a prayer that God would provide my family with just simply enough finances that we need, to be able to help keep a roof over our head, to be able to pay off the rent and other important bills and stuff, you know. That would certainly be appreciated. Thankfully God always comes on through. And so, the story behind my situation is a really long one. But basically, there’s been, just been a lot of stuff that’s been going on with my family, like over the last several years. Like, my mom had passed away three years ago, right before COVID hit had really took a big hit on everything. And then, of course COVID took a big hit. And so, ever since then, my cousins been helping with the business that my mom had ran for almost 20 years straight, to help keep a roof over our head. I’m working a full-time job separately to help out with finances there. And then, like, my dad’s in Kansas; he’s stuck over there. And so, he won’t really be able to help out much. And then, my grandma had passed away recently on June 5th. And so, yeah, like I said, there’s just been a lot, a lot of stuff that’s been going on. And so, but anyway, this has been a really good season of discipline that God has helped put upon me. You know, it’s just really helped me to truly rely, depend on Him and Jesus Christ, that every single solitary moment, every single solitary moment that passes by and that there’s not a single moment that we don’t depend on Jesus Christ. If it wasn’t for Jesus Christ, that we you know, wouldn’t be alive to this very day. You know, and thriving, of course. And so, anyway, and like I said, God always comes on through at the exact you know, you know, perfect time on His timing. I mean, and so, anyway, hallelujah and Amen to that. And so, yeah, like I said, if ya’ll could please say a prayer. That would certainly be appreciated. God bless ya’ll.

Hi, my name is Sharissa from Washington. I am calling in response to today I listened to Ethan’s prayer request, and he said he was from Texas. And I just wanted to pray for Ethan and encourage him. Ethan, I relate to what you shared, and I just wanted to let you know that first off, that’s God’s not disappointed in you. I know it can be easy to feel ashamed. Especially when you keep making the same mistakes, over and over again. But something God showed me recently and in my time with Him was that He was more concerned with the shame, getting in between us, than the fact that I had made a mistake. So, I just wanted to encourage you to first, just go back to Him. He’s never ever, ever gonna reject you cause He loves you, you’re His kid. And no matter how many times you make the same mistake, He’ll take you back. And I know you said you’re struggling with letting go. I just feel like you know, anytime you cry out to Him for help with letting go, you are letting go; you’re surrendering. Yes, it’s easy to want to return to things that comforted us or, or just make, you know, just the brain just, is wired to keep going in the direction that it’s used to. But every time you turn to Him, and every time you ask Him for help, He’s there. He won’t ever leave You. He’ll never forsake you. He is not worried about the fact that you’re struggling with this. He just wants to be there for you when you, when you cry out to Him and when you ask for Him to be there, He’s there. God I just ask that You would comfort Ethan. Help him to know that he’s not alone. Help him to find people to be accountable with. And I pray …

June 18, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday June 18, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 19

Elijah Flees to Sinai

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

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

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

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

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

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Call of Elisha

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

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

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

Footnotes:

19:8 Hebrew to Horeb, another name for Sinai.
19:16 Hebrew descendant of Nimshi; compare 2 Kgs 9:2, 14.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Acts 12:1-23

James Is Killed and Peter Is Imprisoned

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

Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Death of Herod Agrippa

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

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

Footnotes:

12:1 Greek Herod the king. He was the nephew of Herod Antipas and a grandson of Herod the Great.
12:3 Greek the days of unleavened bread.
12:11 Or the Jewish people.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 136

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

136:13 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 136:15.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 17:14-15

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

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

June 17, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday June 17, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 18

The Contest on Mount Carmel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elijah Prays for Rain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

Acts 11

Peter Explains His Actions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Church in Antioch of Syria

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 135

¹Praise the Lord!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise the Lord!

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 17:12-13

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

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

June 17, 2023

06/17/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the 17^th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather again, take the next step forward together which brings us to the conclusion of another one of our weeks together. So, well done. We have made it through another one of our weeks together. Probably more appropriately, we’re about to finish another one of our weeks together. And, so, let’s dive in. And we have been working our way through the book of first Kings and we are moving through the different…the different kings of Judah in the south, and the different kings of Israel in the North now that we have a divided kingdom. We have met the prophet Elijah and king Ahab in the northern kingdom of Israel and it’s not raining. And it hasn’t rained for three years. And, so, there is famine in the land. And God is about to invite Elijah back to center stage. He’s been hiding and they’ve been looking for him for all this time and he’s about to make an appearance. So, let’s pick up the story. First Kings chapter 18 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this week, another week to immerse ourselves day by day step-by-step. We thank You for all that we’ve experienced in this week in our lives, in our physical lives in things that we’ve done and said and thought and also in all that You’ve planted in our hearts. May our hearts be fertile soil. May we collaborate with You in tilling the soil and being good soil that You plant Your word in. And may we reap a harvest for Your kingdom as we continue this journey forward day by day and step-by-step. Come Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website, that is where you can find out what’s going on around here. And, so, certainly do check out what is…what…what…what is going on around here.

Check out the Community section and visit the Prayer Wall. See what’s going on in each other’s lives, and pray for one another and encourage one another.

Check out at the Daily Audio Bible Shop for resources for the journey that we are on.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, humble thanks, humble gratitude. Thank you. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. There is a link on the homepage 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 just 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, this is Ethan calling from Texas. I…I just want to give a little thank you to everybody out there because I had called in at a very low moment without hope just looking for some prayer and some direction and I just want to say thank you for anybody out there who heard my call in and decided to say a prayer for me. I have recently found the strength that is certainly not my own to put down a lot of things in my life specifically substances that have been holding me back and taking me away from God. I have made the decision to be sober and to start seeking out an in-person fellowship with Christians, to go and seek out a church where I can meet the pastor and I can…I can worship God. And I just…I just want to say thank you to everybody out there all of you for just hearing what I had to say and saying a prayer for me. I’m praying for all of you. I hope you have a great day. I hope everything goes good. In the name of Jesus, I pray that everyone in this DAB family is rooted in Christ, that you have a good day, that you walk with the Lord, you never deny His name and you honor His commandments. I love all of you. Have a great day. Go in peace and go with God. Bye-bye.

Hi good morning my name is Maria and I’m calling…I’m a first-time caller and I’m calling from East Providence RI and today is June 12^th 2023 and I just listened to Ethan from Texas and I just felt his pain and I am praying for you Ethan. You are redeemed. You’re loved by God. I…when I heard your prayer, I just felt my needs in your…in your prayer. You are a sweet young man. God bless you and your family and don’t give up. Better days are ahead because you are loved, and you are redeemed by God. Thank you so much for calling Ethan and may God bless you and keep you. Bye-bye. Have a good day.

Good afternoon my name is __ I’m __ from Maryland and I’m from Haiti. I’m asking your prayers for the position…my position that I have to apply, and they call all the teammates except me. So, I would appreciate it that you…appreciate it that you pray for me so that I have my job back. __ that I’m applying for another job but my position due to __. Thank you for your prayer. May God bless.

Hi this is Chris the sojourner of Chris and Beth from Georgia and I’m calling because Beth is in surgery right now having a total knee replacement and just wanna ask for your prayers for her recovery, her safe surgery, for me for strength as her caregiver, for all of the health care workers right now - the surgeon the nurses the anesthesiologist. She really wants to thank everybody who’s reached out to her especially so many folks from the Israel trip this year that have just reached out with…with support and love. So, thank you all for that and thank you for your prayers.

June 16, 2023

6/16/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the 16th day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is always a privilege and always a joy when we gather together around the Global Campfire and become a community, all over the world, and join hearts and minds together and take the next, the next step forward in the Scriptures. So, it is with joy that we come together today for exactly that, the next step forward. And that next step forward will lead us back into the book of First Kings and we are at the point now in the books of Kings, we’re kind of back and forth. And we’re getting some long stories, some very, very short paragraphs about kings and that’s kind of how this will go. The kingdoms have split into two, as we know. There’s the northern kingdom of Israel, the southern kingdom of Judah. They each have their own king now, they’re separate nations who are continually, even though they’re family, are continuing, continually at war with one another. So, since there’s two kings, they don’t like, pass away all on the same day and then a new King is anointed in the, like they pass away at different times. And so, we’re kind of keeping up with the overlap of who’s King where, at what time, who is loyal to God, who is disloyal to God and leading the people into idolatry. When do they have animosity with each other, when are they at peace with one another. These are the kinds of things that we are moving through now. And it’s unlikely that we’re gonna remember every single one of these kings names and what they did and what they were known for. But if we will just remember, as we move through this territory, there is the kingdom of Israel, it’s the northern kingdom and there is the kingdom of Judah, where Jerusalem is, that is the kingdom of Judah. So, if we’re talking about Israel, we’re talking about the North. If we’re talking about Judah, we’re talking about the southern kingdom. And so, let’s dive in and continue learning the life and times of Israel’s kings and Judah’s kings. Today, First Kings chapter 15 verse 25 through 17 verse 24.

Commentary:

Okay, so yesterday, in the Book of Acts, we started this story that we continued forward today. And I was mentioning, in an understated way, the Bible is telling us in one of the most monumental stories that we can find in the New Testament. And we talked about the goings-on that we had read yesterday. Cornelius, a Roman, a Gentile, a soldier, a stentorian, a God fearer who loved the Lord and was generous to the poor, was praying in Caesarea, a Roman city on the Mediterranean coast. I’m gonna guess, a hundred miles maybe from like, like northwest of Jerusalem. The ruins of this ancient city exist until today and it was a spectacular place, a jewel, a place that Herod had built to be a truly Roman place, a place that the Romans would want to come and find familiarity and like sort of a place for holiday, to come to this land. But this is also the seat of governance of the entire province on behalf of Rome. And so, Cornelius is there as a stentorian, and as a Roman soldier. He has a vision, the vision tells him to send for this guy named Peter, who’s in Joppa, staying with a man named Simon the tanner by the sea. And so, he does that. Meanwhile, Peters having a vision of his own, where this sheet comes down were unclean animals are there and he’s told to kill and eat them. And he has a problem with that because he’s never done anything like, never done anything clean, unclean like that. But he hears a message that God is declaring. Like, don’t call unclean what God declares clean. And at that point, that’s when the messengers from Cornelius arrived to collect Peter. Peter is instructed to go with these people back to Joppa. And he does do that and that’s kind of where we pick up the reading, today. He arrives in Joppa. Cornelius has gotten his entire family and friends, like they got a large group of people there at the house. Peter arrives. Cornelius greets him by falling to the ground in honor. So, this is a very, very weird situation for Peter to be experiencing: a Roman Gentiles stentorian, a soldier in power is humbling himself before Peter, of fishermen from Galilee, who also happens to have been the disciple of Jesus Christ. So, an odd situation right at the front door. And peters like get up, like, I’m just a person. Get up. And then Peter goes ahead and says what the problem is, you know I’m not supposed to be here, we’re not supposed to be here, we’re not supposed to be mixing and intermingling with the Gentiles. We’re not supposed to be here, but I had this vision, and I was told to come here. So, here I am and the tension of this weird situation because I was instructed by the Spirit to come here. So here I am, what can I do for you? And Cornelius is like, wow, this is so weird because I had a vision too and I was told to send for you, which I did. And so, I’ve gathered everybody here hoping that you would come and it’s really nice of you to come. Thank you for coming. So, we are all here to hear whatever it is you have to say. So, both of these guys are like pushed together in this odd situation and neither know exactly what’s going on or what they’re supposed to be doing. Peter knows, at least in his tradition, that he’s not supposed to be there, but he’s not supposed to be hanging out with Cornelius. And if people find out about this, this is gonna cause problems for him, but he had been instructed to go. So, all he knows to do is to tell the story. And he begins to tell the story of Jesus and the good news of the Gospel. And while he’s doing this, the Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius and his household. That is the monumental thing. It’s understated and we can read through it and go like, why is that a big deal? It’s a big deal because Cornelius was a Roman Gentile, the oppressor as it were, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them. So, Peters like well, then there’s no reason for them to not be baptized. The Holy Spirit has fallen upon them, as the Holy Spirit has come upon us. What we’re seeing here is a massive, exponential increase in awareness of what God was doing among the people in the Book of Acts. It’s not that it’s so monumental that it was like a change in God’s plans. God, if we remember, all the way back to meeting Abraham and going through all of the development of the children of Israel, we knew that they were to be a nation of priests, through whom the entire nations of the world would be blessed. So, it wasn’t like they were never going to have interaction. But they were not supposed to be mixing. And we’ve seen enough of the story to see that the mixture did cause their downfall. Now were in the first century, where they’ve all been in exile and they are back in the land, but they’ve never controlled the land again and they want these Gentiles, the Romans, the Greeks, they want them out. They want God to restore the land. And God comes directly to restore the land and restore the story and they miss it and crucified Jesus. So, the early believers in Jesus were largely Jewish people. The New Testament is written by Jewish people. Jesus was the Hebrew Messiah, the Jewish Messiah they believed in. There really wasn’t a separate kind of faith, this separate conversion process. And so that caused all kinds of debate in the early church. And this thing that happened with Cornelius is a big, big deal. Because what’s being indicated here is that all are welcome. And it wasn’t really going to be a matter of human debate. The Holy Spirit had spoken, and Peter saw this, with his own eyes. And we’re gonna see that Peter’s gonna go back and report all this and we’ll see that this causes problems. And Peter is gonna have to say the truth. Like, what are we supposed to do? The Holy Spirit fell upon these Gentiles, just like the Holy Spirit fell upon us Jews. So, what are we supposed to do here because God is making a decision and we can’t fight against the decision of God. We have to figure out a way to get on board. And that wrestling will cause division in the early church for those who believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, and in order to worship Jesus and appreciate and follow Him as a disciple, then you would convert to Judaism and then follow the Messiah. Where there was this other argument, like nobody’s been able to obey all of the laws of God, even as Hebrew people who grew up with this in the water, when it’s been the tapestry of our culture. How are we supposed to expect Gentiles, who don’t know anything about the fabric of this culture, to all the sudden come in here, learn all of the culture and then perfectly obey the law to follow Jesus. God is doing something new, and he is welcoming these Gentiles. And that will lead us, before the Book of Acts is over, to the first church council, the first time that people had to really get together, who had very, very differing opinions on things, to try to seek God and understand what was going to happen. And we’ll see that the Gentiles, because of what God is speaking through the Holy Spirit, are welcomed into the story. But not everybody welcomes them. And it causes division and a split and persecution later on in the story. But at least for me, I’m not sure I can understate how big of a deal this is. I read this story and I am a Gentile, and I am humbled, I am grateful this story welcomes most of us into the family of God. Grafts us in as it were, which is something that this guy, Saul, who hated the name of Jesus and then met Jesus and became Paul, the apostle Paul. He becomes really the champion for this argument that everybody in the world, the Gentiles are included in this story, and all are welcome. So much of what we will read when we begin to read the letters of Paul have this point in mind. And Paul does not have an easy go of it, as we will see. His message of inclusion and that Jesus is the Messiah, is going to put his life, well, it’s going to tip it upside down. He’s gonna find great joy in it, but it’s not going to be anything like he ever knew before. In fact, he will look at his previous life and say, it’s just all filthy rags. Just to walk with Jesus is the joy of life and we’ll see that many people want Paul dead. And that this Gospel, eventually costs him his life. And so, what we see here in Caesarea by the sea in the home of Cornelius the centurion, is a monumental move in the story that we are reading as we read the New Testament.

Prayer:

And so, Jesus, we are grateful. Holy Spirit, we are grateful for this story that we see and for the events that underlie the story that You have invited everybody to come to you. That everybody has the opportunity to believe and be in relationship and right standing in fellowship with You forever. We are recipients of this gift, and we are humbled and are grateful. And we are sorry for the ways that we’ve taken it for granted. We are sorry for the ways that we have misrepresented the good news by the ways that we have tried to exclude. We are thankful that You were making decisions in the Book of Acts, and You continue to do what is right. And may we see what You are doing and follow. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base and that is where you can find out what is happening around here. The Daily Audio Bible app will do that as well. And you can get that free from the App Store that works with your device and search for Daily Audio Bible. And yeah, while you’re checking out, check out the different sections. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are a number of categories there. Whether that be things to wear, whether that be like coffee and tea that is sourced specifically and roasted freshly for us and sent to you. Or maybe some of the written resources that are available or the journals and things to journal with, as we move our way through the Bible. There are just a number of resources in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. If you find being around the Global Campfire to be a life-giving source, a source of encouragement in your day-to-day life, 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 P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, TN 37174.

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

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Dear sister, Kristina in Oregon, this is Amber in California. And I just wanted to call and let you know that I’m praying for you. And that I related to your call so much. I have been addicted to just about everything. I have two years clean off everything and it was not an overnight thing. It was tough and God finally delivered me. I’m almost 38 and all these 36 years I was hooked on something every day. And it destroyed my life. But today, I praise God that He’s delivered me. And that’s what I will pray for God to do for you, is deliver you from anything that is not of Him. Just lean on Him and His strength will get you through. You just take those first couple of steps in faith and then He will catch you and hold you the rest of the way. That’s just how He is. And He’s proven that to me, time and time again. He’s saved me, rescued me, so many times. And finally, I got it. So, I’m praying for that for you sister. And I’ll continue to pray. God bless. I love you all. I listen to the prayers every day, and I pray for you all every single day. I cry pretty much every single day. And I just wanna let you all know that I’m praying for you guys. Love you, goodbye.

Hey, this is Micah in Awe, calling for Ethan in Texas. I heard your prayer request and I’m praying for you brother. I know what it’s like to be drowning in different problems and feeling like nothing is going well. Like, there’s no joy. There’s just times in life where we go through those seasons and I’m praying for you now. In fact, I’ll just pray right now. Lord, I just ask You that You please visit our brother Ethan, Lord. And bring some joy to his life, Lord. Bring some relief, bring help from various places. And we remember the Scripture, I lift my eyes into the hills, looking for where my help comes from. And we know that our help comes from You, Lord. We ask that You just bring him help now, Lord. Bring him encouragement, bring him a charm of great joy, Lord. Let the valley of this season of life be over. Let him be on the hilltops and the mountain tops, enjoying your favor and being a blessing to others, Lord. He loves you and he’s asked for Your prayer, and he’s said that he’s prayed for others. We just ask that You show up in a big way for him, Lord, please. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

I’ve been thinking about fathers. They are so important in God’s plan for the family. But there is so many difficult issues relating to them. I know stories of abandonment, abuse, neglect and indifference. It also seems like some men just don’t know what to do. So, instead of engaging with their family, they back off and don’t do anything. I’d like to pray for the fathers listening right now. Heavenly Father, children are precious gifts from You. May Christian men realize the responsibility and privilege they have as fathers. May these men embrace the challenge, rather than shy away. May they cherish their wives, be the kind of men their children look up to. May they teach their sons to be men of God and show their daughters, what a good man is like. May they be men of integrity, strong and yet tender, filled with grace and joy. Father, no man is able to fulfill that calling without You at the center of his life. I pray that Christian fathers will call on the Holy Spirit and depend on Him for strength and guidance to do the right thing. I ask that these men will dig deeply into Your word, where they will see how You relate to Your children. That they will learn from Jesus, how to love and serve, where there is a need for forgiveness, may they confess and repent before You and before their family. And then purpose to go forward in Your strength and for Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen.

DAB, this is Carpe Diem Driver calling from Maryland, once again. As I continue to pray and help others, I still need help myself. Please Father, show me the way. Show me what I need to do to get my situation turned around. I’ve just had my electricity turned off, I’m in the dark now. I can’t read, I don’t know what to do. The further I move towards Him, the further things more keep happening to me. And I don’t know what to do. Please God, send me an angel, send me guidance, help me to solve this situation financially. Help that I need to get my life turned around and get my life back together again. In Jesus name that I pray. I reach out to You; cause God is the only thing that I know. He’s the only thing that I know. The only one that can help me. And I hope and pray that your prayers will be heard. And I’m gonna get out of this situation, one day soon.

Hello DAB family. Papa D from Tennessee, currently in Texas. Praying for Ethan from Texas today, June 12th. Father God, we ask that You would break off every dominion of oppression and condemnation off of our brother Ethan. We ask in Jesus name, Lord God, that Your Spirit would rest on him. Any demonic stuff, we command it to go to the feet of Jesus and do what Jesus is telling you to do. In Ethan’s life, you have no power and no authority. Holy Spirit, would You lead Ethan out of this, where he feels like he’s let down a lot of people and himself. Lord, we ask in Jesus name. Help him get up, help Ethan Lord to be strengthened by Your Spirit, by all the prayers, Your angelic hosts released as we pray and lift our brother up. Your __ that breaks the yoke. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Blessings everyone. Shalom.

June 16, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday June 16, 2023 (NIV)

1 Kings 15:25-17:24

Nadab Rules in Israel

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

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

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

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

Baasha Rules in Israel

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

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

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

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

Elah Rules in Israel

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

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

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

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

Zimri Rules in Israel

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

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

Omri Rules in Israel

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

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

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

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

Ahab Rules in Israel

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

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

Elijah Fed by Ravens

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

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

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

The Widow at Zarephath

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

Acts 10:24-48

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

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

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

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

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

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

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

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

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

Footnotes:

10:39 Greek on a tree.
10:41 Greek the people.
10:45 Greek The faithful ones of the circumcision.
10:46 Or in other languages.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 134

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

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

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

Footnotes:

134:3 Hebrew Zion.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 17:9-11

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

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

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

New Living Translation (NLT)

June 15, 2023

06/02/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 19:11-20:13, John 21:1-25, Psalms 120:1-7, Proverbs 16:16-17

Today is the 2^nd day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue to get moved into this brand-new month and continue to take our steps forward together around the Global Campfire. And our step forward today leads us back into the book of second Samuel and the life of King David where…where Absalom’s attempt, David’s son, his attempt to overthrow his father as the king of Israel has been thwarted. Absalom has died in the battle and David’s in a conflicted position of incredible grief for the loss of his child, his son while needing to congratulate the army that saved his life and killed his son. So, let’s pick up the story. Second Samuel chapter 19 verse 11 through 20 verse 13.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in today’s reading we finished the gospel of John, which means that we have finished the portion of Scripture known as the Gospels, which means that if we’re checking off our days in the Daily Audio Bible app, we’ll get the Gospels badge. It’ll show up for us. We’ve completed a major portion of Scripture today that took us from the beginning of the year starting in Matthew and then Mark and then Luke and then today completing the gospel of John. Now obviously the Gospels are the stories of the life of Jesus and His ministry and what He taught and what He did. And, so, the way that this all comes in for a landing, and all comes to a close is a final scene, the final scene we will get with Jesus on earth in His earthly ministry. And it’s back in the galley. And that’s fitting. Like, I’ve been to Jerusalem many times and I’ve been to the Galilea many times and it is fitting. The Galilea is a beautiful place, serene. It’s the place where they came from. So, this is where the scene opens and takes place and Jesus is cooking breakfast in this scene for His friends who have gone back fishing and have fished all night and haven’t caught anything. And, so, they come back to shore. They can’t tell who’s on the shore and Jesus calls out, did you catch anything? And they’re probably thinking that He wants to buy some fish from them. They’ve just come in from fishing but they hadn’t caught anything so they tell Him, no. And then He tells them cast your net on the other side of the boat which…which would ring familiar. They’ve heard that one before. He told that to them before. And they obey. And all of the fish come into the boat, like in the net, and they’re filled once again. And this scene that happened before when He was calling some of these disciples and He told them, cast their nets on the other side. And they got a hall of fish, and they brought it to the shore, and they left it there and followed Him. So, here in this last scene in the Gospels it happens again. Everything that they left to follow Jesus is restored to them in the boats in the nets and the come and have breakfast with Jesus. It’s beautiful. And Jesus asks Peter if he love Him and Peter tells me he does. And Jesus tells him to feed my sheep. And He does it again and Peter answers again. And Jesus says…says essentially the same thing. And then He does it again a third time, do you love me. And the gospel of John tells us this…Peter’s hurt at this moment, like his heart is a little bit broken here that Jesus has to keep asking him. And he told Him, You know everything. You know everything. So, You know whether or not I’m telling You the truth. You know everything. So, You know I love You. And Jesus tells him to feed His sheep. And then the very very last seen leading to the very very last words of Jesus in the Gospels is really a riveting lesson for all of us that we should not only carry with us today, but we should carry with us from now on. This is the last scene in the Gospels. This is the last story that we get to experience. Jesus tells Peter, essentially, that later in life he’s gonna go where he doesn’t want to go. And the gospel of John tells us that He’s revealing to Peter the way he would die. And, so, Peter who has been confessing his love for Jesus, like has been trying to convince Jesus that he does love Him gets this news and then looks over at John, one of the other disciples, the disciple Jesus loved. He looks over at John and says what about him. What about him, Lord? Man, we’re in this story all of the sudden, this story of comparison of comparing ourselves to others lives and other stories. And Jesus steps right into it, answers the question for Peter, answers it for us with the riveting final words that the Lord says in the Gospels. If I want him to remain here till I come what is that to you? As for you, follow me. Those are the last words of Jesus in the Gospels, and that is a fitting way to send us off through the rest of the story in the New Testament as we move toward the book of Acts tomorrow. We are left with these words from Jesus, the final words we will hear in the Gospels from them. What is that to you? As for you, follow me. And, so, may we spend the day pondering and inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal what that is to us, that would keep us from following Jesus.

Prayer:

Jesus, we invite You into that. There are any number of distractions, any number of comparisons, any number of issues that can keep us from the path. And we are hearing these final words, and may they echo throughout our day, throughout this week, and may they echo throughout our lives - what is that to You? May we hear You saying that to us every time we reach a junction where we are about to be pulled in a direction that we should not go. May we hear You say, what is that to You. What is that to You, son? What is that to You, daughter? What is that to You? As for You, follow me. Come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is where you can find out what’s happening around here and get connected. So, check that out. If you haven’t checked it out yet the Daily Audio Bible app is available for free and you can download it from whatever app store works with your device.

And then from the web or from the app you can access things like the Daily Audio Bible shop and browse around at resources that are available there for this journey whether there things to wear, things write with, things to write on, things to read and take the journey deeper, things to look at and view and take the journey deeper, or even our Windfarm coffee and tea line that pares so nicely with time in the Scriptures in community. So, you can see all the different varieties, the different places that we’ve sourced from around the world, whether that be tea or coffee trying to bring sustainable high-quality into the community whether that be coffee or tea. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with a Daily Audio Bible, if what we’re doing around the Global Campfire, knitting ourselves together, orienting ourselves day by day step-by-step to how we should live as it’s coming straight out of the Bible as we listen and examine, if that’s life-giving to you than 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 am Brian and I love you, and I truly do, and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…