09/28/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7

Today is the 28th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is…it is a joy and an honor to be here with you at the close of another of our weeks together. And, yeah, we’ll begin a new week tomorrow, but we are really pretty close to the end of another month together. So, next week, yeah, we’ll be will be graduating into the next month, the month of October. But we’re here at the close of the final full week of the month of September and we’ve been reading from the Voice Translation this week, which is what we’ll do today. Isaiah chapter 54 verse 1 through 57 verse 14 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for bringing us through another week in Your word and we thank You that as we approach the sunset of this month and prepare to move into the final quarter of the year, we invite Your Holy Spirit. You have…You have led and guided us every step of the way to this point and You have transformed us in ways that we would find difficult to even put into words. And this is the power of Your word because it is transforming us from within. So, come Holy Spirit as we release this week into our history and as we look forward with anticipation to all that You have yet to speak to us. Come Jesus we pray. In Your mighty name we ask. Amen.

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And I guess what’s going on around here is we’re finishing our week together strong getting ready to move into a new week and a new week will bring us into a new month and a new month will certainly bring new experiences and new things to pray about, new things to consider and contemplate. And staying connected to one another is one of the things that we do. And, so, dailyaudiobible.com is that hub.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Jennifer calling from the Pacific Northwest. I’m calling because I need prayer. My husband of 23 years moved out on Friday, the 13th of September. It’s only been 10 days, but it’s been terrible, and my five children and I are alone. And, so, I’m praying in the name of Jesus that my husband’s affair with this other woman would end and that he would repent and turn to God and would return to our family. So, Daily Audio Bible family if you would please pray for my husband. He’s been a police officer for over 20 years, and I know he has PTSD and I’ve called in for him before but I really would appreciate your prayers for his affair to end and for him to return to Jesus and return to our family in the name of Jesus. Thank you so much Daily Audio Bible. Bye-bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible listeners this is Gina from Orlando. This morning I’m going to pray for those that are experiencing breakups in the family and or your marriages because of mental illness. I pray that the spirit of depression and oppression be cast out of the life and relationships of all those suffering with mental illnesses. I pray that the joy of the Lord renew and your loved ones down and overtake you and saturate your life and the life of those that you love and are connected to. I pray that you experience the abundant life that the Lord died to give you and us. I pray that you and your family and your loved ones live to give a powerful testimony because of the test that you and your family will overcome in Jesus’ name. I pray that the Holy Spirit of God rule you and your loved ones in every area of your life and that you be able to continue to fight and remain faithful until the Lord’s return or your return to Him. My prayer today would be for deliverance for my husband Thomas and for all my family members that are dealing with bipolar depression and pray for family restoration as well. I pray for direction and favor and finances to find a new home. I pray more so that my husband Thomas’s eyes will be opened and he will do is right in God’s will rather than following the leading of his own mind and that he would that the Lord do the work in him so that he can be well and restored. I pray that the Lord will protect my children and grandchildren and our relationship, and the enemy would not be allowed to break us apart or turn them against me because of my stance for God and finally I pray that I do God’s will. Many blessings Daily Audio Bible listeners. Have a great day.

Hello DAB family this is Paula the child advocate from the LA area calling and I’m using the new red button. This is pretty exciting. Thank you, Brian and Jill for doing this. I’ve been hearing a lot of prayer requests for marriages and I have to tell you it really touches my heart. I have been so blessed to be married for my husband for almost 45 years and I just want to share my story with you. When I was a teenager for some reason, I don’t know, I wrote myself a little poem prayer to ask God to send me a godly husband and when I go to bed at night, I used to say this little poem that I wrote. And I just held onto that prayer my whole life. Oh, when I was about 23, 22 I don’t know, I met my husband and before that I had almost been engaged, I had three proposals from three different guys and I came close to being engaged but the Holy Spirit just told me it wasn’t right. It broke my heart because the guy I was dating cried and begged me not to break up with him, but I just knew it wasn’t right. I heard somebody asking in a prayer for us to pray for her because she didn’t know if it was right. Well, the Holy Spirit will tell you in your heart if this is the right person. Well, in our first years of marriage my husband did not go to church with me very often but after we had children, he did go on a regular basis, but I think it was mostly out of obligation. But I want to tell you the miracle that God performed. Now that we been retired, we’re Catholic, and my husband goes to mass every single morning every single morning seven days a week he loves the Lord. He spends time in prayer, he does the hours. I mean, it’s a miracle. So please do not give up hope for your marriages. Pray and trust in Jesus. I love you all. I love to hear your calls. I love your voices. Thank you, Brian and Jill. Bye for now.

Hello daily audio Bible this is been from Legos I would like to pray today against the spirit of depression and its onslaught on the minds of the children of God. I declare that his power is broken in Jesus’ name that even as people see the despair in the world they would see the hand of God at work, they will see the need to preach the gospel more, and to do more for the Lord instead of being overwhelmed and feelings of despair in Jesus’ name. I remember Wade in Japan, I remember Karen and Dublin, and I pray today for Patty who is dealing with extreme anxiety for the healing hand of God will touch her mind and heal her in the name of Jesus. Father we ask for your intervention in Jesus’ name. I thank you for Brian and Jill and the great work they’re doing with the Daily Audio Bible. I declare that the Lord will continue to encourage them in Jesus’ name. I pray for those marriages that are having challenges that the Holy Spirit Himself will intervene and let the desire for peace be paramount above all else, that the internal purpose be paramount above self in Jesus’ name. Thank you.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 28, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

54 Eternal One: Sing, childless woman, you who have never given birth.
Raise a joyful shout, you who have never gone through labor.
You, whose husband is dead, will bring forth much more than the fertile one who has a husband.[a]
Enlarge your house. You are going to need a bigger place;
don’t underestimate the amount of room that you’ll need. So build, build, build.
You will increase in every direction to fill the world.
Your offspring will take over the nations;
Your people will revitalize long-abandoned towns.

Don’t be afraid, for there is no one to shame you.
Don’t fear humiliation, for there is no one to disgrace you.
The shame of your younger years and the sorrow of your widowhood are over.
You’ll forget those days as if they never happened.
Because the One who made you will be your husband;
the One called Commander of heavenly armies
Will set you right again, the Holy One of Israel.
It’s not for nothing that He is called “God of all the earth.”

For the Eternal has called you to come back home,
like a young wife, once deserted and deeply injured.
Now God is pulling you close again. Like a spouse forgives,
He will take you back and be reconciled.
The Eternal, your Redeemer, says this:

Eternal One: Yes, I was angry for a moment, and I rejected you,
but My love endures, and I want you back.
For that moment, when I was so mad,
I made it impossible for you to see Me, to find Me,
But with great tenderness, I will take you back in love.

I think this is like the time when Noah lived.
I promised that I would never again destroy the world by a flood.
So now I am promising never again to be so angry
and punishing as I was when I sent you away.
10 Even if the mountains heave up from their anchors,
and the hills quiver and shake, I will not desert you.
You can rely on My enduring love;
My covenant of peace will stand forever.

So says the Eternal One, whose love won’t give up on you.

This promise stands to God’s covenant people: nothing can happen to them unless God wills it and makes it so. Only if they invite it will destruction come. Throughout this time of rebellion and punishment God makes it clear that they hold their fate in their own hands. And if they haven’t understood the message, God tells them who will do the nation-building—an unworldly restoration. He says that He provides the raw materials; He creates the tools and provides the skills with which the builders build. He alone is responsible for restoring the nation. And no matter what charges the adversary may concoct, God will not be put off. Even though Israel rebelled and was unfaithful at one time, that is in the past. The future is sure: God’s faithfulness to His covenant, His enduring love for His people, will stand for all time. So the challenge goes out from the prophet to God’s people—speaking on God’s authority—to align themselves with God, accept Him as God, and they will surely win.

11 Eternal One: Ah, Jerusalem, so miserable and distressed! I will rebuild you
with floors of shimmering mosaics, set sapphires in your foundations.
12 I will decorate your towers with rubies,
and your gates will sparkle with all manner of precious gems.
Costly jewels will adorn the entire wall that circles your precincts.
13 Every one of your children, the people who call you home,
will be students of the Eternal; oh, they’ll be so happy and live in peace!
14 This time, you will be founded and grounded
on right thought, speech, and action.
And no one will trouble you, abuse or oppress you;
you will know no fear and have no worries.
15 If a nation marches against you,
know that I am not behind it.
Anyone foolish enough to challenge you will fall to you.
16 I have created the blacksmith
who readies the fire and forges weapons for wars;
And I have created the destroyer to ravage and ruin.
17 But no instrument forged against you will be allowed to hurt you,
and no voice raised to condemn you will successfully prosecute you.
It’s that simple; this is how it will be for the servants of the Eternal;
I will vindicate them.

55 Eternal One: If you are thirsty, come here;
come, there’s water for all.
Whoever is poor and penniless can still
come and buy the food I sell.
There’s no cost—here, have some food, hearty and delicious,
and beverages, pure and good.
I don’t understand why you spend your money for things that don’t nourish
or work so hard for what leaves you empty.
Attend to Me and eat what is good;
enjoy the richest, most delectable of things.
Listen closely, and come even closer. My words will give life,
for I will make a covenant with you that cannot be broken, a promise
Of My enduring presence and support like I gave to David.[b]
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander among the nations.
Now you will issue a call to nations from all over the world
people whom you do not know and who do not know you.
They will come running, because of Me, your God
because the Eternal, the Holy One of Israel, has made you beautiful.

So turn your attention and seek the Eternal One while it is still possible;
call on Him while He is nearby.
Let those who are busy plotting violence and doing wrong
stop right now, turn, and do right.
Let them turn back to the Eternal so they can experience His compassion.
God will excuse our past wrongs. Our God’s forgiveness is inexhaustible.

Eternal One: My intentions are not always yours,
and I do not go about things as you do.
My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you,
just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.
10 For as rain and snow can’t go back once they’ve fallen,
but soak into the ground
And nourish the plants that grow,
providing seed to the farmer and bread for the hungry,
11 So it is when I declare something.
My word will go out and not return to Me empty,
But it will do what I wanted;
it will accomplish what I determined.
12 For you will go out in joy, be led home in peace.
And as you go the land itself will break out in cheers;
The mountains and the hills will erupt in song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way
to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good.
And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One
and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever.

The triumph of God over Israel’s enemies is certain. Filled with joy and expectation, God’s covenant people leave behind a strange country and begin the long, dangerous journey back to the promised land. But instead of fear and trepidation at the potential perils ahead, they are overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy. Instead of holding dangers around every turn, the land and creation itself join in the celebration to welcome the exiles home. There is no need to worry about long, hard climbs or treacherous descents, for the mountains and the hills cheer them on. There’s no need to fret about shade from the sun’s blazing heat, for majestic trees grow up to cast their long, cooling shadows across the desert’s arid land. The prophet’s vision of the journey home is nearly complete.

56 Eternal One: Take care that you do what is right and fair,
because before you know it, I will come to save you;
Soon you will see how I rescue.
God’s favor rests on those who attend to justice,
who devote themselves to doing what is right,
Who keep the Sabbath and don’t disregard or belittle it,
who keep from doing what is wrong: destructive, deceitful, or violent.

No stranger who has put trust in the Eternal should ever say,
I don’t count. I’m not part of Eternal’s chosen people.”
And no eunuch should ever say,
“I am all dried up, worthless and empty.”
For this is what the Eternal has to say:

Eternal One: The eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
make good choices, and follow the terms of My covenant
will blossom with My blessing.
I will give them, within My house, an enduring memorial
and a name better than if they had sons and daughters—
A name that will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire
and encourage forever.
And of those strangers who are not among the chosen people Israel
yet have bound themselves to the Eternal,
Attend to God, and love all that the Eternal is and does;
if they serve Him, keep the Sabbath, make good choices, and cling to the terms of the covenant,
I will bring them into My holy mountain where no foreigner is allowed
and give them a joyful welcome within My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will find acceptance on My altar
because My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.[c]

These words must have come as a surprise to the Hebrews. They were the called-out ones and had been commanded to keep themselves separate from their pagan neighbors. Now they hear these words of inclusion. They are told it doesn’t matter who they are or where they’ve come from or what “imperfections” they might have. Any who have bound themselves to Israel’s God—even if they’re not Israel, even if they are not “whole”—belong to Him and will enjoy all the wonders that He has in store for them. One day it will be clear that they are a sign of God’s goodness and mercy, that God’s justice is on display through their lives. They are to live as the light of God to the neighboring countries.

And the One who brings all Israel together, the Lord, the Eternal, declares:

Eternal One: I am not done yet. I will still gather more to this community.

Bring in the ravenous, vicious beasts from forests and fields;
bring them in to pillage Jerusalem to rip and eat!
10 Those who should be guarding and directing the people
are blind and ignorant at best.
They are no better than hounds who can’t be bothered to bark at trouble;
they lie around, lost in their dreams, loving their sleep.
11 But these dogs sure love to eat.
They can’t get enough, greedily devouring Judah.
They are shepherds with no understanding,
guides with no sense of direction.
So they’ve all scattered, each out for himself,
trying to figure out how best to gain advantage.
12 “Come on!” they say, “I’ll get the wine; we’ll get our fill of booze.
Day after day, it just keeps getting better!”[d]

57 Eternal One: The person who does what is right dies, and no one cares.
Good people are carted off, and no one understands why.
For those who are in the right are taken away
and spared a face-to-face encounter with evil.
Nevertheless, those who go through life with integrity and righteousness
will rest in peace and die in their own beds.

But you, you two-faced witch’s spawn, come here.
You are adultery’s children, prostitution’s offspring.
Who is it that you mock?
Whom do you tease and taunt with your vulgar gestures?
You are born of deceit and lies, and nursed on violence and wrong.
You get all excited by other deities and are stimulated by their rituals,
prancing around lush trees and sacrificing innocent children
In valleys and beneath cliffs, dark and sinister.
You’ve made your choice.
You’ve thrown in your lot with idols and smooth stones in dark ravines,
Wining and dining strange gods with offerings of drink and grain.
And you expect Me to tolerate this?

You’ve made your bed in the “sacred places,”
given offerings, and made prayers on high and lofty mountains.
You declare your obedience to Me, but all hidden away—as if I couldn’t see;
behind the very door and doorpost, you set up your shrine.
You turned your back on Me and snuck off to be intimate with other deities;
you made promises to them and bound yourself to them all tight and close.
You offered oils and musky ointments to Molech, your lover-god,
and sent your servants to exotic places far away,
Sent them down even into the grave
to increase your pleasure with a variety of deities.
10 And even when the journey wore you out, your lust drove you on.
You did not give up, thinking it hopeless,
But you found strength and renewed your resolve.
11 Who are you afraid of?
I don’t know why you lied to Me about it;
You never seemed to care what I thought.
Maybe I’ve been patient and quiet too long—
Is that why you’ve lost all respect for Me?
12 I will tell the story of your righteousness and good deeds,
but they can’t help you now.
13 Not even this hodge-podge of idols you call gods can help you.
They’ll not come to your aid if you cry for help.
They’re nothing. A gentle breeze could blow them away;
a breath could topple them,
But whoever stays true to Me, whoever looks to Me for help and support
will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.

14 For those who cling to the true God, it is said,
“Clear the way that they travel; widen the roads and make them smooth!
Take away any difficulty so that they may go easily!”

Footnotes:

  1. 54:1 Galatians 4:27
  2. 55:3 Acts 13:34
  3. 56:7 Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
  4. 56:12 Greek manuscripts omit this verse.
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Ephesians 6

Now to you, children, obey your parents in the Lord because this is right in God’s eyes. This is the first commandment onto which He added a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, and if you do, you will live long and well in this land.”[a]

And, fathers, do not drive your children mad, but nurture them in the discipline and teaching that come from the Lord.

Slaves, respect and fear your earthly masters. Obey and serve them with the same sincerity of heart as you serve the Anointed One. Don’t put on a show just because they are looking (as if you were a people pleaser); but as a slave of the Anointed, do the will of God from your heart. Serve them in good faith as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because all good deeds are gifted back from the Lord, and they are yours whether you are a slave or not.

Masters, hear this: act in kind to your slaves. Stop terrorizing and threatening them. Don’t forget that you have a Master in heaven who does not take sides or pick favorites.

10 Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. 11 Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. 12 We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places.

13 And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate, 15 and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace. 16 Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one. 17 Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Paul knows that the real battles and dangers we face are not against flesh and blood. The enemies we see are real enough, but they are animated by spiritual forces of darkness that stay strategically hidden from view. These powers often reveal themselves in institutional evils—genocide, terror, tyranny, and oppression—but the weapons needed to combat them are not earthly weapons at all. What is needed, Paul advises, is to stand firm in God’s power and to suit up in the full armor of God. Although the devil and his demon armies are destined for destruction, they are serious threats now and must be resisted and beaten back. For Paul, the best offensive weapons we have are the word of God and prayer.

18 Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed. 19 And please pray for me. Pray that truth will be with me before I even open my mouth. Ask the Spirit to guide me while I boldly defend the mystery that is the good news— 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains—so pray that I can bravely pronounce the truth, as I should do.

21 I am sending to you Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful minister in the Lord. He will tell you everything that has been going on here with me 22 so you will know how I am and what I am doing. He’s coming with news that will hopefully comfort your hearts. 23 Brothers and sisters, let me leave you with a blessing:

May peace and love with faith be yours from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed. 24 May His grace surround all who love our Lord Jesus the Anointed with a never-ending love.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

Psalm 70

Psalm 70

For the worship leader. A song of David for remembering.

O God, hurry to save me;
Eternal One, hurry to my side.
For those who seek to kill me,
God, may they burn in disgrace and humiliation!
Repulse the attacks; ridicule the efforts
of those taking pleasure in my pain.
I hear their taunts: “Nah, nah, nah . . . .”
Let those hecklers fall back upon their brays—ashamed and confused

But let those who pursue You
celebrate and have joy because of You.
And let the song of those who love Your saving grace
never cease: “God is great!”
But I am poor and in serious need,
so hurry to my side, God,
Because You are my helper, my liberator.
Eternal One, please don’t wait.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

Proverbs 24:8

Whoever schemes to carry out evil
will be labeled a troublemaker.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

09/27/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7

Today is the 27th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you as we end a work week and move ourselves into the weekend and hopefully a little catching up, a little rest for us. But no matter what day it is or what part of the week it is or month or year, whatever, we have a rhythm and that rhythm includes allowing God’s word to speak into our lives bringing us clarity and rest. So, let’s just exhale all of the stuff that’s swirling around us and inhale peace and this serenity that we share around the global campfire as we let God’s word speak. So, we’ve been reading from the Voice Translation this week and we’ll continue to do that until this week is up. Isaiah, chapter 51 through 53 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, as working our way through the book of Isaiah today we encountered a scripture that describes Jesus, right? “So, that when he was hurt because of us He suffered so. Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed Him. He endured the breaking that made us whole. The injuries He suffered became our healing. We all have wandered off like shepherdess sheep scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits. The eternal one laid on him, this silent suffer, the sins of us all.” Right? So, this is in the Voice Translation. “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity”, right? That’s…that’s the passage we’re talking about here in the in the language that we’re most accustomed to. But this portrait in the book of Isaiah is stark and it helps us to understand that the benefits…the panoramas, right, the too good to be true moments that we’ve been experiencing in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, didn’t just happen. That happened at a great cost. It was given as a gift to us freely and we receive it freely and we can’t earn it and we understand this but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t very costly to the gift giver. And, so, understanding that God cares as much as He does about us individually, this should absolutely pull us forward and at least attempt to look clearly at all that God has given us now in this world to live this life because He envisions a life for us.

And this is what Paul starts talking about in our reading from Ephesians today when he instructs us to imitate God. And that’s what he says, “so, imitate God.” I mean, can we pause there for a second? Where do we even start? Imitate God? Like, that this is even possible, or a category is a pretty big deal. Imitate God. Follow Him like adored children and live in love as the Anointed One loved you. And the way that the Anointed One loved us is what we just read out of the book of Isaiah. He loved you so much that He gave himself as a fragrant sacrifice pleasing God. So, on one side of the coin just the idea that we are God’s precious children and that we can imitate our Father the Almighty in everything we do, that’s such…that is so overwhelming, right? Like the rest of Ephesians, it’s like almost too good to be true. On the other side of this coin, what we were just talking about, the gift came at a price and that price was the sacrifice of our beloved Savior, the Anointed, Jesus. So, we can have these awe-inspiring gifts that God has given us and we can receive them joyously because they’re ours for the taking, but the outpouring of love that made this possible should truly and deeply humble us because what we are staring at face-to-face squarely is what true and unconditional love actually looks like. And, so, where does this get…like in our lives where does the rubber meet the road on this. We’re talking about this conceptually, we’re talking about this literally, but it’s overwhelmingly good news. And, so we have to process all this and how do we begin to live this out in our day-to-day lives? Well, one place for sure would be in our marriages, which is where the apostle Paul took the discussion today. So, quoting Paul here, “the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed leads the church and serves as the head. The church is his body, he is her Savior. So, wives should submit to their husbands respectfully in all things, just as the church yields to the anointed one. Husbands you must love your wives so deeply, purely and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love of the Anointed One, the love that he has for His bride, the church. We know He gave himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word. He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished completely free from all impurity, holy and innocent before Him. So, husbands should care for their wives as if their lives depended on it the same way they care for their own bodies. As you love her you are ultimately loving part of yourself. You are one flesh.” So, for years right, this…this passage has been misused really in unhealthy and pretty controlling ways. So, listen. Husbands let’s think about Isaiah. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised…” Isaiah is depicting a person who has been disfigured because they have been beaten nearly to death. Brothers, that is what Jesus did for you. Right? He desired you and loved you and it compelled Him step-by-step forward to death. You’re supposed to love your wife like as Christ loved the church. So, what Ephesians is saying, and this is…this is a big deal. You are tangibly bringing the love of Jesus to your wife. You are Jesus with skin on and you bring the ministry of Jesus to your wife. And wives, let’s think about Isaiah, like the same thing. That sacrifice, that is what Jesus did for you, you, you, not every other woman in the world but you, you. His desire, His love compelled him forward. He loved you that much. That’s how much you are loved. And that’s how you are to submit to your husbands, as you would to the Lord, which does not mean you’re supposed to be abused. That’s not how Jesus treats you. That’s not how you’re supposed to be treated. That’s not God’s intention for you. What’s being revealed here is that if your husband is loving you as Christ loved the church then you have to respond to that respectfully, as you would to Jesus. And that’s not a big stretch to consider submitting to and trusting and respecting a love that would die for you, right? So, there’s no is no room for abuse of control in that kind of equation. And according to Paul, we’re supposed to submit to one another out of our deep respect for Jesus, which means that we’re supposed to love each other with the love of Christ. We’re supposed to bring the love of Christ to each other. So, we can look at it idealistically and just go, “well…if that could be done it would be good”. But this is supposed to be normal. And if we would live into this imagine the turmoil that would be eliminated from our homes. Imagine the joy that we would find living in the light together. But if we’re not in a live into what Paul’s saying here in the letter to the Ephesians then…then we’re not. Paul says, “live as people of the light because the light produces in you what’s good and right and true.” Is that what we’re going for? If that’s what we’re going for then we’ve been given a pathway today with what we’re supposed to be looking for as we live into this. And as we just talked about, there’s no truer place, there is no greater place for this to be lived out than within our own homes, in our own marriages. This is where it actually gets worked out.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, as we end our work and prepare for the weekend we invite You into that because the truth is we haven’t been doing what You’ve…what You’ve been instructing, not with any kind of consistency. It so often boils down to the well-worn ruts that have just been formed over the years and all of the soft spots that we like to go after in each other in ways that we like to hurt each other in order to get control and just all the stuff that we do in relationships. And we have to acknowledge, that’s not how You’ve loved us and we’re not imitating the way You’ve loved us at all. And we acknowledge that’s wrong. Come Holy Spirit. Let us love one another as You have loved us. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s where you…it’s the website, so, and since we’re a virtual community wrapped around the world, it’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, stay connected.

Stay connected on social media, stay connected to the Prayer Wall. Continue this lifestyle of having the Scriptures inform life and then giving back in prayer for one another as we…as we are the body of Christ in this world. So, home base is dailyaudiobible.com. So, check out. Stay connected in any way that you can.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 27, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

51 Listen closely, you who diligently work for justice
and look for the Eternal One, for what is fair and true.
It would be good for you to look back, look to the place from where you came,
the rock out of which you were shaped and the quarry from where you were mined.
Look to your spiritual ancestors
Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who birthed you.
Abraham was only one person when I called him.
But with generous goodness, I made from him a numerous people.

The Eternal One will relieve the troubles and worries of Zion
and bring comfort to the rubble of its destruction.
God will turn deserted places into a flourishing garden like Eden of old;
happy voices will ring out in the Eternal’s garden;
Buoyant music and thanksgiving will fill the air.

Eternal One: Listen closely, you who are Mine; lend an ear, My nation;
for My instruction will go straight out into all the world
And My justice will illuminate all people wherever they are.
My justice is coming closer. My rescue is on the way.
My strong arm will extend justice to the nations.
Distant shores are looking to Me with hope that I will accomplish it.
Don’t worry—look up at the sky and down at the earth.
The sky will disappear like smoke; the earth will wear out like a well-used garment;
Every last thing may perish and dissolve, but My salvation is for all time.
My justice will not end.

Listen to Me, you who already live out what is true and right,
who treasure My instruction within your hearts:
Don’t be afraid of people’s scorn.
Don’t let their dismissive criticism, bitter anger, or hatred get you down.
For they’ll come to nothing; they’ll be eaten up as a moth eats a shirt;
they’ll be consumed as a worm feeds on wool.
But My justice will endure. I will extend My saving action to every generation.

This sounds too good to be true. God’s people fear He is asleep, so they attempt to rouse Him to action. They remind Him—and themselves—of when God rescued His people long ago and defeated Egypt. Rahab, a monster of mythic character, is linked to Egypt, a nation of legendary power and cruelty. The prophet assures his discouraged audience that God will come through again for His people. It will be for them like it was when God rescued the Hebrew slaves. The exiled people of God will be freed from Babylon, and God will smooth out and level off the perilous desert highway that leads from Mesopotamia to the promised land.

Get up, power of God! Rise up and strengthen Yourself, arm of God.
Get up and do like in the olden days, when You saved Your special people—
Like when You cut Rahab, that dragon-monster of chaos, in two.
10 And remember when You made the sea dry up
and the waters of the deep retreated for Moses and company;
Then You laid down a road right through for the people You saved to cross over?
11 It’ll be like that for those the Eternal One ransomed from captivity
to return to Zion, Jerusalem. And they’ll come singing with joy.
Overwhelming, never-ending joy will crown their heads with happiness and delight
while desperation and depression melt away.

12 Eternal One: I am the One who comforts you and gives you peace.
So why are you afraid of human beings?
The children of men are only grass; they’ll wither and die.

13 Have you forgotten Me, the One who made you and the whole world,
who stretched out the skies and made sure the earth’s foundations?
Yet you constantly worry about others—how they hate and might harm you.
But their anger counts for nothing.
14 In an instant, those who cower in fear and trepidation will be free to go in confidence;
they won’t die in chains or suffer from hunger.
15 Because I, the Eternal, am your God,
I can make the oceans roil with storm and roll with great waves.
They call Me, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.
16 I have given you My words to speak and protected you with the shadow of My hand.
I am the One who pulled the skies tight and made the earth rock solid.
And I am the same who said to Zion, “You are indeed Mine!”

17 Get up. Get up, and get moving! Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have experienced firsthand the punishing anger of God.
You have drunk that terrible cup to the last gritty drop,
and it left you reeling, drunk on distress.
18 Ah, poor Jerusalem! No one comes to guide her along.
Of all her people, all the ones whom the city nurtured and raised to adulthood,
None take her hand now in her stupor of pain.
19 Twin disasters have befallen you:
devastation and destruction, famine and war.
Who can relieve your anguish and pain?
Who is left to provide comfort?
20 Her people are lying around on every corner,
weary and faint, like an antelope trapped in a net.
Each is overcome with the Eternal’s anger; each suffers His rebuke.

21 But now, listen! Listen, you who are miserable,
you who are intoxicated, but not on wine.
22 The Lord, your God, the Eternal, who pleads for His people, has this to say:

Eternal One: Look! I have taken away the cup that left you reeling—the cup of My anger—
and sobered you up; I will never make you drink it again.
23 And I will give that drink to those who abused and oppressed you—
who ordered you, “Get down so we can walk all over you.”
And your backs became the ground they walked on, the streets they passed by.

52 Wake up, fair Zion; dress in your strength.
Put on your most elegant clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city.
Never again will outsiders—uncircumcised and the unclean—
who once abused and denigrated you move within your elect borders.
So brush off any dust and dirt; rise, take your place of honor, Jerusalem.
Loose the chains from your neck and raise your head in freedom, captive children of Zion.
For the Eternal has this to say:

Eternal One: You were taken for nothing,
and it’s nothing for Me to get you back.

For the Lord, the Eternal, has this to say:

Eternal One: My people willingly went to live in Egypt long ago;
but now Assyria has oppressed My people for no good reason.

So what now? Babylon has assumed it can simply take My people away
with no recompense and no respect.
Their tyrannical rulers jeer and cheer
and continually deride My name.
Well, it’s not over. My people will know My name.
At the time that I determine,
My people will see again who I am.
I will tell them, “I am here. And I am ready.”

Ah, how beautiful the feet of those on the mountain
who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation,[a]
The voice that calls to Zion, that chosen place for God’s promise people,
announcing to them “Your God rules!”
Listen! The ones who watch and wait are crying out and laughing for joy:
Look now, for everyone will see the Eternal One coming back to Zion.
Let the rock and rubble of Jerusalem erupt in joyful song
for the Eternal has brought comfort to His people and redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Eternal has flexed His muscles, bared His holy arm
for the world to see His power;
Every nation, every person, every place on earth
will witness the victory of our God.

The prophet urges God’s exiled people to leave Babylon, trusting in God and bringing with them the sacred vessels necessary to restore the priestly service of the temple.

11 Servants of God, turn away from that place;
As for those who carry the vessels for the Eternal’s temple,
go, without touching any of Babylon’s impurity, and make yourselves pure.
12 Go in confidence and grace—no rushing, no frantic escape.
There’s no need to be anxious—the Eternal One goes before and behind you.
The God of Israel paves the way with assurance and strength.
He watches your back.

13 Eternal One: See here! My servant will succeed.
He will grow in character and reputation, achieving high standing and status.
14 Just as people used to be shocked by you,
even so his appearance was disfigured;
His form—once glorious—was marred until it hardly seemed human.
15 Now many nations will be astonished at his prominence;
world rulers will be speechless in his presence,
For they will see what they’ve never been told;
they will understand what they’ve never heard.[b]

53 Indeed, who would ever believe it?
Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told?[c]
Who has witnessed the awesome power and plan of the Eternal in action?[d]
Out of emptiness he came, like a tender shoot from rock-hard ground.
He didn’t look like anything or anyone of consequence—
he had no physical beauty to attract our attention.
So he was despised and forsaken by men,
this man of suffering, grief’s patient friend.
As if he was a person to avoid, we looked the other way;
he was despised, forsaken, and we took no notice of him.
Yet it was our suffering he carried,
our pain[e] and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness.
We just figured that God had rejected him,
that God was the reason he hurt so badly.
But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so.
Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed him.
He endured the breaking that made us whole.
The injuries he suffered became our healing.
We all have wandered off, like shepherdless sheep,
scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits;
The Eternal One laid on him, this silent sufferer,
the sins of us all.

And in the face of such oppression and suffering—silence.
Not a word of protest, not a finger raised to stop it.
Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered,
he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away.
From this generation, who was there to complain?
Who was there to cry “Foul”?
He was, after all, cut off from the land of the living,
Smacked and struck, not on his account,
because of how my people (my people!)
Disregarded the lines between right and wrong.
They snuffed out his life.[f]
And when he was dead, he was buried with the disgraced
in borrowed space (among the rich),
Even though he did no wrong by word or deed.[g]

It is hard to understand why God would crush His innocent Servant. But it is in His suffering for sin that God deals decisively with sin and its harmful effects.

10 Yet the Eternal One planned to crush him all along,
to bring him to grief, this innocent servant of God.
When he puts his life in sin’s dark place, in the pit of wrongdoing,
this servant of God will see his children and have his days prolonged.
For in His servant’s hand, the Eternal’s deepest desire will come to pass and flourish.
11 As a result of the trials and troubles that wrack his soul,
God’s servant will see light and be content
Because He knows, really understands, what it’s about; as God says,
“My just servant will justify countless others by taking on their punishment and bearing it away.
12 Because he exposed his very self—
laid bare his soul to the vicious grasping of death—
And was counted among the worst, I will count him among the best.
I will allot this one, My servant, a share in all that is of any value,
Because he took on himself the sin of many
and acted on behalf of those who broke My law.”

The Voice (VOICE)

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

Ephesians 5

We come to God as sinners; but He wants to transform our habits, attitudes, and practices into the ways of Jesus: to live, forgive, and love as He did.

So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God.

Listen, don’t let any kind of immorality be breathed among you. Any demoralizing behaviors (perverse sexual acts, uncleanliness, greediness, and the like) are inappropriate topics of conversation for those set apart as God’s people. Don’t swear or spurt nonsense. Don’t make harsh jokes or clown around. Make proper use of your words, and offer them thankfully in praise. This is what we know for certain: no one who engages in loose sex, impure actions, and greed—which is just a form of idolatry—has any inheritance in the kingdom of God and His Anointed.

Don’t be fooled by people whose sentences are compounded with useless words, empty words—they just show they are empty souls. For, in His wrath, God will judge all the children of disobedience for these kinds of sins. So don’t be persuaded into their ignorance; and don’t cast your lot with them because, although you were once the personification of darkness, you are now light in the Lord. So act like children of the light. For the fruit of the light is all that is good, right, and true. 10 Make it your aim to learn what pleases our Lord. 11 Don’t get involved with the fruitless works of darkness; instead, expose them to the light of God. 12 You see, it’s a disgrace to speak of their secrets (so don’t even talk about what they do when no one is looking). 13-14 When the light shines, it exposes even the dark and shadowy things and turns them into pure reflections of light. This is why they sing,

Awake, you sleeper!
Rise from your grave,
And the Anointed One will shine on you.

15 So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! 16 Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times. 17 So understand and be confident in God’s will, and don’t live thoughtlessly. 18 Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. 19 When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; 20 and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done.

Wisdom is a rare commodity. Paul urges believers, then and now, to walk wisely. It involves living well every day. Time itself seems to be co-opted by dark forces. But when believers understand God’s will, avoid drunkenness, and allow God to fill them with His Spirit, they are able to walk wisely and live well. The Spirit-filled life is not just for a special few; it is the normal Christian life, and it affects everything, including how we live in community and how we treat others at home.

21 And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. 22 Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord, 23 for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed leads the church and serves as the head. (The church is His body; He is her Savior.) 24 So wives should submit to their husbands, respectfully, in all things, just as the church yields to the Anointed One.

25-26 Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely, and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the Anointed One has for His bride, the church. We know He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word. 27 He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished—completely free from all impurity—holy and innocent before Him. 28 So husbands should care for their wives as if their lives depended on it, the same way they care for their own bodies. As you love her, you ultimately are loving part of yourself (remember, you are one flesh). 29 No one really hates his own body; he takes care to feed and love it, just as the Anointed takes care of His church, 30 because we are living members of His body. 31 “And this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother and is united with his wife; the two come together as one flesh.”[a] 32 There is a great mystery reflected in this Scripture, and I say that it has to do with the marriage of the Anointed One and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each husband is to love and protect his own wife as if she were his very heart, and each wife is to respect her own husband.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:31 Genesis 2:24
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Psalm 69:19-36

19 You know all my opponents;
You see them, see the way they treat me—
humiliating me with insults, trying to disgrace me.
20 All this ridicule has broken my heart,
killed my spirit.
I searched for sympathy, and I came up empty.
I looked for supporters, but there was no one.
21 Even more, they gave me poison for my food
and offered me only sour vinegar to drink.

22 Let them be ambushed at the dinner table,
caught in a trap when they least expect it.
23 Cloud their vision so they cannot see;
make their bodies shake, their knees knock in terror.
24 Pour out Your fiery wrath upon them!
Make a clean sweep; engulf them with Your flaming fury.
25 May their camps be bleak
with not one left in any tent.
26 Because they have persecuted the one You have struck,
add insult to those whom You have wounded.
27 Compound their sins; don’t let them off the hook!
Keep them from entering into Your mercy.
28 Blot out their names from Your book of life
so they will not be recorded alongside those who are upright before You.
29 I am living in pain; I’m suffering,
so save me, True God, and keep me safe in troubled times!

30 The name of the True God will be my song,
an uplifting tune of praise and thanksgiving!
31 My praise will please the Eternal more than if I were to sacrifice an ox
or the finest bull. (Horns, hooves, and all!)
32 Those who humbly serve will see and rejoice!
All you seekers-after-God will revive your souls!
33 The Eternal listens to the prayers of the poor
and has regard for His people held in bondage.

34 All God’s creation: join together in His praise! All heaven, all earth,
all seas, all creatures of the ocean deep!
35 The True God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
So that His servants may own it and live there once again.
36 Their children and children’s children shall have it as their inheritance,
and those who love His name will live in it.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

Proverbs 24:7

Fools can’t grab hold of wisdom; it’s out of their reach;
they dare not open their mouths in public for no one would listen anyway.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

09/26/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 48:12-50:11, Eph 4:17-32, Ps 69:1-18, Pr 24:5-6

Today is the 26th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you as we move ourselves into the back half of another week and we’re just…let me look at a calendar here…1, 2, 3, 4, 5…5 more days in this month. So, back half of the month. And wow! I look back over any month and consider the territory that we’ve covered in the Scriptures and realize it does matter what month we’re in, there’s something so profound that God speaks through His word into our lives that hits us right where we are, like just talking about growing up and maturing yesterday from the book of Ephesians. And, so let’s take the next step forward on our adventure through the Scriptures this year. We’ve been reading from the Voice this week. Today, Isaiah 48 verse 12 through 50 verse 11.

Commentary:

Alright. So, have you ever heard the sentiment like, “be…like…be all you can be?” Like, “maximize your potential”, right? “Be the best version of yourself”, this kind of sentiment. “Live into your absolute full potential”, right? I have never in my life…ever…I can’t remember a time that those kinds of ideas weren’t swirling around, probably because their great marketing, right? “If you buy this thing, then you will be all you can be.” And that gets attached to every kind of product and service you can imagine, right? Because if this product or service will make you the best version of you, like you will become your maximum potential and you will live up to it, then, who wouldn’t want to buy that? And, so, kind of dovetailing with what we were talking about in Ephesians yesterday, Paul kinda goes there in today’s reading by first describing what our maximum impact potential is not. He says, “they are blind to true understanding, they are strangers and aliens to the kind of life God has for them because they live in ignorance and immorality and because their hearts are cold, hard stones. And now since they’ve lost all natural feelings, they’ve given themselves over to sensual, greedy and reckless living. They stop at nothing to satisfy their impure appetites”. So basically, according to Paul, the close minded hardhearted person has no real good way forward. And there’s a reason. I mean Paul, throughout his entire writings and his entire ministry, the promise was that faith was the activator, faith started with Abraham, faith is the thing, it activates renewal and it’s the only path that will lead us to God. So, to truly have faith would mean that we would believe with our whole heart in a certain direction. So, a closed mind and a hard heart isn’t gonna get us there. That’s not who we were created to be. So, yesterday we were talking about growing up and maturing and how do we do that. So, in today’s reading, like how do we move toward a person that is living into their maximum potential? Paul actually gives those instructions. “Take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self, that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust. Take a fresh breath. Let God renew your attitude and spirit, then you’re ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God, truthful, righteous and holy.” Okay, pause here for a second and think of what we just read less as a list of things that you gotta get your act together on. Like, let’s let what we just read sink in because now we’re talking about things that are unbelievably good news, like too good, another vista again. We’re speaking about a fully restored humanity, created in God’s image. We’re talking about who we were actually created to be all along. And, so, obviously we can’t give ourselves a new nature but we can receive one from God and that is exactly what being made new through faith is. Right? So, we can’t make it happen. We absolutely have to collaborate, but we have to collaborate. We have to do our part. And Paul told us at length what it looks like. Tell the truth. That’s you doing your part. Don’t let anger control you. That’s you collaborating. Don’t steal. That’s you partnering with God in His work. Work hard, give generously, don’t use foul language, be an encouragement, don’t be better, be kind. Forgive as God has forgiven you through Jesus. If we’ll live into this then we can, as Paul says, allow the spirit to renew, remake, make new again our thoughts and attitudes. So, basically, the Holy Spirit will remind us of who we are and who we were created to be. So, if we go back to the beginning of our little discussion on like living into our max potential then anger and bitterness isn’t going to get us there and unforgiveness isn’t gonna work. This is actually choosing the least impactful version of ourselves. It causes the maximum damage in our lives. So, let’s think about it today. Where are we going? If we don’t know where we’re going, we still will end up somewhere. It will just be confusing as to why. Are we intentionally living into becoming all that we were made to be, all that’s being outlined in this letter to the Ephesians, where we’re being told we are being fashioned in the image of our Creator, that we are the sons and daughters of the most high God upon this earth, that we are supposed to grow up and be that on the earth and reveal God’s kingdom in the process. So, do we want to be who we are or are we just loving being less?

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. There’s…there’s just so much in this letter to the Ephesians that lifts our eyes. It’s like we’ve been staring at the ground walking one foot in front of the other just in single file line kinda just trying to keep it together and stay in the margins and we haven’t lifted our heads to the horizon to realize what we can see now, what there is, what You’ve actually done for us. And we want to be that. We’ve deferred what that might be like until after we die. Like we thought all of the benefits of this faith journey, they don’t actually kick in until I’m dead. But that’s not what we’re seeing in Your word. You have actually created us to be impactful, maximized, mature people who are growing forward every day and being transformed and set apart as holy to You. That’s what we’re supposed to be like. That’s what normal is. And understanding that that’s what normal is, that gives us pause as we examine ourselves. Come Holy Spirit and continue the work of pulling us forward we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 26, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, Israel whom I’ve specially named,
specially chosen, and not without purpose.
I Am the first of all things, and I will be the last.
13 It is by My power, My desire, My doing that the earth was anchored.
My hand flung the skies. I established them,
And when I call, they pay the strictest attention.

14 Come and listen, all of you! Did any of you tell in advance
that the Eternal’s beloved would press diligently
Against Babylon’s might and overcome Chaldea as He desired?

15 Eternal One: No, only I, I the Eternal One knew this would happen.
I was the one who summoned him, who led him,
Who determined that he would have such victory.
16 Come even closer, and hear: from the beginning I spoke,
not hiding away in hushed secret. I Am and will be;
I was before anything was at all.

The Lord, the Eternal, has sent me and His Spirit.
17 The Eternal One, who rescued you, the Holy One of Israel declares,

Eternal One: I am the Eternal One your God. I have given you My instruction
for living well and right, leading you in how you should be and do.
18 If only you had listened to My instruction,
then you would have been flooded with peace;
Your righteousness would have risen and crested like waves on the sea.
19 Your people would have multiplied to become like the grains of sand,
and your children would be like grains of wheat.
And they would be forever in My mind and My presence.

20 Leave Babylon; run swiftly from Chaldea! And let it be known
with a joyous shout, to the ends of the earth,
That the Eternal One has rescued Jacob, His servant!
21 And though He guided them through desert places, with no water in sight,
they were never thirsty.
Just as in Moses’ time, God made the rocks gush water,
split the rock and made water pour streaming out.

22 Eternal One: Ah, but the malicious and wicked will never be at peace.

True peace begins with knowing God. Those who listen and live by His teachings find that wholeness and goodness flood into their lives. The wicked, however, face a different reality; they live with constant danger and problems.

49 Listen to this, everyone—near and far:
The Eternal One singled me out, even before I was born.
He called me and named me when I was still in my mother’s belly.
Even then, God was preparing my mouth to speak like a sharp sword.
He kept my purpose quiet, kept me safe in the shadow of His hand,
He crafted me into a sharp-tipped arrow and tucked me away in His quiver;
God said to me, “You are My servant, Israel.
Through you, I will be glorified.”
I said, “I’ve worked hard for nothing.
I spent my strength, and what have I accomplished—nothing,
Yet my justice and reward are secure with my God, the Eternal One.”
And now the Eternal who watched, shaped, and made me His own servant
from the womb has determined to restore Jacob’s family;
Israel will be made right with the Eternal again.
For God has counted me worthy and He has been my strength right along.

Eternal One: As My servant you will do even more than this,
even more than restoring Jacob’s family to Me
And making Israel right with Me again.
I will make you a light for the nations,
And You will illumine them until My salvation reaches to the ends of the earth.[a]

This is what the Eternal One, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,
told to the one who is despised and loathed by the nation,
To the servant of national leaders.

Eternal One: At the sight of you, kings will rise and princes will bow down,
for I, the Eternal, faithful and true, the Holy One of Israel, have chosen you.

The Eternal has this to say:

Eternal One: When the time was right, I answered you;
on the day you were delivered, I was your help.[b]
I will watch over you, and give you
as a promise, a binding covenant to the people.
Through you, My gift to the people, the land of promise will recover.
Ancestral ground, once deserted, will be entrusted to them.
Through you, My gift to the people, I will declare to the prisoners,
“Come out. Now you are free”;
To those who are held in darkness, “Come out into the light.
They will find sustenance wherever they are
Along the roads or in the open hills—
with peace of mind, in comfort and security.
10 Wherever they are, they will be fine, never hungry nor thirsty.
They will be protected from oppressive heat and the burning sun
Because the One who loves them—as a mother loves her child—will be their guide.
God will lead them to restful places, rejuvenating springs of water.
11 I will make their going easy, level the mountain road
and smooth the path that leads them home.
12 Look! Even now, they are coming from lands far away,
some from the north, others from the west, these from the land of Sinim.[c]

13 Oh joy! Be glad—sky! Take joy—earth! Burst into song—mountains!
For the Eternal, moved to compassion, has comforted and consoled His people.

There are many kinds of love—and not enough words to tell the differences. Hebrew has a word for “love” that is related to its word for a woman’s womb. English has no such word. It is too bad, for it is difficult to describe womb-love, the bearing-and-birthing love of a mother, the kind of love that the Lord has for the people of God’s promise, Jacob’s children. God shaped this people as His own and bound them with no ordinary promise. God loves them in the same way a mother loves the child growing in her womb. It can’t be said so neatly and completely with one “love” word, but that is the idea that threads its way through this text.

14 Zion: The Eternal One has abandoned me. God has walked out the door;
my Lord left me alone. He has forgotten all about me.

15 Eternal One: Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed,
however hurt, to forget her nursing child?
Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed?
Even if she could, I, God, will never forget you.
16 Look here. I have made you a part of Me, written you on the palms of My hands.
Your city walls are always on My mind, always My concern.
17 Now sweet Zion your children are running pell-mell back to you
Just as fast as those who destroyed you are leaving.
18 Raise your head, lift up your eyes,
and watch your heart’s desire come
All your children, gathered and returning to you. As I live, so I promise.
You will wear them with pride all like shining ornaments;
you will put them on as a bride on her wedding day.
19 Because of all of your destroyed land—the barren fields and abandoned farms—
you are now too small, too cramped for all your citizens;
And those who tried to swallow you whole will be far, far away.
20 The children you mourned, those born in exile, will return and say,
“It is too cramped and crowded for us;
We’re going to need more room if we are to live here.”
21 You’ll say to yourself, “Where in the world did all these people come from?
Could these really be mine?
I thought I’d been desolated, left empty.
Where have you all been? Where did you come from?”

22 This is what the Lord, the Eternal, has to say:

Eternal One: I will lift My hand and signal every nation that holds your people
And they will bring your children back again:
boys bundled in their arms, girls riding on their shoulders.
23 Kings will tend the children of Zion, and their queens will nurse and nurture them.
These greats will humble themselves before you.
They will bow and lick the dust off your feet,
and in the course of it all, you will remember that I am the Eternal.
Whoever trusts in Me will never be put to shame.

24 Jerusalem: Can the spoil of war be taken from the mighty?
Can the captives be freed from the hand of a tyrant?

25 Eternal One: Hard to believe, but it shall be so.
The captives will be taken from the hand of the mighty,
And the spoil of war will be rescued from the tyrant.
I will liberate them from their captors and contend with your enemies.
I will save your children.
26 I will turn your enemies’ violence back on themselves,
and they will suffer their own atrocities:
They will feed on their own flesh and drink their own blood like wine.
Then every person on earth will know for certain that I, the Eternal, am your Savior.
I am your hero, the strong One of Jacob from whom you come.
I will rescue you, whatever the price.

50 Eternal One: Where is the document of My divorce from your mother, Israel?
And to whom did I turn you over when I could no longer pay?
No, it was you who amassed debta debt of constant wrongdoing—
And that’s why your mother was sent away.
Why is it that when I came to visit, no one was there to greet Me;
and when I called out for you, no one answered?
Do you think My reach insufficient, My power too limited to rescue you?
I need only to speak the words and entire oceans will evaporate;
rivers will become deserts, leaving fish to stink and die for lack of water.
I can dress the heavens with blackness
and trade its velvet skies for the scratchy clothes of mourning.

The Lord, the Eternal, equipped me for this job
with skilled speech, a smooth tongue for instruction.
I can find the words that comfort and soothe the downtrodden, tired, and despairing.
And I know when to use them.
Each morning, it is God who wakes me and tells me what I should do,
what I should say.
The Lord, the Eternal, has helped me to listen,
and I do as He says. I have not been rebellious or run away from God’s work.
But it’s been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting.

The prophet speaks, but his words are those of the Servant of God. The Servant is in tune with God, the Master Teacher. He teaches as he has been taught, and—for the first time it seems—He understands that suffering is an integral part of the work God has for him. The reality for God’s Servant and any who follow him is this: to be close with God means to be at odds with people.

Because the Lord, the Eternal, helps me I will not be disgraced;
so, I set my face like a rock, confident that I will not be ashamed.
My hero who sets things right is near.
Who would dare to challenge me?
Let’s stand and debate this head-to-head!
Who would dare to accuse me? Let him come near.
See here, the Lord, the Eternal, helps me—who could possibly win against me?
All my accusers will wear out like a ratty old moth-eaten shirt.

10 So, you who are listening, do you acknowledge the Eternal One as God?
And do you take seriously what the servant of God has to say?
If you are enveloped in darkness, with no light to see,
take confidence in the name of the Eternal One; rely on your God.
11 Ah, but if you’ve tried to go it alone,
the light by which you go is your own consuming fire,
And the torches you light will be your undoing.

Eternal One: By My hand you will go down in torment.

Footnotes:

  1. 49:6 Acts 13:47
  2. 49:8 2 Corinthians 6:2
  3. 49:12 Likely a reference to southern Egypt
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Ephesians 4:17-32

17 Therefore, as a witness of the Lord, I insist on this: that you no longer walk in the outsiders’ ways—with minds devoted to worthless pursuits. 18 They are blind to true understanding. They are strangers and aliens to the kind of life God has for them because they live in ignorance and immorality and because their hearts are cold, hard stones. 19 And now, since they’ve lost all natural feelings, they have given themselves over to sensual, greedy, and reckless living. They stop at nothing to satisfy their impure appetites.

20 But this is not the path of the Anointed One, which you have learned. 21 If you have heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him, 22 then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust— 23 to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit. 24 Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.

25 So put away your lies and speak the truth to one another because we are all part of one another. 26 When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.[a] Don’t let the sun set with anger in your heart or 27 give the devil room to work. 28 If you have been stealing, stop. Thieves must go to work like everyone else and work honestly with their hands so that they can share with anyone who has a need. 29 Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. 30 It’s time to stop bringing grief to God’s Holy Spirit; you have been sealed with the Spirit, marked as His own for the day of rescue. 31 Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander, and any and all malicious thoughts—these are poison. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the Anointed, our Liberating King.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:26 Psalm 4:4
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Psalm 69:1-18

Psalm 69

For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Lilies.”[a]

This Davidic lament complains to God of enemies, false witnesses, insults, abandonment by friends and family, and even poisoning. Early Christians interpreted this psalm prophetically in order to understand Jesus’ experience in His suffering and death on the cross.

Reach down for me, True God; deliver me.
The waters have risen to my neck; I am going down!
My feet are swallowed in this murky bog;
I am sinking—there is no sturdy ground.
I am in the deep;
the floods are crashing in!
I am weary of howling;
my throat is scratched dry.
I still look for my God
even though my eyes fail.

My enemies despise me without any cause;
they outnumber the hairs on my head.
They torment me with their power;
they have absolutely no reason to hate me.
Now I am set to pay for crimes
I have never committed!
O True God, my foolish ways are plain before You;
my mistakes—no, nothing can be hidden from You.

Don’t let Your hopeful followers face disgrace because of me,
O Lord, Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies;
Don’t let Your seekers be shamed on account of me,
O True God of Israel.
I have been mocked when I stood up for You;
I cower, shamefaced.
You know my brothers and sisters?
They now reject me—they act as if I never existed.
I’m like a stranger to my own family.

And here’s why: I am consumed with You, completely devoted to protecting Your house;
when they insult You, they insult me.
10 When I mourn and discipline my soul by fasting,
they deride me.
11 And when I put on sackcloth,
they mock me.
12 Those who sit at the gate gossip about me;
I am shamed by the slurred songs of drunkards.

13 But, Eternal One, I just pray the time is right
that You would hear me. And, True God,
because You are enduring love, that You would answer.
In Your faithfulness, please, save me.
14 Pluck me from this murky bog;
don’t let it pull me down!
Pull me from this rising water;
take me away from my enemies to dry land.
15 Don’t let the flood take me under
or let me, Your servant, be swallowed into the deep
or let the yawning pit seal me in!

16 O Eternal One, hear me. Answer me. For Your enduring love is good comfort;
in Your great mercy, turn toward me.
17 Yes, shine Your face upon me, Your servant;
put an end to my anguish—don’t wait another minute.
18 Come near; rescue me!
Set me free from my enemies.

Footnotes:

  1. 69:title Hebrew, shoshannim, white lily-like flowers, perhaps the melody to which the song is sung
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Proverbs 24:5-6

A wise man possesses great strength,
and an intelligent man knows how to increase it;
For with wise guidance, you can wage a successful war,
and with a council of many advisors, you will be victorious!

The Voice (VOICE)

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

09/25/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 45:11-48:11, Ephesians 4:1-16, Psalms 68:19-35, Proverbs 24:3-4

Today is the 25th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today as we come around the global campfire and throw on some logs and just be here together allowing God’s word to speak to us. And, as is the case every day, we pick up where we left off and that will take us back into the book of Isaiah. We’re reading from the Voice Translation this week. Isaiah chapter 45 verse 11 through 48 verse 11 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, Jill and I, we have our youngest son, his name is Ezekiel and we just celebrated his birthday not too long ago and he turned seven years old. And, so he is at the magic age in a child’s life where he’s dreaming about what he might become, right? So, every day it seems like there’s something new. So, like driving past the hospital. And, so, he’ll say, “when I grow up I’m gonna be a doctor and I’m gonna work there” or “when I grow up I’m gonna drive a tractor” or “when I grew up I’m gonna read the Bible just like you daddy” or “I’m gonna be a space man” like he has all of the…his imagination is in full bloom, and when he grows up he’s going to be a lot of things. And Paul, as we’re moving to the Ephesians in our reading today was talking about, essentially that, growing up. And even though he, he was fully grown as a man, he was in prison, he was in chains. And, so, he kinda gave language to what growing up my look like. So, he says “be humble, be gentle, be patient, tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created with peace binding you together.” Okay, I look at that and I’m like, that is the ideal that is indeed what we’re going for. That’s what I’m going for. However, man nailing that hundred percent of the time, I’m certainly not there. So, to live into what Paul’s saying that the body of Christ is…like what’s supposed to be normal, because that’s the thing, what he’s outlining here. This is what supposed to be normal. This isn’t the exception to the rule, like, “oh…I was kind when somebody was mean to me” and that’s the exception to the rule but nine times out of ten I’m gonna be just as mean or meaner back. Like, what Paul’s describing here is what our lives are supposed to look like when their normal. So, to live into that we have to have a certain level of maturity that maybe even as adults we don’t have. Maybe we actually still have some growing up to do. So, how do we mature into men and women who are humble and gentle and patient with each other and making allowances for each other’s faults because…because we love each other and we do everything that we can to be united in the spirit knowing that we are bound together in Christ and creating peace because of that. Like, how do we grow up, how do we grow into, how do we become that? And then how does that become normal, like that’s normal? So, for Paul to mature like this wasn’t something that was just like, you know, your own personal endeavor that may or may not happen. God gave gifts to help – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - and according to Paul, their role was and still is to equip and build the church, which are God’s people. Paul says this is part of the process. And quoting Paul here, “these ministries will continue until we are unified in faith and filled with the knowledge of the son of God until we stand mature.” Right? So, “grown up in his teachings and fully formed in the likeness of the Anointed our liberating King.” So, fully formed in the likeness of Jesus - Christlike. Okay. So, that’s what we’re growing up to look like, to be like. On this journey of faith that we are on we may be like children but when we grow up, we’re supposed to be like Jesus. And Paul says when we live into that idea that it is not only possible but necessary that we grow up and become Christlike and that we mature and that our normal is to prefer the other, right, is to love one another as we love ourselves. When that becomes our normal, according to the apostle Paul, and I’m quoting here, “then we will no longer be like children, tossed around here and there upon the ocean waves picked up by every gust of religious teaching spoken by liars or swindlers or deceivers. Instead by truth spoken in love we are to grow in every way into Him the Anointed one, the head.” So, if there’s one thing that we should take away from what we’re learning from the letter to the Ephesians today, it is that we can and must grow up. It’s required. And, so, now that we know that maturity is on the radar, it’s supposed to be happening and we’re supposed to be collaborating. Well now we should be thinking about. I mean, if I think about my growing up years, not so much my spiritually growing years, but like just growing and becoming a man, I would say it didn’t just…I didn’t turn 18 and then I was grown up, right? Like it happens on many levels, it happens on many different stages. It happens for many different reasons, right? We fall down, scrape our knee and realize falling down and scraping your knee hurts. And, so, we learn to be more cautious about falling down and scraping our knee. And like, this…this begins to happen in every area of our lives. Growing up spiritually isn’t different. It happens through experience. It happens through challenge. It happens through suffering. It happens through joy. It happens through life. And honestly, what we’re…what were really after when we think about growing up spiritually, what…what are you after? Think about that for a second. Have you ever thought what your…what your spiritual maturity will even look like? What we are ultimately after is what we’ve been heading toward our whole life. Spiritual maturity and growth is our desire to be in union with God. We want to become…like we sing this…we want to become more aware of His presence. We want to more fully understand what’s going on and why were in this story together with God called life. And that is a process. And that process is setting us apart and making us holy. It is sanctifying us. We are growing in every way more and more like Christ. Now, we’ve been talking about some things in the letter to the Ephesians that are just like these vistas that are too good to be true. This is one of them, that we can grow up and become like our Savior, right? That this is even a category for us, that it’s even a possibility for us, is too good to be true. Like this is unbelievable. What God would like is for us to all grow up and be humble and gentle and patient with each other and make allowance for each other’s faults because we love each other and to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit binding ourselves together with peace so that every day we grow in maturity to be more and more and more transformed into the likeness of Jesus. It's…it’s unbelievable that that’s even a category my life…like that that’s even possible for me or anyone, but it also reveals something amazing. God wants to work through His people. He wants to empower His people. He wants His children to grow up so that there’s not one Jesus running around this world, so that there are billions of Christlike children of the living God, sons and daughters of God upon this earth. And you are supposed to be one of them. And you are one of them - a son of God walking upon the earth, a daughter of God walking upon the earth. And there’s nothing you did to make it so. It was given to you freely so that you could grow up and be who you really are. Is that not a game changer? Like, am I the only one? I don’t think so though. So, live into that today. This is what growing up is supposed to look like, and it’s all available

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we invite You into that. And we can very easily focus on our faults. We can very easily treat ourselves differently than You’ve invited us to treat everyone else. And, so, Holy Spirit, come and help us to be humble and gentle with ourselves, to be patient with ourselves, to make allowance for our faults because of Your love and help us to make every effort with ourselves to be united in Spirit so that we are a whole person who is being transformed into Your likeness. And as we feel Your compassion upon us, let us turn it out toward the world so that indeed we are being Your hands and feet upon this earth. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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And, as always, we’re a community and one of the beautiful things about this community is that we pray for each other and that we realize we’re taking this journey together, so we’re in this together. So, if you have a prayer request or comment, you can press the Hotline button in the app and I just start talking 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.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 25, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 45:11-48

11 So the Eternal One, who is the Holy One and Maker of Israel, says,

Eternal One: Are you really going to question Me about what will happen to My children,
or lecture Me about what I should do with the ones I made with My own hands?
12 It is I who made the very ground on which you stand,
I who shaped the human beings who walk around on it.
I pulled the sky and the heavens taut with My own hands,
and organized the army of stars that march across the night sky.
13 So it was perfectly right for me to raise up Cyrus;
I will make his road ahead straight and level,
So that he will rebuild My chosen place, My city Jerusalem,
and set My exiled people free
Without exacting a price or seeking a bribe.

So says the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

14 Eternal One: I, the Eternal One, say to you things will change; the wealthy and strong
of your world—Egyptians, Cushites, Sabeans—will come under your control.
Their goods and services, their strongest warriors, will be yours,
deferring to you, as they follow in chains, saying,
“God is with you. There is no other God but yours.”

15 Cyrus: You have kept yourself hidden from others,
but You are indeed God, who saved Israel in the face of great challenges.
16 Those who worshiped others will be humiliated.
Those who craft idols will be embarrassed by their folly.
17 By contrast, Israel can stand tall. The Eternal has given them
a salvation that will never die, and they will never be embarrassed or ashamed.

18 Indeed, He who created the universe—heavens and earth—gave it form and shape.
The Eternal alone set it all in motion;
He didn’t make it a disorganized wasteland but made it a beautiful and comfortable home.

Eternal One: I am the Eternal One, and there is no other god who exists.
19 I didn’t whisper in secret or mumble in the darkness;
I didn’t say to Jacob’s children:
“Look around the desert and try to find Me.”
No, I am the Eternal One. I will speak clearly what is right and true.

20 Come, come. Gather around, all who survived among the nations.
They have no idea what a real God is
As they coddle their wooden idols,
and pray to worthless images that cannot save them.
21 Go ahead, talk among yourselves. Present your case.
Now, who declared what would happen long ago?
Who predicted how these events would turn out at this time?
Was it not I, the Eternal One? There is no other God but Me.
I alone am the righteous God and Savior. There is no other.

22 So turn your back on those idols and your face to Me.
I will save you, wherever you are, to the ends of the earth,
For I am God. There is none other.
23 I make this solemn vow; I have spoken a word—
faithful and true—and it will not return; it will be done.
My words have wings; they will be accomplished;
every knee will bow down to Me.
Every tongue will swear allegiance to Me.[a]

24 They will say of Me, “Only by the Eternal One shall I see things through.
Only by God shall I go with integrity and strength through life.”

Those who know that God is the source of life, integrity, and strength live lives marked by confidence and a calm assurance.

Now all those who burned with anger against God
will come to Him and be shamed.
25 Through the Eternal, all the descendants of Israel
will be vindicated and made glorious within the world.

46 Bel and Nebo wobble and duck, as their images
sway on the backs of oxen and donkeys—such a heavy burden
For the weary animals—as they are carried about.
These “gods” bow and sink together, unable to escape the coming invasion;
they march off into captivity.

The gods of the nations must have looked rather odd riding on the backs of animals. Even gods of the once-feared Babylonians, Bel and Nebo, are nothing but dead weight.

Eternal One: Listen, you who count yourselves among Jacob’s descendants,
all the remnant of Israel.
It is you, not I, who have been carried from before you were born.
Indeed, when you were still in the womb, I was taking care of you.
And when you are old, I will still be there, carrying you.
When your limbs grow tired, your eyes are weak,
And your hair a silvery gray, I will carry you as I always have.
I will carry you and save you.

Does anyone compare to Me? Can you find any likeness?
Who or what might be My equal or even close to Me?
What about those who use precious materials for gods—
hiring artisans to carefully craft gold, silver, jewels,
And exotic wood into a god—
then they bow down and worship it!
Their god is a mere object. They have to lug it around on their shoulders
before they can stand it up in its proper place.
It just sits there, unmoving until they pick it up again.
It never speaks, never answers.
It cannot help them, no matter how desperate they are.
Remember that—and don’t be tempted to conform!
Think about it, you rebels.
Remember the old days. For I am God; there is no other.
I am God; there are no other gods like Me.
10 From the beginning I declare how things will end;
from times long past, I tell what is yet to be, saying:
“My intentions will come to pass.
I will make things happen as I determine they should.”
11 I am the one who called Cyrus, the bird of prey from the east;
from a land far away I summoned him to do what I intend.
My word went out, and I will see it done.
My plan has been made, and I will see it through.

12 Listen closely, you strong-willed people
who have veered far from the right path.
13 It won’t be long until I make things right;
My salvation is getting closer and closer; it won’t be delayed.
I am ready to rescue Zion, My chosen place,
and display My beauty and splendor to Israel, My chosen people.

47 Eternal One: Ah, pretty virgin daughter, Miss Babylon,
come down and sit in the dust.
Sit on the ground where you belong: your throne is no more,
daughter of the Chaldeans, no longer all dainty, delicate.
And with those delicate fingers grab the heavy millstones and grind the grain.
Take off your lacy veil, lift your skirt, bare your legs, and
Cross the mud and muck of the river on foot like any other slave.
Everyone will see you naked; your humiliation will be most public.
I intend to make you pay, and no one will interfere.[b]

Israel: Our Savior, our hero—the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
by name—is the Holy One of Israel!
So you’d best go quietly, Babylon, daughter of the Chaldeans.
Slink off into the dark. No one will ever again call you Queen of All Lands.

Eternal One: Some time ago, I got fed up with My people.
I left My heritage to you, let you defeat them and take them away.
But you showed no mercy, abused and denigrated them;
you even made the elderly suffer beneath your heavy burden.
But You were carried away with your power,
thinking you would always be in charge.
You didn’t consider your limits or think about how all this would end.
You, pursuer of pleasure, resting in the thought,
“No one exists in the world of any consequence except me.
I’ll never feel as a widow or suffer the loss of my children.”
Despite all your magic and charms, all of a sudden, in a single day,
terror and death to the highest degree.
In the midst of it all, your children and husband, too, will be gone.
10 In your wickedness you thought you were immune,
so hidden away that no one could find your faults.
But your version of wisdom and knowledge were your undoing; you thought,
“No one exists in the world of any consequence except me.”
11 Evil will break upon you full force.
You won’t be able to hold it off or charm it away.
Disaster will fall and, even with all your wealth, you won’t stand a chance.
There’s no way to know what is coming; all of a sudden,
It will ruin all that you have and all that you are.
12 But keep trying your spells;
your magic and charms have brought you this far.
Maybe they’ll help in some way. Maybe they’ll incite fear.
13 All of your scheming has only exhausted you.
Let the astrologers step up and save you,
After all they chart the heavens, read the stars,
and predict the future month after month.
14 Look, they’re like dry straw that ignites in a flash and is burned away.
They cannot help you—they cannot help themselves
From the power of the flame.
And this is not some warm and cozy fire shared among friends!
15 So that’s what they’re worth to you—absolutely nothing,
even after all these years of working together.
They’re gone. No one’s left to rescue you.

48 Listen closely, you descendants of Jacob who are called Israel!
Hear this, you who trace your ancestors back to Judah,
Who take oaths in the name of the Eternal, and call on the God of Israel,
but do so dishonestly and inappropriately:
Your identity is wrapped up in the holy city,
and you claim to rely on the God of Israel,
The One who is called the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

Eternal One: In times long past, I determined
and announced the things that would come.
Then suddenly I acted, and they indeed happened.
Long ago, I figured that you’d resist
(after all, you are a hard-headed and stubborn lot).
Way back then, I told you what would happen so that you wouldn’t claim
that some other god was responsible—that some figurine you crafted
From wood and molded metal commanded and accomplished it.
You’ve heard what I foretold; now you’ve seen what has happened—
do you agree that I’m God?
Well, from this moment, I am telling you new things,
secrets hidden that no one has known.
They are created now—brand new, never before announced, never before heard.
So you can’t claim, “Look, I already knew them.”
There’s no way you could have heard or known
because, even from long ago, you have never listened.
For I’ve always known that you are a conniving lot;
you’ve been a troublesome rebel from birth.

On account of My reputation, I hold back my anger;
for My own weighty grandeur, I am patient with you,
So that I don’t make an absolute break with you.
10 I have refined you, but not in the way silver is refined.
Instead, I try you in the furnace of suffering.

For God, suffering is not an end in itself. God uses suffering and hardship to purge the bad and foster the good in His covenant people.

11 But it is all on account of Me, not of you, that I act,
that I retain honor, that My glory is Mine alone, and not sullied.

Footnotes:

  1. 45:23 Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10–11
  2. 47:3 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Ephesians 4:1-16

As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you: Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together.

Now that Paul has described the new world as God would have it, he urges believers to live out their callings with humility, patience, and love: to walk as Jesus walked. These are the ways of Jesus. Paul encourages them to do whatever it takes to hold onto the unity that binds people together in peace. He does not ask them to create that unity; this has already been accomplished through the work of the Rescuer and His Spirit. Rather, he calls believers to guard that unity—a more modest but no less significant task—because that unity is founded on God’s oneness and work in the world.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were all called to pursue one hope. There is one Lord Jesus, one living faith, one ceremonial washing through baptism,[a] and one God—the Father over all who is above all, through all, and in all. This God has given to each of us grace in full measure according to the Anointed’s gift as the Scripture says,

When He ascended to the heights,
He put captivity in chains;
And in His triumph, He gave gifts to the people.[b]

(Well, when it says “He ascended,” then that must mean that He had descended earlier to the lower levels, that is, to the earth. 10 The One who descended is the same One who rose from the dead to ascend far above all the heavens so that He could fill all things.)

11 It was the risen One who handed down to us such gifted leaders—some emissaries,[c] some prophets, some evangelists, as well as some pastor-teachers— 12 so that God’s people would be thoroughly equipped to minister and build up the body of the Anointed One. 13 These ministries will continue until we are unified in faith and filled with the knowledge of the Son of God, until we stand mature in His teachings and fully formed in the likeness of the Anointed, our Liberating King. 14 Then we will no longer be like children, tossed around here and there upon ocean waves, picked up by every gust of religious teaching spoken by liars or swindlers or deceivers. 15 Instead, by truth spoken in love, we are to grow in every way into Him—the Anointed One, the head. 16 He joins and holds together the whole body with its ligaments providing the support needed so each part works to its proper design to form a healthy, growing, and mature body that builds itself up in love.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:5 Literally, immersion, in a rite of initiation and purification
  2. 4:8 Psalm 68:18
  3. 4:11 Literally, apostles
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Psalm 68:19-35

19 Blessed be the Lord
who carries our heavy loads every day,
the True God who is our salvation.

[pause]

20 We know our God is the God who delivers us,
and the Eternal, the Lord, is the One who saves us from the grip of death.

21 The True God will certainly shatter the skulls of those who oppose Him;
He’ll smash the hairy head of the man who continues on his sinful ways.
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring the enemy back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the deepest parts of the sea,
23 So that you may plant your feet in their blood
and your dogs may lick up their portion of the foe.”
24 The solemn march in Your honor, O True God, has come into view;
the march that celebrates my God, my King, has come into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went first, and the musicians came last
between rows of girls who played tambourines.
26 Come, let us gather to bless the True God
and to praise the Eternal, He who is the fountain of Israel, the source of our life!
27 Look! There are the rulers of Benjamin, the youngest in the lead.
A great crowd follows
The princes of Judah,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 [Your God is the One who has given you strength];[a]
show Your power, O True God, as You have done for us.
29 Because of Your magnificent temple in Jerusalem,
many kings will line up to bring You gifts.
30 Reprimand the beasts in the tall grass,
the herds of bulls that are with the people’s calves,
Trampling over the pieces of silver.
He has driven out the people who love to be at war.
31 Ambassadors will come from Egypt;
the people of Ethiopia[b] will reach out their hands to the one True God.

32 Let all the kingdoms of the earth sing to the True God.
Sing songs of praise to the Lord.

[pause]

33 To Him who rides high up beyond the heavens, which have been since ancient times,
watch and listen. His voice speaks, and it is powerful and strong.
34 Attribute power to the one True God;
His royal splendor is evident over Israel,
and His power courses through the clouds.
35 O True God, You are awesome from the holy place where You dwell.
The True God of Israel Himself
grants strength and power to His people.

Blessed be our God!

Footnotes:

  1. 68:28 Other manuscripts read, “Call on Your strength, O God.”
  2. 68:31 Literally, Cush
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Proverbs 24:3-4

Wisdom is required to build a house;
understanding is necessary to make it secure.
Knowledge is needed to furnish all the rooms
and fill them with beautiful treasures.

The Voice (VOICE)

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

09/24/2019 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 43:14-45:10, Ephesians 3:1-21, Psalms 68:1-18, Proverbs 24:1-2

Today is the 24th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a joy to be here with you today to take the next step as we move deeper into this week and as we approach the end of this month and continue to take steps forward each day through the Scriptures. So, we’re continuing our journey through the book of Isaiah and we are continuing our adventure through the letter to the Ephesians as well as Psalms and Proverbs of course. And we’re reading from the Voice Translation this week. Today, Isaiah chapter 43 verse 14 through 45 verse 10.

Commentary:

Alright. Since we started this letter to the Ephesians we’ve been talking about, you know, wide open vistas, we talked about that a lot yesterday, these beautiful places in the world here you can encounter beauty so pure, so pristine, so vast that it’s almost like you’re not looking at something real. It’s like it’s too good to be true and like at least for me that’s just like how the book of Ephesians reads. We just keep going up and up and we come to these vistas and it’s like we can drive right by the vista or we can park and go like, “this is gonna take a long while for me to sit here and soak in the implications of what’s being said.” So, in the letter today, Paul says, “specifically, the mystery is this: by trusting in the good news the Gentile outsiders are becoming fully enfranchised members of the same body, heirs alongside Israel and beneficiaries of the promise that has been fulfilled through Jesus the anointed.” Alright. So, that’s a verse in the Bible but it was a sentence in a letter and that sentence applies to every believer in the world Jew and Gentile alike. And the promise that’s given here is the riches of God’s blessings. So, we can sit here at this vista and go, “that is a beautiful thing and I need to think about that” but why would Go…I mean like…seriously…like I know myself and hardly ever can figure out why God would be so gracious to me, right? I mean, don’t feel that way? Like, why would He? I don’t deserve that. I’m thankful. I’m grateful. I receive it as a gift…I’m humbled by it. I don’t deserve it but according to the letter to the Ephesians there’s a reason and you better buckle up. Here’s what Paul says, “here’s His objective”, meaning God’s, “here’s God’s objective. Through the church, He intends now to make known His infinite and boundless wisdom to all rulers and authorities in heavenly realms. This has been his plan from the beginning, one that He has now accomplished through the Anointed one, Jesus our Lord.” So, have you ever thought about God’s goodness and His offering this goodness, an eternal life to you, in part because it makes His wisdom known and displays its unseen realms.? Okay, you see, we are at a big picture vista of our faith that is vastly beyond us. And because of His goodness, according to Paul, “Jesus faithfulness to God has made it possible for us to have the courage we need and the ability to approach the Father confidently.” Like, I know that we read scriptures like that and hear that kinda stuff to the point that it does not impact us anymore. But since we’re going through and pulling off at all these beautiful vistas, we should understand we are talking about the only, the one true, the Almighty Creator, God of all things, everything that we think we know and everything that we for sure don’t know, the God of all things. What Paul’s saying is, God has a master plan that is far bigger than we even are aware of, but He has come for us and freely welcomed us because we took Him at His word, we believed, we be put our faith in Him. He has brought us into His family, and we can approach Him confidently. Again, we’re talking about God, the God, I am that I am God. Think about the implications of knowing and being able to approach God, the only God, the Creator God. Like we can enter the presence of the Almighty God boldly and confidently as a son, as a daughter would with any loving parent. I…I don’t…I mean…what is better than that. Even Paul seems to not…like…he's…like…where do you go from there? And, so, Paul prays a prayer today just embracing all of that. And let’s go back over…let’s go back…let’s pray. Let’s pray the prayer of Paul today and allow that to begin to shape what our day looks like.

Prayer:

Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen we Your people. Fill our souls with the power of Your spirit so that through faith Jesus the Anointed One will reside in our hearts. And may love be the rich soil where our lives take root. May be the bedrock where our lives are founded so that together with all of Your people, we have the power to understand that the love of Jesus the Anointed One is infinitely long and wide and high and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God may Your fullness flood through our entire beings. And we pray this from the Scriptures in the name of Jesus, the Anointed One. Amen.

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And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment there are a number of ways to reach out. A great one would be the Hotline button in the app, the little red button. You just press it and start talking. Or there are numbers, phone numbers that you can use depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 or if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

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

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 24, 2019 (NIV)

Isaiah 43:14-45:10

14 The Holy One of Israel, the Eternal One who redeemed you, says,

Eternal One: For your good, I will send another against Babylon
and make all of them outcasts from their own land;
The Chaldeans will set sail and try to escape on their celebrated ships.
15 For I am the Eternal, your Holy One. I am your King,
Creator of Israel, My people.

16 This is what the Eternal One says, the One who does the impossible,
the One who makes a path through the sea, a smooth road through tumultuous waters,
17 The One who drags out chariots and horses,
armies and warriors, and drowns them in the sea—
They will go down, never to rise again;
their lives are snuffed out like a candle wick:

The prophet appeals to a powerful memory: the exodus. He reminds God’s people—all descendants of slaves in Egypt—how God liberated them from oppression, how God devastated the powerful army that pursued them in order to take them back to the whip and lash, back to servitude in Egypt. Stories of the exodus have been told time after time for many generations; they are permanent fixtures in their minds. The prophet evokes these amazing memories to comfort them and assure them that what God is about to do is like what God did do for their ancestors centuries ago.

18 Eternal One: Don’t revel only in the past,
or spend all your time recounting the victories of days gone by.
19 Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak,
and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert;
Waters will flow where there had been none.
20 Wild animals in the fields will honor Me;
the wild dogs and surly birds will join in.
There will be water enough for My chosen people,
trickling springs and clear streams running through the desert.
21 My people, the ones whom I chose and created for My own,
will sing My praise.

22 In truth, you never really called upon me, did you, Jacob, My people?
So how then could you be tired of Me, Israel, My own?

23 You didn’t present Me with sheep for burnt offerings
or acknowledge Me in sacrifices.
I didn’t tire you by demanding so many gifts of offerings and incense.
24 No sweet cane, no money or glorious excess have you given to Me.
You didn’t even try to satisfy Me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Instead, you tired Me with your sins—bloodshed and lies, crimes and offenses;
you wore Me down with all your belligerence and faults.
25 So let’s get this clear: it’s for My own sake that I save you.
I am He who wipes the slate clean and erases your wrongdoing.
I will not call to mind your sins anymore.
26 Now help Me remember. Let’s get this settled.
State your case, and prove to Me that you are in the right.
27 From the very beginning your founding father sinned,
then your leaders defied My laws and instructions.
28 So I brought disgrace on the princes of your sanctuary, your priests.
I turned them over to barbarian assault,
Leaving Jacob to the batterers, Israel to humiliation.

44 Eternal One: Nevertheless, listen to Me, My people:
Jacob, My servant; Israel, My chosen.

The Eternal who made you,
who formed you in the womb and promised to help you, has this to say:

Eternal One: Don’t be afraid, My servant Jacob,
My dear Jeshurun—My chosen.
Like a devoted gardener, I will pour sweet water on parched land,
streams on hard-packed ground;
I will pour My spirit on your children and grandchildren—
and let My blessing flow to your descendants.
And they will sprout among the grasses, grow vibrant and tall
like the willow trees lining a riverbank.
One will call out: “I belong to the Eternal.”
Another will say, “Jacob is my people; Israel my honored name.”
Yet others will write “Property of the Eternal” on their hands.

The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
King of Israel, who paid their ransom, has this to say:

Eternal One: I am at the beginning and will be at the end.
There is no God except for Me.
If you know any God like Me, tell it now.
Declare and demonstrate any who can compare to Me.
Or if you know and have announced events before their time,
told what is to come, then speak so now.
Don’t be afraid. Let your minds be clear of fear.
Haven’t I announced events and revealed what is to come?
From the earliest days, I have done so. You know it—you have seen and know.
So, go ahead, My witnesses: is there a god out there other than Me?

Witnesses: There is no other rock like God. I don’t know a single one.

All of the nations that Israel encounters are involved in some form of idol worship. They imagine these gods and fashion these images in order to satisfy a desire—a God-given desire—to connect with something, with someone out there. Human beings know at some deep, intuitive level that God exists, life is sacred, and there are mysteries more profound than the daily grind. This is why every human civilization exhibits some form of religious life and devotion. But instead of seeking the God who is, people have a tendency to create the gods they want, gods that give them control over the complexities and problems of life. Israel is elected by God for a number of reasons. Perhaps two of the most significant are to bear witness to the one True God and to warn the nations against idolatry. According to Scripture, idol worship is not some neutral, unfortunate habit people get themselves into; it is more than just a waste of time, hope, and effort. It is a dangerous substitute—a counterfeit experience—that adversely misshapes and disorders their lives. To persist in idolatry is to give way to malevolent evils and to miss out on a relationship with the one True God.

But whoever does make an idol is not improved or enriched. On the contrary, their passing fancies contribute nothing of value or purpose. Those who look on at such misplaced attention don’t understand what they’re seeing, and the idol-makers will end up embarrassed at best. 10 It’s easy to say, “What pathetic idiocy! Who would do such a thing—make gods that are by definition worthless?” 11 The people who worship them will be shamed and humiliated. After all, people made those gods. Yet it happens all the time. So, let’s put these images, these figurines all together; stand them up—they will tremble with terror and be ashamed.

12 A metalworker shapes the raw materials into tools and then uses them to make little gods by hammering, bending, heating, and cooling the materials. And in the process, he gets tired and hungry; without water he soon grows faint. 13 Likewise, the woodworker measures and marks the wood, chisels and planes it down, marks it with a compass, and carves it until it looks a bit like a human—lovely, maybe—in order to put it in a house. 14 To take it back a bit further, perhaps he cuts down cedars or he carefully selects the cypress or oak himself, watches it, nurtures it until it is ready for his purpose. Perhaps he plants a pine; with sun and rain, it grows tall. 15 When it’s time to harvest, he uses some of the wood for fuel to stay warm, some to heat the oven and bake bread, and some to craft a god. Then the woodworker bows down and worships before the image he just made. 16-17 Do you see the irony? He sits around, warming himself and roasting dinner with wood from the same tree from which he crafted a god to which he bows and worships and prays—one time saying, “I am warmed by the wood fire”; another time saying, “O dear god, save me.”

18-19 So we see again how it is that they’re blind—their eyes shut to the truth in front of them, their hearts and minds refusing to think and really understand what’s going on. So without stopping to think about it, the fool says, “Gosh, I used half of the wood to build a fire, and baked the bread and roasted the meat over its hot coals. After I eat, I think I’ll use the rest of it to make a repulsive god. Maybe I’ll bow down to this leftover lumber.” 20 A fool like this is feeding on ashes—his addled mind and deceived heart lead him nowhere. He can’t figure out how to save himself, much less see the error of his ways and say, “Is this idol in my right hand just a lie?”

Eternal One: Let that be a lesson to you, My people.
21 Don’t forget it, Jacob; O Israel, remember—you are Mine.
I made you; you are My servant; I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your wrongdoing, as wind sweeps a cloud from the sky:
I have cleared you of your sins, as the sun clears the morning mist.
I have rescued you; come back to Me.

23 Sing, starry sky and every constellation, for what the Eternal has done.
Shout for joy, dark soil underfoot and deep caverns below;
Erupt in joyful songs, mountains and forests, and every tree in them!
Sing joyfully, for the Eternal One has rescued Jacob, His people;
The splendor of God will be revealed in Israel.

24 The Eternal, your rescuing hero who formed you before birth, declares,

Eternal One: I am the Eternal, Creator of all there is and will be.
I alone stretched out the heavens and spread out the blue earth.
25 I confound the lying swindlers who claim to tell the future,
and I make the fortune-tellers look like fools.
I stop the highbrow intellectuals in their tracks,
and I show the fault of their reasoning.
26 But I stand behind the words of My servants,
and I accomplish what they predict.
The one who says about Jerusalem, “This place will be built up again”;
about Judah’s cities, “They will be restored”:
I confirm their predictions. They will rise from their ruins.
27 After all, I am the One who needs only to say “Dry up” to great waters,
and your rivers run dry.
28 I am the one who says of the Persian victor over Babylon,
“Cyrus is My shepherd. He will accomplish what I determine.”
My word goes out concerning Jerusalem:
“It will stand, a glorious city, again”
and of My house within it, “Restoration will begin at once.”

45 This is what the Eternal One says to His chosen agent, Cyrus the Persian.

God has a special mission for Cyrus, the Persian emperor: to lead the world and free His exiled people. The Scripture is clear: God, not kings, directs history. Kings—and sometimes their subjects—often need to be reminded of that. The Eternal, the one True God, stands above and behind human history, directing and orchestrating its events.

Eternal One: Not by his hand alone, but with his in Mine,
nations are vanquished, their leaders conquered;
Doors and gates open without a fight
and will not close.

(to Cyrus) I will go ahead of you and smooth the way, lower the heights,
break down bronze doors, and cut through iron bars.
I will give you hidden treasures
and wealth tucked away in secret places;
I will reveal them to you.
Then you will know that I am
the Eternal, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
For the sake of My servant Jacob, My chosen people Israel,
I have called you by name, made you who you are,
And bestowed an honorable title on you, even though you don’t know Me.
I am the Eternal One; there is no other God but Me,
and even though you don’t know Me, I am preparing you for victory.
I am doing all this so that people all around the world
may know that I alone am the Eternal, the only God.
I form light and create darkness;
I make what is good, happy, and healthy, and I create woe.
I, the Eternal One, make them one and all.
Skies above, open up and let the clouds rain down righteousness!
Let the earth below sprout triumph and justice.
For I, the Eternal, have created them.

How bad it will be for anyone who disputes with the very One who created him!
After all, a human being is nothing more than one clay pot among many.
Imagine the clay saying to the potter, “What do you think you’re doing?”
or “You don’t have the hands for this.”
10 It’s as idiotic as asking a mother or father,
“What are you birthing or begetting?”

The Voice (VOICE)

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

Ephesians 3

For Paul there are two kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles, or to put it another way, insiders and outsiders. The Prince of Peace is establishing peace where division and hostility once ruled unchallenged. In the Jerusalem temple, a stone wall separated Jewish from non-Jewish worshipers. According to Paul, the cross is God’s instrument to dismantle the wall, end the segregation, and make the two into one. God wants one people of God. That has been His plan all along.

Today walls continue to exist, erected strategically to separate people by race, religion, class, culture, and sex. Those who erect these walls, protect them, and maintain them will find that they are enemies of the gospel that brings all together into one worshiping family.

All this is exactly why I, Paul, am a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed, His representative to the outsider nations. You have heard, haven’t you, how God appointed me to bring you His message of grace? And how the mystery was made known to me in a revelation? I briefly wrote about it earlier. When you read what I have written, you will be better able to understand the depth of my insight into the mystery of the Anointed One, a mystery that has never before been shown to past generations. Only now are these secrets being revealed to God’s chosen emissaries[a] and prophets through the Holy Spirit. Specifically, the mystery is this: by trusting in the good news, the Gentile outsiders are becoming fully enfranchised members of the same body, heirs alongside Israel, and beneficiaries of the promise that has been fulfilled through Jesus the Anointed.

I became a servant and preacher of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace as He exercised His amazing power over me. I cannot think of anyone more unworthy to this cause than I, the least of the least of the saints. But here I am, a grace-made man, privileged to be an echo of His voice and a preacher to all the nations of the riches of the Anointed One, riches that no one ever imagined. I am privileged to enlighten all of Adam’s descendants to the mystery concealed from previous ages by God, the Creator of all, through Jesus the Anointed. 10 Here’s His objective: through the church, He intends now to make known His infinite and boundless wisdom to all rulers and authorities in heavenly realms. 11 This has been His plan from the beginning, one that He has now accomplished through the Anointed One, Jesus our Lord. 12 His faithfulness[b] to God has made it possible for us to have the courage we need and the ability to approach the Father confidently. 13 So I ask you not to become discouraged because I am jailed for speaking out on your behalf. In fact, my suffering is something that brings you glory.

14 It is for this reason that I bow my knees before the Father, 15 after whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray:

16 Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit 17 so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together 18-19 with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings.

This is a doxology of praise to the One with power that is beyond understanding.

20 Now to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, 21 to Him be all glory in the church and in Jesus the Anointed from this generation to the next, forever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:5 Literally, apostles
  2. 3:12 Often translated “faith in Him.”
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Psalm 68:1-18

Psalm 68

For the worship leader. A song of David.

Psalm 68 is a hymn describing God as a Divine Warrior, marching from Sinai through the wilderness to make His home in Jerusalem.

May the True God rise up and show Himself;
may those who are united against Him be dispersed,
while the people who hate Him run away at the sight of Him.
As smoke disappears when it is blown by the wind,
may You blow away Your enemies forever.
As wax melts in the presence of fire,
may the wicked heart melt away in God’s presence.
But may those who are righteous rejoice
in the presence of the True God—so may they be glad and rejoice.
Yes, let them celebrate with joy!

Sing songs of praise to the name that belongs to the True God!
Let your voices ring out in songs of praise to Him, the One who rides through the deserted places.
His name is the Eternal;
celebrate in His glorious presence.

The True God who inhabits sacred space
is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.
He makes a home for those who are alone.
He frees the prisoners and leads them to prosper.
Yet those who rebel against Him live in the barren land without His blessings and prosperity.

O True God, when You led Your enslaved people from Egypt,
when You journeyed with us through the wilderness,

[pause][a]

The whole world trembled! The sky poured down rain
at the power of Your presence; even Mount Sinai trembled in Your presence,
the presence of the True God, the God of Israel.
You sent a heavy downpour to soak the ground, O True God.
You refreshed the land—the land Your people would inherit—when it was parched and dry.
10 Your covenant people made their homes in the land,
and because You are so good, You provided for those crushed by poverty, O True God.

11 The Lord gives the word;
there are very many women ready to tell the good news:
12 “Kings who lead the armies are on the run!
They are on the run!
And the woman who stays at home is ready, too,
ready to enjoy the treasures that they’ve left behind!”
13 When they lay down among the campfires and open the saddlebags, imagine what they’ll find—
a beautiful dove, its wings covered with silver,
its feathers a shimmering gold.

14 When the Almighty scattered the kings from that place,
it was snowing in Zalmon.

15 O Mount Bashan, you mighty mountain of the True God;
mountain of many peaks, O Mount Bashan.
16 Why are you so jealous, O mountain of many peaks,
when you look at the mountain the True God has chosen as His dwelling place?
The Eternal will surely abide on Mount Zion forever.

17 The chariots of God are innumerable;
there are thousands upon thousands of them.
The Lord is in their midst, just as He was at Mount Sinai.
He has come into the holy place.
18 When You ascended the sacred mountain,
with Your prisoners in tow, Your captives in chains,
You sat in triumph receiving gifts from men,
Even from those who rebel against You, so that You, the Eternal God, might take up residence there.

Footnotes:

  1. 68:7 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
The Voice (VOICE)

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

Proverbs 24:1-2

The abuse of alcohol is as ancient as the first batch of Egyptian beer or the first sip of Noah’s wine (Genesis 9:20–21). Its wide availability today has made for binge drinking on college campuses, underage drinking by young teens, drunk driving on city streets, and alcoholic rants and abuse in the home. The sage offers a tragic description of a young man who goes from drink to drink and cannot get his bearings in life. Too many people lose so much life in an alcoholic stupor.

24 Do not envy evil people
or seek their friendship;
For they are conniving and violent,
and all they talk about is causing trouble.

The Voice (VOICE)

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