Thursday, September 24, 2020

Daily Audio Bible - September 24, 2020

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Isaiah 43:14-45:10

The Lord Will Prepare the Way

14 I, the Lord, will rescue you!
I am Israel's holy God,
    and this is my promise:
For your sake, I will send
    an army against Babylon
to drag its people away,
    crying as they go.

15 I am the Lord, your holy God,
    Israel's Creator and King.
16 I am the one who cut a path
    through the mighty ocean.
17 I sent an army to chase you
    with chariots and horses;
now they lie dead,
    unable to move.
They are like an oil lamp
    with the flame snuffed out.

Forget the Past

The Lord said:

18 Forget what happened long ago!
    Don't think about the past.
19 I am creating something new.
    There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
    streams in thirsty lands.
20 Every wild animal honors me,
    even jackals and owls.
I provide water in deserts—
streams in thirsty lands
    for my chosen people.
21 I made them my own nation,
    so they would praise me.

22 I, the Lord, said to Israel:
You have become weary,
    but not from worshiping me.
23 You have not honored me
by sacrificing sheep
    or other animals.
And I have not burdened you
with demands for sacrifices
    or sweet-smelling incense.

24 You have not brought
    delicious spices for me
or given me the best part
    of your sacrificed animals.
Instead, you burden me down
    with your terrible sins.
25 But I wipe away your sins
    because of who I am.
And so, I will forget
    the wrongs you have done.

26 Meet me in court!
State your case
and prove
    that you are right.
27 Your earliest ancestor
and all of your leaders
    rebelled against me.
28 That's why I don't allow
    your priests to serve me;
I let Israel be destroyed
    and your people disgraced.

The Lord's Promise to Israel

44 People of Israel,
I have chosen you
    as my servant.
I am your Creator.
You were in my care
    even before you were born.
Israel, don't be terrified!
You are my chosen servant,
    my very favorite.

I will bless the thirsty land
    by sending streams of water;
I will bless your descendants
    by giving them my Spirit.
They will spring up like grass
or like willow trees
    near flowing streams.
They will worship me
    and become my people.
They will write my name
    on the back of their hands.

I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the first and the last,
    the one and only God.
Israel, I have rescued you!
    I am your King.
Can anyone compare with me?
If so, let them speak up
    and tell me now.
Let them say what has happened
since I made my nation
    long ago,
and let them tell
    what is going to happen.
Don't tremble with fear!
Didn't I tell you long ago?
    Didn't you hear me?
I alone am God—
no one else is a mighty rock.

Idols Can't Do a Thing

The Lord said:

Those people who make idols
    are nothing themselves,
and the idols they treasure
    are just as worthless.
Worshipers of idols are blind,
    stupid, and foolish.
10 Why make an idol or an image
    that can't do a thing?
11 Everyone who makes idols
and all who worship them
    are mere humans,
who will end up
    sadly disappointed.
Let them face me in court
    and be terrified.

Idols and Firewood

12 A metalworker shapes an idol
by using a hammer
    and heat from the fire.
In his powerful hand
    he holds a hammer,
as he pounds the metal
    into the proper shape.
But he gets hungry and thirsty
    and loses his strength.

13 Some woodcarver measures
a piece of wood,
    then draws an outline.
The idol is carefully carved
    with each detail exact.
At last it looks like a person
    and is placed in a temple.
14 Either cedar, cypress, oak,
or any tree from the forest
    may be chosen.
Or even a pine tree planted
by the woodcarver
    and watered by the rain.

15 Some of the wood is used
to make a fire for heating
    or for cooking.
One piece is made into an idol,
then the woodcarver bows down
    and worships it.
16 He enjoys the warm fire
and the meat that was roasted
    over the burning coals.
17 Afterwards, he bows down
    to worship the wooden idol.
"Protect me!" he says.
    "You are my god."

18 Those who worship idols are stupid and blind! 19 They don't have enough sense to say to themselves, "I made a fire with half of the wood and cooked my bread and meat on it. Then I made something worthless with the other half. Why worship a block of wood?"

20 How can anyone be stupid enough to trust something that can be burned to ashes? No one can save themselves like that. Don't they realize that the idols they hold in their hands are not really gods?

The Lord Won't Forget His People

21 People of Israel,
you are my servant,
    so remember all of this.
Israel, I created you,
and you are my servant.
    I won't forget you.
22 Turn back to me!
    I have rescued you
and swept away your sins
    as though they were clouds.

Sing Praises to the Lord

23 Tell the heavens and the earth
    to start singing!
Tell the mountains
and every tree in the forest
    to join in the song!
The Lord has rescued his people;
    now they will worship him.

The Lord Created Everything

24 Israel, I am your Lord.
I am your source of life,
    and I have rescued you.
I created everything
from the sky above
    to the earth below.

25 I make liars of false prophets
    and fools of fortunetellers.
I take human wisdom
    and turn it into nonsense.
26 I will make the message
    of my prophets come true.
They are saying, "Jerusalem
    will be filled with people,
and the Lord will rebuild
    the towns of Judah."

27 I am the one who commands
the sea and its streams
    to run dry.
28 I am also the one who says,
"Cyrus will lead my people
    and obey my orders.
Jerusalem and the temple
    will be rebuilt."

Cyrus Obeys the Lord's Commands

45 The Lord said to Cyrus, his chosen one:

I have taken hold
    of your right hand
to help you capture nations
    and remove kings from power.
City gates will open for you;
    not one will stay closed.
As I lead you,
    I will level mountains
and break the iron bars
    on bronze gates of cities.

I will give you treasures
hidden in dark
    and secret places.
Then you will know that I,
the Lord God of Israel,
    have called you by name.
Cyrus, you don't even know me!
But I have called you by name
    and highly honored you
because of Israel,
    my chosen servant.

Only I am the Lord!
    There are no other gods.
I have made you strong,
    though you don't know me.
Now everyone from east to west
will learn that I am the Lord.
    No other gods are real.
I create light and darkness,
happiness and sorrow.
    I, the Lord, do all of this.

Tell the heavens
to send down justice
    like showers of rain.
Prepare the earth
    for my saving power
to sprout
and produce justice
    that I, the Lord, create.

The Lord's Mighty Power

The Lord said:

Israel, you have no right
    to argue with your Creator.
You are merely a clay pot
    shaped by a potter.
The clay doesn't ask,
"Why did you make me this way?
    Where are the handles?"
10 Children don't have the right
    to demand of their parents,
"What have you done
    to make us what we are?"

Ephesians 3

Paul's Mission to the Gentiles

Christ Jesus made me his prisoner, so that I could help you Gentiles. You have surely heard about God's kindness in choosing me to help you. In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways. As you read the letter, you will also find out how well I really do understand the mystery about Christ. No one knew about this mystery until God's Spirit told it to his holy apostles and prophets. And the mystery is this: Because of Christ Jesus, the good news has given the Gentiles a share in the promises that God gave to the Jews. God has also let the Gentiles be part of the same body.

God treated me with kindness. His power worked in me, and it became my job to spread the good news. I am the least important of all God's people. But God was kind and chose me to tell the Gentiles that because of Christ there are blessings that cannot be measured. God, who created everything, wanted me to help everyone understand the mysterious plan that had always been hidden in his mind. 10 Then God would use the church to show the powers and authorities in the spiritual world that he has many different kinds of wisdom.

11 God did this according to his eternal plan. And he was able to do what he had planned because of all that Christ Jesus our Lord had done. 12 Christ now gives us courage and confidence, so that we can come to God by faith. 13 That's why you should not be discouraged when I suffer for you. After all, it will bring honor to you.

Christ's Love for Us

14 I kneel in prayer to the Father. 15 All beings in heaven and on earth receive their life from him. 16 God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers 17 and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. 18 I pray that you and all of God's people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep. 19 I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.

20-21 I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.

Psalm 68:1-18

(A psalm and a song by David for the music leader.)

God Will Win the Battle

68 Do something, God!
Scatter your hateful enemies.
    Make them turn and run.
Scatter them like smoke!
    When you come near,
    make them melt
    like wax in a fire.
But let your people be happy
    and celebrate because of you.

Our God, you are the one
who rides on the clouds,
    and we praise you.
Your name is the Lord,
    and we celebrate
    as we worship you.

Our God, from your sacred home
    you take care of orphans
    and protect widows.
You find families
    for those who are lonely.
You set prisoners free
    and let them prosper,
    but all who rebel will live
    in a scorching desert.

You set your people free,
    and you led them
    through the desert.
God of Israel,
the earth trembled,
    and rain poured down.
You alone are the God
    who rules from Mount Sinai.
When your land was thirsty,
    you sent showers
    to refresh it.
10 Your people settled there,
    and you were generous
    to everyone in need.

11 You gave the command,
    and a chorus of women told
    what had happened:
12 "Kings and their armies
    retreated and ran,
    and everything they left
    is now being divided.
13 And for those who stayed back
    to guard the sheep,
there are metal doves
with silver-coated wings
    and shiny gold feathers."

14 God All-Powerful, you scattered
the kings
    like snow falling
    on Mount Zalmon.

15 Our Lord and our God,
    Bashan is a mighty mountain
    covered with peaks.
16 Why is it jealous of Zion,
    the mountain you chose
    as your home forever?

17 When you, Lord God, appeared
    to your people at Sinai,
    you came with thousands
    of mighty chariots.
18 When you climbed
    the high mountain,
    you took prisoners with you
    and were given gifts.
Your enemies didn't want you
to live there,
    but they gave you gifts.

Proverbs 24:1-2

-19-

24 Don't be jealous of crooks
    or want to be their friends.
All they think about
and talk about
    is violence and cruelty.

 

 
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