July Thirty One

~Good Morning~

VBS is finished. Amazing how many children accepted Jesus in their hearts. My only question is do they really know what they are doing? Should we be excited when they are so young.

I am sooo excited for the weekend. NO PLANS, well except for a haircut today but that is just fun.

• Did not know women were prophets. Is it okay for women to be pastors?? I just find it kind of weird because men are suppose to be the spiritual leaders, right??
  

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.

 

 

 

Today's Scripture:

Jeremiah 5:20-6:30 A Warning for God's People 20 "Make this announcement to Israel,       and say this to Judah:  21 Listen, you foolish and senseless people,       with eyes that do not see       and ears that do not hear.  22 Have you no respect for me?       Why don't you tremble in my presence?    I, the Lord, define the ocean's sandy shoreline       as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.    The waves may toss and roar,       but they can never pass the boundaries I set.  23 But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.       They have turned away and abandoned me.  24 They do not say from the heart,       'Let us live in awe of the Lord our God,    for he gives us rain each spring and fall,       assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.'  25 Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings.       Your sin has robbed you of all these good things. 26 "Among my people are wicked men       who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind.    They continually set traps       to catch people.  27 Like a cage filled with birds,       their homes are filled with evil plots.       And now they are great and rich.  28 They are fat and sleek,       and there is no limit to their wicked deeds.    They refuse to provide justice to orphans       and deny the rights of the poor.  29 Should I not punish them for this?" says the Lord.       "Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?  30 A horrible and shocking thing       has happened in this land—  31 the prophets give false prophecies,       and the priests rule with an iron hand.    Worse yet, my people like it that way!       But what will you do when the end comes? Jeremiah 6 Jerusalem's Last Warning 1 "Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin!       Get out of Jerusalem!    Sound the alarm in Tekoa!       Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem!    A powerful army is coming from the north,       coming with disaster and destruction.  2 O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—       but I will destroy you!  3 Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city.       Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.  4 They shout, 'Prepare for battle!       Attack at noon!'    'No, it's too late; the day is fading,       and the evening shadows are falling.'  5 'Well then, let's attack at night       and destroy her palaces!'" 6 This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says:    "Cut down the trees for battering rams.       Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem.    This is the city to be punished,       for she is wicked through and through.  7 She spouts evil like a fountain.       Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.       I always see her sickness and sores.  8 Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,       or I will turn from you in disgust.    Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,       a land where no one lives." 9 This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says:    "Even the few who remain in Israel       will be picked over again,    as when a harvester checks each vine a second time       to pick the grapes that were missed." Israel's Constant Rebellion 10 To whom can I give warning?       Who will listen when I speak?    Their ears are closed,       and they cannot hear.    They scorn the word of the Lord.       They don't want to listen at all.  11 So now I am filled with the Lord's fury.       Yes, I am tired of holding it in! "I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets       and on gatherings of young men,    on husbands and wives       and on those who are old and gray.  12 Their homes will be turned over to their enemies,       as will their fields and their wives.    For I will raise my powerful fist       against the people of this land,"       says the Lord.  13 "From the least to the greatest,       their lives are ruled by greed.    From prophets to priests,       they are all frauds.  14 They offer superficial treatments       for my people's mortal wound.    They give assurances of peace       when there is no peace.  15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?       Not at all—they don't even know how to blush!    Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.       They will be brought down when I punish them,"       says the Lord. Israel Rejects the Lord's Way 16 This is what the Lord says:    "Stop at the crossroads and look around.       Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.    Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.       But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!'  17 I posted watchmen over you who said,       'Listen for the sound of the alarm.'    But you replied,       'No! We won't pay attention!' 18 "Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.       Take note of my people's situation.  19 Listen, all the earth!       I will bring disaster on my people.    It is the fruit of their own schemes,       because they refuse to listen to me.       They have rejected my word.  20 There's no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.       Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!    I will not accept your burnt offerings.       Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me." 21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:       "I will put obstacles in my people's path.    Fathers and sons will both fall over them.       Neighbors and friends will die together." An Invasion from the North 22 This is what the Lord says:    "Look! A great army coming from the north!       A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.  23 They are armed with bows and spears.       They are cruel and show no mercy.    They sound like a roaring sea       as they ride forward on horses.    They are coming in battle formation,       planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem." 24 We have heard reports about the enemy,       and we wring our hands in fright.    Pangs of anguish have gripped us,       like those of a woman in labor.  25 Don't go out to the fields!       Don't travel on the roads!    The enemy's sword is everywhere       and terrorizes us at every turn!  26 Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap       and sit among the ashes.    Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son.       For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you! 27 "Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,       that you may determine the quality of my people.  28 They are the worst kind of rebel,       full of slander.    They are as hard as bronze and iron,       and they lead others into corruption.  29 The bellows fiercely fan the flames       to burn out the corruption.    But it does not purify them,       for the wickedness remains.  30 I will label them 'Rejected Silver,'       for I, the Lord, am discarding them."

2 Kings 22:3-20 3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, 4 "Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord's Temple. 5 Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the Temple's restoration. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple of the Lord. 6 They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. 7 But don't require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men." Hilkiah Discovers God's Law 8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord's Temple!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 Shaphan went to the king and reported, "Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple." 10 Shaphan also told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll." So Shaphan read it to the king. 11 When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 12 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal adviser: 13 "Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord's great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do." 14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. 15 She said to them, "The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 16 'This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the king of Judah has read will come true.17 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will burn against this place, and it will not be quenched.' 18 "But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 19 You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 20 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city.'" So they took her message back to the king.

2 Chronicles 34:8-28 8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God. 9 They gave Hilkiah the high priest the money that had been collected by the Levites who served as gatekeepers at the Temple of God. The gifts were brought by people from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem. 10 He entrusted the money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord's Temple. Then they paid the workers who did the repairs and renovation of the Temple. 11 They hired carpenters and builders, who purchased finished stone for the walls and timber for the rafters and beams. They restored what earlier kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. 12 The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, 13 were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers. Hilkiah Discovers God's Law 14 While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord's Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord's Temple!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan took the scroll to the king and reported, "Your officials are doing everything they were assigned to do. 17 The money that was collected at the Temple of the Lord has been turned over to the supervisors and workmen." 18 Shaphan also told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll." So Shaphan read it to the king. 19 When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 20 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal adviser: 21 "Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord's great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do." 22 So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. 23 She said to them, "The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 24 'This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true. 25 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.' 26 "But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.'" So they took her message back to the king.

 

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.

July Thirty

~Good Morning~

I am just soooo happy it is Friday!

 

 

Today's Scripture:

Jeremiah 2:23-5:19 (New Living Translation)

Israel, an Unfaithful Wife

²³ "You say, 'That'not true!
      I haven't worshiped the images of Baal!'
   But how can you say that?
      Go and look in any valley in the land!
   Face the awful sins you have done.
      You are like a restless female camel
      desperately searching for a mate.
 ²⁴ You are like a wild donkey,
      sniffing the wind at mating time.
   Who can restrain her lust?
      Those who desire her don't need to search,
      for she goes running to them!
 ²⁵ When will you stop running?
      When will you stop panting after other gods?
   But you say, 'Save your breath.
      I'm in love with these foreign gods,
      and I can't stop loving them now!'

²⁶ "Israel is like a thief
      who feels shame only when he gets caught.
   They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—
      all are alike in this.
 ²⁷ To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,
      'You are my father.'
   To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,
      'You are my mother.'
   They turn their backs on me,
      but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
      'Come and save us!'
 ²⁸ But why not call on these gods you have made?
      When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!
   For you have as many gods
      as there are towns in Judah.
 ²⁹ Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
      You are the ones who have rebelled,"
      says the Lord.
 ³⁰ "I have punished your children,
      but they did not respond to my discipline.
   You yourselves have killed your prophets
      as a lion kills its prey.

³¹ "O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
      Have I been like a desert to Israel?
      Have I been to them a land of darkness?
   Why then do my people say, 'At last we are free from God!
      We don't need him anymore!'
 ³² Does a young woman forget her jewelry?
      Does a bride hide her wedding dress?
   Yet for years on end
      my people have forgotten me.

³³ "How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.
      Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!
 ³⁴ Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,
      though you didn't catch them breaking into your houses!
 ³⁵ And yet you say,
   'I have done nothing wrong.
      Surely God isn't angry with me!'
   But now I will punish you severely
      because you claim you have not sinned.
 ³⁶ First here, then there—
      you flit from one ally to another asking for help.
   But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,
      just as Assyria did before.
 ³⁷ In despair, you will be led into exile
      with your hands on your heads,
   for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust.
      They will not help you at all.

Jeremiah 3

¹ "If a man divorces a woman
      and she goes and marries someone else,
   he will not take her back again,
      for that would surely corrupt the land.
   But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers,
      so why are you trying to come back to me?"
      says the Lord.
 ² "Look at the shrines on every hilltop.
      Is there any place you have not been defiled
      by your adultery with other gods?
   You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer.
      You sit alone like a nomad in the desert.
   You have polluted the land with your prostitution
      and your wickedness.
 ³ That's why even the spring rains have failed.
      For you are a brazen prostitute and completely shameless.
 ⁴ Yet you say to me,
      'Father, you have been my guide since my youth.
 ⁵ Surely you won't be angry forever!
      Surely you can forget about it!'
   So you talk,
      but you keep on doing all the evil you can."

Judah Follows Israel's Example

⁶ During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, "Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. ⁷ I thought, 'After she has done all this, she will return to me.' But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. ⁸ She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. ⁹ Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. ¹⁰ But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Hope for Wayward Israel

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, "Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah! ¹² Therefore, go and give this message to Israel.This is what the Lord says:

"O Israel, my faithless people,
      come home to me again,
   for I am merciful.
      I will not be angry with you forever.
 ¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt.
      Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God
   and committed adultery against him
      by worshiping idols under every green tree.
   Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!

¹⁴ "Return home, you wayward children,"
      says the Lord,
      "for I am your master.
   I will bring you back to the land of Israel—
      one from this town and two from that family—
      from wherever you are scattered.
 ¹⁵ And I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
      who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶ "And when your land is once more filled with people," says the Lord, "you will no longer wish for 'the good old days' when you possessed the Ark of the Lord's Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. ¹⁷ In that day Jerusalem will be known as 'The Throne of the Lord.' All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. ¹⁸ In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever.

¹⁹ "I thought to myself,
      'I would love to treat you as my own children!'
   I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—
      the finest possession in the world.
   I looked forward to your calling me 'Father,'
      and I wanted you never to turn from me.
 ²⁰ But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!
      You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.
      I, the Lord, have spoken."

²¹ Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,
      the weeping and pleading of Israel's people.
   For they have chosen crooked paths
      and have forgotten the Lord their God.

²² "My wayward children," says the Lord,
      "come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts."

"Yes, we're coming," the people reply,
      "for you are the Lord our God.
 ²³ Our worship of idols on the hills
      and our religious orgies on the mountains
      are a delusion.
   Only in the Lord our God
      will Israel ever find salvation.
 ²⁴ From childhood we have watched
      as everything our ancestors worked for—
   their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—
      was squandered on a delusion.
 ²⁵ Let us now lie down in shame
      and cover ourselves with dishonor,
   for we and our ancestors have sinned
      against the Lord our God.
   From our childhood to this day
      we have never obeyed him."

Jeremiah 4

¹ "O Israel," says the Lord,
      "if you wanted to return to me, you could.
   You could throw away your detestable idols
      and stray away no more.
 ² Then when you swear by my name, saying,
      'As surely as the Lord lives,'
   you could do so
      with truth, justice, and righteousness.
   Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,
      and all people would come and praise my name."

Coming Judgment against Judah

³ This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:

"Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
      Do not waste your good seed among thorns.
 ⁴ O people of Judah and Jerusalem,
      surrender your pride and power.
   Change your hearts before the Lord,
      or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire
      because of all your sins.

⁵ "Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem!
      Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land:
   'Run for your lives!
      Flee to the fortified cities!'
 ⁶ Raise a signal flag as a warning for Jerusalem:
      'Flee now! Do not delay!'
   For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you
      from the north."

⁷ A lion stalks from its den,
      a destroyer of nations.
   It has left its lair and is headed your way.
      It's going to devastate your land!
   Your towns will lie in ruins,
      with no one living in them anymore.
 ⁸ So put on clothes of mourning
      and weep with broken hearts,
   for the fierce anger of the Lord
      is still upon us.

⁹ "In that day," says the Lord,
      "the king and the officials will tremble in fear.
   The priests will be struck with horror,
      and the prophets will be appalled."

¹⁰ Then I said, "O Sovereign Lord,
      the people have been deceived by what you said,
   for you promised peace for Jerusalem.
      But the sword is held at their throats!"

¹¹ The time is coming when the Lord will say
      to the people of Jerusalem,
   "My dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert,
      and it's not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain.
 ¹² It is a roaring blast sent by me!
      Now I will pronounce your destruction!"

¹³ Our enemy rushes down on us like storm clouds!
      His chariots are like whirlwinds.
   His horses are swifter than eagles.
      How terrible it will be, for we are doomed!
 ¹⁴ O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart
      that you may be saved.
   How long will you harbor
      your evil thoughts?
 ¹⁵ Your destruction has been announced
      from Dan and the hill country of Ephraim.

¹⁶ "Warn the surrounding nations
      and announce this to Jerusalem:
   The enemy is coming from a distant land,
      raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah.
 ¹⁷ They surround Jerusalem like watchmen around a field,
      for my people have rebelled against me,"
      says the Lord.
 ¹⁸ "Your own actions have brought this upon you.
      This punishment is bitter, piercing you to the heart!"

Jeremiah Weeps for His People

¹⁹ My heart, my heart—I writhe in pain!
      My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still.
   For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets
      and the roar of their battle cries.
 ²⁰ Waves of destruction roll over the land,
      until it lies in complete desolation.
   Suddenly my tents are destroyed;
      in a moment my shelters are crushed.
 ²¹ How long must I see the battle flags
      and hear the trumpets of war?

²² "My people are foolish
      and do not know me," says the Lord.
   "They are stupid children
      who have no understanding.
   They are clever enough at doing wrong,
      but they have no idea how to do right!"

Jeremiah's Vision of Coming Disaster

²³ I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless.
      I looked at the heavens, and there was no light.
 ²⁴ I looked at the mountains and hills,
      and they trembled and shook.
 ²⁵ I looked, and all the people were gone.
      All the birds of the sky had flown away.
 ²⁶ I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness.
      The towns lay in ruins,
      crushed by the Lord's fierce anger.

²⁷ This is what the Lord says:
   "The whole land will be ruined,
      but I will not destroy it completely.
 ²⁸ The earth will mourn
      and the heavens will be draped in black
   because of my decree against my people.
      I have made up my mind and will not change it."

²⁹ At the noise of charioteers and archers,
      the people flee in terror.
   They hide in the bushes
      and run for the mountains.
   All the towns have been abandoned—
      not a person remains!
 ³⁰ What are you doing,
      you who have been plundered?
   Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing
      and put on gold jewelry?
   Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara?
      Your primping will do you no good!
   The allies who were your lovers
      despise you and seek to kill you.

³¹ I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor,
      the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child.
   It is beautiful Jerusalem
      gasping for breath and crying out,
      "Help! I'm being murdered!"

Jeremiah 5

The Sins of Judah

¹ "Run up and down every street in Jerusalem," says the Lord.
      "Look high and low; search throughout the city!
   If you can find even one just and honest person,
      I will not destroy the city.
 ² But even when they are under oath,
      saying, 'As surely as the Lord lives,'
      they are still telling lies!"

³ Lord, you are searching for honesty.
   You struck your people,
      but they paid no attention.
   You crushed them,
      but they refused to be corrected.
   They are determined, with faces set like stone;
      they have refused to repent.

⁴ Then I said, "But what can we expect from the poor?
      They are ignorant.
   They don't know the ways of the Lord.
      They don't understand God's laws.
 ⁵ So I will go and speak to their leaders.
      Surely they know the ways of the Lord
      and understand God's laws."
   But the leaders, too, as one man,
      had thrown off God's yoke
      and broken his chains.
 ⁶ So now a lion from the forest will attack them;
      a wolf from the desert will pounce on them.
   A leopard will lurk near their towns,
      tearing apart any who dare to venture out.
   For their rebellion is great,
      and their sins are many.

⁷ "How can I pardon you?
      For even your children have turned from me.
   They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all!
      I fed my people until they were full.
   But they thanked me by committing adultery
      and lining up at the brothels.
 ⁸ They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
      each neighing for his neighbor's wife.
 ⁹ Should I not punish them for this?" says the Lord.
      "Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?

¹⁰ "Go down the rows of the vineyards and destroy the grapevines,
      leaving a scattered few alive.
   Strip the branches from the vines,
      for these people do not belong to the Lord.
 ¹¹ The people of Israel and Judah
      are full of treachery against me,"
      says the Lord.
 ¹² "They have lied about the Lord
      and said, 'He won't bother us!
   No disasters will come upon us.
      There will be no war or famine.
 ¹³ God's prophets are all windbags
      who don't really speak for him.
      Let their predictions of disaster fall on themselves!'"

¹⁴ Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Heaven's Armies says:

"Because the people are talking like this,
      my messages will flame out of your mouth
      and burn the people like kindling wood.
 ¹⁵ O Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you,"
      says the Lord.
   "It is a mighty nation,
      an ancient nation,
   a people whose language you do not know,
      whose speech you cannot understand.
 ¹⁶ Their weapons are deadly;
      their warriors are mighty.
 ¹⁷ They will devour the food of your harvest;
      they will devour your sons and daughters.
   They will devour your flocks and herds;
      they will devour your grapes and figs.
   And they will destroy your fortified towns,
      which you think are so safe.

¹⁸ "Yet even in those days I will not blot you out completely," says the Lord. ¹⁹ "And when your people ask, 'Why did the Lord our God do all this to us?' you must reply, 'You rejected him and gave yourselves to foreign gods in your own land. Now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.'

 

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.

July Twenty Nine

~Good Morning~

I am heartbroken. I have a little girl in my group at VBS. She is the sweetest lil thing. The first night she cried at first when she was dropped off and was sitting on my lap. As I held her she was tightly holding/hugging me. I loved this of course (with my tough chicks). My co-leader mentioned to me that her mom was sick with cancer. I was talking to the lil sweetheart last night and she was fine talking about it. She said her mom had cancer of the lungs and that "they say its all over her now". She said how she throws up all the time. UGH!!!! I could not imagine not being able to play with my girls or take them places and show them new things and all the things I love and enjoyed at their age.. AND I feel guilty for taking for granted that we have all the time in the world to "read that book later honey" or "we will go to the park tomorrow, ,MAYBE".

So go do something with your kiddo's that you keep saying MAYBE TOMMOROW too.

• What is meant by "all the powers of the heavens".
  

³ He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.

• What is: sorcery,divination and are the mediums and psychics..who/what are they getting the information from?
  
• ⁵ He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord's Temple. ⁶ Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord's sight, arousing his anger.
  
• Do we have prophets now? They are in other religions but not spoken about in the non-denomonal churches I have been to.
  

¹⁰ Then the Lord said through his servants the prophets

• Now God is my God. We all support freedom of religion. Isn't this going against this? (Tough question).
  
• .⁴ He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.
  

 

Today's Scripture:

2 Kings 21 Manasseh Rules in Judah Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, "My name will remain in Jerusalem forever." 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord's Temple. 6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord's sight, arousing his anger. 7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: "My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws my servant Moses gave them—I will not send them into exile from this land that I gave their ancestors." 9 But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

2 Chronicles 33:1-9 2 Chronicles 33 Manasseh Rules in Judah Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, "My name will remain in Jerusalem forever." 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord's Temple. 6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord's sight, arousing his anger. 7 Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God's Temple, the very place where God had told David and his son Solomon: "My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws, decrees, and regulations given through Moses—I will not send them into exile from this land that I set aside for your ancestors." 9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

2 Kings 21:10-17 10 Then the Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 "King Manasseh of Judah has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who lived in this land before Israel. He has caused the people of Judah to sin with his idols. 12 So this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. 13 I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. 14 Then I will reject even the remnant of my own people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies. 15 For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since their ancestors came out of Egypt." 16 Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord's sight. 17 The rest of the events in Manasseh's reign and everything he did, including the sins he committed, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.

2 Chronicles 33:10-19 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. 11 So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. 12But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! 14 After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah. 15 Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Lord's Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the Lord their God. 18 The rest of the events of Manasseh's reign, his prayer to God, and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel. 19 Manasseh's prayer, the account of the way God answered him, and an account of all his sins and unfaithfulness are recorded in The Record of the Seers. It includes a list of the locations where he built pagan shrines and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself and repented.

2 Kings 21:18 18 When Manasseh died, he was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon became the next king.

2 Chronicles 33:20 20 When Manasseh died, he was buried in his palace. Then his son Amon became the next king.

2 Kings 21:19-26 Amon Rules in Judah 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. 21 He followed the example of his father, worshiping the same idols his father had worshiped. 22 He abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and he refused to follow the Lord's ways. 23 Then Amon's own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 24 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah the next king. 25 The rest of the events in Amon's reign and what he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Josiah became the next king.

2 Chronicles 33:21-25 Amon Rules in Judah 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made. 23 But unlike his father, he did not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, Amon sinned even more. 24 Then Amon's own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah the next king.

2 Kings 22:1-2 2 Kings 22 Josiah Rules in Judah Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

2 Chronicles 34:1-7 2 Chronicles 34 Josiah Rules in Judah Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. 3 During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.4 He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. 6 He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in the regions all around them. 7He destroyed the pagan altars and the Asherah poles, and he crushed the idols into dust. He cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 1-2:22 Jeremiah 1 1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. 3 The Lord's messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah's son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah's sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. Jeremiah's Call and First Visions 4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.       Before you were born I set you apart       and appointed you as my prophet to the nations." 6 "O Sovereign Lord," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" 7 The Lord replied, "Don't say, 'I'm too young,' for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!" 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, "Look, I have put my words in your mouth!  10 Today I appoint you to stand up       against nations and kingdoms.    Some you must uproot and tear down,       destroy and overthrow.    Others you must build up       and plant." 11 Then the Lord said to me, "Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?" And I replied, "I see a branch from an almond tree." 12 And the Lord said, "That's right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans." 13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, "What do you see now?" And I replied, "I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north." 14 "Yes," the Lord said, "for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. 15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken! "They will set their thrones       at the gates of the city.    They will attack its walls       and all the other towns of Judah.  16 I will pronounce judgment       on my people for all their evil—    for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.       Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands! 17 "Get up and prepare for action.       Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.    Do not be afraid of them,       or I will make you look foolish in front of them.  18 For see, today I have made you strong       like a fortified city that cannot be captured,       like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.    You will stand against the whole land—       the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.  19 They will fight you, but they will fail.       For I am with you, and I will take care of you.       I, the Lord, have spoken!" Jeremiah 2 The Lord's Case against His People 1 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 "Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: "I remember how eager you were to please me       as a young bride long ago,    how you loved me and followed me       even through the barren wilderness.  3 In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,       the first of his children.    All who harmed his people were declared guilty,       and disaster fell on them.       I, the Lord, have spoken!" 4 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the Lord says: "What did your ancestors find wrong with me       that led them to stray so far from me?    They worshiped worthless idols,       only to become worthless themselves.  6 They did not ask, 'Where is the Lord       who brought us safely out of Egypt    and led us through the barren wilderness—       a land of deserts and pits,    a land of drought and death,       where no one lives or even travels?' 7 "And when I brought you into a fruitful land       to enjoy its bounty and goodness,    you defiled my land and       corrupted the possession I had promised you.  8 The priests did not ask,       'Where is the Lord?'    Those who taught my word ignored me,       the rulers turned against me,    and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,       wasting their time on worthless idols.  9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you,"       says the Lord.    "I will even bring charges against your children's children       in the years to come. 10 "Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;       go east and search through the land of Kedar.    Has anyone ever heard of anything       as strange as this?  11 Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,       even though they are not gods at all?    Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God       for worthless idols!  12 The heavens are shocked at such a thing       and shrink back in horror and dismay,"       says the Lord.  13 "For my people have done two evil things:    They have abandoned me—       the fountain of living water.    And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns       that can hold no water at all! The Results of Israel's Sin 14 "Why has Israel become a slave?       Why has he been carried away as plunder?  15 Strong lions have roared against him,       and the land has been destroyed.    The towns are now in ruins,       and no one lives in them anymore.  16 Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes,       have destroyed Israel's glory and power.  17 And you have brought this upon yourselves       by rebelling against the Lord your God,       even though he was leading you on the way! 18 "What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt       and your covenants with Assyria?    What good to you are the streams of the Nile       or the waters of the Euphrates River?  19 Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.       Your turning from me will shame you.    You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is       to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.       I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, have spoken! 20 "Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you       and tore away the chains of your slavery,    but still you said,       'I will not serve you.'    On every hill and under every green tree,       you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.  21 But I was the one who planted you,       choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.       How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?  22 No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.       I still see the stain of your guilt.       I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

 

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.

July Twenty Eight

~Good Morning~

I know I am going to jinx this but….I have two girlies still asleep and it is almost 8am. YAY for VBS!!!!!

• I am confused. If God is giving them stubborn hearts why is he angry with them?
  

 ¹⁷ Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
      Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
   Return and help us, for we are your servants,
      the tribes that are your special possession.

• Huh?
  

²⁰ "No longer will babies die when only a few days old.
      No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life.
   No longer will people be considered old at one hundred!
      Only the cursed will die that young!

 

Today's Scripture:

Isaiah 63:15-66:24 Prayer for Mercy and Pardon 15 Lord, look down from heaven;       look from your holy, glorious home, and see us.    Where is the passion and the might       you used to show on our behalf?       Where are your mercy and compassion now?  16 Surely you are still our Father!       Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us,    Lord, you would still be our Father.       You are our Redeemer from ages past.  17 Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?       Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?    Return and help us, for we are your servants,       the tribes that are your special possession.  18 How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place,       and now our enemies have destroyed it.  19 Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you,       as though we had never been known as your people. Isaiah 64 1 Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!       How the mountains would quake in your presence!  2 As fire causes wood to burn       and water to boil,    your coming would make the nations tremble.       Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!  3 When you came down long ago,       you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.       And oh, how the mountains quaked!  4 For since the world began,       no ear has heard,    and no eye has seen a God like you,       who works for those who wait for him!  5 You welcome those who gladly do good,       who follow godly ways.    But you have been very angry with us,       for we are not godly.    We are constant sinners;       how can people like us be saved?  6 We are all infected and impure with sin.       When we display our righteous deeds,       they are nothing but filthy rags.    Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,       and our sins sweep us away like the wind.  7 Yet no one calls on your name       or pleads with you for mercy.    Therefore, you have turned away from us       and turned us over to our sins. 8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.       We are the clay, and you are the potter.       We all are formed by your hand.  9 Don't be so angry with us, Lord.       Please don't remember our sins forever.    Look at us, we pray,       and see that we are all your people.  10 Your holy cities are destroyed.       Zion is a wilderness;       yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin.  11 The holy and beautiful Temple       where our ancestors praised you    has been burned down,       and all the things of beauty are destroyed.  12 After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us?       Will you continue to be silent and punish us? Isaiah 65 Judgment and Final Salvation 1 The Lord says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.       I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.    I said, 'Here I am, here I am!'       to a nation that did not call on my name.  2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.       But they follow their own evil paths       and their own crooked schemes.  3 All day long they insult me to my face       by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens.       They burn incense on pagan altars.  4 At night they go out among the graves,       worshiping the dead.    They eat the flesh of pigs       and make stews with other forbidden foods.  5 Yet they say to each other,       'Don't come too close or you will defile me!       I am holier than you!'    These people are a stench in my nostrils,       an acrid smell that never goes away. 6 "Look, my decree is written out in front of me:       I will not stand silent;    I will repay them in full!       Yes, I will repay them—  7 both for their own sins       and for those of their ancestors,"       says the Lord.    "For they also burned incense on the mountains       and insulted me on the hills.       I will pay them back in full! 8 "But I will not destroy them all,"       says the Lord.    "For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones       (and someone will say, 'Don't throw them all away—       some of those grapes are good!'),    so I will not destroy all Israel.       For I still have true servants there.  9 I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel       and of Judah to possess my land.    Those I choose will inherit it,       and my servants will live there.  10 The plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks       for my people who have searched for me,       and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds. 11 "But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord       and have forgotten his Temple,    and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate       and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,  12 now I will 'destine' you for the sword.       All of you will bow down before the executioner.    For when I called, you did not answer.       When I spoke, you did not listen.    You deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—       and chose to do what you know I despise." 13 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:    "My servants will eat,       but you will starve.    My servants will drink,       but you will be thirsty.    My servants will rejoice,       but you will be sad and ashamed.  14 My servants will sing for joy,       but you will cry in sorrow and despair.  15 Your name will be a curse word among my people,       for the Sovereign Lord will destroy you       and will call his true servants by another name.  16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath       will do so by the God of truth.    For I will put aside my anger       and forget the evil of earlier days. 17 "Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,       and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.  18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!       And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.       Her people will be a source of joy.  19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem       and delight in my people.    And the sound of weeping and crying       will be heard in it no more. 20 "No longer will babies die when only a few days old.       No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life.    No longer will people be considered old at one hundred!       Only the cursed will die that young!  21 In those days people will live in the houses they build       and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.  22 Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses       and confiscate their vineyards.    For my people will live as long as trees,       and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.  23 They will not work in vain,       and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.    For they are people blessed by the Lord,       and their children, too, will be blessed.  24 I will answer them before they even call to me.       While they are still talking about their needs,       I will go ahead and answer their prayers!  25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together.       The lion will eat hay like a cow.       But the snakes will eat dust.    In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain.       I, the Lord, have spoken!" Isaiah 66 1 This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne,       and the earth is my footstool.    Could you build me a temple as good as that?       Could you build me such a resting place?  2 My hands have made both heaven and earth;       they and everything in them are mine.       I, the Lord, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,       who tremble at my word.  3 But those who choose their own ways—       delighting in their detestable sins—       will not have their offerings accepted.    When such people sacrifice a bull,       it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice.    When they sacrifice a lamb,       it's as though they had sacrificed a dog!    When they bring an offering of grain,       they might as well offer the blood of a pig.    When they burn frankincense,       it's as if they had blessed an idol.  4 I will send them great trouble—       all the things they feared.    For when I called, they did not answer.       When I spoke, they did not listen.    They deliberately sinned before my very eyes       and chose to do what they know I despise." 5 Hear this message from the Lord,       all you who tremble at his words:    "Your own people hate you       and throw you out for being loyal to my name.    'Let the Lord be honored!' they scoff.       'Be joyful in him!'       But they will be put to shame.  6 What is all the commotion in the city?       What is that terrible noise from the Temple?    It is the voice of the Lord       taking vengeance against his enemies. 7 "Before the birth pains even begin,       Jerusalem gives birth to a son.  8 Who has ever seen anything as strange as this?       Who ever heard of such a thing?    Has a nation ever been born in a single day?       Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment?    But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin,       her children will be born.  9 Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth       and then not deliver it?" asks the Lord.    "No! I would never keep this nation from being born,"       says your God. 10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem!       Be glad with her, all you who love her       and all you who mourn for her.  11 Drink deeply of her glory       even as an infant drinks at its mother's comforting breasts." 12 This is what the Lord says:    "I will give Jerusalem a river of peace and prosperity.       The wealth of the nations will flow to her.    Her children will be nursed at her breasts,       carried in her arms, and held on her lap.  13 I will comfort you there in Jerusalem       as a mother comforts her child." 14 When you see these things, your heart will rejoice.       You will flourish like the grass!    Everyone will see the Lord's hand of blessing on his servants—       and his anger against his enemies.  15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,       and his swift chariots roar like a whirlwind.    He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger       and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke.  16 The Lord will punish the world by fire       and by his sword.    He will judge the earth,       and many will be killed by him. 17 "Those who 'consecrate' and 'purify' themselves in a sacred garden with its idol in the center—feasting on pork and rats and other detestable meats—will come to a terrible end," says the Lord. 18 "I can see what they are doing, and I know what they are thinking. So I will gather all nations and peoples together, and they will see my glory. 19 I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations. 20 They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. They will ride on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the Lord. 21 "And I will appoint some of them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken! 22 "As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain,       so will you always be my people,    with a name that will never disappear,"       says the Lord.  23 "All humanity will come to worship me       from week to week       and from month to month.  24 And as they go out, they will see       the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me.    For the worms that devour them will never die,       and the fire that burns them will never go out.    All who pass by       will view them with utter horror."

2 Kings 20:20-21 20 The rest of the events in Hezekiah's reign, including the extent of his power and how he built a pool and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 21 Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became the next king.

2 Chronicles 32:32-33 Summary of Hezekiah's Reign 32 The rest of the events in Hezekiah's reign and his acts of devotion are recorded in The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah Son of Amoz,which is included in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the upper area of the royal cemetery, and all Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became the next king.

 

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.

July Twenty Seven

~Good Morning~

 

• 
  
  This touched me this morning. I was at a gas station last night and a guy came up to me asking for gas money for him and a girl in a car. I told him I don't have any extra. Should I have given him some? I quickly judged him. He and the girl looked ….err….for lack of better words and for honesty's sake "below me" (ugh). They made me nervous and the fact that they were smoking at a gas station really bothered me.
  

 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

• 
  
  When did society stop honoring the Sabbath and Why?????
  

¹³ "Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don't pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.

Today's Scripture:

Isaiah 58

True and False Worship

¹ "Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
      Shout aloud! Don't be timid.
   Tell my people Israel of their sins!
    ² Yet they act so pious!
   They come to the Temple every day
      and seem delighted to learn all about me.
   They act like a righteous nation
      that would never abandon the laws of its God.
   They ask me to take action on their behalf,
      pretending they want to be near me.
 ³ 'We have fasted before you!' they say.
      'Why aren't you impressed?
   We have been very hard on ourselves,
      and you don't even notice it!'

"I will tell you why!" I respond.
      "It's because you are fasting to please yourselves.
   Even while you fast,
      you keep oppressing your workers.
 ⁴ What good is fasting
      when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
   This kind of fasting
      will never get you anywhere with me.
 ⁵ You humble yourselves
      by going through the motions of penance,
   bowing your heads
      like reeds bending in the wind.
   You dress in burlap
      and cover yourselves with ashes.
   Is this what you call fasting?
      Do you really think this will please the Lord?

⁶ "No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
   Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
      lighten the burden of those who work for you.
   Let the oppressed go free,
      and remove the chains that bind people.
 ⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
      and give shelter to the homeless.
   Give clothes to those who need them,
      and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

⁸ "Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
      and your wounds will quickly heal.
   Your godliness will lead you forward,
      and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
 ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
      'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.

"Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
      Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
 ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
      giving you water when you are dry
      and restoring your strength.
   You will be like a well-watered garden,
      like an ever-flowing spring.
 ¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
      Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
      and a restorer of homes.

¹³ "Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don't pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.
 ¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight.
      I will give you great honor
   and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Isaiah 59

Warnings against Sin

¹ Listen! The Lord's arm is not too weak to save you,
      nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
 ² It's your sins that have cut you off from God.
      Because of your sins, he has turned away
      and will not listen anymore.
 ³ Your hands are the hands of murderers,
      and your fingers are filthy with sin.
   Your lips are full of lies,
      and your mouth spews corruption.

⁴ No one cares about being fair and honest.
      The people's lawsuits are based on lies.
   They conceive evil deeds
      and then give birth to sin.
 ⁵ They hatch deadly snakes
      and weave spiders' webs.
   Whoever falls into their webs will die,
      and there's danger even in getting near them.
 ⁶ Their webs can't be made into clothing,
      and nothing they do is productive.
   All their activity is filled with sin,
      and violence is their trademark.
 ⁷ Their feet run to do evil,
      and they rush to commit murder.
   They think only about sinning.
      Misery and destruction always follow them.
 ⁸ They don't know where to find peace
      or what it means to be just and good.
   They have mapped out crooked roads,
      and no one who follows them knows a moment's peace.

⁹ So there is no justice among us,
      and we know nothing about right living.
   We look for light but find only darkness.
      We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
 ¹⁰ We grope like the blind along a wall,
      feeling our way like people without eyes.
   Even at brightest noontime,
      we stumble as though it were dark.
   Among the living,
      we are like the dead.
 ¹¹ We growl like hungry bears;
      we moan like mournful doves.
   We look for justice, but it never comes.
      We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
 ¹² For our sins are piled up before God
      and testify against us.
      Yes, we know what sinners we are.
 ¹³ We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
      We have turned our backs on our God.
   We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
      carefully planning our deceitful lies.
 ¹⁴ Our courts oppose the righteous,
      and justice is nowhere to be found.
   Truth stumbles in the streets,
      and honesty has been outlawed.
 ¹⁵ Yes, truth is gone,
      and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.

The Lord looked and was displeased
      to find there was no justice.
 ¹⁶ He was amazed to see that no one intervened
      to help the oppressed.
   So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm,
      and his justice sustained him.
 ¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his body armor
      and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.
   He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
      and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
 ¹⁸ He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds.
      His fury will fall on his foes.
      He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.
 ¹⁹ In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord;
      in the east, they will glorify him.
   For he will come like a raging flood tide
      driven by the breath of the Lord.

²⁰ "The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
      to buy back those in Israel
   who have turned from their sins,"
      says the Lord.

²¹ "And this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Isaiah 60

Future Glory for Jerusalem

¹ "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
      For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
 ² Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
      but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
 ³ All nations will come to your light;
      mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

⁴ "Look and see, for everyone is coming home!
      Your sons are coming from distant lands;
      your little daughters will be carried home.
 ⁵ Your eyes will shine,
      and your heart will thrill with joy,
   for merchants from around the world will come to you.
      They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
 ⁶ Vast caravans of camels will converge on you,
      the camels of Midian and Ephah.
   The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense
      and will come worshiping the Lord.
 ⁷ The flocks of Kedar will be given to you,
      and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars.
   I will accept their offerings,
      and I will make my Temple glorious.

⁸ "And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel,
      like doves to their nests?
 ⁹ They are ships from the ends of the earth,
      from lands that trust in me,
      led by the great ships of Tarshish.
   They are bringing the people of Israel home from far away,
      carrying their silver and gold.
   They will honor the Lord your God,
      the Holy One of Israel,
      for he has filled you with splendor.

¹⁰ "Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns,
      and their kings will serve you.
   For though I have destroyed you in my anger,
      I will now have mercy on you through my grace.
 ¹¹ Your gates will stay open around the clock
      to receive the wealth of many lands.
   The kings of the world will be led as captives
      in a victory procession.
 ¹² For the nations that refuse to serve you
      will be destroyed.

¹³ "The glory of Lebanon will be yours—
      the forests of cypress, fir, and pine—
   to beautify my sanctuary.
      My Temple will be glorious!
 ¹⁴ The descendants of your tormentors
      will come and bow before you.
   Those who despised you
      will kiss your feet.
   They will call you the City of the Lord,
      and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ "Though you were once despised and hated,
      with no one traveling through you,
   I will make you beautiful forever,
      a joy to all generations.
 ¹⁶ Powerful kings and mighty nations
      will satisfy your every need,
   as though you were a child
      nursing at the breast of a queen.
   You will know at last that I, the Lord,
      am your Savior and your Redeemer,
      the Mighty One of Israel.
 ¹⁷ I will exchange your bronze for gold,
      your iron for silver,
   your wood for bronze,
      and your stones for iron.
   I will make peace your leader
      and righteousness your ruler.
 ¹⁸ Violence will disappear from your land;
      the desolation and destruction of war will end.
   Salvation will surround you like city walls,
      and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.

¹⁹ "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
      nor the moon to give its light by night,
   for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
      and your God will be your glory.
 ²⁰ Your sun will never set;
      your moon will not go down.
   For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
      Your days of mourning will come to an end.
 ²¹ All your people will be righteous.
      They will possess their land forever,
   for I will plant them there with my own hands
      in order to bring myself glory.
 ²² The smallest family will become a thousand people,
      and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation.
      At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen."

Isaiah 61

Good News for the Oppressed

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
      for the Lord has anointed me
      to bring good news to the poor.
   He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
      and to proclaim that captives will be released
      and prisoners will be freed.
 ² He has sent me to tell those who mourn
      that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
      and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
 ³ To all who mourn in Israel,
      he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
   a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
      festive praise instead of despair.
   In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
      that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
      repairing cities destroyed long ago.
   They will revive them,
      though they have been deserted for many generations.
 ⁵ Foreigners will be your servants.
      They will feed your flocks
   and plow your fields
      and tend your vineyards.
 ⁶ You will be called priests of the Lord,
      ministers of our God.
   You will feed on the treasures of the nations
      and boast in their riches.
 ⁷ Instead of shame and dishonor,
      you will enjoy a double share of honor.
   You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
      and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ "For I, the Lord, love justice.
      I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
   I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
      and make an everlasting covenant with them.
 ⁹ Their descendants will be recognized
      and honored among the nations.
   Everyone will realize that they are a people
      the Lord has blessed."

¹⁰ I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
      For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
      and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
   I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
      or a bride with her jewels.
 ¹¹ The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
      Everyone will praise him!
   His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
      with plants springing up everywhere.

Isaiah 62

Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem

¹ Because I love Zion,
      I will not keep still.
   Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
      I cannot remain silent.
   I will not stop praying for her
      until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
      and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
 ² The nations will see your righteousness.
      World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
   And you will be given a new name
      by the Lord's own mouth.
 ³ The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
      a splendid crown in the hand of God.
 ⁴ Never again will you be called "The Forsaken City"
      or "The Desolate Land."
   Your new name will be "The City of God's Delight"
      and "The Bride of God,"
   for the Lord delights in you
      and will claim you as his bride.
 ⁵ Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
      just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
   Then God will rejoice over you
      as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

⁶ O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
      they will pray day and night, continually.
      Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
 ⁷ Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
      until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
 ⁸ The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
      "I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
   Never again will foreign warriors come
      and take away your grain and new wine.
 ⁹ You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
      praising the Lord.
   Within the courtyards of the Temple,
      you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed."

¹⁰ Go out through the gates!
      Prepare the highway for my people to return!
   Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
      raise a flag for all the nations to see.
 ¹¹ The Lord has sent this message to every land:
      "Tell the people of Israel,
   'Look, your Savior is coming.
      See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'"
 ¹² They will be called "The Holy People"
      and "The People Redeemed by the Lord."
   And Jerusalem will be known as "The Desirable Place"
      and "The City No Longer Forsaken."

Isaiah 63

Judgment against the Lord's Enemies

¹ Who is this who comes from Edom,
      from the city of Bozrah,
      with his clothing stained red?
   Who is this in royal robes,
      marching in his great strength?

"It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation!
      It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!"

² Why are your clothes so red,
      as if you have been treading out grapes?

³ "I have been treading the winepress alone;
      no one was there to help me.
   In my anger I have trampled my enemies
      as if they were grapes.
   In my fury I have trampled my foes.
      Their blood has stained my clothes.
 ⁴ For the time has come for me to avenge my people,
      to ransom them from their oppressors.
 ⁵ I was amazed to see that no one intervened
      to help the oppressed.
   So I myself stepped in to save them with my strong arm,
      and my wrath sustained me.
 ⁶ I crushed the nations in my anger
      and made them stagger and fall to the ground,
      spilling their blood upon the earth."

Praise for Deliverance

⁷ I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love.
      I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
   I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
      which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
 ⁸ He said, "They are my very own people.
      Surely they will not betray me again."
      And he became their Savior.
 ⁹ In all their suffering he also suffered,
      and he personally rescued them.
   In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
      He lifted them up and carried them
      through all the years.
 ¹⁰ But they rebelled against him
      and grieved his Holy Spirit.
   So he became their enemy
      and fought against them.

¹¹ Then they remembered those days of old
      when Moses led his people out of Egypt.
   They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea,
      with Moses as their shepherd?
   Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit
      to be among his people?
 ¹² Where is the one whose power was displayed
      when Moses lifted up his hand—
   the one who divided the sea before them,
      making himself famous forever?
 ¹³ Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea?
      They were like fine stallions
      racing through the desert, never stumbling.
 ¹⁴ As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley,
      the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
   You led your people, Lord,
      and gained a magnificent reputation."

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.