Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Obadiah 1-21; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; and Proverbs 29:24-25. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
Obadiah 1-21 (Contemporary English Version)
Obadiah 1
Edom's Pride and Punishment
1The LORD God gave Obadiah a message a] about Edom, and this is what we heard:"I, the LORD, have sent
a messenger
with orders for the nations
to attack Edom."
2The LORD said to Edom:
I will make you the weakest
and most despised nation.
3You live in a mountain fortress, b] because your pride
makes you feel safe from attack,
but you are mistaken.
4I will still bring you down,
even if you fly higher
than an eagle
or nest among the stars.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
5If thieves break in at night,
they steal
only what they want.
And people who harvest grapes
always leave some unpicked.
But, Edom, you are doomed!
6Everything you treasure most
will be taken from you.
7Your allies can't be trusted.
They will force you out
of your own country.
Your best friends
will trick and trap you,
even before you know it.
8Edom, when this happens,
I, the LORD,
will destroy
all your marvelous wisdom.
9Warriors from the city of Teman c] will be terrified,
and you descendants of Esau d] will be wiped out.
The LORD Condemns Edom's Cruelty
10You were cruel to your relatives, the descendants of Jacob. e] Now you will be destroyed,disgraced forever.
11You stood there and watched
as foreigners entered Jerusalem
and took what they wanted.
In fact, you were no better
than those foreigners.
12Why did you celebrate
when such a dreadful disaster
struck your relatives?
Why were you so pleased
when everyone in Judah
was suffering?
13They are my people,
and you were cruel to them.
You went through their towns,
sneering
and stealing
whatever was left.
14In their time of torment,
you ambushed refugees
and handed them over
to their attackers.
The LORD Will Judge the Nations
15The day is coming when I, the LORD,will judge the nations.
And, Edom, you will pay in full
for what you have done.
16I forced the people of Judah f] to drink the wine of my anger
on my sacred mountain.
Soon the neighboring nations
must drink their fill--
then vanish without a trace.
Victory for Israel
17The LORD's people who escape will go to Mount Zion,and it will be holy.
Then Jacob's descendants
will capture the land of those
who took their land.
18Israel g] will be a fire, and Edom will be straw
going up in flames.
The LORD has spoken!
19The people of Israel
who live in the Southern Desert
will take the land of Edom.
Those who live in the hills
will capture Philistia,
Ephraim, and Samaria.
And the tribe of Benjamin
will conquer Gilead.
20Those who return from captivity
will control Phoenicia
as far as Zarephath. h] Captives from Jerusalem
who were taken to Sepharad i] will capture the towns
of the Southern Desert.
21Those the LORD has saved
will live on Mount Zion
and rule over Edom. j] Then the kingdom will belong
to the LORD.
Footnotes:
- Obadiah 1:1 message: Or "vision."
- Obadiah 1:3 mountain fortress: The Hebrew text has "rocky cliff," which sounds like "Sela," the capital of Edom, a fortress city built on a mountain.
- Obadiah 1:9 Teman: A famous city in Edom.
- Obadiah 1:9 descendants of Esau: The people of Edom were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Israel).
- Obadiah 1:10 descendants of Jacob: Jacob and Esau were brothers (see the note on Esau at verse 9).
- Obadiah 1:16 I forced. . . Judah: Or "I will force the people of Edom."
- Obadiah 1:18 Israel: Hebrew "The descendants of Jacob and of Joseph."
- Obadiah 1:20 Those who return. . . Zarephath: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Obadiah 1:20 Sepharad: Possibly the city of Sardis, the capital of Lydia, a country north and west of Media. This would refer to those captives from Judah who had been taken beyond the kingdom of Babylonia.
- Obadiah 1:21 Those the LORD. . . Edom: Or "Leaders on (from) Mount Zion will save the people and rule over Edom."
Revelation 4:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)
Revelation 4
Worship in Heaven
1After this, I looked and saw a door that opened into heaven. Then the voice that had spoken to me at first and that sounded like a trumpet said, "Come up here! I will show you what must happen next." 2Right then the Spirit took control of me, and there in heaven I saw a throne and someone sitting on it. 3The one who was sitting there sparkled like precious stones of jasper a] and carnelian. b] A rainbow that looked like an emerald c] surrounded the throne. 4Twenty-four other thrones were in a circle around that throne. And on each of these thrones there was an elder dressed in white clothes and wearing a gold crown. 5Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder came out from the throne in the center of the circle. Seven torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne. 6Also in front of the throne was something that looked like a glass sea, clear as crystal. Around the throne in the center were four living creatures covered front and back with eyes. 7The first creature was like a lion, the second one was like a bull, the third one had the face of a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
the all-powerful God,
who was and is
and is coming!"
9The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. 10At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,
11"Our Lord and God,
you are worthy
to receive glory,
honor, and power.
You created all things,
and by your decision they are
and were created."
Footnotes:- Revelation 4:3 jasper: Usually green or clear.
- Revelation 4:3 carnelian: Usually deep-red or reddish-white.
- Revelation 4:3 emerald: A precious stone, usually green.
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
the all-powerful God,
who was and is
and is coming!"
9The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. 10At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,
11"Our Lord and God,
you are worthy
to receive glory,
honor, and power.
You created all things,
and by your decision they are
and were created."
Footnotes:
- Revelation 4:3 jasper: Usually green or clear.
- Revelation 4:3 carnelian: Usually deep-red or reddish-white.
- Revelation 4:3 emerald: A precious stone, usually green.
Psalm 132:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 132
(A song for worship.)
The LORD Is Always with His People
1Our LORD, don't forget David and how he suffered.
2Mighty God of Jacob,
remember how he promised:
3"I won't go home
or crawl into bed
4or close my eyelids,
5until I find a home for you,
the mighty LORD God of Jacob."
6When we were in Ephrath,
we heard
that the sacred chest
was somewhere near Jaar.
7Then we said, "Let's go
to the throne of the LORD
and worship at his feet."
8Come to your new home, LORD,
you and the sacred chest
with all of its power.
9Let victory be like robes
for the priests;
let your faithful people
celebrate and shout.
10David is your chosen one,
so don't reject him.
11You made a solemn promise
to David, when you said,
"I, the LORD, promise
that someone in your family
will always be king.
12If they keep our agreement
and follow my teachings,
then someone in your family
will rule forever."
13You have gladly chosen Zion
as your home, our LORD.
14You said, "This is my home!
I will live here forever.
15I will bless Zion with food,
and even the poor will eat
until they are full.
16Victory will be like robes
for the priests,
and its faithful people
will celebrate and shout.
17I will give mighty power
to the kingdom of David.
Each one of my chosen kings
will shine like a lamp
18and wear a sparkling crown.
But I will disgrace
their enemies."
2Mighty God of Jacob,
remember how he promised:
3"I won't go home
or crawl into bed
4or close my eyelids,
5until I find a home for you,
the mighty LORD God of Jacob."
6When we were in Ephrath,
we heard
that the sacred chest
was somewhere near Jaar.
7Then we said, "Let's go
to the throne of the LORD
and worship at his feet."
8Come to your new home, LORD,
you and the sacred chest
with all of its power.
9Let victory be like robes
for the priests;
let your faithful people
celebrate and shout.
10David is your chosen one,
so don't reject him.
11You made a solemn promise
to David, when you said,
"I, the LORD, promise
that someone in your family
will always be king.
12If they keep our agreement
and follow my teachings,
then someone in your family
will rule forever."
13You have gladly chosen Zion
as your home, our LORD.
14You said, "This is my home!
I will live here forever.
15I will bless Zion with food,
and even the poor will eat
until they are full.
16Victory will be like robes
for the priests,
and its faithful people
will celebrate and shout.
17I will give mighty power
to the kingdom of David.
Each one of my chosen kings
will shine like a lamp
18and wear a sparkling crown.
But I will disgrace
their enemies."
Proverbs 29:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)
24If you take part in a crime
you are your worst enemy,
because even under oath
you can't tell the truth.
25Don't fall into the trap
of being a coward--
trust the LORD,
and you will be safe.
you are your worst enemy,
because even under oath
you can't tell the truth.
25Don't fall into the trap
of being a coward--
trust the LORD,
and you will be safe.
Thought for the Day
“Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?" They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, 'Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:4-6 - Contemporary English Version) Both David and Jesus came from Bethlehem, and both acted as a shepherd. But unlike David, Jesus was far more than just a king; he was also our savior.
Quote for the Day
“Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?" They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, 'Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:4-6 - Contemporary English Version) Both David and Jesus came from Bethlehem, and both acted as a shepherd. But unlike David, Jesus was far more than just a king; he was also our savior.
German poet, writer and literary critic, Heinrich Heine wrote, "You cannot feed the hungry on statistics."
Joke for Today
A grade schoolteacher was instructing her students on the value of coins. She took a quarter and laid it on her desk. "Can any of you tell me what it is?" she asked.
From the back of the room came the answer: "Tails!"
A Prayer Request
As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.
That we chose to show generosity and compassion to the poor and the needy.
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