El shaddai, el shaddai El-elyon na adonia Age to age You're still the same By the power of the name

EL SHADDAI (AMI GRANT)

283,320 views Mar 25, 2010 Amy Grant sings El Shaddai for 700 club in the year 1983.

Lyrics

El shaddai, el shaddai
El-elyon na adonai
Age to age You're still the same
By the power of the name
El shaddai, el shaddai
Erkamka na adonai
We will praise and lift You high
El shaddai

Through Your love and through the ram
You saved the son of Abraham
Through the power of Your hand
Turned the sea into dry land
To the outcast on her knees
You were the God who really sees
And by Your might
You set Your children free

El shaddai, el shaddai
El-elyon na adonia
Age to age You're still the same
By the power of the name
El shaddai, el shaddai
Erkamka na adonai
We will praise and lift You high
El shaddai

Through the years you've made it clear
That the time of Christ was near
Though the people couldn't see
What messiah ought to be
Though Your word contained the plan
They just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done
Through the frailty of Your son

El shaddai, el shaddai
El-elyon na adonai
Age to age You're still the same (ooh)
By the power of the name (ooh)
El shaddai, el shaddai (ooh)
Erkamka na adonai
I will praise You till I die (ahh)
El shaddai (ahh)

El shaddai, el shaddai (ooh)
El-elyon na adonai
Age to age You're still the same (ooh)
By the power of the name (ooh)
El shaddai, el shaddai (ooh)
Erkamka na adonai
I will praise You till I die (Praise you)
El shaddai (ooh, ooh)

James 2

Message by Malcolm Ingram, Civray 86

1st May 2022

The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers,[a] (A)show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, (B)the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” (C)while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become (D)judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, (E)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be (F)rich in faith and heirs of (G)the kingdom, (H)which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you (I)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who (J)drag you (K)into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable (L)name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, (M)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (N)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point (O)has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, (P)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, (Q)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under (R)the law of liberty. 13 For (S)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith (T)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 (U)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 (V)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith (W)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith (X)by my works. 19 (Y)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even (Z)the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 (AA)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that (AB)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed (AC)by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, (AD)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a (AE)friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also (AF)Rahab the prostitute justified by works (AG)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Trust and Obey for there's no other way!

Trust and Obey for there's no other way!

Hebrews 11:1-2 & 8-19 

[1] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

[2] This is what the ancients were commended for. 

[8] By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 

[9] By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 

[10] For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. [11] And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

 [12] And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 

[13] All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 

[14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 

[15] If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

[17] By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 

[18] even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”

 [19] Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 

Genesis 22:1-18

 [1] Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

 [2] Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 

[3] Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 

[4] On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 

[5] He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 

[6] Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 

[7] Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” [8] Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 

[9] When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. [10] Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

[11] But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. [12] “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 

[13] Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. [14] So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 

[15] The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time [16] and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [18] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” 

Talk 

Trust and Obey for there's no other way!

 - Genesis 22:1-18 Introduction

 Although Abraham didn't look for another way, he could have. Moses certainly did in Exodus 3 & 4 as he writes the original book of excuses when called by God! In the end, after God despaired with him, he went! 

We are all different and at different times respond differently to God! There are probably days when we have faith that moves mountains and others where it would move a grain of sand! Does it matter, yes, but, not so we take a big stick and beat ourselves with it! 

I have frequently said God is not threatened by our faith levels especially when they are low. What matters is being real with ourselves and God and remembering his love for us and all he has done and does do because of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

 In looking at God's test of Faith for Abraham we are going on a slight detour within my first point so we better understand what is going on.

1. Observe the Text 

• A Crazy Test - vv 1-2 We have to take a detour and

 2. Observe the Context 

• This was part of the surrounding culture as part of fertility rights and remember our time is approx. 2000 BC 

• It is not until Moses is given the law about 600 years later that it is absolutely condemned and outlawed by God, Leviticus 18:21 “ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

 • It still crept back in at a later stage, as did idolatry, and brought condemnation from God. The door to this was opened by Solomon in his old age under the influence of some of his foreign wives -1 Kings 11:5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. One compromise leads to another and then a slippery slope!! 

End of detour and back to: 

1. Observe the Text

 • An Unquestioned Response - vv 3-6 [3] Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
[4] On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
[5] He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
[6] Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,

 • An Alarming Query - v 7 [7] Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

• A Response of . . Avoidance or faith? - v 8 [8] Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

 • Fearless Determination - vv 9-10 [9] When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. [10] Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. • Timely Intervention and Provision - vv 11-14 [11] But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. [12] “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” [13] Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. [14] So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

• God's Final Affirmation to Abraham - vv 15-18 [15] The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time [16] and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [18] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

3. Consider the Test 
• We can't even guess why God gave this test.
• We can't see why another test.
• All we can note is that it is at a critical time of God's plan for a nation through Abraham and so we have to also see:
• God is sovereign and he does what he wants and knows what and why!
• Who are we to question? We are all individuals, he treats us a such and he knows best. When Jesus has challenged Peter about his love for him following his denial at the trial and talked about his future Peter asks about John, the reply, John 21:22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” I think we can also consider two other scriptures about test / temptation: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Also the writer to the Hebrews talking about Jesus - Hebrews 4:15-16 [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. [16] Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

4. Observe the Context That is - scripture - and I only want to do it briefly, very briefly as it would be a talk itself All through the OT God is carefully and slowly working out His plan of salvation through people like you and me which will lead to ultimate restoration. In doing so he keeps his eye on both goal and the focal point - dealing with sin through the passion, cross and resurrection of His Son Jesus. What he called Abraham to do and stopped, by providing the sacrifice for an offering, he was going to do himself by offering his son as an offering for a once for all sacrifice for sin for our total and utter benefit, Paul writing, Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? And Jesus himself speaking, - John 3:16-18 [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Conclusion At the end of Abraham's final test God declared once again that, through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.' That includes you and me through responding to Jesus in repentance and faith. Jesus was tested and approved as 'fit for task'!! - likewise, the test involved trust We will be / are tested . . .

And I leave it there but see and hear our closing bible responses. These follow here for this document:

Hebrews 12:1-3 [12:1] 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 1 Peter 1:3-7 [3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, [5] who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

An interesting encounter!

Sunday 14th June 2020

Psalm 148:1-14
Psalm 42:1-11
Romans 5:1-11
Genesis 18:1-15
Isaiah 55:6-12 (at the end)

An Interesting Encounter
Genesis 18:1-15

Introduction

Today we jump back not 2000 years to the time of the NT but 4000 years to the early days of the Old Testament.  The time of Abram, from Gen 17:5 Abraham, and before him in the OT record - not a lot, but, still significant. There are consistent themes emerging and flowing and not least that God is not removed and distant but interested and involved with his creation and people.

A highly significant and important passage in the fulfilment of God's promise that from Abraham and Sarah would be people as uncountable as the stars in the sky or the sand on the beach. This was part of Abraham's initial call in Genesis 12 and has been endorsed and enhanced with the promise of a son of his own through Sarah - we read about that in the previous chapter.

Although we may find aspects of these writings a little strange, what is odd, is that they are so human, down to earth and presented in such a matter of fact way. Also, they are no stranger than say, Jesus walking on the water and I have no problem with that - phone me if you want to know why! Odder than anything we read, and I have just said it, God involves himself by encountering people in a very down to earth way.

This chapter is the next step in this important bible account of God's plan of salvation but in the midst of all the seriousness there are a few amusing aspects and certainly I find myself smiling whenever I read it. We start with:

1.        Enigma - vv 1-2

Abraham having an encounter with the Lord who when he looks up is / are three men.

His first encounter was at his call, I've just mentioned it, when God effectively said: pack your bags, on your camel and I'll take you and show you something interesting, oh, and all nations will be blessed through you!

He went and did as he was told, more or less, just a few mistakes on the way, but he trusted with little or nothing to go on. He didn't have a bible on his mobile phone or even any books 

or sheets! He probably had the reliably handed down account of his family history at least back to Noah and maybe some more before that.

So back to the current encounter in vv 1-2 - what do we make of it? It is sort of clear here that there is more than meets the eye but when you read on to the account of Sodom and Gomorrah it is clear they are not 'humans' although that is what they appear to be.

Angels - that is messengers, as well as the Lord God, yes without a doubt.

What about more? Who is the supreme messenger of the Lord? We know him as Jesus, the eternal Son. Who was his replacement among all believers from Pentecost, remember, another helper? The Holy Spirit. So, The Lord - Father, Son and Holy Spirit -.

A similar enigma occurs in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. First, we are told the angel of the Lord, the messenger of the Lord, appeared, then we are told it is the Lord who is speaking. God does not change and how we know him today, post Pentecost, is how he always is even though he wasn't or couldn't have been understood in this way before Jesus arrived, the Word become flesh - the embodiment of the message and so the messenger - angel of the Lord.

Fascinating and an explanation - no being dogmatic - but make sense too!

2.        Haste - vv 3-8

[3] He said, "If I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. [4] Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. [5] Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way-now that you have come to your servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."
[6] So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread."
[7] Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. [8] He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

1.        Seems he doesn't want them around for too long - v 5
2.        To Sarah - quick - v 6
3.        He ran - v 7 - I envy him, he's 99 (17:1) oh, and Sara is 90 (17:17) - keep hold of this
4.        It must have taken ages - they have made bread (16kg) to be eaten with a kind of yogurt as an accompaniment with the cooked calf!
5.        Sarah remains in the tent and Abraham stood nearby under a tree - a meal just for them and not even he partakes!

Somewhere, deep down, he realises that all of the is a little extra-ordinary. Perhaps, not surprising, in the previous chapter is the record of some serious stuff and maybe he is wondering 'what next'? Rightly so!

3.        Announcement - vv 9-12

This is a repeat of some of chapter 17 but this time in the presence of Sarah. So, a little rewind as I keep mentioning chapter 17 here are the essentials:

1.        It is the promise of covenant (highly special and significant contract) with the sign of circumcision for men vv 1-2
2.        It is the reiteration of him becoming the father of many nations and a change of name to reflect this, and a land of their own vv 3-8
3.        Sarai is to be called Sarah and will bear you a son - vv 15-16
4.        Ha, ha - goes Abraham under his breath face down - at our age - v 17
5.        Ha, ha, replies God - yes and through him this promise will be being fulfilled - oh, and call him Isaac - he laughs!!! All in 19-21
6.        One other thing to mention which has possible future significance as well as closer reality, within a few hundred years, the promise to both of them vv 6 & 16 of nations and kings. It was over 400 years to Moses and the significant nation and longer after that to king Saul and king David his son and who is king David's greater Son? Significant themes and strands all through but here just seeds.

Back to 18:9-12 after that detour - Where's Sarah, in the tent, so she can hear as you are in front of it - raised voice by the Lord maybe - baby by this time next year when I come back!!!! Best joke she had heard in ages - us, at our age!

4.        Confrontation - vv 13-15

But the Lord picked it up and questioned Abraham not just about the laugh but her disbelief,

He states, v 14 
Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.

And we hear Sarah speak for the first time and it says she lied and denied laughing.

Hold it, Abraham had laughed as we saw earlier so isn't this a bit harsh? I am going to say 'no' because as we considered Abraham wasn't rebuked but given the child's name which would remind him every time, he spoke it or called the child that he had laughed, Isaac, he laughs. God made his point in his way and meets and treats all accordingly.

We have to wait until chapter 21 to read the 'positive' outcome vv 1-6:

[21:1] Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. [2] Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. [3] Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. [4] When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. [5] Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
[6] Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."

They both responded positively and enjoyed a laugh with God and everyone else who wished to join them. Now, it would be lovely to say 'and they all lived happily ever after' but they didn't! They are and remain a dysfunctional family in lots of ways and read on in Genesis and they are followed by lots more.

Reflections

1.        Starting where we are - God uses ordinary people. Abraham is the father of many people of faith as a blood line and also, when we get t the NT, by adoption by the HS as a result of repentance and faith - non-Jews as well as Jews. And we are part of the fulfilment of the promise in Genesis 12:3 all people on earth will be blessed through you! Abraham, like all other bible characters, except Jesus, was flawed and a sinner. God uses sinners who trust him and are people of faith - and that includes you and me.

2.        I am glad. You see the bible narrative does not air brush or digitally manipulate the characters but shows them, in the proverbial words of Cromwell, warts and all! I think that's a sign of truth and authenticity of the text. Same is true of the 12 with Jesus.

Let's steer away from ideas that these texts are changed, exaggerated or the like. The 'heroes' of the scriptures are not super human but mostly like most of us!

3.        We see what we see in so many scriptures - and we were there last week, God is supreme over all 'nothing is too difficult'. We may not see what is happening or where we are heading - personally, as a gathered people, or in the events of the world - God is Sovereign.

4.        As sovereign he is not aloof, remote or distant - back to the beginning - he comes to us where we are as well as how we are! From Genesis 3 onwards we see him regularly with his feet on the ground, not least here, and especially when we look at Jesus. Consistency from start to finish - oh, and finish, Revelation 21 & 22 et al is a new heaven and earth and it 'all' coming don' not all going 'up'! Go see - the notes are on line for reference.

5.        Underneath and surrounding it all is God's 'steadfast / covenant love. Hang on, keep on, hang in and have a laugh because he really does love you and also, me despite all!

Bible in one year. Day 5

It is such a delight to read the Word of God, why don't you join me! 

Ezra Reads the Law 

    When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

Nehemiah 8

 ¹ all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

 ² So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. ³ He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

 ⁴ Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

 ⁵ Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. ⁶ Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

 ⁷ The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. ⁸ They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear^[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

 ⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

 ¹⁰ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

 ¹¹ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

 ¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

 ¹³ On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.^[b]

 ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

 ¹⁸ Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

Nehemiah 9

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

 ¹ On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. ²Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. ³ They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. ⁴ Standing on the stairs of the Levites were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the LORD their God. ⁵ And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.^[c]”

   “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

 ⁷ “You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. ⁸ You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

 ⁹ “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.^[d] 10 You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. ¹¹ You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. ¹² By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

 ¹³ “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. ¹⁴ You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.¹⁵ In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.

 ¹⁶ “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. ¹⁷ They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, ¹⁸ even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.

 ¹⁹ “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. ²⁰ You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. ²¹ For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

Footnotes:

1. Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
2. Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
3. Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
4. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds

1 Corinthians 9

Paul’s Rights as an Apostle

 ¹ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ² Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

 ³ This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴ Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ⁵ Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas^[a]? ⁶ Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

 ⁷ Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?⁸ Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰ Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹ If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹² If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

   But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

 ¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

 ¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. ¹⁶ For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Footnotes:

Psalm 33:12-22

Listen to this passage

 ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
   the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down
   and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
   all who live on earth—
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
   who considers everything they do.
 ¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
   no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
   despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
   on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
   and keep them alive in famine.
 ²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
   for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
   even as we put our hope in you.

Proverbs 21:11-12

Listen to this passage

 ¹¹ When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
   by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

 ¹² The Righteous One^[a] takes note of the house of the wicked
   and brings the wicked to ruin.