29 Elul 5993 / 15 September 2023
Day 258 Readings
Torah: Ha'azinu, 6th Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:40-43
New King James Version
40 For I raise My hand to heaven,And say, “As I live forever, 41 If I [a]whet My glittering sword,And My hand takes hold on judgment,I will render vengeance to My enemies,And repay those who hate Me. 42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives,From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’
43 “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people;For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”
Bible Study Together
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Joshua 1:1-18
2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may [b]prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[c] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
Matthew 16:13-20
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not [a]prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth [b]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Luke 9:18-20
20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The [b]Christ of God.”
365 Daily Kingdom
Our Strength
In challenging times when we are in difficulty - maybe difficult circumstances, maybe a health problem, maybe opposition from others and misunderstandings - where do we get the strength to overcome these challenges? The psalmist in Ps 59 writes of very difficult circumstances - of enemies opposing him - but his hope is in God who is his strength and fortress. What about you?
Prayer: Dear Lord, in spite of the challenging times that I am facing, I thank you that you are my strength and my fortress - my protection comes from you, my strength to handle adversity comes from you. Lord, I trust in you and your love for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 19
18 On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of armies; one will be called the City of [q]Destruction.
19 On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a memorial stone to the Lord beside its border. 20 And it will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will save them. 21 So the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them.
23 On that day there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
24 On that day Israel will be the third party to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
Isaiah 20
Isaiah 21
6 For thus has the Lord said to me:“Go, set a watchman,Let him declare what he sees.”7 And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen,A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels,And he listened earnestly with great care.8 [l]Then he cried, “A lion, my Lord!I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime;I have sat at my post every night.9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!”Then he answered and said,“Babylon is fallen, is fallen!And all the carved images of her godsHe has broken to the ground.”
10 Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor!That which I have heard from the Lord of hosts,The God of Israel,I have declared to you.
Pronouncements about Edom and Arabia
11 The pronouncement concerning [ae]Edom:
One keeps calling to me from Seir,“Watchman, [af]how far gone is the night?Watchman, [ag]how far gone is the night?”12 The watchman says,“Morning comes but also night.If you would inquire, inquire;Come back again.”
Galatians 2
19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died [j]in vain.”
Psalm 59
1 Rescue me from my enemies, my God;[d]Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.2 Rescue me from those who practice injustice,And save me from men of bloodshed.3 For behold, they have [e]set an ambush for my [f]life;[g]Fierce men attack me,Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,4 [h]For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.Stir Yourself to [i]help me, and see!5 You, Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,Awake to [j]punish all the nations;Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,And prowl around the city.7 Behold, they gush forth with their mouths;Swords are in their lips,For, they say, “Who hears?”8 But You, Lord, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of [k]his strength I will watch for You,For God is my refuge.10 [l]My God in His faithfulness will meet me;God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget;[m]Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,Lord, our shield.12 [n]On account of the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,May they even be caught in their pride,And on account of curses and lies which they tell.13 [o]Destroy them in wrath, [p]destroy them so that they will no longer exist;So that people may know that God [q]rules in Jacob,To the ends of the earth. Selah14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,And prowl around the city.15 They wander about [r]for foodAnd [s]murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,For You have been my refugeAnd a place of refuge on the day of my distress.17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;For God is my refuge, the [t]God who shows me favor.
Proverbs 23:13-14
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.