27 Elul 5993 / 13 September 2023
Day 256 Readings
Torah: Ha'azinu, 4th Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:19-32:28
19 “And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,I will see what their end will be,For they are a perverse generation,Children in whom is no faith.21 They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols (Vanities). But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.22 For a fire is kindled in My anger,And shall burn to the [b]lowest [c]hell;It shall consume the earth with her increase,And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 ‘I will heap disasters on them;I will spend My arrows on them.24 They shall be wasted with hunger,Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;I will also send against them the teeth of beasts,With the poison of serpents of the dust.25 The sword shall destroy outside;There shall be terror withinFor the young man and virgin,The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.26 I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces,I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”27 Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,Lest they should say, “Our hand is high;And it is not the Lord who has done all this.” ’
28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,Nor is there any understanding in them.
Bible Study Together
Deuteronomy 32:19-52
NASB 36 Surely, the Lord will do justice for his people; on his servants he will have pity.
When he sees their strength is gone, and neither bond nor free[c] is left,
37 He will say, Where are their gods, the rock in whom they took refuge,
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their libations?
Let them rise up now and help you! Let them be your protection!
39 See now that I, I alone, am he, and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them, and from my hand no one can deliver
40 For I raise my hand to the heavens and will say: As surely as I live forever,
41 When I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand lays hold of judgment, With vengeance I will repay my foes
and requite 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 captured, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.
NKJV 43 “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His [e]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.”
44 So Moses came with [f]Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a [g]futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”
Mark 8:11-21
The Demand for a Sign. 11 [c]The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.
The Leaven of the Pharisees. 14 They had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 [d]He enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17 When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered [him], “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Genuine Faith
How do we know if our faith is genuine and Christ is among us? Love God and people. Believe, submit and obey Jesus' commands. Desire to be filled by the Holy Spirit and follow His guidance to live righteously.
Prayer: Lord, grant me Your Spirit of Truth so I may see the true condition of my heart. Please lead me to repentance where I fall short. I desire a genuine faith so my life will be well with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 12
A Hymn of Praise
12 And in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;Though You were angry with me,Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.2 Behold, God is my salvation,I will trust and not be afraid;‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw waterFrom the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;Declare His deeds among the peoples,Make mention that His name is exalted.5 Sing to the Lord,For He has done excellent things;This is known in all the earth.6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Isaiah 13
6 Wail,for the day of theLordisat hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt,
8 They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellationsWill not give their light;The sun will be darkened in its going forth,And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11 “I will punish the world for its evil,And the wicked for their iniquity;I will halt the arrogance of the proud,And will lay low the haughtiness of the [e]terrible.12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Isaiah 14
1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. 2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.
Fall of the King of Babylon
3 It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:
“How the oppressor has ceased,The golden[i] city ceased!5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,The scepter of the rulers;6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,He who ruled the nations in anger,Is persecuted and no one hinders.
The Fall of Lucifer
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,O [l]Lucifer, son of the morning!How you are cut down to the ground,You who weakened the nations!13 For you have said in your heart:‘I will ascend into heaven,I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;I will also sit on the mount of the congregationOn the farthest sides of the north;
2 Corinthians 13
1 This is the third time that I am coming to you. On the [a]testimony of two or three witnesses every matter shall be confirmed. 2 I have previously said when I was present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, 3 since you are seeking proof of the Christ who speaks in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we too are weak [b]in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, [g]rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Psalms 57
1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,For my soul takes refuge in You;And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refugeUntil destruction passes by.2 I will cry to God Most High,To God who accomplishes all things for me.3 He will send from heaven and save me;He rebukes the one who [d]tramples upon me. SelahGod will send His [e]favor and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;I must lie among those who devour,Among sons of mankind whose teeth are spears and arrows,And their tongue is a sharp sword.5 Be exalted above the heavens, God;May Your glory be above all the earth.6 They have prepared a net for my steps;My soul is bowed down;They dug a pit before me;They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;I will sing and give praise.8 Awake, my glory!Awake, lute and harp!I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;I will sing to You among the [c]nations.10 For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Proverbs 23:9-11
9 Do not speak [a]to be heard by a fool,For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move the ancient boundaryOr go into the fields of the fatherless,11 For their Redeemer is strong;He will plead their case against you.