7 Sukkot
21 Tishrei 5994 / 6 October 2023
Day 279 Readings
Torah: Vezot Hab'rachah, 6th Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:27-29
New King James Version
27 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their [a]high places.”
Bible Study Together:
Joshua 22:1-34
30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the [m]divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”
32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 The children of Reuben and the children of [n]Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”
Matthew 18:15-35
Matthew 18:15-35
New King James Version
Dealing with a Sinning Brother
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again[a] I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down [b]at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you [c]all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother [d]his trespasses.”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Circumcision = Spiritual Purification
Have you entered into any business transaction recently? The temptation of not paying full commission or cheating on the government tax is huge. What to do? Recognize that such sinful impulses are also a spiritual issue. Pray for a circumcision of the heart through Christ to get rid of such ungodly desires.
Prayer: Lord, circumcision symbolizes a cutting away or separation from sin and all that is unholy. I ask that Jesus please cut away my wish to rebel against God but to follow the common practice of the world. Impart in me an honest heart so I may have integrity. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 7
16 “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. 19 Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?”
20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. 22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed[b] the counsels and the [c]dictates of their evil hearts, and went[d] backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. 26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
27 “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.
Jeremiah 8
7 “Even the stork in the heavensKnows her appointed times;And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallowObserve the time of their coming.But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.
8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise,And the law of the Lord is with us’?Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.9 The wise men are ashamed,They are dismayed and taken.Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord;So what wisdom do they have?10 Therefore I will give their wives to others,And their fields to those who will inherit them;Because from the least even to the greatestEveryone is given to covetousness;From the prophet even to the priestEveryone deals falsely.11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people [g]slightly,Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’When there is no peace.12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?No! They were not at all ashamed,Nor did they know how to blush.Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;In the time of their punishmentThey shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
Colossians 2
You Are Built Up in Christ
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not [a]personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth [b]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. 5 For even though I am absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing [c]to see [d]your orderly manner and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so [e]walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established [f]in [g]your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing [h]with gratitude.
8 See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, [i]rather than in accordance with Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made [j]complete, and He is the head [k]over every ruler and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And [l]when you were dead [m]in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had [n]disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through [o]Him.
16 Therefore, no one is to [p]act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath [q]day— 17 things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the [r]substance [s]belongs to Christ. 18 Take care that no one keeps [t]defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, [u]taking his stand on visions he has seen, [v]inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and [w]ligaments, grows with a growth [x]which is from God.
20 If you have died with Christ [y]to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish [z]with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of man? 23 These are matters which do have the [aa]appearance of wisdom in [ab]self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Psalms 77
1 I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice;And He gave ear to me.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;My soul refused to be comforted.3 I remembered God, and was troubled;I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;I am so troubled that I cannot speak.5 I have considered the days of old,The years of ancient times.6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;I meditate within my heart,And my spirit [a]makes diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off forever?And will He be favorable no more?8 Has His mercy ceased forever?Has His promise failed [b]forevermore?9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah
10 And I said, “This is my [c]anguish;But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”11 I will remember the works of the Lord;Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.12 I will also meditate on all Your work,And talk of Your deeds.13 Your way, O God, is in [d]the sanctuary;Who is so great a God as our God?14 You are the God who does wonders;You have declared Your strength among the peoples.15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 The waters saw You, O God;The waters saw You, they were afraid;The depths also trembled.17 The clouds poured out water;The skies sent out a sound;Your arrows also flashed about.18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;The lightnings lit up the world;The earth trembled and shook.19 Your way was in the sea,Your path in the great waters,And Your footsteps were not known.20 You led Your people like a flockBy the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Proverbs 24:26
26 One who gives [a]a right answer Kisses the lips.