16 Tishrei 5994 / 1 October 2023 / Sukkot 2
Day 274 Readings
Torah: Vezot Hab'rachah, 1st Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:1-7
Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
1 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said:
“The Lord came from Sinai,And dawned on them from Seir;He shone forth from Mount Paran,And He came with ten thousands of saints;From His right handCame a fiery law for them.3 Yes, He loves the people;All His saints are in Your hand;They sit down at Your feet;Everyone receives Your words.4 Moses [a]commanded a law for us,A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.5 And He was King in Jeshurun,When the leaders of the people were gathered,All the tribes of Israel together.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die,Nor let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,And bring him to his people;Let his hands be sufficient for him,And may You be a help against his enemies.”
Bible Study Together
Joshua 18:1-28
3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you? 4 Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. 6 You shall therefore [a]survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Do Not Fret
None of us are perfect parents or flawless children. In life, incidents happen and tension exists in relationships. If you are facing parental distress, don’t feel despair. For God has promised blessings for us and our future generations. So have faith and rest in Him.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for caring for me and my household. I am grateful that because of Your loving kindness both the younger and older generations in my family will live a fruitful life and bring blessings to each other. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 63
4 For theday of vengeance isin My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, butthere wasno one to help, And I wondered Thatthere wasno one to uphold;
Therefore My ownarm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.
God’s Mercy Remembered
7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LordAnd the praises of the Lord,According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.8 For He said, “Surely they are My people,Children who will not lie.”So He became their Savior.9 In all their affliction He was [b]afflicted,And the Angel of His Presence saved them;In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;And He bore them and carried themAll the days of old.10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,And He fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old,Moses and his people, saying:“Where is He who brought them up out of the seaWith the [c]shepherd of His flock?Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses,With His glorious arm,Dividing the water before themTo make for Himself an everlasting name,13 Who led them through the deep,As a horse in the wilderness,That they might not stumble?”
14 As a beast goes down into the valley,And the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest,So You lead Your people,To make Yourself a glorious name.
Isaiah 64
1 Oh, that You would [d]rend the heavens!That You would come down!That the mountains might shake at Your presence—2 As fire burns brushwood,As fire causes water to boil—To make Your name known to Your adversaries,That the nations may tremble at Your presence!3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look,You came down,The mountains shook at Your presence.4 For since the beginning of the worldMen have not heard nor perceived by the ear,Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,Who acts for the one who waits for Him.5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,Who remembers You in Your ways.You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—In these ways we continue;And we need to be saved.
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like [e]filthy rags;We all fade as a leaf,And our iniquities, like the wind,Have taken us away.7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;For You have hidden Your face from us,And have [f]consumed us because of our iniquities.
8 But now, O Lord,You are our Father;We are the clay, and You our potter;And all we are the work of Your hand.
Isaiah 65
1 “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;I was found by those who did not seek Me.I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’To a nation that was not called by My name.2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,Who walk in a way that is not good,According to their own thoughts;3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;Who sacrifice in gardens,And burn incense on altars of brick;4 Who sit among the graves,And spend the night in the tombs;Who eat swine’s flesh,And the broth of [j]abominable things is in their vessels;5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,Do not come near me,For I am holier than you!’These [k]are smoke in My nostrils,A fire that burns all the day.
6 “Behold, it is written before Me:I will not keep silence, but will repay—Even repay into their bosom—7 Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,”Says the Lord,“Who have burned incense on the mountainsAnd blasphemed Me on the hills;Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”
8 Thus says the Lord: “As the new wine is found in the cluster,And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,For a blessing is in it,’So will I do for My servants’ sake,That I may not destroy them all. 9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,And from Judah an heir of My mountains;My elect shall inherit it,And My servants shall dwell there. 10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,For My people who have sought Me.
11 “But you are those who forsake the Lord,Who forget My holy mountain,Who prepare a table for [l]Gad,And who furnish a drink offering for [m]Meni.12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;Because, when I called, you did not answer;When I spoke, you did not hear,But did evil before My eyes,And chose that in which I do not delight.”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, My servants shall eat,But you shall be hungry;Behold, My servants shall drink,But you shall be thirsty;Behold, My servants shall rejoice,But you shall be ashamed;14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,And wail for [n]grief of spirit.15 You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen;For the Lord God will slay you,And call His servants by another name;16 So that he who blesses himself in the earthShall bless himself in the God of truth;And he who swears in the earthShall swear by the God of truth;Because the former troubles are forgotten,And because they are hidden from My eyes.
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;And the former shall not be remembered or [o]come to mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,And her people a joy.19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,And joy in My people;The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,Nor the voice of crying.
20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;For the child shall die one hundred years old,But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22 They shall not build and another inhabit;They shall not plant and another eat;For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.23 They shall not labor in vain,Nor bring forth children for trouble;For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,And their offspring with them.
24 “It shall come to passThat before they call, I will answer;And while they are still speaking, I will hear.25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,The lion shall eat straw like the ox,And dust shall be the serpent’s food.They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”Says the Lord.
Philippians 2
1 Therefore if there is any [a]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it [b]robbery to be equal with God, 7 but [c]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Light Bearers
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without [d]complaining and disputing,[e] 15 that you may become blameless and [f]harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Psalms 73
A psalm of Asaf:
(1) How good God is to Isra’el,to those who are pure in heart!2 But as for me, I lost my balance,my feet nearly slipped,3 when I grew envious of the arrogantand saw how the wicked prosper.4 For when their death comes, it is painless;and meanwhile, their bodies are healthy;5 they don’t have ordinary people’s troubles,they aren’t plagued like others.
6 So for them, pride is a necklace;and violence clothes them like a robe.7 Their eyes peep out through folds of fat;evil thoughts overflow from their hearts.8 They scoff and speak with malice,they loftily utter threats.9 They set their mouths against heaven;their tongues swagger through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hereand [thoughtlessly] suck up that whole cup of water.11 Then they ask, “How does God know?Does the Most High really have knowledge?”
12 Yes, this is what the wicked are like;those free of misfortune keep increasing their wealth.13 It’s all for nothing that I’ve kept my heart cleanand washed my hands, staying free of guilt;14 for all day long I am plagued;my punishment comes every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk like them,”I would have betrayed a generation of your children.16 When I tried to understand all this,I found it too hard for me —17 until I went into the sanctuaries of Godand grasped what their destiny would be.18 Indeed, you place them on a slippery slopeand make them fall to their ruin.
19 How suddenly they are destroyed,swept away by terrors!20 They are like a dream when one awakens;Adonai, when you rouse yourself,you will despise their phantoms.
21 When I had a sour attitudeand felt stung by pained emotions,22 I was too stupid to understand;I was like a brute beast with you.23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;you hold my right hand.24 You will guide me with your advice;and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?And with you, I lack nothing on earth.26 My mind and body may fail; but Godis the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;you destroy all who adulterously leave you.28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,so that I can tell of all your works.
Proverbs 24:13-14
13 My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a [a]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.