9 Tishrei 5994 / 24 September 2023
Day 267 Readings
Torah: Vezot Hab'rachah, 1st Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:1-33:7
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 hand Came 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 10
6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”
7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10 So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon;And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”13 So the sun stood still,And the moon stopped,Till the people had revengeUpon their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
25 Then Joshua said to [b]them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” 26 And afterward Joshua struck [c]them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening. 27 So it was at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
He Knows My Name
Although God has named every star in the universe, and knows the number of hairs on every human being on the planet, He still knows your name for he formed you for His glory. The angels have their glory and living things have their glory, but we as human beings have been created for His unique divine glory. He calls us to redemption and we belong to Him. When He calls us by name, that is a glorious thing. We are identified as being unique and special in the eyes our Maker! Is there any thing better than this?
Prayer: Glory to Your name, Father. I am thankful You know my name and everything about me. I love You, because You first loved me. May I bring You glory, honour, and praise today. In Your name, Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 43
The Redeemer of Israel
1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,And He who formed you, O Israel:“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by your name;You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;I gave Egypt for your ransom,Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,You have been honored,And I have loved you;Therefore I will give men for you,And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;I will bring your descendants from the east,And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’Bring My sons from afar,And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name,Whom I have created for My glory;I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes,And the deaf who have ears.9 Let all the nations be gathered together,And let the people be assembled.Who among them can declare this,And show us former things?Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,“And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed,Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,I have proclaimed,And there was no foreign god among you;Therefore you are My witnesses,”Says the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;I work, and who will reverse it?”
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,The Holy One of Israel:“For your sake I will send to Babylon,And bring them all down as fugitives—The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,The Creator of Israel, your King.”
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the seaAnd a path through the mighty waters,17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse,The army and the power(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
18 “Do not remember the former things,Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,The jackals and the ostriches,Because I give waters in the wildernessAnd rivers in the desert,To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself;They shall declare My praise.
Isaiah 44
1 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,And Israel whom I have chosen.2 Thus says the Lord who made youAnd formed you from the womb, who will help you:‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,And floods on the dry ground;I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,And My blessing on your offspring;4 They will spring up among the grassLike willows by the watercourses.’5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:‘I am the First and I am the Last;Besides Me there is no God.7 And who can proclaim as I do?Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,Since I appointed the ancient people.And the things that are coming and shall come,Let them show these to them.8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me?Indeed there is no other Rock;I know not one.’ ”
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21 “Remember these, O Jacob,And Israel, for you are My servant;I have formed you, you are My servant;O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,And like a cloud, your sins.Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!Shout, you lower parts of the earth;Break forth into singing, you mountains,O forest, and every tree in it!For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,And glorified Himself in Israel.
Judah Will Be Restored
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,And He who formed you from the womb:“I am the Lord, who makes all things,Who stretches out the heavens [e]all alone,Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,And drives diviners mad;Who turns wise men backward,And makes their knowledge foolishness;26 Who confirms the word of His servant,And performs the counsel of His messengers;Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’And I will raise up her waste places;27 Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!And I will dry up your rivers’;28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,And he shall perform all My pleasure,Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Isaiah 45
1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have [f]held—To subdue nations before himAnd loose the armor of kings,To open before him the double doors,So that the gates will not be shut:2 ‘I will go before youAnd[g] make the [h]crooked places straight;I will break in pieces the gates of bronzeAnd cut the bars of iron.3 I will give you the treasures of darknessAnd hidden riches of secret places,That you may know that I, the Lord,Who call you by your name,Am the God of Israel.4 For Jacob My servant’s sake,And Israel My elect,I have even called you by your name;I have named you, though you have not known Me.5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;There is no God besides Me.I will gird you, though you have not known Me,6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its settingThat there is none besides Me.I am the Lord, and there is no other;7 I form the light and create darkness,I make peace and create calamity;I, the Lord, do all these things.’
8 “Rain down, you heavens, from above,And let the skies pour down righteousness;Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,And let righteousness spring up together.I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker!Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”
11 Thus says the Lord,The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.12 I have made the earth,And created man on it.I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,And all their host I have commanded.13 I have raised him up in righteousness,And I will [i]direct all his ways;He shall build My cityAnd let My exiles go free,Not for price nor reward,”Says the Lord of hosts.
The Lord, the Only Savior
14 Thus says the Lord:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of CushAnd of the Sabeans, men of stature,Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;They shall walk behind you,They shall come over in chains;And they shall bow down to you.They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you,And there is no other;There is no other God.’ ”
15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,O God of Israel, the Savior!16 They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them;They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. 17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord,Who created the heavens,Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it,Who has established it,Who did not create it [j]in vain,Who formed it to be inhabited:“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,In a dark place of the earth;I did not say to the seed of Jacob,‘Seek Me [k]in vain’;I, the Lord, speak righteousness,I declare things that are right.
20 “Assemble yourselves and come;Draw near together,You who have escaped from the nations.They have no knowledge,Who carry the wood of their carved image,And pray to a god that cannot save.21 Tell and bring forth your case;Yes, let them take counsel together.Who has declared this from ancient time?Who has told it from that time?Have not I, the Lord?And there is no other God besides Me,A just God and a Savior;There is none besides Me.
22 “Look to Me, and be saved,All you ends of the earth!For I am God, and there is no other.23 I have sworn by Myself;The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,And shall not return,That to Me every knee shall bow,Every tongue shall take an oath.24 He shall say,[l]‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come,And all shall be ashamedWho are incensed against Him.25 In the Lord all the descendants of IsraelShall be justified, and shall glory.’ ”
Ephesians 3
Appreciation of the Mystery
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 68:1-18
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 Let God arise,Let His enemies be scattered;Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.2 As smoke is driven away,So drive them away;As wax melts before the fire,So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.3 But let the righteous be glad;Let them rejoice before God;Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;Extol[a] Him who rides on the [b]clouds,By His name [c]Yah,And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,Is God in His holy habitation.6 God sets the solitary in families;He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people,When You marched through the wilderness, Selah8 The earth shook;The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,When it was weary.10 Your congregation dwelt in it;You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word;Great was the [d]company of those who proclaimed it:12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,And she who remains at home divides the [e]spoil.13 Though you lie down among the [f]sheepfolds,You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,And her feathers with yellow gold.”14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it,It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.16 Why do you [g]fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand,Even thousands of thousands;The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.18 You have ascended on high,You have led captivity captive;You have received gifts among men,Even from the rebellious,That the Lord God might dwell there.
Proverbs 24:1-2
1 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking.