Sunday, 5 Tevet 5784 / December 17, 2023
Day 351 Readings
Torah: Vayigash, 1st Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 44:18-30
Genesis 44:18-30
New American Standard Bible 1995
18 Then Judah approached him, and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and [a]do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, [b]his father would die.’ 23 You said to your servants, however, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 Our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from [c]me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in [d]sorrow.’ 30 Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since [e]his life is bound up in the lad’s life,
Bible Study Together
2 Samuel 3:6-39
David Mourns Abner
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. 32 Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 The king chanted a lament for Abner and said,
“Should Abner die as a fool dies?34 “Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters;As one falls before the [i]wicked, you have fallen.”
And all the people wept again over him. 35 Then all the people came to [j]persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.” 36 Now all the people took note of it, and it [k]pleased them, just as everything the king did [l]pleased all the people. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. 38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too difficult for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil.”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Incense
In the tabernacle of Moses, the altar of incense was just in front of the most holy place and Aaron, the high priest had to offer incense to God twice each day, once in the morning and again in the evening. Incense symbolises prayer of praise, worship and intercession, and prayer of all types is a pleasing incense to God. And the altar of incense is just in front of the most holy place. Prayer is the step we need to take for coming into God’s very presence.
Do you have an altar of incense in your life where you regularly pray of praise, worship and intercede as a pleasing incense to God?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us be people of prayer of praise, of worship, of intercession and we thank you that even as we do this, we come right into your very presence. We thank you that our prayers are pleasing to you. Let this give us confidence to pray boldly with faith expecting you to answer our prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Nahum 1
God Is Awesome
1 The [a]oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;The Lord is avenging and [b]wrathful.The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries,And He reserves wrath for His enemies.3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.In whirlwind and storm is His way,And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;He dries up all the rivers.Bashan and Carmel wither;The blossoms of Lebanon wither.5 Mountains quake because of HimAnd the hills dissolve;Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,The world and all the inhabitants in it.6 Who can stand before His indignation?Who can endure the burning of His anger?His wrath is poured out like fireAnd the rocks are broken up by Him.7 The Lord is good,A stronghold in the day of trouble,And He knows those who take refuge in Him.8 But with an overflowing floodHe will make a complete end of [c]its site,And will pursue His enemies into darkness.
9 Whatever you devise against the Lord,He will make a complete end of it.Distress will not rise up twice.10 Like tangled thorns,And like those who are drunken with their drink,They are consumedAs stubble completely withered.11 From you has gone forthOne who plotted evil against the Lord,A [d]wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord,
“Though they are at full strength and likewise many,Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.Though I have afflicted you,I will afflict you no longer.13 “So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,And I will tear off your shackles.”
14 The Lord has issued a command concerning [e]you:“[f]Your name will no longer be perpetuated.I will cut off [g]idol and [h]imageFrom the house of your gods.I will prepare your grave,For you are contemptible.”
15 [i]Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,Who announces peace!Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;Pay your vows.For never again will the [j]wicked one pass through you;He is cut off completely.
Nahum 2
13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts. “I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”
Nahum 3
Revelation 8
The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might [a]add it to the prayers of all the [b]saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, [c]with the prayers of the [d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel [e]took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea [f]and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard [g]an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Psalms 136
Thanks for the Lord’s Goodness to Israel.
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,For His lovingkindness is everlasting.4 To Him who alone does great [a]wonders,For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5 To Him who made the heavens [b]with skill,For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 7 To Him who made the great lights,For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 8 The sun to rule [c]by day,For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 9 The moon and stars to rule [d]by night,For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
10 To Him who smote [e]the Egyptians in their firstborn,For His lovingkindness is everlasting,11 And brought Israel out from their midst,For His lovingkindness is everlasting,12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 13 To Him who divided the [f]Red Sea [g]asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 15 But He [h]overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the [i]Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 17 To Him who smote great kings,For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 18 And slew [j]mighty kings,For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 20 And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 21 And gave their land as a heritage,For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 24 And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 25 Who gives food to all flesh,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Proverbs 30:5-6
New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Every word of God is tested;He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.6 Do not add to His wordsOr He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.