Thursday, 14 Sivan 5784 / June 20, 2024
Day 537 Readings
Torah: Parshat Behaalotecha, 5th Portion (Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:11-10:34)
Numbers 10:11-34
English Standard Version
Israel Leaves Sinai
11 In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, 12 and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. 13 They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses. 14 The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
17 And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22 And the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.
25 Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.
29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. 32 And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”
33 So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.
Bible Study Together
Psalm 68
English Standard Version
God Shall Scatter His Enemies
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! 2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! 3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God,[a] the God of Israel.9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished; 10 your flock[b] found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil—13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold. 14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked[c] mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the Lord will dwell forever? 17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. 18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. 21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24 Your procession is[d] seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you[e] who are of Israel's fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, O God,[f] the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.[g] 31 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God from his[h] sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
Ephesians 4
English Standard Version
Unity in the Body of Christ
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[a]
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Proverbs 17
English Standard Version
17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting[a] with strife.2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince.8 A bribe is like a magic[b] stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.11 An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret[c] to pervert the ways of justice.24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Proverbs 18
Deuteronomy 21:1-23
Deuteronomy 22:1-12
Amos 5
English Standard Version
Seek the Lord and Live
1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel;forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.”
3 For thus says the Lord God:
“The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left,and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;5 but do not seek Bethel,and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba;for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,7 O you who turn justice to wormwood[a] and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night,who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth,the Lord is his name;9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.11 Therefore because you trample on[b] the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him,you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them;you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live;and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate;it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:
“In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,”says the Lord.
Let Justice Roll Down
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord?It is darkness, and not light,19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him,or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them;and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Matthew 3
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,[c] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,[d] with whom I am well pleased.”
Dear AVI,
O GREAT I AM, HOLY ONE of Israel, O GOD Almighty have mercy on me for I am poor and lowly, unloved and unhappy. I don't know what to do, I want to run away from all my troubles in the family, because this family is hurting me but help me to endure in love and patience, help me to bear my difficult mother help me to keep loving her and my parents. Help me to endure in pain and persevere, I need YOU king JESUS. I need YOU to live through me, if I have to keep dying over and over again. Help me to live in YOU and not on my own for only in YOU did I ever find life. I pray O LORD, please give me a husband to love me and in laws to take care of me and love me like Mom loves Denesse and how we took care of Denesse. I pray O GOD, give me a good husband someone who loves YOU truthfully even without saying it because he obeys YOU, his actions speak louder than his words, please give me in laws that love and accept me please KING JESUS I pray for my in laws to know YOU, and love YOU, follow YOU, I pray that they will be kind to me O GOD please give me a new family O GOD to belong to. Please O GOD, have mercy on me. Please comfort me in all my troubles. I feel so insecure in this family that I am raised in, please O GOD, secure me with YOUR love. Please O GOD, secure me because I am YOUR child and I belong to YOU. Do not allow me to feel this way O GOD, comfort and care for me KING JESUS. Do not allow the enemy to trouble my heart and spirit. I pray O GOD, hide me in the shadow of YOUR wings. I pray O GOD, heal me from all my pain of being disregarded and taken for granted. YOU alone can heal me O GOD. To YOU to YOU alone does my soul cling to and cry out, to YOU O GOD who is merciful to me. LORD I honestly love Stephen plus YOU keep talking about him as the son YOU love whom YOUR soul is pleased and I can see why, because he is walking in integrity and righteousness but Stephen did not tell me he loves me, I don't feel that he loves me. I pray O GOD that YOU will give me a husband if not Stephen send me someone who will look after me and love me. Stephen is always there for me when it is about work but he has not shown me he loves me, if truly he is the one for me let him express it to me O GOD because I don't want to keep waiting and loving someone who does not love me. I pray O GOD even as I try to fast this week by YOUR Grace I pray that YOU will comfort my hurting soul, I am hurting and I am asking YOU to heal me with YOUR love and presence. Like I do not lack anything in my life, YOUR Love heals me and completes me O GOD. For YOU alone deserve all glory honro and praise!
In the Name of JESUS Amen