2 Cheshvan 5994 / 17 October 2023
Day 290 Readings
Torah: Noach, 3rd Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 7:17-8:14
Genesis 7
New American Standard Bible
17 Then the flood [a]came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark [b]floated on the [c]surface of the water. 19 And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains [d]everywhere under the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed [e]fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 21 So all [f]creatures that moved on the earth perished: birds, livestock, animals, and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; 22 of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 So He wiped out [g]every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from mankind to animals, to crawling things, and the birds of the sky, and they were wiped out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. 24 The water prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.
Genesis 8
The Flood Subsides
1 But God remembered Noah and all the animals and all the livestock that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. 2 Also the fountains of the deep and the [h]floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; 3 and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased. 4 Then in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.
6 Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; 7 and he sent out a raven, and it [i]flew here and there until the water was dried up [j]from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a [k]dove, to see if the water was low on the [l]surface of the land; 9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot, so it returned to him in the ark, for the water was on the [m]surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took it, and brought it into the ark to himself. 10 So he waited another seven days longer; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 And the dove came to him in [n]the evening, and behold, in its [o]beak was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was low on the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days longer, and sent out the dove; but it did not return to him again.
13 Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, that the water was dried up [p]from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the [q]surface of the ground had dried up. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
Bible Study Together
Judges 7
Gideon’s Three Hundred Chosen Men
1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early, and camped beside [a]the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of [b]them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, otherwise Israel would [c]become boastful, saying, ‘My own [d]power has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and worried, is to return and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand from the people returned, but ten thousand remained.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. So it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall put everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps [e]in one group, and everyone who kneels down to drink in another.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, [f]putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people kneeled down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “I will save you with the three hundred men who lapped, and will hand the Midianites over to you; so have all the other people go, each man to his [g]home.” 8 So [h]the three hundred men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And [i]Gideon dismissed all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 Now on the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have handed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, 11 so that you will hear what they say; and afterward [j]you will have the courage to go down against the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the [k]outposts of the army that was in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the [l]people of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I [m]had a dream; [n]a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it [o]upside down so that the tent collapsed.” 14 And his friend replied, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has handed over to him Midian and all the camp.”
Psalm 146
New American Standard Bible
The Lord, an Abundant Helper.
1 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I [c]have my being.
3 Do not trust in noblemen, In [d]mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to [e]the earth; On that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,The sea and everything that is in them;Who keeps [f]faith forever;
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed;Who gives food to the hungry.The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of those who are blind;The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over strangers;He [g]supports the fatherless and the widow,But He [h]thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever,Your God, Zion, to all generations.[i]Praise [j]the Lord!
Titus 1
Qualifications of Elders
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of indecent behavior or rebellion. 7 For the [e]overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not [f]a bully, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, righteous, holy, disciplined, 9 holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to [g]exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.
10 For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of [h]dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprimand them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
Dear AVI,
Baruk Ata Adonai, Melek HaOlam! Great and Awesome are YOU O HOLY ONE of Israel! Creator and King over all the Universe! Toda Raba how YOU speak to me today through Titus. How Amazing that YOU speak to me through YOUR Word aligning my thoughts and concerns and addressing it by the WORD that I would be reading today. YOU are just excemptional in all YOU do! O GOD, I keep recalling to mind Pastor Art who failed YOU and me big time because he did not love his wife or set boundaries to keep their marriage healthy. I pray O GOD that Stephen is not in a relationship so that I will not have to set boundaries but he is in a relationship, my father asked him and he said yes. So I was so much devastated hearing that he had someone because he had already won my heart with his kindness, it's a good thing I decided to pay him for a job well done, for the sake of protecting the boundaries of my heart. He cannot have my heart, he cannot win it because he has someone. But to almost fall for someone like him is already a miracle to me because his appearance does not appeal to me but his kindness and love swept me off my feet, now I have to stand up and protect his relationship and my heart. How hard it is to be in this position but YOU are my strength O LORD and YOU will uphold me and keep me pure and blameless until the end. So please AVI, do what YOU have to do and save that man from eternal damnation and the wrong relationship! Save him please I ask YOU! Because YOU are the ONE who chose this man not me! Please AVI, for the sake of YOUR Promise, quicken everything for me, answer my prayers O GOD, and let YOUR promise come to pass for me suddenly because YOU are the GOD of miracles and I want YOU to be glorified greatly over my life. Please AVI, cover Stephen with YOUR blood JESUS and guard him, send angels to protect him, and speak to him, do everything YOU can O GOD to save him, please FATHER, draw him to YOU, and let him surrender completely to YOU, only to YOU O GOD. I pray he will surrender all things to YOU and that I will also keep trusting YOU inspite of this difficulty YOU are bringing me into. He is such an inspiration for me O GOD, to work and to be faithful, thank YOU so much for this man YOU have brought into my life. But I pray that YOU save him please do everything in YOUR Power because YOU alone can touch this man's Spirit, awaken him O GOD! Awake! Awake!
Ba HaShem YESHUA HaMashiach, Amen!
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Same Love … Different Expressions
In “The Five Love Languages,” author Gary Chapman suggests that people may give and receive love in several primary ways – physical touch, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, and quality time. If we plan to practice the love of God, we may need to adjust our methods to meet the needs of those to whom we are ministering. Perhaps our neighbourhood elderlies don’t just need a meal, but also need someone to listen to them. Maybe cleaning the toilet may be more loving than bringing home another rose. Love meets the felt-needs.
Prayer: Dear Lord and heavenly Father, thank you for meeting our utmost need of love and acceptance. Thank you for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. May I be a vessel, a channel of your love to those around me today. Help me to be a source of comfort with making people feel loved. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 30
5 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘[a]I have heard a sound of terror,Of fear, and there is no peace.6 Ask now, and seeIf a male can give birth.Why do I see every manWith his hands on his waist, as a woman in childbirth?And why have all faces turned pale?7 Woe, for that day is great,There is none like it;And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,Yet he will be saved from it.
8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will break his yoke from [b]their necks and will tear to pieces [c]their restraints; and strangers will no longer make [d]them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 And do not fear, Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,‘And do not be dismayed, Israel;For behold, I am going to save you from far away,And your [e]descendants from the land of their captivity.And Jacob will return and be at peace, without anxiety,And no one will make him afraid.11 For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;For I will completely destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,Only I will not destroy you completely.But I will discipline you fairlyAnd will by no means leave you unpunished.’
Jeremiah 31
1 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:“The people who survived the swordFound grace in the wilderness—Israel, when it went to find its rest.”3 The Lord appeared to [r]him [s]long ago, saying,“I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness.4 I will build you again and you will be rebuilt,Virgin of Israel!You will [t]take up your tambourines again,And go out to the dances of the revelers.5 Again you will plant vineyardsOn the [u]hills of Samaria;The planters will plantAnd will [v]enjoy the fruit.6 For there will be a day when watchmenOn the hills of Ephraim call out,‘Arise, and let’s go up to Zion,To the Lord our God.’”
7 For this is what the Lord says:“Sing aloud with joy for Jacob,And be joyful with the [w]chief of the nations;Proclaim, give praise, and say,‘Lord, save Your people,The remnant of Israel!’8 Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,Among them those who are blind and those who limp,The pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;They will return here as a great assembly.9 They will come with weeping,And by pleading I will bring them;I will lead them by streams of waters,On a straight path on which they will not stumble;For I am a father to Israel,And Ephraim is My firstborn.”
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.
12 “They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, And they will be radiant over the [x]bounty of the Lord— Over the grain, the new wine, the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd.
And their life will be like a watered garden, And they will never languish again.
13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old together;
For I will turn their mourning into joy And comfort them, and give them joy for their sorrow.
14 I will refresh the soul of the priests with [y]abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears; For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,“And they will return from the land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,“And your children will return to their own territory. 18 I have certainly heard Ephraim grieving,‘You have disciplined me, and I was corrected,Like an untrained calf;Bring me back that I may be restored,For You are the Lord my God.19 For after I turned back, I repented;And after I was instructed, I [z]slapped my thigh;I was ashamed and also humiliatedBecause I bore the shame of my youth.’20 Is Ephraim My dear son?Is he a delightful child?Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,I certainly still remember him;Therefore My [aa]heart yearns for him;I will certainly have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.
21 “Set up roadmarks for yourself,Place guideposts for yourself;Direct your [ab]mind to the highway,The way by which you went.Return, O virgin of Israel,Return to these your cities.22 How long will you waver,You rebellious daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth: A woman will shelter a man.”
A New Covenant
27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of mankind and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have watched over them to uproot them, tear them down, ruin, destroy, and bring disaster on them, so I will watch over them to build and to plant them,” declares the Lord.
29 “In those days they will no longer say,‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,[ad]But it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt.’
30 But everyone will die for his own wrongdoing; each person who eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will become blunt.
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.”
35 This is what the Lord says,He who gives the sun for light by dayAnd the [ae]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—The Lord of armies is His name:36 “If [af]this fixed order departsFrom Me,” declares the Lord,“Then the descendants of Israel also will ceaseTo be a nation before Me [ag]forever.”37 This is what the Lord says:“If the heavens above can be measuredAnd the foundations of the earth searched out below,Then I will also reject all the descendants of IsraelFor everything that they have done,” declares the Lord.
1 Timothy 2
A Call to Prayer
1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in [a]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [b]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the [c]knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony [d]given at [e]the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed as a [f]preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Instructions for Believers
8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute. 9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, [g]modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first [h]created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was [i]deceived and [j]became a wrongdoer. 15 But [k]women will be [l]preserved through [m]childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.
Psalms 87
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of you,City of God. Selah 4 “I shall mention [a]Rahab and Babylon [b]among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with [c]Cush:‘This one was born there.’”5 But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;And the Most High Himself will establish her.6 The Lord will count when He registers the peoples,“This one was born there.” Selah7 Then those who sing as well as those who [d]play the flutes will say,“All my springs of joy are in you.”
Proverbs 25:18-19
18 A man who bears false witness against his neighborIs like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of troubleIs like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.