Sunday, March 23, 2014

Reading through the Word...Day 28

EXODUS 5:22- 7:25
MATTHEW 18:21- 19:12
PSALM 23:1- 6
PROVERBS 5:22- 23


So Moses went back to the LORD and protested, "Why have you mistreated your own people like this, Lord? Why did you send me? 23 Since I gave Pharaoh your message, he has been even more brutal to your people. You have not even begun to rescue them!" 6:1 "NOW you will see what I will do to Pharaoh," the LORD told Moses. "When he feels my powerful hand upon him, he will let the people go. In fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of them that he will force them to leave his land!" 2 And God continued, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, though I did not reveal my name, the LORD, to them. 4 And I entered into a solemn covenant with them. Under its terms, I swore to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living. 5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. I have remembered my covenant with them. 6" Therefore, say to the Israelites:`I am the LORD, and I will free you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with mighty power and great acts of judgment. 7 I will make you my own special people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the LORD your God who has rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It will be your very own property. I am the LORD! '"9 So Moses told the people what the LORD had said, but they wouldn't listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the increasing burden of their slavery. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11" Go back to Pharaoh, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave Egypt. "12" But LORD! "Moses objected." My own people won't listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I'm no orator! "13 But the LORD ordered Moses and Aaron to return to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to demand that he let the people of Israel leave Egypt. 14 These are the ancestors of clans from some of Israel's tribes:The descendants of Reuben, Israel's oldest son, included Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben. 15 The descendants of Simeon included Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (whose mother was a Canaanite). Their descendants became the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the descendants of Levi, listed according to their family groups. In the first generation were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Levi, their father, lived to be 137 years old.) 17 The descendants of Gershon included Libni and Shimei, each of whom is the ancestor of a clan. 18 The descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Kohath lived to be 133 years old.) 19 The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, listed according to their genealogies. 20 Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. (Amram lived to be 137 years old.) 21 The descendants of Izhar included Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri. 22 The descendants of Uzziel included Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The descendants of Korah included Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. Their descendants became the clans of Korah. 25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the ancestors of the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups. 26 The Aaron and Moses named in this list are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said," Lead all the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt, division by division. "27 They are the ones who went to Pharaoh to ask permission to lead the people from the land of Egypt. 28 At that time, the LORD had said to them, 29" I am the LORD! Give Pharaoh the message I have given you. "30 This is the same Moses who had argued with the LORD, saying," I can't do it! I'm no orator. Why should Pharaoh listen to me? "7:1 THEN the LORD said to Moses," Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh. Your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet; he will speak for you. 2 Tell Aaron everything I say to you and have him announce it to Pharaoh. He will demand that the people of Israel be allowed to leave Egypt. 3 But I will cause Pharaoh to be stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will crush Egypt with a series of disasters, after which I will lead the forces of Israel out with great acts of judgment. 5 When I show the Egyptians my power and force them to let the Israelites go, they will realize that I am the LORD. "6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty- three at the time they made their demands to Pharaoh. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9" Pharaoh will demand that you show him a miracle to prove that God has sent you. When he makes this demand, say to Aaron, `Throw down your shepherd's staff,' and it will become a snake. "10 So Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh, and they performed the miracle just as the LORD had told them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh called in his wise men and magicians, and they did the same thing with their secret arts. 12 Their staffs became snakes, too! But then Aaron's snake swallowed up their snakes. 13 Pharaoh's heart, however, remained hard and stubborn. He still refused to listen, just as the LORD had predicted. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses," Pharaoh is very stubborn, and he continues to refuse to let the people go. 15 So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the riverbank and meet him there. Be sure to take along the shepherd's staff that turned into a snake. 16 Say to him, `The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say, "Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness." Until now, you have refused to listen to him. 17 Now the LORD says, "You are going to find out that I am the LORD." Look! I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood. 18 The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile. '"19 Then the LORD said to Moses:" Tell Aaron to point his staff toward the waters of Egypt-- all its rivers, canals, marshes, and reservoirs. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn into blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots in the people's homes. "20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and hit the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood! 21 The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn't drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But again the magicians of Egypt used their secret arts, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh's heart remained hard and stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted. 23 Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. 24 Then the Egyptians dug wells along the riverbank to get drinking water, for they couldn't drink from the river. 25 An entire week passed from the time the LORD turned the water of the Nile to blood.


Then Peter came to him and asked," Lord, how often should I forgive someone *who sins against me? Seven times? "22" No! "Jesus replied," seventy times seven! 23 "For this reason, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn't pay, so the king ordered that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. 26 But the man fell down before the king and begged him, `Oh, sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.' 27 Then the king was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. 28" But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. `Be patient and I will pay it, 'he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt could be paid in full. 31 "When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him what had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, `You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?' 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid every penny. 35" That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters *in your heart. "19:1 AFTER Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went southward to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. 2 Vast crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick. 3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question:" Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for any reason? "4" Haven't you read the Scriptures? "Jesus replied." They record that from the beginning `God made them male and female. '5 And he said, `This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together. "7" Then why did Moses say a man could merely write an official letter of divorce and send her away? "they asked. 8 Jesus replied," Moses permitted divorce as a concession to your hardhearted wickedness, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery-- unless his wife has been unfaithful. "10 Jesus 'disciples then said to him," Then it is better not to marry! "11" Not everyone can accept this statement, "Jesus said." Only those whom God helps. 12 Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made that way by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone who can, accept this statement. "


A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the dark valley of death,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You welcome me as a guest,
anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever.


An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self- control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly