November 19 - 1 Peter 2, Jeremiah 33-34 and Psalm 135

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The Living Stone and the Holy Nation

1 Peter 2 Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language. 2Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. 3As the scripture says, "You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is."
4Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. 5Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. 6For the scripture says,
"I chose a valuable stone,
which I am placing as the cornerstone in Zion;
and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed."
7This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe:
"The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all."
8And another scripture says,
"This is the stone that will make people stumble,
the rock that will make them fall."
They stumbled because they did not believe in the word; such was God's will for them.
9But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light. 10At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.

Slaves of God

11I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. 12Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.
13For the sake of the Lord submit yourselves to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority, 14and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good. 15For God wants you to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people by the good things you do. 16Live as free people; do not, however, use your freedom to cover up any evil, but live as God's slaves. 17Respect everyone, love other believers, honor God, and respect the Emperor.

The Example of Christ's Suffering

18You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will. 20For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it. 21It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. 22He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. 23When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge. 24Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. 25You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.


Another Promise of Hope

Jeremiah 33 While I was still in prison in the courtyard, the LORD's message came to me again. 2The LORD, who made the earth, who formed it and set it in place, spoke to me. He whose name is the LORD said, 3"Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about. 4I, the LORD, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack. 5Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done. 6But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security. 7I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before. 8I will purify them from the sins that they have committed against me, and I will forgive their sins and their rebellion. 9Jerusalem will be a source of joy, honor, and pride to me; and every nation in the world will fear and tremble when they hear about the good things that I do for the people of Jerusalem and about the prosperity that I bring to the city."
10The LORD said, "People are saying that this place is like a desert, that it has no people or animals living in it. And they are right; the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are empty; no people or animals live there. But in these places you will hear again 11the shouts of gladness and joy and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. You will hear people sing as they bring thank offerings to my Temple; they will say,
'Give thanks to the LORD Almighty,
because he is good
and his love is eternal.'
I will make this land as prosperous as it was before. I, the LORD, have spoken."
12The LORD Almighty said, "In this land that is like a desert and where no people or animals live, there will once again be pastures where shepherds can take their sheep. 13In the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep. I, the LORD, have spoken."
14The LORD said, "The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15At that time I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will do what is right and just throughout the land. 16The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called 'The LORD Our Salvation.' 17I, the LORD, promise that there will always be a descendant of David to be king of Israel 18and that there will always be priests from the tribe of Levi to serve me and to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices."
19The LORD said to me, 20"I have made a covenant with the day and with the night, so that they always come at their proper times; and that covenant can never be broken. 21In the same way I have made a covenant with my servant David that he would always have a descendant to be king, and I have made a covenant with the priests from the tribe of Levi that they would always serve me; and those covenants can never be broken. 22I will increase the number of descendants of my servant David and the number of priests from the tribe of Levi, so that it will be as impossible to count them as it is to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore."
23The LORD said to me, 24"Have you noticed how people are saying that I have rejected Israel and Judah, the two families that I chose? And so they look with contempt on my people and no longer consider them a nation. 25But I, the LORD, have a covenant with day and night, and I have made the laws that control earth and sky. 26And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again."

A Message for Zedekiah

Jeremiah 34 The LORD spoke to me when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army, supported by troops from all the nations and races that were subject to him, were attacking Jerusalem and its nearby towns. 2The LORD, the God of Israel, told me to go and say to King Zedekiah of Judah, "I, the LORD, will hand this city over to the king of Babylonia, and he will burn it down. 3You will not escape; you will be captured and handed over to him. You will see him face-to-face and talk to him in person; then you will go to Babylonia. 4Zedekiah, listen to what I say about you. You will not be killed in battle. 5You will die in peace, and as people burned incense when they buried your ancestors, who were kings before you, in the same way they will burn incense for you. They will mourn over you and say, 'Our king is dead!' I, the LORD, have spoken."
6Then I gave this message to King Zedekiah in Jerusalem 7while the army of the king of Babylonia was attacking the city. The army was also attacking Lachish and Azekah, the only other fortified cities left in Judah.

Deceitful Treatment of Slaves

8King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had made an agreement to set free 9their Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so that no one would have an Israelite as a slave. 10All the people and their leaders agreed to free their slaves and never to enslave them again. They did set them free, 11but later they changed their minds, took them back, and forced them to become slaves again.
12Then the LORD, 13the God of Israel, told me to say to the people: "I made a covenant with your ancestors when I rescued them from Egypt and set them free from slavery. I told them that 14every seven years they were to set free any Hebrew slave who had served them for six years. But your ancestors would not pay any attention to me or listen to what I said. 15Just a few days ago you changed your minds and did what pleased me. All of you agreed to set all Israelites free, and you made a covenant in my presence, in the Temple where I am worshiped. 16But then you changed your minds again and dishonored me. All of you took back the slaves whom you had set free as they desired, and you forced them into slavery again. 17So now, I, the LORD, say that you have disobeyed me; you have not given all Israelites their freedom. Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die by war, disease, and starvation. I will make every nation in the world horrified at what I do to you. 18-19The officials of Judah and of Jerusalem, together with the palace officials, the priests, and all the leaders, made a covenant with me by walking between the two halves of a bull that they had cut in two. But they broke the covenant and did not keep its terms. So I will do to these people what they did to the bull. 20I will hand them over to their enemies, who want to kill them, and their corpses will be eaten by birds and wild animals. 21I will also hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to those who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the Babylonian army, which has stopped its attack against you. 22I will give the order, and they will return to this city. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make the towns of Judah like a desert where no one lives. I, the LORD, have spoken."


A Hymn of Praise

Psalm 135 Praise the LORD!

Praise his name, you servants of the LORD,
2who stand in the LORD's house,
in the Temple of our God.
3Praise the LORD, because he is good;
sing praises to his name, because he is kind.
4He chose Jacob for himself,
the people of Israel for his own.

5I know that our LORD is great,
greater than all the gods.
6He does whatever he wishes
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in the depths below.
7He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth;
he makes lightning for the storms,
and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.

8In Egypt he killed all the first-born
of people and animals alike.
9There he performed miracles and wonders
to punish the king and all his officials.
10He destroyed many nations
and killed powerful kings:
11Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kings in Canaan.
12He gave their lands to his people;
he gave them to Israel.

13LORD, you will always be proclaimed as God;
all generations will remember you.
14The LORD will defend his people;
he will take pity on his servants.

15The gods of the nations are made of silver and gold;
they are formed by human hands.
16They have mouths, but cannot speak,
and eyes, but cannot see.
17They have ears, but cannot hear;
they are not even able to breathe.
18May all who made them and who trust in them
become like the idols they have made!

19Praise the LORD, people of Israel;
praise him, you priests of God!
20Praise the LORD, you Levites;
praise him, all you that worship him!
21Praise the LORD in Zion,
in Jerusalem, his home.

Praise the LORD!

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This reading is from The Holy Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition copyright © American Bible Society, 1992;
Old Testament copyright © American Bible Society, 1976, 1992; New Testament © American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.


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