DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 26:
WORD OF WISDOM
"Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the
pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."
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DAILY DEVOTIONS
Healed on the Way
"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were
lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said,
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go
shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went,
they were cleansed."
Luke 17:12-14
Jesus has all power and authority, and He often demonstrated that during His
ministry by healing those who were sick beyond the power of medicine. Few
things were more dreaded than leprosy both because of the terrible impact it
had on the person's life, and even more so because it was so contagious.
Once they were identified, lepers were cut off and cast out from society
unless they were carefully examined by a priest and certified to be healed.
Normally when Jesus healed people it happened instantaneously. Usually He
would either speak to the sufferer or sometimes touch them and they would be
healed. In this case, however, He took a different approach. Jesus told
these ten men to go to the priests for examination. He did not command them
to be healed. He did not lay His hands on them and pronounce them cured.
Instead He told them to do what they would do if they had already been
healed-and it was only as they went in obedience that they were cleansed of
their leprosy.
Many times we want God to lay out every step of His plan in detail and make
sure we understand it before obeying. But God normally only lays out one
step at a time. Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path." Faith is not revealed when we see the entire picture,
but when we act on what we have been told.
If we do not obey what God has already said, we have no reason to expect Him
to give us further direction.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Jeremiah 46-48Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
The Lord's Messages About the Nations
46 These messages about different nations came to Jeremiah the prophet from
the Lord.
Messages About Egypt
2 This message is about the nation of Egypt. It is about the army of Pharaoh
Neco king of Egypt. His army was defeated at the town of Carchemish.
Carchemish is on the Euphrates River. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
defeated the army of Pharaoh Neco at Carchemish in the fourth year that
Jehoiakim[a] son of Josiah was king of Judah. The Lord said,
3
"Get your large and small shields ready.
March out for battle.
4
Get the horses ready.
Soldiers, get on your horses.
Go to your places for battle.
Put your helmets on.
Sharpen your spears.
Put your armor on.
5
What do I see?
That army is afraid.
The soldiers are running away.
Their brave soldiers are defeated.
They run away in a hurry.
They don't look back.
There is danger all around."
This is what the Lord said.
6
"Fast men cannot run away.
Strong soldiers cannot escape.
They will all stumble and fall.
This will happen in the north, by the Euphrates River.
7
Who is coming like the Nile River?
Who is coming like that strong, fast river?
8
It is Egypt that comes like the rising Nile River.
It is Egypt that comes like that strong, fast river.
Egypt says, 'I will come and cover the earth.
I will destroy the cities and the people in them.'
9
Horse soldiers, charge into battle.
Chariot drivers, drive fast.
March on, brave soldiers.
Soldiers from Cush and Put, carry your shields.
Soldiers from Lydia, use your bows.
10
"But on that day, the Lord God All-Powerful will win.
He will give his enemies the punishment they deserve.
His sword will kill until it is finished,
until it has satisfied its thirst for blood.
Yes, the Lord God All-Powerful will kill them as a sacrifice
in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
11
"Egypt, go to Gilead and get some medicine.
You will make up many medicines, but they will not help.
You will not be healed.
12
The nations will hear you crying.
Your cries will be heard all over the earth.
One 'brave soldier' will run into another 'brave soldier.'
And both 'brave soldiers' will fall down together."
13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about
Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack Egypt.
14
"Announce this message in Egypt.
Tell it in the city of Migdol.
Tell it in Memphis and Tahpanhes.
'Get ready for war,
because people all around you are being killed with swords.'
15
Egypt, your strong soldiers will be killed.
They will not be able to stand
because the Lord will push them down.
16
They will stumble again and again.
They will fall over each other.
They will say, 'Get up; let's go back to our own people.
Let us go back to our homeland.
Our enemy is defeating us.
We must get away.'
17
In their homelands, those soldiers will say,
'Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is only a lot of noise.
His time of glory is over.'"
18
This message is from the King.
The King is the Lord All-Powerful.
"I promise, as surely as I live, a powerful leader will come.
He will be like Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel among smaller mountains.
19
People of Egypt, pack your things.
Get ready for captivity,
because Memphis will be a ruined, empty land.
Those cities will be destroyed,
and no one will live there.
20
"Egypt is like a beautiful cow.
But a horsefly[b] is coming from the north[c] to attack her.
21
The hired soldiers in Egypt's army are like fat calves.
They will all turn and run away.
They will not stand strong against the attack.
Their time of destruction is coming.
They will soon be punished.
22
Egypt is like a snake hissing
and trying to escape.
The enemy comes closer and closer,
and the Egyptian army is trying to slither away.
The enemy will attack Egypt with axes,
like men cutting down trees."
23
This is what the Lord says:
"They will chop down Egypt's forest.
There are many trees in that forest,
but they will all be cut down.
There are more enemy soldiers than locusts.
There are so many soldiers that no one can count them.
24
Egypt will be ashamed.
The enemy from the north will defeat her."
25 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, "Very soon I will punish
Amon,[d] the god of Thebes, and I will punish Pharaoh, Egypt, and her gods.
I will punish the kings of Egypt, and I will punish the people who depend on
Pharaoh. 26 I will let all of them be defeated by their enemies-their
enemies want to kill them. I will give the people to King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon and his servants.
"Long ago, Egypt lived in peace. And after all these times of trouble, Egypt
will live in peace again." This is what the Lord said.
A Message for Northern Israel
27
"Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid.
Do not be frightened, Israel.
I will save you from those faraway places.
I will save your children from the countries where they are captives.
Jacob will have peace and safety again,
and no one will make him afraid."
28
This is what the Lord says.
"Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid.
I am with you.
I sent you away to many different places.
But I will not destroy you completely.
But I will destroy all those nations.
You must be punished for the bad things you did.
So I will not let you escape your punishment.
I will discipline you, but I will be fair."
A Message About the Philistine People
47 This is the message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet about
the Philistines. This message came before Pharaoh attacked the city of Gaza.
2
This is what the Lord says:
"Look, the enemy is gathering in the north[e] like rising water.
They will come like a river spilling over its banks.
They will cover the whole country like a flood.
They will cover the towns and the people living in them.
Everyone in the country will cry for help.
Everyone will cry out in pain.
3
They will hear the sound of running horses,
the noisy chariots, the rumbling wheels.
Fathers will not be able to protect their children.
They will be too weak to help,
4
because the time has come to destroy all the Philistines.
The time has come to destroy Tyre and Sidon's remaining helpers.
The Lord will destroy the Philistines,
the survivors from the Island of Crete.[f]
5
The people from Gaza will be sad and shave their heads.
The people from Ashkelon will be silenced.
Survivors from the valley, how long will you cut yourselves?[g]
6
"Sword of the Lord, you have not stopped.
How long will you keep fighting?
Go back into your scabbard[h]!
Stop! Be still!
7
But how can the sword of the Lord rest?
The Lord gave it a command.
He commanded it to attack
the city of Ashkelon and the seacoast."
A Message About Moab
48 This message is about the country of Moab. This is what the Lord
All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says:[i]
"It will be bad for Mount Nebo.[j]
Mount Nebo will be ruined.
The town of Kiriathaim will be humbled.
It will be captured.
The strong place will be humbled.
It will be shattered.
2
Moab will not be praised again.
Men in Heshbon will plan Moab's defeat.
They will say, 'Come, let us put an end to that nation.'
Madmenah, you will also be silenced.
The sword will chase you.
3
Listen to the cries from Horonaim.
They are cries of much confusion and destruction.
4
Moab will be destroyed.
Her little children will cry for help.
5
Moab's people go up the path to Luhith.
They are crying bitterly as they go.
On the road down to the town of Horonaim,
cries of pain and suffering can be heard.
6
Run away! Run for your lives!
Run away like a weed[k] blowing through the desert.
7
"You trust in the things you made and in your wealth,
so you will be captured.
The god Chemosh will be taken into captivity,
and his priests and officials will be taken with him.
8
The Destroyer will come against every town.
Not one town will escape.
The valley will be ruined.
The high plain will be destroyed.
The Lord said this would happen,
so it will happen.
9
Spread salt over the fields in Moab.
The country will be an empty desert.[l]
Moab's towns will become empty.
No one will live in them.
10
Bad things will happen to those who
don't obey the Lord and don't use their swords to kill those people.
11
"Moab has never known trouble.
Moab is like wine left to settle.
Moab has never been poured from one jar to another.
He has not been taken into captivity.
So he tastes as he did before,
and his smell has not changed."
12
This is what the Lord says:
"But I will soon send men
to pour you from your jars.[m]
Then they will empty the jars
and smash them to pieces."
13 Then the people of Moab will be ashamed of their false god, Chemosh. They
will be like the people of Israel who trusted that god in Bethel[n] but were
ashamed when he did not help them.
14
"You cannot say, 'We are good soldiers.
We are brave men in battle.'
15
The enemy will attack Moab.
The enemy will enter its towns and destroy them.
Its best young men will be killed in the slaughter."
This message is from the King.
The King's name is the Lord All-Powerful.
16
"The end of Moab is near.
Moab will soon be destroyed.
17
All you who live around Moab should cry for that country.
You know how famous Moab is.
So cry for it.
Say, 'The ruler's power is broken.
Moab's power and glory is gone.'
18
"You people living in Dibon,[o]
come down from your place of honor.
Sit on the ground in the dust,
because the Destroyer is coming.
And he will destroy your strong cities.
19
"You people living in Aroer,
stand next to the road and watch.
See the man running away.
See that woman running away.
Ask them what happened.
20
"Moab will be ruined and filled with shame.
Moab will cry and cry.
Announce at the Arnon River[p]
that Moab is destroyed.
21
People on the high plain have been punished.
Judgment has come to the towns of Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath.
22
Judgment has come to the towns
of Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim.
23
Judgment has come to the towns
of Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon.
24
Judgment has come to the towns
of Kerioth and Bozrah.
Judgment has come to all the towns
of Moab, far and near.
25
Moab's strength has been cut off.
Its arm has been broken."
This is what the Lord said.
26
"The people of Moab thought they were greater than the Lord.
So punish them until they act like a drunk,
falling and rolling around in his vomit.
Then people will make fun of them.
27
"Moab, you made fun of Israel.
Israel was caught by a gang of thieves.
Every time you spoke about Israel,
you shook your head and acted as if you were better than Israel.
28
People in Moab, leave your towns.
Go live among the rocks;
be like a dove that makes its nest
at the opening of a cave."
29
"We have heard about Moab's pride.
He was very proud.
He thought he was important.
He was always bragging.
He was very, very proud."
30
The Lord says, "I know Moab gets angry quickly and brags about himself,
but his boasts are lies.
He cannot do what he says.
31
So I cry for Moab.
I cry for everyone in Moab.
I cry for the men from Kir Hareseth.
32
I cry with the people of Jazer for Jazer.
Sibmah, in the past your vines spread all the way to the sea.
They reached as far as the town of Jazer.
But the Destroyer has taken your fruit and grapes.
33
Joy and happiness are gone from the large vineyards of Moab.
I stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses.
There is no singing and dancing from people walking on the grapes to make
wine.
There are no shouts of joy.
34 "The people of the towns of Heshbon and Elealeh are crying. Their cry is
heard even as far away as the town of Jahaz. Their cry is heard from the
town of Zoar, as far away as the towns of Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. 35 I will stop Moab from making
burnt offerings on the high places. I will stop them from making sacrifices
to their gods." This is what the Lord said.
36 "I am very sad for Moab. My heart cries like the sad sound of a flute
playing a funeral song. I am sad for the people from Kir Hareseth. Their
money and riches have all been taken away. 37 Everyone has a shaved head.
Everyone's beard is cut off. Everyone's hands are cut and bleeding.[q]
Everyone is wearing sackcloth around their waists. 38 People are crying for
the dead everywhere in Moab-on every housetop and in every public square.
There is sadness because I have broken Moab like an empty jar." This is what
the Lord said.
39 "Moab is shattered. The people are crying. Moab surrendered. Now Moab is
ashamed. People make fun of Moab, but what happened fills them with fear."
40
The Lord says, "Look! An eagle is diving down from the sky.
It is spreading its wings over Moab.
41
The towns of Moab will be captured.
The strong hiding places will be defeated.
At that time Moab's soldiers will be filled with fear,
like a woman giving birth.
42
The nation of Moab will be destroyed,
because they thought that they were more important than the Lord."
43
This is what the Lord says:
"People of Moab, fear, deep holes, and traps[r] wait for you.
44
People will be afraid and run away,
and they will fall into the deep holes.
Anyone who climbs out of the deep holes
will be caught in the traps.
I will bring the year of punishment to Moab."
This is what the Lord said.
45
"People have run from the powerful enemy.
They ran to safety in the town of Heshbon.
But a fire started in Heshbon.
That fire started in Sihon's town,[s]
and it is destroying the leaders of Moab.
It is destroying those proud people.
46
It will be bad for you, Moab.
Chemosh's people are being destroyed.
Your sons and daughters are being taken away
as prisoners and captives.
47
Moab's people will be taken away as captives.
But in days to come, I will bring them back."
This message is from the Lord.
This ends the judgment on Moab.
Footnotes:
a.Jeremiah 46:2 the fourth year . Jehoiakim This was about 605 B.C.
b.Jeremiah 46:20 horsefly A large insect that often flies around cows and
horses and bites them.
c.Jeremiah 46:20 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to
attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this
way to attack Judah and Israel.
d.Jeremiah 46:25 Amon For many centuries Amon was the most important god of
Egypt. At the time of this prophecy, he was not worshiped as much in
northern Egypt. But he was still the most important god in southern Egypt,
especially around the old Egyptian capital city of Thebes.
e.Jeremiah 47:2 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack
Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to
attack Judah and Israel.
f.Jeremiah 47:4 Island of Crete Literally, "Island of Caphtor." Sometimes
this means Crete, and sometimes it means Cyprus. The Bible says the
Philistines originally came from Caphtor.
g.Jeremiah 47:5 sad . cut yourselves The people did these things to show
their sadness.
h.Jeremiah 47:6 scabbard A holder for a sword.
i.Jeremiah 48:1 This message . says See Isa. 15 for a similar message.
j.Jeremiah 48:1 Mount Nebo A mountain in Moab, a country east of Israel.
k.Jeremiah 48:6 weed In Hebrew this word is like the name "Aroer," an
important city in Moab.
l.Jeremiah 48:9 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
m.Jeremiah 48:12 jars This probably means the cities in Moab.
n.Jeremiah 48:13 in Bethel This means the temple that King Jeroboam built in
the town of Bethel (see 1 Kings 12:28-33). It is not clear if this means the
people still worshiped the Lord there, but in a wrong way, or if they
worshiped a false god, perhaps the Canaanite god El or Baal.
o.Jeremiah 48:18 Dibon A city in the country of Moab.
p.Jeremiah 48:20 Arnon River An important river in Moab.
q.Jeremiah 48:37 Everyone . cut and bleeding The people did these things to
show their sadness for people who had died.
r.Jeremiah 48:43 fear, deep holes, and traps This is a wordplay in Hebrew.
The Hebrew words are "Pahad, Pahat, and Pah."
s.Jeremiah 48:45 Sihon's town This was Heshbon. See Num. 21:25-30.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
