Chapter for the day - September 30: Isaiah 60:1-62:5, Philippians 1:27-2:18, Psalm 72

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Isaiah 60:1-62:5 (Listen)

The Future Glory of Israel

60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
  and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
  and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
  and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light,
  and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
  they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
  and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
  your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
  the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
  the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
  all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
  and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
  the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
  and I will beautify my beautiful house.

Who are these that fly like a cloud,
  and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall hope for me,
  the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
  their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the LORD your God,
  and for the Holy One of Israel,
  because he has made you beautiful.

Foreigners shall build up your walls,
  and their kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you,
  but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
Your gates shall be open continually;
  day and night they shall not be shut,
that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
  with their kings led in procession.
For the nation and kingdom
  that will not serve you shall perish;
  those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
  the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
  and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
The sons of those who afflicted you
  shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
  shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the LORD,
  the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
  with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
  a joy from age to age.
You shall suck the milk of nations;
  you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
  and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
  and instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
  instead of stones, iron.
I will make your overseers peace
  and your taskmasters righteousness.
Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
  devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
  and your gates Praise.

The sun shall be no more
  your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
  give you light;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
  and your God will be your glory.
Your sun shall no more go down,
  nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
  and your days of mourning shall be ended.
Your people shall all be righteous;
  they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
  that I might be glorified.
The least one shall become a clan,
  and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the LORD;
  in its time I will hasten it.


The Year of the LORD's Favor

61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
  because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
  he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
  and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
  and the day of vengeance of our God;
  to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
  to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
  the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
  the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
  they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
  the devastations of many generations.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
  foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
but you shall be called the priests of the LORD;
  they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
  and in their glory you shall boast.
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
  instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
  they shall have everlasting joy.

For I the LORD love justice;
  I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
  and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
  and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
  that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
  my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
  and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
  to sprout up before all the nations.


Zion's Coming Salvation

62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
  and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
  and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your righteousness,
  and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
  that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
  and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
  and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
  and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,
  and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
  so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
  so shall your God rejoice over you.



Philippians 1:27-2:18 (Listen)

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Christ's Example of Humility

2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.


Psalm 72 (Listen)

Give the King Your Justice

Of Solomon.

72:1 Give the king your justice, O God,
  and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
  and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
  and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
  give deliverance to the children of the needy,
  and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you while the sun endures,
  and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
  like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
  and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
  and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
  and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
  render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
  bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
  all nations serve him!

For he delivers the needy when he calls,
  the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
  and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
  and precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live;
  may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
  and blessings invoked for him all the day!
May there be abundance of grain in the land;
  on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
  may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
  like the grass of the field!
May his name endure forever,
  his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
  all nations call him blessed!

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
  who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
  may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
     Amen and Amen!

The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.



Proverbs 24:11-12 (Listen)

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
  hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
  does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
  and will he not repay man according to his work? (ESV)



Footnotes

[1] 60:5 Hebrew your heart shall tremble and grow wide
[2] 60:19 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Targum add by night
[3] 60:19 Or your beauty
[4] 60:21 Or that I might display my beauty
[5] 61:1 Or afflicted
[6] 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
[7] 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
[8] 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
[9] 62:4 Hebrew Azubah
[10] 62:4 Hebrew Shemamah
[11] 62:4 Hebrew Hephzibah
[12] 62:4 Hebrew Beulah
[13] 1:27 Greek Only behave as citizens worthy
[14] 2:5 Or which was also in Christ Jesus
[15] 2:7 Greek bondservant
[16] 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
[17] 72:8 That is, the Euphrates



This reading plan is from The One Year Bible ©1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. The One Year® is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.



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