Partakers Christian Podcasts

Bible Reading - Psalm 144

Psalm 144

A psalm of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, who is my rock.
He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.
² He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.
³ O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them,
mere mortals that you should think about them?
⁴ For they are like a breath of air;
their days are like a passing shadow.
⁵ Open the heavens, Lord, and come down.
Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.
⁶ Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies!
Shoot your arrows and confuse them!
⁷ Reach down from heaven and rescue me;
rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.
⁸ Their mouths are full of lies;
they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.
⁹ I will sing a new song to you, O God!
I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.
¹⁰ For you grant victory to kings!
You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.
¹¹ Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies.
Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.
¹² May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.
May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
¹³ May our barns be filled with crops of every kind.
May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,
¹⁴ and may our oxen be loaded down with produce.
May there be no enemy breaking through our walls,
no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.
¹⁵ Yes, joyful are those who live like this!
Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

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Bible Thought - Leviticus 9-10 Obedient Service of God

 

Obedient Service of God

Introduction

How to read Leviticus today? What is the best way for us in the 21^st century to read these ancient laws of Leviticus? Is it just to simply ignore them or are we to slavishly follow them? Perhaps the best way is to simply let Scripture interpret Scripture and see what the New Testament says about the Leviticus laws.

Take for instance the food laws. We know in the New Testament that all food is now permissible, whereas under the Old Testament, certain foods were not permitted to be eaten. In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter had a dream in which all food was declared clean!It is also wise, not to see them as merely a list of "not do" statements, but also as "do statements".

Rather, we should see them as a love letter from a God who wants to save His people from distress and anxiety in order to give them a life of peace, unity, health and a joyful life in all its fullness.All these laws were to lead ancient Israel to be a holy nation. Holiness was about being set apart for a purpose and making wise, conscious decisions about what was right or wrong. It involved being obedient to God and keeping His decrees and regulations.

Being holy, involved having a lifestyle, which was contrary to the cultures surrounding them. To be holy was a lifestyle choice of worship, to reflect their holy God.They were called to be loyal! Called to be distinct! Called to worship! What has all this got to do with us? Where does the Day of Atonement and these laws fit into the life of a Christian in the 21^st century? We will take a look in the third part in al little while!

Outline:

Introduction

1. Great joy Leviticus 9:22-24
2. Great tragedy Leviticus 10:1-11
3. A God of Judgement
4. A God of Wrath
5. So what’s all this got to do with us today?
6. New Covenant?
7. Called to service
8. Judged for our service

Conclusion

Listen to the mp3 file to see what this fabulous piece of Scripture is about and how it is relevant to you today...

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Bible Reading- Psalm 129

Psalm 129

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

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From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.
Let all Israel repeat this:
From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,
but they have never defeated me.
My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.
May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat.
May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
turning yellow when only half grown,
ignored by the harvester, despised by the binder.
And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing:
"The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord's name."

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Bible Book Explanation - Leviticus

Old Testament

Book of Leviticus

Summarised in 1 Minute

Key Verses

Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life. Leviticus 20:7-8 - "‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God. You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.

Summary

The book of Leviticus is God's guidebook for the nation of Israel, showing them how to worship, serve and obey Him. Fellowship with Almighty God was through sacrifice and obedience, to reveal His holiness to other nations.

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Bible Reading - Psalm 148

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies!

² Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

³ Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!

⁴ Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

⁵ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

⁶ He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,

⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him,

⁹ mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds,

¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth,

¹² young men and young women, old men and children.

¹³ Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!

¹⁴ He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones- the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

 

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Bible Reading - Psalm 108

Psalm 108

^1-2 I'm ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing, ready to raise a God-song:
"Wake, soul! Wake, lute! Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
^3-6 I'm thanking you, God, out in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
And for the sake of the one you love so much,
reach down and help me-answer me!

^7-9 That's when God spoke in holy splendor:
 "Brimming over with joy, I make a present of Shechem,
I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead's in my pocket, to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim's my hard hat, Judah my hammer.
Moab's a scrub bucket- I mop the floor with Moab, Spit on Edom,
rain fireworks all over Philistia."

^10-11 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
Who'll show me the road to Edom?
You aren't giving up on us, are you, God? refusing to go out with our troops?
^12-13 Give us help for the hard task; human help is worthless.
In God we'll do our very best; he'll flatten the opposition for good.

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Bible Reading - Psalm 122

Psalm 122

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

¹ I was glad when they said to me,

"Let us go to the house of the Lord."

² And now here we are,

standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is a well-built city;

its seamless walls cannot be breached.

⁴ All the tribes of Israel-the Lord's people-

make their pilgrimage here.

They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord,

as the law requires of Israel.

⁵ Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,

the thrones of the dynasty of David.

⁶ Pray for peace in Jerusalem.

May all who love this city prosper.

⁷ O Jerusalem, may there be peace

within your walls and prosperity in your palaces.

⁸ For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, "May you have peace."

⁹ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

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Bible Reading - Psalm 116

Psalm 116

 

^1-6 I love God because he listened to me,

listened as I begged for mercy.

He listened so intently

as I laid out my case before him.

Death stared me in the face,

hell was hard on my heels.

Up against it, I didn't know which way to turn;

then I called out to God for help:

"Please, God!" I cried out.

"Save my life!"

God is gracious—it is he who makes things right,

our most compassionate God.

God takes the side of the helpless;

when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.

 

^7-8 I said to myself, "Relax and rest.

God has showered you with blessings.

Soul, you've been rescued from death;

Eye, you've been rescued from tears;

And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling."

 

^9-11 I'm striding in the presence of God,

alive in the land of the living!

I stayed faithful, though bedeviled,

and despite a ton of bad luck,

Despite giving up on the human race,

saying, "They're all liars and cheats."

 

^12-19 What can I give back to God

for the blessings he's poured out on me?

I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!

I'll pray in the name of God;

I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,

and I'll do it together with his people.

When they arrive at the gates of death,

God welcomes those who love him.

Oh, God, here I am, your servant,

your faithful servant: set me free for your service!

I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice

and pray in the name of God.

I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,

and I'll do it in company with his people,

In the place of worship, in God's house,

in Jerusalem, God's city.

Hallelujah!

 

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Bible Reading - Psalm 102

Psalm 102

A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the LORD.

 

¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you.

 ² Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. 

³ For my days vanish like smoke;

my bones burn like glowing embers. 

⁴ My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

 I forget to eat my food.

 

⁵ Because of my loud groaning

I am reduced to skin and bones. 

⁶ I am like a desert owl,

 like an owl among the ruins.

 ⁷ I lie awake;

I have become like a bird alone on a roof. 

⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who rail against me use my name as a curse. 

 

 ⁹ For I eat ashes as my food

and mingle my drink with tears 

¹⁰ because of your great wrath,

 for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. 

¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;

 I wither away like grass.

 ¹² But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

your renown endures through all generations.

 

¹³ You will arise and have compassion on Zion,

 for it is time to show favor to her;

the appointed time has come. 

¹⁴ For her stones are dear to your servants;

her very dust moves them to pity. 

¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the LORD,

 all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. 

¹⁶ For the LORD will rebuild Zion

and appear in his glory.

 

¹⁷ He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not despise their plea.

 ¹⁸ Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the LORD : 

¹⁹ "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,

 from heaven he viewed the earth, 

²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death."

 

²¹ So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

²² when the peoples and the kingdoms

 assemble to worship the LORD. 

²³ In the course of my life he broke my strength;

 he cut short my days.

 ²⁴ So I said: "Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;

your years go on through all generations. 

 

 ²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands. 

²⁶ They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. 

²⁷ But you remain the same,

and your years will never end. 

²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence;

their descendants will be established before you."

 

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Bible Reading - Psalm 110

Psalm 110

 

as read by Noelle

 

^1-3The LORD says to my Lord:

"Sit at my right hand until I make

your enemies a footstool for your feet."

The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;

you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy majesty,

from the womb of the dawn

you will receive the dew of your youth.

^4-7The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind:

"You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

The Lord is at your right hand;

he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

He will judge the nations,

heaping up the dead and crushing

the rulers of the whole earth.

He will drink from a brook beside the way;

therefore he will lift up his head.

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