Solomon Admires His Bride’s Beauty

Song of Solomon 4:1) Behold, you are beautiful, my love,

behold, you are beautiful!

Your eyes are doves

behind your veil.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

leaping down the slopes of Gilead.

2) Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes

that have come up from the washing,

all of which bear twins,

and not one among them has lost its young.

3) Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

and your mouth is lovely.

Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

behind your veil.

4) Your neck is like the tower of David,

built in rows of stone;

on it hang a thousand shields,

all of them shields of warriors.

5) Your two breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle,

that graze among the lilies.

6) Until the day breathes

and the shadows flee,

I will go away to the mountain of myrrh

and the hill of frankincense.

7) You are altogether beautiful, my love;

there is no flaw in you.

8) Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;

come with me from Lebanon.

Depart from the peak of Amana,

from the peak of Senir and Hermon,

from the dens of lions,

from the mountains of leopards.

9) You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one jewel of your necklace.

10) How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!

11) Your lips drip nectar, my bride;

honey and milk are under your tongue;

the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12) A garden locked is my sister, my bride,

a spring locked, a fountain sealed.

13) Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates

with all choicest fruits,

henna with nard,

14) nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,

with all trees of frankincense,

myrrh and aloes,

with all choice spices—

15) a garden fountain, a well of living water,

and flowing streams from Lebanon.

16) Awake, O north wind,

and come, O south wind!

Blow upon my garden,

let its spices flow.

The Sun Stands Still

Joshua
6) And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us." 7) So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8) And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you." 9) So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10) And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11) And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
12) At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,

and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."

13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14) There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
15) So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal. 10:1) As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2) he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3) So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4) "Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel." 5) Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.

For Heaven's Sake

The Call of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:1) The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2) to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3) It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4) Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5) "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

6) Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." 7) But the Lord said to me,

"Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8) Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord."

9) Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

10) See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to break down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant."

11) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see an almond branch." 12) Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
13) The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." 14) Then the Lord said to me, "Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15) For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16) And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17) But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18) And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19) They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you."

For Heaven's Sake

Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philippians 1:3) I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4) always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5) because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7) It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8) For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9) And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10) so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

Philippians 01:
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16) The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17) The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18) What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. 12) I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13) so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14) And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

For Heaven's Sake

The Great Day of the Lord

Malachi 4:1) "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2) But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3) And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
4) "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
5) "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6) And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."

For Heaven's sake

For Heavens Sake

Paul’s Longing to See Them Again

1 Thessalonians 2:17) But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18) because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19) For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20) For you are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 3:1) Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2) and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3) that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4) For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5) For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

Elijah Denounces Ahaziah

2 Kings 1:1) After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.


2) Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” 3) But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4) Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah went.

5) The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” 6) And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” 7) He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8) They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9) Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ” 10) But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ilet fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11) Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’ ” 12) But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13) Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. 14) Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15) Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king 16) and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ”

17) So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18) Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Our Heavenly Dwelling

2 Corinthians 5:1) For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2) For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3) if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4) For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5) He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6) So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7) for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8) Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9) So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Submission to Authority

1 Peter 2:13) Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14) or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16) Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17) Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18) Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19) For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20) For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21) For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22) He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23) When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25) For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Warning Concerning Antichrists

1 John 2:18) Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20) But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21) I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22) Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23) No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24) Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25) And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
26) I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27) But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Non Sequitur 6/4/12

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

Romans 14:1) As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2) One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3) Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4) Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5) One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6) The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7) For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8) For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9) For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10) Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11) for it is written,

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God."

12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1) I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
3) Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4) who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5) Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6) Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8) Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9) Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10) Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11) Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12) Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13) Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14) Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15) Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16) Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Final Instructions and Greetings

Romans 16:17) I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18) For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19) For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21) Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22) I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23) Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
Some manuscripts insert verse 24) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Doxology

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26) but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27) to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Proverbs 14:34

Proverbs 14:34) Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

The Example of Christ

Romans 15:1) We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2) Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3) For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4) For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5) May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6) that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7) Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

Romans 15:8) For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9) and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and sing to your name."

10) And again it is said,

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."

11) And again,

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples extol him."

12) And again Isaiah says,

"The root of Jesse will come,

even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;

in him will the Gentiles hope."

13) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

Romans 15:14) I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16) to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17) In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18) For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19) by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20) and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21) but as it is written,
"Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand."

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

Romans 15:22) This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23) But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24) I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25) At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26) For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27) For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29) I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31) that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32) so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33) May the God of peace be with you all. Amen