Day 245 – September 2, 2021

Zechariah 9

Judgment of Israel’s Enemies

1 The burden of the word of the Lord against the land of Hadrach, and of Damascus his sacrifice, for the Lord looks upon men and on all the tribes of Israel.†

2 And on Hamath in her borders, Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.

3 For Tyre built a fortress for herself and stored up silver like dust and collected gold like mud in the streets.

4 Therefore, the Lord shall possess her as an inheritance, and shall strike against her power in the sea, and she shall be consumed by fire.

5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear; and Gaza, even she shall suffer greatly, and Ekron will be ashamed because of her transgression. The king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall no longer be inhabited.

6 “And foreigners shall settle in Ashdod, and I will bring down the pride of the Philistines.

7 I will remove their blood from their mouth and their abominations from between their teeth, and this also will be left to our God. And they shall be as a captain of a thousand in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

8 And I will raise up a fortress around My house that none may pass through nor return back, and no longer shall anyone come against them to drive them out, for I have now seen with My own eyes.†

The Coming King

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Proclaim it aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is righteous and saving; He is gentle and mounted upon a donkey, even a young foal.

10 He will utterly destroy the chariots out of Ephraim and the horse out of Jerusalem. The bow of war shall be utterly destroyed, and there shall be abundance and peace among the nations. He shall rule over the waters as far as the sea and over the rivers to the ends of the earth.

11 “And by the blood of your covenant, you freed your prisoners from the pit having no water.†

12 You prisoners from the congregation, you shall live in the fortress, and for one day of your exile, I will repay to you double.

13 For I have bent you, O Judah, for Myself as a bow; I have filled Ephraim. And I will arouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of the Greeks, and I will handle you as the sword of a warrior.”

14 And the Lord will be over them, and He shall go forth like a lightning bolt. The Lord Almighty shall sound with the trumpet and shall go forth with the tumult of His threat.

15 The Lord Almighty will shield them, and they shall devour their enemy and overwhelm them with sling-stones. They will drink them down as wine, and they shall fill the bowls as at the altar.

16 And on that day, the Lord their God will deliver them, His people, as a flock, for sacred stones will roll across His land.

17 For if anything of His be good, and anything of His be fair, there shall be grain for the young men and the fragrant wine for the virgins.

Psalms 55

1 For the End, for the people far from the holy places; by David; for a pillar inscription, when foreigners conquered him in Gath. †

2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for man tramples me down; All day long he afflicts me in war. 

3 All day my enemies trample me down, For many are those who war against me from on high. 

4 I will not fear by day, But I will hope in You. 

5 I will praise God with my words all day long; In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me? 

6 All day long they make my words repulsive; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 

7 They will dwell near and hide; They will watch my heel As they wait for my soul. 

8 In no way will You save them; In wrath You will bring down peoples, O God. 

9 I declare my life to You; You set my tears before You, as also in Your promise. 

10 My enemies shall be turned back In whatever day I may call upon You; Behold, I know You are my God. 

11 In God I will praise His word; In the Lord I will praise His word. 

12 In God I hope; I will not be afraid; What will man do to me? 

13 In me, O God, are vows I will render in praise to You; 

14 For You delivered my soul from death, And my feet from slipping; That I may be well-pleasing before God in the light of the living.

Proverbs of Solomon 11

21 Like a ring in the nose of a wild swine, So is beauty to an evil-minded woman. 

22 Every desire of the righteous is good, But the hope of the ungodly is destruction.† 

23 There are those who sow their own things and produce more things, And there are those who gather but have less. 

24 Every sincere soul is blessed, But an angry man is not graceful.† 

25 May the one who hoards grain leave it to the nations, But may blessing be upon the head of the one who shares it.

1 Corinthians 12

Spiritual Gifts

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:†

2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.†

3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.†

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.†

5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: †

8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,†

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.†

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.†

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,

25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. †

Love, Superior to Gifts

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.†

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?