As Daughters Light the Seven Lamps

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Matthew 2:1–18 (NLT): Chapter 2

Visitors from the East

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—

weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted,

for they are dead.”

Jeremiah 31:15–22 (NLT):

Rachel’s Sadness Turns to Joy

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A cry is heard in Ramah—

deep anguish and bitter weeping.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted—

for her children are gone.”

16 But now this is what the Lord says:

“Do not weep any longer,

for I will reward you,” says the Lord.

“Your children will come back to you

from the distant land of the enemy.

17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord.

“Your children will come again to their own land.

18 I have heard Israel saying,

‘You disciplined me severely,

like a calf that needs training for the yoke.

Turn me again to you and restore me,

for you alone are the Lord my God.

19 I turned away from God,

but then I was sorry.

I kicked myself for my stupidity!

I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’

20 “Is not Israel still my son,

my darling child?” says the Lord.

“I often have to punish him,

but I still love him.

That’s why I long for him

and surely will have mercy on him.

21 Set up road signs;

put up guideposts.

Mark well the path

by which you came.

Come back again, my virgin Israel;

return to your towns here.

22 How long will you wander,

my wayward daughter?

For the Lord will cause something new to happen—

Israel will embrace her God.”

Isaiah 31:1–32:20 (NLT)

The Futility of Relying on Egypt

1 What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help,

trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers

and depending on the strength of human armies

instead of looking to the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel.

2 In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster;

he will not change his mind.

He will rise against the wicked

and against their helpers.

3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God!

Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits!

When the Lord raises his fist against them,

those who help will stumble,

and those being helped will fall.

They will all fall down and die together.

4 But this is what the Lord has told me:

“When a strong young lion

stands growling over a sheep it has killed,

it is not frightened by the shouts and noise

of a whole crowd of shepherds.

In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will come down and fight on Mount Zion.

5 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem

and protect it like a bird protecting its nest.

He will defend and save the city;

he will pass over it and rescue it.”

6 Though you are such wicked rebels, my people, come and return to the Lord. 7 I know the glorious day will come when each of you will throw away the gold idols and silver images your sinful hands have made.

8 “The Assyrians will be destroyed,

but not by the swords of men.

The sword of God will strike them,

and they will panic and flee.

The strong young Assyrians

will be taken away as captives.

9 Even the strongest will quake with terror,

and princes will flee when they see your battle flags,”

says the Lord, whose fire burns in Zion,

whose flame blazes from Jerusalem.

Chapter 32

Israel’s Ultimate Deliverance

1 Look, a righteous king is coming!

And honest princes will rule under him.

2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert

and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.

3 Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth,

and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.

4 Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding.

Those who stammer will speak out plainly.

5 In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes.

Scoundrels will not be respected.

6 For fools speak foolishness

and make evil plans.

They practice ungodliness

and spread false teachings about the Lord.

They deprive the hungry of food

and give no water to the thirsty.

7 The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil.

They plot crooked schemes.

They lie to convict the poor,

even when the cause of the poor is just.

8 But generous people plan to do what is generous,

and they stand firm in their generosity.

9 Listen, you women who lie around in ease.

Listen to me, you who are so smug.

10 In a short time—just a little more than a year—

you careless ones will suddenly begin to care.

For your fruit crops will fail,

and the harvest will never take place.

11 Tremble, you women of ease;

throw off your complacency.

Strip off your pretty clothes,

and put on burlap to show your grief.

12 Beat your breasts in sorrow for your bountiful farms

and your fruitful grapevines.

13 For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers.

Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.

14 The palace and the city will be deserted,

and busy towns will be empty.

Wild donkeys will frolic and flocks will graze

in the empty forts and watchtowers

15 until at last the Spirit is poured out

on us from heaven.

Then the wilderness will become a fertile field,

and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.

16 Justice will rule in the wilderness

and righteousness in the fertile field.

17 And this righteousness will bring peace.

Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.

18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home.

They will be at rest.

19 Even if the forest should be destroyed

and the city torn down,

20 the Lord will greatly bless his people.

Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.

Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.

Revelation 2:1–29 (NLT):

The Message to the Church in Ephesus

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

The Message to the Church in Smyrna

8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

The Message to the Church in Pergamum

12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

The Message to the Church in Thyatira

18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:

19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,

To them I will give authority over all the nations.

27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.

28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.