DAY ONE HUNDRED-NINETY FOUR
____
July 13
Devotional
In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Psalm 39:5 CSB
Have you ever heard the phrase, “it’s a game of inches”? The phrase usually comes up when someone is just a little short of achieving their goal. You miss the field goal, the putt doesn’t go in, the ball goes foul by just a few inches, the shot hits the front of the rim. Today’s verse speaks to the truth that in the scope of eternity, life is just a game of inches. Those things that can seem so important and significant in the moment take on a different meaning when filtered through eternity. As you step into your day, choose to live in a way that the inches matter, and that you also keep the big picture of eternity in focus.
Ezekiel 28 CSB
The Fall of Tyre’s Ruler28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. 3 Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! 4 By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. 5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.
6 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
Because you regard your heart as that of a god,
7 I am about to bring strangers against you,
ruthless men from the nations.
They will draw their swords
against your magnificent wisdom
and will pierce your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the sea.
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who slay you?
Yet you will be only a man, not a god,
in the hands of those who kill you.
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of strangers.
For I have spoken.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”
A Lament for Tyre’s King
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God.
Every kind of precious stone covered you:
carnelian, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and emerald.
Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold;
they were prepared on the day you were created.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub,
for I had appointed you.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways
until wickedness was found in you.
16 Through the abundance of your trade,
you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I expelled you in disgrace
from the mountain of God,
and banished you, guardian cherub,
rom among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty;
For the sake of your splendor
you corrupted your wisdom.
So I threw you down to the ground;
I made you a spectacle before kings.
18 You profaned your sanctuaries
by the magnitude of your iniquities
in your dishonest trade.
So I made fire come from within you,
and it consumed you.
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of everyone watching you.
19 All those who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you.
You have become an object of horror
and will never exist again.’”
A Prophecy against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, face Sidon and prophesy against it. 22 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Look! I am against you, Sidon,
and I will display my glory within you.
They will know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments against her
and demonstrate my holiness through her.
23 I will send a plague against her
and bloodshed in her streets;
the slain will fall within her,
while the sword is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 “‘The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by prickly briers or painful thorns from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
25 “‘This is what the Lord God says: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are scattered, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will live securely when I execute judgments against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
Ezekiel 29 CSB
A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. 3 Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, “My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.”
4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams
cling to your scales.
I will haul you up
from the middle of your Nile,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open ground
and will not be taken away
or gathered for burial.
I have given you
to the wild creatures of the earth
and the birds of the sky as food.
6 “‘Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
will know that I am the Lord,
for they have been a staff made of reed
to the house of Israel.
7 When Israel grasped you by the hand,
you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;
when they leaned on you,
you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.
8 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and cut off both people and animals from you. 9 The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,” 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities for forty years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
13 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were dispersed. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their iniquity of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”
Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. 21 “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 30 CSB
Egypt’s Doom30 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Wail, “Woe because of that day!”
3 For a day is near;
a day belonging to the Lord is near.
It will be a day of clouds,
a time of doom for the nations.
4 A sword will come against Egypt,
and there will be anguish in Cush
when the slain fall in Egypt,
and its wealth is taken away,
and its foundations are demolished.
5 Cush, Put, and Lud,
and all the various foreign troops,
plus Libya and the men of the covenant land
will fall by the sword along with them.
6 This is what the Lord says:
Those who support Egypt will fall,
and its proud strength will collapse.
From Migdol to Syene
they will fall within it by the sword.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
7 They will be desolate
among desolate lands,
and their cities will lie
among ruined cities.
8 They will know that I am the Lord
when I set fire to Egypt
and all its allies are shattered.
9 On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For indeed it is coming.
10 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt
by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
11 He along with his people,
ruthless men from the nations,
will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt
and fill the land with the slain.
12 I will make the streams dry
and sell the land to evil men.
I will bring desolation
on the land and everything in it
by the hands of foreigners.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will destroy the worthless idols
and put an end to the false gods in Memphis.
There will no longer be
a prince from the land of Egypt.
And I will instill fear in that land.
14 I will make Pathros desolate,
set fire to Zoan,
and execute judgments on Thebes.
15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt,
and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt;
Pelusium will writhe in anguish,
Thebes will be breached,
and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight.
17 The young men of On and Pi-beseth
will fall by the sword,
and those cities will go into captivity.
18 The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes,
when I break the yoke of Egypt there
and its proud strength
comes to an end in the city.
A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes,
and its surrounding villages will go into captivity.
19 So I will execute judgments against Egypt,
and they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Pharaoh’s Power Broken
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged—no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword. 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man. 25 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt. 26 When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the Lord.”
Psalm 39 CSB
The Fleeting Nature of LifeFor the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;
yes, every human being is only a vapor.Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.
For I am here with you as an alien,
a temporary resident like all my ancestors.
13 Turn your angry gaze from me
so that I may be cheered up
before I die and am gone.”
Ezekiel 28 CSB
The Fall of Tyre’s Ruler28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. 3 Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! 4 By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. 5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.
6 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
Because you regard your heart as that of a god,
7 I am about to bring strangers against you,
ruthless men from the nations.
They will draw their swords
against your magnificent wisdom
and will pierce your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the sea.
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who slay you?
Yet you will be only a man, not a god,
in the hands of those who kill you.
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of strangers.
For I have spoken.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”
A Lament for Tyre’s King
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God.
Every kind of precious stone covered you:
carnelian, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and emerald.
Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold;
they were prepared on the day you were created.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub,
for I had appointed you.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways
until wickedness was found in you.
16 Through the abundance of your trade,
you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I expelled you in disgrace
from the mountain of God,
and banished you, guardian cherub,
rom among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty;
For the sake of your splendor
you corrupted your wisdom.
So I threw you down to the ground;
I made you a spectacle before kings.
18 You profaned your sanctuaries
by the magnitude of your iniquities
in your dishonest trade.
So I made fire come from within you,
and it consumed you.
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of everyone watching you.
19 All those who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you.
You have become an object of horror
and will never exist again.’”
A Prophecy against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, face Sidon and prophesy against it. 22 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Look! I am against you, Sidon,
and I will display my glory within you.
They will know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments against her
and demonstrate my holiness through her.
23 I will send a plague against her
and bloodshed in her streets;
the slain will fall within her,
while the sword is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 “‘The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by prickly briers or painful thorns from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
25 “‘This is what the Lord God says: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are scattered, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will live securely when I execute judgments against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
----
Ezekiel 29 CSB
A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. 3 Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, “My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.”
4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams
cling to your scales.
I will haul you up
from the middle of your Nile,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open ground
and will not be taken away
or gathered for burial.
I have given you
to the wild creatures of the earth
and the birds of the sky as food.
6 “‘Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
will know that I am the Lord,
for they have been a staff made of reed
to the house of Israel.
7 When Israel grasped you by the hand,
you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;
when they leaned on you,
you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.
8 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and cut off both people and animals from you. 9 The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,” 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities for forty years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
13 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were dispersed. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their iniquity of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”
Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. 21 “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
----
Ezekiel 30 CSB
Egypt’s Doom30 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Wail, “Woe because of that day!”
3 For a day is near;
a day belonging to the Lord is near.
It will be a day of clouds,
a time of doom for the nations.
4 A sword will come against Egypt,
and there will be anguish in Cush
when the slain fall in Egypt,
and its wealth is taken away,
and its foundations are demolished.
5 Cush, Put, and Lud,
and all the various foreign troops,
plus Libya and the men of the covenant land
will fall by the sword along with them.
6 This is what the Lord says:
Those who support Egypt will fall,
and its proud strength will collapse.
From Migdol to Syene
they will fall within it by the sword.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
7 They will be desolate
among desolate lands,
and their cities will lie
among ruined cities.
8 They will know that I am the Lord
when I set fire to Egypt
and all its allies are shattered.
9 On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For indeed it is coming.
10 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt
by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
11 He along with his people,
ruthless men from the nations,
will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt
and fill the land with the slain.
12 I will make the streams dry
and sell the land to evil men.
I will bring desolation
on the land and everything in it
by the hands of foreigners.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will destroy the worthless idols
and put an end to the false gods in Memphis.
There will no longer be
a prince from the land of Egypt.
And I will instill fear in that land.
14 I will make Pathros desolate,
set fire to Zoan,
and execute judgments on Thebes.
15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt,
and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt;
Pelusium will writhe in anguish,
Thebes will be breached,
and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight.
17 The young men of On and Pi-beseth
will fall by the sword,
and those cities will go into captivity.
18 The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes,
when I break the yoke of Egypt there
and its proud strength
comes to an end in the city.
A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes,
and its surrounding villages will go into captivity.
19 So I will execute judgments against Egypt,
and they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Pharaoh’s Power Broken
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged—no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword. 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man. 25 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt. 26 When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the Lord.”
----
Psalm 39 CSB
The Fleeting Nature of LifeFor the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;
yes, every human being is only a vapor.Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.
For I am here with you as an alien,
a temporary resident like all my ancestors.
13 Turn your angry gaze from me
so that I may be cheered up
before I die and am gone.”
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