Study Desk

Some people are rich with gold and weigh their silver on the scales. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god. Then they bow down and worship it.

"Remember this, and do not forget it! Think about these things, you who turn against God.

Remember what happened long ago. Remember that I am God, and there is no other God. I am God, and there is no one like me.

You do evil things, but you feel safe and say, ‘No one sees what I do.' Your wisdom and knowledge have fooled you. You say to yourself, ‘I am God, and no one is equal to me.'

The Lord says, "Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are called Israel, and you come from the family of Judah. You swear by the Lord 's name and praise the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.

You call yourselves people of the holy city, and you depend on the God of Israel, who is named the Lord All-Powerful.

I do this for myself, for my own sake. I will not let people speak evil against me, and I will not let some god take my glory.

"People of Jacob, listen to me. People of Israel, I have called you to be my people. I am God; I am the beginning and the end.

Come to me and listen to this. From the beginning I have spoken openly. From the time it began, I was there." Now, the Lord God has sent me with his Spirit.

This is what the Lord , who saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to do what is good, who leads you in the way you should go.

But I said, "I have worked hard for nothing; I have used all my power, but I did nothing useful. But the Lord will decide what my work is worth; God will decide my reward."

The Lord made me in the body of my mother to be his servant, to lead the people of Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him. The Lord will honor me, and I will get my strength from my God.

They will not be hungry or thirsty. Neither the hot sun nor the desert wind will hurt them. The God who comforts them will lead them and guide them by springs of water.

This is what the Lord God says: "See, I will lift my hand to signal the nations; I will raise my banner for all the people to see. Then they will bring your sons back to you in their arms, and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders.

The Lord God gave me the ability to teach so that I know what to say to make the weak strong. Every morning he wakes me. He teaches me to listen like a student.

The Lord God helps me learn, and I have not turned against him nor stopped following him.

The Lord God helps me, so I will not be ashamed. I will be determined, and I know I will not be disgraced.

Look! It is the Lord God who helps me. So who can prove me guilty? Look! All those who try will become useless like old clothes; moths will eat them.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? That person may walk in the dark and have no light. Then let him trust in the Lord and yet depend on his God.

I am the Lord your God, who stirs the sea and makes the waves roar. My name is the Lord All-Powerful.