Isaiah 18-19; Proverbs 6:20-35

Wednesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 18-19; Proverbs 6:20-35

5 Tishrei on the Jewish calendar

In 134 CE, the great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Akiva, was taken captive by the
Romans, and executed five days later in Caesarea, Israel. Rabbi Akiva had been a
40-year-old shepherd who could not even read the Aleph-Bet. One day, he came
across a stone that had been holed out by a constant drip of water. He
concluded: If something as soft as water can carve a hole in solid rock, how
much more so can Torah -- which is fire -- make an indelible impression on my
heart. Rabbi Akiva committed himself to Torah study, and went on to become the
greatest sage of his generation, with 24,000 students learning under him at one
time. The Roman authorities eventually arrested him for "illegally" teaching
Torah. As he was being tortured, Rabbi Akiva rejoiced in fulfilling the biblical
command to "love God with all your life." As he died, Rabbi Akiva uttered the
words of Shema Yisrael. His self-sacrifice for Torah continues to inspire Jews
till today. —from Aish.com

Imagine this . . . !

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." —Isaiah 19:23-25