THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - March 30 - Full Text!

Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

MARCH 30

PSALMS: 30, 60 90, 120, 150

PROVERBS: 30

OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 20:1 - 21:29

NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 12:24 - 13:15

PSALMS: 30

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. ^A Of David.

¹ I will exalt you, O LORD,

for you lifted me out of the depths

and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

² O LORD my God, I called to you for help

and you healed me.

³ O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ^B;

you spared me from going down into the pit.

⁴ Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;

praise his holy name.

⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,

"I will never be shaken."

⁷ O LORD, when you favored me,

you made my mountain ^C stand firm;

but when you hid your face,

I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, O LORD, I called;

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

⁹ "What gain is there in my destruction, ^D

in my going down into the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it proclaim your faithfulness? ¹

¹⁰ Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;

O LORD, be my help."

¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

¹² that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. ²

PSALMS: 60

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lily of the Covenant." A miktam ^A of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim ^B and Aram Zobah, ^C and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹ You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us;

you have been angry--now restore us!

² You have shaken the land and torn it open;

mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

³ You have shown your people desperate times;

you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

⁴ But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner

to be unfurled against the bow.

Selah

⁵ Save us and help us with your right hand,

that those you love may be delivered.

⁶ God has spoken from his sanctuary:

"In triumph I will parcel out Shechem

and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my scepter.

⁸ Moab is my washbasin,

upon Edom I toss my sandal;

over Philistia I shout in triumph."

⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰ Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us

and no longer go out with our armies?

¹¹ Give us aid against the enemy, ³

for the help of man is worthless.

¹² With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies. ⁴

PSALMS: 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations.

² Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You turn men back to dust,

saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."

⁴ For a thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night.

⁵ You sweep men away in the sleep of death;

they are like the new grass of the morning--

⁶ though in the morning it springs up new,

by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷ We are consumed by your anger

and terrified by your indignation.

⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

⁹ All our days pass away under your wrath;

we finish our years with a moan.

¹⁰ The length of our days is seventy years--

or eighty, if we have the strength;

yet their span ^A is but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

¹¹ Who knows the power of your anger?

For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

¹² Teach us to number our days aright, ⁵

PSALMS: 120

A song of ascents.

¹ I call on the LORD in my distress,

and he answers me.

² Save me, O LORD, from lying lips

and from deceitful tongues.

³ What will he do to you,

and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

⁴ He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows,

with burning coals of the broom tree.

⁵ Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,

that I live among the tents of Kedar!

⁶ Too long have I lived

among those who hate peace.

⁷ I am a man of peace;

but when I speak, they are for war. ⁶

PSALMS: 150

¹ Praise the LORD. ^A

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

² Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

⁴ praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD. ⁷

PROVERBS: 30

30 ¹ The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh--an oracle ^A:

This man declared to Ithiel,

to Ithiel and to Ucal: ^B

² "I am the most ignorant of men;

I do not have a man's understanding.

³ I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴ Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?

Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and the name of his son?

Tell me if you know!

⁵ "Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶ Do not add to his words,

or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;

do not refuse me before I die:

⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, `Who is the LORD?'

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰ "Do not slander a servant to his master,

or he will curse you, and you will pay for it. ⁸

¹¹ "There are those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers;

¹² those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

¹³ those whose eyes are ever so haughty,

whose glances are so disdainful;

¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are set with knives

to devour the poor from the earth,

the needy from among mankind.

¹⁵ "The leech has two daughters.

`Give! Give!' they cry.

"There are three things that are never satisfied,

four that never say, `Enough!':

¹⁶ the grave, ^C the barren womb,

land, which is never satisfied with water,

and fire, which never says, `Enough!'

¹⁷ "The eye that mocks a father,

that scorns obedience to a mother,

will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,

will be eaten by the vultures.

¹⁸ "There are three things that are too amazing for me,

four that I do not understand:

¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,

20 the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a maiden.⁹

²¹ "Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot bear up:

²² a servant who becomes king,

a fool who is full of food,

²³ an unloved woman who is married,

and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

²⁴ "Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

²⁶ coneys ^D are creatures of little power,

yet they make their home in the crags;

²⁷ locusts have no king,

yet they advance together in ranks;

²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,

yet it is found in kings' palaces.

²⁹ "There are three things that are stately in their stride,

four that move with stately bearing:

³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,

who retreats before nothing;

³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,

and a king with his army around him. ^E

³² "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself,

or if you have planned evil,

clap your hand over your mouth! ¹⁰

OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 20:1 - 21:29

20 ¹ Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. ² He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 

³ `Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.'"

⁴ The king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours."

⁵ The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: `I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. ⁶ But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.' "

⁷ The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, "See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him."

⁸ The elders and the people all answered, "Don't listen to him or agree to his demands."

⁹ So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, `Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.' " They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful."

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: `One who puts on his ¹¹ armor should not boast like one who takes it off.'“

¹² Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, ^A and he ordered his men: "Prepare to attack." So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, "This is what the LORD says: `Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

¹⁴ "But who will do this?" asked Ahab.

The prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says: `The young officers of the provincial commanders will do it.' "

"And who will start the battle?" he asked.

The prophet answered, "You will."

¹⁵ So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all. ¹⁶ They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. ¹⁷ The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first.

Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, "Men are advancing from Samaria."

¹⁸ He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."

¹⁹ The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them ²⁰ and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with ¹²some of his horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

²² Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again."

²³ Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. ²⁵ You must also raise an army like the one you lost--horse for horse and chariot for chariot--so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they." He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

²⁶ The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

²⁸ The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: `Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.'"

²⁹ For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The ¹³ rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

³¹ His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life."

³² Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says: `Please let me live.' "

The king answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

³³ The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said.

"Go and get him," the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴ "I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."

Ahab said, "On the basis of a treaty I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

³⁵ By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused.

³⁶ So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon ³⁷ the prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, `Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent ^B of silver.' ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared."

"That is your sentence," the king of Israel said. "You have pronounced it yourself."

⁴¹ Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. ⁴² He said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: `You have set free a man I had determined should die. ^C Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.'" ⁴³ Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.

1 ¹ Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

² Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth." ¹⁴ as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him. ^{15 3} But Naboth replied, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."

⁴ So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, "Why are you so sullen? Why won't you eat?"

⁶ He answered her, "Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, `Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, `I will not give you my vineyard.'"

⁷ Jezebel his wife said, "Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I'll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city with him. ⁹ In those letters she wrote:

"Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. ¹⁰ But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death."

¹¹ So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the ¹⁶ people. ¹³ Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth has cursed both God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."

¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead." ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth's vineyard.

¹⁷ Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸ "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ Say to him, `This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?' Then say to him, `This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth's blood, dogs will lick up your blood--yes, yours!'”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!"

"I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. ²¹`I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel--slave or free. ²² I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.'

²³ "And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: `Dogs will ¹⁷ devour Jezebel by the wall of ^A Jezreel.'

²⁴ "Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country."

²⁵ (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

²⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son." ¹⁸

NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 12:24 - 13:15

²⁴ But the word of God continued to increase and spread.

²⁵ When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from ^A Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

13 ¹ In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

⁴ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now the ¹⁹ hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

¹³ From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak." ²⁰

1 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

2 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

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 John 3:16-21 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, F that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.G 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." H