THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - December 12 - Full Text!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

DECEMBER 12

PSALMS: 12, 42, 72, 102, 132

PROVERBS: 12

OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 27:14 - NUMBERS 1:1 - 54

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 11:1 - 26

PSALMS: 12

For the director of music. According to sheminith. ^A A psalm of David.

¹ Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;

the faithful have vanished from among men.

² Everyone lies to his neighbor;

their flattering lips speak with deception.

³ May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue

⁴ that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;

we own our lips ^B--who is our master?"

⁵ "Because of the oppression of the weak

and the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise," says the LORD.

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver refined in a furnace of clay,

purified seven times.

⁷ O LORD, you will keep us safe

and protect us from such people forever.

⁸ The wicked freely strut about

when what is vile is honored among men. ¹

PSALMS: 42

For ^A the director of music. A maskil ^B of the Sons of Korah.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

³ My tears have been my food

day and night,

while men say to me all day long,

"Where is your God?"

⁴ These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go with the multitude,

leading the procession to the house of God,

with shouts of joy and thanksgiving

among the festive throng.

⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and ⁶ my God.

My ^C soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you

from the land of the Jordan,

the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar.

⁷ Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,

at night his song is with me--

a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,

"Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?"

¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

"Where is your God?"

¹¹ Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God. ²

PSALMS: 72

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,

the royal son with your righteousness.

² He will ^A judge your people in righteousness,

your afflicted ones with justice.

³ The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,

the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴ He will defend the afflicted among the people

and save the children of the needy;

he will crush the oppressor.

⁵ He will endure ^B as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.

⁶ He will be like rain falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

⁷ In his days the righteous will flourish;

prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ He will rule from sea to sea

and from the River ^C to the ends of the earth. ^D

⁹ The desert tribes will bow before him

and his enemies will lick the dust.

¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores

will bring tribute to him;

the kings of Sheba and Seba

will present him gifts.

¹¹ All kings will bow down to him

and all nations will serve him. ³

Of Solomon.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy

and save the needy from death.

¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,

for precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba be given him.

May people ever pray for him

and bless him all day long.

¹⁶ Let grain abound throughout the land;

on the tops of the hills may it sway.

Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon;

let it thrive like the grass of the field.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;

may it continue as long as the sun.

All nations will be blessed through him,

and they will call him blessed. ⁴

¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse. ⁵

PSALMS: 102

A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.

¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD;

let my cry for help come to you.

² Do not hide your face from me

when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me;

when I call, answer me quickly.

³ For my days vanish like smoke;

my bones burn like glowing embers.

⁴ My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

I forget to eat my food.

⁵ Because of my loud groaning

I am reduced to skin and bones.

⁶ I am like a desert owl,

like an owl among the ruins.

⁷ I lie awake; I have become

like a bird alone on a roof.

⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

⁹ For I eat ashes as my food

and mingle my drink with tears

¹⁰ because of your great wrath,

for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;

I wither away like grass. ⁶

¹² But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

your renown endures through all generations.

¹³ You will arise and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her;

the appointed time has come.

¹⁴ For her stones are dear to your servants;

her very dust moves them to pity.

¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the LORD,

all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

¹⁶ For the LORD will rebuild Zion

and appear in his glory.

¹⁷ He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸ Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:

¹⁹ "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,

from heaven he viewed the earth,

²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death."

²¹ So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

²² when the peoples and the kingdoms

assemble to worship the LORD.

²³ In the course of my life ^A he broke my strength;

he cut short my days.

²⁴ So I said:

"Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;

your years go on through all generations.

²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.⁷

²⁶ They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them

and they will be discarded.

²⁷ But you remain the same,

and your years will never end.

²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence;

their descendants will be established before you." ⁸

PSALMS: 132

A song of ascents.

¹ O LORD, remember David

and all the hardships he endured.

² He swore an oath to the LORD

and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³ "I will not enter my house

or go to my bed--

⁴ I will allow no sleep to my eyes,

no slumber to my eyelids,

⁵ till I find a place for the LORD,

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

⁶ We heard it in Ephrathah,

we came upon it in the fields of Jaar ^A: ^B

⁷ "Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us worship at his footstool--

⁸ arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

⁹ May your priests be clothed with righteousness;

may your saints sing for joy."

¹⁰ For the sake of David your servant,

do not reject your anointed one. ⁹

¹¹ The LORD swore an oath to David,

a sure oath that he will not revoke:

"One of your own descendants

I will place on your throne--

¹² if your sons keep my covenant

and the statutes I teach them,

then their sons will sit

on your throne for ever and ever."

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion,

he has desired it for his dwelling:

¹⁴ "This is my resting place for ever and ever;

here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--

¹⁵ I will bless her with abundant provisions;

her poor will I satisfy with food.

¹⁶ I will clothe her priests with salvation,

and her saints will ever sing for joy.

¹⁷ "Here I will make a horn ^C grow for David

and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame,

but the crown on his head will be resplendent." ¹⁰

PROVERBS: 12

12 ¹ Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates correction is stupid.

² A good man obtains favor from the LORD,

but the LORD condemns a crafty man.

³ A man cannot be established through wickedness,

but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

⁴ A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,

but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

⁵ The plans of the righteous are just,

but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

⁶ The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷ Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous stands firm.

⁸ A man is praised according to his wisdom,

but men with warped minds are despised.

⁹ Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant

than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

¹⁰ A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,

but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹ He who works his land will have abundant food,

but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. ¹¹

¹² The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,

but the root of the righteous flourishes.

¹³ An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,

but a righteous man escapes trouble.

¹⁴ From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things

as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

¹⁵ The way of a fool seems right to him,

but a wise man listens to advice.

¹⁶A fool shows his annoyance at once,

but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

¹⁷ A truthful witness gives honest testimony,

but a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸ Reckless words pierce like a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹ Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

²⁰ There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,

but joy for those who promote peace.

²¹ No harm befalls the righteous,

but the wicked have their fill of trouble. ¹²

²² The LORD detests lying lips,

but he delights in men who are truthful.

²³ A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,

but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

²⁴ Diligent hands will rule,

but laziness ends in slave labor.

²⁵ An anxious heart weighs a man down,

but a kind word cheers him up.

²⁶ A righteous man is cautious in friendship, ^A

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷ The lazy man does not roast ^B his game,

but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

²⁸ In the way of righteousness there is life;

along that path is immortality. ¹³

OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 27:14-NUMBERS 1:1-1:54

¹⁴ "`If a man dedicates his house as something holy to the LORD, the priest will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, so it will remain. ¹⁵ If the man who dedicates his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to its value, and the house will again become his.

¹⁶ "`If a man dedicates to the LORD part of his family land, its value is to be set according to the amount of seed required for it--fifty shekels of silver to a homer ^I of barley seed. ¹⁷ If he dedicates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains. ¹⁸ But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain until the next Year of Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced. ¹⁹ If the man who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, he must add a fifth to its value, and the field will again become his.

²⁰ If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to someone else, it can never be redeemed. ²¹ When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it will become the property of the priests. ^J

²² "`If a man dedicates to the LORD a field he has bought, which is not part of his family land, ²³ the priest will determine its value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man must pay its value on that day as something holy to the LORD. ²⁴ In the Year of Jubilee the field will revert to the person from whom he bought it, the one whose land it was.

²⁵ Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.

²⁶ "`No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the LORD; whether an ox ^K or a sheep, it is the LORD's. ²⁷ If it is one of the unclean animals, he may buy it back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at its set value.

²⁸ "`But nothing that a man owns and devotes ^L to the LORD--whether man or animal or family land--may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.

²⁹ "`No person devoted to destruction ^M may be ransomed; he must be put to death.

³⁰ "`A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. ³¹ If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. ³² The entire tithe of the herd and flock--every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be holy to the LORD.

³³ He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.'"

³⁴ These are the commands the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.¹⁴

Numbers: 1 ¹ The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: ² "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. ⁴ One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you. ⁵ These are the names of the men who are to assist you:

from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

⁶ from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

⁷ from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

⁸ from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

⁹ from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

¹⁰ from the sons of Joseph:

from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud;

from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

¹¹ from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

¹² from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

¹³ from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;

¹⁴ from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

¹⁵ from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan."

¹⁶ These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been given, ¹⁸ and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people indicated their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, ¹⁹ as the LORD commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai:

²⁰ From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. ²¹ The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

²² From the descendants of Simeon: ¹⁵

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

²³ The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

²⁴ From the descendants of Gad:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁵ The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.

²⁶ From the descendants of Judah:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁷ The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.

²⁸ From the descendants of Issachar:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁹ The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.

³⁰ From the descendants of Zebulun:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³¹ The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

³² From the sons of Joseph:

From the descendants of Ephraim:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³³ The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500. ³⁴ From the descendants of Manasseh:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁵ The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

³⁶ From the descendants of Benjamin:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁷ The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.

³⁸ From the descendants of Dan: ¹⁶

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁹ The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.

⁴⁰ From the descendants of Asher:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ⁴¹ The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.

⁴² From the descendants of Naphtali:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ⁴³ The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.

⁴⁴ These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. ⁴⁵ All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. ⁴⁶ The total number was 603,550.

⁴⁷ The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted along with the others.

⁴⁸ The LORD had said to Moses: ⁴⁹ "You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. ⁵⁰ Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony--over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. ⁵¹ Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who goes near it shall be put to death. ⁵² The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each man in his own camp under his own standard. ⁵³ The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony."

⁵⁴ The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses. ¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 11:1 - 26

11 ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, `Why are you doing this?' tell him, `The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' "

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,

⁵ some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

"Hosanna! ^A"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" ^B

¹⁰ "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"

"Hosanna in the highest!"

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: ¹⁸

"`My house will be called

a house of prayer for all nations' ^C?

But you have made it `a den of robbers.' ^D"

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, they ^E went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

²² "Have ^F faith in God," Jesus answered. ²³ "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. ^G" ¹⁹

1^ 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