THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - February 8

Thursday, February 8, 2018

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - February 8 - Full Text!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

FEBRUARY 8

PSALMS: 8, 38, 68, 98, 128

PROVERBS: 8

OLD TESTAMENT: JUDGES 11:1 - 12:15

NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 1:1 - 28

PSALMS: 7

A shiggaion ^A of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

¹O LORD my God, I take refuge in you;

save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

²or they will tear me like a lion

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O LORD my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my hands--

⁴if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me

or without cause have robbed my foe--

⁵then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and make me sleep in the dust.

Selah

⁶Arise, O LORD, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.

Awake, my God; decree justice.

⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around you.

Rule over them from on high;

⁸let the LORD judge the peoples.

Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,

according to my integrity, O Most High.

⁹O righteous God,

who searches minds and hearts,

bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure. ¹

¹⁰My shield ^B is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge,

a God who expresses his wrath every day.

¹²If he does not relent,

he ^C will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.

¹⁴He who is pregnant with evil

and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.

¹⁵He who digs a hole and scoops it out

falls into the pit he has made.

¹⁶The trouble he causes recoils on himself;

his violence comes down on his own head.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness

and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. ²

PSALMS: 37

Of David.

¹Do ^A not fret because of evil men

or be envious of those who do wrong;

²for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

³Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

⁶He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret--it leads only to evil.

⁹For evil men will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

¹¹But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy great peace. ³

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

¹⁵But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

¹⁷for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

¹⁹In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

²⁰But the wicked will perish:

The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,

they will vanish--vanish like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

²²those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be cut off. ⁴

²³If the LORD delights in a man's way,

he makes his steps firm;

²⁴though he stumble, he will not fall,

for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

²⁵I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

²⁶They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be blessed.

²⁷Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

²⁸For the LORD loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

They will be protected forever,

but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

²⁹the righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks what is just.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart;

his feet do not slip.

³²The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

seeking their very lives;

³³but the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned when brought to trial. ⁵

³⁴Wait for the LORD

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

³⁷Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

there is a future ^B for the man of peace.

³⁸But all sinners will be destroyed;

the future ^C of the wicked will be cut off.

³⁹The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

⁴⁰The LORD helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him. ⁶

PSALMS: 67

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

¹May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face shine upon us,

Selah

²that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

³May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you.

⁴May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you rule the peoples justly

and guide the nations of the earth.

Selah

⁵May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you.

⁶Then the land will yield its harvest,

and God, our God, will bless us.

⁷God will bless us,

and all the ends of the earth will fear him. ⁷

PSALMS: 97

¹The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;

let the distant shores rejoice.

²Clouds and thick darkness surround him;

righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³Fire goes before him

and consumes his foes on every side.

⁴His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the peoples see his glory.

⁷All who worship images are put to shame,

those who boast in idols--

worship him, all you gods!

⁸Zion hears and rejoices

and the villages of Judah are glad

because of your judgments, O LORD.

⁹For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;

you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰Let those who love the LORD hate evil,

for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is shed upon the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart.

¹²Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,

and praise his holy name. ⁸

PSALMS: 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the LORD builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the LORD watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain.

²In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat--

for he grants sleep to ^A those he loves.

³Sons are a heritage from the LORD,

children a reward from him.

⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are sons born in one's youth.

⁵Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame

when they contend with their enemies in the gate. ⁹

PROVERBS: 7

7 ¹ My son, keep my words

and store up my commands within you.

²Keep my commands and you will live;

guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

³Bind them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Say to wisdom, "You are my sister,"

and call understanding your kinsman;

⁵they will keep you from the adulteress,

from the wayward wife with her seductive words.

⁶At the window of my house

I looked out through the lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple,

I noticed among the young men,

a youth who lacked judgment.

⁸He was going down the street near her corner,

walking along in the direction of her house

⁹at twilight, as the day was fading,

as the dark of night set in.

¹⁰Then out came a woman to meet him,

dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

¹¹(She is loud and defiant,

her feet never stay at home;

¹²now in the street, now in the squares,

at every corner she lurks.)

¹³She took hold of him and kissed him

and with a brazen face she said:

¹⁴"I have fellowship offerings ^A at home;

today I fulfilled my vows.

¹⁵So I came out to meet you; ¹⁰

I looked for you and have found you!

¹⁶I have covered my bed

with colored linens from Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed

with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let's drink deep of love till morning;

let's enjoy ourselves with love!

¹⁹My husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He took his purse filled with money

and will not be home till full moon."

²¹With persuasive words she led him astray;

she seduced him with her smooth talk.

²²All at once he followed her

like an ox going to the slaughter,

like a deer ^B stepping into a noose ^C

²³ till an arrow pierces his liver,

like a bird darting into a snare,

little knowing it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now then, my sons, listen to me;

pay attention to what I say.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn to her ways

or stray into her paths.

²⁶Many are the victims she has brought down;

her slain are a mighty throng.

²⁷Her house is a highway to the grave, ^D

leading down to the chambers of death. ¹¹

OLD TESTAMENT: JUDGES 11:1 - 12:15

11 ¹Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. ²Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." ³So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.

⁴Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, ⁵the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶"Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."

⁷Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"

⁸The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead."

⁹Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me--will I really be your head?"

¹⁰The elders of Gilead replied, "The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." ¹¹So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.

¹²Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the ¹² question: "What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?"

¹³The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably."

¹⁴Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, ¹⁵saying:

"This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. ¹⁶But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea ^A and on to Kadesh. ¹⁷Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, `Give us permission to go through your country,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

¹⁸"Next they traveled through the desert, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.

¹⁹"Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, `Let us pass through your country to our own place.' ²⁰Sihon, however, did not trust Israel ^B to pass through his territory. He mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.

²¹"Then the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the ¹³ land of the Amorites who lived in that country, ²²capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.

²³"Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? ²⁴Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the LORD our God has given us, we will possess. ²⁵Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? ²⁶For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you retake them during that time? ²⁷I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the LORD, the Judge, ^C decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites."

²⁸The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

²⁹Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. ³⁰And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, ³¹whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

³²Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. ³³He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. ¹⁴ ³⁴When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.

³⁵When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break."

³⁶"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.

³⁷But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

³⁸"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. ³⁹After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite custom ⁴⁰that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

12 ¹The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head." ¹⁵ ²Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands. ³When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"

⁴Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh." ⁵The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No,"

⁶they said, "All right, say `Shibboleth.' " If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

⁷Jephthah led ^A Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead.

⁸After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. ⁹He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. ¹⁰Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. ¹²Then Elon died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. ¹⁴He ¹⁶ had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years.

¹⁵Then Abdon son of Hillel died, and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites. ¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 1:1 - 28

1 ^1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood ^A it.

⁶There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. ^B

¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—¹³children born not of natural descent, ^C nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, ^D who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" ¹⁶From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ ¹⁸No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, ^E
F who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

¹⁹Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ. ^G"

²¹They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"

He said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

²²Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.'" ^H

²⁴Now some Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

²⁶"I baptize with ^I water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

²⁸This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ¹⁹

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

THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION

Thursday, February 8, 2018

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - February 8 - Full Text!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for Visiting THEINC-HIM Daily Bilble Meditation blog

John 3:16-21