THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: February 22

Sunday, October 25, 2009

February 22

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

FEBRUARY 22

PSALMS: 22, 52, 82, 112, 142

PROVERBS: 22

OLD TESTAMENT

1 SAMUEL 15:1 - 16:23

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 8:1 – 20

PSALMS: 22

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, and am not silent.

3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the praise of Israel.A

4In you our fathers put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

5They cried to you and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by men and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8"He trusts in the LORD;

let the LORD rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him."

9Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you

even at my mother's breast.

10From birth I was cast upon you;

from my mother's womb you have been my God. [1]

11Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13Roaring lions tearing their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted away within me.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay meB in the dust of death.

16Dogs have surrounded me;

a band of evil men has encircled me,

they have piercedC my hands and my feet.

17I can count all my bones;

people stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing.

19But you, O LORD, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20Deliver my life from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

saveD me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22I will declare your name to my brothers;

in the congregation I will praise you.

23You who fear the LORD, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! [2]

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised or disdained

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear youE will I fulfill my vows.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied;

they who seek the LORD will praise him--

may your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,

28for dominion belongs to the LORD

and he rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

31They will proclaim his righteousness

to a people yet unborn--

for he has done it. [3]

PSALMS: 52

For the director of music. A maskilA of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David has gone to the house of Ahimelech."

1Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?

Why do you boast all day long,

you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2Your tongue plots destruction;

it is like a sharpened razor,

you who practice deceit.

3You love evil rather than good,

falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

Selah

4You love every harmful word,

O you deceitful tongue!

5Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah

6The righteous will see and fear;

they will laugh at him, saying,

7"Here now is the man

who did not make God his stronghold

but trusted in his great wealth

and grew strong by destroying others!"

8But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;

I trust in God's unfailing love

for ever and ever.

9I will praise you forever for what you have done; [4]

in your name I will hope, for your name is good.

I will praise you in the presence of your saints. [5]

PSALMS: 82

A psalm of Asaph.

1God presides in the great assembly;

he gives judgment among the "gods":

2"How long will youA defend the unjust

and show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4Rescue the weak and needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5"They know nothing, they understand nothing.

They walk about in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6"I said, `You are "gods";

you are all sons of the Most High.'

7But you will die like mere men;

you will fall like every other ruler."

8Rise up, O God, judge the earth,

for all the nations are your inheritance. [6]

PSALMS: 112

1PraiseA the LORD.B

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

who finds great delight in his commands.

2His children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

4Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.C

5Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,

who conducts his affairs with justice.

6Surely he will never be shaken;

a righteous man will be remembered forever.

7He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is secure, he will have no fear;

in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

9He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever;

his hornD will be lifted high in honor.

10The wicked man will see and be vexed,

he will gnash his teeth and waste away;

the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. [7]

PSALMS: 142

A maskilA of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

1I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

2I pour out my complaint before him;

before him I tell my trouble.

3When my spirit grows faint within me,

it is you who know my way.

In the path where I walk

men have hidden a snare for me.

4Look to my right and see;

no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge;

no one cares for my life.

5I cry to you, O LORD;

I say, "You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living."

6Listen to my cry,

for I am in desperate need;

rescue me from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong for me.

7Set me free from my prison,

that I may praise your name.

Then the righteous will gather about me

because of your goodness to me. [8]

PROVERBS: 22

221 A good name is more desirable than great riches;

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2Rich and poor have this in common:

The LORD is the Maker of them all.

3A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,

but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

4Humility and the fear of the LORD

bring wealth and honor and life.

5In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares,

but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

6TrainA a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.

7The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is servant to the lender.

8He who sows wickedness reaps trouble,

and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

9A generous man will himself be blessed,

for he shares his food with the poor.

10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;

quarrels and insults are ended.

11He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious

will have the king for his friend. [9]

12The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,

but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

13The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"

or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

14The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;

he who is under the LORD's wrath will fall into it.

15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

16He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth

and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.

17Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;

apply your heart to what I teach,

18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart

and have all of them ready on your lips.

19So that your trust may be in the LORD,

I teach you today, even you.

20Have I not written thirtyB sayings for you,

sayings of counsel and knowledge,

21teaching you true and reliable words,

so that you can give sound answers

to him who sent you?

22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor

and do not crush the needy in court,

23for the LORD will take up their case

and will plunder those who plunder them. [10]

24Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,

do not associate with one easily angered,

25or you may learn his ways

and get yourself ensnared.

26Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge

or puts up security for debts;

27if you lack the means to pay,

your very bed will be snatched from under you.

28Do not move an ancient boundary stone

set up by your forefathers.

29Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will serve before kings;

he will not serve before obscure men. [11]

OLD TESTAMENT

1 SAMUEL 15:1 - 16:23

151Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2This is what the LORD Almighty says: `I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroyA everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' "

4So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim--two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. 5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calvesB and lambs--everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

10Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11"I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.

12Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but [12]12Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal."

13When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's instructions."

14But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"

15Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."

16"Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night."

"Tell me," Saul replied.

17Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18And he sent you on a mission, saying, `Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' 19Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"

20"But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.

21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." [13]

22But Samuel replied:

"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

23For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

he has rejected you as king."

24Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD."

26But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!"

27As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors--to one better than you. 29He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."

30Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." 31So Samuel went back with [14]Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

32Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites."

Agag came to him confidently,C thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

33But Samuel said,

"As your sword has made women childless,

so will your mother be childless among women."

And Samuel put Agag to death before the LORD at Gilgal.

34Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

161The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

2But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me."

The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." [15]4Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

5Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."

7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 9Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." 10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"

"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."

Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit downA until he arrives."

12So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine [16]appearance and handsome features.

Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.

14Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evilB spirit from the LORD tormented him.

15Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better."

17So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me."

18One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him."

19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

21David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him."

23Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would [17]feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.[18]

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 8:1 - 20

81But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

13The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

14Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my [19]testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

19Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." 20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come. [20]

^{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. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever 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 ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But 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

Sunday, October 25, 2009

February 22

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John 3:16-21