THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: March 1

Saturday, October 24, 2009

March 1

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

MARCH 1

PSALMS: 1, 31, 61, 91, 121

PROVERBS: 1

OLD TESTAMENT

1 SAMUEL 29:1 - 31:13

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 11:55 - 12:19

PSALMS: 1

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

4Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish. [1]

PSALMS: 31

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

2Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

3Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4Free me from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

5Into your hands I commit my spirit;

redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

6I hate those who cling to worthless idols;

I trust in the LORD.

7I will be glad and rejoice in your love,

for you saw my affliction

and knew the anguish of my soul.

8You have not handed me over to the enemy

but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and my body with grief.

10My life is consumed by anguish

and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,A

and my bones grow weak. [2]

11Because of all my enemies,

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;

I am a dread to my friends--

those who see me on the street flee from me.

12I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;

I have become like broken pottery.

13For I hear the slander of many;

there is terror on every side;

they conspire against me

and plot to take my life.

14But I trust in you, O LORD;

I say, "You are my God."

15My times are in your hands;

deliver me from my enemies

and from those who pursue me.

16Let your face shine on your servant;

save me in your unfailing love.

17Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,

for I have cried out to you;

but let the wicked be put to shame

and lie silent in the grave.B

18Let their lying lips be silenced,

for with pride and contempt

they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19How great is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you,

which you bestow in the sight of men

on those who take refuge in you.

20In the shelter of your presence you hide them

from the intrigues of men;

in your dwelling you keep them safe [3]

from accusing tongues.

21Praise be to the LORD,

for he showed his wonderful love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

22In my alarm I said,

"I am cut off from your sight!"

Yet you heard my cry for mercy

when I called to you for help.

23Love the LORD, all his saints!

The LORD preserves the faithful,

but the proud he pays back in full.

24Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the LORD. [4]

PSALMS: 61

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

1Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

2From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

4I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Selah

5For you have heard my vows, O God;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6Increase the days of the king's life,

his years for many generations.

7May he be enthroned in God's presence forever;

appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8Then will I ever sing praise to your name

and fulfill my vows day after day. [5]

PSALMS: 91

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.A

2I will sayB of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

3Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you make the Most High your dwelling--

even the LORD, who is my refuge--

10then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent. [6]

14"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation." [7]

PSALMS: 121

A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to the hills--

where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

3He will not let your foot slip--

he who watches over you will not slumber;

4indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The LORD watches over you--

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will keep you from all harm--

he will watch over your life;

8the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore. [8]

PROVERBS: 1

1 1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2for attaining wisdom and discipline;

for understanding words of insight;

3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,

doing what is right and just and fair;

4for giving prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the young--

5let the wise listen and add to their learning,

and let the discerning get guidance--

6for understanding proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,

but foolsA despise wisdom and discipline.

8Listen, my son, to your father's instruction

and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

9They will be a garland to grace your head

and a chain to adorn your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you,

do not give in to them.

11If they say, "Come along with us;

let's lie in wait for someone's blood,

let's waylay some harmless soul;

12let's swallow them alive, like the grave,B [9]

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13we will get all sorts of valuable things

and fill our houses with plunder;

14throw in your lot with us,

and we will share a common purse"--

15my son, do not go along with them,

do not set foot on their paths;

16for their feet rush into sin,

they are swift to shed blood.

17How useless to spread a net

in full view of all the birds!

18These men lie in wait for their own blood;

they waylay only themselves!

19Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;

it takes away the lives of those who get it.

20Wisdom calls aloud in the street,

she raises her voice in the public squares;

21at the head of the noisy streetsC she cries out,

in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

22"How long will you simple onesD love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery

and fools hate knowledge?

23If you had responded to my rebuke,

I would have poured out my heart to you

and made my thoughts known to you.

24But since you rejected me when I called

and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25since you ignored all my advice

and would not accept my rebuke,

26I in turn will laugh at your disaster; [10]

I will mock when calamity overtakes you--

27when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28"Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

they will look for me but will not find me.

29Since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the LORD,

30since they would not accept my advice

and spurned my rebuke,

31they will eat the fruit of their ways

and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm." [11]

OLD TESTAMENT

1 SAMUEL 29:1 - 31:13

291The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?"

Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him."

4But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances:

" `Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands'?"

6So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don't approve of you. 7Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers."

8"But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why [12]can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

9Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, `He must not go up with us into battle.' 10Now get up early, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light."

11So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

301David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

3When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5David's two wives had been captured--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, 8and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I [13]overtake them?"

"Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, 10for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat-- 12part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

13David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?"

He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag."

15David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?"

He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

16He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17David fought them from dusk until the evening of the [14]next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."

21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them. 22But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

23David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us. 24Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." 25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

26When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies."

27He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and [15]Jattir; 28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach 31and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

311Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me."

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

7When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them. [16]8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.[17]

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 11:55 - 12:19

55When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?" 57But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.

121Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pintA of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.B" 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." [18]9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

12The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

"Hosanna!C"

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

"Blessed is the King of Israel!"

14Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

15"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey's colt."E

16At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the [19]word. 18Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" [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

Saturday, October 24, 2009

March 1

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for Visiting THEINC-HIM Daily Bilble Meditation blog

John 3:16-21