THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: March 22

Saturday, October 24, 2009

March 22

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

MARCH 22

PSALMS: 22, 52, 82, 112, 142

PROVERBS: 22

OLD TESTAMENT

1 KINGS 8:1 - 66

NEW TESTAMENT

ACTS 7:51 - 8:13

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 KINGS 8:1 - 66

81Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the City of David. 2All the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.

3When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

6The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled [12]his temple.

12Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever."

14While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 15Then he said:

"Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16`Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name to be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.'

17"My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18But the LORD said to my father David, `Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart. 19Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood--he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.'

20"The LORD has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our fathers when he brought them out of Egypt." [13]

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23and said:

"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it--as it is today.

25"Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, `You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' 26And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.

27"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, `My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30Hear the supplication of your [14]servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

31"When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.

33"When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, 34then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers.

35"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel--each [15]one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple-- 39then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), 40so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.

41"As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name-- 42for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

44"When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

46"When they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; 47and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, `We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; 48and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, [16]and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; 51for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.

52"May your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. 53For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as yo declared through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign LORD, brought our fathers out of Egypt."

54When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 57May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. 58May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his [17]ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. 59And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, 60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. 61But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."

62Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offeringsA to the LORD: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD.

64On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

65So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him--a vast assembly, people from LeboB Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had [18]done for his servant David and his people Israel.[19]

NEW TESTAMENT

ACTS 7:51 - 8:13

51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-- 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

81And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout [20]Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the ChristA there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evilB spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.

9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. [21]

^{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 22

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John 3:16-21