THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: March 2

Saturday, October 24, 2009

March 2

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

MARCH 2

PSALMS: 2, 32, 62, 92, 122

PROVERBS: 2

OLD TESTAMENT

2 SAMUEL 1:1 - 2:11

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 12:20 - 50

PSALMS: 2

1Why do the nations conspireA

and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together

against the LORD

and against his Anointed One.B

3"Let us break their chains," they say,

"and throw off their fetters."

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5Then he rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6"I have installed my KingC

on Zion, my holy hill."

7I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:

He said to me, "You are my SonD;

today I have become your Father.E

8Ask of me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9You will rule them with an iron scepterF;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

10Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11Serve the LORD with fear

and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry

and you be destroyed in your way,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. [1]

PSALMS: 32

Of David. A maskil.A

1Blessed is he

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

2Blessed is the man

whose sin the LORD does not count against him

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4For day and night

your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer.

Selah

5Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, "I will confess

my transgressions to the LORD"--

and you forgave

the guilt of my sin.

Selah

6Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you

while you may be found;

surely when the mighty waters rise,

they will not reach him.

7You are my hiding place; [2]

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

9Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

10Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the LORD's unfailing love

surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart! [3]

PSALMS: 62

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

2He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3How long will you assault a man?

Would all of you throw him down--

this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

4They fully intend to topple him

from his lofty place;

they take delight in lies.

With their mouths they bless,

but in their hearts they curse.

Selah

5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

6He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7My salvation and my honor depend on GodA;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Selah

9Lowborn men are but a breath, [4]

the highborn are but a lie;

if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;

together they are only a breath.

10Do not trust in extortion

or take pride in stolen goods;

though your riches increase,

do not set your heart on them.

11One thing God has spoken,

two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,

12and that you, O Lord, are loving.

Surely you will reward each person

according to what he has done. [5]

PSALMS: 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

1It is good to praise the LORD

and make music to your name, O Most High,

2to proclaim your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

3to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

4For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

5How great are your works, O LORD,

how profound your thoughts!

6The senseless man does not know,

fools do not understand,

7that though the wicked spring up like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.

8But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

9For surely your enemies, O LORD,

surely your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

10You have exalted my hornA like that of a wild ox;

fine oils have been poured upon me.

11My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13planted in the house of the LORD, [6]they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

15proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." [7]

PSALMS: 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

1I rejoiced with those who said to me,

"Let us go to the house of the LORD."

2Our feet are standing

in your gates, O Jerusalem.

3Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

4That is where the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

to praise the name of the LORD

according to the statute given to Israel.

5There the thrones for judgment stand,

the thrones of the house of David.

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

"May those who love you be secure.

7May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels."

8For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I will say, "Peace be within you."

9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity. [8]

PROVERBS: 2

21 My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

2turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

3and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

4and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God.

6For the LORD gives wisdom,

and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7He holds victory in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair--every good path.

10For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.

12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,

from men whose words are perverse,

13who leave the straight paths

to walk in dark ways,

14who delight in doing wrong

and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15whose paths are crooked

and who are devious in their ways.

16It will save you also from the adulteress,

from the wayward wife with her seductive words [9]

17who has left the partner of her youth

and ignored the covenant she made before God.A

18For her house leads down to death

and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19None who go to her return

or attain the paths of life.

20Thus you will walk in the ways of good men

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21For the upright will live in the land,

and the blameless will remain in it;

22but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the unfaithful will be torn from it. [10]

OLD TESTAMENT

2 SAMUEL 1:1 - 2:11

11 After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.

3"Where have you come from?" David asked him.

He answered, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp."

4"What happened?" David asked. "Tell me."

He said, "The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."

5Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

6"I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the young man said, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him. 7When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, `What can I do?'

8"He asked me, `Who are you?'

" `An Amalekite,' I answered.

9"Then he said to me, `Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'

10"So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord."

11Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the [11]house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13David said to the young man who brought him the report, "Where are you from?"

"I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite," he answered.

14David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"

15Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died. 16For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, `I killed the LORD's anointed.' "

17David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

19"Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.

How the mighty have fallen!

20"Tell it not in Gath,

proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,

lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,

lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

21"O mountains of Gilboa,

may you have neither dew nor rain,

nor fields that yield offerings of grain.

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

the shield of Saul--no longer rubbed with oil. [12]

22From the blood of the slain,

from the flesh of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

23"Saul and Jonathan--

in life they were loved and gracious,

and in death they were not parted.

They were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

24"O daughters of Israel,

weep for Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet and finery,

who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

25"How the mighty have fallen in battle!

Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

you were very dear to me.

Your love for me was wonderful,

more wonderful than that of women.

27"How the mighty have fallen!

The weapons of war have perished!"[13]

21In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked.

The LORD said, "Go up."

David asked, "Where shall I go?"

"To Hebron," the LORD answered.

2So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, "The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

8Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He made him king over Gilead, AshuriA and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

10Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11The length of time David was king in [14]Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. [15]

NEW TESTAMENT

JOHN 12:20 - 50

20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!"

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." 33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

34The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the ChristF will remain forever, so how can you say, `The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this `Son of Man'?" [16]35Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

37Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

"Lord, who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"G

39For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40"He has blinded their eyes

and deadened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

nor understand with their hearts,

nor turn--and I would heal them."H

41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. [17]44Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

47"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."[18]

^{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 2

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John 3:16-21