THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: May 20

Friday, October 23, 2009

May 20

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

MAY 20

PSALMS: 20, 50, 80, 110, 140

PROVERBS: 20

OLD TESTAMENT

EZRA 8:1 - 9:15

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 5:1 - 13

PSALMS: 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

3May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

Selah

4May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

5We will shout for joy when you are victorious

and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the LORD grant all your requests.

6Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;

he answers him from his holy heaven

with the saving power of his right hand.

7Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

8They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

9O LORD, save the king!

AnswerA us when we call! [1]

PSALMS: 50

A psalm of Asaph.

1The Mighty One, God, the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

2From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

3Our God comes and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

and around him a tempest rages.

4He summons the heavens above,

and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5"Gather to me my consecrated ones,

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Selah

7"Hear, O my people, and I will speak,

O Israel, and I will testify against you:

I am God, your God.

8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices

or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9I have no need of a bull from your stall

or of goats from your pens,

10for every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11I know every bird in the mountains,

and the creatures of the field are mine.

12If I were hungry I would not tell you, [2]

for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

16But to the wicked, God says:

"What right have you to recite my laws

or take my covenant on your lips?

17You hate my instruction

and cast my words behind you.

18When you see a thief, you join with him;

you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19You use your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit.

20You speak continually against your brother

and slander your own mother's son.

21These things you have done and I kept silent;

you thought I was altogetherA like you.

But I will rebuke you

and accuse you to your face.

22"Consider this, you who forget God,

or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

23He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way

so that I may show himB the salvation of God." [3]

PSALMS: 80

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the Covenant." Of Asaph. A psalm.

1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock;

you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

2before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.

Awaken your might;

come and save us.

3Restore us, O God;

make your face shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

4O LORD God Almighty,

how long will your anger smolder

against the prayers of your people?

5You have fed them with the bread of tears;

you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.

6You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,

and our enemies mock us.

7Restore us, O God Almighty;

make your face shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

8You brought a vine out of Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

9You cleared the ground for it,

and it took root and filled the land.

10The mountains were covered with its shade,

the mighty cedars with its branches. [4]

11It sent out its boughs to the Sea,A

its shoots as far as the River.B

12Why have you broken down its walls

so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

13Boars from the forest ravage it

and the creatures of the field feed on it.

14Return to us, O God Almighty!

Look down from heaven and see!

Watch over this vine,

15the root your right hand has planted,

the sonC you have raised up for yourself.

16Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;

at your rebuke your people perish.

17Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,

the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18Then we will not turn away from you;

revive us, and we will call on your name.

19Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;

make your face shine upon us,

that we may be saved. [5]

PSALMS: 110

Of David. A psalm.

1The LORD says to my Lord:

"Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet."

2The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;

you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

3Your troops will be willing

on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy majesty,

from the womb of the dawn

you will receive the dew of your youth.A

4The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind:

"You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek."

5The Lord is at your right hand;

he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead

and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

7He will drink from a brook beside the wayB;

therefore he will lift up his head. [6]

PSALMS: 140

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men;

protect me from men of violence,

2who devise evil plans in their hearts

and stir up war every day.

3They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's;

the poison of vipers is on their lips.

Selah

4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;

protect me from men of violence

who plan to trip my feet.

5Proud men have hidden a snare for me;

they have spread out the cords of their net

and have set traps for me along my path.

Selah

6O LORD, I say to you, "You are my God."

Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy.

7O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,

who shields my head in the day of battle--

8do not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD;

do not let their plans succeed,

or they will become proud.

Selah

9Let the heads of those who surround me

be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.

10Let burning coals fall upon them;

may they be thrown into the fire,

into miry pits, never to rise. [7]

11Let slanderers not be established in the land;

may disaster hunt down men of violence.

12I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor

and upholds the cause of the needy.

13Surely the righteous will praise your name

and the upright will live before you. [8]

PROVERBS: 20

201 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;

whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

2A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;

he who angers him forfeits his life.

3It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,

but every fool is quick to quarrel.

4A sluggard does not plow in season;

so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

5The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,

but a man of understanding draws them out.

6Many a man claims to have unfailing love,

but a faithful man who can find?

7The righteous man leads a blameless life;

blessed are his children after him.

8When a king sits on his throne to judge,

he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

9Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;

I am clean and without sin"?

10Differing weights and differing measures--

the LORD detests them both.

11Even a child is known by his actions,

by whether his conduct is pure and right. [9]

12Ears that hear and eyes that see--

the LORD has made them both.

13Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;

stay awake and you will have food to spare.

14"It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;

then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

15Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,

but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

16Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;

hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

17Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,

but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

18Make plans by seeking advice;

if you wage war, obtain guidance.

19A gossip betrays a confidence;

so avoid a man who talks too much.

20If a man curses his father or mother,

his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

21An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning

will not be blessed at the end.

22Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!"

Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.[10]

23The LORD detests differing weights,

and dishonest scales do not please him.

24A man's steps are directed by the LORD.

How then can anyone understand his own way?

25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly

and only later to consider his vows.

26A wise king winnows out the wicked;

he drives the threshing wheel over them.

27The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a manA;

it searches out his inmost being.

28Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;

through love his throne is made secure.

29The glory of young men is their strength,

gray hair the splendor of the old.

30Blows and wounds cleanse away evil,

and beatings purge the inmost being. [11]

OLD TESTAMENT

EZRA 8:1 - 9:15

81These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

of the descendants of David, Hattush 3of the descendants of Shecaniah;

of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

4of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

5of the descendants of Zattu,A Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

6of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

7of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

8of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

9of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

10of the descendants of Bani,B Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

11of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

12of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

13of the descendants of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

14of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

15I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. 16So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. 18Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah's sons and brothers, 18 men; 19and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men. 20They also brought 220 of the temple servants--a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name. [12]

21There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." 23So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 26I weighed out to them 650 talentsC of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,D 100 talentsE of gold, 2720 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,F and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28I said to them, "You as well as these articles are consecrated to the LORD. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel." 30Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

35Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

91After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 2They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."

3When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. 4Then everyone who trembled at [13]the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

5Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God 6and prayed:

"O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

8"But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10"But now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands 11you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: `The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.'

13"What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this. 14Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? 15O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence."[14]

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 5:1 - 13

51It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful natureA may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

6Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."B [15]

^{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

Friday, October 23, 2009

May 20

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John 3:16-21