THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - November 28 - Full Text!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

NOVEMBER 28

PSALMS: 28, 58, 88, 118, 148

PROVERBS: 28

OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 4:1 - 5:19

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 2:13 - 3:6

PSALMS: 28

Of David.

¹ To you I call, O LORD my Rock;

do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent,

I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

² Hear my cry for mercy

as I call to you for help,

as I lift up my hands

toward your Most Holy Place.

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,

with those who do evil,

who speak cordially with their neighbors

but harbor malice in their hearts.

⁴ Repay them for their deeds

and for their evil work;

repay them for what their hands have done

and bring back upon them what they deserve.

⁵ Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD

and what his hands have done,

he will tear them down

and never build them up again.

⁶ Praise be to the LORD,

for he has heard my cry for mercy.

⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song. ¹

⁸ The LORD is the strength of his people,

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

⁹ Save your people and bless your inheritance;

be their shepherd and carry them forever. ²

PSALMS: 58

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. ^A

¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?

Do you judge uprightly among men?

² No, in your heart you devise injustice,

and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;

from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.

⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,

like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,

however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;

tear out, O LORD, the fangs of the lions!

⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;

when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.

⁸ Like a slug melting away as it moves along,

like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns--

whether they be green or dry--the wicked will be swept away. ^B

¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,

when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹ Then men will say,

"Surely the righteous still are rewarded;

surely there is a God who judges the earth." ³

PSALMS: 88

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. ^A A maskil ^B of Heman the Ezrahite.

¹ O LORD, the God who saves me,

day and night I cry out before you.

² May my prayer come before you;

turn your ear to my cry.

³ For my soul is full of trouble

and my life draws near the grave. ^C

⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man without strength.

⁵ I am set apart with the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

who are cut off from your care.

⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit,

in the darkest depths.

⁷ Your wrath lies heavily upon me;

you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.

Selah

⁸ You have taken from me my closest friends

and have made me repulsive to them.

I am confined and cannot escape;

⁹ my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, O LORD, every day;

I spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰ Do you show your wonders to the dead? ⁴

Do those who are dead rise up and praise you?

Selah

¹¹ Is your love declared in the grave,

your faithfulness in Destruction ^D?

¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,

or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³ But I cry to you for help, O LORD;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴ Why, O LORD, do you reject me

and hide your face from me?

¹⁵ From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death;

I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me;

your terrors have destroyed me.

¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood;

they have completely engulfed me.

¹⁸ You have taken my companions and loved ones from me;

the darkness is my closest friend. ⁵

PSALMS: 118

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:

"His love endures forever."

³ Let the house of Aaron say:

"His love endures forever."

⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say:

"His love endures forever."

⁵ In my anguish I cried to the LORD,

and he answered by setting me free.

⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in man.

⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹² They swarmed around me like bees,

but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation. ⁶

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!

¹⁶ The LORD's right hand is lifted high;

the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

¹⁷ I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

¹⁹ Open for me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected

has become the capstone;

²³ the LORD has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵ O LORD, save us;

O LORD, grant us success.

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you. ^A

²⁷ The LORD is God,

and he has made his light shine upon us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up ^B to the horns of the altar. ⁷

²⁸ You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever. ⁸

PSALMS: 148

¹ Praise the LORD. ^A

Praise the LORD from the heavens,

praise him in the heights above.

² Praise him, all his angels,

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

³ Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars.

⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for he commanded and they were created.

⁶ He set them in place for ever and ever;

he gave a decree that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

⁹ you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

¹¹kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

¹² young men and maidens,

old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn, ^B

the praise of all his saints,

of Israel, the people close to his heart. ⁹

Praise the LORD. ¹⁰

PROVERBS: 28

28 ¹ The wicked man flees though no one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

² When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,

but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

³ A ruler ^A who oppresses the poor

is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

but those who keep the law resist them.

⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶ Better a poor man whose walk is blameless

than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

⁷ He who keeps the law is a discerning son,

but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

⁸ He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest

amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

⁹ If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,

even his prayers are detestable.

¹⁰ He who leads the upright along an evil path

will fall into his own trap,

but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

¹¹ A rich man may be wise in his own eyes,

but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. ¹¹

¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;

but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

¹³ He who conceals his sins does not prosper,

but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴ Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD,

but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

¹⁶ A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment,

but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

¹⁷ A man tormented by the guilt of murder

will be a fugitive till death;

let no one support him.

¹⁸ He whose walk is blameless is kept safe,

but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

¹⁹ He who works his land will have abundant food,

but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

²⁰ A faithful man will be richly blessed,

but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

²¹ To show partiality is not good--

yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²² A stingy man is eager to get rich

and is unaware that poverty awaits him. ¹²

²³ He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor

than he who has a flattering tongue.

²⁴ He who robs his father or mother

and says, "It's not wrong"--

he is partner to him who destroys.

²⁵ A greedy man stirs up dissension,

but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

²⁶ He who trusts in himself is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

²⁷ He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,

but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

²⁸ When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;

but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive. ¹³

OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 4:1 - 5:19

4 ¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "Say to the Israelites: `When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands--

³ "`If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ⁴ He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the LORD.

⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. ⁷ The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull's blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁸ He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering--the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, ⁹ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys—¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox ^A sacrificed as a fellowship offering. ^B Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the inner parts and offal—¹² that is, all the rest of the bull--he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it in a wood fire on the ash heap.

¹³ "`If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty. ¹⁴ When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁵ The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull's head before the LORD, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD. ¹⁶ Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁷ He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the LORD seven times in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar, ²⁰ and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. ²¹ Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community. ¹⁴

²² "`When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the LORD his God, he is guilty. ²³ When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering. ²⁵ Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ²⁶ He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man's sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷"` If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty. ²⁸ When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. ²⁹ He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

³² "`If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female without defect. ³³ He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

5 ¹ "`If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.

² "`Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean--whether the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground--even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty. ¹⁵

³ "`Or if he touches human uncleanness--anything that would make him unclean--even though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty.

⁴ "`Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil--in any matter one might carelessly swear about--even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be guilty.

⁵ "`When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned 

⁶ and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

⁷ "`If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for his sin--one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

⁸ He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not severing it completely, ⁹ and is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

¹¹ "`If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah ^A of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹² He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. It is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.'"

¹⁴ The LORD said to Moses: ¹⁵ "When a person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the LORD's holy things, he is to bring to the LORD as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. ^B It is a guilt offering. ¹⁶ He must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest, who will make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

¹⁷ "If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. ¹⁸ He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he has been guilty of ^C wrongdoing against the LORD." ¹⁶

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 2:13 - 3:6

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?"

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"

¹⁹ Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

²¹ "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

²⁵ He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

²⁷ Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

3 ¹ Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 

² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." ¹⁷

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. ¹⁸

1 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

2 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

3 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

4 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

5 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

6 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

7 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

8 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

9 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

10 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

11 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

12 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

13 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

14 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

15 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

16 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

17 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

18 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

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