THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - September 4 - Full Text - Labor Day 2017!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

SEPTEMBER 4

PSALMS: 4, 34, 64, 94, 124

PROVERBS: 4

OLD TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 47:1 - 48:35

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 PETER 2:11 - 3:7

PSALMS: 4

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

¹ Answer me when I call to you,

O my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

² How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ^A?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ^B?

Selah

³ Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD will hear when I call to him.

⁴ In your anger do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.

Selah

⁵ Offer right sacrifices

and trust in the LORD.

⁶ Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

⁷ You have filled my heart with greater joy

than when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸ I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O LORD,

make me dwell in safety. ¹

PSALMS: 34

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.

¹ I ^A will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

² My soul will boast in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

³ Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame.

⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;

he saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

⁹ Fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹² Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days, ²

¹³ keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking lies.

¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous

and his ears are attentive to their cry;

¹⁶ the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;

he delivers them from all their troubles.

¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ A righteous man may have many troubles,

but the LORD delivers him from them all;

²⁰ he protects all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

²² The LORD redeems his servants;

no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. ³

PSALMS: 64

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from that noisy crowd of evildoers.

³ They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim their words like deadly arrows.

⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;

they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

⁵ They encourage each other in evil plans,

they talk about hiding their snares;

they say, "Who will see them ^A?"

⁶ They plot injustice and say,

"We have devised a perfect plan!"

Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.

⁷ But God will shoot them with arrows;

suddenly they will be struck down.

⁸ He will turn their own tongues against them

and bring them to ruin;

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

⁹ All mankind will fear;

they will proclaim the works of God

and ponder what he has done.

¹⁰ Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in him;

let all the upright in heart praise him!⁴

PSALMS: 94

¹ O LORD, the God who avenges,

O God who avenges, shine forth.

² Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

pay back to the proud what they deserve.

³ How long will the wicked, O LORD,

how long will the wicked be jubilant?

⁴ They pour out arrogant words;

all the evildoers are full of boasting.

⁵ They crush your people, O LORD;

they oppress your inheritance.

⁶ They slay the widow and the alien;

they murder the fatherless.

⁷ They say, "The LORD does not see;

the God of Jacob pays no heed."

⁸ Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;

you fools, when will you become wise?

⁹ Does he who implanted the ear not hear?

Does he who formed the eye not see?

¹⁰ Does he who disciplines nations not punish?

Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

¹¹ The LORD knows the thoughts of man;

he knows that they are futile.

¹² Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,

the man you teach from your law;

¹³ you grant him relief from days of trouble,

till a pit is dug for the wicked.

¹⁴ For the LORD will not reject his people;

he will never forsake his inheritance.

¹⁵ Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,

and all the upright in heart will follow it. ⁵

¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

¹⁷ Unless the LORD had given me help,

I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

¹⁸ When I said, "My foot is slipping,"

your love, O LORD, supported me.

¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me,

your consolation brought joy to my soul.

²⁰ Can a corrupt throne be allied with you--

one that brings on misery by its decrees?

²¹ They band together against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

²² But the LORD has become my fortress,

and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

²³ He will repay them for their sins

and destroy them for their wickedness;

the LORD our God will destroy them. ⁶

PSALMS: 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ If the LORD had not been on our side--

let Israel say--

² if the LORD had not been on our side

when men attacked us,

³ when their anger flared against us,

they would have swallowed us alive;

⁴ the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

⁵ the raging waters

would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the LORD,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷ We have escaped like a bird

out of the fowler's snare;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped.

⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth. ⁷

PROVERBS: 4

4 ¹ Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;

pay attention and gain understanding.

² I give you sound learning,

so do not forsake my teaching.

³ When I was a boy in my father's house,

still tender, and an only child of my mother,

⁴ he taught me and said,

"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;

keep my commands and you will live.

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;

do not forget my words or swerve from them.

⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

love her, and she will watch over you.

⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, ^A get understanding.

⁸ Esteem her, and she will exalt you;

embrace her, and she will honor you.

⁹ She will set a garland of grace on your head

and present you with a crown of splendor."

¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,

and the years of your life will be many.

¹¹ I guide you in the way of wisdom

and lead you along straight paths.

¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;

when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;

guard it well, for it is your life.

¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked

or walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;

turn from it and go on your way.

¹⁶ For they cannot sleep till they do evil; ⁸

they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know what makes them stumble.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;

listen closely to my words.

²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,

keep them within your heart;

²² for they are life to those who find them

and health to a man's whole body.

²³ Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth;

keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead,

fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶ Make level ^B paths for your feet

and take only ways that are firm.

²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left;

keep your foot from evil. ⁹

OLD TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 47:1 - 48:35

47 ¹ The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.

³ As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits ^A and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. ⁴ He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. ⁵ He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in--a river that no one could cross. ⁶ He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?"

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. ⁸ He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, ^B where it enters the Sea. ^C When it empties into the Sea, ^D the water there becomes fresh. ⁹ Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds--like the fish of the Great Sea. ^E

¹¹ But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. ¹² Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."

¹³ This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph. ¹⁴ You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will become your inheritance.

¹⁵ "This is to be the boundary of the land:

"On the north side it will run from the Great Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo ^F Hamath to Zedad, ¹⁶ Berothah ^G and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.

¹⁷ The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan, ^H along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the north boundary.

¹⁸ "On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern ¹⁰ sea and as far as Tamar. ^I This will be the east boundary.

¹⁹ "On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the south boundary.

²⁰ "On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo ^J Hamath. This will be the west boundary.

²¹ "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.

²² You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

²³ In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign LORD.

48 ¹ "These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo ^A Hamath; Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side.

² "Asher will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west.

³ "Naphtali will have one portion; it will border the territory of Asher from east to west.

⁴ "Manasseh will have one portion; it will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

⁵ "Ephraim will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.

⁶ "Reuben will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.

⁷ "Judah will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.

⁸ "Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits ^B wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it.

⁹ "The special portion you are to offer to the LORD will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits ^C wide. ¹⁰ This will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center of it will be the sanctuary of the LORD. ¹¹ This will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who were faithful in serving me and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray. ¹² It will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites.

¹³ "Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length will ¹¹ be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits. ¹⁴ They must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to the LORD.

¹⁵ "The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it ¹⁶ and will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits. ¹⁷ The pastureland for the city will be 250 cubits on the north, 250 cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on the west. ¹⁸ What remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes of Israel.

²⁰ The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city.

²¹ "What remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion and the city property will belong to the prince. It will extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with the temple sanctuary will be in the center of them. ²² So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.

²³ "As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side.

²⁴ "Simeon will have one portion; it will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.

²⁵ "Issachar will have one portion; it will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.

²⁶ "Zebulun will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.

²⁷ "Gad will have one portion; it will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.

²⁸ "The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea. ^D

²⁹ "This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions," declares the Sovereign LORD. ¹²

³⁰ "These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, ³¹ the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.

³² "On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.

³³ "On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.

³⁴ "On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.

³⁵ "The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.

"And the name of the city from that time on will be:

THE LORD IS THERE." ¹³

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 PETER 2:11 - 3:7

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. ¹⁶ Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

¹⁸ Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. ¹⁹ For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

²⁰ But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

²² "He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth." ^E

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

3 ¹ Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,

² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴ Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. ¹⁴

⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. ¹⁵

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

 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