THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - December 19 - Full Text!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

DECEMBER 19

PSALMS: 19, 49, 79, 109, 139

PROVERBS: 19

OLD TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 14:1 - 15:16

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 14:53 - 72

PSALMS: 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

² Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

³ There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard. ^A

⁴ Their voice ^B goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵ which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure

and altogether righteous. ¹

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. ²

PSALMS: 49

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples;

listen, all who live in this world,

² both low and high,

rich and poor alike:

³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom;

the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

⁴ I will turn my ear to a proverb;

with the harp I will expound my riddle:

⁵ Why should I fear when evil days come,

when wicked deceivers surround me--

⁶ those who trust in their wealth

and boast of their great riches?

⁷ No man can redeem the life of another

or give to God a ransom for him--

⁸ the ransom for a life is costly,

no payment is ever enough--

⁹ that he should live on forever

and not see decay.

¹⁰ For all can see that wise men die;

the foolish and the senseless alike perish

and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹ Their tombs will remain their houses ^A forever,

their dwellings for endless generations,

though they had ^B named lands after themselves. ³

¹² But man, despite his riches, does not endure;

he is ^C like the beasts that perish.

¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,

and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

Selah

¹⁴ Like sheep they are destined for the grave, ^D

and death will feed on them.

The upright will rule over them in the morning;

their forms will decay in the grave, ^E

far from their princely mansions.

¹⁵ But God will redeem my life ^F from the grave;

he will surely take me to himself.

Selah

¹⁶ Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases;

¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies,

his splendor will not descend with him.

¹⁸ Though while he lived he counted himself blessed--

and men praise you when you prosper--

¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light of life.

²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding

is like the beasts that perish. ⁴

PSALMS: 79

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;

they have defiled your holy temple,

they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

² They have given the dead bodies of your servants

as food to the birds of the air,

the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

³ They have poured out blood like water

all around Jerusalem,

and there is no one to bury the dead.

⁴ We are objects of reproach to our neighbors,

of scorn and derision to those around us.

⁵ How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever?

How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

⁶ Pour out your wrath on the nations

that do not acknowledge you,

on the kingdoms

that do not call on your name;

⁷ for they have devoured Jacob

and destroyed his homeland.

⁸ Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers;

may your mercy come quickly to meet us,

for we are in desperate need.

⁹ Help us, O God our Savior,

for the glory of your name;

deliver us and forgive our sins

for your name's sake.

¹⁰ Why should the nations say,

"Where is their God?" ⁵

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.

¹¹ May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

by the strength of your arm

preserve those condemned to die.

¹² Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times

the reproach they have hurled at you, O Lord.

¹³ Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will praise you forever;

from generation to generation

we will recount your praise. ⁶

PSALMS: 109

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

¹ O God, whom I praise,

do not remain silent,

² for wicked and deceitful men

have opened their mouths against me;

they have spoken against me with lying tongues.

³ With words of hatred they surround me;

they attack me without cause.

⁴ In return for my friendship they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.

⁵ They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my friendship.

⁶ Appoint ^A an evil man ^B to oppose him;

let an accuser ^C stand at his right hand.

⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty,

and may his prayers condemn him.

⁸ May his days be few;

may another take his place of leadership.

⁹ May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

¹⁰ May his children be wandering beggars;

may they be driven ^D from their ruined homes.

¹¹ May a creditor seize all he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

¹² May no one extend kindness to him

or take pity on his fatherless children.

¹³ May his descendants be cut off, ⁷

their names blotted out from the next generation.

¹⁴ May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD;

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

¹⁵ May their sins always remain before the LORD,

that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁶ For he never thought of doing a kindness,

but hounded to death the poor

and the needy and the brokenhearted.

¹⁷ He loved to pronounce a curse--

may it ^E come on him;

he found no pleasure in blessing--

may it be^F far from him.

¹⁸ He wore cursing as his garment;

it entered into his body like water,

into his bones like oil.

¹⁹ May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,

like a belt tied forever around him.

²⁰ May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers,

to those who speak evil of me.

²¹ But you, O Sovereign LORD,

deal well with me for your name's sake;

out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

²² For I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

²³ I fade away like an evening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴ My knees give way from fasting;

my body is thin and gaunt.

²⁵ I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads. ⁸

²⁶ Help me, O LORD my God;

save me in accordance with your love.

²⁷ Let them know that it is your hand,

that you, O LORD, have done it.

²⁸ They may curse, but you will bless;

when they attack they will be put to shame,

but your servant will rejoice.

²⁹ My accusers will be clothed with disgrace

and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

³⁰ With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD;

in the great throng I will praise him.

³¹ For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,

to save his life from those who condemn him. ⁹

PSALMS: 139

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

¹ O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in--behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, ^A you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you. ¹⁰

¹³ For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to ^B me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,

and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting. ¹¹

PROVERBS: 19

19 ¹ Better a poor man whose walk is blameless

than a fool whose lips are perverse.

² It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,

nor to be hasty and miss the way.

³ A man's own folly ruins his life,

yet his heart rages against the LORD.

⁴ Wealth brings many friends,

but a poor man's friend deserts him.

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who pours out lies will not go free.

⁶ Many curry favor with a ruler,

and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

⁷ A poor man is shunned by all his relatives--

how much more do his friends avoid him!

Though he pursues them with pleading,

they are nowhere to be found. ^A

⁸ He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;

he who cherishes understanding prospers.

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who pours out lies will perish.

¹⁰ It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury--

how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹ A man's wisdom gives him patience;

it is to his glory to overlook an offense. ¹²

¹² A king's rage is like the roar of a lion,

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³ A foolish son is his father's ruin,

and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,

but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

¹⁵ Laziness brings on deep sleep,

and the shiftless man goes hungry.

¹⁶ He who obeys instructions guards his life,

but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.

¹⁷ He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,

and he will reward him for what he has done.

¹⁸ Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;

do not be a willing party to his death.

¹⁹ A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty;

if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Listen to advice and accept instruction,

and in the end you will be wise.

²¹ Many are the plans in a man's heart,

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

²² What a man desires is unfailing love ^B;

better to be poor than a liar. ¹³

²³ The fear of the LORD leads to life:

Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

²⁴ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

²⁵ Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;

rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

²⁶ He who robs his father and drives out his mother

is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

²⁷ Stop listening to instruction, my son,

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸ A corrupt witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

²⁹ Penalties are prepared for mockers,

and beatings for the backs of fools. ¹⁴

OLD TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 14:1 - 15:16

14 ¹ That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.

² All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! ³ Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" ⁴ And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. ¹¹ The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? ¹² I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

¹³ Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. ¹⁴ And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵ If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, ¹⁶ `The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'

¹⁷ "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ¹⁸ `The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' ¹⁹ In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."

²⁰ The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. ²¹ Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, ²² not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—²³ not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. ²⁴ But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. ²⁵ Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. ^A" ¹⁵

²⁶ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ²⁷ "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.

²⁸ So tell them, `As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: ²⁹ In this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. ³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹ As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. ³² But you--your bodies will fall in this desert. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.

³⁴ For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land--you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.' ³⁵ I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die."

³⁶ So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it—³⁷ these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. ³⁸ Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

³⁹ When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the LORD promised."

⁴¹ But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! ⁴² Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, ⁴³ for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword."

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

15 ¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: `After you enter the land I am giving you as a home ³ and you present to the LORD offerings made by fire, from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the LORD--whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings—

⁴ then the one who brings his offering shall present to the LORD a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah ^A of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin ^B of oil. ⁵ With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of ¹⁶ wine as a drink offering.

⁶ "`With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah ^C of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin ^D of oil, ⁷ and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

⁸ "`When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering ^E to the LORD, ⁹ bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah ^F of fine flour mixed with half a hin ^G of oil. ¹⁰ Also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It will be an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

¹¹ Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner.

¹² Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.

¹³ "`Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. ¹⁴ For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. ¹⁵ The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: ¹⁶ The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'" ¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 14:53 - 72

⁵³ They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together. ⁵⁴ Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶ Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸ "We heard him say, `I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'“ 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" ⁶¹ But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, ^F the Son of the Blessed One?"

⁶² "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

⁶³ The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked.

⁶⁴ "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"

They all condemned him as worthy of death. ⁶⁵ Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him.

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

"You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said.

⁶⁸ But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway. ^G

⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." ⁷⁰ Again he denied it.

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

⁷¹ He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about."

⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. ^H Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice ^I you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept. 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