THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - December 4 - Full Text!

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

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

DECEMBER 4

PSALMS: 4, 34, 64, 94, 124

PROVERBS: 4

OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 14:1 - 57

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 6:30 - 56

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: LEVITICUS 14:1 - 57

14 ¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: ³ The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,^A 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷ Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

⁸ "The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

¹⁰ "On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an Ephah ^B of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log ^C of oil. ¹¹ The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

¹² "Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ¹³ He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 

¹⁵ The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, ¹⁶ dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times. ¹⁷ The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the LORD.

¹⁹ "Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 

²⁰ and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

²¹ "If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an Ephah ^D of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²² and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

²³ "On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the LORD. ²⁴ The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ²⁵ He shall slaughter the ¹⁰ lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷ and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. ²⁸ Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering--on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 

³⁰ Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford, 

³¹ one ^E as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed."

³² These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.

³³ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ "When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, 

³⁵ the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, `I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.' ³⁶ The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. ³⁷ He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 

³⁸ the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, ⁴⁰ he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. ⁴¹ He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. ⁴² Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

⁴³ "If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, ⁴⁴ the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ It must be torn down--its stones, timbers and all the plaster--and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

⁴⁶ "Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.

⁴⁷ Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ "But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.

⁴⁹ To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. ⁵⁰ He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁵¹ Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In ¹¹this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean."

⁵⁴ These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, ⁵⁵ for mildew in clothing or in a house, ⁵⁶ and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot, ⁵⁷ to determine when something is clean or unclean.

These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew. ¹²

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 6:30 - 56

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 

³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 

³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

³⁷ But he answered, "You give them something to eat."

They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages ^E! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

³⁸ "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."

When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

⁵⁶ And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. ¹³

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

 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