Bible Readings for May 22, 2014

Today our passages are 2 Samuel 1:1–2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; and Proverbs 15:27-28. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year.

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2 Samuel 1-2:11 (The Message)

2 Samuel 1

 ^1-2Shortly after Saul died, David returned to Ziklag from his rout of the Amalekites. Three days later a man showed up unannounced from Saul's army camp.  ^2-3 Disheveled and obviously in mourning, he fell to his knees in respect before David. David asked, "What brings you here?"
    He answered, "I've just escaped from the camp of Israel."
 ⁴ "So what happened?" said David. "What's the news?"
    He said, "The Israelites have fled the battlefield, leaving a lot of their dead comrades behind. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."
 ⁵ David pressed the young soldier for details: "How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?"
 ^6-8 "I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him. 'Yes sir,' I said, 'at your service.' He asked me who I was, and I told him, 'I'm an Amalekite.'"
 ⁹ "Come here," he said, "and put me out of my misery. I'm nearly dead already, but my life hangs on."
 ¹⁰ "So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn't last much longer anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to my master. Here they are."
 ^11-12 In lament, David ripped his clothes to ribbons. All the men with him did the same. They wept and fasted the rest of the day, grieving the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, and also the army of God and the nation Israel, victims in a failed battle.
 ¹³ Then David spoke to the young soldier who had brought the report: "Who are you, anyway?"
    "I'm from an immigrant family—an Amalekite."
 ^14-15 "Do you mean to say," said David, "that you weren't afraid to up and kill God's anointed king?" Right then he ordered one of his soldiers, "Strike him dead!" The soldier struck him, and he died.
 ¹⁶ "You asked for it," David told him. "You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed God's anointed king."
 ^17-18 Then David sang this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, and gave orders that everyone in Judah learn it by heart. Yes, it's even inscribed in The Book of Jashar.
 ^19-21 Oh, oh, Gazelles of Israel, struck down on your hills,
      the mighty warriors—fallen, fallen!
   Don't announce it in the city of Gath,
      don't post the news in the streets of Ashkelon.
   Don't give those coarse Philistine girls
      one more excuse for a drunken party!
   No more dew or rain for you, hills of Gilboa,
      and not a drop from springs and wells,
   For there the warriors' shields were dragged through the mud,
      Saul's shield left there to rot.
 ²² Jonathan's bow was bold—
      the bigger they were the harder they fell.
   Saul's sword was fearless—
      once out of the scabbard, nothing could stop it.
 ²³ Saul and Jonathan—beloved, beautiful!
      Together in life, together in death.
   Swifter than plummeting eagles,
      stronger than proud lions.
 ^24-25 Women of Israel, weep for Saul.
      He dressed you in finest cottons and silks,
      spared no expense in making you elegant.
   The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen
      in the middle of the fight!
      Jonathan—struck down on your hills!
 ²⁶ O my dear brother Jonathan,
      I'm crushed by your death.
   Your friendship was a miracle-wonder,
      love far exceeding anything I've known—
      or ever hope to know.
 ²⁷ The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen.
      And the arms of war broken to bits.

2 Samuel 2

 ¹ After all this, David prayed. He asked God, "Shall I move to one of the cities of Judah?"     God said, "Yes, move." "And to which city?"
    "To Hebron."
 ^2-3 So David moved to Hebron, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David's men, along with their families, also went with him and made their home in and around Hebron.
 ^4-7 The citizens of Judah came to Hebron, and then and there made David king over the clans of Judah.
    A report was brought to David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had given Saul a decent burial. David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead: "God bless you for this—for honoring your master, Saul, with a funeral. God honor you and be true to you—and I'll do the same, matching your generous act of goodness. Strengthen your resolve and do what must be done. Your master, Saul, is dead. The citizens of Judah have made me their king."

^8-11 In the meantime, Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim and made him king over Gilead, over Asher, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin—king, as it turns out, over all Israel. Ish-Bosheth Saul's son, was forty years old when he was made king over Israel. He lasted only two years. But the people of Judah stuck with David. David ruled the people of Judah from Hebron for seven and a half years.

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John 12:20-50 (The Message)

A Grain of Wheat Must Die

 ^20-21There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"

 ^22-23Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

 ^24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.

 ²⁶"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

 ^27-28"Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first place. I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.'"

   A voice came out of the sky: "I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it again."

 ²⁹The listening crowd said, "Thunder!"

   Others said, "An angel spoke to him!"

 ^30-33Jesus said, "The voice didn't come for me but for you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me." He put it this way to show how he was going to be put to death.

 ³⁴Voices from the crowd answered, "We heard from God's Law that the Messiah lasts forever. How can it be necessary, as you put it, that the Son of Man 'be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"

 ^35-36Jesus said, "For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn't destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don't know where you're going. As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You'll be children of light."

Their Eyes Are Blinded

 ^36-40Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. All these God-signs he had given them and they still didn't get it, still wouldn't trust him. This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right:

   God, who believed what we preached?

   Who recognized God's arm, outstretched and ready to act?
First they wouldn't believe, then they couldn't—again, just as Isaiah said:

   Their eyes are blinded,
      their hearts are hardened,
   So that they wouldn't see with their eyes
      and perceive with their hearts,
   And turn to me, God,
      so I could heal them.
⁴¹Isaiah said these things after he got a glimpse of God's cascading brightness that would pour through the Messiah.

 ^42-43On the other hand, a considerable number from the ranks of the leaders did believe. But because of the Pharisees, they didn't come out in the open with it. They were afraid of getting kicked out of the meeting place. When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God's glory.

 ^44-46Jesus summed it all up when he cried out, "Whoever believes in me, believes not just in me but in the One who sent me. Whoever looks at me is looking, in fact, at the One who sent me. I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won't have to stay any longer in the dark.

 ^47-50"If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn't take it seriously, I don't reject him. I didn't come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I'm saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word. I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That's all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you."

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Psalm 118:19-29 (The Message)

 ^17-20 I didn't die. I lived!
      And now I'm telling the world what God did.
   God tested me, he pushed me hard,
      but he didn't hand me over to Death.
   Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
      I'll walk right through and thank God!
   This Temple Gate belongs to God,
      so the victors can enter and praise.

 ^21-25 Thank you for responding to me;
      you've truly become my salvation!
   The stone the masons discarded as flawed
      is now the capstone!
   This is God's work.
      We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
   This is the very day God acted—
      let's celebrate and be festive!
   Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
      Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

 ^26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God's name—
      from God's house we bless you!
   God is God,
      he has bathed us in light.
   Festoon the shrine with garlands,
      hang colored banners above the altar!
   You're my God, and I thank you.
      O my God, I lift high your praise.
   Thank God—he's so good.
      His love never quits!

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Proverbs 15:27-28 (The Message)

 ²⁷ A greedy and grasping person destroys community;
   those who refuse to exploit live and let live.

 ²⁸ Prayerful answers come from God-loyal people;
   the wicked are sewers of abuse.

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Verse of the Day

“My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.” - Galatians 5:13

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer, Amos Bronson Alcott wrote, “Our ideals are our better selves.”

Bible Readings for July 14, 2013

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 16:37–18:17; Romans 2:1-24; Psalm 10:16-18; and Proverbs 19:8-9. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17 (Contemporary English Version)

David Appoints Worship Leaders at Jerusalem and Gibeon

 ³⁷David chose Asaph and the Levites in his clan to be in charge of the daily worship at the place where the sacred chest was kept. ³⁸Obed-Edom and sixty-eight of his relatives were their assistants, and Hosah and Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun were the guards.     ³⁹David also chose Zadok the priest and his relatives who were priests to serve at the LORD's sacred tent at Gibeon. ⁴⁰They were to offer sacrifices on the altar every morning and evening, just as the LORD had commanded in the Law he gave Israel. ⁴¹Heman and Jeduthun were their assistants, as well as the other men who had been chosen to praise the LORD for his never-ending love. ⁴²Heman and Jeduthun were also responsible for blowing the trumpets, and for playing the cymbals and other instruments during worship at the tent. The Levites in Jeduthun's clan were the guards at Gibeon.
    ⁴³After that, everyone went home, and David went home to his family.
   

1 Chronicles 17

The LORD's Message to David

(2 Samuel 7.1-17)

 ¹Soon after David moved into his new palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look around! I live in a palace made of cedar, but the sacred chest is kept in a tent."     ²Nathan replied, "The LORD is with you--do what you want."
    ³That night, the LORD told Nathan ⁴to go to David and tell him:
   David, you are my servant, so listen carefully: You are not the one to build a temple for me. ⁵I didn't live in a temple when I brought my people out of Egypt, and I don't live in one now. A tent has always been my home wherever I have gone with them. ⁶I chose special leaders and told them to be like shepherds for my people Israel. But did I ever say anything to even one of them about building a cedar temple for me?
    ⁷David, this is what I, the LORD All-Powerful, say to you. I brought you in from the fields where you took care of sheep, and I made you the leader of my people. ⁸Wherever you went, I helped you and destroyed your enemies right in front of your eyes. I have made you one of the most famous people in the world.
    ⁹I have given my people Israel a land of their own where they can live in peace. They will no longer have to tremble with fear--evil nations won't bother them, as they did ¹⁰when I let judges rule my people, and I will keep your enemies from attacking you.
   Now I promise that like you, your descendants will be kings. ¹¹I'll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried beside your ancestors. I'll make him a strong ruler, ¹²and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. ¹³I will be like a father to him, and he will be like a son to me. I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. ¹⁴I will make sure that your son and his descendants will rule my people and my kingdom forever.
    ¹⁵Nathan told David exactly what the LORD had said.
   

David Gives Thanks to the LORD

(2 Samuel 7.18-29)

 ¹⁶David went into the tent he had set up for the sacred chest. He sat there and prayed:    LORD God, my family and I don't deserve what you have already done for us, ¹⁷and yet you have promised to do even more for my descendants. You are treating me as if I am a very important person. ^{[a] 18}I am your servant, and you know my thoughts. What else can I say, except that you have honored me? ¹⁹It was your choice to do these wonderful things for me and to make these promises. ²⁰No other god is like you, LORD--you alone are God. Everything we have heard about you is true. ²¹And there is no other nation on earth like Israel, the nation you rescued from slavery in Egypt to be your own. You became famous by using great and wonderful miracles to force other nations and their gods out of your land, so that your people could live here. ²²You have chosen Israel to be your people forever, and you have become their God.
    ²³LORD God, please do what you promised me and my descendants. ²⁴Then you will be famous forever, and everyone will say, "The LORD All-Powerful rules Israel and is their God."
   My kingdom will be strong, ²⁵because you are my God, and you have promised that my descendants will be kings. That's why I have the courage to pray to you like this, even though I am only your servant.
    ²⁶You are the LORD God, and you have made this good promise to me. ²⁷Now please bless my descendants forever, and let them always be your chosen kings. You have already blessed my family, and I know you will bless us forever.
   

1 Chronicles 18

A List of David's Victories in War

(2 Samuel 8.1-14)

 ¹Later, David attacked and defeated the Philistines. He captured their town of Gath and the nearby villages.     ²David also defeated the Moabites, and so they had to accept him as their ruler and pay taxes to him.
    ³While King Hadadezer of Zobah was trying to gain control of the territory near the Euphrates River, David met him in battle at Hamath and defeated him. ⁴David captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand chariot drivers, and twenty thousand soldiers. And he crippled all but one hundred of the horses.
    ⁵When troops from the Syrian kingdom of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶Then David stationed some of his troops in Damascus, and the people there had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.
   Everywhere David went, the LORD helped him win battles.
    ⁷Hadadezer's officers had carried gold shields, but David took these shields and brought them back to Jerusalem. ⁸He also took a lot of bronze from the cities of Tibhath and Cun, which had belonged to Hadadezer. Later, Solomon used this bronze to make the large bowl called the Sea, and to make the pillars and other furnishings for the temple.
    ^9-10King Tou of Hamath and King Hadadezer had been enemies. So when Tou heard that David had defeated Hadadezer's whole army, he sent his son Hadoram to congratulate David on his victory. Hadoram also brought him gifts made of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹David gave these gifts to the LORD, just as he had done with the silver and gold he had captured from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek.
    ¹²Abishai the son of Zeruiah defeated the Edomite army in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of their troops. ¹³Then he stationed troops in Edom, and the people there had to accept David as their ruler.
   Everywhere David went, the LORD gave him victory in war.
   

A List of David's Officials

(2 Samuel 8.15-18)

 ¹⁴David ruled all Israel with fairness and justice.     ¹⁵Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army.
   Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records.
    ¹⁶Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests.
   Shavsha was the secretary.
    ¹⁷Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of David's bodyguard. ^[b] David's sons were his highest-ranking officials.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 17:17 You are treating me. . . person: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. 1 Chronicles 18:17 David's bodyguard: The Hebrew text has "the Cherethites and the Pelethites," who were foreign soldiers hired by David to be his bodyguard.

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Romans 2:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 2

God's Judgment Is Fair

 ¹Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. ²We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. ³Do you really think God won't punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? ⁴You surely don't think much of God's wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don't you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?     ⁵But you are stubborn and refuse to turn to God. So you are making things even worse for yourselves on that day when he will show how angry he is and will judge the world with fairness. ⁶God will reward each of us for what we have done. ⁷He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever. ⁸But he will show how angry and furious he can be with every selfish person who rejects the truth and wants to do evil. ⁹All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles. ¹⁰But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ¹¹God doesn't have any favorites!
    ¹²Those people who don't know about God's Law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says. ¹³God accepts those who obey his Law, but not those who simply hear it.
    ¹⁴Some people naturally obey the Law's commands, even though they don't have the Law. ¹⁵This proves that the conscience is like a law written in the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned, ¹⁶when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone's secret thoughts, just as my message says.
   

The Jews and the Law

 ¹⁷Some of you call yourselves Jews. You trust in the Law and take pride in God. ¹⁸By reading the Scriptures you learn how God wants you to behave, and you discover what is right. ¹⁹You are sure that you are a guide for the blind and a light for all who are in the dark. ²⁰And since there is knowledge and truth in God's Law, you think you can instruct fools and teach young people.     ²¹But how can you teach others when you refuse to learn? You preach that it is wrong to steal. But do you steal? ²²You say people should be faithful in marriage. But are you faithful? You hate idols, yet you rob their temples. ²³You take pride in the Law, but you disobey the Law and bring shame to God. ²⁴It is just as the Scriptures tell us, "You have made foreigners say insulting things about God."

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Psalm 10:16-18 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁶Our LORD, you will always rule,
   but nations will vanish
   from the earth.
    ¹⁷You listen to the longings
   of those who suffer.
   You offer them hope,
   and you pay attention
   to their cries for help.
    ¹⁸You defend orphans
   and everyone else in need,
   so that no one on earth
   can terrify others again.

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Proverbs 19:8-9 (Contemporary English Version)

⁸Do yourself a favor
   by having good sense--
   you will be glad you did.
    ⁹Dishonest witnesses and liars
   will be destroyed.

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Verse of the Day

“If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.” - John 15:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer Amos Bronson Alcott wrote, “The less routine the more life.”