May 24 - Morning
"Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?
Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love."
- Psalms 6:1-4
- Psalms 6:1-4
A Psalmist Afflicted with Sickness
This Psalm is a lament of a sick person seeking restoration and petitioning the Lord for relief in their broken soul. The word “agony” and “anguish” are the same Hebrew verb. This is seen in the ESV translation where the Hebrew verb is translated “troubled” in both the reference to the bones and to the soul. The disease or illness has taken its toll in the Psalmist’s physical being (“bones”) and in their soul.
Interestingly before the Psalmist seeks the Lord’s mercy for healing he pleads with the Lord, asking him to:
“not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”
This may be because the writer associates his sin (or, his sinful nature) with sickness and affliction. But, since there is no confession of a specific sin or repentance for a sinful behavior this writer may be suffering innocently like Job who was righteous, yet was afflicted merely because he lived in this fallen world and was marred by a sin nature. In contrast David writes the same way in Psalm 38, but ultimately confesses his sin:
“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath…there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me…For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.” (Psalm 38:1, 3-4, 17-18)
All men know that they will someday die, but it is during times of sickness, pain and agony that men vividly experience the reality of sin in the world and in their human nature while they live. God will judge sin, but in his mercy the Lord has also provided a way of escape from sin for the man who seeks him.
Shakach (Hb) - Forget (Eng) - the Hebrew word shakach means "to forget." The use of shakach can refer to forgetting facts, details, information, etc. But, it can also mean "to fail to take action. This is how it is used in Lamentations 5:20 and Hosea 4:6.
During times of oppression or affliction am I quick to turn to the Lord for help? Do I seek the Lord for strength and deliverance first before I turn to complain? I will seek the Lord for help before I seek a person to grumble and complain to.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Medicare
Church
Reach the community, county, state, nation and world with Word of God
Nation
Military Generals
World
France
Looking east from the Judean Wilderness into the Jordan Valley, or the Rift Valley. The Jordan River can be seen in the distance with the modern country of Jordan on the other side. The green oasis called the city of Jericho, or the City of Palms, can also be seen.
Someone to Quote
"We are the Bibles the world is reading;
We are the creeds the world is needing;
We are the sermons the world is heeding."
- Billy Graham
We are the creeds the world is needing;
We are the sermons the world is heeding."
- Billy Graham
Something to Ponder
Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation (Greek word sozo means "save, rescue, deliver, cure"; Greek word soter means "savior, preserver").
God’s salvation covers: • Eternity past • Eternity future • Every person without exception, either positively or negatively • Effects angelic realm in the heavenlies and underworld • Includes personal salvation • Includes national salvation • Includes cosmic salvation • Centers on Jesus Christ
God’s salvation covers: • Eternity past • Eternity future • Every person without exception, either positively or negatively • Effects angelic realm in the heavenlies and underworld • Includes personal salvation • Includes national salvation • Includes cosmic salvation • Centers on Jesus Christ
Here’s a Fact
The excavation of Megiddo uncovered these features that agree with the testimony of scripture. Megiddo had been an urban center until it was destroyed by fire at the time of Joshua’s invasion. It had been home to Canaanites, but also had been occupied later by Hebrews. All these people groups left behind gods, goddesses, altars, etc. from their style of worship. Architectural work that was similar in design to Solomon’s other fortification was discovered (1 Kings 9:15-17). All of this agrees with the biblical account of Megiddo on the edge of the Jezreel Valley.
Proverb
"Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you."
- Proverbs 24:13-14
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you."
- Proverbs 24:13-14
Coach’s Corner
Commit to your goals. Anticipate the change. Work through opposition. Develop a useful product. Together these values are greatness.
1 Samuel 2
New International Version (NIV)
Hannah’s Prayer
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
2
“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3
“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
4
“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5
Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6
“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.
9
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10
those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18 But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.
Prophecy Against the House of Eli
27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’”
New International Version (NIV)
Hannah’s Prayer
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
2
“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3
“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
4
“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5
Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6
“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.
9
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10
those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18 But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.
Prophecy Against the House of Eli
27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’”
Amos 7
New International Version (NIV)
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
3 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
6 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
9
“The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”
Amos and Amaziah
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say,
“‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
New International Version (NIV)
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
3 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
6 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
9
“The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”
Amos and Amaziah
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say,
“‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
Psalm 108-109
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
1
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
3
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
7
God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter.
9
Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10
Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.
13
With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1
My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
2
for people who are wicked and deceitful 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 someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser 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 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, 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 blot out their name 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 come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be 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, Sovereign Lord, help 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.
26
Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
27
Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it.
28
While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29
May my accusers 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 of worshipers I will praise him.
31
For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
1
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
3
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
7
God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter.
9
Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10
Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.
13
With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1
My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
2
for people who are wicked and deceitful 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 someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser 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 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, 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 blot out their name 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 come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be 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, Sovereign Lord, help 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.
26
Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
27
Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it.
28
While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29
May my accusers 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 of worshipers I will praise him.
31
For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.