ESV: Book of Common Prayer Daily Office Lectionary

November 7 (Proper 26): Ps. 75, 76; Ps. 23, 27; Ezra 9:1-15; Rev. 17:1-14; Matt. 14:22-36 (ESV)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 75 (Listen)

God Will Judge with Equity

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

75:1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.

“At the set time that I appoint
  I will judge with equity.
When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
  it is I who keep steady its pillars.     Selah
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
  and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
  or speak with haughty neck.’”

For not from the east or from the west
  and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
but it is God who executes judgment,
  putting down one and lifting up another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
  with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
  and all the wicked of the earth
  shall drain it down to the dregs.

But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Psalm 76 (Listen)

Who Can Stand Before You?

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

76:1 In Judah God is known;
  his name is great in Israel.
His abode has been established in Salem,
  his dwelling place in Zion.
There he broke the flashing arrows,
  the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.     Selah

Glorious are you, more majestic
  than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
  they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
  were unable to use their hands.
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
  both rider and horse lay stunned.

But you, you are to be feared!
  Who can stand before you
  when once your anger is roused?
From the heavens you uttered judgment;
  the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgment,
  to save all the humble of the earth.     Selah

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
  the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;
  let all around him bring gifts
  to him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
  who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 23 (Listen)

The LORD Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
  He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
  for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
  I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
  your rod and your staff,
  they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
  in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
  my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
  all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
  forever.

Psalm 27 (Listen)

The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
  that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
  all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
  and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
  be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
  “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
  Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
  O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
  O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
  but the LORD will take me in.

Teach me your way, O LORD,
  and lead me on a level path
  because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
  for false witnesses have risen against me,
  and they breathe out violence.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
  in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
  be strong, and let your heart take courage;
  wait for the LORD!

Ezra 9 (Listen)

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

9:1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

“And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

Revelation 17:1-14 (Listen)

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Matthew 14:22-36 (Listen)

Jesus Walks on the Water

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Footnotes

[1] 75:1 Hebrew They
[2] 76:10 Or extremity
[3] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest
[4] 23:3 Or in right paths
[5] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness
[6] 23:6 Or Only
[7] 23:6 Or steadfast love
[8] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell
[9] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days
[10] 27:1 Or refuge
[11] 27:3 Or in this
[12] 27:4 Or meditate
[13] 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person
[14] 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
[15] 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed
[16] 9:2 Hebrew offspring
[17] 9:8 Hebrew nail, or tent-pin
[18] 9:9 Hebrew a wall
[19] 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus
[20] 17:8 Greek the abyss
[21] 14:24 Greek many stadia, a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
[22] 14:24 Some manuscripts was out on the sea
[23] 14:30 Some manuscripts strong wind

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 6 (Proper 26): Ps. 69:1-23(24-30)31-38; Ps. 73; Ezra 7:27-28, 8:21-36; Rev. 15:1-8; Matt. 14:13-21 (ESV)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 69:1-23 (Listen)

Save Me, O God

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David.

69:1 Save me, O God!
  For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
  where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
  and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying out;
  my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
  with waiting for my God.

More in number than the hairs of my head
  are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
  those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
  must I now restore?
O God, you know my folly;
  the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
  O Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
  O God of Israel.
For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
  that dishonor has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers,
  an alien to my mother's sons.

For zeal for your house has consumed me,
  and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
  it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing,
  I became a byword to them.
I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
  and the drunkards make songs about me.

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
  At an acceptable time, O God,
  in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Deliver me
  from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
  and from the deep waters.
Let not the flood sweep over me,
  or the deep swallow me up,
  or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
  according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant;
  for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
  ransom me because of my enemies!

You know my reproach,
  and my shame and my dishonor;
  my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
  so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
  and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food,
  and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Let their own table before them become a snare;
and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.

Psalm 69:24-30 (Listen)

Pour out your indignation upon them,
  and let your burning anger overtake them.
May their camp be a desolation;
  let no one dwell in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have struck down,
  and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
Add to them punishment upon punishment;
  may they have no acquittal from you.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
  let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!

I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:31-36 (Listen)

This will please the LORD more than an ox
  or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad;
  you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the LORD hears the needy
  and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

Let heaven and earth praise him,
  the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion
  and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
  the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
  and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

Psalm 73 (Listen)

Book Three

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of Asaph.

73:1 Truly God is good to Israel,
  to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
  my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
  when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs until death;
  their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
  they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
  violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
  their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
  loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
  and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
  and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know?
  Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked;
  always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain have I kept my heart clean
  and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken
  and rebuked every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
  I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

Truly you set them in slippery places;
  you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
  swept away utterly by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
  O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
When my soul was embittered,
  when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
  I was like a beast toward you.

Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
  you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
  and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
  but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
  you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
  I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
  that I may tell of all your works.

Ezra 7:27-28 (Listen)

Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra 8:21-36 (Listen)

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Priests to Guard Offerings

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD.” So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.

Revelation 15 (Listen)

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
  O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
  O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
  and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
  All nations will come
  and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Matthew 14:13-21 (Listen)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Footnotes

[1] 69:1 Or waters threaten my life
[2] 69:10 Hebrew lacks and humbled
[3] 69:22 Hebrew; a slight revocalization yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome) a snare, and retribution and a trap
[4] 69:27 Hebrew may they not come into your righteousness
[5] 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
[6] 73:26 Hebrew rock
[7] 8:26 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
[8] 8:26 Revocalization; the number is missing in the Masoretic Text
[9] 8:27 A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams
[10] 8:36 A satrap was a Persian official
[11] 15:3 Greek bondservant
[12] 15:3 Some manuscripts the ages
[13] 15:5 Or tabernacle

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 5 (Proper 26): Ps. [70], 71; Ps. 74; Ezra 7:(1-10)11-26; Rev. 14:1-13; Matt. 14:1-12 (ESV)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 70 (Listen)

O LORD, Do Not Delay

To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering.

70:1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
  O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let them be put to shame and confusion
  who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
  who delight in my hurt!
Let them turn back because of their shame
  who say, “Aha, Aha!”

May all who seek you
  rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
  say evermore, “God is great!”
But I am poor and needy;
  hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
  O LORD, do not delay!

Psalm 71 (Listen)

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

71:1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
  let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
  incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
  to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
  for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
  from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
  my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
  you are he who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

I have been as a portent to many,
  but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
  and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
  forsake me not when my strength is spent.
For my enemies speak concerning me;
  those who watch for my life consult together
and say, “God has forsaken him;
  pursue and seize him,
  for there is none to deliver him.”

O God, be not far from me;
  O my God, make haste to help me!
May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
  with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
  who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually
  and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
  of your deeds of salvation all the day,
  for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
  I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
  and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
  O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
  your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
  reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
  O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
  will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
  you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
  and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp
  for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
  O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy,
  when I sing praises to you;
  my soul also, which you have redeemed.
And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
  who sought to do me hurt.

Psalm 74 (Listen)

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A Maskil of Asaph.

74:1 O God, why do you cast us off forever?
  Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,
  which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!
  Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
  the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;
  they set up their own signs for signs.
They were like those who swing axes
  in a forest of trees.
And all its carved wood
  they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
They set your sanctuary on fire;
  they profaned the dwelling place of your name,
  bringing it down to the ground.
They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
  they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our signs;
  there is no longer any prophet,
  and there is none among us who knows how long.
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
  Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
  Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!

Yet God my King is from of old,
  working salvation in the midst of the earth.
You divided the sea by your might;
  you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
  you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
You split open springs and brooks;
  you dried up ever-flowing streams.
Yours is the day, yours also the night;
  you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
  you have made summer and winter.

Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,
and a foolish people reviles your name.
Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;
do not forget the life of your poor forever.

Have regard for the covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.

Arise, O God, defend your cause;
remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

Ezra 7:1-10 (Listen)

Ezra Sent to Teach the People

7:1 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest— this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Ezra 7:11-26 (Listen)

This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury.

“And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

“And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Revelation 14:1-13 (Listen)

The Lamb and the 144,000

14:1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Matthew 14:1-12 (Listen)

The Death of John the Baptist

14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Footnotes

[1] 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[3] 74:11 Hebrew from your bosom
[4] 74:13 Or the great sea creatures
[5] 7:8 Aramaic he
[6] 7:12 Aramaic Perfect (probably a greeting)
[7] 7:22 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
[8] 7:22 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
[9] 7:22 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
[10] 14:8 Or wrath
[11] 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus
[12] 14:3 Some manuscripts his brother's wife

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 4 (Proper 26): Ps. 72; Ps. 119:73-96; Neh. 13:4-22; Rev. 12:1-12; Matt. 13:53-58 (ESV)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 72 (Listen)

Give the King Your Justice

Of Solomon.

72:1 Give the king your justice, O God,
  and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
  and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
  and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
  give deliverance to the children of the needy,
  and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you while the sun endures,
  and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
  like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
  and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
  and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
  and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
  render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
  bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
  all nations serve him!

For he delivers the needy when he calls,
  the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
  and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
  and precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live;
  may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
  and blessings invoked for him all the day!
May there be abundance of grain in the land;
  on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
  may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
  like the grass of the field!
May his name endure forever,
  his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
  all nations call him blessed!

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
  who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
  may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
     Amen and Amen!

The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Psalm 119:73-96 (Listen)

Yodh

Your hands have made and fashioned me;
  give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
  because I have hoped in your word.
I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous,
  and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Let your steadfast love comfort me
  according to your promise to your servant.
Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
  for your law is my delight.
Let the insolent be put to shame,
  because they have wronged me with falsehood;
  as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
Let those who fear you turn to me,
  that they may know your testimonies.
May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
  that I may not be put to shame!

Kaph

My soul longs for your salvation;
  I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
  I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
  yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
How long must your servant endure?
  When will you judge those who persecute me?
The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
  they do not live according to your law.
All your commandments are sure;
  they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
They have almost made an end of me on earth,
  but I have not forsaken your precepts.
In your steadfast love give me life,
  that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Lamedh

Forever, O LORD, your word
  is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
  you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day,
  for all things are your servants.
If your law had not been my delight,
  I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
  for by them you have given me life.
I am yours; save me,
  for I have sought your precepts.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
  but I consider your testimonies.
I have seen a limit to all perfection,
  but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Nehemiah 13:4-22 (Listen)

Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

Revelation 12:1-12 (Listen)

The Woman and the Dragon

12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Matthew 13:53-58 (Listen)

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Footnotes

[1] 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
[2] 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
[3] 119:84 Hebrew How many are the days of your servant?
[4] 13:18 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context
[5] 12:10 Or brothers and sisters

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 3 (Proper 26): Ps. 61, 62; Ps. 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Neh. 12:27-31a, 42b-47; Rev. 11:1-19; Matt. 13:44-52 (ESV)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 61 (Listen)

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

61:1 Hear my cry, O God,
  listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
  when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
  that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
  a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.

Psalm 62 (Listen)

My Soul Waits for God Alone

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

62:1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

How long will all of you attack a man
  to batter him,
  like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
  They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
  but inwardly they curse.     Selah

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
  for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
  my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
  my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

Those of low estate are but a breath;
  those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
  they are together lighter than a breath.
Put no trust in extortion;
  set no vain hopes on robbery;
  if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

Once God has spoken;
  twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
  and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
  according to his work.

Psalm 68:1-20 (Listen)

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

68:1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
  and those who hate him shall flee before him!
As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
  as wax melts before fire,
  so the wicked shall perish before God!
But the righteous shall be glad;
  they shall exult before God;
  they shall be jubilant with joy!

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
  lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the LORD;
  exult before him!
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
  is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
  he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
  but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

O God, when you went out before your people,
  when you marched through the wilderness,     Selah
the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
  before God, the One of Sinai,
  before God, the God of Israel.
Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
  you restored your inheritance as it languished;
your flock found a dwelling in it;
  in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

The Lord gives the word;
  the women who announce the news are a great host:
  “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—
  though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
  its pinions with shimmering gold.
When the Almighty scatters kings there,
  let snow fall on Zalmon.

O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
  O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
  at the mount that God desired for his abode,
  yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
  thousands upon thousands;
  the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
You ascended on high,
  leading a host of captives in your train
  and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

Blessed be the Lord,
  who daily bears us up;
  God is our salvation.     Selah
Our God is a God of salvation,
  and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Psalm 68:21-23 (Listen)

But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
  the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
The Lord said,
  “I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
that you may strike your feet in their blood,
  that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

Psalm 68:24-35 (Listen)

Your procession is seen, O God,
  the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
the singers in front, the musicians last,
  between them virgins playing tambourines:
“Bless God in the great congregation,
  the LORD, O you who are of Israel's fountain!”
There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
  the princes of Judah in their throng,
  the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

Summon your power, O God,
  the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
Because of your temple at Jerusalem
  kings shall bear gifts to you.
Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
  the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
  scatter the peoples who delight in war.
Nobles shall come from Egypt;
  Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
  sing praises to the Lord,     Selah
to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
  behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
  whose majesty is over Israel,
  and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
  the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Nehemiah 12:27-31 (Listen)

Dedication of the Wall

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate.

Nehemiah 12:42-47 (Listen)

and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

Service at the Temple

On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

Revelation 11 (Listen)

The Two Witnesses

11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
  who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
  and begun to reign.
The nations raged,
  but your wrath came,
  and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
  and those who fear your name,
  both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Matthew 13:44-52 (Listen)

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Footnotes

[1] 68:10 Or your congregation
[2] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16
[3] 68:24 Or has been
[4] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here
[5] 68:28 Probable reading; Hebrew Your God has summoned your power
[6] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
[7] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your
[8] 12:46 Or leaders
[9] 11:7 Or the abyss
[10] 11:8 Greek spiritually
[11] 11:18 Greek bondservants
[12] 11:19 Or voices, or sounds

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 2 (Proper 26): Ps. 56, 57, [58]; Ps. 64, 65; Neh. 6:1-19; Rev. 10:1-11; Matt. 13:36-43 (ESV)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Psalm 56 (Listen)

In God I Trust

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
  all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
  for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
  I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
  in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
  What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;
  all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
  they watch my steps,
  as they have waited for my life.
For their crime will they escape?
  In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;
  put my tears in your bottle.
  Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
  in the day when I call.
  This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
  in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
  What can man do to me?

I must perform my vows to you, O God;
  I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
  yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
  in the light of life.

Psalm 57 (Listen)

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
  for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
  till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
  to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
  he will put to shame him who tramples on me.     Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps;
  my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
  but they have fallen into it themselves.     Selah
My heart is steadfast, O God,
  my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
  Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
  I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
  I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
  your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 58 (Listen)

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

58:1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.

The wicked are estranged from the womb;
  they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
  like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
  or of the cunning enchanter.

O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
  tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
Let them vanish like water that runs away;
  when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
  like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
  whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalm 64 (Listen)

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

64:1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
  preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
  from the throng of evildoers,
who whet their tongues like swords,
  who aim bitter words like arrows,
shooting from ambush at the blameless,
  shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
They hold fast to their evil purpose;
  they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
  They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
  For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep!

But God shoots his arrow at them;
  they are wounded suddenly.
They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
  all who see them will wag their heads.
Then all mankind fears;
  they tell what God has brought about
  and ponder what he has done.

Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Psalm 65 (Listen)

O God of Our Salvation

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65:1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
  and to you shall vows be performed.
O you who hear prayer,
  to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
  you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
  to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
  the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
  O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
  and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
  being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
  the roaring of their waves,
  the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;
  you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
  you provide their grain,
  for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
  settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
  and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
  your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
  the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
  the valleys deck themselves with grain,
  they shout and sing together for joy.

Nehemiah 6 (Listen)

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6:1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

The Wall Is Finished

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

Revelation 10 (Listen)

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Matthew 13:36-43 (Listen)

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Footnotes

[1] 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 56:5 Or they twist my words
[3] 56:8 Or wanderings
[4] 56:9 Or because
[5] 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[6] 57:8 Or my whole being
[7] 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[8] 58:1 Or mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)
[9] 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
[10] 65:1 Or Praise waits for you in silence
[11] 65:9 Or and make it overflow
[12] 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu
[13] 6:9 Hebrew lacks O God
[14] 6:11 Or would go into the temple to save his life
[15] 10:7 Greek bondservants

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.

November 1 (Proper 26): Ps. 24, 29; Ps. 8, 84; Neh. 5:1-19; Acts 20:7-12; Luke 12:22-31 (ESV)

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Psalm 24 (Listen)

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24:1 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
  And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
  who does not lift up his soul to what is false
  and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
  and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
  who seek the face of the God of Jacob.     Selah

Lift up your heads, O gates!
  And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
  The LORD, strong and mighty,
  the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
  And lift them up, O ancient doors,
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
  The LORD of hosts,
  he is the King of glory!     Selah

Psalm 29 (Listen)

Ascribe to the LORD Glory

A Psalm of David.

29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
  the God of glory thunders,
  the LORD, over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
  the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalm 8 (Listen)

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8:1 O LORD, our Lord,
  how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
  Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
  to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
  and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
  you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
  and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
  whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 84 (Listen)

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the LORD

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
  O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
  for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
  to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
  and the swallow a nest for herself,
  where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
  my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
  ever singing your praise!     Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
  in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
  they make it a place of springs;
  the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
  each one appears before God in Zion.

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better
  than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
  than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
  the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
  from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
  blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Nehemiah 5 (Listen)

Nehemiah Stops Oppression of the Poor

5:1 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah's Generosity

Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

Acts 20:7-12 (Listen)

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

Luke 12:22-31 (Listen)

Do Not Be Anxious

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Footnotes

[1] 24:1 Or and all that fills it
[2] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text Jacob, who seek your face
[3] 29:1 Hebrew sons of God, or sons of might
[4] 29:2 Or in holy attire
[5] 29:9 Revocalization yields makes the oaks to shake
[6] 29:11 Or The Lord will give . . . The Lord will bless
[7] 8:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[8] 8:5 Or than God; Septuagint than the angels
[9] 84:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[10] 84:5 Hebrew lacks to Zion
[11] 5:13 Hebrew bosom
[12] 5:15 Compare Vulgate; Hebrew took from them with food and wine afterward
[13] 5:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[14] 5:18 Or prepared for me
[15] 12:25 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
[16] 12:27 Some manuscripts Consider the lilies; they neither spin nor weave
[17] 12:31 Some manuscripts God's

This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer.