Friday, August 30, 2019

Deuteronomy 12:15–32

¹⁵Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the LORD your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. ¹⁶But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. ¹⁸Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose--you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns--and you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

²⁰When the LORD your God has enlarged your territory as he promised you, and you crave meat and say, "I would like some meat," then you may eat as much of it as you want. ²¹If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put his Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. ²²Eat them as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. ²⁴You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. ²⁵Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

²⁶But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give, and go to the place the LORD will choose. ²⁷Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. ²⁸Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

²⁹The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, ³⁰and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." ³¹You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

³²See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.

 

 

Psalm 59

¹For the director of music. [To the tune of] "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A [miktam.] When Saul had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me. ²Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men. ³See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD. ⁴I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight! ⁵O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. [Selah] ⁶They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. ⁷See what they spew from their mouths-- they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, "Who can hear us?" ⁸But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations. ⁹O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, ¹⁰my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me. ¹¹But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, and bring them down. ¹²For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, ¹³consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. [Selah] ¹⁴They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. ¹⁵They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. ¹⁶But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. ¹⁷O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

 

 

 

Galatians 4:1–20

¹What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ²He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ["Abba], Father." ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

⁸Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. ⁹But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ¹⁰You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

¹²I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. ¹³As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. ¹⁴Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. ¹⁵What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁷Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them. ¹⁸It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. ¹⁹My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!