February 21, 2023

1 Samuel 21:10-15

¹⁰That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances:

" 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"

¹²David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

¹⁴Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? ¹⁵Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"

1 Samuel 22:1-5

¹David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. ²All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

³From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?" ⁴So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

⁵But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

 

 

Psalm 49

¹For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, ²both low and high, rich and poor alike: ³My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. ⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: ⁵Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-- ⁶those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? ⁷No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-- ⁸the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-- ⁹that he should live on forever and not see decay. ¹⁰For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. ¹¹Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. ¹²But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. [Selah] ¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. ¹⁵But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. [Selah] ¹⁶Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; ¹⁷for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. ¹⁸Though while he lived he counted himself blessed-- and men praise you when you prosper-- ¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light [of life]. ²⁰A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

 

 

Philippians 3:12–21

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 4:1

¹Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!