Wednesday, March 22, 2023

2 Samuel 11:14–27

¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

¹⁶So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

¹⁸Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

²²The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. ²³The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. ²⁴Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

²⁵David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

²⁶When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

 

 

Psalm 76

¹For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. ²His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. ³There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. [Selah] ⁴You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. ⁵Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. ⁶At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. ⁷You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? ⁸From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet-- ⁹when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. [Selah] ¹⁰Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. ¹¹Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. ¹²He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.

 

 

1 Timothy 6:3–10

³If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.