Thursday, November 16, 2023
1 Chronicles 20
1In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war,
Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went
to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked
Rabbah and left it in ruins. 2David took the crown from the head of
their king--its weight was found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with
precious stones--and it was placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of
plunder from the city 3and brought out the people who were there,
consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this
to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to
Jerusalem.
4In the course of time, war broke out with the
Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one
of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated.
5In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son
of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a
shaft like a weaver's rod.
6In still another battle, which took place at Gath,
there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each
foot--twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 7When he
taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
8These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they
fell at the hands of David and his men.
Psalm
119:73–80
73Your hands
made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. 74May
those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your
word. 75I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in
faithfulness you have afflicted me. 76May your unfailing love be my
comfort, according to your promise to your servant. 77Let your
compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. 78May
the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate
on your precepts. 79May those who fear you turn to me, those who
understand your statutes. 80May my heart be blameless toward your
decrees, that I may not be put to shame.
1
Corinthians 4
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of
Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it
is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I
care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not
even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make
me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing
before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light
what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that
time each will receive his praise from God.
6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself
and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the
saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take
pride in one man over against another. 7For who makes you different
from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did
receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8Already you have all you want! Already you have
become rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I wish that you
really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9For it
seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the
procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a
spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10We
are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are
strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11To this very hour we
go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are
homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we
bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are
slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the
earth, the refuse of the world.
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you,
as my dear children. 15Even though you have ten thousand guardians
in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your
father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17For
this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in
the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees
with what I teach everywhere in every church.
18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not
coming to you. 19But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is
willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are
talking, but what power they have. 20For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of talk but of power. 21What do you prefer? Shall I come to
you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
Comments
Post a Comment