Living Words for 22nd January
Worship: Psalm 25
Old Testament: Joshua 19
Gospel: Mark 9
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 6
Wisdom: Proverbs 22
Psalm 25
The Cross, The Crook, and the Crown
Preceding this Psalm, we have the Psalm of the Cross (Psalm 22), the Shepherd Psalm (Psalm), and the Crown Psalm (Psalm 24) – which is easier to remember as, “The Cross, The Crook, and the Crown.”
Psalm 25 is an acrostic poem where each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. As part of your Devotions today, write a love poem to your Heavenly Father, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit beginning with A, and concluding with Z – if you can think of a Z or an X! I have written one during the early hours of this morning, and it has been uplifting to do this.
Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
[Lift the Hebrew from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_25 ]
Joshua 19
These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
I find the whole ‘casting of lots’ a fascinating aspect of Biblical Culture. I must learn more.
Mark 9
Consider the World English Bible in its choice of words to express ‘transfiguration’ (from the same Greek root from which we get ‘metamorphosis’, and which is used in Romans 12:2)
He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God’s Kingdom come with power.”
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them. His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.
You, too, can be transformed, transfigured, changed into another form through the renewing of our minds by the Living Word of God. As with new patterns of thought within, so with new patterns of physiology without.
A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
…
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.” He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”
1 Corinthians 6
Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbour, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Don’t you know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the assembly? I say this to move you to shame. Isn’t there even one wise man among you who would be able to decide between his brothers? But brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers! Therefore, it is already altogether a defect in you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?
…don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Proverbs 22
A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honour and life.
Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.
One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
Saying 1
Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Saying 2
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
Saying 3
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
Saying 4
Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Saying 5
Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
Saying 6
Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.