Rescue the Weak and Needy

Psalm 82:1)  A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

2  "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

3  Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

5  They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6  I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;

7  nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince."

8  Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!

Treasure in Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:7)  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8)  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9)  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10)  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11)  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12)  So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13)  Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 14)  knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15)  For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16)  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17)  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18)  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The Ark Returned to Israel

1 Samuel 6:1)  The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2)  And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place." 3)  They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you." 4)  And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5)  So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6)  Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7)  Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8)  And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9)  and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence." 10)  The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11)  And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12)  And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13)  Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14)  The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15)  And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD. 16)  And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron. 17)  These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18)  and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. 19)  And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. 20)  Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?" 21)  So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

Psalm 128:1)  A Song of Ascents. Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2)  You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3)  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4)  Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5)  The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

6)  May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

Mark 5:1)  They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2)  And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3)  He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4)  for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5)  Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6)  And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7)  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."  8)  For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9)  And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." 10)  And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11)  Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12)  and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." 13)  So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.  14)  The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15)  And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16)  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17)  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18)  As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19)  And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20)  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

Psalm 37:1)  Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

2  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4  Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

6  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7  Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

8  Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9  For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

10  In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

11  But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12  The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,

13  but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

14  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;

15  their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16  Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18  The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;

19  they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.

20  But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish--like smoke they vanish away.

21  The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;

22  for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23  The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

24  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

26  He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

27  Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.

28  For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

29  The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

30  The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

31  The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

32  The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.

33  The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34  Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35  I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.

36  But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

37  Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.

38  But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39  The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

40  The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

The Scroll and the Lamb

Revelation 5:1)  Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2)  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 3)  And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4)  and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5)  And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." 6)  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7)  And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.  8)  And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9)  And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10)  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." 11)  Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,  12)  saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 13)  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 14)  And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.