Midday Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
⁴ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

A Prayer of David.
¹ Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
² Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
³ Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.
⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
⁶ Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.
⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
¹⁴ O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.
¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (ESV)

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
⁶ If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (ESV)

¹ Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
² The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.
³ His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.
⁴ So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
⁵ From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.
⁶ So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
⁷ And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.
⁹ He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
¹⁰ And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
¹¹ But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house,
¹² she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
¹³ And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house,
¹⁴ she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
¹⁵ And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.”
¹⁶ Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,
¹⁷ and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me.
¹⁸ But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
¹⁹ As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled.
²⁰ And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
²¹ But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
²² And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
²³ The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (ESV)

¹³ And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.
¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
¹⁷ And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
²³ And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!
²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”
²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,
³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (ESV)

²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
²² But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.
²³ And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.
²⁴ Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.
²⁵ And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again.
²⁶ Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
²⁸ Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.”
³⁰ And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
³¹ Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.
³² And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.
³³ The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”
³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”
³⁵ And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border.
³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
³⁸ Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”
³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
⁴⁰ And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
⁴¹ And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

¹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
² Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
³ And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height,
⁴ and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”
⁵ And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
⁶ And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering.
⁷ And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’
⁸ How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?
⁹ For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!
¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”
¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”
¹² And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
¹³ And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”
¹⁴ And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD over there.”
¹⁶ And the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.”
¹⁷ And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”
¹⁸ And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
¹⁹ God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
²⁰ Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
²¹ He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
²² God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
²³ For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’
²⁴ Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
²⁵ And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.”
²⁶ But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?” (ESV)

³⁷ “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
⁴¹ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
⁴³ “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

¹ After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
² Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him,
⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
⁸ For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (ESV)

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. (ESV)