Morning Devotion

A Miktam of David.
¹ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
¹ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
⁸ the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
¹³ Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

¹ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (ESV)

¹ Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut.
² And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut.
³ Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”
⁴ Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. And I fell on my face.
⁵ And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning all the statutes of the temple of the LORD and all its laws. And mark well the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary.
⁶ And say to the rebellious house, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: O house of Israel, enough of all your abominations,
⁷ in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations.
⁸ And you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary.
⁹ “Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary.
¹⁰ But the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment.
¹¹ They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them.
¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their punishment.
¹³ They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed.
¹⁴ Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.
¹⁵ “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord GOD.
¹⁶ They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge.

²³ They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
²⁴ In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy.
²⁵ They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.
²⁶ After he has become clean, they shall count seven days for him.
²⁷ And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.
²⁸ “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.
²⁹ They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. (ESV)

¹ I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—
² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
⁶ But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
⁷ and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
⁹ For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”
¹⁰ And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,
¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—
¹² she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
¹³ As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!
¹⁵ For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
¹⁶ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
¹⁸ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (ESV)

¹ It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
² There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her,
³ and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
⁵ Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.
⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”
⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.
¹⁰ And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.
¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
¹² In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
¹³ And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
¹⁴ she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.
¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
¹⁶ He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
¹⁷ He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—”
¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
¹⁹ Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her.
²¹ And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.”
²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’”
²³ And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”
²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.”
²⁶ Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
²⁷ When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb.
²⁸ And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”
²⁹ But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez.
³⁰ Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

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)

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
⁴⁸ When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”
⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
⁵³ And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
⁵⁴ and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
⁵⁷ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (ESV)

To the choirmaster. Of David.
¹ In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain,
² for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
³ if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
⁵ The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶ Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
⁷ For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (ESV)