Night Watch 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)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
¹ Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
² For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
³ He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
⁴ He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
⁵ God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
⁸ God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
⁹ The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! (ESV)

¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
⁵ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
⁶ So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. (ESV)

¹ Then Job answered and said:
² “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
³ But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
⁴ I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
⁵ In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip.
⁶ The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand.

¹² Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.
¹³ “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
¹⁴ If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.
¹⁵ If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
¹⁶ With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his.
¹⁷ He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools.
¹⁸ He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty.
²⁰ He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders.
²¹ He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
²² He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
²³ He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
²⁴ He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste.
²⁵ They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man. (ESV)

³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
³¹ If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
³² There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
³³ You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
³⁴ Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
³⁵ He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
⁴¹ I do not receive glory from people.
⁴² But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (ESV)

¹ On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
² They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,
³ while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
⁷ So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.
⁸ All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.
⁹ And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD,
¹⁰ the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments
¹¹ and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
¹² And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.
¹³ No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments.
¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
¹⁷ Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
¹⁹ And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
²⁰ The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
²¹ And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish.
²² Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.”
²³ And Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’”
²⁴ And the LORD said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them.”
²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

¹ And God spoke all these words, saying,
² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
³ “You shall have no other gods before me.
⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
⁷ “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
¹³ “You shall not murder.
¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.
¹⁵ “You shall not steal.
¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
¹⁸ Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
¹⁹ and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
²¹ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
²² And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
²³ You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
²⁴ An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
²⁵ If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.
²⁶ And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ (ESV)

²⁹ And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
³¹ And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
³² That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.
³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
³⁴ And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
³⁵ And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
³⁶ And Simon and those who were with him searched for him,
³⁷ and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
³⁸ And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”
³⁹ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
⁴⁰ And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”
⁴¹ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”
⁴² And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
⁴³ And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,
⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
⁴⁵ But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

¹ And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
⁷ “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
¹¹ “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
¹³ He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.
¹⁴ And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
¹⁵ And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
¹⁶ And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
¹⁷ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (ESV)

¹² Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;
¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
¹⁹ But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! (ESV)