July 2: Psalm 140; Psalm 142; Psalm 141; Psalm 143; 1 Samuel 13:19–14:15; Acts 9:1–9; Luke 23:26–31 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 140 (Listen)

Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

140   Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
    preserve me from violent men,
2   who plan evil things in their heart
    and stir up wars continually.
3   They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
    and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah


4   Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
    preserve me from violent men,
    who have planned to trip up my feet.
5   The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
    and with cords they have spread a net;¹
    beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah


6   I say to the LORD, You are my God;
    give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!
7   O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
    you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8   Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
    do not further their² evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah


9   As for the head of those who surround me,
    let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10   Let burning coals fall upon them!
    Let them be cast into fire,
    into miry pits, no more to rise!
11   Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
    let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!


12   I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
    and will execute justice for the needy.
13   Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
    the upright shall dwell in your presence.

(ESV)

Psalm 142 (Listen)

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil¹ of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

142   With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
2   I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.


3   When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!
  In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
4   Look to the right and see:
    there is none who takes notice of me;
  no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.


5   I cry to you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6   Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
  Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
7   Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
  The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

(ESV)

Psalm 141 (Listen)

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

141   O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
    Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2   Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
    and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!


3   Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
    keep watch over the door of my lips!
4   Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
  in company with men who work iniquity,
    and let me not eat of their delicacies!


5   Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
    let my head not refuse it.
  Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6   When their judges are thrown over the cliff,¹
    then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7   As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
    so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.²


8   But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord;
    in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!³
9   Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers!
10   Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
    while I pass by safely.

(ESV)

Psalm 143 (Listen)

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143   Hear my prayer, O LORD;
    give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2   Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.


3   For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    he has crushed my life to the ground;
    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4   Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.


5   I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
6   I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah


7   Answer me quickly, O LORD!
    My spirit fails!
  Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8   Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
  Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.


9   Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
    I have fled to you for refuge.¹
10   Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
  Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!


11   For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!
    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12   And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your servant.

(ESV)

1 Samuel 13:19–14:15 (Listen)

19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,¹ 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel² for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel³ for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.⁴ 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

14 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave⁵ at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.” 7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish.⁶ Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre⁷ of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.⁸

(ESV)

Acts 9:1–9 (Listen)

The Conversion of Saul

9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

(ESV)

Luke 23:26–31 (Listen)

The Crucifixion

26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

(ESV)