February 11: Psalm 41; Genesis 38; 2 Chronicles 15; Acts 9:1–31 - a podcast by Crossway

from 2022-02-11T12:00

:: ::

Psalms and Wisdom:Psalm 41

Psalm 41(Listen)

OLord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

41   Blessed is the one who considers the poor!1
    In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
  the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
    he is called blessed in the land;
    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
  The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
    in his illness you restore him to full health.2
  As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
    heal me,3for I have sinned against you!”
  My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
    while his heart gathers iniquity;
    when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
  All who hate me whisper together about me;
    they imagine the worst for me.4
  They say, “A deadly thing is poured out5on him;
    he will not rise again from where he lies.”
  Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
    who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10   But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
    and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11   By this I know that you delight in me:
    my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12   But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
    and set me in your presence forever.
13   Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
      Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

[1]41:1Orweak
[2]41:3Hebrewyouturn all his bed
[3]41:4Hebrewmy soul
[4]41:7Ortheydevise evil against me
[5]41:8Orhas fastened

(ESV)

Pentateuch and History:Genesis 38

Genesis 38(Listen)

Judah and Tamar

38 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her,and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah1was in Chezib when she bore him.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.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.”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 prostitute2who 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.3Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”4And 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.530 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

Footnotes

[1]38:5HebrewHe
[2]38:21Hebrewsacred woman; a woman who served a pagan deity by prostitution; also verse 22
[3]38:24Orhascommitted prostitution
[4]38:24Orbyprostitution
[5]38:29Perezmeansa breach

(ESV)

Chronicles and Prophets:2 Chronicles 15

2 Chronicles 15(Listen)

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 The Spirit of God came1upon Azariah the son of Oded,and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress.But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.2And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul,13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.

16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Footnotes

[1]15:1Orwas
[2]15:8Hebrewthe vestibule of theLord

(ESV)

Gospels and Epistles:Acts 9:1–31

Acts 9:1–31(Listen)

The Conversion of Saul

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priestand 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.Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him,“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said,“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.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.And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision,“Ananias.”And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”11 And the Lord said to him,“Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”15 But the Lord said to him,“Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Saul Escapes from Damascus

23 When many days had passed, the Jews1plotted to kill him,24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall,2lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists.3But they were seeking to kill him.30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Footnotes

[1]9:23The Greek wordIoudaioirefers specifically here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time
[2]9:25Greekthroughthe wall
[3]9:29That is, Greek-speaking Jews

(ESV)

Further episodes of ESV: Digging Deep into the Bible

Further podcasts by Crossway

Website of Crossway