February 14: Psalm 45; Genesis 41:1–36; 2 Chronicles 18–19:3; Acts 11:19–30 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 45(Listen)

Your Throne, O God, Is Forever

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil¹of the Sons of Korah; a love song.

45   My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2   You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
    grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
3   Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
    in your splendor and majesty!
4   In your majesty ride out victoriously
    for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5   Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king’s enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.
6   Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
    The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7     you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8     your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
  From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9     daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10   Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father’s house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
  Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12     The people²of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.³
13   All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14     In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15   With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.
16   In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.
17   I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

(ESV)

Genesis 41:1–36(Listen)

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”¹17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land²of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

(ESV)

2 Chronicles 18–19:3(Listen)

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.”5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?”7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.”9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.”15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’22 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.”

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?”24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.”25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’”27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.”31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him.32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.33 But a certain man drew his bow at random¹and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

19 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem.2 But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.3 Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.”

(ESV)

Acts 11:19–30(Listen)

The Church in Antioch

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists¹also, preaching the Lord Jesus.21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers²living in Judea.30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

(ESV)