February 9: Psalm 39; Genesis 36; 2 Chronicles 13; Acts 6:8–7:60 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 39(Listen)

What Is the Measure of My Days?

To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39   I said, “I will guard my ways,
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
  I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2   I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
  and my distress grew worse.
3     My heart became hot within me.
  As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:
4   “O LORD, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
5   Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
  Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!Selah
6     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
  Surely for nothing¹they are in turmoil;
    man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7   “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    My hope is in you.
8   Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9   I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
    for it is you who have done it.
10   Remove your stroke from me;
    I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11   When you discipline a man
    with rebukes for sin,
  you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
    surely all mankind is a mere breath!Selah
12   “Hear my prayer, O LORD,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
  For I am a sojourner with you,
    a guest, like all my fathers.
13   Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    before I depart and am no more!”

(ESV)

Genesis 36(Listen)

Esau’s Descendants

36 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter¹of Zibeon the Hivite,3 and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.4 And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel;5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob.7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock.8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)

9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.14 These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father.25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.26 These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, chief by chief in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah.33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith.36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates²reigned in his place.38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.

40 These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,43 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

(ESV)

2 Chronicles 13(Listen)

Abijah Reigns in Judah

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah¹the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!5 Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord,7 and certain worthless scoundrels²gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute³and could not withstand them.

8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.9 Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination⁴with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods.10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the LORD who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service.11 They offer to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him.12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops⁵were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets.15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men.18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron⁶with its villages.20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the LORD struck him down, and he died.21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

(ESV)

Acts 6:8–7:60(Listen)

Stephen Is Seized

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Speech

7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”2 And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.11 Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit.13 And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers,16 and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt18 until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.19 He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive.20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house,21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.

23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord:32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

35 “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt,40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

  “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
    during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43   You took up the tent of Moloch
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the images that you made to worship;
  and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David,46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.¹47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49   “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
  What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
    or what is the place of my rest?
50   Did not my hand make all these things?’

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together²at him.58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

(ESV)