1 SAMUEL 10:1-11:15
JOHN 6:43-71
PSALM 107:1-43
PROVERBS 15:1-3
1 SAMUEL 10:1-11:15
Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head. He kissed Saul on the cheek and said, " I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the leader of his people Israel. 2 When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father is worried about you and is asking, ` Have you seen my son?' 3 " When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. 5 " When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 6 At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you with power, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7 After these signs take place, do whatever you think is best, for God will be with you. 8 Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me and wait for me there seven days. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. When I arrive, I will give you further instructions." 9 As Saul turned and started to leave, God changed his heart, and all Samuel's signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw the prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 11 When his friends heard about it, they exclaimed, " What? Is Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?" 12 But one of the neighbors responded, " It doesn't matter who his father is; anyone can become a prophet." So that is the origin of the saying " Is Saul a prophet?" 13 When Saul had finished prophesying, he climbed the hill to the altar. 14 " Where in the world have you been?" Saul's uncle asked him. " We went to look for the donkeys," Saul replied, " but we couldn't find them. So we went to the prophet Samuel to ask him where they were." 15 " Oh? And what did he say?" his uncle asked. 16 " He said the donkeys had been found," Saul replied. But Saul didn't tell his uncle that Samuel had anointed him to be king. 17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the LORD at Mizpah. 18 And he gave them this message from the LORD, the God of Israel: " I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19 But though I have done so much for you, you have rejected me and said, ` We want a king instead!' Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by tribes and clans." 20 So Samuel called the tribal leaders together before the LORD, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the LORD, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the LORD, " Where is he?" And the LORD replied, " He is hiding among the baggage." 23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people, " This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is his equal!" And all the people shouted, " Long live the king!" 25 Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the LORD. Then Samuel sent the people home again. 26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a band of men whose hearts God had touched became his constant companions. 27 But there were some wicked men who complained, " How can this man save us?" And they despised him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.11:1 ABOUT a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite city of Jabesh-gilead. But the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. " Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants," they pleaded. 2 " All right," Nahash said, " but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!" 3 " Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!" replied the leaders of Jabesh. " If none of our relatives will come to save us, we will agree to your terms." 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul's hometown, and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul was plowing in the field, and when he returned to town, he asked, " What's the matter? Why is everyone crying?" So they told him about the message from Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: " This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!" And the LORD made the people afraid of Saul's anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men of Israel, in addition to 30,000 from Judah. 9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, " We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!" What joy there was throughout the city when that message arrived! 10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, " Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us as you wish." 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together. 12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, " Now where are those men who said Saul shouldn't rule over us? Bring them here, and we will kill them!" 13 But Saul replied, " No one will be executed today, for today the LORD has rescued Israel!" 14 Then Samuel said to the people, " Come, let us all go to Gilgal to reaffirm Saul's kingship." 15 So they went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the LORD they crowned him king. Then they offered peace offerings to the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
JOHN 6:43-71
But Jesus replied, " Don't complain about what I said. 44 For people can't come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them from the dead. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ` They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) 47 " I assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 However, the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live." 52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. " How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked. 53 So Jesus said again, " I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. 55 For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56 All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. 57 I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna." 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Even his disciples said, " This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?" 61 Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, " Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see me, the Son of Man, return to heaven again? 63 It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you don't believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, " That is what I meant when I said that people can't come to me unless the Father brings them to me." 66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, " Are you going to leave, too?" 68 Simon Peter replied, " Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God." 70 Then Jesus said, " I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil." 71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would betray him.
PSALM 107:1-43
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the desert,
lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
6 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
miserable prisoners in chains.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one helped them rise again.
13 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools in their rebellion;
they suffered for their sins.
18 Their appetites were gone,
and death was near.
19 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He spoke, and they were healed--
snatched from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off in ships,
plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the LORD's power in action,
his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
and sank again to the depths;
the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits' end.
28 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into flowing springs.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
and build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
They raise large families there,
and their herds of cattle increase.
39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the LORD pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
41 But he rescues the poor from their distress
and increases their families like vast flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are stricken silent.
43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.
PROVERBS 15:1-3
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only foolishness. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.
