June 2: 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 121; 1 Timothy 1–3

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 22 2 Samuel 22 (Listen) David’s Song of Deliverance 22 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,   “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,3     my1 God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,  my shield, and the horn of my salvation,    my stronghold and my refuge,    my savior; you save me from violence.4   I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,    and I am saved from my enemies. 5   “For the waves of death encompassed me,    the torrents of destruction assailed me;26   the cords of Sheol entangled me;    the snares of death confronted me. 7   “In my distress I called upon the LORD;    to my God I called.  From his temple he heard my voice,    and my cry came to his ears. 8   “Then the earth reeled and rocked;    the foundations of the heavens trembled    and quaked, because he was angry.9   Smoke went up from his nostrils,3    and devouring fire from his mouth;    glowing coals flamed forth from him.10   He bowed the heavens and came down;    thick darkness was under his feet.11   He rode on a cherub and flew;    he was seen on the wings of the wind.12   He made darkness around him his canopy,    thick clouds, a gathering of water.13   Out of the brightness before him    coals of fire flamed forth.14   The LORD thundered from heaven,    and the Most High uttered his voice.15   And he sent out arrows and scattered them;    lightning, and routed them.16   Then the channels of the sea were seen;    the foundations of the world were laid bare,  at the rebuke of the LORD,    at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17   “He sent from on high, he took me;    he drew me out of many waters.18   He rescued me from my strong enemy,    from those who hated me,    for they were too mighty for me.19   They confronted me in the day of my calamity,    but the LORD was my support.20   He brought me out into a broad place;    he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 21   “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;    according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.22   For I have kept the ways of the LORD    and have not wickedly departed from my God.23   For all his rules were before me,    and from his statutes I did not turn aside.24   I was blameless before him,    and I kept myself from guilt.25   And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,    according to my cleanness in his sight. 26   “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;27   with the purified you deal purely,    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.28   You save a humble people,    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.29   For you are my lamp, O LORD,    and my God lightens my darkness.30   For by you I can run against a troop,    and by my God I can leap over a wall.31   This God—his way is perfect;    the word of the LORD proves true;    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 32   “For who is God, but the LORD?    And who is a rock, except our God?33   This God is my strong refuge    and has made my4 way blameless.534   He made my feet like the feet of a deer    and set me secure on the heights.35   He trains my hands for war,    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.36   You have given me the shield of your salvation,    and your gentleness made me great.37   You gave a wide place for my steps under me,    and my feet6 did not slip;38   I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,    and did not turn back until they were consumed.39   I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;    they fell under my feet.40   For you equipped me with strength for the battle;    you made those who rise against me sink under me.41   You made my enemies turn their backs to me,7    those who hated me, and I destroyed them.42   They looked, but there was none to save;    they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.43   I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;    I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets. 44   “You delivered me from strife with my people;8    you kept me as the head of the nations;    people whom I had not known served me.45   Foreigners came cringing to me;    as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.46   Foreigners lost heart    and came trembling9 out of their fortresses. 47   “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,    and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,48   the God who gave me vengeance    and brought down peoples under me,49   who brought me out from my enemies;    you exalted me above those who rose against me;    you delivered me from men of violence. 50   “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,    and sing praises to your name.51   Great salvation he brings10 to his king,    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,    to David and his offspring forever.” Footnotes [1] 22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my [2] 22:5 Or terrified me [3] 22:9 Or in his wrath [4] 22:33 Or his; also verse 34 [5] 22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly [6] 22:37 Hebrew ankles [7] 22:41 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks [8] 22:44 Septuagint with the peoples [9] 22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves [10] 22:51 Or He is a tower of salvation (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 121 Psalm 121 (Listen) My Help Comes from the Lord A Song of Ascents. 121   I lift up my eyes to the hills.    From where does my help come?2   My help comes from the LORD,    who made heaven and earth. 3   He will not let your foot be moved;    he who keeps you will not slumber.4   Behold, he who keeps Israel    will neither slumber nor sleep. 5   The LORD is your keeper;    the LORD is your shade on your right hand.6   The sun shall not strike you by day,    nor the moon by night. 7   The LORD will keep you from all evil;    he will keep your life.8   The LORD will keep    your going out and your coming in    from this time forth and forevermore. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Timothy 1–3 1 Timothy 1–3 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Warning Against False Teachers 3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship1 from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,2 liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound3 doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.4 Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. Pray for All People 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man5 Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Qualifications for Overseers 3 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer6 must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,7 sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Qualifications for Deacons 8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,8 not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise9 must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. The Mystery of Godliness 14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:   He10 was manifested in the flesh,    vindicated11 by the Spirit,12      seen by angels,  proclaimed among the nations,    believed on in the world,      taken up in glory. Footnotes [1] 1:4 Or good order [2] 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery [3] 1:10 Or healthy [4] 1:17 Greek to the ages of ages [5] 2:5 men and man render the same Greek word that is translated people in verses 1 and 4 [6] 3:2 Or bishop; Greek episkopos; a similar term occurs in verse 1 [7] 3:2 Or a man of one woman; also verse 12 [8] 3:8 Or devious in speech [9] 3:11 Or Wives likewise, or Women likewise [10] 3:16 Greek Who; some manuscripts God; others Which [11] 3:16 Or justified [12] 3:16 Or vindicated in spirit (ESV)