Meditate

Judges 4

4. Deborah

Deborah and Barak

 4

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.²So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.³Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.

⁴ At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.⁵She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.⁶She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun.⁷I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’ ”⁸Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”⁹And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.¹⁰Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

¹² When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,¹³Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.¹⁴Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him.¹⁵And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot,¹⁶while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.

¹⁷ Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.¹⁸Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.¹⁹Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.²⁰He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ”²¹But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died.²²Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

²³ So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites.²⁴Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.

Galatians 3:26-29

3. Faith or Observance of the Law

²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Psalm 45

45. Psalm 45

Psalm 45

Ode for a Royal Wedding

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.

1

My heart overflows with a goodly 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 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 glory and majesty.

 

4

In your majesty ride on victoriously

for the cause of truth and to defend the right;

let your right hand teach you dread deeds.

5

Your arrows are sharp

in the heart of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

 

6

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;

7

you love righteousness and hate 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, 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 people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,

the richest of the people¹³with all kinds of wealth.

 

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;

14

in many-colored robes she is led to the king;

behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.

15

With joy and gladness they are led along

as they enter the palace of the king.

 

16

In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons;

you will make them princes in all the earth.

17

I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;

therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.