1 Samuel 7, 8, Romans 6, Jeremiah 45, Psalm 20, 21

1 Samuel 7, 8,

1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
 
2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.
 
3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."
 
4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
 
5 Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you."
 
6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.
 
7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.
 
8 They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."
 
9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him.
 
10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.
 
11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.
 
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."
 
13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines.
 
14 The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
 
15 Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life.
 
16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places.
 
17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD.
 

    
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel.
 
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba.
 
3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
 
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
 
5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."
 
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.
 
7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
 
8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
 
9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
 
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.
 
11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.
 
12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
 
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
 
14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.
 
15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.
 
16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.
 
17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
 
18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
 
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us.
 
20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
 
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD.
 
22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."

Romans 6,

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
 
2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
 
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
 
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
 
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
 
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-
 
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
 
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
 
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
 
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
 
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
 
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
 
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
 
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
 
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
 
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
 
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
 
18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
 
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
 
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.
 
21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
 
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
 
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 

Jeremiah 45,

1 This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, after Baruch had written on a scroll the words Jeremiah was then dictating:
 
2 "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:
 
3 You said, 'Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.' "
 
4 The LORD said, "Say this to him: 'This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land.
 
5 Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.' "
 

Psalm 20, 21

1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
 
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
 
3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Selah
 
4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
 
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.
 
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.
 
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
 
8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
 
9 O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call!
 

    
1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
 
2 You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
 
3 You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
 
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him-length of days, for ever and ever.
 
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
 
6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
 
7 For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
 
8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
 
9 At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.
 
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.
 
11 Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;
 
12 for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.
 
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.