1 Samuel 28, 1 Corinthians 9, Ezekiel 7, Psalm 45, 46

1 Samuel 28,

1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army."
 
2 David said, "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do." Achish replied, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."
 
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
 
4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa.
 
5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.
 
6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
 
7 Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her." "There is one in Endor," they said.
 
8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."
 
9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"
 
10 Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."
 
11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said.
 
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"
 
13 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."
 
14 "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
 
15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
 
16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?
 
17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-to David.
 
18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today.
 
19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
 
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
 
21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.
 
22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."
 
23 He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
 
24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.
 
25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
 

1 Corinthians 9,

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?
 
2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
 
3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.
 
4 Don't we have the right to food and drink?
 
5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?
 
6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?
 
7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?
 
8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing?
 
9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
 
10 Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
 
11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
 
12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
 
13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
 
14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
 
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast.
 
16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
 
17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
 
18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
 
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
 
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
 
21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
 
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
 
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
 
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
 
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
 
26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
 
27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
 

Ezekiel 7,

1 The word of the LORD came to me:
 
2 "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land of Israel: The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
 
3 The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.
 
4 I will not look on you with pity or spare you; I will surely repay you for your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
 
5 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Disaster! An unheard-of disaster is coming.
 
6 The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. It has come!
 
7 Doom has come upon you-you who dwell in the land. The time has come, the day is near; there is panic, not joy, upon the mountains.
 
8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against you; I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.
 
9 I will not look on you with pity or spare you; I will repay you in accordance with your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes the blow.
 
10 "The day is here! It has come! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed!
 
11 Violence has grown into a rod to punish wickedness; none of the people will be left, none of that crowd-no wealth, nothing of value.
 
12 The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for wrath is upon the whole crowd.
 
13 The seller will not recover the land he has sold as long as both of them live, for the vision concerning the whole crowd will not be reversed. Because of their sins, not one of them will preserve his life.
 
14 Though they blow the trumpet and get everything ready, no one will go into battle, for my wrath is upon the whole crowd.
 
15 "Outside is the sword, inside are plague and famine; those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
 
16 All who survive and escape will be in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys, each because of his sins.
 
17 Every hand will go limp, and every knee will become as weak as water.
 
18 They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Their faces will be covered with shame and their heads will be shaved.
 
19 They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.
 
20 They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols and vile images. Therefore I will turn these into an unclean thing for them.
 
21 I will hand it all over as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, and they will defile it.
 
22 I will turn my face away from them, and they will desecrate my treasured place; robbers will enter it and desecrate it.
 
23 "Prepare chains, because the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of violence.
 
24 I will bring the most wicked of the nations to take possession of their houses; I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.
 
25 When terror comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none.
 
26 Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will try to get a vision from the prophet; the teaching of the law by the priest will be lost, as will the counsel of the elders.
 
27 The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
 

Psalm 45, 46

1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
 
2 You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
 
3 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
 
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.
 
5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
 
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
 
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
 
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.
 
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
 
10 Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house.
 
11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
 
12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.
 
13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
 
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.
 
15 They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.
 
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
 
17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
 

    
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
 
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
 
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
 
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
 
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
 
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
 
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
 
8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
 
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
 
10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
 
11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah