I am an emeritus professor from Cornell University and was a Commissioned Lay Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For many years I have followed the Daily Lectionary as printed in the Mission Yearbook of my church. For each day of a two-year cycle, the lectionary lists four psalms and three other scriptural passages--usually one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. My practice is to copy down a verse or two from one of the psalms and from each of the other three passages. After I have written out all four selections, I reflect upon them, rearrange their order, and incorporate them into a meditation. Sometimes I retain much of the original wording; sometimes all that remains of a selection is an idea that was stimulated when I read the original words. All selections are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For the Daily Lectionary, see the link below.

The Insolent, the Ruthless--July 2, 2013


 The insolent and the ruthless
rise up to do evil.
Protect the innocent, O God.

They bully and threaten,
ravage and drag to prison,
mock and assault.

They do not set you
before them--
but they are before you.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 54; 146; 28; 99
1 Sam. 11:1-15
Acts 8:1b-13
Luke 22:63-71

Selected Verses

Ps. 54:3
For the insolent have risen against me,
          the ruthless seek my life;
          they do not set God before them.      Selah

1 Sam. 11:2
But Nahash the Ammonite said to [the men of Jabesh], "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, namely that I gouge out everyone’s right eye, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel."

Acts 8:3
But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.

Luke 22:63-64
Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?"

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)