-------------------------------------
Tuesday – 24 December 2013
-------------------------------------
Verses:
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
Psalm 89: 2-5, 27, 29
Luke 1:67-79
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
God’s Promise to David
7 After the king was settled in
his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his
enemies around him,
2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am,
living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you
have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with
you.”
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is
what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ‘
8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This
is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock,
and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I
have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies
from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the
greatest men on earth. 10 And I will
provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have
a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress
them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and
have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people
Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When
your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your
offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his
kingdom. 14 I will be his father, and
he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by
men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 16 Your
house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be
established forever.’”
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
2 I will declare
that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
5 The heavens
praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
27 And I will
appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Luke 1:67-79
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the
Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to
the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my
child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Give ear, ye islands, and hearken, ye people from afar. The Lord hath
called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother he hath been mindful of
my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword: in the shadow of his
hand he hath protected me, and hath made me as a chosen arrow: in his quiver he
hath hidden me.
-- Isa. xlix. 1,2
-------------------------------------
Source:
New
International Version (NIV)
Photos acquired thru Google search
