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dfroza · 4 years

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Today’s reading in the ancient book of Proverbs and Psalms

for Sunday, july 5 of 2020 with Proverbs 5 and Psalm 5 accompanied by Psalm 16 for the 16th day of Summer and Psalm 37 for day 187 of the year

[Proverbs 5]

Listen to me, my son,

for I know what I’m talking about.

Listen carefully to my advice

so that wisdom and discernment will enter your heart,

and then the words you speak will express what you’ve learned.

Remember this:

The lips of a seductress seem sweet like honey,

and her smooth words are like music in your ears.

But I promise you this:

In the end all you’ll be left with is a bitter conscience.

For the sting of your sin will pierce your soul like a sword.

She will ruin your life, drag you down to death,

and lead you straight to hell.

She has prevented many from considering the paths of life.

Yes, she will take you with her where you don’t want to go,

sliding down a slippery road

and not even realizing where the two of you will end up!

Listen to me, young men,

and don’t forget this one thing I’m telling you—

run away from her as fast as you can!

Don’t even go near the door of her house

unless you want to fall into her seduction.

In disgrace you will relinquish your honor to another,

and all your remaining years will be squandered—

given over to the cruel one.

Why would you let strangers take away your strength

while the labors of your house go to someone else?

For when you grow old you will groan in anguish and shame

as sexually transmitted diseases consume your body.

And then finally you’ll admit that you were wrong and say,

“If only I had listened to wisdom’s voice

and not stubbornly demanded my own way,

because my heart hated to be told what to do!

Why didn’t I take seriously the warning of my wise counselors?

Why was I so stupid to think that I could get away with it?

Now I’m totally disgraced and my life is ruined!

I’m paying the price—

for the people of the congregation are now my judges.”

[Sex Reserved for Marriage]

My son, share your love with your wife alone.

Drink from her well of pleasure and from no other.

Why would you have sex with a stranger

or with anyone other than her?

Reserve this pleasure for you and her alone and not with another.

Your sex life will be blessed

as you take joy and pleasure in the wife of your youth.

Let her breasts be your satisfaction,

and let her embrace intoxicate you at all times.

Be continually delighted and ravished with her love!

My son, why would you be exhilarated by an adulteress—

by embracing a woman who is not yours?

For God sees everything you do and his eyes are wide open

as he observes every single habit you have.

Beware that your sins don’t overtake you

and the scars of your own conscience

become the ropes that tie you up.

Those who choose wickedness die for lack of self-control,

for their foolish ways lead them astray,

carrying them away as hostages—

kidnapped captives robbed of destiny.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 5 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 5]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by flutes.

Bend Your ear to me and listen to my words, O Eternal One;

hear the deep cry of my heart.

Listen to my call for help,

my King, my True God;

to You alone I pray.

In the morning, O Eternal One, listen for my voice;

in the day’s first light, I will offer my prayer to You and watch expectantly for Your answer.

You’re not a God who smiles at sin;

You cannot abide with evil.

The proud wither in Your presence;

You hate all who pervert and destroy what is good.

You destroy those with lying lips;

the Eternal detests those who murder and deceive.

Yet I, by Your loving grace,

am welcomed into Your house;

I will turn my face toward Your holy place

and fall on my knees in reverence before You.

O Eternal One, lead me in the path of Your righteousness

amidst those who wish me harm;

make Your way clear to me.

Their words cannot be trusted;

they are destructive to their cores.

What comes out of their mouths is as foul as a rotting corpse;

their words stink of flattery.

Find them guilty, O True God;

let their own devices bring them ruin.

Throw them out, and let them drown in the deluge of their sin,

for in revolt they brazenly spit in Your face.

But let those who run to You for safety be glad they did;

let them break out in joyful song.

May You keep them safe—

their love for You resounding in their hearts.

You, O Eternal, are the One who lays all good things in the laps of the right-hearted.

Your blessings surround them like a shield.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 5 (The Voice)

[Psalm 16]

A prayer of David.

Protect me, God, for the only safety I know is found in the moments I seek You.

I told You, Eternal One, “You are my Lord,

for the only good I know in this world is found in You alone.”

The beauty of faith-filled people encompasses me.

They are true, and my heart is thrilled beyond measure.

All the while the despair of many,

who abandoned Your goodness for the empty promises of false gods, increases day by day.

I refuse to pour out blood offerings,

to utter their names from my lips.

You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup.

In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches.

My home is surrounded in beauty;

You have gifted me with abundance and a rich legacy.

I will bless the Eternal, whose wise teaching orchestrates my days

and centers my mind at night.

He is ever present with me;

at all times He goes before me.

I will not live in fear or abandon my calling

because He stands at my right hand.

This is a good life—my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy,

and my body is at rest.

Who could want for more?

You will not abandon me to experience death and the grave

or leave me to rot alone.

Instead, You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.

As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,

and I know true joy and contentment.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 16 (The Voice)

[Psalm 37]

A song of David.

Don’t be worried with evil workers

or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways.

Soon enough they will wither like grass,

like green herbs fading in summer’s heat.

Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—

live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.

Take great joy in the Eternal!

His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!

Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.

Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.

He will spread out righteousness for you

as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;

He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.

Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.

Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.

Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.

So turn from anger. Don’t rage,

and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.

Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;

but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches.

You’ll see . . . the wicked won’t know what hit them;

you’ll blink, and they’ll be gone;

you’ll go out looking for them, but you won’t find them.

But the humble-hearted will inherit the land;

they will take pleasure in its peace and enjoy its abundance.

How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!

He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.

But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!

He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.

The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;

the poor and needy are their victims,

and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.

But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—

yes, their bows will snap in two.

The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with

than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.

Their time is short, their arms will be broken,

but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.

All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;

their inheritance is kept safe forever.

When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.

When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.

But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;

they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.

Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish

like smoke into the cool night air.

Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,

while the good give generously from their hearts.

For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,

but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.

If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;

the Eternal will be pleased with your life.

And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face

because He holds you by the hand.

Through my whole life (young and old),

I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,

nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,

Because they are always giving and sharing;

truly, their children are a joyful blessing.

Walk away from evil. Do good

so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life

Because the Eternal cherishes justice

and will not abandon those loyal to Him.

He will guard and care for them forever,

but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.

Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land

and settle there forever.

Wisdom fills the mouth of the right-living;

justice and truth roll from their tongues.

The True God’s law is imprinted upon their hearts,

and they do not stumble.

The wicked stalk God’s good ones,

looking to kill them,

But the Eternal will never leave them to the dogs of evil,

nor will they be found guilty when the verdict is read.

Wait for the Eternal. Keep to His path. Mind His will.

He will come for you, exalt you; you will inherit the land.

Before your very eyes you will see the end of the wicked.

I passed by a wicked man with a cold-blooded nature;

I looked, and he seemed as large as a cedar of Lebanon.

But then again, I passed that same way and there was nothing left of him.

I went out looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Keep your eye on the innocent. Model your life after the blameless.

Everyone who loves peace has a future.

But sinners will be doomed.

The forecast for the wicked: utter destruction.

There will be none left, not one child of darkness.

The Eternal saves His faithful;

He lends His strength in hard times;

The Eternal comes and frees them—

frees them from evildoers and saves them for eternity—

simply because they seek shelter in Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 37 (The Voice)

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