Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Pe
129 Your decrees inspire wonder;
because of that, my soul desires to keep them.
130 When Your words are unveiled, light shines forth;
they bring understanding to the simple.
131 My desire for Your commands
left me waiting, open-mouthed and panting.
132 Acknowledge me and show me Your grace
as is Your habit toward all those who love Your name.
133 Guide my steps in the ways of Your word,
and do not let any sin control me.
134 Rescue me from the torment of my human oppressors
so that I may live according Your decrees.
135 Let Your face shine upon Your servant,
and help me to learn what You require.
136 My eyes shed rivers of tears
whenever people fail to keep Your teaching.
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah (Jehoiada’s son), and David’s mercenary guards—the Cherethites and the Pelethites—journeyed together to Gihon; and Solomon rode on the back of one of David’s mules.
39 Zadok the priest anointed Solomon with the horn of oil from the congregation tent. Then the trumpet was sounded, and everyone proclaimed, “May King Solomon have a long life!” 40 Everyone then followed after Solomon. They played their wind instruments and joyfully celebrated until the sound shook the earth.
41 As they were finishing their feast, Adonijah and all those who were attending his gathering heard the celebration of Solomon’s followers. Joab heard the trumpet.
Joab: What is the meaning of this jamboree? Why does the city celebrate?
42 While he was questioning the celebration, Jonathan (son of Abiathar the priest) arrived.
Adonijah (welcoming Jonathan): Please come join us. Make yourself at home. You are a good man; surely you bring us good news.
Jonathan: 43 You are wrong! Our lord, King David, has appointed Solomon as king. 44 By David’s instruction, Solomon is with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah (Jehoiada’s son), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites. Furthermore, the king gave Solomon a mule to ride. 45 When they got to Gihon, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon as the new king. They are celebrating now, and that is the reason for the city’s festivities you are hearing; 46 Solomon already sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 All the servants of the king went to our lord, King David, to congratulate him: “Bless you! May your God make Solomon’s reign, his name, and his throne even greater than yours!” Then the king bowed down to Solomon on his bed.
Although King David is too sick to leave his bed, he blesses Solomon’s coronation by putting his face toward the floor.
King David: 48 Praise be to the Eternal One, Israel’s God! He has allowed me to live long enough to see the day when another sits on my throne.
44 Now recall that our ancestors had a sacred tent in the wilderness, the tent God directed Moses to build according to the pattern revealed to him. 45 When Joshua led our ancestors to dispossess the nations God drove out before them, our ancestors carried this sacred tent. It remained here in the land until the time of David. 46 David found favor with God and asked Him for permission to build a permanent structure (rather than a portable tent) to honor Him. 47 It was, of course, Solomon who actually built God’s house. 48 Yet we all know the Most High God doesn’t actually dwell in structures made by human hands, as the prophet Isaiah said,
49 “Since My throne is heaven
and since My footstool is earth—
What kind of structure can you build to contain Me?
What man-made space could provide Me a resting place?” asks the Eternal One.
50 “Didn’t I make all things with My own hand?”[a]
As Stephen recounts how God has worked with the Jews in spite of their faltering fidelity, his speech up to this point sounds like any good synagogue sermon. In the stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, he narrates the history of God’s work of salvation among the Jewish people in the midst of their repeated struggle with unfaithfulness and idolatry. However, it is one thing for his audience to agree that idolatry was a problem in the past and another when they are charged with the accusation of the same idolatry in the present. According to Stephen, those who reject Jesus are following the same path as the people who rejected Moses to follow idols. Such a strong message strikes a nerve, and Stephen becomes the first martyr of the church because of it.
Stephen: 51 You stubborn, stiff-necked people! Sure, you are physically Jews, but you are no different from outsiders in your hearts and ears! You are just like your ancestors, constantly fighting against the Holy Spirit. 52 Didn’t your ancestors persecute the prophets? First, they killed those prophets who predicted the coming of the Just One; and now, you have betrayed and murdered the Just One Himself! 53 Yes, you received the law as given by heavenly messengers, but you haven’t kept the law which you received.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.