Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 54
For the worship leader. A contemplative song[a] of David when his friends, the Ziphites, betrayed him to Saul. Accompanied by strings.
This is a lament reflecting the time when David was betrayed to Saul (1 Samuel 23:6–29). It expresses hope that God will save by His name. The name refers to the covenant name given to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 3). We have translated it “the Eternal One.” For the ancients the name of God has power precisely because it embodies the presence of God. To call upon the name was to call upon God to remember His covenant promises and be present in power in order to rescue His people.
1 Liberate me, O God, by the authority of Your name.
Vindicate me through Your legendary power.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
let the words of my mouth reach Your sympathetic ear.
3 The truth is, these strangers are rallying against me;
cold-blooded men seek to slay me;
they have no respect for You.
[pause][b]
4 But see now! God comes to rescue me;
the Lord is my valiant supporter.
5 He will repay my enemies for the harm they have done; they are doomed!
According to Your faithful promises, silence them.
6 I will sacrifice to You willingly;
I will lift Your name by shouts of thanksgiving, O Eternal One, for Your name is good.
7 God has pulled me out from every one of the troubles that encompass me,
and I have seen what it means to stand over my enemies in triumph.
24 Zedekiah (Chenaanah’s son) hit Micaiah on the cheek.
Zedekiah: That’s impossible. How is it that the Eternal’s Spirit communicated to you without me knowing about it?
Micaiah: 25 You will understand when the time comes for you to hide in a secret chamber.
Ahab: 26 In the meantime, take Micaiah back to Amon, the city’s governor, and to Joash, the king’s son. 27 Give them this message: “This is the command of Israel’s king: ‘Lock this man behind bars, and give him only crumbs of bread and drops of water until I come back safely from battle.’”
Micaiah: 28 All right. If you come back alive and in one piece, you will know that the Eternal did not communicate His message through me. All you people listen carefully.
29 Israel’s king and Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, waged war against Ramoth-gilead.
Ahab (to Jehoshaphat): 30 Here’s what I am going to do. I am going to put on a disguise and enter into battle, but you are going to dress in your normal robes.
Fearing that Micaiah might be right, Israel’s king put on a disguise and entered battle.
31 Aram’s king commanded the 32 captains in charge of all the chariots.
King of Aram (to his captains): Don’t waste your time fighting with any important or unimportant person. Fight only with Israel’s king. He’s the one we want dead.
32 When the chariot captains laid eyes upon Jehoshaphat and saw the robes he was wearing, they said to themselves, “This must be Israel’s king. Only a king wears such robes.” They engaged in battle with him, and Jehoshaphat screamed for his life. 33 To Jehoshaphat’s immense relief, when the chariot captains realized that this was not Israel’s king, they left him alone. 34 In the meantime, one warrior shot a random arrow from his bow up into the air, and the arrow happened to strike inside a joint of Israel’s king’s armor.
Ahab (to his charioteer): Get me out of this battle quickly! I am hurt badly.
35 The fighting continued throughout that entire day. Meanwhile, the king was propped up inside his chariot before all the Arameans, so they would think he still led Israel, and he died that night. Blood dripped out from where the arrow had pierced him, and it stained the bottom of the chariot. 36 At sunset, word spread throughout the entire army: “Israel’s king is dead. Go back to where you came from. Return to your native cities and countries.”
37 Israel’s king died and was transported to Samaria where he was laid to rest. 38 They cleaned the blood out of his chariot at the Samaritan pool, where all the prostitutes and promiscuous women bathed in the bloodstained water and the dogs licked up his blood, just as the Eternal said they would.
39 Is not the rest of Ahab’s story—all his actions and the ivory house and cities he constructed—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? 40 Ahab left this world to sleep with his fathers; and his son, Ahaziah, then inherited the throne.
The cultivated olive tree provides Paul with a beautiful image of how believing Jews and non-Jews were organically connected in the plan of God. Life flows from the earth to the branches—some natural, some grafted in—through the rootstock. Paul wants to make sure the grafted branches know they have not arrived on their own; their spiritual life and vitality flow from the root, Israel. God is the Farmer who has tenderly grafted them into the sturdy stock on the basis of faith. So pride and arrogance are completely out of place for those grafted branches. They will bear fruit only as they remain connected by faith to the stock.
25 My brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be in the dark about this mystery—I am going to let you in on the plan so that you will not think too highly of yourselves. A part of Israel has been hardened to the good news until the full number of those outside the Jewish family have entered in. 26 This is the way that all of Israel will be saved. As it was written, so it also stands:
The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will drive away wickedness from Jacob.
27 And this is My covenant promise to them,
on the day when I take away their sins.[a]
28 It may seem strange. When it comes to the work of the gospel, the fact that they oppose it is actually for your benefit. But when you factor in God’s election, they are truly loved because they descended from faithful forefathers. 29 You see, when God gives a grace gift and issues a call to a people, He does not change His mind and take it back. 30 There was a time when you outsiders were disobedient to God and at odds with His purpose, but now you have experienced mercy as a result of their disobedience. 31 In the same way, their disobedience now will make a way for them to receive mercy as a result of the mercy shown to you. 32 For God has assigned all of us together—Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders—to disobedience so He can show His mercy to all.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.