Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 103
The Forgiving God
Of David.
1 My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.(A)
2 My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits.(B)
Sabbath Violation
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.(A) 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community. 34 They placed him in custody because it had not been decided what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord told Moses, “The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp.”(B) 36 So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Tassels for Remembrance
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels(C) for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. 39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart(D) and your own eyes.(E) 40 This way you will remember and obey all my commands and be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”(F)
Fatherly Discipline
3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.(A) 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:
My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly
or lose heart when you are reproved by him,
6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves
and punishes every son he receives.[a](B)
7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—which all receive[b]—then you are illegitimate children and not sons.(C) 9 Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?(D) 10 For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.(E) 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit(F) of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.(G)
12 Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,(H) 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated[c] but healed instead.(I)
Warning against Rejecting God’s Grace
14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness(J)—without it no one will see the Lord.(K) 15 Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.(L) 16 And make sure that there isn’t any immoral[d] or irreverent(M) person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.(N) 17 For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.(O)
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