Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 5

With You the Wicked Cannot Dwell

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For the choir director. For flutes. A psalm by David.

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²³ The king of Aram’s officials said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they defeated us. But if we fight them on the plain, we will certainly defeat them. ²⁴ Now do this. Remove the kings from their positions as field commanders, and replace them with military officers. ²⁵ Then raise an army like the army you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then if we fight them on the plain, we will certainly defeat them.” The king listened to them and did what they recommended.

²⁶ When spring came, Ben Hadad mobilized the army of Aram and went up to Aphek to wage war against Israel. ²⁷ The Israelites also were mobilized and given provisions, and they went out to confront the Arameans. The Israelites camped across from them, like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the land.

²⁸ Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says. Because the Arameans said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills, but not a god of the valleys,’ I will give all of this huge horde into your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

²⁹ So they camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle was joined by both armies. The Israelites struck down the Arameans—one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The survivors fled to the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the survivors. Ben Hadad also fled and went into the city, to an inner room.

Ahab Spares Ben Hadad

³¹ Then his officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. So let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare your life.”

³² So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads, and they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant, Ben Hadad, says, ‘Please spare my life.’”

Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”^[a]

³³ The men took this as a good omen, so they quickly latched on to what he said and responded, “Ben Hadad is your brother.”

Then Ahab said, “Go get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab brought him up into his chariot.

³⁴ Ben Hadad said to him, “I will return the cities that my father took from your father, and you may put your own trading centers in Damascus, just as my father put them in Samaria.”

Then Ahab said, “Under these terms, I release you.” So he made a treaty^[b] with Ben Hadad and let him go.

God Graciously Chose a Remnant

11 So I say, did God reject his people? Absolutely not! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. ² God did not reject his people whom he foreknew—or don’t you know what Scripture says about Elijah, how he was pleading with God against Israel: ³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life.”^{[a] 4} But what did God’s answer tell him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”^[b]

⁵ So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.^{[c] 6} Now if it is by grace, then it is not the result of works—otherwise grace would no longer be grace.^[d]

God Planned a Way to Recover Some Hardened Jews

⁷ What then? Israel did not receive what it was striving to get. The elect did, but the rest were hardened. ⁸ Just as it is written:

⁹ And David says: