Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Is Forever—Man’s Short Life

90 Lord, You have been the place of comfort for all people of all time. ² Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, forever and ever, You are God.

³ You change man into dust again, and say, “Return, O children of men.” ⁴ For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday when it passes by, or like the hours of the night. ⁵ You carry men away as with a flood. They fall asleep. In the morning they are like the new grass that grows. ⁶ It grows well in the morning, but dries up and dies by evening.

¹³ Return, O Lord. How long will it be? Have pity upon those who work for You. ¹⁴ Fill us in the morning with Your loving-kindness. Let us sing for joy and be glad all our days. ¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as You have made us suffer, and for the years we have seen trouble. ¹⁶ Let Your work be shown to Your servants. And let Your wonderful greatness be shown to their children. ¹⁷ Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. And make the work of our hands stand strong. Yes, make the work of our hands stand strong.

The Song of Moses

32 “Listen, O heavens, and let me speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. ² Let my teaching fall as the rain, and my voice like the water on the grass in the early morning, like rain upon the new grass, and rain upon the plant. ³ For I will make known the name of the Lord. I will tell of the greatness of God! ⁴ The Rock! His work is perfect. All His ways are right and fair. A God Who is faithful and without sin, right and good is He. ⁵ They have acted in sin toward Him, but they are not His children, because the mark of sin is on them. They are a bad and sinful people. ⁶ Is this how you pay the Lord, you foolish people who are not wise? Is He not your Father Who has bought you? He has made you and given you your place. ⁷ Remember the days long ago. Think of the years of all people. Ask your father and he will show you. Ask your leaders. They will tell you. ⁸ When the Most High divided up the world among the nations, he divided the children of men. He set the place where each nation was to live by the number of the sons of Israel. ⁹ For the Lord’s share is His people. He chose the people of Jacob for Himself. ¹⁰ He found him in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert. He came around him and cared for him. He kept him as He would His own eye. ¹¹ Like an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them. He carried them on His wings. ¹² The Lord alone led him. There was no strange god with him. ¹³ He made him sit on the high places of the earth. And he ate the food of the field. He made him eat honey from the rock, oil out of hard rock, ¹⁴ milk from cows and milk from the flock, the fat of lambs, rams of Bashan, goats, and the best of the grain. And you drank wine of the blood of grapes.

¹⁸ You did not think of the Rock Who gave you birth. You forgot the God Who gave you birth.

⁷ In all things show them how to live by your life and by right teaching. ⁸ You should be wise in what you say. Then the one who is against you will be ashamed and will not be able to say anything bad about you.

¹¹ God’s free gift of being saved is being given to everyone. ¹² We are taught to have nothing to do with that which is against God. We are to have nothing to do with the desires of this world. We are to be wise and to be right with God. We are to live God-like lives in this world. ¹³ We are to be looking for the great hope and the coming of our great God and the One Who saves, Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ He gave Himself for us. He did this by buying us with His blood and making us free from all sin. He gave Himself so His people could be clean and want to do good. ¹⁵ Teach all these things and give words of help. Show them if they are wrong. You have the right and the power to do this. Do not let anyone think little of you.