Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 77
Will the Lord Reject Forever?
Heading
For the choir director. According to Jeduthun.[a] By Asaph. A psalm.
The Question
1 With my voice to God—
with my voice I cried out to God,
and he listened to me.
2 In the day when I was distressed I sought the Lord.
At night my hand was stretched out,
and it never grew tired,
but my soul refused to be comforted.
3 God, I remembered and I groaned. Interlude
I pondered, and my spirit became weak.
4 You propped my eyelids open.
I was troubled but did not speak.
5 I thought about the days of long ago, the years long past.
6 During the night I remembered my music.
With my heart I pondered, and my spirit asked,
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never again show favor?
8 Has his mercy vanished to the end?
Has what he said failed for all generations?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Interlude
Has he really shut up his compassion in anger?”
The Answer
10 Then I said, “This is what hurts me:
the change of the right hand of the Most High.”[b]
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord.[c]
Yes, I will remember your wonderful work from long ago.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
and I will ponder all your deeds.
13 O God, your way is carried out in holiness.
What god is as great as God?
14 You are the God who performs a wonderful deed.
You made known your power among the peoples.
15 With your arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Interlude
16 The waters saw you, O God.
The waters saw you and swirled.
Even the depths were turbulent.
17 The clouds poured down water.
The skies echoed with thunder.
Indeed, your arrows shot back and forth.
18 The sound of your thunder was heard in the tornado.
Lightning lit up the world.
The earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your route led through the sea.
Your trail went through the mighty waters,
but your footprints were not detected.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Round One: Eliphaz’s Speech
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 If someone ventures to have a word with you, will you grow impatient?
But who can refrain from speaking up?
3 You yourself have instructed many,
and you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have raised up people who were stumbling,
and you have given support to buckling knees.
5 But now that this has happened to you, you grow impatient.
This strikes you and you are disturbed.
6 Shouldn’t your piety give you confidence?
Don’t your blameless ways give you reason to hope?
7 Now remember this:
Who has ever perished if he was innocent?
Where were the upright ever erased?
8 This is what I have observed:
Those who plow evil and sow trouble will reap the same.
9 By the breath of God they perish.
By the blast from his nostrils they come to an end.
10 The lion roars, and the fierce lion growls,
but the teeth of the young lion are broken.[a]
11 The strong lion perishes from a lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 A word was delivered to me secretly.
My ears caught a whisper of it.
13 In the middle of anxious thoughts arising from visions in the night,
at the time when deep sleep falls upon people,
14 terror and trembling came over me
and made all my bones tremble.
15 A spirit[b] passed in front of my face.
The hair on my body stood on end.
16 A figure stood in front of me,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a quiet voice say,
17 “Can a person be righteous before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?”[c]
18 If God does not trust his own servants,
if he charges his messengers with error,
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more quickly than a moth!
20 From dawn to dusk they are smashed to pieces.
They perish forever, and no one even notices.
21 Won’t the ropes that hold up their tents be pulled up,[d]
so that they die without gaining wisdom?
Made Alive in Christ by Grace
2 You were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked when you followed the ways of this present world. You were following the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now at work in the people who disobey.
3 Formerly, we all lived among them in the passions of our sinful flesh, as we carried out the desires of the sinful flesh and its thoughts. Like all the others, we were by nature objects of God’s wrath.
4 But God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6 He also raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 7 He did this so that, in the coming ages, he might demonstrate the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.