Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Adonai-Nissi

Psalm 20

Saul’s Misguided Sacrifice

13 Saul was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 42 years over Israel. ² Now Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmas and in the hill country of Beth-el, and 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the troops he sent away, each one to his tent.

³ Now Jonathan struck down the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. So Saul blew the shofar throughout the country, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴ All Israel heard the news, “Saul had struck down the garrison of the Philistines, so Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” Then the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal. ⁵ Meanwhile the Philistines assembled themselves to fight with Israel: 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They marched up and camped in Michmas, east of Beth-aven.

⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble, because the people were hard-pressed, they hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, crevices and pits. ⁷ Some of the Hebrews even crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, but all the people following him were trembling.

⁸ So he waited seven days—the time set by Samuel—but Samuel had not come to Gilgal so the people began to scatter from him. ⁹ Then Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings,” so he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ But as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and greet him. ¹¹ But Samuel asked, “What have you done?”

Saul replied, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you had not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmas, ¹² I thought: ‘Now the Philistines are about to advance against me at Gilgal, but I have not yet entreated Adonai.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”

¹³ Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly by not keeping the commandment of Adonai your God which He commanded you. For now, Adonai would have established your kingship over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingship will not last. Adonai has sought for Himself a man after His own heart. So Adonai will appoint him as ruler over His people—because you have not guarded what Adonai commanded you.” ¹⁵ Samuel then departed and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Then Saul numbered the troops that were with him, about 600 men.

Storytelling Opens Hearts

4 Again Yeshua began to teach by the sea. A large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the crowd was by the sea on the land. ² He began teaching them many things by parables, and in His teaching, He said to them: ³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed. ⁴ It happened that as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵ “Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

⁷ “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

⁸ “And others fell into the good soil and were producing fruit, springing up and increasing. They yielded a crop, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ When Yeshua was alone, those around Him with the Twelve started asking Him about the parables. ¹¹ And He told them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, everything is in parables,^[a] so that

¹³ He said to them, “Don’t you grasp this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones beside the road where the word is sown. Whenever they hear, satan comes quickly and takes away the word that has been sown in them.

¹⁶ “These are the ones sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. ¹⁷ And they have no root in themselves but last only a short while. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

¹⁸ “And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They have heard the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of the world, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰ “And those are the ones sown on the good soil. They hear the word and accept it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”