Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21

PSALM 6

¹O Lord , do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

²Be merciful to me, Lord , for I am faint; O Lord , heal me, for my bones are in agony.

³My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord , how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord , and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

⁵No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave 1 ?

⁶I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

⁷My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

⁸Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

¹⁰All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

PSALM 8

¹O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

²From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

³When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

⁴what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

⁵You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

⁷all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

⁸the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PSALM 9

¹I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.

²I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

³My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

⁴For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

⁶Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.

⁸He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.

⁹The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

¹⁰Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord , have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord , enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

¹²For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

¹³O Lord , see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

¹⁶The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah

¹⁷The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

¹⁹Arise, O Lord , let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.

²⁰Strike them with terror, O Lord ; let the nations know they are but men. Selah

PSALM 10

¹Why, O Lord , do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord .

⁴In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

⁷His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.

⁹He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”

¹²Arise, Lord ! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?

¹⁴But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.

¹⁷You hear, O Lord , the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

¹⁸defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

PSALM 14

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

²The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

³All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Will evildoers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord ?

⁵There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.

⁶You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.

⁷Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

PSALM 16

¹Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

²I said to the Lord , “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

³As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

⁵Lord , you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

⁶The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷I will praise the Lord , who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

¹¹You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

PSALM 19

¹The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

²Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

³There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

⁴Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

¹¹By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord , my Rock and my Redeemer.

PSALM 21

¹O Lord , the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!

²You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

³You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

⁴He asked you for life, and you gave it to him- length of days, for ever and ever.

⁵Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

⁶Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

⁷For the king trusts in the Lord ; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

⁸Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.

⁹At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.

¹⁰You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.

¹¹Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;

¹²for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.

¹³Be exalted, O Lord , in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

2 Samuel 1-4

1After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

²On the third day a man arrived from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.

³“Where have you come from?” David asked him. He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴“What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.” He said, “The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

⁵Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him.

⁷When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’

⁸“He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ ” ‘An Amalekite,’ I answered.

⁹“Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’

¹⁰“So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them.

¹²They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite,” he answered.

¹⁴David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord ‘s anointed?”

¹⁵Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died.

¹⁶For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord ‘s anointed.’ “

¹⁷David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,

¹⁸and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

¹⁹“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰“Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

²¹“O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain . For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul-no longer rubbed with oil.

²²From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

²³“Saul and Jonathan- in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

²⁴“O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

²⁵“How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

²⁶I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.

²⁷“How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”

2In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord . “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered.

²So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

³David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns.

⁴Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,

⁵he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.

⁶May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.

⁷Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

⁸Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

⁹He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

¹⁰Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

¹¹The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹²Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.

¹³Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

¹⁴Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.” “All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

¹⁵So they stood up and were counted off-twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

¹⁶Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

¹⁷The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s men.

¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.

¹⁹He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him.

²⁰Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” he answered.

²¹Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

²²Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”

²³But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

²⁴But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon.

²⁵Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

²⁶Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?”

²⁷Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning. “

²⁸So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

²⁹All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the whole Bithron and came to Mahanaim.

³⁰Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner and assembled all his men. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing.

³¹But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner.

³²They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

3The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

²Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

³his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

⁴the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

⁵and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul.

⁷Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

⁸Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said and he answered, “Am I a dog’s head-on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman!

⁹May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath

¹⁰and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.”

¹¹Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹²Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

¹³“Good,” said David. “I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.”

¹⁴Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”

¹⁵So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.

¹⁶Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.

¹⁷Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king.

¹⁸Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ “

¹⁹Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin wanted to do.

²⁰When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men.

²¹Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

²²Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

²³When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

²⁴So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone!

²⁵You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

²⁶Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it.

²⁷Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

²⁸Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

²⁹May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house! May Joab’s house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

³⁰(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier.

³²They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

³³The king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

³⁴Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men.” And all the people wept over him again.

³⁵Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

³⁶All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them.

³⁷So on that day all the people and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?

³⁹And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

4When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.

²Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin-Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,

³because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have lived there as aliens to this day.

⁴(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

⁵Now Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.

⁶They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

⁷They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

⁸They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

⁹David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble,

¹⁰when a man told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!

¹¹How much more-when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed-should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

¹²So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 121, 123-125, 128-130

PSALM 121

¹I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?

²My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

³He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

⁶the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life;

⁸the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

PSALM 123

¹I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.

²As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.

³Have mercy on us, O Lord , have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

⁴We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.

PSALM 124

¹If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say-

²if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,

³when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive;

⁴the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,

⁵the raging waters would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the Lord , who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

PSALM 125

¹Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

²As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

³The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.

⁴Do good, O Lord , to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.

⁵But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

PSALM 128

¹Blessed are all who fear the Lord , who walk in his ways.

²You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

⁴Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord .

⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

⁶and may you live to see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.

PSALM 129

¹They have greatly oppressed me from my youth- let Israel say-

²they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.

³Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.

⁴But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

⁵May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

⁶May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;

⁷with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms.

⁸May those who pass by not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord .”

PSALM 130

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord ;

²O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

³If you, O Lord , kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

⁴But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

⁵I wait for the Lord , my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

⁶My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷O Israel, put your hope in the Lord , for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

⁸He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Samuel 28-31; Psalm 18

28In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”

²David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.” Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

⁴The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa.

⁵When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.

⁶He inquired of the Lord , but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

⁷Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said.

⁸So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

⁹But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

¹⁰Saul swore to her by the Lord , “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

¹¹Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” “Bring up Samuel,” he said.

¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹³The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.”

¹⁴“What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

¹⁵Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy?

¹⁷The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-to David.

¹⁸Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.

¹⁹The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”

²⁰Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

²¹When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.

²²Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”

²³He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

²⁴The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.

²⁵Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

29

The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

²As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish.

³The commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.”

⁴But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?

⁵Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: ” ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

⁶So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you.

⁷Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”

⁸“But what have I done?” asked David. “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹Achish answered, “I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’

¹⁰Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.”

¹¹So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

30

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,

²and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

³When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

⁴So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

⁵David’s two wives had been captured-Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

⁶David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

⁷Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,

⁸and David inquired of the Lord , “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

⁹David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind,

¹⁰for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

¹¹They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat-

¹²part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

¹³David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

¹⁴We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

¹⁵David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

¹⁷David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

¹⁸David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

¹⁹Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

²⁰He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them.

²²But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

²³David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.

²⁴Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

²⁵David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

²⁶When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the plunder of the Lord ‘s enemies.”

²⁷He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;

²⁸to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa

²⁹and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;

³⁰to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach

³¹and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

31

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

³The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

⁴Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

⁵When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

⁶So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

⁷When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

⁹They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.

¹⁰They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.

¹³Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

PSALM 18

¹I love you, O Lord , my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³I call to the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁵The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my distress I called to the Lord ; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

⁷The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.

⁸Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

⁹He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

¹⁰He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him- the dark rain clouds of the sky.

¹²Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies , great bolts of lightning and routed them.

¹⁵The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord , at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord ; I have not done evil by turning from my God.

²²All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.

²³I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

²⁴The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

²⁶to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁷You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

²⁸You, O Lord , keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

²⁹With your help I can advance against a troop ; with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God besides the Lord ? And who is the Rock except our God?

³²It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

³⁴He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

³⁶You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

³⁷I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

³⁸I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.

³⁹You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.

⁴¹They cried for help, but there was no one to save them- to the Lord , but he did not answer.

⁴²I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me.

⁴⁵They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

⁴⁷He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,

⁴⁸who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.

⁴⁹Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord ; I will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63

PSALM 17

¹Hear, O Lord , my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer- it does not rise from deceitful lips.

²May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

³Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

⁴As for the deeds of men- by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

⁵My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

⁶I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

⁷Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.

⁸Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

⁹from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

¹⁰They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.

¹¹They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.

¹³Rise up, O Lord , confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

¹⁴O Lord , by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

¹⁵And I-in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

PSALM 35

¹Contend, O Lord , with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.

²Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.

³Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

⁴May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.

⁵May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;

⁶may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,

⁸may ruin overtake them by surprise- may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.

¹⁰My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O Lord ? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

¹¹Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.

¹²They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn.

¹³Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

¹⁴I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.

¹⁵But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing.

¹⁶Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked ; they gnashed their teeth at me.

¹⁷O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.

¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.

¹⁹Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.

²⁰They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.

²¹They gape at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”

²²O Lord , you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord.

²³Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.

²⁴Vindicate me in your righteousness, O Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me.

²⁵Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.

²⁷May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

²⁸My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.

PSALM 54

¹Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.

²Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

³Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life- men without regard for God. Selah

⁴Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord , for it is good.

⁷For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

PSALM 63

¹O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

²I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

³Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

⁴I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

⁷Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

⁸My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

⁹They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

¹⁰They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

¹¹But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Samuel 25-27

25Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon.

²A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.

³His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.

⁴While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.

⁵So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name.

⁶Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

⁷” ‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing.

⁸Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’ “

⁹When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.

¹⁰Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.

¹¹Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

¹²David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word.

¹³David said to his men, “Put on your swords!” So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

¹⁴One of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail: “David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them.

¹⁵Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.

¹⁶Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them.

¹⁷Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”

¹⁸Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

¹⁹Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them.

²¹David had just said, “It’s been useless-all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good.

²²May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”

²³When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.

²⁴She fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.

²⁵May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name-his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.

²⁶“Now since the Lord has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal.

²⁷And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you.

²⁸Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord ‘s battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.

²⁹Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.

³⁰When the Lord has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel,

³¹my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord has brought my master success, remember your servant.”

³²David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.

³³May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.

³⁴Otherwise, as surely as the Lord , the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”

³⁵Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”

³⁶When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak.

³⁷Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.

³⁸About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

³⁹When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord , who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.

⁴⁰His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”

⁴¹She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.”

⁴²Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David’s messengers and became his wife.

⁴³David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.

⁴⁴But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

26The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?”

²So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search there for David.

³Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he saw that Saul had followed him there,

⁴he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.

⁵Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

⁶David then asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.

⁷So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

⁸Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won’t strike him twice.”

⁹But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord ‘s anointed and be guiltless?

¹⁰As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

¹¹But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord ‘s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

¹²So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

¹³Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them.

¹⁴He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?”

¹⁵David said, “You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king.

¹⁶What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord ‘s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

¹⁷Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that your voice, David my son?” David replied, “Yes it is, my lord the king.”

¹⁸And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of?

¹⁹Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord ! They have now driven me from my share in the Lord ‘s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

²⁰Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord . The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea-as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly.”

²²“Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it.

²³The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord ‘s anointed.

²⁴As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

²⁵Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, my son David; you will do great things and surely triumph.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

27But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

²So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.

³David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.

⁴When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁶So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.

⁷David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

⁸Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)

⁹Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.”

¹¹He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’ ” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory.

¹²Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever.”

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 56, 120, 140-142

PSALM 56

¹Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.

²My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.

³When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

⁴In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

⁵All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.

⁶They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.

⁷On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

⁸Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record?

⁹Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord , whose word I praise-

¹¹in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

¹²I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.

¹³For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

PSALM 120

¹I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.

²Save me, O Lord , from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

³What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

⁴He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.

⁵Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!

⁶Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

⁷I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

PSALM 140

¹Rescue me, O Lord , from evil men; protect me from men of violence,

²who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.

³They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. Selah

⁴Keep me, O Lord , from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet.

⁵Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path. Selah

⁶O Lord , I say to you, “You are my God.” Hear, O Lord , my cry for mercy.

⁷O Sovereign Lord , my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle-

⁸do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord ; do not let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. Selah

⁹Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise.

¹¹Let slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down men of violence.

¹²I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous will praise your name and the upright will live before you.

PSALM 141

¹O Lord , I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.

²May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

³Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord ; keep watch over the door of my lips.

⁴Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

⁵Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;

⁶their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

⁷They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. “

⁸But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord ; in you I take refuge-do not give me over to death.

⁹Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

PSALM 142

¹I cry aloud to the Lord ; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

²I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

³When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

⁵I cry to you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

⁶Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

⁷Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

PSALM 7

¹O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

²or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-

⁴if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe-

⁵then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah

⁶Arise, O Lord , in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.

⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;

⁸let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord , according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

⁹O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.

¹⁰My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.

¹²If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.

¹⁴He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.

¹⁵He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.

¹⁶The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

PSALM 27

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

³Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

⁴One thing I ask of the Lord , this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

⁵For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

⁶Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord .

⁷Hear my voice when I call, O Lord ; be merciful to me and answer me.

⁸My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord , I will seek.

⁹Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.

¹⁰Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

¹¹Teach me your way, O Lord ; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

¹²Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

¹³I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait for the Lord ; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord .

PSALM 31

¹In you, O Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.

²Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

³Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

⁴Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

⁵Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord , the God of truth.

⁶I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the Lord .

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

⁸You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

⁹Be merciful to me, O Lord , for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.

¹⁰My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

¹¹Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends- those who see me on the street flee from me.

¹²I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

¹³For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.

¹⁴But I trust in you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my God.”

¹⁵My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.

¹⁶Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

¹⁷Let me not be put to shame, O Lord , for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.

¹⁸Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

¹⁹How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

²⁰In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.

²¹Praise be to the Lord , for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.

²²In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

²³Love the Lord , all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.

²⁴Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord .

PSALM 34

¹I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

²My soul will boast in the Lord ; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

³Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

⁴I sought the Lord , and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

⁵Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

⁹Fear the Lord , you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

¹⁰The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹¹Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord .

¹²Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,

¹³keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

¹⁴Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;

¹⁶the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

²⁰he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

²¹Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

²²The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

PSALM 52

¹Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

²Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit.

³You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah

⁴You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!

⁵Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

⁶The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying,

⁷“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.

⁹I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Samuel 21-24

21David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

²David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.

³Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

⁴But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here-provided the men have kept themselves from women.”

⁵David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”

⁶So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

⁷Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord ; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd.

⁸David asked Ahimelech, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s business was urgent.”

⁹The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

¹⁰That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

¹¹But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: ” ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

¹²David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.

¹³So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

¹⁴Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?

¹⁵Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

22David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.

²All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

³From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?”

⁴So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

⁵But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

⁶Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul, spear in hand, was seated under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing around him.

⁷Saul said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

⁸Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

⁹But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

¹⁰Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father’s whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.

¹²Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” “Yes, my lord,” he answered.

¹³Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

¹⁴Ahimelech answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household?

¹⁵Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

¹⁶But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father’s whole family.”

¹⁷Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord , because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord .

¹⁸The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

¹⁹He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

²⁰But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, escaped and fled to join David.

²¹He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord .

²²Then David said to Abiathar: “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your father’s whole family.

²³Stay with me; don’t be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me.”

23When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,”

²he inquired of the Lord , saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

³But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

⁴Once again David inquired of the Lord , and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.”

⁵So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.

⁶(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

⁷Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”

⁸And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”

¹⁰David said, “O Lord , God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me.

¹¹Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord , God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.”

¹²Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will.”

¹³So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

¹⁴David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

¹⁵While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.

¹⁶And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.

¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

¹⁸The two of them made a covenant before the Lord . Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

¹⁹The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon?

²⁰Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for handing him over to the king.”

²¹Saul replied, “The Lord bless you for your concern for me.

²²Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty.

²³Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah.”

²⁴So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

²⁵Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.

²⁶Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

²⁷a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.”

²⁸Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.

²⁹And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

24After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”

²So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

³He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

⁴The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.

⁶He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord ‘s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord .”

⁷With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

⁸Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

⁹He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?

¹⁰This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord ‘s anointed.’

¹¹See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.

¹²May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

¹³As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.

¹⁴“Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?

¹⁵May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”

¹⁶When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud.

¹⁷“You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.

¹⁸You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.

¹⁹When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today.

²⁰I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.

²¹Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”

²²So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 11, 59

18After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

²From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.

³And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

⁴Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

⁵Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul’s officers as well.

⁶When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.

⁷As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

⁸Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”

⁹And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand

¹¹and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

¹²Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul.

¹³So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.

¹⁴In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.

¹⁵When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.

¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

¹⁷Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord .” For Saul said to himself, “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”

¹⁸But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

¹⁹So when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.

²¹“I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”

²²Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.’ “

²³They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”

²⁴When Saul’s servants told him what David had said,

²⁵Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

²⁶When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

²⁷David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,

²⁹Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

³⁰The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

19Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David

²and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there.

³I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”

⁴Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.

⁵He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?”

⁶Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”

⁷So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

⁸Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

⁹But an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp,

¹⁰Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

¹¹Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.”

¹²So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.

¹³Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

¹⁴When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

¹⁵Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.”

¹⁶But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

¹⁷Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?” Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’ “

¹⁸When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.

¹⁹Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”;

²⁰so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men and they also prophesied.

²¹Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied.

²²Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.

²³So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.

²⁴He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

20Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?”

²“Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without confiding in me. Why would he hide this from me? It’s not so!”

³But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

⁴Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

⁵So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

⁶If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’

⁷If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me.

⁸As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord . If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”

⁹“Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”

¹⁰David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

¹¹“Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.

¹²Then Jonathan said to David: “By the Lord , the God of Israel, I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know?

¹³But if my father is inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.

¹⁴But show me unfailing kindness like that of the Lord as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

¹⁵and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family-not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.”

¹⁷And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to David: “Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

¹⁹The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

²⁰I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

²¹Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger.

²²But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away.

²³And about the matter you and I discussed-remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

²⁴So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.

²⁵He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.

²⁶Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean-surely he is unclean.”

²⁷But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

²⁸Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.

²⁹He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

³⁰Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?

³¹As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!”

³²“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father.

³³But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

³⁴Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the month he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

³⁵In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him,

³⁶and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

³⁷When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”

³⁸Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

³⁹(The boy knew nothing of all this; only Jonathan and David knew.)

⁴⁰Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”

⁴¹After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together-but David wept the most.

⁴²Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord , saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’ ” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

PSALM 11

¹In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

²For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

³When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do ?”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.

⁶On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

PSALM 59

¹Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.

²Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men.

³See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, O Lord .

⁴I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!

⁵O Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. Selah

⁶They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

⁷See what they spew from their mouths- they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, “Who can hear us?”

⁸But you, O Lord , laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations.

⁹O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress,

¹⁰my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

¹¹But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, and bring them down.

¹²For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,

¹³consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah

¹⁴They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

¹⁵They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied.

¹⁶But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁷O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.