logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
9m 27s

December 13: Psalm 38; Psalm 119:25–48; ...

CROSSWAY
About this episode

2 Advent

First Psalm: Psalm 38

Psalm 38 (Listen)

Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

38   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath!
  For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
  There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
  there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
  For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
  My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
  I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
    all the day I go about mourning.
  For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is no soundness in my flesh.
  I am feeble and crushed;
    I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
  O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
10   My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11   My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
    and my nearest kin stand far off.
12   Those who seek my life lay their snares;
    those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
    and meditate treachery all day long.
13   But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
    like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14   I have become like a man who does not hear,
    and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
15   But for you, O LORD, do I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16   For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,
    who boast against me when my foot slips!”
17   For I am ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
18   I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.
19   But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20   Those who render me evil for good
    accuse me because I follow after good.
21   Do not forsake me, O LORD!
    O my God, be not far from me!
22   Make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation!

(ESV)

Second Psalm: Psalm 119:25–48

Psalm 119:25–48 (Listen)

Daleth

25   My soul clings to the dust;
    give me life according to your word!
26   When I told of my ways, you answered me;
    teach me your statutes!
27   Make me understand the way of your precepts,
    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28   My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!
29   Put false ways far from me
    and graciously teach me your law!
30   I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.
31   I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
    let me not be put to shame!
32   I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart!1

He

33   Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
    and I will keep it to the end.2
34   Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
    and observe it with my whole heart.
35   Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it.
36   Incline my heart to your testimonies,
    and not to selfish gain!
37   Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
    and give me life in your ways.
38   Confirm to your servant your promise,
    that you may be feared.
39   Turn away the reproach that I dread,
    for your rules are good.
40   Behold, I long for your precepts;
    in your righteousness give me life!

Waw

41   Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD,
    your salvation according to your promise;
42   then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
43   And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.
44   I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
45   and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.
46   I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
    and shall not be put to shame,
47   for I find my delight in your commandments,
    which I love.
48   I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes.

Footnotes

[1] 119:32 Or for you set my heart free
[2] 119:33 Or keep it as my reward

(ESV)

Old Testament: Amos 8

Amos 8 (Listen)

The Coming Day of Bitter Mourning

This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me,

  “The end1 has come upon my people Israel;
    I will never again pass by them.
  The songs of the temple2 shall become wailings3 in that day,”
      declares the Lord GOD.
  “So many dead bodies!”
  “They are thrown everywhere!”
  “Silence!”
  Hear this, you who trample on the needy
    and bring the poor of the land to an end,
  saying, “When will the new moon be over,
    that we may sell grain?
  And the Sabbath,
    that we may offer wheat for sale,
  that we may make the ephah small and the shekel4 great
    and deal deceitfully with false balances,
  that we may buy the poor for silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals
    and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
  The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
  “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
  Shall not the land tremble on this account,
    and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
  and all of it rise like the Nile,
    and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”
  “And on that day,” declares the Lord GOD,
    “I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10   I will turn your feasts into mourning
    and all your songs into lamentation;
  I will bring sackcloth on every waist
    and baldness on every head;
  I will make it like the mourning for an only son
    and the end of it like a bitter day.
11   “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD,
    “when I will send a famine on the land—
  not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12   They shall wander from sea to sea,
    and from north to east;
  they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD,
    but they shall not find it.
13   “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
    shall faint for thirst.
14   Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria,
    and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
  and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’
    they shall fall, and never rise again.”

Footnotes

[1] 8:2 The Hebrew words for end and summer fruit sound alike
[2] 8:3 Or palace
[3] 8:3 Or The singing women of the palace shall wail
[4] 8:5 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

(ESV)

New Testament: Revelation 1:17–2:7

Revelation 1:17–2:7 (Listen)

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

To the Church in Ephesus

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

(ESV)

Gospel: Matthew 23:1–12

Matthew 23:1–12 (Listen)

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,1 and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi2 by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.3 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Footnotes

[1] 23:4 Some manuscripts omit hard to bear
[2] 23:7 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8
[3] 23:8 Or brothers and sisters

(ESV)

Up next
Jan 2024
Thanks for Listening!
Thanks for listening to this ESV podcast from Crossway. As of today, we have discontinued this show, but are excited to announce the launch of a number of new Bible podcasts that are now available. To learn more, visit crossway.org/ESVpodcasts. 
19s
Dec 2023
December 31: Psalm 93; Psalm 96; Psalm 34; 1 Samuel 1:1–2; 1 Samuel 1:7–28; Colossians 1:9–20; Luke 2:22–40
Christmas (First Sunday after Christmas) First Psalm: Psalm 93; Psalm 96 Psalm 93 (Listen) The Lord Reigns 93   The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;     the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.   Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2   Your t ... Show More
11m 43s
Dec 2023
December 30: Psalms 20–21; Psalm 23; Psalm 27; 1 Kings 17:17–24; 3 John; John 4:46–54
Christmas First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!     May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2   May he send you help from the sanctuary ... Show More
9m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
June 29 - God’s Unbreakable Promises
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 33:14–26. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Paul R. House. Fo ... Show More
6m 24s
Apr 2024
April 27 - No Fear
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Psalm 46. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. Fo ... Show More
5m 7s
Jun 2024
June 4 - The Death of Death
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Isaiah 25:6–12. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Dane C. Ortlund. Fol ... Show More
5m 18s
Jun 2024
June 13 - The Scandal of Substitution
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Isaiah 53. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Dane C. Ortlund. Follow u ... Show More
6m 36s
May 2024
May 2 - When God Seems Far Away
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Psalm 88. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Mike Bullmore. Follow us o ... Show More
6m 16s
Jun 2024
June 3 - Mercy to Every Corner of the World
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Isaiah 19:16–25. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Dane C. Ortlund. Fo ... Show More
5m 34s
Dec 2024
December 6 - A Promise You Can Count On
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is Hebrews 6:13–20. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. Browse other resources from Tom Nelson. Follow ... Show More
5m 9s
Mar 2025
March 28 - Perfect Forgiveness
We hope you enjoy today’s Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today’s Bible reading is 2 Chronicles 6:1–7:3. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Graeme Goldswo ... Show More
13m 33s