Psalms 81; Psalms 82; Psalms 83; Romans 11:19-36

Psalms 81

1 Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

2 Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

5 He established it for a testimony in Joseph When he went throughout the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:

6 "I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket.

7 "You called in trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8 "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

9 "Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 "I, the LORD , am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 "But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.

12 "So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.

13 "Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!

14 "I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries.

15 "Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever.

16 "But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

Psalms 82

1 God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.

2 How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.

3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

5 They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.

7 "Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes."

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.

Psalms 83

1 O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.

2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves.

3 They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.

4 They have said, "Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more."

5 For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites;

7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have become a help to the children of Lot. Selah.

9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,

10 Who were destroyed at En-dor, Who became as dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 Who said, "Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God."

13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind.

14 Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire,

15 So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm.

16 Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD .

17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish,

18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD , Are the Most High over all the earth.

Romans 11:19-36

19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."

20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited , but fear;

21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery -so that you will not be wise in your own estimation -that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;

26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."

27 "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."

28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;

29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,

31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD , OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?

35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?

36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.