Wednesday in Season after Pentecost

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

1 Samuel 9:1-14

Verse 1. Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Verse 2. And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites — a head taller than any of the people. Verse 3. One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.” Verse 4. So Saul passed through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find the donkeys. He and the servant went through the region of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they went through the land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them. Verse 5. When they reached the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Come, let us go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” Verse 6. “Look,” said the servant, “in this city there is a man of God who is highly respected; everything he says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.” Verse 7. “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” Verse 8. The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have here in my hand a quarter shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.” Verse 9. (Formerly in Israel, a man on his way to inquire of God would say, “Come, let us go to the seer.” For the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.) Verse 10. “Good,” said Saul to his servant. “Come, let us go.” So they set out for the city where the man of God was. Verse 11. And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?” Verse 12. “Yes, he is ahead of you,” they answered. “Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because the people have a sacrifice on the high place. Verse 13. As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests will eat. Go up at once; you will find him.” Verse 14. So Saul and his servant went up toward the city, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

PSALM

Psalm 108

A song. A Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my being.

Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples.

For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.

Respond and save us with Your right hand, that Your beloved may be delivered.

God has spoken from His sanctuary: “I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.

Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

Have You not rejected us, O God? Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?

Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

Isaiah 26:16-27:1

Text not available in the Berean Standard Bible.

PSALM

Psalm 74

A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?

Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance — Mount Zion, where You dwell.

Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.

Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,

like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees

and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.

They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.

There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.

How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?

Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!

Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth.

You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;

You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.

You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.

Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.

Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.

Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.

Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.

Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.

SECOND READING

Luke 11:14-28

Verse 14. One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed, Verse 15. but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.” Verse 16. And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven. Verse 17. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall. Verse 18. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Verse 19. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. Verse 20. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Verse 21. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure. Verse 22. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder. Verse 23. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Verse 24. When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ Verse 25. On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Verse 26. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.” Verse 27. As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!” Verse 28. But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”