291 Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty,
ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name.
Worship Yahweh in holy array. 3 Yahweh’s voice is on the waters.
The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters. 4 Yahweh’s voice is powerful.
Yahweh’s voice is full of majesty. 5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.
Yes, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young, wild ox. 7 Yahweh’s voice strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 Yahweh’s voice shakes the wilderness.
Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 Yahweh’s voice makes the deer calve,
and strips the forests bare.
In his temple everything says, “Glory!” 10 Yahweh sat enthroned at the Flood.
Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever. 11 Yahweh will give strength to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.
301 I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up,
and have not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you,
and you have healed me. 3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his.
Give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment.
His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may stay for the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.” 7 You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong;
but when you hid your face, I was troubled. 8 I cried to you, Yahweh.
To Yahweh I made supplication: 9 “What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise you?
Shall it declare your truth? 10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me.
Yahweh, be my helper.” 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.
You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, 12 To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent.
Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
231 Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.” 2 The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?” 5 Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” [1]
6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” 7 When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these. 9 A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!” 10 When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night, the Lord stood by him, and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”
12 When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
(Read Acts 23:1-5)
See here the character of an honest man. He sets God before him, and lives as in his sight. He makes conscience of what he says and does, and, according to the best of his knowledge, he keeps from whatever is evil, and cleaves to what is good. He is conscientious in all his words and conduct. Those who thus live before God, may, like Paul, have confidence both toward God and man. Though the answer of Paul contained a just rebuke and prediction, he seems to have been too angry at the treatment he received in uttering them. Great men may be told of their faults, and public complaints may be made in a proper manner; but the law of God requires respect for those in authority.
(Read Acts 23:6-11)
The Pharisees were correct in the faith of the Jewish church. The Sadducees were no friends to the Scripture or Divine revelation; they denied a future state; they had neither hope of eternal happiness, nor dread of eternal misery. When called in question for his being a Christian, Paul might truly say he was called in question for the hope of the resurrection of the dead. It was justifiable in him, by this profession of his opinion on that disputed point, to draw off the Pharisees from persecuting him, and to lead them to protect him from this unlawful violence. How easily can God defend his own cause! Though the Jews seemed to be perfectly agreed in their conspiracy against religion, yet they were influenced by very different motives. There is no true friendship among the wicked, and in a moment, and with the utmost ease, God can turn their union into open enmity. Divine consolations stood Paul in the most stead; the chief captain rescued him out of the hands of cruel men, but the event he could not tell. Whoever is against us, we need not fear, if the Lord stand by us. It is the will of Christ, that his servants who are faithful, should be always cheerful. He might think he should never see Rome; but God tells him, even in that he should be gratified, since he desired to go there only for the honour of Christ, and to do good.
(Read Acts 23:12-24)
False religious principles, adopted by carnal men, urge on to such wickedness, as human nature would hardly be supposed capable of. Yet the Lord readily disappoints the best concerted schemes of iniquity. Paul knew that the Divine providence acts by reasonable and prudent means; and that, if he neglected to use the means in his power, he could not expect God's providence to work on his behalf. He who will not help himself according to his means and power, has neither reason nor revelation to assure him that he shall receive help from God. Believing in the Lord, we and ours shall be kept from every evil work, and kept to his kingdom. Heavenly Father, give us by thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake, this precious faith.
