Bible Study 2018 – Week 22 Learnings

He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor.”

The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.

Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, Before the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of water.”

O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.

The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.

The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!”

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.

I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.

I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”

Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.

The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.

The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.

O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.

He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ “Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

Then King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence.

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say. As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way.

Now it was told Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'” Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.””

Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.

So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.”

Now the news came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness. The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. Now the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. For on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”

But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.

So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.”

“Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”

Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man, For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth. By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; My praise is continually of You.

O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help!

My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them. I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.”

Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law; That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it.

But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. He has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil; The LORD our God will destroy them.”

I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes.

I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

My soul is crushed with longing After Your ordinances at all times.

Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.

Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors. My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law.

I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart. Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your ordinances are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness. May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word;

So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.

I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed.

Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

O LORD, I remember Your name in the night, And keep Your law. This has become mine, That I observe Your precepts. The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.

The cords of the wicked have encircled me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes. You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.

The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. May those who fear You see me and be glad, Because I wait for Your word. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. O may Your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your servant.

My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”

Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.

I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts.

I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad. O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end. I hate those who are double-minded, But I love Your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. Depart from me, evildoers, That I may observe the commandments of my God.

I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation And for Your righteous word. Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness And teach me Your statutes.

Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.

Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments. You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And exceeding faithfulness.

Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.

Your testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live. I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes. I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.

Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances.

You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.

Look upon my affliction and rescue me, For I do not forget Your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. Great are Your mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your ordinances.

The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. Princes persecute me without cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your words. I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil. I hate and despise falsehood, But I love Your law. Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous ordinances.

Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word. Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.

Let Your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen Your precepts. I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.”

Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.

Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'” The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him! ” Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Those deputies provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking.

Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.”

Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place which was at Gibeon, for God’s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?”

So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel. Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.”

“Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s son. May he judge Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice.

Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him. For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.”

” I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.

“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?”

“To me, my darling, you are like My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

” How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.” ” How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!”

“He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

“Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me.” ” I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, That you do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases.”

“My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. “Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.””

“Scarcely had I left them When I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go Until I had brought him to my mother’s house, And into the room of her who conceived me.”

“Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon; Sixty mighty men around it, Of the mighty men of Israel.

“King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair From the timber of Lebanon.

“Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And gaze on King Solomon with the crown With which his mother has crowned him On the day of his wedding, And on the day of his gladness of heart.””

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you.

“You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace.”

“I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and had gone! My heart went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him but I did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me.

“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you will tell him: For I am lovesick.”

” My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand. “His head is like gold, pure gold; His locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven.

“His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.””

“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number; But my dove, my perfect one, is unique: She is her mother’s only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,”

“How beautiful and how delightful you are, My love, with all your charms!

“I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.

“Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.”

“My very own vineyard is at my disposal; The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”

” Hurry, my beloved, And be like a gazelle or a young stag On the mountains of spices.””

A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.

So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

“Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

“But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.””

Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;

Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil;

So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.”

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens.

My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck.

For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.

Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.”