Day 190
OYB - July 9

"Sirs," he said, "I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on-shipwreck, loss of cargo, injuries, and danger to our lives.
How easily we can be blown off course from the will of God by listening to advice from others instead of listening to a word from the Lord! Paul tried to convince the centurion that he had heard from God concerning great danger to the ship if they set sail from Fair Havens. Nevertheless, the centurion followed the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship (Acts 27:11).

Someone once said, "We don't need good advice. We need a word from the Lord!" God does not need decision makers-He needs hearers. In every circumstance, He has a planned way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), if we will take the time to listen to Him. The pilot and ship's owner thought they had made the right decision "when a light wind began blowing from the south" (Acts 27:13). How quickly, however, did the dreamy breeze turn into a nightmare storm!

Do not try to discern the right direction with your natural mind, but wait upon the Lord and listen to His counsel. In the end, you will save yourself much heartache, for "the Lord's purpose will prevail" (Proverbs 19:21). If you follow His counsel, you will discover that God is your shield, "saving those whose hearts are true and right" (Psalm 7:10).
1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40

Genealogy from Issachar

1Now the sons of Issachar were four: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 2The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel, heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600. 3The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah; all five of them were chief men. 4With them by their generations according to their fathers’ households were 36,000 troops of the army for war, for they had many wives and sons. 5Their relatives among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, enrolled by genealogy, in all 87,000.

Descendants of Benjamin

6The sons of Benjamin were three: Bela and Becher and Jediael. 7The sons of Bela were five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri. They were heads of fathers’ households, mighty men of valor, and were 22,034 enrolled by genealogy. 8The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9They were enrolled by genealogy, according to their generations, heads of their fathers’ households, 20,200 mighty men of valor. 10The son of Jediael was Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar. 11All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, 17,200 mighty men of valor, who were ready to go out with the army to war. 12Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir; Hushim was the son of Aher.

Sons of Naphtali

13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

Descendants of Manasseh

14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. 15Machir took a wife for Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. 19The sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam.

Descendants of Ephraim

20The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take their livestock. 22Their father Ephraim mourned many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because misfortune had come upon his house. 24His daughter was Sheerah, who built lower and upper Beth-horon, also Uzzen-sheerah. 25Rephah was his son along with Resheph, Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son and Joshua his son.

28Their possessions and settlements were Bethel with its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer with its towns, and Shechem with its towns as far as Ayyah with its towns, 29and along the borders of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-shean with its towns, Taanach with its towns, Megiddo with its towns, Dor with its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.

Descendants of Asher

30The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah, and Serah their sister. 31The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34The sons of Shemer were Ahi and Rohgah, Jehubbah and Aram. 35The sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal. 36The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri and Imrah, 37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera. 38The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa and Ara. 39The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel and Rizia. 40All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men.

Genealogy from Benjamin

1And Benjamin became the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharah the third, 2Nohah the fourth and Rapha the fifth. 3Bela had sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5Gera, Shephuphan and Huram. 6These are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of fathers’ households of the inhabitants of Geba, and they carried them into exile to Manahath, 7namely, Naaman, Ahijah and Gera—he carried them into exile; and he became the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8Shaharaim became the father of children in the country of Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. 9By Hodesh his wife he became the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10Jeuz, Sachia, Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers’ households. 11By Hushim he became the father of Abitub and Elpaal. 12The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with its towns; 13and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of fathers’ households of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath; 14and Ahio, Shashak and Jeremoth. 15Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16Michael, Ishpah and Joha were the sons of Beriah. 17Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18Ishmerai, Izliah and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. 19Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21Adaiah, Beraiah and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. 22Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25Iphdeiah and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. 26Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27Jaareshiah, Elijah and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. 28These were heads of the fathers’ households according to their generations, chief men who lived in Jerusalem.

29Now in Gibeon, Jeiel, the father of Gibeon lived, and his wife’s name was Maacah; 30and his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31Gedor, Ahio and Zecher. 32Mikloth became the father of Shimeah. And they also lived with their relatives in Jerusalem opposite their other relatives.

Genealogy from King Saul

33Ner became the father of Kish, and Kish became the father of Saul, and Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal. 34The son of Jonathan was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal became the father of Micah. 35The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea and Ahaz. 36Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah became the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri; and Zimri became the father of Moza. 37Moza became the father of Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 38Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39The sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second and Eliphelet the third. 40The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons and grandsons, 150 of them. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.

Acts 27:1-20

Paul Is Sent to Rome

1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. 2And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica. 3The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. 5When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; 8and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, 10and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

13When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.

Shipwreck

14But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; 15and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. 16Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. 17After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. 18The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; 19and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.

Psalms 7:1-17

PSALM 7

The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge;

Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,

2Or he will tear my soul like a lion,

Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

3O Lord my God, if I have done this,

If there is injustice in my hands,

4If I have rewarded evil to my friend,

Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,

5Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;

And let him trample my life down to the ground

And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.

6Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;

Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,

And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.

7Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,

And over them return on high.

8The Lord judges the peoples;

Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.

9O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;

For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.

10My shield is with God,

Who saves the upright in heart.

11God is a righteous judge,

And a God who has indignation every day.

12If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;

He has bent His bow and made it ready.

13He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;

He makes His arrows fiery shafts.

14Behold, he travails with wickedness,

And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.

15He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,

And has fallen into the hole which he made.

16His mischief will return upon his own head,

And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

17I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Proverbs 18:22

22He who finds a wife finds a good thing

And obtains favor from the Lord.