Ps 33, 107:33-43, 108:1-7; Jer 23:9-15; Rom 9:1-18; Jn 6:60-71
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones. Praising God is fitting for the upright. He made the heavens and earth by His word. He is Sovereign over nature. YHWH brings the counsels of the nations to nothing. He knows everything, and He is good! My soul waits for YHWH; my heart is glad in Him, and His steadfast love watches over me. He builds up and tears down; be on His right side, then! Ponder the steadfast love of the Lord. Lord, I will sing praises to You, let Your glory be over me, and over all the earth. He apportions gladness and woe according to His sovereign will. He will tread down all my enemies!
Jeremiah lamented: concerning the prophets, my heart is broken within me; all my bones shake. I am like a drunk, but I am intoxicated because of the Lord and His words. He curses our adulteries as a nation; He hates immoral priests and prophets. He makes their pathways slick and tips them into judgment. The prophets of both Judah and Israel do horrible things. They support evil and ignore the Lord. So God will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for their lies are poisoning God's people and His land.
Paul wrote: I am telling the truth, as the Spirit affirms with my conscience: I have great sorrow and endless anguish of heart. I wish I could take the curse on myself that is falling my brothers, my Jewish kinsmen—to be cut off from the Messiah. They are Israelites, blessed by God with the sonship, the glory, the covenants, Torah, the worship and God's promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and the Messiah comes from that family. Let God, Who is over all, be blessed. Amen! Listen, God's word has not failed. Not all wo descend from Israel by blood are now Israel, and not all descendants of Abraham are his covenant children. The scriptures testify that the true line of Abraham would be reckoned through Isaac. This means that the children of God's promises are those reckoned as Abraham's descendants. God's election showed in the births of Isaac and Jacob—those God favored, contrasted with Ishmael and Esau. Is God unjust? Not at all! As He said to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' So the outcome depends on God's mercy, not human will or performance. God favors whom He will, and He hardens whom He will.
Jesus had spoken of the need for His true followers to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Some took offense and left Him. Jesus confronted His disciples over their murmuring. 'Do you take offense at this? What if you were to see the Son of man ascending to where He Was previously? The Spirit gives life; the flesh is of no avail; the words I have spoken to you, which you find offensive, are spirit and they are life! But there are some among you who do not believe. All this demonstrates what I told you before: No one can come to Me unless it is granted to him by the Father.' Thereafter, many former disciples withdrew f rom Jesus. He asked the Twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?' Peter answered: 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.' Jesus said, 'I chose you Myself, but one of you is the devil.' He spoke of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, who was to betray Jesus.
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