Archive for the ‘death’ Category
March 9: Exodus 20, Luke 23, Job 38, 2 Corinthians 8
Exodus 20 ( Listen ) The Ten Commandments 20:1? And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Laws About Altars And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ Luke 23 ( Listen ) Jesus Before Pilate 23:1? Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” Jesus Before Herod When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.” Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. The Crucifixion And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The Death of Jesus It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Jesus Is Buried Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Job 38 ( Listen ) The LORD Answers Job 38:1? Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; ?? I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? ?? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! ?? Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, ?? or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together ?? and all the sons of God shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors ?? when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment ?? and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it ?? and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, ?? and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, ?? and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, ?? and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, ?? and its features stand out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, ?? and their uplifted arm is broken. “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, ?? or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, ?? or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? ?? Declare, if you know all this. “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, ?? and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory ?? and that you may discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, ?? and the number of your days is great! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, ?? or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, ?? for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, ?? or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain ?? and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, ?? on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, ?? and to make the ground sprout with grass? “Has the rain a father, ?? or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, ?? and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, ?? and the face of the deep is frozen. “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades ?? or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, ?? or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? ?? Can you establish their rule on the earth? “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, ?? that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go ?? and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts ?? or given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? ?? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass ?? and the clods stick fast together? “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, ?? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens ?? or lie in wait in their thicket? Who provides for the raven its prey, ?? when its young ones cry to God for help, ?? and wander about for lack of food? 2 Corinthians 8 ( Listen ) Encouragement to Give Generously 8:1? We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” Commendation of Titus But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. ( ESV ) Footnotes [1] 20:3 Or besides [2] 20:6 Or to the thousandth generation [3] 20:13 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence [4] 20:18 Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text the people saw [5] 23:16 Here, or after verse 19, some manuscripts add verse 17: Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festival [6] 23:34 Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus?.?.?. what they do [7] 23:38 Some manuscripts add in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew [8] 23:39 Or blasphemed him [9] 23:44 That is, noon [10] 23:44 That is, 3 p.m. [11] 23:54 Greek was dawning [12] 38:3 Hebrew Gird up your loins [13] 38:32 Probably the name of a constellation [14] 38:36 Or in the ibis [15] 38:36 Or rooster [16] 8:1 Or brothers and sisters [17] 8:4 The Greek word charis can mean favor or grace or thanks , depending on the context [18] 8:7 Some manuscripts in your love for us [19] 8:17 Or he went [20] 8:18 Or we sent ; also verse 22 [21] 8:23 Greek apostles
Continued here:
March 9: Exodus 20, Luke 23, Job 38, 2 Corinthians 8
March 9: Deuteronomy 8-10, Mark 12:28-44
Deuteronomy 8-10 ( Listen ) Remember the LORD Your God 8:1? “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God. Not Because of Righteousness 9:1? “Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you. “Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. “Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. And the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the LORD had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And at the end of forty days and forty nights the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’ The Golden Calf “Furthermore, the LORD said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the LORD bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also. And the LORD was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain. “At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath. And when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God and did not believe him or obey his voice. You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. “So I lay prostrate before the LORD for these forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said he would destroy you. And I prayed to the LORD, ‘O Lord GOD, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’ New Tablets of Stone 10:1? “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the LORD commanded me.” (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place. From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water. At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day. Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God said to him.) “I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the LORD listened to me that time also. The LORD was unwilling to destroy you. And the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’ Circumcise Your Heart “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven. Mark 12:28-44 ( Listen ) The Great Commandment And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. Whose Son Is the Christ? And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, ?? until I put your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly. Beware of the Scribes And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” The Widow’s Offering And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” ( ESV ) Footnotes [1] 8:3 Hebrew by all [2] 9:16 Hebrew cast-metal [3] 10:4 Hebrew words [4] 10:6 Or the wells of the Bene-jaakan [5] 12:42 Greek two lepta , which make a kodrantes ; a kodrantes (Latin quadrans ) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)
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March 9: Deuteronomy 8-10, Mark 12:28-44
March 9 (3 Lent): Ps. 78:1-39; Ps. 78:40-72; Gen. 45:1-15; 1 Cor. 7:32-40; Mark 6:1-13 (ESV)
Psalm 78:1-39 ( Listen ) Tell the Coming Generation A Maskil of Asaph. 78:1? Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; ?? incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; ?? I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, ?? that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, ?? but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, ?? and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob ?? and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers ?? to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, ?? the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, ?? so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, ?? but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, ?? a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, ?? whose spirit was not faithful to God. The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, ?? turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God’s covenant, ?? but refused to walk according to his law. They forgot his works ?? and the wonders that he had shown them. In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders ?? in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, ?? and made the waters stand like a heap. In the daytime he led them with a cloud, ?? and all the night with a fiery light. He split rocks in the wilderness ?? and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. He made streams come out of the rock ?? and caused waters to flow down like rivers. Yet they sinned still more against him, ?? rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart ?? by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, ?? “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out ?? and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread ?? or provide meat for his people?” Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; ?? a fire was kindled against Jacob; ?? his anger rose against Israel, because they did not believe in God ?? and did not trust his saving power. Yet he commanded the skies above ?? and opened the doors of heaven, and he rained down on them manna to eat ?? and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of the angels; ?? he sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, ?? and by his power he led out the south wind; he rained meat on them like dust, ?? winged birds like the sand of the seas; he let them fall in the midst of their camp, ?? all around their dwellings. And they ate and were well filled, ?? for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their craving, ?? while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, ?? and he killed the strongest of them ?? and laid low the young men of Israel. In spite of all this, they still sinned; ?? despite his wonders, they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath, ?? and their years in terror. When he killed them, they sought him; ?? they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, ?? the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; ?? they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; ?? they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, ?? atoned for their iniquity ?? and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often ?? and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, ?? a wind that passes and comes not again. Psalm 78:40-72 ( Listen ) How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness ?? and grieved him in the desert! They tested God again and again ?? and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power ?? or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt ?? and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. He turned their rivers to blood, ?? so that they could not drink of their streams. He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, ?? and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave their crops to the destroying locust ?? and the fruit of their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail ?? and their sycamores with frost. He gave over their cattle to the hail ?? and their flocks to thunderbolts. He let loose on them his burning anger, ?? wrath, indignation, and distress, ?? a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger; ?? he did not spare them from death, ?? but gave their lives over to the plague. He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, ?? the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. Then he led out his people like sheep ?? and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, ?? but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to his holy land, ?? to the mountain which his right hand had won. He drove out nations before them; ?? he apportioned them for a possession ?? and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God ?? and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; ?? they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; ?? they moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard, he was full of wrath, ?? and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, ?? the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, ?? his glory to the hand of the foe. He gave his people over to the sword ?? and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, ?? and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, ?? and their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, ?? like a strong man shouting because of wine. And he put his adversaries to rout; ?? he put them to everlasting shame. He rejected the tent of Joseph; ?? he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, ?? Mount Zion, which he loves. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, ?? like the earth, which he has founded forever. He chose David his servant ?? and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him ?? to shepherd Jacob his people, ?? Israel his inheritance. With upright heart he shepherded them ?? and guided them with his skillful hand. Genesis 45:1-15 ( Listen ) Joseph Provides for His Brothers and Family 45:1? Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. 1 Corinthians 7:32-40 ( Listen ) I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. Mark 6:1-13 ( Listen ) Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 6:1? He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Footnotes [1] 78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting [3] 78:33 Hebrew in [4] 78:33 Or vapor [5] 78:42 Hebrew hand [6] 7:36 Greek virgin ; also verses 37, 38 [7] 7:36 Or her [8] 6:9 Greek chiton , a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright ??2001 by Crossway Bibles , a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotation information . This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer .
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March 9 (3 Lent): Ps. 78:1-39; Ps. 78:40-72; Gen. 45:1-15; 1 Cor. 7:32-40; Mark 6:1-13 (ESV)