Home > Reading > Daily Reading – October 28, 2018

Job 31:16–40 (ESV)

16  “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17  or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18  (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow),
19  if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
or the needy without covering,
20  if his body has not blessed me,
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21  if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
because I saw my help in the gate,
22  then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23  For I was in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his majesty.

24  “If I have made gold my trust
or called fine gold my confidence,
25  if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
or because my hand had found much,
26  if I have looked at the sun when it shone,
or the moon moving in splendor,
27  and my heart has been secretly enticed,
and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28  this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
for I would have been false to God above.

29  “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
or exulted when evil overtook him
30  (I have not let my mouth sin
by asking for his life with a curse),
31  if the men of my tent have not said,

‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’
32  (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33  if I have concealed my transgressions as others do
by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34  because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35  Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
36  Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me as a crown;
37  I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.

38  “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39  if I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners breathe their last,
40  let thorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Psalm 112 (ESV)

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

112  Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!

His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.

For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.

He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.

10  The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!

Luke 18:1–14 (ESV)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Regarding the statement in Gen. 24:22, that Eliezer had given Rebekah an earring and two bracelets, with a specification as to their weight, Luther makes this comment: “What is here told appears to reason to deal with carnal and worldly matters, and I myself wonder why Moses has so much to say concerning such trifling things and speaks so briefly concerning far more sublime matters. However, there is no doubt that the Holy Ghost wished that these things should be written for our instruction, for there is nothing small, nothing useless presented to us in Holy Scripture; but all things that were written, were written for our learning, Rom. 15:4. For God wishes to be recognized in all things, both small and great.” (54)

–Johann Michael Reu, Luther on the Scriptures

This daily Bible reading guide, Reading the Word of God, was conceived and prepared as a result of the ongoing discussions between representatives of three church bodies: Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The following individuals have represented their church bodies and approved this introduction and the reading guide: LCC: President Robert Bugbee; NALC: Bishop John Bradosky, Revs. Mark Chavez, James Nestingen, and David Wendel; LCMS: Revs. Albert Collver, Joel Lehenbauer, John Pless, and Larry Vogel.

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