1 Chron. 19:1–9
19:1 Later King Nahash of the Ammonites died and his son succeeded him. 2David said, “I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash, for his father was loyal to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his father’s death. When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to visit Hanun and express the king’s sympathy, 3the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? No, his servants have come to you so they can get information and spy out the land!” 4So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved their beards off. He cut off the lower part of their robes so that their buttocks were exposed and then sent them away. 5People came and told David what had happened to the men, so he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow again; then you may come back.”
6When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah, and Zobah. 7They hired 32,000 chariots, along with the king of Maacah and his army, who came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also assembled from their cities and marched out to do battle.
8When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them. 9The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field. (NET Bible)
Ps. 119:57–64
119:57 ח (Khet)
The Lord is my source of security.
I have determined to follow your instructions.
58I seek your favor with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised.
59I consider my actions
and follow your rules.
60I keep your commands eagerly
and without delay.
61The ropes of the wicked tighten around me,
but I do not forget your law.
62In the middle of the night I arise to thank you
for your just regulations.
63I am a friend to all your loyal followers
and to those who keep your precepts.
64O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
(NET Bible)1 Cor. 2
2:1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 4My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. 7Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” 10God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. 13And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. 14The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. 16For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(NET Bible)
It was self-evident to Luther that the evangelists gave consideration to the plan according to which they would relate the history of Jesus and, with that in mind, selected and arranged their materials accordingly, abbreviating here and expanding there. In the Church Postil Luther says in the Sermon for the Twenty- fifth Sunday after Trinity (St. Matt. 24:15-28): “In this chapter is described the conclu-sion and end of both kingdoms, that of Judah and that of the whole world. But the two evangelists, Matthew and Mark, mingle the two and do not keep the order that has been preserved in Luke, for they are concerned only about telling and repeating the words without troubling themselves as to the order in which the words were spoken.” “So understand that Matthew here weaves together and combines the end of the Jewish nation and of the world, mixes them into one dish. But if you wish to understand it you must separate it and apply the parts to their respective ends.” (60–61)
–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.