Is. 22:15–25
22:15 This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him:
16‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?
Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
17Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man!
He will wrap you up tightly.
18He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land.
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots,
which bring disgrace to the house of your master.
19I will remove you from your office;
you will be thrown down from your position.
20“‘At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 21I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. 22I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 23I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 24His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars, will hang from this peg.’
25“At that time,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the Lord has spoken.
(NET Bible)Ps. 147
147:1 Praise the Lord,
for it is good to sing praises to our God.
Yes, praise is pleasant and appropriate.
2The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem
and gathers the exiles of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
4He counts the number of the stars;
he names all of them.
5Our Lord is great and has awesome power;
there is no limit to his wisdom.
6The Lord lifts up the oppressed,
but knocks the wicked to the ground.
7Offer to the Lord a song of thanks.
Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a harp.
8He covers the sky with clouds,
provides the earth with rain,
and causes grass to grow on the hillsides.
9He gives food to the animals
and to the young ravens when they chirp.
10He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,
nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs.
11The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers
and in those who wait for his loyal love.
12Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem.
Praise your God, O Zion.
13For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children within you.
14He brings peace to your territory.
He abundantly provides for you the best grain.
15He sends his command through the earth;
swiftly his order reaches its destination.
16He sends the snow that is white like wool;
he spreads the frost that is white like ashes.
17He throws his hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand the cold wind he sends?
18He then orders it all to melt;
he breathes on it, and the water flows.
19He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
20He has not done so with any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
(NET Bible)2 Cor. 12:1–10
12:1 It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. 3And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows) 4was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak. 5On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. 6For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me, 7even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. 8I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
(NET Bible)
Alternative:
[Luther writes:] “Paul takes them all together, himself, an angel from heaven, teachers upon earth, and masters of all kinds, and subjects them to the holy Scripture. Scripture must reign as queen (haec regina debet dominari), her all must obey and be subject to. Not teachers, judges, or arbiters over her, but they must be simple witnesses, pupils and confessors of it, whether they may be the Pope or Luther or Augustine or Paul or an angel from heaven” … —“I let you cry in your hostility that Scripture contradicts itself, ascribing righteousness now to faith and then to works. It is impossible that Scripture contradict itself; it only seems so to foolish, coarse, and hardened hypocrites” … — “We abandon the talk of the Jews and stick to St. Paul’s understanding which, not without cause, emphasizes the little word ‘seed’ and thereby indicates that Holy Scripture in Gen. 12:3 and 22:18 speaks of a single seed not of many, and says plainly that Christ is such seed. Paul does so out of a genuine apostolic spirit and understanding. We Christians do not care if such interpretation does not please the Jews. Paul’s interpretation weighs more with us than all glosses of the rabbis” … — “One letter, even a single tittle of Scripture means more to us than heaven and earth. Therefore we cannot permit even the most minute change.” (82–83)
–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.