Home > Reading > Daily Reading – August 17, 2019

2 Kings 15:17–38

15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for 10 years in Samaria. 18He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin.

During his reign, 19Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid him 1,000 talents of silver to gain his support and to solidify his control of the kingdom. 20Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took 50 shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.

21The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 22Menahem passed away and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.

23In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for two years. 24He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 25His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and 50 Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. Pekah then took his place as king.

26The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

27In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty years. 28He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 29During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people to Assyria. 30Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

32In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 33He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.

36The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 37In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. 38Jotham passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

(NET Bible)

Ps. 46

46:1 For the music director, by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; a song.

God is our strong refuge;

he is truly our helper in times of trouble.

2For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes,

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

3when its waves crash and foam,

and the mountains shake before the surging sea. (Selah)

4The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God,

the special, holy dwelling place of the Most High.

5God lives within it, it cannot be moved.

God rescues it at the break of dawn.

6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.

God gives a shout, the earth dissolves.

7The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side.

The God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Selah)

8Come, Witness the exploits of the Lord,

who brings devastation to the earth.

9He brings an end to wars throughout the earth.

He shatters the bow and breaks the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10He says, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God.

I will be exalted over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!”

11The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side!

The God of Jacob is our stronghold! (Selah)

(NET Bible)

Matt. 22:34–46

22:34 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. 35And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

41While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 42“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,

44“‘The Lord said to my lord,

Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

(NET Bible)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

Here (II Samuel 23:2, ‘The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue’) it becomes too marvelous and soars too high for me. God grant that I may at least partially attain to it, for he here begins to speak of the Holy Triune essence of the divine Godhead. First he mentions the Holy Ghost; to Him he ascribes all that the prophets foretell. It is these and similar statements to which St. Peter refers in the II Epistle 1:21, ‘For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of men, etc … ’Therefore we sing in the Creed, concerning the Holy Ghost, ‘Who spake by the Prophets.’ So we refer all of Scripture to the Holy Ghost.” In the same way he refers to Dan. 7:13, 14. “So it is the Spirit who speaks through Daniel, for such secret thing no one could know if the Holy Ghost had not revealed it through the prophets as we have frequently said before, that Holy Scripture has been spoken by the Holy Ghost.” (36–37)

–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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