Home > Reading > Daily Reading – May 18, 2019

Proverbs 27 (ESV)

27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
10  Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
11  Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
that I may answer him who reproaches me.
12  The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
13  Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.
14  Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
15  A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
16  to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.
17  Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
18  Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.
19  As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.
20  Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and never satisfied are the eyes of man.
21  The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.
22  Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.

23  Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
24  for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
25  When the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
26  the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.
27  There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.

Psalm 119:81–88 (ESV)

KAPH

81  My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.

82  My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

83  For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

84  How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?

85  The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.

86  All your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!

87  They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.

88  In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

1 Peter 5:1–14 (ESV)

Shepherd the Flock of God

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

[Luther writes,] “What else can Solomon intend with so many words (Prov. 4:24-27), do you think, than to keep us on the straight (schnurgleichen) path, that only God’s Word and way may stand out before our eyes, and no bypath, be it to the right or to the left, good or bad. But now man’s teachings are but mere bypaths and not the divine way (Richtstrasse).” (21)

–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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