Home > Reading > Daily Reading – November 3, 2019

1 Chron. 12:19–40

12:19 Some men from Manasseh joined David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (But in the end they did not help the Philistines because, after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying, “It would be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20When David went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnach, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders of 1,000 soldiers each in the tribe of Manasseh. 21They helped David fight against raiding bands, for all of them were warriors and leaders in the army. 22Each day men came to help David until his army became very large.

23The following is a record of the armed warriors who came with their leaders and joined David in Hebron in order to make David king in Saul’s place, in accordance with the Lord’s decree:

24From Judah came 6,800 trained warriors carrying shields and spears.

25From Simeon there were 7,100 warriors.

26From Levi there were 4,600. 27Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron’s descendants, brought 3,700 men with him, 28along with Zadok, a young warrior, and 22 leaders from his family.

29From Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, there were 3,000, most of whom, up to that time, had been loyal to Saul.

30From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their families.

31From the half-tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to come and make David king.

32From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command—they understood the times and knew what Israel should do.

33From Zebulun there were 50,000 warriors who were prepared for battle, equipped with all kinds of weapons, and ready to give their undivided loyalty.

34From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers, along with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.

35From Dan there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.

36From Asher there were 40,000 warriors prepared for battle.

37From the other side of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons.

38All these men were warriors who were ready to march. They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation; all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king. 39They spent three days feasting there with David, for their relatives had given them provisions. 40Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb, for Israel was celebrating.

(NET Bible)

Ps. 116

116:1 I love the Lord

because he heard my plea for mercy

2and listened to me.

As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.

3The ropes of death tightened around me,

the snares of Sheol confronted me.

I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.

4I called on the name of the Lord,

“Please, Lord, rescue my life!”

5The Lord is merciful and fair;

our God is compassionate.

6The Lord protects the untrained;

I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.

7Rest once more, my soul,

for the Lord has vindicated you.

8Yes, Lord, you rescued my life from death,

kept my eyes from tears

and my feet from stumbling.

9I will serve the Lord

in the land of the living.

10I had faith when I said,

“I am severely oppressed.”

11I rashly declared,

“All men are liars.”

12How can I repay the Lord

for all his acts of kindness to me?

13I will celebrate my deliverance

and call on the name of the Lord.

14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

before all his people.

15The Lord values

the lives of his faithful followers.

16Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your female servant.

You saved me from death.

17I will present a thank offering to you,

and call on the name of the Lord.

18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

before all his people,

19in the courts of the Lord’s temple,

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

(NET Bible)

Mark 13:1–23

13:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” 2Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”

3So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?” 5Jesus began to say to them, “Watch out that no one misleads you. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will mislead many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.

9“You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them. 10First the gospel must be preached to all nations. 11When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15The one on the roof must not come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. 16The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 17Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 18Pray that it may not be in winter. 19For in those days there will be suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will happen. 20And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short. 21Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe him. 22For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect. 23Be careful! I have told you everything ahead of time.

(NET Bible)

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

No matter how emphatically Luther emphasized the inerrancy and the consistency of the original text of Holy Scripture as the work of the Holy Ghost, he is also, on the other hand, convinced of the personal cooperation of the original authors. They are not, in his opinion, mechanical instruments and dead machines, mere amanuenses who set down on paper only what was dictated to them by the Spirit of God. He regarded them rather as independent instruments of the Spirit who spoke their faith, their heart, their thoughts; who put their entire will and feeling into the words to such an extent that from what Luther reads in each case he draws conclusions concerning the character and the temperament of the authors. So [according to Luther] the Prophet Joel reveals himself in his writing as a “gracious and gentle man, who does not scold and censure like the other prophets but implores and bewails.” Amos, on the other hand, is “violent, scolding almost all the way through his book, so that he is well called, Amos, that is a burden or what is burdensome and vexatious”; and he explains this as being due to his calling and from the fact that he was sent as a “stranger” from the Kingdom of Judah to the Kingdom of Israel, for, he continues, “because he is a shepherd and not one of the order of the prophets, as he says in the seventh chapter, moreover, he goes from the branch of Judah, from Tekoa, into the Kingdom of Israel and preaches there as a stranger.” Of Jeremiah, however, Luther says that he is always afraid that he censures too much, for which reason he compares him with Philip Melanchthon. In Paul he observes the deepest emotion because of his writings and can say of his words, “these words are violent above mea- sure, from which it is easy to see that he was much more violently moved than he was able to express in words.” Yes, he adds, “So it has come about that St. Paul under the influence of his intense thought could not control his own word so well, and his speech has become somewhat disordered and peculiar.” (60)

–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.

Learn More