1 Chron. 15:1–15
15:1 David constructed buildings in the City of David; he then prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve before him perpetually.” 3David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord up to the place he had prepared for it. 4David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5From the descendants of Kohath: Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives.
6From the descendants of Merari: Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives.
7From the descendants of Gershom: Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives.
8From the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives.
9From the descendants of Hebron: Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives.
10From the descendants of Uzziel: Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.
11David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, along with the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12He told them: “You are the leaders of the Levites’ families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel up to the place I have prepared for it. 13The first time you did not carry it; that is why the Lord God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.” 14The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had commanded in keeping with the Lord’s instruction.
(NET Bible)Ps. 119:1–8
119:1 א (Alef)
How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,
who obey the law of the Lord.
2How blessed are those who observe his rules
and seek him with all their heart,
3who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.
4You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.
5If only I were predisposed
to keep your statutes.
6Then I would not be ashamed,
if I were focused on all your commands.
7I will give you sincere thanks
when I learn your just regulations.
8I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.
(NET Bible)Mark 14:22–42
14:22 While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it. This is my body.” 23And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24He said to them, “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many. 25I tell you the truth, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written,
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29Peter said to him, “Even if they all fall away, I will not!” 30Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today—this very night—before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all of them said the same thing.
32Then they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed. 34He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.” 35Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him. 36He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? 38Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39He went away again and prayed the same thing. 40When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to tell him. 41He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough of that! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
(NET Bible)
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.