Ezek. 10
10:1 As I watched, I saw on the platform above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them. 2The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.
3(The cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) 4Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the Sovereign God when he speaks.
6When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood by one of the wheels. 7Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand toward the fire that was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left. 8(The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)
9As I watched, I noticed four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; the wheels gleamed like jasper. 10As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a wheel within a wheel. 11When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would follow without turning as they moved, 12along with their entire bodies, their backs, their hands, and their wings. The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around. 13As for their wheels, they were called “the wheelwork” as I listened. 14Each of the cherubim had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
15The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings I saw at the Kebar River. 16When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their side. 17When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
18Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19The cherubim spread their wings, and they rose up from the earth while I watched (when they went, the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord’s temple as the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.
20These were the living creatures that I saw at the Kebar River underneath the God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim. 21Each had four faces; each had four wings and the form of human hands under the wings. 22As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose appearance I had seen at the Kebar River. Each one moved straight ahead.
(NET Bible)Ps. 72
72:1 For Solomon.
O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions.
Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions.
2Then he will judge your people fairly
and your oppressed ones equitably.
3The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice.
4He will defend the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver the children of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
5People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation.
6He will descend like rain on the mown grass,
like showers that drench the earth.
7During his days the godly will flourish;
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.
8May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9Before him the coastlands will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.
11All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.
12For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed who have no defender.
13He will take pity on the poor and needy;
the lives of the needy he will save.
14From harm and violence he will defend them;
he will value their lives.
15May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba.
May they continually pray for him.
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long.
16May there be an abundance of grain in the earth;
on the tops of the mountains may it sway.
May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon.
May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth.
17May his fame endure.
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky.
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings.
May all nations consider him to be favored by God.
18The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise.
He alone accomplishes amazing things.
19His glorious name deserves praise forevermore.
May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth.
We agree! We agree!
20This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.
(NET Bible)1 Tim. 5:17–6:2
5:17 Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. 18For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his pay.” 19Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 20Those guilty of sin must be rebuked before all, as a warning to the rest. 21Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind. 22Do not lay hands on anyone hastily and so identify with the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23(Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion and your frequent illnesses.) 24The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later. 25Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.
6:1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited. 2But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect because they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.
Teach them and exhort them about these things. (NET Bible)
In his exposition of the rst and the second chapters of St. John, which was written during 1537 and 1538, Luther discusses the questions as to how this account of the cleansing of the Temple is related to that given by the Synoptists. He says: “The first question is as to how the two evangelists, Matthew and John, agree with each other; for Matthew states that it happened on Palm Sunday when the Lord entered Jerusalem, while here in John it is placed some- where in the Easter [Passover] season, soon after the baptism of Christ, just as the miracle in which Christ turned water into wine took place about Easter, after which He journeyed to Capernaum. For He was baptized at Epiphany and he may easily have tarried a short time in Capernaum until Easter and began to preach and did what John here narrates about Easter. But these are questions that remain questions which I will not solve and that do not give me much concern, only there are people so sly and keen that they raise all kinds of questions for which they want to have answers. If one, however, has a correct understanding of Scripture and possesses the true statement of our faith that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has suffered and died for us, it will not be a serious defect if we are not able to answer them. The evangelists do not observe the same order, and what one places first another on occasion places last, just as Mark places the account of this event on the day following Palm Sunday. It is quite possible that the Lord did this more than once, and that John describes the first time and Matthew the second. Let that be as it may, it was before or after; it happened once or twice, in no case does it detract anything from our faith.” (45–46)
–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.