Home > Reading > Daily Reading – September 23, 2020

Ezek. 21

21:1 (21:6) The Lord’s message came to me: 2“Son of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone from the south to the north. 5Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again!’

6“And you, son of man, groan with an aching heart and bitterness; groan before their eyes. 7When they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will reply, ‘Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone will faint, and every knee will be wet with urine.’ Pay attention—it is coming and it will happen, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

8The Lord’s message came to me: 9“Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened

and also polished.

10It is sharpened for slaughter;

it is polished to flash like lightning!

“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree!

11“‘He gave it to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand—

the sword is sharpened, it is polished—

giving it into the hand of the executioner.

12Cry out and moan, son of man,

for it is wielded against my people,

against all the princes of Israel.

They are delivered up to the sword, along with my people.

Therefore, strike your thigh.

13“‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? declares the Sovereign Lord.’

14“And you, son of man, prophesy,

and clap your hands together.

Let the sword strike twice, even three times!

It is a sword for slaughter,

a sword for the great slaughter surrounding them.

15So hearts melt with fear and many stumble.

At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter.

Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!

16Cut sharply on the right!

Swing to the left,

wherever your edge is appointed to strike.

17I too will clap my hands together,

I will exhaust my rage;

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18The Lord’s message came to me: 19“You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it at the beginning of the road leading to the city. 20Mark out the routes for the sword to take: ‘Rabbah of the Ammonites’ and ‘Judah with Jerusalem in it.’ 21For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines animal livers. 22Into his right hand comes the portent for Jerusalem—to set up battering rams, to give the signal for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, to set up battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, and to build a siege wall. 23But those in Jerusalem will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn oaths, but the king of Babylon will accuse them of violations in order to seize them.

24“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have brought up your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force.

25“‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel,

whose day has come, the time of final punishment,

26this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Tear off the turban;

take off the crown!

Things must change.

Exalt the lowly;

bring low the exalted!

27A total ruin I will make it!

Indeed, this will not be

until he comes to whom is the right, and I will give it to him.’

28“As for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation:

“‘A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter,

polished to consume, to flash like lightning—

29while seeing false visions about you

and reading lying omens about you—

to place you on the necks of the profane wicked,

whose day has come,

the time of final punishment.

30Return it to its sheath!

In the place where you were created,

in your native land, I will judge you.

31I will pour out my anger on you;

the fire of my fury I will blow on you.

I will hand you over to brutal men,

who are skilled in destruction.

32You will become fuel for the fire—

your blood will stain the middle of the land;

you will no longer be remembered,

for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

(NET Bible)

Ps. 82

82:1 A psalm of Asaph.

God stands in the assembly of El;

in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.

2He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions

and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah)

3Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.

Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.

4Rescue the poor and needy.

Deliver them from the power of the wicked.

5They neither know nor understand.

They stumble around in the dark,

while all the foundations of the earth crumble.

6I thought, ‘You are gods;

all of you are sons of the Most High.’

7Yet you will die like mortals;

you will fall like all the other rulers.”

8Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!

For you own all the nations.

(NET Bible)

Titus 2:1–15

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching. 2Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. 3Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 4In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited. 6Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, 7showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss because he has nothing evil to say about us. 9Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back, 10not pilfering, but showing all good faith, in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. 15So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

(NET Bible)

Here we might add what Luther said in 1528 in his Vom Abendmahl Christi, Bekenntnis … “So we must say that Matthew and Mark have placed after the New Supper what took place after the old Supper and is to be located there. For they were not greatly concerned about the order but were satisfied if they wrote history and truth. Luke, however, who wrote after them, states that the reason for his writing was that many others had written such accounts without regard to the order of events, and that he, therefore, had resolved to write them in proper order.” (47–48)

–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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