30 Av 5983 / 17 August 2023
Day 229 Readings
Torah: Shoftim, 5th Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:14-19:13
A New Prophet Like Moses
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
17 “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Psalm 32:1-11
The Joy of Forgiveness
A Psalm of David. A [a]Contemplation.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,Whose sin is covered.2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not [b]impute iniquity,And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew oldThrough my groaning all the day long.4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah5 I acknowledged my sin to You,And my iniquity I have not hidden.I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to YouIn a time when You may be found;Surely in a flood of great watersThey shall not come near him.7 You are my hiding place;You shall preserve me from trouble;You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will guide you with My eye.9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,Which have no understanding,Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,Else they will not come near you.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 103:1-22
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the Lord, my soul,And all that is within me, bless His holy name.2 Bless the Lord, my soul,And do not forget any of His benefits;3 Who pardons all your guilt,Who heals all your diseases;4 Who redeems your life from the pit,Who crowns you with favor and compassion;5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deedsAnd judgments for all who are oppressed.7 He made known His ways to Moses,His deeds to the sons of Israel.8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.9 He will not always contend with us,Nor will He keep His anger forever.10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,So great is His mercy toward those who [c]fear Him.12 As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him.14 For He Himself knows [e]our form;He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,And its place no longer knows about it.17 But the [f]mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who [g]fear Him,And His justice to the children’s children,18 To those who keep His covenantAnd remember His precepts, so as to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,And His [h]sovereignty rules over [i]all.20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,Mighty in strength, who perform His word,Obeying the voice of His word!21 Bless the Lord, all you His [j]angels,You who serve Him, doing His will.22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,In all places of His dominion;Bless the Lord, my soul!
Romans 4
Abraham’s Justification by Faith
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, [a]our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified [b]by works, he has something to boast about; but not [c]before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,And whose sins have been covered.8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
9 Is this blessing then on [d]the circumcised, or on [e]the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was [f]circumcised, or [g]uncircumcised? Not while [h]circumcised, but while [i]uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [j]he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which [k]he had while uncircumcised.
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his [l]descendants that he would be heir of the world was not [m]through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are [n]of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
16 For this reason it is [o]by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the [p]descendants, not only to [q]those who are of the Law, but also to [r]those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your [s]descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. 23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Let Your Soul Rejoice
Where does your joy or delight come from? Where do you turn in your time of need? When in a relationship with God, there is an outflow of his goodness that comes into our lives. We can have confidence and therefore rejoice in our souls and delight in his goodness because there is salvation.
Prayer: Father, there are times when my soul is weary. Your word reminds me to rejoice and to delight in you because there is salvation. Father, bring joy to my circumstance so that I may find salvation in my time of need. Amen.
Scripture
Nehemiah 13
22 And I ordered the Levites that they were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also remember me, my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your mercy.
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
23 All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things [a]build people up. 24 No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his [b]neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; 26 for the earth is the Lord’s, and [c]all it contains. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience.
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. 32 Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; 33 just as I also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved.
Psalms 35:1-16
1 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of [a]buckler and shield And rise up as my help.
3 Draw also the spear and [b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my [c]life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
Proverbs 21:17-18
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous is in the place of the upright.