​Key Verses
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
 
Meditation
Today’s reading is an invitation to praise through every situation, recognizing God as our creator, King, and faithful shepherd. Come! Repeats the psalmist (vv. 1, 2, 6). Come and worship. Come sing a joyful song. Come make a joyful noise.
 
The Lord is King and creator (v. 3). The Lord holds creation in His hands, from the depths of the earth to the heights of the mountains (v. 4) to seas and dry land (v. 5). Let us humble ourselves before our Maker.
 
The Lord is our God and we are the sheep in His fold (v. 7). God is our Good Shepherd who knows us, guards us, gathers us, feeds us, and leads us. Sheep know His voice, hear His words, and follow. No one and no thing can take us from the hand of our shepherd (John 10:27-30). 
 
People secure in God’s steadfast love will persevere in praise no matter what happens in our days, not hardening our hearts as previous generations (vv. 8-10). Those who wander in the wilderness and reject God’s word will not enter God’s rest (vv. 11). NT writers hold out this warning in present tense: I Corinthians 10:1-13; Hebrews 3:7-4:13). Worshippers today must head the warning and not go “astray in our hearts.” Responding to God’s grace, we receive God’s word and obey God’s voice, beginning with persevering in praise.
 
Jesus is the Good shepherd, the King of kings and the Word of creation. Let us humble ourselves before our Messiah and Maker. Let us come and worship the Lord!
 
Today’s Reading
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.
 
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the warning to persevere in praise by receiving and obeying God’s word?
 
-Why is it significant to worship God as the One who possesses everything? How does that amplify that He holds us in His grace, too?
 
-How can you walk in praise today, worshiping the Lord in joyfully hearing and obeying His word? Take time to go! Go worship the Lord in joyful praise. Go worship Jesus with a joyful noise! Take time today to worship our Messiah and Maker as you go about you regular routine.
 
Key Verses
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,  and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Key Verse
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 
 
Meditation
Discouragement in discipleship is not the end of the story. Faith sees God’s perspective, promise, and provision even when life is difficult. Christians join Paul in believing, “…that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…”  Philippians 1:6).  We see obstacles. God sees opportunities to reveal His sovereignty. We see gaps between where we are and where we want to be. God sees places to reveal His sufficient grace, His power made perfect in our weakness.
 
The context of today’s chapter is devastation and discouragement. How could God’s people begin to rebuild the rubble of the temple, especially after decades of delay? The vision, the prophetic perspective, is clear: Golden lamp stands and menorah are major temple furnishings once taken by the Babylonians in 586 BC. In regards to utility, these were for the priestly work in the temple. Symbolically, the images represented God’s restored presence, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. Motivationally, God was revealing the temple will be rebuilt “not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (vv. 1-6).
 
God promised His Spirit will move to finish the work God started. God names the obstacles and promised His grace will make level ground to walk forward (v. 7). We need not despise the small steps of faith making a foundation for our journey of obedience (vv. 8-10). God will give provision for His plan to be accomplished, transforming perceived barriers into blessing.
 
God’s sovereign grace redeems resistance to His plan and purpose. We can be sure of this: God WILL finish what He started!
 
Today’s Reading
And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil[a]is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially God’s perspective, promise, and provision to finish what He began in and through His people?
 
-Do you trust God’s sovereign grace to finish what He has started in you, through you, and around you?
 
-Why is it important to trust that God’s will is accomplished by God’s Spirit alone, not by our might or power?
 
-Where do you need to see God redeem resistance- your heart? Family? Team? What He has called you to do? God has a plan and calls us to walk step by step. You must be certain- God will finish what He began.
 
Key Verse
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 

The biggest reason Christians misunderstand biblical authority isn’t the culture around us, it’s the Church itself. It’s tempting to blame the secular world, where the individual is seen as the highest authority and personal desires like pleasure, power, and preference drive decisions. But sadly, many Christian leaders  in both churches and homes have followed that same path, and believers have followed them. The consequences have cascaded into relationships, mental and spiritual health, finances, communities, sexuality, ethics, and more. The solution begins with recovering a right understanding of biblical authority by exploring the meaning of Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Infallibility.
 
What does it mean that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, God’s very words that are perfect and purposeful, what we call infallible and inerrant? While these three terms are woven together to form an unbreakable rope, we will briefly unpack them one at a time.
                                Inspiration
All of God’s Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word “theopneustos” combines “God” and “breath out,” used in 1 Timothy 3:16 to emphasize the divine origin of Scripture. Three views of how God’s Spirit breathed out God’s Word should be considered:

• Romantic inspiration is popular among liberals who believe the Biblical writers were inspired but their writings were not superintended by the Holy Spirit. This low view of Scripture puts the Bible on par with classic works from artists like Shakespeare or Bach and robs the Bible of reliability and authority.
• Mechanical inspiration, or inspiration by dictation, is on the other end of the spectrum. This view sees Biblical authors as secretaries of the Spirit and eliminates the importance of historical context and intended meaning for the original audience. This approach forces readers and interpreters to impose our ideas onto Scripture. Denying the value of the literal sense of Scripture hinders the practical authority of Scripture.
• Organic inspiration holds that God’s Spirit moved Biblical authors and superintended their writings so by His inspiration they wrote infallibility. In doing so, the Spirit did not circumvent their humanity or historical context thus communicating God’s timeless truth for all God’s people in all times through real people who were living in actual history.

 
B.B. Warfield rightly noted:
“Inspiration is that extraordinary, supernatural influence exerted by the Holy Spirit on the writers of the Scriptures by which their writings were made trustworthy and free from error."

    God’s Word is Purposeful and Perfect
Inspiration is inseparable from inerrancy and infallibility. God’s Spirit supernaturally guided human authors so their words were truly God’s Word, to accomplish God’s work and perfectly authoritative in original languages (before translations). The person of God wrote the perfect word of God through the people of God, so the purposes of God will be accomplished. But if it is this simple, why do we struggle to embrace the beauty of Scripture’s authority?

In the introduction to R.C. Sproul’s book Knowing Scripture, J.I. Packer writes, “If I were the devil…one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible. Knowing that it is the Word of God, teaching men to know and love and serve the God of the Word, I should do all that I could to surround it with the spiritual equivalents of pits, thorn hedges and man traps, to frighten people off.” Packer then quotes Jonathan Edwards, “The devil has ever shown a mortal spite and hatred towards that holy book the Bible: he has done all in his power to extinguish that light…He is engaged against the Bible, and hates every word in it.” (Knowing Scripture, p 12) 

Satan desires for us to question the authority of God's Word, and he uses our lack of understanding against us.  Let's quickly define terms:
 Infallibility claims that Scripture cannot fail in its purpose or teaching. Because God cannot lie or err, His Word is entirely trustworthy in all it affirms. Scripture comes from a perfect God who cannot lie and who will accomplish the purpose of His Word:
                   Titus 1:2 “…God, who never lies…”
              Isaiah 55:11 “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Inerrancy goes further, stating that Scripture is entirely trustworthy and is incapable of error in all it affirms about God, salvation, history, and the created world… everything. God’s Word will not endorse error, so all it contains is truth, not merely because it happens to be true but because it comes from a God who is a truth teller.
 
The Bible embraces its own inerrancy:
            Psalm 12:6 “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace… purified seven times.”
               Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
                  John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
 
For Christians to embrace the beneficial authority of God’s word, we must believe the bible is actually God’s word, written by God’s Spirit to accomplish God’s work and incapable of error because the Author is a truth teller. This means, practically, that God’s word is our absolute authority in all areas of life: Relationships, sexuality, health, identity, (mental, spiritual, financial, and physical), community, finances, hope, purpose, ethics, and everything else. 
 
God’s Word is perfect, and His purposes will be accomplished through His word.

                      The tension is real!
This battle for the authority of God’s Word and the tension we navigate is illustrated well by the story of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978).
 
In the 1960s and 70s, evangelical institutions such as seminaries, denominations, and publishing houses were increasingly influenced by liberal theological trends that questioned or denied Scripture. Many still affirmed that the Bible was “inspired” in the romantic sense but their subjective interpretations created confusion. 
 
Proactively, a group of reformed and evangelical leaders recognized that the heart of the battle was over the trustworthiness of God’s Word. Led by theologians R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, and James Montgomery Boice, over 200 scholars, pastors, and leaders gathered in Chicago in 1978 under to form the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI). The result was the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a landmark document that provides detailed “Articles of affirmation and denial” and exposition on the meaning of inerrancy. 
 
One of the core affirmations reads:
“Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms…”
 
And one of the most pointed denials states:
“We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.” 
 
The document directly addressed a growing compromise among evangelicals who wanted to say the Bible was trustworthy for salvation but could err in its historical or cultural claims. You can read the whole statement HERE.
 
RC Sproul summarized the importance stating, “The doctrine of inerrancy is not a peripheral issue… It goes to the very heart of our confidence in the truthfulness and authority of Scripture.”

                                 Conclusion
It turns out, celebrating the beauty of Biblical authority is as basic as believing, fully trusting God's Spirit wrote God's Word through God's people, recorded perfectly to accomplish the purposes of God. There is an enemy who wants believers to doubt the beauty of Scripture's authority, but the enemy has no authority over believers (unless we give him authority). Christians must repent from rejecting Biblical authority and return in faith, concrete confidence that God's Word is sufficient for all of life and welcoming His authority in all we say, think, and do.

Key Verse
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?
 
Meditation
The gospel frees believers to own our sin, repent, and begin again. With assurance of forgiveness, Christians confess not only sins we have committed but also love omitted from our life, “the things left undone” (Anglican Book of Common Prayer). 
 
Sins of omission include places where we are not conforming to God’s design, sins such as not forgiving others, harboring bitterness, avoiding faithful stewardship, spouses not loving the other as Christ loved the church, Christians not caring for widows, orphans, and the poor as Christ commands, or brothers not loving one another as God has designed.
 
In today’s reading, the sin of the tribes Ruben and Gad is their desire to settle in Gilead before Israel conquered the Promise Land. They wanted houses and farms without joining other tribes in taking up arms to help their family have the inheritance God had promised. This level of selfishness is what Paul warns the church against in Philippians 2, considering our own interests before the interest of others. Mosses mediated a deal for Ruben and Gad to remain east of the Jordan pointing to Jesus mediating for us on the cross, His death satisfying the penalty of our sin. 
 
Moses confronted the sin and disaster was diverted. Likewise, God’s word confronts God’s people, directing us to the cross to re-order our loves. James says, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). Grace frees us to name our sins of omission, confessing for cleansing. In Christ we are forgiven, free to repent and begin again.
 
Today’s Reading
Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”

6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them.10 And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel! 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”

16 Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,17 but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20 So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war,21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lordand to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”

28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the Lord, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

33 And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34 And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair. 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially Moses’ mediation for Gad and Ruben as well as what the tribes settled for?
 
- When we reject God’s design and desire through sins of omission then society can be devastated. What is a sin of omission you regularly commit? Take a moment to repent, confess, and commit to responding to God’s grace in faithfulness to God’s desire and design.
 
-Jesus was without sin of omission or sin of commission, yet He went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Thanks be to His name! From the ground of grace, look at the life and love of Jesus to learn what it means to embody God’s design and desire in all of life and love.
 
Key Verse
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?

Key Verse
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 
 
Meditation
Why do you or do you not follow Jesus? Today’s reading emphasizes Jesus’ divine authority to call people to abandon everything and follow Him.  
 
Jesus calls disciples to follow Him. Jesus called Peter, James, and John from a fishing boat to make them “fishers of men” (vv. 1-11). Jesus called Levi (Matthew) from his tax collecting duties (vv. 27-32).  The disciples “left everything and followed Jesus” (vv. 11, 27-28).
 
Jesus’ miracles authenticate His divinity and His authority. The word of Jesus commanded the fisherman to cast their nets one more time (v. 5), healed a leper (v. 13), and restored a lame man to walk again (v. 24). The question at the center of the chapter helps us see what is at stake: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (v. 21) Jesus healed the paralytic. Jesus forgives sins! Jesus’ miracles authenticate His message as God’s Messenger... the One we must follow.
 
God has come to cleanse (v. 13) and to forgive sins (v. 23) as the Great Physician (vv. 31-32) and the Bridegroom our hearts long to celebrate (v. 34).  Responding to God’s word with obedience will restore and renew our humanity.
 
How do you respond to Jesus calling you to follow Him? Peter was convicted of sin (v. 8), the leper obediently followed the law of Moses (v. 14), and the crowds pressed in to hear more (v. 15) with amazement (v. 26). Disciples follow the Master because Jesus is God and His word is true, and He is the only one with authority to forgive sins.
 
 
Today’s Reading
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.[d] 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

A Question About Fasting
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which section of Luke 5 speaks to you most intimately? Why?
 
-The Pharisees and teachers of the law did not believe Jesus. Do you? If so, what difference does this make in your daily life? If not, why do you not believe Jesus is God and His word is truth?
 
-Jesus came to cleanse, forgive, heal, and love. How can you dive deeper into the person and work of Jesus in your daily life? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 

​Key verse
19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
 
Meditation
God wants you to know the prevailing power of prayer. Prayer prevails because of personal engagement of God, the promises of God, and the power of God.
 
In today’s reading, Assyria continued their propaganda campaign to undermine the people’s confidence in both God and king Hezekiah. The army had Jerusalem in a chokehold. The panicking king Hezekiah found power in the promises of God and through prayer the power of God prevailed.
 
Hezekiah pleaded in prayer (vv. 1-4) and the prophet Isaiah assured him with God’s promises (vv. 5-7). As the enemy taunting continued (vv. 8-13) Hezekiah prayed more fervently (vv. 14-19) and the prophet reinforced God’s plan and promises (vv. 20-34). Finally, the Lord Himself defeated the Assyrian army (vv. 35-37). The power of prayer prevails in the most dire of circumstances.

​King Hezekiah pleaded for rescue based on God’s reputation, asking for all the kingdoms of the earth to hear of God’s saving power (v. 19). The prophet’s promise was rooted in God's sovereign plan, specifically that His people will deepen roots and increase fruit (30, Isaiah 30:31 and 37:31). The power of God desolated His enemies, their king, and humiliated their god.
 
We know the promises of God are "YES!" in Jesus Christ and His power over the final enemy of death has been demonstrated (1 Corinthians 15:26). Jesus is a prophet greater than Isaiah who communicates and fulfills the sovereign plan of God. We must pray and not give up, knowing the word of God is sure, the victory of God established, the presence of God is near, and the power of God will prevail!
 
Today’s Reading
As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

Sennacherib Defies the Lord
8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah's Prayer
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib's Fall
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“She despises you, she scorns you--
    the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you--
    the daughter of Jerusalem.
22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
    Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By your messengers you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, ‘With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon;
I felled its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses;
I entered its farthest lodging place,
    its most fruitful forest.
24 I dug wells
    and drank foreign waters,
and I dried up with the sole of my foot
    all the streams of Egypt.’
25 “Have you not heard
    that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
    what now I bring to pass,
that you should turn fortified cities
    into heaps of ruins,
26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
    blighted before it is grown.
27 “But I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
28 Because you have raged against me
    and your complacency has come into my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.

29 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.

32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh.37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the prevailing power of prayer? Do you believe prayer will prevail? Why or why not?
 
-What does our difficulty to endure in prayer reveal about our faith in God’s presence, promises, and power in comparison with our hope and reliance on things of this world?
 
-Jesus teaches us to pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). What do you need to renew your prayers for so that the power of God can be seen in your life, love, and labor?
 
Key verse
19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”