Week 9 Friday
Today Israel is called to remember God's rescue through lasting rituals, the psalmist preaches hope to his own downcast soul, and Jesus openly declares who He is before a hostile council.
Exodus 13
📖 What are we reading?: God institutes the consecration of the firstborn and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as lasting reminders of the exodus, and leads Israel out by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: He leads His people visibly and constantly - present with them by day and by night, never leaving them to find their own way.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: These rituals were given to remind God's people of what He had done for them. Perhaps we Christians need our own regular practices that remind us of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who delivered us.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Exodus, meaning "departure", was written by Moses around 1400 BC, and tells of Israel's miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt - a rescue Israel was called to remember for generations, and a picture of Christ's greater deliverance from sin.
♫ A classic hymn that uses imagery of the cloud and fire guiding the pilgrims through the desert.
Psalm 42
📖 What are we reading?: The psalmist longs for God like a deer panting for water, downcast and struggling, yet preaching hope to his own soul.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: He is the living God our souls thirst for - even when He feels distant, He remains our only true source of hope.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Verses 5 and 11 show the psalmist preaching to himself rather than simply listening to his feelings - "Why, my soul, are you downcast? ... Put your hope in God." A pattern worth repeating to ourselves whenever we need it.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, written by David and others, expressing the full range of human emotion in response to God and to life.
♫ The history behind the classic worship song "As the Deer", based on this psalm.
♫ Worship with Luke through this Psalm here.
📝 A devotion on this psalm, helping us put our hope in God when we're downcast.
Luke 22:63-71
📖 What are we reading?: The guards mock and beat Jesus through the night, and at daybreak the council of elders demands to know whether He is the Messiah, the Son of God.
✞ What does this passage say about God?: Jesus openly declares who He is, even knowing it will cost Him His life.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live?: Jesus doesn't defend Himself before this hostile crowd, yet He doesn't deny who He is either. There's a lesson here in standing firm on the truth, even when it isn't received well, and even when silence might be the easier path.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's Gospel was written by Luke, a Greek physician and companion of Paul, around AD 60-62. It is the most detailed account of Jesus' life, and is especially attentive to the poor, to women, and to outcasts.
🎤 Luke preaches on the trial of Jesus.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You for leading Your people day and night, just as You lead us still. When our souls feel downcast, teach us to preach hope to ourselves as the psalmist did, and give us courage to stand firm on the truth of who You are, whatever it costs. Amen.
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