Thursday 4 October 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

[info at dailylectionary.org]

Thursday 4 October 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org

******************************************************************
2 Kings 18:28-37

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language
of Judah, 'Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29Thus
says the king: "Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able
to deliver you out of my hand. 30Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on
the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will
not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 31Do not listen to
Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: "Make your peace with me
and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine
and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern, 32until I
come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and
wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, that
you may live and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you
by saying, The Lord will deliver us. 33Has any of the gods of the
nations ever delivered its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries
out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?"
' 
36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the
king's command was, 'Do not answer him.' 37Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah,
who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son
of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and
told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
******************************************************************
1 Corinthians 9:1-15

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are
you not my work in the Lord? 2If I am not an apostle to others, at least
I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 
3 This is my defence to those who would examine me. 4Do we not have the
right to our food and drink? 5Do we not have the right to be accompanied
by a believing wife,* as do the other apostles and the brothers of the
Lord and Cephas? 6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to
refrain from working for a living? 7Who at any time pays the expenses
for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any
of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk? 
8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same?
9For it is written in the law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox
while it is treading out the grain.' Is it for oxen that God is
concerned? 10Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed
written for our sake, for whoever ploughs should plough in hope and
whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. 11If we
have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your
material benefits? 12If others share this rightful claim on you, do not
we still more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything
rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13Do you
not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their
food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is
sacrificed on the altar? 14In the same way, the Lord commanded that
those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this
so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than
that-no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting!
******************************************************************
Matthew 7:22-29

On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power
in your name?" 23Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away
from me, you evildoers." 
Hearers and Doers24 'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and
acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The
rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone
who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a
foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-and
great was its fall!' 
28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were
astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes. 
******************************************************************
Morning Psalms:  Psalm 105:1-22

Psalm 105:1-22

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples. 
2Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works. 
3Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 
4Seek the Lord and his strength;
   seek his presence continually. 
5Remember the wonderful works he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered, 
6O offspring of his servant Abraham,*
   children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 


7He is the Lord our God;
   his judgements are in all the earth. 
8He is mindful of his covenant for ever,
   of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 
9the covenant that he made with Abraham,
   his sworn promise to Isaac, 
10which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
   to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 
11saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan
   as your portion for an inheritance.' 


12When they were few in number,
   of little account, and strangers in it, 
13wandering from nation to nation,
   from one kingdom to another people, 
14he allowed no one to oppress them;
   he rebuked kings on their account, 
15saying, 'Do not touch my anointed ones;
   do my prophets no harm.' 


16When he summoned famine against the land,
   and broke every staff of bread, 
17he had sent a man ahead of them,
   Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 
18His feet were hurt with fetters,
   his neck was put in a collar of iron; 
19until what he had said came to pass,
   the word of the Lord kept testing him. 
20The king sent and released him;
   the ruler of the peoples set him free. 
21He made him lord of his house,
   and ruler of all his possessions, 
22to instruct* his officials at his pleasure,
   and to teach his elders wisdom. 
******************************************************************
Evening Psalms: Psalm 105:23-45

Psalm 105:23-45

Then Israel came to Egypt;
   Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. 
24And the Lord made his people very fruitful,
   and made them stronger than their foes, 
25whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,
   to deal craftily with his servants. 


26He sent his servant Moses,
   and Aaron whom he had chosen. 
27They performed his signs among them,
   and miracles in the land of Ham. 
28He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
   they rebelled* against his words. 
29He turned their waters into blood,
   and caused their fish to die. 
30Their land swarmed with frogs,
   even in the chambers of their kings. 
31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
   and gnats throughout their country. 
32He gave them hail for rain,
   and lightning that flashed through their land. 
33He struck their vines and fig trees,
   and shattered the trees of their country. 
34He spoke, and the locusts came,
   and young locusts without number; 
35they devoured all the vegetation in their land,
   and ate up the fruit of their ground. 
36He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
   the first issue of all their strength. 


37Then he brought Israel* out with silver and gold,
   and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled. 
38Egypt was glad when they departed,
   for dread of them had fallen upon it. 
39He spread a cloud for a covering,
   and fire to give light by night. 
40They asked, and he brought quails,
   and gave them food from heaven in abundance. 
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
   it flowed through the desert like a river. 
42For he remembered his holy promise,
   and Abraham, his servant. 


43So he brought his people out with joy,
   his chosen ones with singing. 
44He gave them the lands of the nations,
   and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples, 
45that they might keep his statutes
   and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!
******************************************************************