Thursday, March 31, 2022

The Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, March 31, 2022

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Psalm 126; Isaiah 43:1-7; Philippians 2:19-24
with commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Introduction & Summary

Sowing with Tears Reaping with Joy (Psalm 126)
God will Gather Through Fire and Water (Isaiah 43:1-7)
Apostolic Visits are Promised (Philippians 2:19-24)


In today’s lectionary readings, our psalm recalls God’s past acts of restoration and the emotions of joy and celebration of laughter that accompanied those saving acts. The temporal clause with which the psalm begins, “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,” most likely has in mind the return of the people to the land following the Babylonian exile. The people ask God to restore them once again so that they may rejoice yet again.

Like other prophetic writings, our reading in the book of Isaiah aims to change people’s minds. God lovingly tells the people of Israel that he has already redeemed them. They can pass through rivers and fire without drowning or being burned.

Our reading in Philippians was a letter from the apostle Paul to the church at Philippi. The letter is being taken to Philippi by Epaphroditus, who had visited Paul and, becoming ill, stayed with Paul until he recovered. Timothy, a trusted friend of Paul’s, would likely be visiting the church at Philippi soon. However, this was not intended as a one-way trip. Paul’s expectation of receiving good news as a result of this visit meant he intended Timothy to return with news of their situation.

For all of us who have trusted Christ as Savior, the poignant words in our verse of the day can pierce our own hearts, as we begin to understand that the sinless Son of God was willingly afflicted; bruised; pierced and crushed with wounds that we merit—dying a death that we deserve as the burden of our sin was laid upon the sinless Son of Man—our kinsman-Redeemer.

Today’s Verse of the Day:
Isaiah 53:5-6

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all of the prophecies about the Messiah, like this one that was written hundreds of years before He was crucified. On the Cross, He willingly became our substitute. Jesus, “who had no sin…[became] sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). He was pierced and crushed because of our sin, and by His sacrifice we are healed.

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
From the Psalter
Psalm 126
Sowing with Tears Reaping with Joy

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
     we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
     our tongues with songs of joy.
  Then it was said among the nations,
     “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
     and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord,
     like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
     will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
     carrying seed to sow,
  will return with songs of joy,
     carrying sheaves with them.


Commentary

Those returned out of captivity are to be thankful (vv. 1-3); Those yet in captivity are encouraged (vv. 4-6).

Verses 1-3: It is good to observe how God's deliverances of the church are for us, that we may rejoice in them. And how ought redemption from the wrath to come, from the power of sin and of Satan, to be valued! The sinner convinced of his guilt and danger, when by looking to a crucified Savior he receives peace to his conscience, and power to break off his sins, often can scarcely believe that the prospect which opens to him is a reality.

Verses 4-6: The beginnings of mercies encourage us to pray for the completion of them. And while we are in this world there will be matter for prayer, even when we are most furnished with matter for praise. Suffering saints are often in tears; they share the calamities of human life, and commonly have a greater share than others. But they sow in tears; they do the duty of an afflicted state. Weeping must not hinder sowing; we must get good from times of affliction. And they that sow, in the tears of godly sorrow, to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting; and that will be a joyful harvest indeed. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be for ever comforted. When we mourn for our sins, or suffer for Christ's sake, we are sowing in tears, to reap in joy. And remember that God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows that shall he reap (Galatians 6:7-9). Here, O disciple of Jesus, behold an emblem of thy present labor and future reward; the day is coming when thou shalt reap in joy, plentiful shall be thy harvest, and great shall be thy joy in the Lord.


From the Prophetic Books of Major Prophets
Isaiah 43:1-7
God will Gather Through Fire and Water

1 But now, this is what the Lord says—
     he who created you, Jacob,
     he who formed you, Israel:
  “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
     I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
     I will be with you;
  and when you pass through the rivers,
     they will not sweep over you.
  When you walk through the fire,
     you will not be burned;
     the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
     the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
  I give Egypt for your ransom,
     Cush and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
     and because I love you,
  I will give people in exchange for you,
     nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
     I will bring your children from the east
     and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
     and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
  Bring my sons from afar
     and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
     whom I created for my glory,
     whom I formed and made.”


Commentary

God's unchangeable love for his people.

God's favor and good-will to his people speak abundant comfort to all believers. The new creature, wherever it is, is of God's forming. All who are redeemed with the blood of his Son, he has set apart for himself. Those that have God for them need not fear who or what can be against them. What are Egypt and Ethiopia, all their lives and treasures, compared with the blood of Christ? True believers are precious in God's sight, his delight is in them, above any people. Though they went as through fire and water, yet, while they had God with them, they need fear no evil; they should be born up, and brought out. The faithful are encouraged. They were to be assembled from every quarter. And with this pleasing object in view, the prophet again dissuades from anxious fears.


From the Epistles
Philippians 2:19-24
Apostolic Visits are Promised

2:19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

Commentary

Paul writes about Timothy and his soon anticipated visit (vv. 19-22); Paul repeats his desire to come to the Philippians in person, not only to send Timothy to them (vv. 23-24).

It is best with us, when our duty becomes natural to us. Naturally, that is, sincerely, and not in pretense only; with a willing heart and upright views. We are apt to prefer our own credit, ease, and safety, before truth, holiness, and duty; but Timothy did not so. Paul desired liberty, not that he might take pleasure, but that he might do good.



Today’s Lectionary Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2022, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2021 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org. The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.

The Lenten Prayer for Thursday, March 31, 2022

 

40 Days of Lenten Prayers
Day 26 — Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent


Merciful Father, I know that the tiny sacrifices I make this Lent can never serve as a real penance in my life. But help me to make my whole life one of following your Son. I am filled with your love. Let your love shine out from within me and guide my life in this sacred journey toward the Easter joy you offer me. Amen.

The Morning Prayer for Thursday, March 31, 2022

 

The Morning Prayer
Thursday, March 31, 2022


We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20, NIV


Lord our God, we turn our faces to you and plead with you to come to us earthly and often tormented people. May we find strength in the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom redemption is promised to us all. May your kingdom at last be revealed and everything change for the better even though we do not see it yet. May we always honor your name above all others, for you are our Father and we want to hold fast to your grace that lets us call you Father. In our troubled times we want to have enduring faith that you can bring a new time when good shall at last emerge from all the distress. Grant that every broken and needy person may experience your help, your grace, and your salvation, and may know that these always surround us, if only our eyes are open to see and recognize them. So we want to thank and praise you at all times, and at last know the joy of eternity, to your glory and honor. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Thursday, March 31, 2022

 

Verse of the Day
Thursday, March 31, 2022


Isaiah 53:5-6
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all of the prophecies about the Messiah, like this one that was written hundreds of years before He was crucified. On the Cross, He willingly became our substitute. Jesus, “who had no sin…[became] sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). He was pierced and crushed because of our sin, and by His sacrifice we are healed.

Read the Full Chapter



Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Our Daily Bread — God’s Embassy

 

God’s Embassy

When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13–14

READ Luke 14:7–14



Ludmilla, a widow aged eighty-two, has declared her home in the Czech Republic an “Embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven,” saying, “My home is an extension of Christ’s kingdom.” She welcomes strangers and friends who are hurting and in need with loving hospitality, sometimes providing food and a place to sleep—always with a compassionate and prayerful spirit. Relying on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to help her care for her visitors, she delights in the ways God answers their prayers.

Ludmilla serves Jesus through opening her home and heart, in contrast to the prominent religious leader at whose home Jesus ate one Sabbath. Jesus told this teacher of the law that he should welcome “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” to his home—and not those who could repay him (Luke 14:13). While Jesus’ remarks imply that the Pharisee hosted Jesus out of pride (v. 12), Ludmilla, so many years later, invites people to her home so she can be “an instrument of God’s love and His wisdom.”

Serving others with humility is one way we can be “representatives of the kingdom of heaven,” as Ludmilla says. Whether or not we can provide a bed for strangers, we can put the needs of others before our own in different and creative ways. How will we extend God’s kingdom in our part of the world today?

By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY


How do you think the Pharisee reacted when Jesus told him to act differently? How do you like to make people feel welcome?

Jesus, thank You for looking out for those in need. Help me to be more like You, that I would care for others, showing them Your love.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In his gospel, Luke often highlights the event behind Jesus’ telling of a parable (see Luke 12:13; 15:1–2; 18:9; 19:11). In chapter 14, we read that “[Jesus] noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table” (v. 7). Ancient dining protocol dictated that the two places of highest honor were on the right and left of the host (Matthew 20:21). This parable teaches us that it’s better to humble oneself than to be humiliated by others, which is Jesus’ constant warning (Matthew 23:12; Luke 18:14). Pointing to Christ as our model, Paul teaches us to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) who—though He was God—became a human servant.