+ DAILY PRAYER +
Introduction to the Stipulations – “Now, Israel, listen to the rules and to the regulations that I am teaching you to do, in order that you may live and you may go in and you may take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, is giving to you….
This Daily Devotion covers the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy also called the Books of Moses or the Pentateuch, in a period of one year in a Monday through Friday format, the Psalms and order of devotion follow those presented in The Treasury of Daily Prayer from Concordia Publishing House.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 22:12-21
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
Reading Deut 4:1-21
Introduction to the Stipulations
4 “Now, Israel, listen to the rules and to the regulations that I am teaching you to do, in order that you may live and you may go in and you may take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, is giving to you. 2 You must not add to the word that I am commanding you, and you shall not take away from it in order to keep the commands of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you to observe. 3 Your eyes have seen what Yahweh did with the case of Baal Peor, for ?each? man that followed after Baal Peor Yahweh your God destroyed from your midst. 4 But you, the ones holding fast to Yahweh your God, are all alive ?today?.
5 See, I now teach you rules and regulations just as Yahweh my God has commanded me, to observe them just so in the midst of the land where you are going, to take possession of it. 6 And ?you must observe them diligently?, for that is your wisdom and your insight before the eyes of the people, who will hear all of these rules, and they will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people.’ 7 For what great nation has for it a god near to it as Yahweh our God, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what other great nation has for it just rules and regulations just like ?this whole? law that I am setting ?before? you ?today??
9 “However, ?take care? for yourself and watch your inner self closely, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not slip from your mind all the days of your life; and you shall make them known to your children and to ?your grandchildren?. 10 Remember the day that you stood ?before? Yahweh your God at Horeb ?when Yahweh said to me?, ‘Summon for me the people so that I can tell them my words, that they may learn to fear me all of the days they are alive on the earth and so that they may teach their children.’ 11 And so you came near, and you stood under the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire up to the heart of the heaven, ?dark with a very thick cloud?. 12 And Yahweh spoke to you from the midst of the fire; ?you heard? a sound of words, but ?you did not see? a form—only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, ?the Ten Commandments?, which he charged you ?to observe?, and he wrote them on the two tablets of stone. 14 And Yahweh charged me at that time to teach you rules and regulations ?for your observation of them? in the land that you are ?about to cross into? to take possession of it.
15 “So ?you must be very careful for yourselves?, because you did not see any form on the day Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16 so that you do not ?ruin yourselves? and make for yourselves a divine image in a form of any image, a replica of male or female, 17 a replica of any animal that is upon the earth, a replica of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 a replica of any creeping thing on the ground, a replica of any fish that is in the water ?below? the earth. 19 ?And do this so that you do not lift? your eyes toward heaven and ?observe? the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heaven, and be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that Yahweh your God has allotted to all of the peoples under all of the heaven. 20 But Yahweh has taken you and brought you out from the furnace of iron, from Egypt, to be a people of inheritance to him, ?as it is this day?.
21 “And Yahweh was angry with me ?because of you?, and he swore ?that I would not cross the Jordan? and ?that I would not go to the good land? that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
Lord Jesus, our Savior and Lord, You declared that the work of bringing in a new creation was accomplished by Your declaration from the cross that “It is finished.” Give us eyes to see the signs of the new creation in Your ongoing healing of our bodies and souls through Your Holy Sacraments, where You continue to come to us as our Creator who is bringing in the new creation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us according to Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
