Yahweh Questions His People And you shall say to them, ‘Thus asks Yahweh: “Do men fall and not stand up? If one turns away does he not return? 5 Why has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in enduring apostasy? They have kept hold of deceit, they have refused to return. 6 I have listened attentively, and I have listened…
+ DAILY PRAYER +
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 18:6-7, 16-20
Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psa 18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked,
because he was angry.
Psa 18:16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
Psa 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
Psa 18:19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
Psa 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
Reading for Wednesday March 25th Jeremiah 8:4-20
Yahweh Questions His People
4 “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus asks Yahweh:
“Do men fall and not stand up?
If one turns away does he not return?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in enduring apostasy?
They have kept hold of deceit, they have refused to return.
6 I have listened attentively,
and I have listened.
They do not speak honestly,
there is no man who regrets his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’
All of them are turning to their ways of running,
like a horse plunging into battle.
7 Even the stork in heaven knows its appointed time,
and the turtledove, and the swallow, and the song bird,
they observe the time of their coming.
But my people do not know the ordinance of Yahweh.
8 How can you say, ‘We are wise and the law of Yahweh is with us’?
Look, surely ?the lying stylus of the scribes? has made it a lie.
9 The wise will be put to shame,
they will be dismayed,
and they will get taken.
Look, they have rejected the word of Yahweh,
and what is wisdom to them?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to others,
their fields to conquerors,
because from the smallest to the greatest,
all of them make profit for unlawful gain,
from prophet to priest,
all of them practice deceit.
11 And they have treated the wound of the daughter of my people lightly,
?saying?, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed, for they had committed a detestable thing?
What’s worse, they were not ashamed at all,
and they did not know to feel humiliated.
?Therefore? they will fall among those who fall;
at the time of their punishment they will stumble,” says Yahweh.
13 “?I will take away their harvest?,” ?declares? Yahweh.
“There are no grapes on the vine,
and there are no figs on the fig tree,
and the leaves wither,
and what I gave to them passed over them.” ’ ”
The Nation Longs for Yahweh’s Help
14 Why are we sitting?
Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities,
and let us perish there,
for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish,
and has provided drink for us, water of poison,
because we have sinned against Yahweh.
15 We hope for peace,
but there is no good,
for a time of healing,
but there is terror.
16 “From Dan is heard the snorting of their horses,
from the sound of the neighing of their stallions all the land quakes,
for they come and devour the land,
and that which fills the city,
and those who live in it.
17 For look, I am letting loose among you snakes,
adders for which there is no incantation,
and they will bite you,” ?declares? Yahweh.
18 “My comfort is gone from me,
sorrow is on me,
my heart is sick.
19 Look, the sound of the cry for help of the daughter of my people
from a distant land,
‘Is Yahweh not in Zion?
Is her king not in her?’
Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with idols of a foreign land?”
20 The harvest has passed,
the summer has come to an end,
and we have not received help.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, You released many from their bondage to sin, death, and the devil as the healer of the nations. But when it came time to release You, the crowd chose a murderer instead. Through our co-crucifixion with You in the waters of our Baptism may we continually be released from our sins as we confess You to be our everlasting King; 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 to do 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.
