+ DAILY PRAYER +
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 119:1-8
1 Aleph Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
Reading Num 16:41-17:13
The Israelites Grumble
41 The next day all the community of the ?Israelites? grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Yahweh!” 42 Then, when the community had gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned to the tent of assembly, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of assembly, 44 and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant,” but they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses and Aaron said, “Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense on it, and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun.” 47 And so Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and between the living, and the plague was stopped. 49 Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the plague was stopped.
Aaron’s Staff Is Chosen
17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the ?Israelites?, and take from among them twelve staffs, ?a staff from each family? from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff, 3 and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of ?their families?. 4 You must then put them in the tent of assembly ?before? the testimony where I meet with you. 5 And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the ?Israelites?, who are grumbling against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the ?Israelites?, and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from ?each of their families?, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes. 7 And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.
8 Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out to all the ?Israelites? all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff. 10 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.” 11 So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
12 And the ?Israelites? said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish! 13 Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. ?Will we all die??”
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You 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.
