Read To Me Daily Semester 3ናሙና

JEREMIAH 11-12:
Yesterday we heard important verses in Jeremiah chapter 9:23-24, verses that Paul quotes more than once:

9:23 NLT “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
24 But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD …

PSALM 143:
Today’s poem is Psalm 143. It seems that prayer is very neglected these days. Oh yes, we might hear something vague about praying for victims right after some tragedy strikes. But it seems that every church has trouble keeping a prayer meeting going. I myself have trouble keeping my prayer life going. David shows in this psalm that he has learned secrets of effective prayer. Note how David’s prayer has thoughts that are very like some of Jeremiah’s prayers.

JOHN 21:
John 21 is one of my favorite chapters. John again tells us important information not given in the other gospels. Note that there is a famous exegetical fallacy here. John does indeed use two different words for ‘love’ in the dialog between Jesus and Peter. But this should NOT be taken— as has been so frequently taught— as showing a play on words, or that John was intending different shades of meaning. Instead, the use of close synonyms is just a feature of John’s style. John does this for poetic variation, like the parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Another example of John’s use of synonyms is found in this same passage: the variation between ‘little lambs’ and ‘sheep’.

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You that You have given us a blessing in John chapter 20 (verse 29), because we have believed in You without ever seeing You. For that reason, I thank You that the story of Thomas was told to us. It helps us in our believing in You to know that there was a disciple who doubted. Lord, thank You for each word You told your disciples in the 20th chapter of John. First, You said three times, “Peace be with you.” Lord, thank You for the peace You give us. Please surround us with your peace— a peace based on your resurrection power, as we live in our troubled world. And Lord, we thank You that we have received the Holy Spirit. So we also receive your words, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” May we go in the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to point people to this book. Encourage us because so many around us need to hear your words, “Stop your doubting, and believe.” May they also come to believe as John wants them to in the last verse of chapter 20, that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, that they too may have eternal life.