Read To Me Daily Semester 2Sample

1SAMUEL 2:
Yesterday in the first chapter of 1st Samuel, we heard of the wonderful answer to Hannah’s prayer and of her determination to fulfill a very difficult vow to the Lord. Samuel might have only been 3 years old when Hannah gave him up to stay permanently as a Nazarite serving at the Lord’s tabernacle. Hannah is such an example of a Godly woman. No wonder so many girls are named after her!

I noticed an interesting detail in yesterday’s reading. Elkanah also had a vow. When Samuel was newly born and Hannah did not go with the family to Shiloh for the yearly sacrifices, the GNT drew my attention saying that Elkanah went “to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and the special sacrifice he had promised.” We don’t really know exactly what Elkanah’s special vow would have been. But it is conjectured by commentators that Elkanah was offering a sacrifice in fulfillment of Hannah’s vow about giving birth to a son. As Elkanah left home that year, he told Hannah, “May the Lord make your promise come true.” This is a great example of doing what God commanded about vows. The principle was to always follow through whenever God’s name has been invoked. To do otherwise would be to mar God’s reputation.

PSALM 91:
Today’s poem, Psalm 91, is a favorite psalm, frequently referred to in our hymns and worship songs. It is also the psalm Satan quoted to Jesus to tempt him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. I feel that the promise that was quoted is not just for Jesus, but is for every believer. I preach to myself here: Let’s memorize and meditate upon this psalm!

ROMANS 1b:
Yesterday we saw how the theme of this letter is the Good News, and how believing this message is the center of the way of salvation which God has provided— no matter if we are ethnically Jews or non-Jews. The start of this Good News is that our relationship with God has been broken. Understanding this fact is what makes the Good News ‘good’. We don’t start out as ‘nice people’ but as broken people. And Paul will show us in three chapters that this situation obtains for Jews (who think they are so good) and non-Jews (who start out not even having an appearance of ‘good’).

Let’s pray.
Our heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing Word and for the Gospel. Thank you that the Gospel is 100% based on believing in Christ. And Paul was 100% confident in this Good News, the Gospel. Father, please forgive our being timid and too ashamed to speak about Christ. Because of that, we miss out on seeing your amazing power in the Gospel and how You bless people when they share it, listen to it, and believe in it. How foolish and shortsighted we are if we are ashamed of Christ and the saving message about Him.