Daily Bible Reading - December 22nd, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - December 22nd, 2019 | American Bible Society: Luke 1:26-56: The angel Gabriel is sent by God to Mary of Nazareth to announce that she is favored by God and chosen to be the mother of God’s Son. The angel tells Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and Mary then visits Elizabeth in Judea. The reading concludes with Mary’s song of praise, known in various faith traditions as the Magnificat (from the Latin “magnify”).

Daily Bible Reading - December 22nd, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - December 22nd, 2019 | American Bible Society: Luke 1:26-56: The angel Gabriel is sent by God to Mary of Nazareth to announce that she is favored by God and chosen to be the mother of God’s Son. The angel tells Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and Mary then visits Elizabeth in Judea. The reading concludes with Mary’s song of praise, known in various faith traditions as the Magnificat (from the Latin “magnify”).

Daily Bible Reading - December 15th, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - December 15th, 2019 | American Bible Society: Isaiah 8:1-20: King Ahaz ruled Judah (southern kingdom) from 735-715 B.C., and King Pekah ruled the northern kingdom of Israel from 752-732 B.C. Between 735 and 732 B.C., Israel and Syria invaded Judah (2 Kings 15:27—16:20; 2 Chronicles 28:1-27). At first Pekah and King Rezin of Syria tried to force Ahaz to join them in their battles against Assyria. When Ahaz didn’t cooperate, Pekah and Rezin tried to replace him with a king who would be friendlier to their purpose (Isaiah 7:5, 6). The prophet Isaiah told Ahaz that the LORD would give him a sign to indicate that God will be with Judah and that there will be no need for Judah to seek an alliance with Assyria (Isaiah 7:14). In today’s reading Isaiah’s wife bears him a son, and the LORD tells Isaiah to give his newborn son a name that symbolizes that the kings of Israel and Syria will be destroyed quickly by their Assyrian foes (verse 3). Because King Ahaz prefers to seek an alliance with Assyria rather than rely on God, Isaiah receives a warning from the LORD about the upcoming Assyrian invasion.

Daily Bible Reading - December 8th, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - December 8th, 2019 | American Bible Society: Psalm 93: Today’s reading is considered an enthronement hymn. In this brief psalm, God is affirmed as king whose eternal laws testify to God’s universal rule.

Daily Bible Reading - December 1st, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - December 1st, 2019 | American Bible Society: Matthew 24:1-28: Today’s reading begins what is considered the fifth and final major teaching section in Matthew’s Gospel. It comprises an eschatological discourse about signs of Jesus’s return that concludes with 25:46. In today’s passage, Jesus describes the destruction of the Temple and says that the present time will be one of trouble and persecution for the disciples.

Daily Bible Reading - November 24th, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - November 24th, 2019 | American Bible Society: Psalm 144: Today’s reading is another royal psalm that celebrates God’s powers and virtues, and it contains a number of similarities to Psalm 18 (see the readings from November 17 and 18). What Psalm 18 describes as God’s actions on David’s behalf, in Psalm 144 they become requests for God to act. This change suggests the new situation after the end of the kingdom of David (586 B.C.) The “enemies” and “foreigners” mentioned in verses 6, 7, and 11 are the nations that oppressed God’s people during the exile and after their return. The psalm concludes with a prayer for the nation.

Daily Bible Reading - November 17th, 2019 | American Bible Society

Daily Bible Reading - November 17th, 2019 | American Bible Society: Psalm 18:1-24: Today we begin reading the first half of Psalm 18. It is the third longest psalm (after 119 and 78), and employs a warrior-deity image for God. The psalm is attributed to David who sang this song to the LORD after the LORD had rescued him from his enemies. This victory song also appears in 2 Samuel 22. Centuries after the time of David, this psalm was used to express the hope that God would rescue the people of Israel from their enemies.