Day 105 – April 15, 2021

Judges 13

1 Again the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.†

The Birth of Samson

2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, from the tribe of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and could not give birth.

3 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have not given birth, but you shall conceive a son.†

4 Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.†

5 For behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.Ӡ

6 So the woman went in and told her husband, saying, “A Man of God came to me, and His appearance was like the appearance of an Angel of God, very frightening. But I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.

7 And He said to me, ‘Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. Now drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the child shall be holy to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”

8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “Lord Adonai, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”

9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!”

11 So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to my wife?” And the Angel said, “I am.”

12 Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What is to be the decision regarding the boy and his activities?”

13 So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “The woman will guard herself from everything I have told her.

14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vine of wine, and let her not drink wine or similar strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her, let her observe.”

15 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Let us delay You here, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”

16 And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you delay me, I will not eat your bread. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord”; for Manoah did not know he was the Angel of the Lord.

17 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, so when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”

18 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, is it extraordinary?”

19 So Manoah took the young goat and the sacrifice, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And the Angel wrought a distinct work, while Manoah and his wife were looking on.

20 And it so happened when the flame went up above the altar toward heaven, that the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell upon their faces to the ground.

21 When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, Manoah knew this to be the Angel of the Lord.

22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a meat offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have made us hear such things as these at this time.”

24 So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to proceed out with him at the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Psalms 88

1 Concerning understanding; for Ethan the Israelite. †

2 O Lord, I will sing of Your mercies forever; I will proclaim Your truth with my mouth from generation to generation; 

3 For You said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your truth shall be prepared in the heavens. 

4 I made a covenant with My chosen ones; I swore to David My servant, 

5 I shall prepare your seed forever, And I shall build your throne from generation to generation.” (Pause) 

6 The heavens shall confess Your wonders, O Lord, And Your truth in the church of the saints. 

7 For who in the clouds shall be compared to the Lord, And who among the sons of God shall be compared to the Lord? 

8 God is glorified in the counsel of saints; He is great and fearful toward all round about Him. 

9 O Lord God of hosts, who is like You? You are powerful, O Lord, and Your truth is around You. 

10 You are master of the sea’s strength, And You calm the surging of its waves. 

11 You humbled the arrogant man as though he were wounded, And with the arm of Your power You scattered Your enemies. 

12 The heavens belong to You, and the earth is Yours; You founded the world and all its fullness. 

13 You created the north wind and the seas; Tabor and Hermon shall greatly rejoice in Your name. 

14 Your arm rules with power; Let Your hand be strengthened; let Your right hand be exalted. 

15 The foundation of Your throne is righteousness and judgment; Mercy and truth shall go before Your face. 

16 Blessed are the people who know glad shouting; O Lord, they shall walk in the light of Your face, 

17 And shall greatly rejoice in Your name the whole day long; And they shall be exalted in Your righteousness. 

18 For You are the boast of their power, And in Your good pleasure our horn shall be exalted. 

19 For our defense is from the Lord And from the Holy One of Israel, our King.

Proverbs of Solomon 18

18 An allotment of land ends controversies, And it determines the boundary between princes. 

19 A brother aided by his brother is like a strong and fortified city, And he is strong like a well-founded palace.† 

20 From the fruits of his mouth a man fills his stomach, And from the fruits of his lips he will fill himself to the full. 

21 Life and death are in the hand of a tongue, And those who rule over it will eat the fruits thereof.† 

22 He who finds a good wife finds benefits And receives cheerfulness from God. 

23 He who casts out a good wife casts out good things, And he who keeps adulteresses is without discernment and is ungodly.

Luke 12

Against Laziness and Forgetfulness

35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;†

36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.

37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.†

38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.†

39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.Ӡ

41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people? ”†

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,

46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. †

48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Against Lack of Discernment

49 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!†

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!†

51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.†

52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.Ӡ

54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is.

55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is.

56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?†

57 “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?

58 When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.†

59 I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”