For he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice! Psalm 95:7
Judges 6
Midian Oppresses Israel
1Â The Israelites did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 2 The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and because of Midian the Israelites made for themselves shelters in the mountains and caves and strongholds. 3Â So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east came up against them. 4Â They encamped against them and destroyed their crops, up to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in like locusts in their multitude. Both they and their camels were without number, and they came into the land to destroy it. 6 Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the Israelites cried to the Lord.
7Â When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, and he said to them, âThe Lord, the God of Israel, says, âI brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. 9Â I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. 10Â I said to you, âI am the Lord your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.â But you have not listened to my voice.â â
11Â The angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, âThe Lord is with you, mighty warrior!â
13 Gideon said to him, âOh, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all of this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, âDidnât the Lord bring us up from Egypt?â But now the Lord has cast us off and delivered us into the hand of Midian.â
14 The Lord looked upon him and said, âGo in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?â
15Â He said to him, âO Lord, how shall I save Israel? My family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my fatherâs house.â
16Â The Lord said to him, âSurely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as if you were fighting one man.â
Gideon’s Offering Consumed with Fire
17Â He said to him, âIf now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who is talking with me. 18Â Please donât go away until I come to you, and bring out my gift, and lay it before you.â
He said, âI will wait until you come back.â
19 Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a basket of flour. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot and brought it out to him under the oak and presented it.
20 The angel of the Lord said to him, âTake the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock and pour out the broth.â
He did so. 21Â Then the angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread, and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then angel of the Lord departed from his sight.
22 Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, and Gideon said, âOh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!â
23Â The Lord said to him, âPeace be to you! Do not be afraid. You shall not die.â
Gideon Destroys Baal’s Altar
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it âThe Lord is Peace.â To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25Â That same night, the Lord said to him, âTake your fatherâs bull, the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it.
26Â Then build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.â
27Â Then Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken to him. Because he feared his fatherâs household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.
28Â When the men of the city got up early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. 29 They said to one another, âWho has done this thing?â When they had asked around and investigated, they said, âGideon the son of Joash has done this thing.â
30Â Then the men of the city said to Joash, âBring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.â 31Â Joash said to all who stood against him, âWill you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!â 32Â Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal, saying, âLet Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.â
The Signs of the Fleece
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east assembled together, and they passed over and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered together to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
36Â Gideon said to the Lord, âIf you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, 37Â I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.â
38 It was thus. The next day he rose up early and pressed the fleece together, and when he wrung the dew out of the fleece, it filled a bowl with the water.
39Â Gideon said to the Lord, âDo not let your anger burn against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.â
40 The Lord did thus that night, for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew all over the ground.
Luke 22:54-23:12
Peter Denies Jesus
54 They seized Jesus and led him away and brought him into the house of the high priest. But Peter followed from a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56Â A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, âThis man also was with him.â
57Â He denied Jesus, saying, âMa’am, I donât know him.â
58Â After a little while someone else saw him and said, âYou also are one of them!â
But Peter answered, âSir, I am not!â
59Â After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, âTruly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!â
60Â But Peter said, âSir, I donât know what you are talking about!â Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61Â The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lordâs word, how he said to him, âBefore the rooster crows you will deny me three times.â 62 He went out, and wept bitterly.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
63Â The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him. 64Â Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, âProphesy! Who is the one who struck you?â 65Â They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.
Jesus Before the Council
66Â As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people were gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying, 67Â âIf you are the Messiah, tell us.â
But he said to them, âIf I tell you, you will not believe, 68Â and if I ask, you will certainly not answer me or let me go. 69Â From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.â
70Â They all said, âAre you then the Son of God?â
He said to them, âYou say it, because I am.â
71Â They said, âWhy do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!â
Luke 23
Jesus Before Pilate
1Â The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, âWe found this man perverting the nation, forbidding tax payments to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.â
3Â Pilate asked him, âAre you the King of the Jews?â
He answered him, âSo you say.â
4Â Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, âI find no basis for a charge against this man.â
5Â But they insisted, saying, âHe stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, to this place.â 6Â But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
Jesus Before Herod
7 When he found out that he was in Herodâs jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, for he had wanted to see him for a long time because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him. 9Â He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers. 10Â The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. 11Â Herod, with his soldiers, humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate. 12Â Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, for before that they were enemies of one another.
Psalm 95-96
Psalm 95
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
1Â Oh come, let us sing to the Lord.
Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
2Â Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving.
Let us extol him with songs!
3Â For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4Â In his hand are the deep places of the earth.
The heights of the mountains are also his.
5Â The sea is his, and he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
6Â Oh come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker,
7Â for he is our God.
We are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep in his care.
Today, oh that you would hear his voice!
8Â Do not harden your heart, as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9Â when your fathers tempted me,
tested me, and saw my work.
10Â Forty long years I was grieved with that generation,
and said, âIt is a people that errs in their heart.
They have not known my ways.â
11Â Therefore I swore in my wrath,
âThey will not enter into my rest.â
Psalm 96
Sing to the Lord, All the Earth
1 Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord!
Bless his name!
Proclaim his salvation from day to day!
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised!
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him.
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name.
Bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy array.
Tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, âThe Lord reigns.â
The world is also established.
It cannot be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.
Let the sea roar and its fullness!
12 Let the field and all that is in it exult!
Then all the trees of the woods shall sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
the peoples with his truth.
Proverbs 14:5-6
5Â A truthful witness will not lie,
but a false witness pours out lies.
6Â A scoffer seeks wisdom, and does not find it,
but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.