The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional from Sunday, 24 September 2017 through Saturday, 30 September 2017
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Monday, 25 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Tuesday, 26 September 2017
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Thursday, 28 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Friday, 29 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Saturday, 30 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
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Today's Devotional for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Psalm 73:23-28
Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
And with you, I lack nothing on earth.
26 My mind and body may fail; but God
is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who adulterously leave you.
28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,
so that I can tell of all your works.
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Today's Devotional for Monday, 25 September 2017
John 2:1-11
John 2: On Tuesday[John 2:1 Greek: the third day, equivalent to Hebrew yom shlishi] there was a wedding at Kanah in the Galil; and the mother of Yeshua was there. 2 Yeshua too was invited to the wedding, along with his talmidim. 3 The wine ran out, and Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 Yeshua replied, “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him.
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Today's Devotional for Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Philippians 4:10-19
Philippians 4:10 In union with the Lord I greatly rejoice that now, after this long time, you have let your concern for me express itself again. Of course, you were concerned for me all along, but you had no opportunity to express it. 11 Not that I am saying this to call attention to any need of mine; since, as far as I am concerned, I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough — in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who gives me power.
14 Nevertheless, it was good of you to share in my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the early days of my work spreading the Good News, when I left Macedonia, not a single congregation shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving — only you. 16 Indeed, in Thessalonica when I needed it, you sent me aid twice. 17 I am not seeking the gift; rather, I am looking for what will increase the credit balance of your account. 18 I have been more than paid in full: I have been filled, since I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent — they are a fragrant aroma,[Philippians 4:18 Genesis 8:21; Exodus 29:18] an acceptable sacrifice, one that pleases God well. 19 Moreover, my God will fill every need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
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Today's Devotional for Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Psalm 145:8-21
Psalm 145:8 Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in grace.
9 Adonai is good to all;
his compassion rests on all his creatures.
10 All your creatures will thank you, Adonai,
and your faithful servants will bless you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship,
and they will tell about your might;
12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts
and the glorious majesty of your kingship.
13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship,
your reign continues through all generations.
14 Adonai supports all who fall
and lifts up all who are bent over.
15 The eyes of all are looking to you;
you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 Adonai is righteous in all his ways,
full of grace in all he does.
18 Adonai is close to all who call on him,
to all who sincerely call on him.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 Adonai protects all who love him,
but all the wicked he destroys.
21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of Adonai;
all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.
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Today's Devotional for Thursday, 28 September 2017
James 2:14-18
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, 16 and someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving him what he needs, what good does it do? 17 Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead.
18 But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!
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Today's Devotional for Friday, 29 September 2017
Psalm 27:1-3; 13-14
Psalm 27:1(0) By David:
(1) Adonai is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assailed me
to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
they stumbled and fell.
3 If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me,
even then I will keep trusting.
13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see
Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .
14 Put your hope in Adonai, be strong,
and let your heart take courage!
Yes, put your hope in Adonai!
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Today's Devotional for Saturday, 30 September 2017
Luke 7:11-15
Luke 7:11 The next day Yeshua, accompanied by his talmidim and a large crowd, went to a town called Na‘im. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead man was being carried out for burial. His mother was a widow, this had been her only son, and a sizeable crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he came close and touched the coffin, and the pallbearers halted. He said, “Young man, I say to you: get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Yeshua gave him to his mother.[Luke 7:15 1 Kings 17:23]
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This Week's Lectionary
16th Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – GreenThe Lectionary Readings for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-4 or Psalm 78
Philippians 1:21-30
Matthew 20:1-16
Scripture Texts: Exodus 16:2 There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra’el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. 3 The people of Isra’el said to them, “We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!”
4 Adonai said to Moshe, “Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day’s ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, it will turn out to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra’el, “This evening, you will realize that it has been Adonai who brought you out of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, you will see Adonai’s glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against Adonai — what are we that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moshe added, “What I have said will happen when Adonai gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. Adonai has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him — what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Adonai.”
9 Moshe said to Aharon, “Say to the whole community of Isra’el, ‘Come close, into the presence of Adonai, for he has heard your grumblings.’” 10 As Aharon spoke to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, they looked toward the desert; and there before them the glory of Adonai appeared in the cloud; (A: vi, S: v) 11 and Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the people of Isra’el. Say to them: ‘At dusk you will be eating meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will realize that I am Adonai your God.’”
13 That evening, quails came up and covered the camp; while in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Isra’el saw it, they asked each other, “Man hu? [What is it?]” because they didn’t know what it was. Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat.
Psalm 105:1 Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!
Make his deeds known among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him,
talk about all his wonders.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let those seeking Adonai have joyful hearts.
4 Seek Adonai and his strength;
always seek his presence.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his signs and his spoken rulings.
6 You descendants of Avraham his servant,
you offspring of Ya‘akov, his chosen ones,, 37 Then he led his people out,
laden with silver and gold;
among his tribes not one stumbled.
38 Egypt was happy to have them leave,
because fear of [Isra’el] had seized them.
39 He spread out a cloud to screen them off
and fire to give them light at night.
40 When they asked, he brought them quails
and satisfied them with food from heaven.
41 He split a rock, and water gushed out,
flowing as a river over the dry ground,
42 for he remembered his holy promise
to his servant Avraham.
43 He led out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 Then he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they possessed what peoples had toiled to produce,
45 in order to obey his laws
and follow his teachings.
Halleluyah!
Psalm 78:1 (0) A maskil of Asaf:
(1) Listen, my people, to my teaching;
turn your ears to the words from my mouth.
2 I will speak to you in parables
and explain mysteries from days of old.
3 The things which we have heard and known,
and which our fathers told us
4 we will not hide from their descendants;
we will tell the generation to come
the praises of Adonai and his strength,
the wonders that he has performed.
5 He raised up a testimony in Ya‘akov
and established a Torah in Isra’el.
He commanded our ancestors
to make this known to their children,
6 so that the next generation would know it,
the children not yet born,
who would themselves arise
and tell their own children,
7 who could then put their confidence in God,
not forgetting God’s deeds,
but obeying his mitzvot.
8 Then they would not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn, rebellious generation,
a generation with unprepared hearts,
with spirits unfaithful to God.
9 The people of Efrayim, though armed with bows and arrows,
turned their backs on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God
and refused to live by his Torah.
11 They forgot what he had done,
his wonders which he had shown them.
12 He had done wonderful things
in the presence of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,
in the region of Tzo‘an.
13 He split the sea and made them pass through,
he made the waters stand up like a wall.
14 He also led them by day with a cloud
and all night long with light from a fire.
15 He broke apart the rocks in the desert
and let them drink as if from boundless depths;
16 yes, he brought streams out of the rock,
making the water flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High;
18 in their hearts they tested God
by demanding food that would satisfy their cravings.
19 Yes, they spoke against God by asking,
“Can God spread a table in the desert?
20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out,
until the vadis overflowed;
but what about bread? Can he give that?
Can he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when Adonai heard, he was angry;
fire blazed up against Ya‘akov;
his anger mounted against Isra’el;
22 because they had no faith in God,
no trust in his power to save.
23 So he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained down man on them as food;
he gave them grain from heaven —
25 mortals ate the bread of angels;
he provided for them to the full.
26 He stirred up the east wind in heaven,
brought on the south wind by his power,
27 and rained down meat on them like dust,
birds flying thick as the sand on the seashore.
28 He let them fall in the middle of their camp,
all around their tents.
29 So they ate till they were satisfied;
he gave them what they craved.
30 They were still fulfilling their craving,
the food was still in their mouths,
31 when the anger of God rose up against them
and slaughtered their strongest men,
laying low the young men of Isra’el.
32 Still, they kept on sinning
and put no faith in his wonders.
33 Therefore, he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34 When he brought death among them, they would seek him;
they would repent and seek God eagerly,
35 remembering that God was their Rock,
El ‘Elyon their Redeemer.
36 But they tried to deceive him with their words,
they lied to him with their tongues;
37 for their hearts were not right with him,
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, because he is full of compassion,
forgave their sin and did not destroy;
many times he turned away his anger
and didn’t rouse all his wrath.
39 So he remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that blows past and does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert
and grieved him in the wastelands!
41 Repeatedly they challenged God
and pained the Holy One of Isra’el.
42 They didn’t remember how he used his hand
on the day he redeemed them from their enemy,
43 how he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Tzo‘an.
44 He turned their rivers into blood,
so they couldn’t drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their harvest to shearer-worms,
the fruit of their labor to locusts.
47 He destroyed their vineyards with hail
and their sycamore-figs with frost.
48 Their cattle too he gave over to the hail
and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 He sent over them his fierce anger,
fury, indignation and trouble,
with a company of destroying angels
50 to clear a path for his wrath.
He did not spare them from death,
but gave them over to the plague,
51 striking all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But his own people he led out like sheep,
guiding them like a flock in the desert.
53 He led them safely, and they weren’t afraid,
even when the sea overwhelmed their foes.
54 He brought them to his holy land,
to the hill-country won by his right hand.
55 He expelled nations before them,
apportioned them property to inherit
and made Isra’el’s tribes live in their tents.
56 Yet they tested El ‘Elyon
and rebelled against him,
refusing to obey his instructions.
57 They turned away and were faithless, like their fathers;
they were unreliable, like a bow without tension.
58 They provoked him with their high places
and made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard, and he was angry;
he came to detest Isra’el completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent he had made where he could live among people.
61 He gave his strength into exile,
his pride to the power of the foe.
62 He gave his people over to the sword
and grew angry with his own heritage.
63 Fire consumed their young men,
their virgins had no wedding-song,
64 their cohanim fell by the sword,
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then Adonai awoke, as if from sleep,
like a warrior shouting for joy from wine.
66 He struck his foes, driving them back
and putting them to perpetual shame.
67 Rejecting the tents of Yosef
and passing over the tribe of Efrayim,
68 he chose the tribe of Y’hudah,
Mount Tziyon, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights;
like the earth, he made it to last forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant,
taking him from the sheep-yards;
71 from tending nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Ya‘akov his people,
Isra’el his heritage.
72 With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with skillful hands.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, life is the Messiah, and death is gain. 22 But if by living on in the body I can do fruitful work, then I don’t know which to choose. 23 I am caught in a dilemma: my desire is to go off and be with the Messiah — that is better by far — 24 but because of you, the greater need is to stay on in the body. 25 Yes, I am convinced of this; so I know I will stay on with you in order to help you progress in the faith and have joy in it. 26 Then, through my being with you again, you will have even greater reason for boasting about the Messiah Yeshua.
27 Only conduct your lives in a way worthy of the Good News of the Messiah; so that whether I come and see you or I hear about you from a distance, you stand firm, united in spirit, fighting with one accord for the faith of the Good News, 28 not frightened by anything the opposition does. This will be for them an indication that they are headed for destruction and you for deliverance. And this is from God; 29 because for the Messiah’s sake it has been granted to you not only to trust in him but also to suffer on his behalf, 30 to fight the same battles you once saw me fight and now hear that I am still fighting.
Matthew 20:1 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the workers on a wage of one denarius, [the standard daily wage,] he sent them off to his vineyard. 3 Then, on going out at about nine in the morning, he saw more men standing around in the market-square doing nothing, 4 and said to them, ‘You go to the vineyard too — I’ll pay you a fair wage.’ So they went. 5 At noon, and again around three in the afternoon, he did the same thing. 6 About an hour before sundown, he went out, found still others standing around, and asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day, doing nothing?” 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ ‘You too,’ he told them, ‘go to the vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and ending with the first.’ 9 The workers who came an hour before sunset each received a denarius, 10 so the workers who came first expected they would get more, but each of them also received just a denarius. 11 On receiving their wages, they began grumbling to the farmer, 12 ‘These latecomers have worked only one hour, while we have borne the brunt of the day’s work in the hot sun, yet you have put them on an equal footing with us!’ 13 But he answered one of them, ‘Look, friend, I’m not being unfair with you. Didn’t you agree to work today for a denarius? 14 Now take your pay and go! I choose to give the last worker as much as I’m giving you. 15 Haven’t I the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 Thus the last ones will be first and the first last.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Exodus 16:2-15
Verse 2
[2] And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Then the whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron — God's viceregents among them.
Verse 3
[3] And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
They so undervalue their deliverance, that they wish, they had died in Egypt, nay, and died by the hand of the Lord too. That is, by some of the plagues which cut off the Egyptians; as if it were not the hand of the Lord, but of Moses only, that brought them into this wilderness. 'Tis common for people to say of that pain, or sickness, which they see not second causes of, It is what pleaseth God, as if that were not so likewise which comes by the hand of man, or some visible accident. We cannot suppose they had any great plenty in Egypt, how largely soever they now talk of the flesh-pots, nor could they fear dying for want in the wilderness while they had their flocks and herds with them; but discontent magnifies what is past, and vilifies what is present, without regard to truth or reason. None talk more absurdly than murmurers.
Verse 4
[4] Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Man being made out of the earth, his Maker has wisely ordered him food out of the earth, Psalms 104:14. But the people of Israel typifying the church of the first-born that are written in heaven, receiving their charters, laws and commissions from heaven, from heaven also they received their food. See what God designed in making this provision for them, that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law or no - Whether they will trust me, and whether they would serve him, and be ever faithful to so good a master.
Verse 5
[5] And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
They shall prepare — Lay up, grind, bake or boil.
Verse 6
[6] And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
The Lord — And not we, (as you suggest) by our own counsel.
Verse 10
[10] And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
The glory of the Lord — An extra-ordinary and sudden brightness.
Verse 12
[12] I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord your God — This gave proof of his power as the Lord, and his particular favour to them as their God; when God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know that he is the Lord; when he provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know that he was their God.
Verse 13
[13] And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
The quails came up, and covered the camp — So tame that they might take up as many of them as they pleased. Next morning he rained manna upon them, which was to be continued to them for their daily bread.
Verse 15
[15] And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
What is this? Manna descended from the clouds. It came down in dew melted, and yet was itself of such a consistency as to serve for nourishing strengthening food, without any thing else: It was pleasant food; the Jews say it was palatable to all, according as their tastes were. It was wholesome food, light of digestion. By this spare and plain diet we are all taught a lesson of temperance, and forbidden to desire dainties and varieties.
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Verse 3
[3] Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
Glory — Glory in the God whom you serve, as the only true God.
Verse 4
[4] Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Seek — The Lord in his strength, in his sanctuary, or before the ark, which is called God's strength.
Face — His gracious presence.
Verse 5
[5] Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
Judgments — The punishments which he brought upon Egypt by his mere word.
Verse 6
[6] O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Of Jacob — The only branch of Abraham's seed to whom the following blessings belong.
Verse 37
[37] He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Feeble — Diseased or unable for his journey: which in so vast a body, and in a people who had been so dreadfully oppressed, was wonderful.
Verse 39
[39] He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
Covering — To protect them from the heat of the sun.
Verse 40
[40] The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
Quails — He speaks of the first giving of quails, Exodus 16:13, which God gave them as a refreshment, notwithstanding their sin in desiring them, which he graciously pardoned.
Bread — With manna which came out of the air, commonly called heaven.
Verse 41
[41] He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
River — They flowed in channels which God provided for them, and followed the Israelites in their march.
Verse 44
[44] And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Labour — The fruits of their labour; their cities, vineyards, olive-yards.
Psalm 78
Verse 1
[1] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
My law — The doctrine which I am about to deliver.
Verse 2
[2] I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Parable — Weighty sentences.
Dark sayings — Not that the words are hard to be understood, but the things, God's transcendent goodness, their unparallel'd ingratitude; and their stupid ignorance and insensibleness, under such excellent teachings of God's word and works, are prodigious and hard to be believed.
Of old — Of things done in ancient times.
Verse 5
[5] For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
Established — This is justly put in first place, as the chief of all his mercies.
A testimony — His law, called a testimony, because it is a witness between God and men, declaring the duties which God expects from man, and the blessings which man may expect from God.
Verse 9
[9] The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
Ephraim — That Ephraim is here put for all Israel seems evident from the following verses, wherein the sins, upon which this overthrow is charged, are manifestly the sins of all the children of Israel, and they who are here called Ephraim are called Jacob and Israel, verse 21, and this passage may refer to that dreadful overthrow related, 1 Samuel 4:10,11, which is particularly named, because as the ark, so the flight was in that tribe. And the psalmist having related this amazing providence, falls into a large discourse of the causes of it, namely, the manifold sins of that and the former generations, which having prosecuted from hence to verse 60, he there returns to this history, and relates the sad consequence of that disaster, the captivity of the ark, and God's forsaking of Shiloh and Ephraim, and removing thence to the tribe of Judah and mount Zion. Bows - These are put for all arms.
Verse 12
[12] Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
Field — In the territory.
Zoan — An ancient and eminent city of Egypt.
Verse 15
[15] He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Wilderness — In Rephidim, and again in Kadesh.
Verse 16
[16] He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Streams — Which miraculously followed them in all their travels, even to the borders of Canaan.
Verse 17
[17] And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Wilderness — Where they had such singular obligations to obedience. This was a great aggravation of their sins.
Verse 18
[18] And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Tempted — Desired a proof of God's power.
Lust — Not for their necessary subsistence, but out of an inordinate and luxurious appetite.
Verse 22
[22] Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Trusted not — That he both could, and would save them from the famine which they feared.
Verse 23
[23] Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Heaven — Which he compares to a store-house, whereof God shuts or opens the doors, as he sees fit.
Verse 25
[25] Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
Angels food — Manna, so called, because it was made by the ministry of angels.
Verse 26
[26] He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
South wind — First an eastern, and afterwards a southern wind.
Verse 27
[27] He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
Fowl — But God took away from them the use of their wings, and made them to fall into the hands of the Israelites.
Verse 31
[31] The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
Mightiest — The most healthy and strong, who probably were most desirous of this food, and fed most eagerly upon it.
Verse 33
[33] Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
Vanity — In tedious and fruitless marches hither and thither.
Trouble — In manifold diseases, dangers, and perplexities.
Verse 34
[34] When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
Returned — From their idols.
Enquired — Speedily sought to God for ease and safety.
Verse 35
[35] And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Redeemer — That God alone had preserved them in all their former exigencies, and that he only could help them.
Verse 36
[36] Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
Lied — They made but false protestations of their sincere resolutions of future obedience.
Verse 42
[42] They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
Hand — The glorious works of his hand.
Enemy — That remarkable day, in which God delivered them from their greatest enemy, Pharaoh.
Verse 45
[45] He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Flies — These flies were doubtless extraordinary in their nature, and hurtful qualities. And the like is to be thought concerning the frogs.
Verse 46
[46] He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Labour — The herbs which were come up by their care and labour.
Verse 47
[47] He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
Sycamore-trees — Under these and the vines, all other trees are comprehended. This hail and frost destroyed the fruit of the trees, and sometimes the trees themselves.
Verse 49
[49] He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Evil angels — Whom God employed in producing these plagues.
Verse 51
[51] And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
Ham — Of the Egyptians, the posterity of Ham, the cursed children of a cursed parent.
Verse 54
[54] And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
Holy place — The land of Canaan, separated by God from all other lands.
Mountain — The mountainous country of Canaan; the word mountain is often used in scripture for a mountainous country.
Verse 57
[57] But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
Deceitful bow — Which either breaks when it is drawn, or shoots awry, and frustrates the archer's expectation.
Verse 59
[59] When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
Heard — Perceived or understood, it is spoken of God after the manner of men.
Verse 60
[60] So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
Shiloh — Which was placed in Shiloh.
Among men — Whereby he insinuates both God's wonderful condescension, and their stupendous folly in despising so glorious a privilege.
Verse 61
[61] And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.
His strength — The ark, called God's strength, 1 Chronicles 16:11, because it was the sign and pledge of his strength put forth on his people's behalf.
Glory — So the ark is called, as being the monument and seat of God's glorious presence.
Enemies — The Philistines.
Verse 64
[64] Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
Priests — Hophni and Phinehas.
No lamentation — No funeral solemnities; either because they were prevented by their own death, as the wife of Phinehas was, or disturbed by the invasion of the enemy.
Verse 66
[66] And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
Smote — Them with the piles.
Reproach — He caused them to perpetuate their own reproach by sending back the ark of God with their golden emrods, the lasting monuments of their shame.
Verse 67
[67] Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
Refused — He would not have his ark to abide any longer in the tabernacle of Shiloh, which was in the tribe of Joseph or Ephraim.
Verse 68
[68] But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Chose — For the seat of the ark and of God's worship.
Verse 69
[69] And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
Sanctuary — The temple of Solomon.
Palaces — Magnificent and gloriously.
Established — Not now to be moved from place to place, as the tabernacle was, but as a fixed place for the ark's perpetual residence.
Philippians 1:21-30
Verse 21
[21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
To me to live is Christ — To know, to love, to follow Christ, is my life, my glory, my joy.
Verse 22
[22] But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
Here he begins to treat of the former clause of the preceding verse. Of the latter he treats, Philippians 2:17.
But if I am to live is the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour — This is the fruit of my living longer, that I can labour more. Glorious labour! desirable fruit! in this view, long life is indeed a blessing.
And what I should choose I know not — That is, if it were left to my choice.
Verse 23
[23] For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
To depart — Out of bonds, flesh, the world.
And to be with Christ — In a nearer and fuller union. It is better to depart; it is far better to be with Christ.
Verse 25
[25] And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
I know — By a prophetic notice given him while he was writing this. That I shall continue some time longer with you - And doubtless he did see them after this confinement.
Verse 27
[27] Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Only — Be careful for this, and nothing else.
Stand fast in one spirit — With the most perfect unanimity.
Striving together — With united strength and endeavours.
For the faith of the gospel — For all the blessings revealed and promised therein.
Verse 28
[28] And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Which — Namely, their being adversaries to the word of God, and to you the messengers of God.
Is an evident token — That they are in the high road to perdition; and you, in the way of salvation.
Verse 29
[29] For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
For to you it is given — As a special token of God's love, and of your being in the way of salvation.
Verse 30
[30] Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Having the same kind of conflict with your adversaries, which ye saw in me - When I was with you, Acts 16:12,19, etc.
Matthew 20:1-16
Verse 2
[2] And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
The Roman penny was about seven pence halfpenny. [About thirteen and three quarter cents, American.] This was then the usual price of a day's labour.
Verse 6
[6] And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
About the eleventh hour — That is, very late; long after the rest were called.
Verse 8
[8] So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
In the evening — Of life; or of the world.
Verse 9
[9] And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Who were hired about the eleventh hour — Either the Gentiles, who were called long after the Jews into the vineyard of the Church of Christ; or those in every age who did not hear, or at least understand the Gospel call, till their day of life was drawing to a period. Some circumstances of the parable seem best to suit the former, some the latter of these senses.
Verse 10
[10] But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
The first supposed they should have received more — Probably the first here may mean the Jews, who supposed they should always be preferred before the Gentiles.
Verse 12
[12] Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Thou hast made them equal to us — So St. Peter expressly, Acts 15:9. God-hath put no difference between us (Jews) and them, (Gentiles,) purifying their hearts by faith. And those who were equally holy here, whenever they were called, will be equally happy hereafter.
Verse 14
[14] Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
It is my will to give to this last called among the heathens even as to the first called among the Jews: yea, and to the late converted publicans and sinners, even as to those who, were called long before.
Verse 15
[15] Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? — Yea, doubtless, to give either to Jew or Gentile a reward infinitely greater than he deserves. But can it be inferred from hence, that it is lawful, or possible, for the merciful Father of spirits to "Consign an unborn soul to hell? Or damn him from his mother's womb?" Is thine eye evil because I am good - Art thou envious, because I am gracious? Here is an evident reference to that malignant aspect, which is generally the attendant of a selfish and envious temper.
Verse 16
[16] So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
So the last shall be first, and the first last — Not only with regard to the Jews and Gentiles, but in a thousand other instances.
For many are called — All who hear the Gospel; but few chosen - Only those who obey it. Matthew 19:30; 22:14.
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Vinland UMC
Five Rivers District
|
Prairie View, KS UMC
Waverly, KS UMC
Five Rivers District
| 
Clearfield UMC
Wellsville UMC
Five Rivers District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Monday, 25 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Ottawa: Union Chapel UMC
Williamsburg, KS UMC
Five Rivers District
| 
Worden UMC
Five Rivers District
| 
Neosho Falls UMC
Yates Center UMC
Five Rivers District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
District Superintendent
Five Rivers District
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Professor, Baker University
Five Rivers District
| 
Campus Minister, Baker University
Five Rivers District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Alliance UMC
Lakeside UMC
Great West District
| 
Benkelman UMC
Max UMC
Stratton Community UMC
Great West District
| 
Bushnell Calvary UMC
Kimball Trinity UMC
Great West District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Thursday, 28 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Chadron UMC
Great West District
| 
Chappell UMC
Lodgepole UMC
Great West District
| 
Crawford First UMC
Harrison Memorial UMC
Whitney Warring Memorial UMC
Great West District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Friday, 29 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Culbertson Trinity UMC
Trenton First UMC
Great West District
| 
Curtis First UMC
Garden Prairie UMC
Great West District
| 
Elsie UMC
Madrid UMC
Great West District
|
The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Saturday, 30 September 2017
Today please be in prayer for
Gering First UMC
Great West District
| 
Gering Centro de Alabanza y Adoracion
Melbeta UMC
Great West District
| 
Clinton UMC
Gordon First UMC
Great West District
|
Today's Devotional for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Psalm 73:23-28
Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
And with you, I lack nothing on earth.
26 My mind and body may fail; but God
is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who adulterously leave you.
28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,
so that I can tell of all your works.
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Today's Devotional for Monday, 25 September 2017
John 2:1-11
John 2: On Tuesday[John 2:1 Greek: the third day, equivalent to Hebrew yom shlishi] there was a wedding at Kanah in the Galil; and the mother of Yeshua was there. 2 Yeshua too was invited to the wedding, along with his talmidim. 3 The wine ran out, and Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 Yeshua replied, “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him.
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Today's Devotional for Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Philippians 4:10-19
Philippians 4:10 In union with the Lord I greatly rejoice that now, after this long time, you have let your concern for me express itself again. Of course, you were concerned for me all along, but you had no opportunity to express it. 11 Not that I am saying this to call attention to any need of mine; since, as far as I am concerned, I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough — in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who gives me power.
14 Nevertheless, it was good of you to share in my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the early days of my work spreading the Good News, when I left Macedonia, not a single congregation shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving — only you. 16 Indeed, in Thessalonica when I needed it, you sent me aid twice. 17 I am not seeking the gift; rather, I am looking for what will increase the credit balance of your account. 18 I have been more than paid in full: I have been filled, since I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent — they are a fragrant aroma,[Philippians 4:18 Genesis 8:21; Exodus 29:18] an acceptable sacrifice, one that pleases God well. 19 Moreover, my God will fill every need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
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Today's Devotional for Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Psalm 145:8-21
Psalm 145:8 Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in grace.
9 Adonai is good to all;
his compassion rests on all his creatures.
10 All your creatures will thank you, Adonai,
and your faithful servants will bless you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship,
and they will tell about your might;
12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts
and the glorious majesty of your kingship.
13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship,
your reign continues through all generations.
14 Adonai supports all who fall
and lifts up all who are bent over.
15 The eyes of all are looking to you;
you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 Adonai is righteous in all his ways,
full of grace in all he does.
18 Adonai is close to all who call on him,
to all who sincerely call on him.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 Adonai protects all who love him,
but all the wicked he destroys.
21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of Adonai;
all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.
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Today's Devotional for Thursday, 28 September 2017
James 2:14-18
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, 16 and someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving him what he needs, what good does it do? 17 Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead.
18 But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!
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Today's Devotional for Friday, 29 September 2017
Psalm 27:1-3; 13-14
Psalm 27:1(0) By David:
(1) Adonai is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assailed me
to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
they stumbled and fell.
3 If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me,
even then I will keep trusting.
13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see
Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .
14 Put your hope in Adonai, be strong,
and let your heart take courage!
Yes, put your hope in Adonai!
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Today's Devotional for Saturday, 30 September 2017
Luke 7:11-15
Luke 7:11 The next day Yeshua, accompanied by his talmidim and a large crowd, went to a town called Na‘im. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead man was being carried out for burial. His mother was a widow, this had been her only son, and a sizeable crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he came close and touched the coffin, and the pallbearers halted. He said, “Young man, I say to you: get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Yeshua gave him to his mother.[Luke 7:15 1 Kings 17:23]
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This Week's Lectionary
16th Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – GreenThe Lectionary Readings for Sunday, 24 September 2017
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-4 or Psalm 78
Philippians 1:21-30
Matthew 20:1-16
Scripture Texts: Exodus 16:2 There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra’el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. 3 The people of Isra’el said to them, “We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!”
4 Adonai said to Moshe, “Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day’s ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, it will turn out to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra’el, “This evening, you will realize that it has been Adonai who brought you out of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, you will see Adonai’s glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against Adonai — what are we that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moshe added, “What I have said will happen when Adonai gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. Adonai has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him — what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Adonai.”
9 Moshe said to Aharon, “Say to the whole community of Isra’el, ‘Come close, into the presence of Adonai, for he has heard your grumblings.’” 10 As Aharon spoke to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, they looked toward the desert; and there before them the glory of Adonai appeared in the cloud; (A: vi, S: v) 11 and Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the people of Isra’el. Say to them: ‘At dusk you will be eating meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will realize that I am Adonai your God.’”
13 That evening, quails came up and covered the camp; while in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Isra’el saw it, they asked each other, “Man hu? [What is it?]” because they didn’t know what it was. Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat.
Psalm 105:1 Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!
Make his deeds known among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him,
talk about all his wonders.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let those seeking Adonai have joyful hearts.
4 Seek Adonai and his strength;
always seek his presence.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his signs and his spoken rulings.
6 You descendants of Avraham his servant,
you offspring of Ya‘akov, his chosen ones,, 37 Then he led his people out,
laden with silver and gold;
among his tribes not one stumbled.
38 Egypt was happy to have them leave,
because fear of [Isra’el] had seized them.
39 He spread out a cloud to screen them off
and fire to give them light at night.
40 When they asked, he brought them quails
and satisfied them with food from heaven.
41 He split a rock, and water gushed out,
flowing as a river over the dry ground,
42 for he remembered his holy promise
to his servant Avraham.
43 He led out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 Then he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they possessed what peoples had toiled to produce,
45 in order to obey his laws
and follow his teachings.
Halleluyah!
Psalm 78:1 (0) A maskil of Asaf:
(1) Listen, my people, to my teaching;
turn your ears to the words from my mouth.
2 I will speak to you in parables
and explain mysteries from days of old.
3 The things which we have heard and known,
and which our fathers told us
4 we will not hide from their descendants;
we will tell the generation to come
the praises of Adonai and his strength,
the wonders that he has performed.
5 He raised up a testimony in Ya‘akov
and established a Torah in Isra’el.
He commanded our ancestors
to make this known to their children,
6 so that the next generation would know it,
the children not yet born,
who would themselves arise
and tell their own children,
7 who could then put their confidence in God,
not forgetting God’s deeds,
but obeying his mitzvot.
8 Then they would not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn, rebellious generation,
a generation with unprepared hearts,
with spirits unfaithful to God.
9 The people of Efrayim, though armed with bows and arrows,
turned their backs on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God
and refused to live by his Torah.
11 They forgot what he had done,
his wonders which he had shown them.
12 He had done wonderful things
in the presence of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,
in the region of Tzo‘an.
13 He split the sea and made them pass through,
he made the waters stand up like a wall.
14 He also led them by day with a cloud
and all night long with light from a fire.
15 He broke apart the rocks in the desert
and let them drink as if from boundless depths;
16 yes, he brought streams out of the rock,
making the water flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High;
18 in their hearts they tested God
by demanding food that would satisfy their cravings.
19 Yes, they spoke against God by asking,
“Can God spread a table in the desert?
20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out,
until the vadis overflowed;
but what about bread? Can he give that?
Can he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when Adonai heard, he was angry;
fire blazed up against Ya‘akov;
his anger mounted against Isra’el;
22 because they had no faith in God,
no trust in his power to save.
23 So he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained down man on them as food;
he gave them grain from heaven —
25 mortals ate the bread of angels;
he provided for them to the full.
26 He stirred up the east wind in heaven,
brought on the south wind by his power,
27 and rained down meat on them like dust,
birds flying thick as the sand on the seashore.
28 He let them fall in the middle of their camp,
all around their tents.
29 So they ate till they were satisfied;
he gave them what they craved.
30 They were still fulfilling their craving,
the food was still in their mouths,
31 when the anger of God rose up against them
and slaughtered their strongest men,
laying low the young men of Isra’el.
32 Still, they kept on sinning
and put no faith in his wonders.
33 Therefore, he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34 When he brought death among them, they would seek him;
they would repent and seek God eagerly,
35 remembering that God was their Rock,
El ‘Elyon their Redeemer.
36 But they tried to deceive him with their words,
they lied to him with their tongues;
37 for their hearts were not right with him,
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, because he is full of compassion,
forgave their sin and did not destroy;
many times he turned away his anger
and didn’t rouse all his wrath.
39 So he remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that blows past and does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert
and grieved him in the wastelands!
41 Repeatedly they challenged God
and pained the Holy One of Isra’el.
42 They didn’t remember how he used his hand
on the day he redeemed them from their enemy,
43 how he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Tzo‘an.
44 He turned their rivers into blood,
so they couldn’t drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their harvest to shearer-worms,
the fruit of their labor to locusts.
47 He destroyed their vineyards with hail
and their sycamore-figs with frost.
48 Their cattle too he gave over to the hail
and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 He sent over them his fierce anger,
fury, indignation and trouble,
with a company of destroying angels
50 to clear a path for his wrath.
He did not spare them from death,
but gave them over to the plague,
51 striking all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But his own people he led out like sheep,
guiding them like a flock in the desert.
53 He led them safely, and they weren’t afraid,
even when the sea overwhelmed their foes.
54 He brought them to his holy land,
to the hill-country won by his right hand.
55 He expelled nations before them,
apportioned them property to inherit
and made Isra’el’s tribes live in their tents.
56 Yet they tested El ‘Elyon
and rebelled against him,
refusing to obey his instructions.
57 They turned away and were faithless, like their fathers;
they were unreliable, like a bow without tension.
58 They provoked him with their high places
and made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard, and he was angry;
he came to detest Isra’el completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent he had made where he could live among people.
61 He gave his strength into exile,
his pride to the power of the foe.
62 He gave his people over to the sword
and grew angry with his own heritage.
63 Fire consumed their young men,
their virgins had no wedding-song,
64 their cohanim fell by the sword,
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then Adonai awoke, as if from sleep,
like a warrior shouting for joy from wine.
66 He struck his foes, driving them back
and putting them to perpetual shame.
67 Rejecting the tents of Yosef
and passing over the tribe of Efrayim,
68 he chose the tribe of Y’hudah,
Mount Tziyon, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights;
like the earth, he made it to last forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant,
taking him from the sheep-yards;
71 from tending nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Ya‘akov his people,
Isra’el his heritage.
72 With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with skillful hands.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, life is the Messiah, and death is gain. 22 But if by living on in the body I can do fruitful work, then I don’t know which to choose. 23 I am caught in a dilemma: my desire is to go off and be with the Messiah — that is better by far — 24 but because of you, the greater need is to stay on in the body. 25 Yes, I am convinced of this; so I know I will stay on with you in order to help you progress in the faith and have joy in it. 26 Then, through my being with you again, you will have even greater reason for boasting about the Messiah Yeshua.
27 Only conduct your lives in a way worthy of the Good News of the Messiah; so that whether I come and see you or I hear about you from a distance, you stand firm, united in spirit, fighting with one accord for the faith of the Good News, 28 not frightened by anything the opposition does. This will be for them an indication that they are headed for destruction and you for deliverance. And this is from God; 29 because for the Messiah’s sake it has been granted to you not only to trust in him but also to suffer on his behalf, 30 to fight the same battles you once saw me fight and now hear that I am still fighting.
Matthew 20:1 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the workers on a wage of one denarius, [the standard daily wage,] he sent them off to his vineyard. 3 Then, on going out at about nine in the morning, he saw more men standing around in the market-square doing nothing, 4 and said to them, ‘You go to the vineyard too — I’ll pay you a fair wage.’ So they went. 5 At noon, and again around three in the afternoon, he did the same thing. 6 About an hour before sundown, he went out, found still others standing around, and asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day, doing nothing?” 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ ‘You too,’ he told them, ‘go to the vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and ending with the first.’ 9 The workers who came an hour before sunset each received a denarius, 10 so the workers who came first expected they would get more, but each of them also received just a denarius. 11 On receiving their wages, they began grumbling to the farmer, 12 ‘These latecomers have worked only one hour, while we have borne the brunt of the day’s work in the hot sun, yet you have put them on an equal footing with us!’ 13 But he answered one of them, ‘Look, friend, I’m not being unfair with you. Didn’t you agree to work today for a denarius? 14 Now take your pay and go! I choose to give the last worker as much as I’m giving you. 15 Haven’t I the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 Thus the last ones will be first and the first last.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Exodus 16:2-15
Verse 2
[2] And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Then the whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron — God's viceregents among them.
Verse 3
[3] And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
They so undervalue their deliverance, that they wish, they had died in Egypt, nay, and died by the hand of the Lord too. That is, by some of the plagues which cut off the Egyptians; as if it were not the hand of the Lord, but of Moses only, that brought them into this wilderness. 'Tis common for people to say of that pain, or sickness, which they see not second causes of, It is what pleaseth God, as if that were not so likewise which comes by the hand of man, or some visible accident. We cannot suppose they had any great plenty in Egypt, how largely soever they now talk of the flesh-pots, nor could they fear dying for want in the wilderness while they had their flocks and herds with them; but discontent magnifies what is past, and vilifies what is present, without regard to truth or reason. None talk more absurdly than murmurers.
Verse 4
[4] Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Man being made out of the earth, his Maker has wisely ordered him food out of the earth, Psalms 104:14. But the people of Israel typifying the church of the first-born that are written in heaven, receiving their charters, laws and commissions from heaven, from heaven also they received their food. See what God designed in making this provision for them, that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law or no - Whether they will trust me, and whether they would serve him, and be ever faithful to so good a master.
Verse 5
[5] And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
They shall prepare — Lay up, grind, bake or boil.
Verse 6
[6] And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
The Lord — And not we, (as you suggest) by our own counsel.
Verse 10
[10] And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
The glory of the Lord — An extra-ordinary and sudden brightness.
Verse 12
[12] I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord your God — This gave proof of his power as the Lord, and his particular favour to them as their God; when God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know that he is the Lord; when he provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know that he was their God.
Verse 13
[13] And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
The quails came up, and covered the camp — So tame that they might take up as many of them as they pleased. Next morning he rained manna upon them, which was to be continued to them for their daily bread.
Verse 15
[15] And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
What is this? Manna descended from the clouds. It came down in dew melted, and yet was itself of such a consistency as to serve for nourishing strengthening food, without any thing else: It was pleasant food; the Jews say it was palatable to all, according as their tastes were. It was wholesome food, light of digestion. By this spare and plain diet we are all taught a lesson of temperance, and forbidden to desire dainties and varieties.
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Verse 3
[3] Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
Glory — Glory in the God whom you serve, as the only true God.
Verse 4
[4] Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Seek — The Lord in his strength, in his sanctuary, or before the ark, which is called God's strength.
Face — His gracious presence.
Verse 5
[5] Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
Judgments — The punishments which he brought upon Egypt by his mere word.
Verse 6
[6] O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Of Jacob — The only branch of Abraham's seed to whom the following blessings belong.
Verse 37
[37] He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Feeble — Diseased or unable for his journey: which in so vast a body, and in a people who had been so dreadfully oppressed, was wonderful.
Verse 39
[39] He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
Covering — To protect them from the heat of the sun.
Verse 40
[40] The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
Quails — He speaks of the first giving of quails, Exodus 16:13, which God gave them as a refreshment, notwithstanding their sin in desiring them, which he graciously pardoned.
Bread — With manna which came out of the air, commonly called heaven.
Verse 41
[41] He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
River — They flowed in channels which God provided for them, and followed the Israelites in their march.
Verse 44
[44] And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Labour — The fruits of their labour; their cities, vineyards, olive-yards.
Psalm 78
Verse 1
[1] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
My law — The doctrine which I am about to deliver.
Verse 2
[2] I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Parable — Weighty sentences.
Dark sayings — Not that the words are hard to be understood, but the things, God's transcendent goodness, their unparallel'd ingratitude; and their stupid ignorance and insensibleness, under such excellent teachings of God's word and works, are prodigious and hard to be believed.
Of old — Of things done in ancient times.
Verse 5
[5] For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
Established — This is justly put in first place, as the chief of all his mercies.
A testimony — His law, called a testimony, because it is a witness between God and men, declaring the duties which God expects from man, and the blessings which man may expect from God.
Verse 9
[9] The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
Ephraim — That Ephraim is here put for all Israel seems evident from the following verses, wherein the sins, upon which this overthrow is charged, are manifestly the sins of all the children of Israel, and they who are here called Ephraim are called Jacob and Israel, verse 21, and this passage may refer to that dreadful overthrow related, 1 Samuel 4:10,11, which is particularly named, because as the ark, so the flight was in that tribe. And the psalmist having related this amazing providence, falls into a large discourse of the causes of it, namely, the manifold sins of that and the former generations, which having prosecuted from hence to verse 60, he there returns to this history, and relates the sad consequence of that disaster, the captivity of the ark, and God's forsaking of Shiloh and Ephraim, and removing thence to the tribe of Judah and mount Zion. Bows - These are put for all arms.
Verse 12
[12] Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
Field — In the territory.
Zoan — An ancient and eminent city of Egypt.
Verse 15
[15] He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Wilderness — In Rephidim, and again in Kadesh.
Verse 16
[16] He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Streams — Which miraculously followed them in all their travels, even to the borders of Canaan.
Verse 17
[17] And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Wilderness — Where they had such singular obligations to obedience. This was a great aggravation of their sins.
Verse 18
[18] And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Tempted — Desired a proof of God's power.
Lust — Not for their necessary subsistence, but out of an inordinate and luxurious appetite.
Verse 22
[22] Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Trusted not — That he both could, and would save them from the famine which they feared.
Verse 23
[23] Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Heaven — Which he compares to a store-house, whereof God shuts or opens the doors, as he sees fit.
Verse 25
[25] Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
Angels food — Manna, so called, because it was made by the ministry of angels.
Verse 26
[26] He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
South wind — First an eastern, and afterwards a southern wind.
Verse 27
[27] He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
Fowl — But God took away from them the use of their wings, and made them to fall into the hands of the Israelites.
Verse 31
[31] The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
Mightiest — The most healthy and strong, who probably were most desirous of this food, and fed most eagerly upon it.
Verse 33
[33] Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
Vanity — In tedious and fruitless marches hither and thither.
Trouble — In manifold diseases, dangers, and perplexities.
Verse 34
[34] When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
Returned — From their idols.
Enquired — Speedily sought to God for ease and safety.
Verse 35
[35] And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Redeemer — That God alone had preserved them in all their former exigencies, and that he only could help them.
Verse 36
[36] Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
Lied — They made but false protestations of their sincere resolutions of future obedience.
Verse 42
[42] They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
Hand — The glorious works of his hand.
Enemy — That remarkable day, in which God delivered them from their greatest enemy, Pharaoh.
Verse 45
[45] He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Flies — These flies were doubtless extraordinary in their nature, and hurtful qualities. And the like is to be thought concerning the frogs.
Verse 46
[46] He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Labour — The herbs which were come up by their care and labour.
Verse 47
[47] He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
Sycamore-trees — Under these and the vines, all other trees are comprehended. This hail and frost destroyed the fruit of the trees, and sometimes the trees themselves.
Verse 49
[49] He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Evil angels — Whom God employed in producing these plagues.
Verse 51
[51] And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
Ham — Of the Egyptians, the posterity of Ham, the cursed children of a cursed parent.
Verse 54
[54] And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
Holy place — The land of Canaan, separated by God from all other lands.
Mountain — The mountainous country of Canaan; the word mountain is often used in scripture for a mountainous country.
Verse 57
[57] But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
Deceitful bow — Which either breaks when it is drawn, or shoots awry, and frustrates the archer's expectation.
Verse 59
[59] When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
Heard — Perceived or understood, it is spoken of God after the manner of men.
Verse 60
[60] So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
Shiloh — Which was placed in Shiloh.
Among men — Whereby he insinuates both God's wonderful condescension, and their stupendous folly in despising so glorious a privilege.
Verse 61
[61] And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.
His strength — The ark, called God's strength, 1 Chronicles 16:11, because it was the sign and pledge of his strength put forth on his people's behalf.
Glory — So the ark is called, as being the monument and seat of God's glorious presence.
Enemies — The Philistines.
Verse 64
[64] Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
Priests — Hophni and Phinehas.
No lamentation — No funeral solemnities; either because they were prevented by their own death, as the wife of Phinehas was, or disturbed by the invasion of the enemy.
Verse 66
[66] And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
Smote — Them with the piles.
Reproach — He caused them to perpetuate their own reproach by sending back the ark of God with their golden emrods, the lasting monuments of their shame.
Verse 67
[67] Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
Refused — He would not have his ark to abide any longer in the tabernacle of Shiloh, which was in the tribe of Joseph or Ephraim.
Verse 68
[68] But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Chose — For the seat of the ark and of God's worship.
Verse 69
[69] And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
Sanctuary — The temple of Solomon.
Palaces — Magnificent and gloriously.
Established — Not now to be moved from place to place, as the tabernacle was, but as a fixed place for the ark's perpetual residence.
Philippians 1:21-30
Verse 21
[21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
To me to live is Christ — To know, to love, to follow Christ, is my life, my glory, my joy.
Verse 22
[22] But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
Here he begins to treat of the former clause of the preceding verse. Of the latter he treats, Philippians 2:17.
But if I am to live is the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour — This is the fruit of my living longer, that I can labour more. Glorious labour! desirable fruit! in this view, long life is indeed a blessing.
And what I should choose I know not — That is, if it were left to my choice.
Verse 23
[23] For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
To depart — Out of bonds, flesh, the world.
And to be with Christ — In a nearer and fuller union. It is better to depart; it is far better to be with Christ.
Verse 25
[25] And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
I know — By a prophetic notice given him while he was writing this. That I shall continue some time longer with you - And doubtless he did see them after this confinement.
Verse 27
[27] Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Only — Be careful for this, and nothing else.
Stand fast in one spirit — With the most perfect unanimity.
Striving together — With united strength and endeavours.
For the faith of the gospel — For all the blessings revealed and promised therein.
Verse 28
[28] And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Which — Namely, their being adversaries to the word of God, and to you the messengers of God.
Is an evident token — That they are in the high road to perdition; and you, in the way of salvation.
Verse 29
[29] For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
For to you it is given — As a special token of God's love, and of your being in the way of salvation.
Verse 30
[30] Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Having the same kind of conflict with your adversaries, which ye saw in me - When I was with you, Acts 16:12,19, etc.
Matthew 20:1-16
Verse 2
[2] And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
The Roman penny was about seven pence halfpenny. [About thirteen and three quarter cents, American.] This was then the usual price of a day's labour.
Verse 6
[6] And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
About the eleventh hour — That is, very late; long after the rest were called.
Verse 8
[8] So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
In the evening — Of life; or of the world.
Verse 9
[9] And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Who were hired about the eleventh hour — Either the Gentiles, who were called long after the Jews into the vineyard of the Church of Christ; or those in every age who did not hear, or at least understand the Gospel call, till their day of life was drawing to a period. Some circumstances of the parable seem best to suit the former, some the latter of these senses.
Verse 10
[10] But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
The first supposed they should have received more — Probably the first here may mean the Jews, who supposed they should always be preferred before the Gentiles.
Verse 12
[12] Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Thou hast made them equal to us — So St. Peter expressly, Acts 15:9. God-hath put no difference between us (Jews) and them, (Gentiles,) purifying their hearts by faith. And those who were equally holy here, whenever they were called, will be equally happy hereafter.
Verse 14
[14] Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
It is my will to give to this last called among the heathens even as to the first called among the Jews: yea, and to the late converted publicans and sinners, even as to those who, were called long before.
Verse 15
[15] Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? — Yea, doubtless, to give either to Jew or Gentile a reward infinitely greater than he deserves. But can it be inferred from hence, that it is lawful, or possible, for the merciful Father of spirits to "Consign an unborn soul to hell? Or damn him from his mother's womb?" Is thine eye evil because I am good - Art thou envious, because I am gracious? Here is an evident reference to that malignant aspect, which is generally the attendant of a selfish and envious temper.
Verse 16
[16] So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
So the last shall be first, and the first last — Not only with regard to the Jews and Gentiles, but in a thousand other instances.
For many are called — All who hear the Gospel; but few chosen - Only those who obey it. Matthew 19:30; 22:14.
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Contact Information
The Great Plains Episcopal Office of The United Methodist Church
9440 East Boston, Suite 160
Wichita Kansas 67207, United States
(316)686-0600
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info@greatplainsumc.org
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Contact Information
The Great Plains Episcopal Office of The United Methodist Church
9440 East Boston, Suite 160
Wichita Kansas 67207, United States
(316)686-0600
(800)745-2350
info@greatplainsumc.org
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