Daily Devotions · April 3
Reading for April 3
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Judges 17–18 · Psalm 89 · 2 Corinthians 3
Judges 17–18 · Psalm 89 · 2 Corinthians 3, Berean Standard Bible
Judges 17
Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!” 3 And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.” 4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah. 5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 7 And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah. 8 This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.” 10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in 11 and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah. 12 Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”
Judges 18
In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 3 And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” 4 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.” 5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.” 6 And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.” 7 So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone. 8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?” 9 They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land! 10 When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.” 11 So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day. 13 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house. 14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.” 15 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. 17 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men. 18 When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?” 20 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. 21 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed. 22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites. 23 When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?” 24 He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” 26 So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him. 27 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. 28 There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish. 30 The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
Psalm 89
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever; in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.” 3 You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant: 4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.’” Selah 5 The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—Your faithfulness as well—in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies can compare with the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD? 7 In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him. 8 O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You? O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You. 9 You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are Yours, and also the earth. The earth and its fullness You founded. 12 North and south You created; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name. 13 Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand. Your right hand is exalted. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You. 15 Blessed are those who know the joyful sound, who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence. 16 They rejoice in Your name all day long, and in Your righteousness they exult. 17 For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted. 18 Surely our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel. 19 You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 20 I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him. 21 My hand will sustain him; surely My arm will strengthen him. 22 No enemy will exact tribute; no wicked man will oppress him. 23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. 24 My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him, and through My name his horn will be exalted. 25 I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand upon the rivers. 26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’ 27 I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him, and My covenant with him will stand fast. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. 30 If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31 if they violate My statutes and fail to keep My commandments, 32 I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes. 33 But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him, nor ever betray My faithfulness. 34 I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips. 35 Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David— 36 his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun, 37 like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah 38 Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him; You are enraged by Your anointed one. 39 You have renounced the covenant with Your servant and sullied his crown in the dust. 40 You have broken down all his walls; You have reduced his strongholds to rubble. 41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become a reproach to his neighbors. 42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; You have made all his enemies rejoice. 43 You have bent the edge of his sword and have not sustained him in battle. 44 You have ended his splendor and cast his throne to the ground. 45 You have cut short the days of his youth; You have covered him with shame. Selah 46 How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire? 47 Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! 48 What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 49 Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David? 50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants, which I bear in my heart from so many people— 51 how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD, and have mocked every step of Your anointed one! 52 Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen.
2 Corinthians 3
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence before God is ours through Christ. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. 6 And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! 10 Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. 15 And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Your SOAP journal
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Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.