Daily Devotions · January 21
Reading for January 21
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Exodus 1–2 · Psalm 88 · Luke 21
Exodus 1–2 · Psalm 88 · Luke 21, Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 1
These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.” 11 So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh. 15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
Exodus 2
Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10 When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.” 11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?” 14 But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock. 18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God. 24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the Israelites and took notice.
Psalm 88
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You. 2 May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. 4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. 5 I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care. 6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths. 7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah 8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape. 9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You. 10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah 11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You. 14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me? 15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair. 16 Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. 17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side. 18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
Luke 21
Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” 5 As some of the disciples were remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and consecrated gifts, Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 8 Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.” 10 Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors. 13 This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses. 14 So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. 17 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. 18 Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your patient endurance you will gain your souls. 20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. 26 Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 34 But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.” 37 Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.
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
Write your SOAP here. Tap any verse in the reading to add it to Scripture. Your journal saves on this device only, so no one else sees it.
Added to your journal. Go to journal
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.