Daily Devotions · May 3
Reading for May 3
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
2 Samuel 7 · 1 Chronicles 17 · Psalm 2 · Matthew 20
2 Samuel 7 · 1 Chronicles 17 · Psalm 2 · Matthew 20, Berean Standard Bible
2 Samuel 7
After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” 3 And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” 4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling. 7 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’ 8 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land. 10 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 11 and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. 12 And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.” 17 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation. 18 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD? 20 What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD. 21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant. 22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt. 24 For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised, 26 so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
1 Chronicles 17
After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.” 2 And Nathan replied to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” 3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell. 5 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling. 6 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’ 7 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land. 9 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 10 and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11 And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from him as I removed it from your predecessor. 14 But I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.” 15 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation. 16 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17 And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great distinction, O LORD God. 18 What more can David say to You for honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant, 19 O LORD. For the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and made known all these great promises. 20 O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself? You made a name for Yourself through great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt. 22 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God. 23 And now, O LORD, let the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be established forever. Do as You have promised, 24 so that Your name will be established and magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.’ And may the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25 For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found the courage to pray before You. 26 And now, O LORD, You are God! And You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27 So now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: 3 “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them. 5 Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury: 6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. 8 Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.” 10 Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Matthew 20
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked. 7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my 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 moving on to the first.’ 9 The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. 11 On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” 17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said, 18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death 19 and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.” 20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. 21 “What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” 22 “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. 23 “You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.” 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.
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.
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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.