Daily Devotions · September 26
Reading for September 26
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Ezra 4 · Psalm 113, 127 · Luke 9
Ezra 4 · Psalm 113, 127 · Luke 9, Berean Standard Bible
Ezra 4
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. 5 They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated. 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, 10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates. 11 (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates: 12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring its walls and repairing its foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer. 14 Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king 15 that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates. 17 Then the king sent this reply: To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings. 18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence. 19 I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition. 20 And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them. 21 Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer? 23 When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them. 24 Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Psalm 113
Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forevermore. 3 From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised. 4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high? 6 He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth. 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump 8 to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people. 9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
Psalm 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved. 3 Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
Luke 9
Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that area. 5 If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. 7 When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen. 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this man I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus. 10 Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing. 12 As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate place here.” 13 But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 They did so, and everyone was seated. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 18 One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.” 20 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23 Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” 28 About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white. 30 Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus. 31 They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!” 36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen. 37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd. 38 Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him. 40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.” 41 “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it. 46 Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him. 48 And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.” 49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” 50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” 51 As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 And He and His disciples went on to another village. 57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.” 62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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.
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.