Daily Lectionary

August 27, 2024

August 26, 2024 August 28, 2024

These daily readings from the EHV follow the one-year daily lectionary provided in Christian Worship: Hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book, and the Treasury of Daily Prayer. In this lectionary, two readings of 15-25 verses each are provided for each day. Under this plan, nearly all of the New Testament and approximately one-third of the Old Testament are read each year. These readings fit well within the daily offices of Matins, Vespers, or Compline as daily family devotions.

1 Kings 9:1-9, 10:1-13

God Renews His Promises to Solomon

(2 Chronicles 7:12-22)

9¹When Solomon had finished building the house for the Lord and the house for the king, and he had done all that he desired, ²the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, just as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. ³The Lord said to him:

I have heard your prayer and the plea for mercy that you offered before me. I have consecrated this house, which you built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

⁴As for you, if you walk before me in purity of heart and with integrity as your father David did, so that you carry out everything that I command you, and you keep all my statutes and my ordinances, ⁵then I will maintain your royal throne over Israel forever, just as I said to your father David, “You will not fail to have a man upon the throne of Israel.”

⁶But if any of you^[] or your sons turn away from me and do not keep my commands and statutes, which I set before you, but you serve other gods and bow down to them, ⁷then I will cut off Israel from the face of the ground which I gave them. I will take my presence away from the house which I consecrated for my Name. Israel will become proverbial as an object of ridicule for all peoples.

⁸Though this house is now exalted,^[] all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss^[] and say, “Why did the Lord do this to this land and to this house?”

⁹They will reply, “Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they embraced other gods and worshipped and served them. That is why the Lord brought all this evil on them.”

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:1-12)

10¹The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, which was connected with the fame of the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions. ²She came to Jerusalem with a very great entourage^[]—with camels carrying spices and a large quantity of gold and precious stones. She came to Solomon and told him everything that was on her heart.

³Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.

⁴The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, ⁵and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers,^[] as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord,^[] it took her breath away.

⁶She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments^[] and your wisdom is true. ⁷I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard. ⁸Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! ⁹May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.”

¹⁰Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents^[] of gold and a great quantity of spices and many precious stones. There was never again anything comparable to the huge amount of spices and incense which the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹In addition, Hiram's fleet brought gold from Ophir and a great quantity of almug^[] wood and also precious stones. ¹²The king made the almug wood into steps^[] for the Lord's house and for the house of the king, as well as lyres and harps for his singers. So much fine almug wood has never been brought or seen to this present day.

¹³King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked for, besides what he had given to her from his royal resources. Then she and her servants returned to her country.

2 Corinthians 5:1-21

We Long for Heaven

5¹Now we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven, which is not made by human hands. ²In fact, the reason we groan is that we long to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. ³If we do indeed put it on,^[] we will certainly not be found naked. ⁴To be sure, while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as the down payment.

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, ⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸But we are confident and would much prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹And for this reason we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home or away. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he did while in the body, whether good or bad.

¹¹So, since we know the fear of the Lord, we are trying to persuade people. Now, we are well known by God, and I hope that we are also well known in your consciences. ¹²We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you have a reply for those who boast about outward appearance rather than what is in the heart.

¹³Actually, if we were out of our minds, it was for God. If we are in our right minds, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ compels^[] us, because we came to this conclusion: One died for all; therefore, all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves but for him, who died in their place and was raised again.

God Was in Christ Reconciling the World

¹⁶As a result, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we knew Christ according to the flesh, we no longer know him that way. ¹⁷So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come!^[] ¹⁸And all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. And he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, inasmuch as God is making an appeal through us. We urge you, on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.