6th March

Morning Readings

Darkness and Light

Exodus 10:21-26

21 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind."
25 But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD."

Exodus 11:1-7

1 Now the LORD had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold." 3 (The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.)
4 So Moses said, "This is what the LORD says: 'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.' Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

Evening Readings

The A, B, C of Wisdom

Proverbs 1:1

¹ The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

Proverbs 1:7

⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools ^[a] despise wisdom and instruction.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.
   

Proverbs 1:10

¹⁰ My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.

Proverbs 1:24-28

²⁴ But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

²⁵ since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,

²⁶ I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸ "Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,

Proverbs 2:6

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. ^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
   

Proverbs 3:11-12

¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,

¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in. ^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child
   

Proverbs 3:25-27

²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶ for the LORD will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.

Proverbs 3:33

³³ The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.

Proverbs 4:14-15

¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.

Proverbs 4:18

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Proverbs 5:21

²¹ For your ways are in full view of the LORD,
and he examines all your paths.

Leaves for Plucking

2 Timothy 3:15

¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 2:18

¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

"A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun;
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none."

5th March

Morning Readings

The Locusts

Exodus 10:3-16

³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ⁴ If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. ⁵ They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. ⁶ They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.' " Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

⁷ Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?"

⁸ Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "Go, worship the LORD your God," he said. "But tell me who will be going."

⁹ Moses answered, "We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD."

¹⁰ Pharaoh said, "The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. ^[a]
11 No! Have only the men go and worship the LORD, since that's what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.

¹² And the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail."

¹³ So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the LORD made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; ¹⁴ they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. ¹⁵ They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 10:10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you!
   

Evening Readings

Beloved of God

Daniel 10:1-12

¹ In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. ^[a] The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.

² At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. ³ I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, ⁵ I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

⁷ I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. ⁹ Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

¹⁰ A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

¹² Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 10:1 Or true and burdensome
   

Daniel 10:18-19

¹⁸ Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ¹⁹ "Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong."
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

Daniel 11:40

⁴⁰ "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

Daniel 12:2-4

² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."

Daniel 12:9-13

⁹ He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

¹¹ "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ¹² Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

¹³ "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

Leaves for Plucking

Zechariah 4:6

⁶ So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

Luke 1:37

³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail."

"Plenteous of grace, descend from high

Rich in Thy sevenfold energy;

Make us eternal truths receive

And practice all that we believe;

Give us Thyself that we may see

The Father and the Son by Thee."