{"id":3732,"date":"2017-09-16T20:35:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-17T00:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/?p=3732"},"modified":"2017-09-14T18:04:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T22:04:15","slug":"daily-devotional-for-september-17-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/?p=3732","title":{"rendered":"Daily Devotional for September 17-23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday<\/p>\n

Matthew 22:35-46 \u00a0… \u00a0\u00a0<\/sup>But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. <\/span> 35\u00a0<\/sup>Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question,<\/i> testing Him, and saying, <\/span> 36\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cTeacher, which is<\/i> the great commandment in the law?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

37\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to him, \u201c\u2018You shall love the Lord<\/span> your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.\u2019<\/span>[d<\/a>]<\/sup> <\/span> 38\u00a0<\/sup>This is the<\/i> first and great commandment.<\/span> <\/span> 39\u00a0<\/sup>And the<\/i> second is<\/i> like it: \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019<\/span>[e<\/a>]<\/sup> <\/span> 40\u00a0<\/sup>On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

41\u00a0<\/sup>While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, <\/span> 42\u00a0<\/sup>saying, \u201cWhat do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They said to Him, \u201cThe Son<\/i> of David.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

43\u00a0<\/sup>He said to them, \u201cHow then does David in the Spirit call Him \u2018Lord,\u2019 saying:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

44\u00a0<\/sup>\u2018The Lord<\/span> said to my Lord,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u201cSit at My right hand,<\/span><\/span>
\nTill I make Your enemies Your footstool\u201d\u2019?<\/span>[f<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

45\u00a0<\/sup>If David then calls Him \u2018Lord,\u2019 how is He his Son?\u201d<\/span> <\/span> 46\u00a0<\/sup>And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
OSB Notes: The Pharisees had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures and debated about which one was central. Jesus sets forth the first and the second, which constitute the grand summary of the Law. Though the lawyer has come with malice to test the Lord, we know from St. Mark\u2019s account that this man is converted by Christ\u2019s answer.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
This second commandment must be understood as written: You shall love your neighbor as yourself, or more clearly, \u201cas being yourself.\u201d It is often misinterpreted, \u201cYou shall love your neighbor as you love yourself,\u201d which destroys the force of the statement. How much we love ourselves is not the standard by which Christ is calling us to love others. Rather, we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God\u2019s image and likeness just as we are. As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Christ asks this question to lead the Pharisees to the only logical conclusion: that He is God incarnate. They supposed the Messiah to be a mere man, and therefore reply that the Messiah would be a Son of David. David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as \u201cLord\u201d except God. Yet in Ps 109: 1, David refers to the Messiah as \u201cLord.\u201d Therefore, the Messiah must be God. The only possible conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, yet is also truly divine, sharing His Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees do not answer because they realize the implications and are afraid to confess Jesus to be the Son of God.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Monday
\nThis week we will read some of the Old Testament<\/p>\n

Genesis 2:\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>Now the Lord<\/span> God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.<\/span> 9\u00a0<\/sup>The Lord<\/span> God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground\u2014trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.<\/span><\/p>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup>A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.<\/span> 11\u00a0<\/sup>The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.<\/span> 12\u00a0<\/sup>(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d<\/a>]<\/sup> and onyx are also there.)<\/span> 13\u00a0<\/sup>The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span> 14\u00a0<\/sup>The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.<\/span><\/p>\n

15\u00a0<\/sup>The Lord<\/span> God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.<\/span> 16\u00a0<\/sup>And the Lord<\/span> God commanded the man, \u201cYou are free to eat from any tree in the garden;<\/span> 17\u00a0<\/sup>but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

18\u00a0<\/sup>The Lord<\/span> God said, \u201cIt is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

19\u00a0<\/sup>Now the Lord<\/span> God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.<\/span> 20\u00a0<\/sup>So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

But for Adam[f<\/a>]<\/sup> no suitable helper was found.<\/span> 21\u00a0<\/sup>So the Lord<\/span> God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man\u2019s ribs[g<\/a>]<\/sup> and then closed up the place with flesh.<\/span> 22\u00a0<\/sup>Then the Lord<\/span> God made a woman from the rib[h<\/a>]<\/sup> he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.<\/span><\/p>\n

23\u00a0<\/sup>The man said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is now bone of my bones<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and flesh of my flesh;<\/span><\/span>
\nshe shall be called \u2018woman,\u2019<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>for she was taken out of man.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

24\u00a0<\/sup>That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

25\u00a0<\/sup>Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

Genesis 3\u00a0Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord<\/span> God had made. He said to the woman, \u201cDid God really say, \u2018You must not eat from any tree in the garden\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

2\u00a0<\/sup>The woman said to the serpent, \u201cWe may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,<\/span> 3\u00a0<\/sup>but God did say, \u2018You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

4\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYou will not certainly die,\u201d the serpent said to the woman.<\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cFor God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup>When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.<\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord<\/span> God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord<\/span> God among the trees of the garden.<\/span> 9\u00a0<\/sup>But the Lord<\/span> God called to the man, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup>He answered, \u201cI heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup>And he said, \u201cWho told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup>The man said, \u201cThe woman you put here with me\u2014she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

13\u00a0<\/sup>Then the Lord<\/span> God said to the woman, \u201cWhat is this you have done?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman said, \u201cThe serpent deceived me, and I ate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup>So the Lord<\/span> God said to the serpent, \u201cBecause you have done this,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCursed are you above all livestock<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and all wild animals!<\/span><\/span>
\nYou will crawl on your belly<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and you will eat dust<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>all the days of your life.<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>And I will put enmity<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>between you and the woman,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and between your offspring[a<\/a>]<\/sup> and hers;<\/span><\/span>
\nhe will crush[b<\/a>]<\/sup> your head,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and you will strike his heel.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>To the woman he said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI will make your pains in childbearing very severe;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>with painful labor you will give birth to children.<\/span><\/span>
\nYour desire will be for your husband,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and he will rule over you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

17\u00a0<\/sup>To Adam he said, \u201cBecause you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, \u2018You must not eat from it,\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCursed is the ground because of you;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>through painful toil you will eat food from it<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>all the days of your life.<\/span><\/span>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>It will produce thorns and thistles for you,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and you will eat the plants of the field.<\/span><\/span>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>By the sweat of your brow<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you will eat your food<\/span><\/span>
\nuntil you return to the ground,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>since from it you were taken;<\/span><\/span>
\nfor dust you are<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and to dust you will return.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

20\u00a0<\/sup>Adam[c<\/a>]<\/sup> named his wife Eve,[d<\/a>]<\/sup> because she would become the mother of all the living.<\/span><\/p>\n

21\u00a0<\/sup>The Lord<\/span> God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.<\/span> 22\u00a0<\/sup>And the Lord<\/span> God said, \u201cThe man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.\u201d<\/span> 23\u00a0<\/sup>So the Lord<\/span> God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.<\/span> 24\u00a0<\/sup>After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e<\/a>]<\/sup> of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

Genesis 4: \u00a0Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, \u201cI have acquired a man from the Lord<\/span>.\u201d <\/span> 2\u00a0<\/sup>Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. <\/span> 3\u00a0<\/sup>And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord<\/span>. <\/span> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord<\/span> respected Abel and his offering, <\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.<\/span><\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup>So the Lord<\/span> said to Cain, \u201cWhy are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? <\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is<\/i> for you, but you should rule over it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;[a<\/a>]<\/sup> and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>Then the Lord<\/span> said to Cain, \u201cWhere is<\/i> Abel your brother?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He said, \u201cI do not know. Am<\/i> I my brother\u2019s keeper?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup>And He said, \u201cWhat have you done? The voice of your brother\u2019s blood cries out to Me from the ground. <\/span> 11\u00a0<\/sup>So now you are<\/i> cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother\u2019s blood from your hand. <\/span> 12\u00a0<\/sup>When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

13\u00a0<\/sup>And Cain said to the Lord<\/span>, \u201cMy punishment is<\/i> greater than I can bear! <\/span> 14\u00a0<\/sup>Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that<\/i> anyone who finds me will kill me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

15\u00a0<\/sup>And the Lord<\/span> said to him, \u201cTherefore,[b<\/a>]<\/sup> whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.\u201d And the Lord<\/span> set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Genesis 6: \u00a0Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, <\/span> 2\u00a0<\/sup>that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were<\/i> beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.<\/span><\/p>\n

3\u00a0<\/sup>And the Lord<\/span> said, \u201cMy Spirit shall not strive[a<\/a>]<\/sup> with man forever, for he is<\/i> indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.\u201d <\/span> 4\u00a0<\/sup>There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children<\/i> to them. Those were<\/i> the mighty men who were<\/i> of old, men of renown.<\/span><\/p>\n

5\u00a0<\/sup>Then the Lord<\/span>[b<\/a>]<\/sup> saw that the wickedness of man was<\/i> great in the earth, and that<\/i> every intent of the thoughts of his heart was<\/i> only evil continually. <\/span> 6\u00a0<\/sup>And the Lord<\/span> was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. <\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>So the Lord<\/span> said, \u201cI will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.\u201d <\/span> 8\u00a0<\/sup>But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. <\/span> 10\u00a0<\/sup>And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.<\/span><\/p>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup>The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. <\/span> 12\u00a0<\/sup>So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

And God said to Noah, \u201cThe end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. <\/span> 14\u00a0<\/sup>Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. <\/span> 15\u00a0<\/sup>And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be<\/i> three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. <\/span> 16\u00a0<\/sup>You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with<\/i> lower, second, and third decks.<\/i> <\/span> 17\u00a0<\/sup>And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is<\/i> the breath of life; everything that is<\/i> on the earth shall die. <\/span> 18\u00a0<\/sup>But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark\u2014you, your sons, your wife, and your sons\u2019 wives with you. <\/span> 19\u00a0<\/sup>And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort<\/i> into the ark, to keep them<\/i> alive with you; they shall be male and female. <\/span> 20\u00a0<\/sup>Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind<\/i> will come to you to keep them<\/i> alive. <\/span> 21\u00a0<\/sup>And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it<\/i> to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

22\u00a0<\/sup>Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunday Matthew 22:35-46 \u00a0… \u00a0\u00a0But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35\u00a0Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthodox-daily-devotional","has_no_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3732"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3734,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732\/revisions\/3734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}