The Daily Lectionary
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 11:1-6
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55
Israel led to God’s holy mountain
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 11:1-6
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55
Israel led to God’s holy mountain
But they went on sinning against him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
They tested God in their hearts,
demanding food for their craving.
They railed against God and said,
Can God set a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed;
but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for his people?
He led out his people like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid;
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He brought them to his holy land,
the mountain his right hand had won.
He drove out the Canaanites before them and apportioned an inheritance to them by lot;
he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing Your Law to us, and for teaching us to love You, the only true God, and our neighbors as ourselves. But we confess that we have failed to keep Your Law. Therefore, we thank You for sending us a Savior from sin and death, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might be empowered and led to do what is right in Your eyes, even as we pray in the name of Jesus Christ:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Kings 19:9-18
Elijah hears God
Elijah hears God
19:9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Romans 11:1-6
A remnant chosen by grace
A remnant chosen by grace
11:1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).
The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary for Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 11:1-6
