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Wednesday
The First
Lesson
1 Maccabees 2:1-14
1 In those days arose Mattathias the son of John, the son of
Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt
in Modin.
2 And he had five sons, Joannan, called Caddis:
3 Simon; called Thassi:
4 Judas, who was called Maccabeus:
5 Eleazar, called Avaran: and Jonathan, whose surname was Apphus.
6 And when he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda
and Jerusalem,
7 He said, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see this misery
of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when
it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the sanctuary
into the hand of strangers?
8 Her temple is become as a man without glory.
9 Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants
are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the
enemy.
10 What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom and gotten
of her spoils?
11 All her ornaments are taken away; of a free woman she is become
a bondslave.
12 And, behold, our sanctuary, even our beauty and our glory,
is laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned it.
13 To what end therefore shall we live any longer?
14 Then
Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth,
and mourned very sore.
1st Lesson Questions -
Mattathias and his family rent their clothes (V. 14) because of what happened. When I look at the Church today, what's my response? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Acts 16:16-24
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel
possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her
masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men
are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the
way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned
and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ
to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was
gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace
unto the rulers,
20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being
Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive,
neither to observe, being Romans.
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates
rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them
into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner
prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
2nd Lesson Questions -
The girl's master's sin was greed. Is greed a catalyst for persecution of the Church in our day, too? RESOLVE.