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Ash Wednesday
The First
Lesson
Jonah 3-4
1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it
the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word
of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three
days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and
he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast,
and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least
of them.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his
throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth,
and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh
by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither
man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not
feed, nor drink water:
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily
unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and
from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from
his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil
way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would
do unto them; and he did it not.
1 But
it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD,
was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore
I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious
God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and
repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of
the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the
shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over
Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him
from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the Next
day,
and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared
a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah,
that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is
better for me to die than to live.
9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the
gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the
which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came
up in a night, and perished in a night:
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are
more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between
their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
1st Lesson Questions -
God had to tell Jonah twice to "go and do". How often have I ignored Gods' calling? What has He called to me to do, which I have, up to this day, ignored? Why was Jonah angry? (V. 4:1). Am I like him, at times? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Luke 15:10-32
10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me
the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto
them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together,
and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his
substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in
that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country;
and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that
the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants
of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with
hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one
of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet
a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and
ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes
on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us
eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost,
and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew
nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things
meant.
27 And
he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed
the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his
father out, and entreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years
do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:
and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with
my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured
thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all
that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this
thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is
found.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Have I given any angels joy this past week? (V. 10) What was the older son's sin? (Vs. 27-30) Who am I most like - the younger brother, older brother, or the father? RESOLVE.