Scripture: “After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.’ ‘Is that so?’ retorted Pharaoh. ‘And who is the Lord? Why should I
Scripture: “When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ‘Get up!’ the angel said. ‘Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and returned to the land of
The people of Israel had been exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem and the extreme heartache over the situation was detailed in Lamentations. The prophet described how God had turned against the people for their wickedness. Out of desperation, he said that everything that he had hoped for from the Lord was lost. As the prophet detailed how the people had been treated, it affected his prospect of God. He was experiencing insurmountable loss that brought tears and sadness. Grieving over what was loss for the people of Israel was the only way he could process the situation. His expectations of what God would do had not been met. Even so, he turned his attention back to God and reminded himself that God’s mercy was available each and every day, no matter what the days, weeks, or years had lacked…
Scripture: “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God