Together in the Word: Day 18
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Psalm 27:1-6; 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 1:11-24
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023 | EPIPHANY
THURSDAY BEFORE THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
YEAR A
PSALM
Psalm 27:1–6
1The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
2When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
4One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple.
5For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
6And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.FIRST READING
1 Samuel 1:1–20
1Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there.
4When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;
5but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb.
6Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.
7It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
8Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
10She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
11She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
12Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.
13As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.
14Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”
15But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16“Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”
17Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.”
18She said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.
20It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”SECOND READING
Galatians 1:11–24
11For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it;
14and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.
15But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased
16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
18Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.
19But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
20(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.)
21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
22I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ;
23but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”
24And they were glorifying God because of me.Mat 6:9-13 NASB “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. (11) ‘Give us this day our daily bread. (12) ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (13) ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’