Day 1 (Monday)
Judges 4:1-24 (Deborah & Barak)
Last time we saw a summary of what happened with the children of Israel after the death of Joshua and the others of his generation, and how the people strayed from the Lord and worshipped other gods, and practiced their evil deeds, and how the Lord gave them over to the domination of the peoples of Canaan, until they repented, at which point He sent them judges to lead them and to bring them deliverance. We can see from the beginning of the passage below that there have already been a few of these judges, and that the cycle is continuing as described; this time, we see something unusual, as the judge who leads Israel at this time is a woman!
Deborah and Barak
4 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.
4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him. 15 And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, 16 while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.
17 Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.
20 He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died. 22 Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that this Barak, although he is granted the victory, is not really the example of faithful trust in God that we would like to see. He seems rather to be an exemplar of the sort of problems that we are hearing about throughout this portion of the Bible; despite God’s mercies to His people, despite His wonders, they actively doubt His faithfulness, and are hesitant to put themselves out there and obey His commandments. It is worth reflecting on what sort of example Barak sets for us, and what sort of example Deborah and Jael set for us, and what it looks like for us to entrust ourselves to the Lord in a more faithful manner.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Saint Theophan the Recluse – The Path of Prayer – Sermon 2-3
Last time, St. Theophan observed that many people approach prayer as a limited discipline, reserved only for the morning or evening, and that as a result, even if they are granted some warmth or fervor or softness of heart in their morning prayers, they then allow that grace to be extinguished by the many other cares that they encounter throughout the rest of the day. Theophan does not believe that this is inevitable or necessary, and urges that we should actually turn our life toward the Lord at all times of day, and not just in the morning and evening.
Mental Prayer – 3
To achieve this, it is necessary to begin – as often as possible during the day – by calling out to God from the heart in short words, according to one’s needs and in ways appropriate to the events around you.
For example, whenever you begin something, say: “O Lord, bless us.” On completing a task, say: “Glory be to Thee, O Lord.” And do not only say these things with the tongue, but from the heart, with real feeling.
When passions rise in you, say: “Save me, Lord, or I perish.” When the darkness of confusing thoughts begins to overcome you, call out: “Lead my soul out of imprisonment.”
If you are attracted to an action that seems wrong, pray that He: “Direct me back to the path, O Lord,” or “do not let my steps be confused.”
If sins oppress you and plunge you into despair, call out with the voice of the publican: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner…” Act in this way in every situation. Or you can simply say, as often as possible: “Lord have mercy.” “Holy Mother of God, have mercy on me.” “God’s angel, my holy guardian, protect me.” Or make your appeal in other similar words. But do this as often as possible, always trying in every way to be sure that each appeal comes from the heart, just as if it was actually squeezed from it. If you do this, you will frequently manage to consciously raise your heart to God, you will frequently turn to Him, you will pray frequently … and this persistent repetition will end by forming in you the habit of conscious conversation with God.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should encourage a further discussion of what sort of circumstances we might face in the course of a normal day, and how we might turn our hearts and minds and lives toward the Lord in those moment…both what sort of words we might say, and what sort of feelings we might direct toward God, so that our prayers throughout the day may be genuine, truly from the heart.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
Matthew 22:15-46 (Jesus Humbles Pharisees & Sadducees)
Last time we saw Jesus speak to the high priests and the Pharisees with three parables that showed forth their rejection of Him, and urged them to lay aside their stubbornness and hardness of heart: the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked tenants, and the parable of the wedding banquet. Their response was rather to seek another path toward regaining the upper hand, as we will see here as they try to get Him in trouble with the Romans.
The Question about Paying Taxes
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
The Question about the Resurrection
23 The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. 26 The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman herself died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”
29 Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The Question about David’s Son
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that the terms of the conversation have changed. Last time, Jesus was preaching TO the high priests and the Pharisees, and they heard Him and rejected Him. This time, they are coming to Him, pretending to treat Him with respect, but trying rather to trap Him, either to bring the anger of the Romans down on Him, or to make Him look foolish in front of the people. In all cases, this backfires, and then, at the end, He addresses the Pharisees once again, showing them how their reasoning about the Messiah is faulty, and how they should actually be expecting a Messiah Who is both the Son of David and also greater than David. They are unable to refute Him…but they are not convinced by Him either.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?