Who Jesus Is

Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15
Devotions: Ps 16-18, 22; Jonah 3:1-4:11; Sirach 1:1-10, 18-27; Acts 27:27-28:16; Lk 9:18-36

YHWH, preserve me, as I take refuge in You! Vindicate me; let my eyes see what is right. Wondrously manifest Your steadfast love; keep me as the apple of Your eye, and hide me from predators that seek to destroy me. Whoever chooses another god multiplies his own sorrows; YHWH is my Portion and my Cup. I keep YHWH always before me; I will not be moved, and because He is with me, I am glad and my soul rejoices. I will wait upon God and be satisfied with my allotted portion. I am saved from my enemies as I call upon YHWH, Who is worthy to be praised. I have blessing in proportion to Jesus' righteousness. I can do all things with God's help. My God lives; blessed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation. I bow to circumstances, but await God's powerful deliverance. I will tell of His name to all my brothers and sisters; let all who fear YHWH praise Him and stand in awe of Him.

A second time, YHWH directed Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh—so Jonah did that. The city was three days' journey across; so he went a day's journey into the city and began to preach: 'Forty days from now, Nineveh will be overthrown!' The Ninevites believed God; they fasted in sackcloth, from the king to the least domestic animals! When God saw their thorough repentance, God repented of the evil He intended to do to them. This greatly displeased Jonah: 'Lord, isn't this just what I expected? I know You: gracious, merciful, abounding in steadfast love, unwilling to do evil. So, please, Lord, take my life—I'd rather die than live with this!' God questioned Jonah: 'Do you do well to be angry?' Jonah left the city and sat before its eastern side in a booth he builty for himself. He waited to see what what happen to the city. God provided a plant, a vine that grew up and shaded Jonah; the plant made Jonah very happy. At dawn the next day, however, God sent a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered as the desert sun rose and dry winds beat upon it. Jonah nearly passed out from the heat and dehydration. Again, Jonah pleaded to die. God questioned him, and Jonah persisted: 'I am angry enough to die!' YHWH reasoned with him: 'You feel sorry for the plant—but you neither worked to plant it or make it grow. It came up in a night, and perished the very next day. Why should I not pity Nineveh, where more than 120,000 people live, not to mention their domestic animals, and none know their right from their left?'

All wisdom comes from YHWH and is with Him forever. Wisdom created the complexity and wonders of nature—and none but God can plumb the roots of wisdom. There is One Who is wise, greatly to be feared, sitting upon His throne. He made wisdom and poured her out on all His works. Fearing YHWH is glory and exultation, gladness and a crown of rejoicing; those who properly fear YHWH will be bleassed, even on the day of their death. Fearing YHWH is the beginning of wisdom; she is foundational to human well-being, trusted by those whom God sustains. Wisdom rewards those who seek her, with prosperity and security as with discerning comprehension. Fearing God is the root of wisdom, and her branches are long life. Unrighteous anger is self-destructive, but patience endures and chooses its moments carefully. Wise sayings are treasures of wisdom; keep God's commands and YHWH will supply your every need. God delights in fidelity and humility, and rewards those who seek Him faithfully and humbly.

Paul and his shipmates had been adrift fourteen days and nights when the crew finally sensed they were approaching land. They sounded the waters, and confirmed that land was near. Fearing they would break up on the rocks, they let out four anchors. Paul warned the officers not to let the crew abandon ship, then urged all the company to take nourishment—276 people were on board. They cast the remaining stores overboard, and made a run for the beach. But the ship stuck on a shoal and the surf began to break the ship in pieces. The centurion ordered that those who could swim should make for the shore, and others should make their way by holding fast to pieces of the ship or planks. In this way, all made shore safely; there, they discovered that they were on the island of Malta. The Maltese welcomed the shipwrecked party and built a fire on the shore. A blustery rain come up. As Paul was gathering wood for the fire, a viper fastened on his hand. This made the natives think Paul was a terrible sinner who would soon puff up and die—but he shook off the poisonous snake into the fire, and showed no harmful effects. So the people reconsidered and decided he was divine. The estate of the chief resident of Malta, a man named Publius, was nearby, and he received the voyagers and entertained them for three days. Their host's father was sick with fever and dysentery, and Paul visited him, prayed for him and laid hands on him, and the man was healed. The other islanders who had diseases also caem and were healed. They presented Paul's party with many gifts, and after three months, they set sail again, aboard a ship of Alexandria, with Castor and Pollux as its figurehead. They put in for three days at Syracuse, then sailed to Rhegium, then another day to Puteoli, where Christians hosted them for seven days. 'And so we came to Rome,' Luke wrote, where Paul was ordered to stay by himself, guarded by a soldier.

After a time praying alone, Jesus approached His disciples and asked them, 'Who do the people say that I Am?' They answered, 'John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the other ancient prophets returned to life.' He said, 'But who do you say that I Am?' Peter answered, 'The Messiah of God.' But Jesus charged and commanded them to tell this to no one; He said, 'The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.' Then He said to them all, 'If any one would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. However loses his life for My sake will save it. It profits a person nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. Whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of that one the Son of man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here today who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.' About eight days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John and went up on a mountain to pray. As He prayed, His appearance was changed: His raiment became blazing white, and Moses and Elijah appeared, also in glory, and conferred with Jesus about His exodus, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and the others were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened, they saw Jesus in His glory and to thwo men who stood with Him. As Moses and Elijah were departing, Peter spoke: 'Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three booths: one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.' He didn't really know what he was saying. And as Peter spoke, a cloud overshadowed them, and they grew afraid. A Voice spoke from the cloud: 'This is My beloved Son, my Chosen. Listen to Him!' After the voice had spoken, they saw Jesus, all alone. The three witnesses kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.