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Daily Light's Evening Reading
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. (Or, change strength.)—ISA. 40:31.
When I am weak, then am I strong.—God shall be my strength.—He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—Let him take hold of my strength.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.—The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.
I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.—Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
II Cor. 12:10. -Isa. 49:5. -II Cor. 12:9. -Isa. 27:5.Psa. 55:22. -Gen. 49:24.Gen. 32:26.I Sam. 17:45. -Psa. 35:1,2.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“Evening wolves.”
Habakkuk 1:8
While preparing the present volume, this particular expression recurred to me so frequently, that in order to be rid of its constant importunity I determined to give a page to it. The evening wolf, infuriated by a day of hunger, was fiercer and more ravenous than he would have been in the morning. May not the furious creature represent our doubts and fears after a day of distraction of mind, losses in business, and perhaps ungenerous tauntings from our fellow men? How our thoughts howl in our ears, “Where is now thy God?” How voracious and greedy they are, swallowing up all suggestions of comfort, and remaining as hungry as before. Great Shepherd, slay these evening wolves, and bid thy sheep lie down in green pastures, undisturbed by insatiable unbelief. How like are the fiends of hell to evening wolves, for when the flock of Christ are in a cloudy and dark day, and their sun seems going down, they hasten to tear and to devour. They will scarcely attack the Christian in the daylight of faith, but in the gloom of soul conflict they fall upon him. O thou who hast laid down thy life for the sheep, preserve them from the fangs of the wolf.
False teachers who craftily and industriously hunt for the precious life, devouring men by their false-hoods, are as dangerous and detestable as evening wolves. Darkness is their element, deceit is their character, destruction is their end. We are most in danger from them when they wear the sheep’s skin. Blessed is he who is kept from them, for thousands are made the prey of grievous wolves that enter within the fold of the church.
What a wonder of grace it is when fierce persecutors are converted, for then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and men of cruel ungovernable dispositions become gentle and teachable. O Lord, convert many such: for such we will pray tonight.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Judges 7
7. Gideon Defeats Midianites
Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites
7
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’3Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’ ” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”5So he brought the troops down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.”6The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water.7Then the Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.”8So he took the jars of the troops from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand.10But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah;11and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.” Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp.12The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore.13When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, “I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.”14And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.”
15 When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Get up; for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hand.”16After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars,17he said to them, “Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.18When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”
19 So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.20So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”21Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled.22When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.23And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites.
24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.25They captured the two captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the wine press of Zeeb, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
New Testament in Four Years - Galatians 4:12-16
4. Concern for the Galatians
12 Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong.13You know that it was because of a physical infirmity that I first announced the gospel to you;14though my condition put you to the test, you did not scorn or despise me, but welcomed me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.15What has become of the goodwill you felt? For I testify that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Psalm a Day - Psalm 48
48. Psalm 48
Psalm 48
The Glory and Strength of Zion
A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.
1
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,2beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3
Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
4
Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6
trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
7
as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8
As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever.Selah
9
We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10
Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11
Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
12
Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13
consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.