Day Two

[2 Kings 25:8-10 ESV] {8} In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month–that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon–Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. {9} And he burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. {10} And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

[2 Kings 25:22-26 ESV] {22} And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. {23} Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. {24} And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” {25} But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. {26} Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

[Leviticus 16:29, 31 ESV] {29} “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. … {31} It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.

[Psalm 35:13 ESV] {13} But I, when they were sick– I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

[Isaiah 58:1-12 ESV] {1} “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. {2} Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. {3} ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. {4} Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. {5} Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? {6} “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? {7} Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? {8} Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. {9} Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, {10} if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. {11} And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. {12} And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

[Joel 2:12-21 ESV] {12} “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; {13} and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. {14} Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? {15} Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; {16} gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. {17} Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” {18} Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. {19} The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. {20} “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. {21} “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!

[Daniel 9:1-22 ESV] {1} In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans– {2} in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. {3} Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. {4} I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, {5} we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. {6} We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. {7} To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. {8} To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. {9} To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him {10} and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. {11} All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. {12} He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. {13} As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. {14} Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. {15} And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. {16} “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. {17} Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. {18} O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. {19} O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” {20} While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, {21} while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. {22} He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.

[Matthew 6:1, 16-18 ESV] {1} “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. … {16} “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. {17} But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, {18} that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Day Three

[Jeremiah 11:1-11 ESV] {1} The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: {2} “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. {3} You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant {4} that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, {5} that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, LORD.” {6} And the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. {7} For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. {8} Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.” {9} Again the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. {10} They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. {11} Therefore, thus says the LORD, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.Isaiah 58

Day Five

[Zechariah 1:13-17 ESV] {13} And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. {14} So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. {15} And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. {16} Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. {17} Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'”

[Haggai 2:1-19 ESV] {1} In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: {2} “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, {3} ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? {4} Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, {5} according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. {6} For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. {7} And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. {8} The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. {9} The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'” {10} On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, {11} “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: {12} ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'” The priests answered and said, “No.” {13} Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” {14} Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. {15} Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD, {16} how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. {17} I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD. {18} Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider: {19} Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

[2 Kings 25:1-7 ESV] {1} And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. {2} So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. {3} On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. {4} Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. {5} But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. {6} Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. {7} They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

[Romans 11:1-36 ESV] {1} I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. {2} God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? {3} “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” {4} But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” {5} So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. {6} But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. {7} What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, {8} as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” {9} And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; {10} let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” {11} So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. {12} Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! {13} Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry {14} in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. {15} For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? {16} If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. {17} But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, {18} do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. {19} Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” {20} That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. {21} For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. {22} Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. {23} And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. {24} For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. {25} Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. {26} And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; {27} “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” {28} As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. {29} For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. {30} For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, {31} so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. {32} For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. {33} Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! {34} “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” {35} “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” {36} For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.