Daily Devotional
Hear His Voice Today
The genealogies of Benjamin remind us that God does not deal with a crowd in the abstract, but with households, names, fathers, sons, and generations. Therefore wisdom is not a matter for the idle mind only; it must be received, guarded, and handed on. Proverbs begins at the root: “The fear of the Lord, says he, is the beginning of wisdom.” If the fear of God is the beginning, then hardness of heart is the beginning of ruin.
Joel sounds the trumpet, and Hebrews explains why we must not delay. The day of the Lord is not a tale for disputing, but a summons to repent while the voice still speaks. Israel of old saw mighty works and yet provoked God in the wilderness. So also a baptized people may hear Christ and still fall through unbelief joined to disobedience. The Son is greater than Moses, for the house does not outrank its builder; therefore to refuse the Son is a heavier guilt than to resist the servant.
What then must be done? Not torn clothing with an untouched life, but true repentance. Cyprian sets Joel before us plainly: “Thus also He cries by Joel the prophet, and says, And now, thus says the Lord your God, Turn even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments…” This is wisdom: to fear God, to heed His voice today, to encourage one another before sin grows strong through deceit, and to persevere steadfastly to the end, that we may enter His rest.
“The fear of the Lord, says he, is the beginning of wisdom.”
— Tertullian, Ad Nationes
“Thus also He cries by Joel the prophet, and says, And now, thus says the Lord your God, Turn even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and ret”
— Cyprian, Epistles
For Reflection & Discussion
What act of repentance will you undertake today with your body as well as your lips: fasting, confession, restitution, or abandoning a practiced sin?
Whom will you exhort today so that neither of you is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, and what plain word of warning or counsel must you speak?
What instruction of the Lord will you hand on within your household today so that His fear and wisdom are not lost in your generation?
Start the One-Year Plan Today — Completely Free
Read or listen through the whole Bible in 365 days with audio that highlights every word, a progress calendar, streaks, friends — and a devotional like this one at the end of every day.