March 25-31 is HOLY WEEK. Each day this week we will add an additional passage from the New Testament that walks us through what happened the week before Jesus was crucified.
Today’s Reading:
Read Judges 10:6. 10:11; 13:1- Judges Chosen to Rule Israel
Read Matthew 26:14-16
What’s a judge? Today, we know a judge makes official rulings in a courtroom. In the days of the Israelites, that’s not what a judge was. A judge was “a leader, especially one who served as a military leader” (Guthrie). As we read through the book of Judges, we will see that the Israelites do the same thing over and over again.
- They sin! They forget their covenant with God! They worship other gods.
- They have to deal with the consequences of that sin and they end up being handed over to their enemies!
- God steps into save them- usually through a judge who comes to help make things right.
Unfortunately, the judges did not always make things right. Sometimes, they made things worse and the pattern would continue. God could not bless the people because they were not being obedient and keeping their part of their covenant with Him. But, good news! God didn’t give up on the Israelites. He continued to be faithful, he continued to forgive, and He continued to show His love for His chosen people even though they were unfaithful. And He was faithful to keep his covenant; He would send Jesus to deliver them!
As we continue to read about what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem during the week before his crucifixion, today we come to the day known as “Spy Wednesday.” Want to know why? Keep reading!
Do you remember how many disciples Jesus chose? Jesus chose 12 men to be his disciples- they were his closest friends and his partners in ministry. They were special to Jesus. In our reading today, we read about one of those disciples, Judas Iscariot. Sadly, Judas agreed to be a spy and promised that he would betray Jesus. Judas met with the officials who were looking for Jesus and promised to hand Jesus over to them for 30 pieces of silver. Just like the Israelites we read about in Judges, Judas sinned- he forgot his promise to God and he worshiped other gods- he chose money over Jesus!
Application/Prayer:
Is there any area of your life where you are following the same pattern as the Israelites? Are you forgetting what God has asked you to do or how God has asked you to live? Spend some time talking about Judas’ choice to hand Jesus over to the government officials. Thank God for his forgiveness and his grace. Ask Him to help you to remember to live the life He has called you to live.
March Memory Verse:
He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
March memory verse coloring sheet