Today in the Word Devotional

Today In The Word
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Today in the Word is a daily audio devotional available via podcast. Today in the Word features solid biblical content and study that models the mission and values of Moody Bible Institute.

  1. 15h ago

    Feast of Firstfruits

    What was actually eaten at the first Thanksgiving? The colonists and Native Americans feasted on fresh venison; ducks, geese, and other fowl; and a kind of corn that they made into cornbread and porridge. Their “stuffing” was onions and nuts. They also ate cod, eel, lobster, and vegetables such as peas, beans, and squash. Sorry, no turkey, no mashed potatoes with gravy, no pumpkin pie. Like Thanksgiving, Israel’s Feast of Firstfruits was a harvest festival. It took place during what would be March or April on our calendar. “Firstfruits” is just what it sounds like: The earliest part of the harvest was to be offered to the Lord. Specifically, the priest would wave before God “a sheaf of the first grain” harvested (vv. 10–11). The act of waving signified honor and worship to the Lord, acknowledging Him as the source and provider of all blessings, including food. This wave offering was to be accompanied by a burnt offering of a lamb without defect (v. 12). Why? Again the main purpose was worship, but in this case it also signified substitutionary blood atonement for sin. Ideally, these were outward actions revealing the inward state of the worshipers’ hearts. The burnt offering was likewise accompanied by a grain offering and a drink offering (v. 13). These were not mere formalities but serious business. Not so much as a loaf of bread was to be eaten until these offerings had been made (v. 14)! God declared this and other feasts before Israel had even entered the promised land. Receiving the Law was therefore an act of faith by the people in God’s promises. “Firstfruits” is used in the New Testament to talk about resurrection. Christ is the “firstfruits” from among the dead, meaning that since He rose, we will in due time also rise (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Feast of Firstfruits

  2. 1d ago

    Reap What You Sow

    “Sow a thought, reap an action,” observes a classic adage. “Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a life.” The principle behind these words is one we all know: We reap what we sow (v. 7; Hos. 10:12–13). God put this principle in place as a general representation of justice or fairness. To act otherwise is to mock Him. This works in both positive and negative directions (v. 8). If we live to please the flesh (our sin nature), the result will be destruction or hell. If we live to please the Spirit, on the other hand, the result will be eternal life or heaven. We cannot do both, and there are no cases in which one way of life leads to the other outcome. Paul explains that is why we should keep doing the latter (good deeds to please the Holy Spirit) in order to reap the right kind of harvest (v. 9). Even if we’re not seeing immediate results, we can stick with this path in confidence that it will lead to the desired destination. Therefore—Paul stated—we should take every opportunity to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (v. 10). We need to be careful to see sowing and reaping as a general principle, not as an ironclad law by which God is bound. That’s how Job’s “comforters” erroneously saw it: If Job was suffering, he must have done something sinful to deserve it (Job 4:8). Nor does Paul in today’s reading promise that righteous choices will automatically lead to prosperity or comfort in this world. As he wrote elsewhere: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17). Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Reap What You Sow

  3. 2d ago

    An Agricultural Planner

    Master gardener Gregory Bratton has helped start nearly 100 urban farms across Chicago. For decades, he has worked to bring fresh vegetables to urban neighborhoods. Local volunteers are very willing to invest time in these gardens, especially when they and their communities benefit directly. We might not think of Joseph as an agricultural planner, but he was! In Genesis 41, Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams about seven years of plenty and seven of famine, and as a reward was made second-in-command over the entire land of Egypt. What did he do with that power? Followed his own recommendation to collect grain during the good years in preparation for the lean years. Joseph’s wise plans of setting aside a fifth of the harvest per year enabled him to collect all the money in Egypt for Pharaoh (v. 15); to collect all the livestock in Egypt for Pharaoh (v. 18); and to buy all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, except for that belonging to the priests (vv. 20–22). Talk about successful investing! There was no injustice or exploitation involved. His actions kept people alive not only in Egypt but throughout the ancient Near East (Gen. 50:20). The “servitude” (v. 21) was more than fair in that time and culture. In fact, Joseph seems to have been rather gracious, asking for only a fifth of the harvest-to-come when he distributed seeds, when he could have, since he had a monopoly, demanded it all (vv. 23–26). Joseph combined wise agricultural planning with wise rulership. If he had actually attempted harsher measures, he would likely have sparked bitterness and rebellion (see Prov. 18:23). Although Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery (Gen. 37), God’s plan for saving their lives ironically involved Joseph buying the entire Egyptian population as “debt-slaves.” Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    An Agricultural Planner

  4. 3d ago

    The First Farmer

    Our family enjoys going to the Art Institute of Chicago to appreciate great paintings and sculptures. In one gallery hangs Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930), an iconic representation of a farming couple. A dour-looking man grips his pitchfork, while a similarly unsmiling woman looks into the distance. The first farmer in the Bible, as you may know, was Cain. Technically, it was probably Adam and Eve, laboring obediently in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, but Cain is the first person specifically identified as a farmer. He “worked the soil” while his brother Abel cared for livestock (v. 2). When Cain brought an offering of the “fruits of the soil,” however, God “did not look with favor on it” (v. 5). Abel gave from the “firstborn” of his flocks (v. 4), which honored the Lord (Heb. 11:4). There’s no indication in the text that there was anything wrong with the content of Cain’s offering, which points to his attitude and lack of faith as the problem. This is confirmed by his angry response to Abel’s acceptance and his own rejection. He was so angry, in fact, that he was considering premeditated murder. No wonder the apostle John later wrote that Cain “belonged to the evil one” (1 John 3:12). God hadn’t punished Cain at that point, only rejected his offering. He also mercifully gave him a direct warning to resist the temptation he was contemplating (vv. 6–7). Cain murdered his brother anyway (v. 8). Part of God’s judgment evokes the curse on Adam: “When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you” (v. 12). When Cain and his descendants thus became wandering nomads, they, ironically, probably had to become shepherds to survive. Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The First Farmer

  5. 4d ago

    Curse of the Ground

    John Milton first published the Christian epic poem Paradise Lost in 1667. But while previous epic poems featured heroes and battles, this one focused on the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The battle was spiritual not physical—and our first parents lost it by sinning against God. Adam and Eve suffered the costs of their disobedient choice. Sin and death entered the world (Rom. 5:12), and they and the serpent (Satan) were cursed. Part of the curse, focusing on Adam, concerned work (vv. 17–19). The relationship with nature would no longer be harmonious. Even just to grow food to eat would require “painful toil.” Ironically, Adam would “work the ground from which he had been taken” (v. 23). He would struggle against thorns, thistles, and the ground itself. And at the end of the struggle waited death (see Gen. 2:16–17): “to dust you will return” (3:19). All hope was not lost, however. God remained graciously involved (vv. 21–24). He made Adam and Eve clothing from animal skins, much better than the fig leaf coverings they had made for themselves (Gen. 3:7). Then He exiled them from the Garden of Eden so that they would not eat from the tree of life and live forever in their sinful condition. Later, He ordained the birth of Noah, a “comfort” against the curse (Gen. 5:29) and the reason humanity survived the Flood. Even so, there were consequences. Adam and Eve lost a well-ordered and fulfilling relationship with nature and would from then on experience it mainly as conflict and struggle. Adam would spend most of his time in the fields working by the sweat of his brow in order to survive. All creation has in fact been groaning for redemption from then until now (Rom. 8:19–22). Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Curse of the Ground

  6. 5d ago

    The Creation Mandate

    A seventeenth-century German prince created a garden in which he collected all the shrubs and flowering plants known at that time from throughout the world. Then he commissioned a lavish illustrated book of them, titled Hortus Eystettensis(Garden of Eichstätt), using elaborate copper engravings. Published in 1613, it “was and is the greatest botanical picture book ever created.” The prince may not have known it, but his garden and picture book were merely tributes to God who had created all those plants and so much more. In this month’s study, we will consider literal and figurative images of agriculture in the Bible, including farming, seeds, cultivation, crops, and harvests. Human beings, created in the image of God, were given authoritative stewardship by and under Him over the created world, including the plant and animal kingdoms (vv. 26–27). As David wrote: “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet” (Ps. 8:6). This is called the “creation mandate,” which is summarized as a command: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (v. 28). Many commentators see this mandate as including the work and responsibility of cultivating creation until the whole earth became like the Garden of Eden—a mandate that we’re to finish during the Millennial Kingdom. The idea is that God created Eden as a model, and to “subdue” or “rule” meant to work on making the rest of the earth like this paradise. In imitation of God Himself, human beings were to care for that over which they ruled. God indicated that seed-bearing plants and trees would be sources of food for both humans and animals (vv. 29–30). Finally, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v. 31). Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The Creation Mandate

  7. 6d ago

    The People Repent

    Mob justice often becomes injustice. There is no judge, no jury, no presentation of evidence or a trial—just the accusation, the mob’s confidence in their own righteousness, and the punishment of perceived evil. At the close of the book of Ezra, we see a situation that could very easily have veered toward vigilantism. Instead, Ezra shows godly wisdom in laying out a plan to ensure just judgment. Responding to the decree in verses 7–8, “within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem” (v. 9). “All the people were sitting in the square before the house of God,” and all of them were “greatly distressed” (v. 9). Ezra stood to confront the crowd. He pulled no punches: “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt” (v. 10). Ezra then tells them what they must do: “Now honor the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives” (v. 11). This was a tall order that required radical obedience. But the people responded well: “You are right! We must do as you say” (v. 12). They asked for time to obey because of the poor weather and the extent of their sin. Ezra agreed and “selected men who were family heads” to investigate each case (v. 16). The book of Ezra ends with a list of people who had sinned. Imagine having your name and your sin memorialized in this way! It may feel like the book of Ezra ends unsatisfactorily. While we have witnessed God’s great acts on behalf of His people, the book closes with a list of sinners. Be reassured, however, that these are sinners who repent, so “there is still hope for Israel” (Ezra 10:2). Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The People Repent

  8. Sep 29

    The People Confess

    Have you ever heard the saying that God has no grandchildren? It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that we cannot depend on our Christian heritage for our salvation. We must personally trust in Jesus and turn from our sins. Ezra had confessed Israel’s sin to God. But that was not enough—the people responsible also needed to confess in order to be made right with God. In Ezra 10, we are told that the prophet had led the people faithfully. In verse 1 we see him “praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God.” During this time, a large crowd gathered around him including “men, women and children” (v. 1). The inclusion of women and children is significant and countercultural for the ancient world. Women and children would not typically be included in such a group, yet the Scripture makes clear that God’s salvation is open and available to all. A leader arose from the group, confessing their sin to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us” (v. 2). The people of Israel recognized their sin and confessed it in clear, plain language. There were no excuses, only a clear statement of the facts. As we’ve seen throughout the Bible, “there is still hope for Israel” (v. 2). Upon their confession, Ezra withdrew to seek the Lord and issued an order for all the people of Israel to “assemble in Jerusalem”; whoever failed to appear would “forfeit all his property” (vv. 7–8). This was a reminder that sin is serious, and the people must deal with it seriously. Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The People Confess
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Today in the Word is a daily audio devotional available via podcast. Today in the Word features solid biblical content and study that models the mission and values of Moody Bible Institute.

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