Daily Devotion for 30 March 2026 (Monday in Holy Week)

Welcome to the Daily Devotions Podcast from Confident Faith.

I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith, and I will be your reader today.

This Monday and Holy Week, the 30th of March, in the year of our Lord, 2026, in the time

of Easter.

There are no feasts, festivals, or commemorations on the calendar today.

Our readings for today are Psalm 35, Psalm 71, Psalm 143, Exodus 9, verses 1-28.

Hebrews chapter 2, verses 1-18, and paragraphs 1-6 of Article 5 of the Solid Declaration

of the Formula of Concord.

We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer.

Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 35th Psalm.

Render judgment, O Lord, on those who do me wrong.

Fight against those who fight against me.

Take hold of circular shield and oblong shield, and rise up to help me.

Extend a sword and block against my pursuers.

Say to my soul, I am your deliverance.

Let them be ashamed and embarrassed to seek my soul.

Let them be turned back rearwards, and be put to shame who devise evil against me.

Let them be like dust in front of the wind, and an angel of the Lord driving them on.

Let their way be darkness and slipperiness, and an angel of the Lord pursuing them.

Because without reason they hid from me their snare's destruction, without cause they

cast reproach on my soul.

Let the snare he does not recognize come upon him, and let the chase which he concealed

catch him, and in the snare he shall fallen it.

And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord.

It will delight in his deliverance.

All my bones shall say, O Lord who is like you, in rescuing the poor from the hand of those

too hard for him, both poor and needy from those who dispoil him.

When unjust witnesses rose up, they kept asking me about what I was not familiar with.

They would repay me evil for good, and my soul with barrenness.

And as for me when they troubled me, I would put on sackcloth and would humble my soul

with fasting, and my prayer shall return into my lap, like a fellow like a brother of

ours, so I would please them, as one grieving in sad, so I would humble myself.

And against me they were glad and gathered together.

Scourges gathered together against me, and I did not know.

They were split apart and were not stunned.

They tried me, they mocked me with mocking.

They nashed their teeth at me.

O Lord when will you take a look, restore my soul from their ravages, from lions my only

one.

I will acknowledge you in a large assembly, among a burden some people I will praise you.

May those who unjustly are my enemies not be happy over me.

Those who hate me without cause and wink with the eyes.

Because as they were speaking peace to me, they were also devising treachery and wrath.

And they widened their mouth against me.

They said, good, good, our eyes saw.

You saw, O Lord, do not pass by in silence, O Lord, do not be far from me.

Wake up and pay attention to my trial.

My God and my Lord to my cause vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness.

And may they not be happy over me.

May they not say in their hearts, good for our soul.

Or may they say we swallowed him up.

May those who are happy at my calamities be both shamed and embarrassed.

Let those who brag against me be clothed with shame and embarrassment.

May those who want my vindication rejoice and be glad.

And let those who want the peace of his slaves say ever more, let the Lord be magnified.

And my tongue shall declaim your righteousness all day long, your commendation.

Glory be to the Father.

Glory be to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forevermore, amen.

Today's second reading from the Psalter is the 71st Psalm.

O God in you, I hoped may I never be put to shame.

In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me, incline your ear to me and save me, beat

to me a protector, God, and a strong place to save me, because you are my firmness and

my refuge.

O my God, rescue me from a sinner's hand, from the hand of transgressor of the law and

wrong-doer, because you are my endurance, O Lord.

The Lord is my hope from my youth.

Upon you I leaned from my birth, from my mother's belly it was you who sheltered me.

Of you is my him singing continually.

Like a portant to many I became, and you are a strong helper.

Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing a hymn to your glory.

All day long to your magnificence.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age, when my strength fails do not forsake me, because

my enemies spoke with reference to me, and those who watch for my soul consulted together.

Saying God abandoned him, pursue and seize him, because there is no one to rescue.

O God, do not be far from me, O my God, attend to helping me.

Let those that slander my soul be put to shame and let them expire.

Let those who seek to hurt me be covered with shame and embarrassment.

But as for me I will hope continually, and will add to all your praise.

My mouth will proclaim your righteousness, all day long your deliverance, because I do

not know scribal art.

I will enter in the Lord's dominance, O Lord, I will recall righteousness of you alone.

O God, you taught me from my youth, and I will still proclaim your wondrous deeds, and

to old age in advanced years.

O God, do not abandon me, until I proclaim your arm to every generation to come, your dominance

and your righteousness.

O God, what magnificent things you did are the highest heights.

O God, who is like you, what afflictions many in bad did you show me, and having turned

you revived me, and from the depths of the earth you brought me up again.

You made your greatness increase, and having turned you comforted me.

Indeed I will acknowledge your truth to you, with the use of a melody, O God.

I will make music to you with the lyre, O holy one of Israel.

My lips will rejoice when I make music to you, my soul also which you redeemed.

Furthermore, all day long, my tongue will contemplate your righteousness, when those who

seek to hurt me are put to shame and embarrassment.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forevermore.

Amen.

Today's third reading from the Psalter is the 143rd Psalm.

O Lord, listen to my prayer.

Give ear to my petition in your truth.

Harken to me in your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with your slave,

because no one living will be counted righteous before you.

Because the enemy pursued my soul.

He humbled my life to the ground.

He made me sit in dark places like those long dead, and my spirit became weary.

Within me my heart was troubled.

I remembered days of old, and I meditated on all your deeds.

On works of your hands I would meditate.

I spread out my hands to you, my soul was like a parched land.

Listen to me quickly, O Lord, my spirit failed.

Do not turn your face from me, and I shall be like those who go down into a pit.

Make me hear your mercy in the morning, because in you I hoped.

Make known to me, O Lord, a way in which I should go, because to you I lifted up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, I fled to you for refuge.

Teach me that I do your will, because you are my God.

Your good spirit will guide me on level ground.

For your name's sake, O Lord, you will quicken me.

In your righteousness you will bring my soul out of affliction,

and in your mercy you will destroy my enemies,

and ruin all who afflict my soul, because your slave I am.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen.

Today's Old Testament reading comes from the book of Exodus,

and we will be reading the Ninth chapter, verses 1-28.

Then the Lord said to Moses,

go into Pharaoh, and you shall say to him,

this is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrew, says,

send away my people so that they may serve me.

Yet if you were unwilling to send away my people,

but still hold on to them,

look, the hand of the Lord will be on your animals on the plains,

both on the horses and on the draft animals,

and on the camels and cattle and sheep, a very great death,

and I will distinguish gloriously between the animals of the Egyptians

and between the animals of the sons of Israel,

not a thing from all the sons of Israel shall die.

And God gave a limit, saying,

tomorrow the Lord will do this thing on the land,

and the Lord did this thing on the next day,

and all the Egyptians' animals died,

but from the animals of the sons of Israel nothing died.

But when Pharaoh saw that nothing from the animals

of the sons of Israel died,

Pharaoh's heart became heavy,

and he did not send away the people.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

you take handfuls of furnace soot,

and let Moses scatter it toward heaven before Pharaoh

and before his attendance,

and let it become a dust cloud over all the land of Egypt,

and there shall be upon animals in quadrupeds festering sores,

oozing blisters, both on humans and on quadrupeds,

and in all the land of Egypt.

And he took the furnace soot before Pharaoh,

and Moses scattered it toward heaven,

and festering sores oozing blisters occurred

both on animals and on quadrupeds,

and the magicians were unable to stand before Moses

because of the festering sores,

for the festering sores occurred on the magicians,

and in the whole land of Egypt.

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart,

and he did not listen to them,

according as the Lord instructed Moses.

Then the Lord said to Moses,

rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh,

and you shall say to him,

this is what the Lord says, the God of the Hebrews,

send away my people so that they may serve me,

for at the present time I am sending out all my encounters

into the heart of you and your attendance in your people,

so that you may know that there is no other like me in all the land.

For if now I sent my hand,

I would strike you in your people with death,

and you would be destroyed from the land,

and for this reason you have been spared

in order that I might display in you my power,

and in order that my name might be proclaimed in all the land.

Still then you hold on to my people,

so as not to send them away.

Look, I am about to reign at this hour tomorrow,

very abundant hail,

such as as not occurred in Egypt from the day

which it was founded until this day.

Now therefore hurry to gather your animals

and whatever belongs to you on the plane,

for all the humans and animals,

whatever should be found on the planes

and should not enter into a dwelling,

but the hail should fall upon them shall die.

The one among Pharaoh's attendants

who feared the word of the Lord gathered his animals into dwellings,

but whoever did not pay attention with his mind to the word of the Lord

left the animals on the plane.

Then the Lord said to Moses,

stretch out your hand toward heaven,

and there shall be hail on the whole land of Egypt,

both on humans and animals,

and on all herbage which is on the land.

Then Moses stretched out the hand towards heaven,

and the Lord gave sounds and hail,

and fire ran about on the land,

and the Lord reigned hail on the whole land of Egypt.

Now there was hail and fire flashing in the hail,

now the hail was very very abundant,

such as it not occurred in Egypt

from the time when a people had come into being upon it.

Then hail struck in all the land of Egypt

from human to animal,

and all herbage on the plane the hail struck,

and all the trees on the planes the hail crushed.

Only in the land Geshem were the sons of Israel were,

the hail did not occur.

Then Pharaoh sent in some in Moses and Aaron and said to them,

now I have sinned, the Lord is just,

but I and my people are impious.

Therefore pray for me to the Lord,

and let him put a stop to God's sounds and hail and fire,

and I will send you away,

and you will no longer continue to stay.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Hebrews,

and we will be reading the second chapter,

verses 1 through 18.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard,

lest we drift away from it,

for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable,

and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord,

and it was attested to us by those who heard,

while God also bore witness by signs and wonders,

and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit

distributed according to His will.

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,

of which we are speaking.

It has been testified somewhere,

what is man that you are mindful of Him,

or the Son of man that you care for Him.

You made Him for a little while lower than the angels.

You have crowned Him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under His feet.

Now in putting everything in subjection to Him,

He left nothing outside His control.

At present we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him,

but we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,

namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor

because of the suffering of death,

so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist,

in bringing many sons to glory,

should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

For He who sanctifies in those who are sanctified,

all have one source.

That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

I will tell of your name to my brothers,

in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.

And again I will put my trust in Him,

and again behold I in the children God has given me.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,

He Himself likewise partook of the same things,

that through death He might destroy the one

who has the power of death that is the devil,

and deliver all those who through fear of death

were subject to life-long slavery.

For surely it is not angels that He helps,

but He helps the offspring of Abraham.

Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect,

so that He might become a merciful

and faithful high priest in the service of God,

to make propitiation for the sins of the people,

for because He Himself has suffered when tempted,

He is able to help those who are being tempted.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Today's reading from the book of Concorde

comes from the solid declaration of the formula of Concorde,

and we will be reading Article 5,

paragraphs 1 through 6.

Article 5, the law and the gospel.

The distinction between the law and the gospel

is a particularly brilliant light.

It serves the purpose of rightly dividing God's word,

and properly explaining and understanding the scriptures

of the Holy prophets and apostles.

We must guard this distinction with special care,

so that these two doctrines may not be mixed with each other,

or a law be made out of the gospel.

When that happens, Christ merit is hidden,

and troubled consciences are robbed of comfort,

which they otherwise have in the Holy Gospel,

when it is preached genuinely and purely.

For by the gospel they can support themselves

in their most difficult trials against the law's terrors.

In this matter, a disagreement has occurred

among some theologians of the Augsburg confession.

One side asserted that the gospel is properly not only

a preaching of grace, but is at the same time,

also a preaching of repentance,

which rebukes the greatest sin, unbelief.

The other side held and argued that the gospel

is not properly a preaching of repentance or rebuke.

That properly belongs to God's law,

which approves all sins, including unbelief.

The gospel is properly a preaching of God's grace

and favor for Christ's sake.

Through the gospel, the unbelief of the converted,

which previously dwelt in them, and which God's law

approved, is partened and forgiven.

Clarification of terms.

When we see this disagreement clearly,

we note that it has been caused chiefly by this.

The term gospel is not always used and understood

in one in the same sense.

It is used in two ways in the Holy Scriptures,

and also by ancient and modern church teachers.

Sometimes it is used to mean the entire doctrine of Christ,

our Lord, which he proclaimed in his ministry on earth,

and commanded to be proclaimed in the New Testament.

Therefore, this includes the explanation of the law

and the proclamation of the favor and grace of God, his Heavenly Father.

For it is written, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

the Son of God, Mark 1.1.

Shortly afterward, the chief points are stated,

repentance and forgiveness of sins.

So when Christ, after his resurrection,

commanded the apostles to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,

Mark 16.15, he compressed the sum of this doctrine into a few words.

He also said, thus it is written that the Christ

should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins

should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.

Luke 24.46-47.

Paul II calls his entire doctrine the gospel, Acts 2021.

He summarizes this doctrine under two points,

repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this sense, the general definition of the word gospel

when used in a wide sense and without the proper distinction

between the law and the gospel is correctly said

to be a preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

For John, Christ and the apostles began their preaching

with repentance and explained and taught not only

the gracious promise of the forgiveness of sins,

but also God's law.

Furthermore, the term gospel is used in another way.

In its proper sense, gospel does not mean the preaching of repentance,

but only the preaching of God's grace.

This follows directly after the preaching of repentance,

as Christ says, repent and believe in the gospel.

Mark 115.

This concludes our reading from the book of Concord.

I now invite all of you to join me in reciting the Lord's Prayer,

one of the most ancient prayers of the Church.

I do encourage you to say it aloud if you are somewhere

it would be reasonable to do so,

but praying it silently is, of course, also fine.

The Lord knows what is in your heart.

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

in whatever calling has been given you,

or tasks set before you.

Until tomorrow, God be with you.

Amen.

Amen.