2009,2011
Genesis 28:1-29:35
(1)"Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac"(vs 28:8) Esau had already seen his twin brother, Jacob, rob him of his birthright by boldly deceiving their father, elderly blind Isaac (Gen 27:18-29). Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him (27:41). So now Esau who already had wives (implicitly Canaanite wives) goes to Ishmael to get a wife, Mahalath (28:9). I'm wondering how this sets the stage for later when Ishmael meets Jacob returning with his wives, maid-servants and 12 sons (in Gen 33).
(2) Beginnings. I don't recall where I learned about this aspect of sibling rivalry and I must be careful not to dismiss the significance merely because it has historically been an over-worked theme in some areas of secular psychology (e.g. Adeler's model based upon birth order). Yet here in this section is given the rivalries between:
(1)Jacob(2)Esau
(3)Rachel
(4)Leah
which will eventually culminate in the jealousy of Israel's sons toward Joseph when Genesis closes with the death of Joseph who then was "embalmed...placed in a coffin in Egypt". We are indeed "each after its own kind".
(3)"Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending & descending on it" (28:12). Here is the great passage where Jacob wakes up from this "dream" in which God has told him:
I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west...east...north...south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."Jacob awakes and thinks:
"Surely the LORD is in this place & I was not aware of it"He was afraid and said "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
Matthew 9:18-38
(1)This passage is so rich for me. When I first began reading Scriptures daily in the University of Maryland Engineering library I started in Matthew. Coming to Matthew fresh, without presumption and only to learn from it, I remember the impression of Jesus seeking faith in the crowds; faith in him. Somehow he wanted to know if people first believed in him before he healed or raised the dead or cast out an evil spirit.
(a)The ruler pleading for his dead daughter: "put your hand on her, and she will live" (9:18)
(b)the bleeding woman: "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
(c)the flute players & the noisy crowd: "they laughed at him" & so the crowd was put outside
(d)the two blind men: "Have mercy on us Son of David"; "Do you believe I am able to do this?"; "Yes, Lord," they replied; "According to your faith it will be done to you"
The series ends with a demoniac being exorcised & the Pharisees declaring "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."
(2)"When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them, because they were harassed & helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."(9:36) I remember reading this after spending months evangelizing (not continuously) when I came to realize through this verse that Christ first felt compassion for the people for which he told his disciples:
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field"Earlier tonight my family & I were in a typical shopping mall - I like shopping malls about as much as I like Wal-Mart. I caught myself mocking the teenagers wearing sunglasses (indoors at night); boys with pants slung low revealing dark underwear; "Big night at the mall!" I told my wife. How quickly I forget they are targets of "Big Business" (which ironically so many of them excoriate when identified as "Big Oil"...but never as the Cable Industry, the Recording Industry, the Entertainment Industry or the Clothing Industry...who harass these vulnerable young people with barrages of advertisement promising so much). No wonder I don't talk with them let alone try to find some way to show them Christ. I must love them.
Psalm 11:1-7
(1)"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (vs 3). Remember: "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examines them." and "upright men will see his face".
Proverbs 3:11-12
(1)"My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline...the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." Can I remind myself discipline to see a loving father's care? How can I learn to recognize "discipline"?
Years Read
2009, 2011, 2025
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