Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 13 January 2022
A quiet day here. Today is the day that the service picks up our trash, which is a good reminder of my need to get rid of some of the "junk" in my life and mind. A look at the calendar reminds me that we are nearly halfway through the month of January. Yay! But it also reminds me that on Saturday I'll be mindful that it would be my later mother's birthday. She passed in 2007, so there's no party scheduled. Reminds me that I'm now one of the "old folks", something I'd never expected. Probably she hadn't either. Makes one realize that so much of what we often consider terribly important isn't: it won't be remembered after we pass over Jordan. It is a good idea to adjust our priorities accordingly.
Genesis 25
1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah, 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. 6 And Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, but while he was still alive he sent them eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East.
Abraham’s Death
7 This is the length of Abraham’s life:[a] 175 years. 8 He took his last breath and died at a ripe old age, old and contented,[b] and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
Ishmael’s Family Records
12 These are the family records of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons; their names according to the family records are: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are Ishmael’s sons, and these are their names by their villages and encampments: 12 leaders[c] of their clans.[d] 17 This is the length[e] of Ishmael’s life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 And they[f] settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Asshur. He[g] lived in opposition to[h] all his brothers.
The Birth of Jacob and Esau
19 These are the family records of Isaac son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he took as his wife Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?”[i] So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her:
Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,and the older will serve the younger.
24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking,[j] covered with hair[k] like a fur coat, and they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob.[l] Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Birthright
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman,[m] but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.[n] 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. 30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom.[o]
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.
26
1 There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about;
3 stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed[a] by your offspring,
5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
Isaac’s Deception
7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say “my wife,” thinking, “The men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman.”
8 When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see[b] Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”
10 Then Abimelech said, “What is this you’ve done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”
11 So Abimelech warned all the people with these words: “Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly die.”
Conflicts over Wells
12 Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped[c] a hundred times what was sown. The Lord blessed him,
13 and the man became rich and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy.
14 He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.
15 The Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father’s slaves had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us, for you are much too powerful for us.”[d]
17 So Isaac left there, camped in the Valley of Gerar, and lived there.
18 Isaac reopened the water wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Then Isaac’s slaves dug in the valley and found a well of spring[e] water there.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Quarrel[f] because they quarreled with him.
21 Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also, so he named it Hostility.[g]
22 He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Open Spaces[h] and said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
The Lord Appears to Isaac
23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba,
24 and the Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of My servant Abraham.”
25 So he built an altar there, called on the name of Yahweh, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s slaves also dug a well there.
Covenant with Abimelech
26 Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you.”
28 They replied, “We have clearly seen how the Lord has been with you. We think there should be an oath between two parties—between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you:
29 You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have only done what was good to you, sending you away in peace. You are now blessed by the Lord.”
30 So he prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank.
31 They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other.[i] Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
32 On that same day Isaac’s slaves came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, “We have found water!”
33 He called it Sheba.[j] Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba[k] to this day.
Esau’s Wives
34 When Esau was 40 years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 They made life bitter[l] for Isaac and Rebekah.
Celebration of God’s Justice
For the choir director: according to Muth-labben.[a] A Davidic psalm.
1 I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;
I will declare all Your wonderful works.
2 I will rejoice and boast about You;
I will sing about Your name, Most High.
3 When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before You.
4 For You have upheld my just cause;[b]
You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations:
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have erased their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
You have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
He has established His throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
He executes judgment on the nations with fairness.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, Yahweh.
11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
proclaim His deeds among the nations.
12 For the One who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.
Lift me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may declare all Your praises.
I will rejoice in Your salvation
within the gates of Daughter Zion.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.
16 The Lord has revealed Himself;
He has executed justice,
striking down[c] the wicked[d]
by the work of their hands.
17 The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.
19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let man prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your presence.
20 Put terror in them, Lord;
let the nations know they are only men.
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
9
1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.
2 Just then some men[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”
4 But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b]
5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
6 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
7 And he got up and went home.
8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[c][d] and gave glory to God who had given such authority to men.
The Call of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.
10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat[e] with Jesus and His disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.
13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.[f] For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[g]
A Question about Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests[h] be sad while the groom is with them? The time[i] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.
17 And no one puts[j] new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
18 As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders[k] came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death,[l] but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 So Jesus and His disciples got up and followed him.
20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe,
21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!”[m]
22 But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.”[n] And the woman was made well from that moment.[o]
23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.
24 “Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they started laughing at Him.
25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
26 And this news spread throughout that whole area.
Healing the Blind
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!”
30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!”[p]
31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.
Driving Out a Demon
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him.
33 When the demon had been driven out, the man[q] spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!”
The Lord of the Harvest
35 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every[r] disease and every sickness.[s]
36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.
38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
You are free to comment.
I am free to moderate, and I do. Profane, lewd, and unlawful comments will be sent to the Great Beyond, never to be seen again. I reserve all rights to do so for any and all reasons and whims.