One Year Bible, January 17

GENESIS 35:1-36:43
It has been 10 years since Jacob returned from Padan-aram, and he hasn't been back to Bethel yet to pay the vow he made when he first fled from Esau. Now God commanded him to go back there. After Jacob built the altar at Bethel, God appeared to him and confirmed his name change from Jacob to "Israel", and again promised him the Land and the Seed. After leaving Bethel, on the road to Bethlehem, Rachel died in childbirth. Jacob named the baby "Benjamin" as a statement that the pain from the death of his favorite wife was compensated for by the son. "The Son of my Right Hand." What makes this passage interesting is that Vs. 20 says that "Jacob" put up a marker for Rachel's grave. In vs 21 "Israel" moved on from there. He was finally walking in his name-change/character transformation.

Jacob had left his father's house 30 years ago with nothing but a staff. He returns now with 12 sons and a new name. Jacob is now 108 years old and Isaac is 168. Isaac was alive to witness Jacob's grief at losing Joseph three years later, but already dead before Joseph was promoted in Egypt. Abraham and Isaac each had only one son of Promise, but Jacob has 12 sons. Twenty-six years from now Jacob traveled to Egypt with 70 souls. And 210 years after that, Israel left Egypt with 1 million 800 thousand souls.

Why is Genesis 36 even in the Bible? It is noteworthy that all of Esau/Edom's dukes ruled and then 8 kings in succession, all the while Israel was in bondage in Egypt, and had not had even one king yet. The lineage of Esau PROVES that the Messiah did NOT spring from Esau's line. It also shows the fulfillment of the promise made to Esau in Genesis 27:39-40.

RESPONSE:   Some of these people waited a long time to see the fulfillment of the promises God made them. Is that why Hebrews 6:12 says it takes "faith and patience" to inherit the promises? Then "patience" must be an aggressive virtue. It doesn't mean I can just sit around and wait. These people stayed busy, kept moving on. I know that when I am waiting, I have to remind myself of what God said. I have to quiet my heart and mind with Truth - that God is faithful. God cannot lie. God chose me and loves me, just because He loves me.

MATTHEW 12:1-21
Jesus did most of His miracles on the Sabbath. There are three obvious reasons: (1) He came to GIVE us rest (Mat 9:29-30) and Colossians 2:16-17 says the Sabbath is "a shadow of things to come" and our rest is thus, the fulfillment of the Sabbath. (2) Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, because Hebrews 3 and 4 tells us that Jesus IS our Sabbath rest. (3) Necessity and mercy both trump "law". The Sabbath was made for MAN, to serve man. Man is not made to serve the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

However, by going against religious tradition and claiming to BE the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus engendered the hatred of the Pharisees. They sought to DESTROY him. He hid, not because He was afraid, but to fulfill Isaiah 42:1-4, that the Kingdom of God is invisible, is counter culture in that Jesus is self-sacrificial, and He does not trample the weak. His strength and AUTHORITY (which is what Matthew is proving here in declaring Him to be Lord of the Sabbath) do not need to be "asserted".  His authority is REAL.

RESPONSE:  When I start making religious excuses for not being merciful, I am in trouble. God, don't let me "go there". We are in the everlasting Sabbath and that makes me joyful. "This is the day that the Lord has made." I think my mother said that every day of her "saved life".  I wrote it on my wall. "I will rejoice and be exceedingly glad in it."

PSALM 15:1-5
We can put this Psalm with Psalm 24 where it says, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place?" Here is says, "Who shall dwell in Thy Holy Hill?" I believe this is speaking of the interactive and manifest Presence of God with "the Man after God's Heart" (Acts 13:32). NOTICE: These are all character issues, and they are set opposed to Psalms 12 & 14:

Integrity vs corruption.
Tamed and restrained tongue vs saying whatever we want to.
Truth vs vanity
Justice and honor vs works of abomination.

PROVERBS 3:21-26
"Wisdom and discretion" must be important, that we should NEVER be without them. This is both the ability and the resolution to act by God's direction, or in the fear of God. This will give us inner satisfaction and be like outward adornment where others can see it. Not only that, but when we act with wisdom, we are confident in God in all circumstances of life.

RESPONSE:   I don't want to make Jesus look like a jerk. I quiet myself before God and ask for wisdom AGAIN. I want to be the one after God's heart. What I act in wisdom, I don't have to be afraid of anything. I tell myself, "Tongue, you don't have to say everything that comes to mind. You are restrained and tamed by the Holy Spirit. You don't have to talk at all!" That should do it.