Saturday, January 28th
www.moravian.org/daily_texts/
Readings for Today:
Psalm 18:7-15
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm18&version=NIV
Genesis 28:10-29:14
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis27&version=NIV
Matthew 10:26-42
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew10&version=NIV
Psalm 18:7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
As David cries out to the Lord, he describes the Lord’s response. As his prayer rises as incense to the holy temple, God’s answer shakes the earth, as He comes down on earth to intercede. All of the elements that showed the power of the Almighty emerge such as: the dark clouds, the brightness of His presence, hailstones, bolts of thunder and the lightning that routes the enemy. At God’s very word, David’s oppressors are scattered along with all of Creation.
We often don’t stop to think of the sheer power of our prayer as the Almighty One is moved to answer our cries and heaven itself is opened up. As lift up your prayers today, remember to lift up the praises to the One who is all powerful and made the mountains, valleys, ocean and sea.
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
Genesis 28:1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied. 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
As Jacob takes his journey to his father and grandfather’s homeland to find a wife, he has a powerful dream in which he sees a ladder or stairway to heaven with angels coming up and down out of heaven. In his dream, the Lord is at the top of the ladder and promises the ground he is lying on to him and descendants to honor the Covenant he made with Abraham.
In the morning, Jacob takes the stone he was lying on (that must have been comfortable) and erects and altar, and then makes a vow to the Lord that the Lord will be His God. The stone would be a reminder of the Covenant, and also Jacob would give God a tenth of all he had. Remember Abraham had given a tenth of the spoils of war to the King Melchizedek. And the place was called “Bethel”, which means house of God. We can begin to see the transformation of Jacob, as he goes from deceiving to get the blessing, to responding in faith to God.
Then, in the reading above, we see the confidence with which Jacob has as God’s covenant son, as he meets Rachel much in the same way as Issac met Rebekah. Along comes old Uncle Laban, who recognizes his sister’s son, and realizes this is his own flesh and blood. When Jacob meets Rachel he kisses her (quite a first date), perhaps remembering the story his dad, Issac had told him of how he met Rebekah. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Matthew10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Jesus continues to teach the disciples on the cost of following him. These are challenging verses for sure. As Jesus brings this challenge, he first reminds them of their identity as sons of God. If God takes care of the sparrows, how much more will he protect them? Even the very number of hairs of their heads are known by the Father.
But then he reminds them that he did not come to bring peace but a sword, and that following him may even mean putting their relationship with Him above family. Does this mean Jesus is anti-family? Absolutely not, Jesus honored his family in obedience to the 4th commandment until the end. But he also realized that sometimes families would be divided over him, as they still are today. The main point I believe is that we are to honor God above all else. Part of that means to honor our father and mother, and yet if our family is asking us to do something that would dishonor God, then we need to follow God first.
Finally, Jesus gives them a huge promise as they go out to do what he did. He tells them that the treatment they receive will be rewarded exactly as if it were him. Meaning anyone who welcomed them would be like welcoming him. Since they were representing Him in His authority and power in obedience to His call, anyone who would welcome them would be welcomed and rewarded as if they were receiving Jesus.
This gives new meaning to anything we do in Jesus’ name, and reminds us that all we do we do as an ambassador of the King. This is quite a high calling don’t you think??!!
Divine teacher, just as you are the truth and the life, you are also the way. Teach us to walk in your path. We desire to reflect your image. Guide us so we will encounter you within our souls. Amen.
Readings for Today:
Psalm 18:7-15
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm18&version=NIV
Genesis 28:10-29:14
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis27&version=NIV
Matthew 10:26-42
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew10&version=NIV
Psalm 18:7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
As David cries out to the Lord, he describes the Lord’s response. As his prayer rises as incense to the holy temple, God’s answer shakes the earth, as He comes down on earth to intercede. All of the elements that showed the power of the Almighty emerge such as: the dark clouds, the brightness of His presence, hailstones, bolts of thunder and the lightning that routes the enemy. At God’s very word, David’s oppressors are scattered along with all of Creation.
We often don’t stop to think of the sheer power of our prayer as the Almighty One is moved to answer our cries and heaven itself is opened up. As lift up your prayers today, remember to lift up the praises to the One who is all powerful and made the mountains, valleys, ocean and sea.
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
Genesis 28:1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied. 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
As Jacob takes his journey to his father and grandfather’s homeland to find a wife, he has a powerful dream in which he sees a ladder or stairway to heaven with angels coming up and down out of heaven. In his dream, the Lord is at the top of the ladder and promises the ground he is lying on to him and descendants to honor the Covenant he made with Abraham.
In the morning, Jacob takes the stone he was lying on (that must have been comfortable) and erects and altar, and then makes a vow to the Lord that the Lord will be His God. The stone would be a reminder of the Covenant, and also Jacob would give God a tenth of all he had. Remember Abraham had given a tenth of the spoils of war to the King Melchizedek. And the place was called “Bethel”, which means house of God. We can begin to see the transformation of Jacob, as he goes from deceiving to get the blessing, to responding in faith to God.
Then, in the reading above, we see the confidence with which Jacob has as God’s covenant son, as he meets Rachel much in the same way as Issac met Rebekah. Along comes old Uncle Laban, who recognizes his sister’s son, and realizes this is his own flesh and blood. When Jacob meets Rachel he kisses her (quite a first date), perhaps remembering the story his dad, Issac had told him of how he met Rebekah. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Matthew10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Jesus continues to teach the disciples on the cost of following him. These are challenging verses for sure. As Jesus brings this challenge, he first reminds them of their identity as sons of God. If God takes care of the sparrows, how much more will he protect them? Even the very number of hairs of their heads are known by the Father.
But then he reminds them that he did not come to bring peace but a sword, and that following him may even mean putting their relationship with Him above family. Does this mean Jesus is anti-family? Absolutely not, Jesus honored his family in obedience to the 4th commandment until the end. But he also realized that sometimes families would be divided over him, as they still are today. The main point I believe is that we are to honor God above all else. Part of that means to honor our father and mother, and yet if our family is asking us to do something that would dishonor God, then we need to follow God first.
Finally, Jesus gives them a huge promise as they go out to do what he did. He tells them that the treatment they receive will be rewarded exactly as if it were him. Meaning anyone who welcomed them would be like welcoming him. Since they were representing Him in His authority and power in obedience to His call, anyone who would welcome them would be welcomed and rewarded as if they were receiving Jesus.
This gives new meaning to anything we do in Jesus’ name, and reminds us that all we do we do as an ambassador of the King. This is quite a high calling don’t you think??!!
Divine teacher, just as you are the truth and the life, you are also the way. Teach us to walk in your path. We desire to reflect your image. Guide us so we will encounter you within our souls. Amen.
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