One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Monday, January 17th Jacob Moves to Bethel, Rachel and Issac Die, Jesus Argues with the Pharisees Over the Sabbath Laws
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God tells Jacob to get everything ready to move back to Bethel, where he had appeared to him once before. The whole Shechem incident happened because he didn't go all the way to Bethel the first time. Now in obedience he goes. When Jacob returned to Bethel, he returned to his first love. Though he had faltered, God had kept his promises protecting he and his family.
One interesting note is the Jacob tells the members of his household to get rid of their pagan idols and put on clean clothes. I was surprised to see Jacob allowed this to happen in the first place. Since Rachel had dabbled in household idols before, this may have been a leftover from her past. Regardless Jacob takes leadership and sets an example for them. The clean clothes were also a sign of new beginings, and getting rid of the old idols, as they made their trek to Bethel.
God appeared to Jacob again at Bethel and reminded him that his name had changed from Jacob, which meant "deceiver", to Israel which meant, "God wins or God prevails". It was related to the fact that Jacob had wrestled with God and persevered.
The Deaths of Rachel and Issac
As Jacob moved on from Bethel, Rachel died giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Rachel had named him "Ben-onni", which meant "son of my sorrow", but Jacob renamed him "Benjamin", which meant son of my right hand. As we will see, Rachel's two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, will play vitally important roles in the coming of the Messiah. Rachel was buried in a town that was called "Bethlehem".
'Perhaps he rightly sensed the special place God had for this child, or perhaps he simply prized Benjamin so greatly because he was the final link between him and the woman he most loved.' (Guzik)
Issac also died at the ripe old age of 180 years. When Jacob left Issac 20 years ago, I'm sure he did not think he would see him again. It is fitting that Jacob and Esau buried him together after being renunited. I am sure Issac would have wanted it that way.
Descendants of Esau
We get the update on what Esau has been doing the last 20 years. The Edomite people descended from Esau. This land was south and east of the Dead Sea. Eventually the Israelites would conquer the Edomites, as they entered the Promised Land, though over time God allowed them to exist until they died out.
"Edom and the Edomites are mentioned some 130 times in the Bible. They were an important group of neighbors to Israel"(Guzik)
We then see a long list of Esau's descendants. Though Esau was rejected in the covenant God made with Abraham, God still blessed him with many kings and chiefs among his descendants. Notable amoung this list is "Amalek", from whom came the "Amalekies", who were notable enemies of Israel.
Today Jesus has an encounter with the Pharisees over the Sabbath laws. The fact that the disciples had to eat the grain from the field shows how poor they were. Jesus had just told them in Matthew 11, his yoke was easy and his burden was light. This is the opposite of the Pharisees who loved to tie heavy burdens on people that they themselves could not bear.
1 John 5:13 tells us "His commands are not burdensome." Jesus' commands for our lives lighten our load, they don't add to them. This is the difference between legalism and the freedom the Spirit of Christ gives us.
"The Pharisees here seem hard at work supervising and accusing the disciples. This was a greater violation of the Sabbath. “Did they not break the Sabbath by setting a watch over them?” (Spurgeon)
Even more dramatic was when Jesus said, "I tell you something greater is here than the temple. For the Son of Man is Lord of Sabbath." This is a clear statement reflecting Jesus' divinity.
The stakes grew higher when Jesus entered the temple. There was a man with a "withered hand". This probably meant his hand was paralyzed or had gone limp. This set up the perfect trap for the Pharisees, as they knew Jesus would respond to his need. But instead Jesus exposed them asking them why they would rescue one of their sheep on the Sabbath, but not lift a finger for this man.
When Jesus healed the man, the Pharisees were seething in anger. Not only did he show his true nature as the Messiah, but also exposed their hyprocisy in the meantime. Things were reaching a boiling point with them, and they began to plot to get rid of him.
Finally, as Jesus often does, he goes out to find a solitary place. But the crowds will have nothing of it. A large crowd followed him and Jesus healed all who needed it. He warned them not to say anything about it, which recalled the words of the Prophet Isaiah.
"The quotation from Isaiah 42:1-5 speaks of the gentle character of the Messiah, who is the Servant of Yahweh. This was a common and important designation of Jesus. Jesus the Servant is an example to us as servants, but He is so much more than that. He is our Servant. He serves us; not only in what He did in the past, but also He serves us every day through His constant love, care, guidance, and intercession." (Guzik)
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, these words from Isaiah 42 also typify the type of man he was, as he cried out for justice in a non-violent way.
“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory."
Though he was obviously not the Messiah, his character reflected Jesus in a way that we all should strive for.
Jesus brought justice to all people through his victory on the cross. He did not quarrel or cry out when he was nailed unjustly to the cross.
This short psalm of David gives the short list of those who are worthy to dwell in God's presence, in his holy tent on His sacred mountain.
As you read through these verses, ask the Lord to reveal to you any of these characteristics you are lacking. You will notice that all of them reflect the type of man Jesus was. And through Jesus and what he did for us, we will dwell on God's holy mountain forever.
Solomon tells his son the importance of always seeking God's wisdom and discernment. This requires not only diligence but discipline. I love the NLT version which calls it "common sense". God's wisdom is not necessarily "rocket science". It is usually the thing that makes most sense if you follow it. You can read the many rewards of having this kind of reliance on Him.
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