Genesis 28:1-29:35, Matthew 9:18-38, Psalms 11:1-7, Proverbs 3:11-12
Today is the 13th day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue our journey, the journey we’ve really just begun. But if you think, we’ve been on this journey a while, right? Like a lot of stuff has happened in the Bible. We’ve talked about plenty of things in these first 13 days but we’re really just getting started. But there’s only one way to go, and that is forward. And that means the next step forward together. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. We’re picking up the story in Genesis where we left off yesterday. Through trickery, Jacob and Rebecca have achieved the family blessing for Jacob kind of cutting Esau out who wants to now kill his brother and his mother Rebekah is like, I can’t lose both of my sons in one day you gotta flee to my brother. So, Jacob’s uncle Laban. And that’s where we pick up the story. Genesis chapters 28 and 29 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, let’s start in the book of Genesis today because we see some more trickery going in the family. We’ve seen a bunch of trickery. Abraham claimed that Sarah was his sister when he went to big cities, which according to the Scriptures isn’t a lie. It’s the truth. But it’s not the whole truth. And we see Isaac do the same thing with Rebekah to King Abimelech of Gerar. Isaac and Rebekah have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. And Jacob, through trickery, or at least through an ill-fated trade, traded a bowl of stew to Esau in exchange for his birth right. Rebekah later than helps Jacob receive the blessing of the father Isaac before he dies, giving him everything which offends Esau enough to want to kill his brother. So, Jacob has to flee and he fleas to Rebekah’s family where he falls in love with Rachel, the younger daughter of his uncle Laban. He agrees to work for seven years to marry Rachel and when the seven years…seven years…when the seven years are over he finally gets the love of his life, wakes up the next morning only to find out that the woman he’s been with is actually Rachel’s sister, Leah. So, he in effect gets a taste of his own trickery and he agrees to seven more years of labor for Laban in order to marry Rachel, the one that he loves. And, so, we end up today with Jacob being married to two women who are sisters of one another. And you can only imagine what that household was like. Rachel is loved, but she’s unable to conceive. Leah is neglected but she’s having children. These children are very important to the rest of the story. In today’s reading four sons were born from the union between Leah and Jacob, a son named Ruben one named Simeon one named Levi and one named Judah, and these children being born are telling a story of their own. Like I said, one that affects the rest of the Bible. The rest of the story.
Another interesting thing happened in Jacob’s life as he’s fleeing to Paddan-aram to his mother’s family. He has this dream about a stairway to heaven, and he names this place Bethel. The ruins of this place still exist today. You can see it in the promised land films in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, a resource that allows us to visit a lot of biblical places. But the interesting thing about the geography of this area is that it’s very rocky, it’s very __ , it kinda looks like a giant stairway. And, so, what Jacob dreamed is actually rooted in the geography.
Then the let’s go over to Matthew for second. A really famous story, the story of the woman with the issue of blood as it’s known is told today in the book of Matthew. It’s not the last time that we’ll see a story like this. We’re reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke which are the synoptic Gospels, and they share a lot of the same stories. But this story very easily can become a mirror into our own soul. So, the way that this goes is that the story of the woman with the issue of blood wasn’t even really going to be the story. Jesus was on His way to do a totally different thing. One of the Hebrew leaders had come before Jesus and knelt down before Him asking for…like begging for help because his daughter had just died. And he believed that if he…if Jesus would come lay His hands on her, she could live. And, so, Jesus was on His way to this man’s house and the crowds were following along. And it’s among the crowd that was following along that this woman with the issue of blood, she’d been bleeding for 12 years, kinda moved through the crowd and her faith told her if she could just get close enough, that if she could just reach out and touch His clothes that she would be made well. And, so, that’s what she worked to do. And she reached out and touched His clothes and she was made well. But there are a bunch of nuances in this story that really make it riveting. This woman had been bleeding for 12 years. In other gospels we’ll find out that she spent everything she had. Nobody could make her well. Nobody could make her better. As we move forward in the Old Testament we will invariably reach the giving of the law and we will spend lots of time with the laws and statutes that God gives out to form a people. One of the things that is very important in the law is being clean, differentiating between clean and unclean. And there are all kinds of statute about it. This woman, because of her bleeding was on clean, which was supposed to be a regular monthly period of time that would go away. In this woman’s case this had been going on for 12 years. She’s been unclean. And her idea that she could touch the Rabbi Jesus and be healed is beautiful. Truly, it’s beautiful. But anything that she touched would also become unclean, which could be a big problem in the culture. You don’t just walk up to a Hebrew rabbi and make them ritually impure and unclean. It just didn’t bother Jesus that much. He didn’t go crazy and go, “you made me unclean and now I can’t go to God’s presence, and I can’t offer, and I can’t this and I can’t that. And let’s get this woman and shame her even worse.” He just…He just entered into the story. “Have courage daughter”, He said. “Your faith has saved you.” It’s really really interesting how Jesus flies in the face of the traditions around Him. After this woman is healed, He finally continues on His mission to go to this man’s house whose daughter has just died. He arrives at the place, only to find like a professional mourning crew there, which was customary. I mean, they lost their little girl. So, you imagine that there’s going to be grief and sadness and mourning. And often this would be a communal thing. And often there would even be professionals who would come and they would lament and sing songs of lament and cry and wail and make all kinds of noise because this would let all of the neighbors, everybody around the area understand what’s going on. There is grief, there is mourning happening. And Jesus arrives into the midst of all this, and is just basically, “you guys get out of here. Leave” He said, according to the gospel of Matthew “because she’s not dead she’s asleep.” That turned the mourning into laughter and not…in a good way. Like they stopped there mourning and started laughing at Jesus because who is this guy? She’s dead. We know she’s dead. That’s why we’re here. Who is this guy to say she’s just asleep? And, so, Jesus puts everybody outside and goes to the girl and she is raised and restored. And the news of this obviously spreads throughout the region. So, what is it? What is it in you? What is it in your heart that you feel like it’s died, it’s never gonna happen, it’s never gonna work out, it’s time to face the facts? And maybe it is. But what if it’s not? What would happen if we brought this to Jesus again? Maybe we have many many times. But what if we actually heard the words that these people heard? It’s not dead, it’s only asleep. Like what happens in that moment? Does hope arise or does our mourning turn to laughter but not in a good way? In the story that we read from Matthew today, the people stopped mourning and laughed at Jesus. But despite their laughter, they were incorrect. And, so, maybe some of us in our various life circumstances all over the world, maybe some of us can find hope and encouragement, in that .
Prayer:
Jesus, we invite You into that today. We’ve read this story and we confess that often when we think we know how things are they turn out to be a little bit different than what we thought. And we can seek the counsel of a thousand other human beings to give us their perspective, but only You know all things and You know what’s going on. And, so, we cling to You knowing that You are the author of life and You are the author and finisher of our faith. And, so come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Today is the 13th day of January and it is an anniversary for…for me. It is the anniversary of the…of my mother’s departure. I can remember it very vividly, as if it were yesterday, last week, very recent, and yet today marks the five-year anniversary. That’s actually more surprising to me. It just doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. My…my mom is my mom, right? And I had known her every day of my life. And I mean I still know her, but she passed away five years ago today and she…like my father, he passed away before ministry was even a category that I would even mention with my name in it. But my mom, she saw all that and she was a DABber with us, and she listened every day and we had many a conversation. And, so, I miss my mom. And I try not to insert myself into many of these days. This isn’t about me. I’m here with you on a journey together and we are all students moving forward and trying to learn how to position ourselves in this world and live a God honoring life. And, so, we’re not really here about me, but there are some days, yeah, while reading thinking about my mom. Missing my mom. So, I miss in my mom and…and just telling my community that. I also think about what she knows now and what she has seen and the hope that we will have an interesting conversation in the future. But for now, for those of us who have lost loved ones, whether decades ago or five years ago or in the last year, grief is a real thing, but hope is a real thing too. And what we learn the Scriptures is that there comes a time where death is swallowed up in victory and has no sting anymore. And isn’t it that sting that sticks with us? But we have hope that it will not endure forever. So, anyway. It’s the anniversary of my mother’s passing. I can remember that. I can remember getting the call. I can remember being there and going through that entire day in a blur and then coming back that evening and getting in front of the mic and taking the next step forward no matter what happens and finding comfort in knowing that I wasn’t alone either. None of us are alone and I’m grateful. And enough about that.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if being in community and taking the next step forward every day brings life and comfort and a sense of stability and a sense of togetherness, then thank you. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.
And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial in number of numbers depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you are in the UK or Europe, 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number dial.
And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi, it’s Jill from London England just finished listening to January the 8th. Brian I just want to say thank you for that was a really insightful commentary on the Old Testament readings today. I've…I’ve always struggled with those stories and trying to make sense of why they’re in the Bible and never really felt I kind of got it. I know understand times are different but why those pressures and why did that get included in scripture. Anyway Lord, I give you thanks for a wider understanding. I want to pray today for all those who feel that turning to some sexual favors for others is the way that they’re being called to…to live for You. Lord let this be a place where we get strength to stand up for what’s right and what’s wrong. Lord I pray for agencies that are working with those who are trafficked, for people in prostitution, for people who feel that the only way out is to marry their children in order that they can feed their family. There are so many things in the world that many of us have no experience of. We don’t know how desperate people can be, but we just pray that will have a better understanding and also individually each one of us will be willing to trust God even in those times where we can’t see a way out, that we’ll trust Him and wait for His answer. Amen.
We make mistakes and poor choices just about every day
pitfalls surround us every step of the way
in fact life is like a minefield we’re surrounded by exploding devices and
snares
many cleverly disguised entrapments designed to catch us unawares
and they begin to pull us down even before the negativity clearly begins to
show
and without God’s Holy Spirit it’s impossible for us to know which road will
lead to life in which way produces pain
which road will lead to destruction in which prayer produces eternal gain
but as we begin to walk by faith instead of by sight
Gods Holy Spirit will show us the wrong from the right
the spirit of discernment enables us to see the trap pitfall and the snare
and even the most cleverly disguised entrapments will all clearly be laid bare
I can even see that straight and narrow path that I’ve heard so much about
enabling me to walk with confidence without fear and doubt
because God is with us, Immanuel no matter where we go
and as our relationship with the father continues to grow
we feed on his word daily and draw closer to him
and he provides a lamp for our path that will never grow dim
father help us to stay on that path and to stay in that light
strengthen us to resist those temptations coming from the left and the right
help us to stay focused and firmly fixed on our goal
help us to reject the world for the sake of our soul
blindtony1016@gmail.com. Like to give a shout out to Drew from the Bay area. Haven’t heard from you lately brother. Hope all is well. And Tito Ramirez. Haven’t heard from you in a while either. Hope your mother improved. And once again Brian in the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowing y'all. Alright. Bye bye.
Hello everyone, and this is Dave from Dover DE and I have been a listener since 2011 and I just wanted to ask for a prayer request. I pastor a small church here at Dover DE and it’s been very rough. Our finances have been month to month. I’ve been attacked myself emotionally, physically. And I’m asking DAB friends if you could just pray for me. Pray for my family as I pray for you every day. This is my first post that I’ve ever recorded but I’m praying for all of you. Love and blessings.
Hi this is for Remorseful Sinner. My name is Joy and I heard you cry out to God and I felt it in my spirit to call, to give you words of wisdom from the most high God, what He says in his word. He says my daughter I hear you and I love you. As I said, and as I continue to say, I have delivered you out of all your troubles. I am near those who have a broken heart and I save those who have a contrite spirit. So, know and trust that despite your many afflictions I, your Lord will deliver you out of all of them. God also says be strong and of good courage and do not be afraid of the enemy for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor will He forsake you. He has also said my daughter, He has said he will subdue all your iniquities and it will have cast them out, He will cast your sins out into the depths of the sea. So, know that God values mercy over sacrifice. He’s there with you and He knows that He…He’s always there with you and He wants you to trust in Him. He wants you to abide in him. So, be rest assured that there’s nothing you will ever do that would ever, ever, ever make Him stop loving you. He will deliver you out of this. He has already done it. So just trust in Him. He says to not remember the former things nor consider the things of old. Behold He will do a new thing. He will do a new thing. He will do a new thing. He will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. So, rest assured my darling He is there with you. Amen.
This message is for Remorseful Sinner first time caller who
called in on January the 9th. This is Paula Living on the Rock Standing
on the Rock. As soon as you started to think about the wrongs you were doing
you were forgiven because Jesus knows your heart. He knows what’s inside you.
He knows what it is that drives you. Put your worries and concerns in His
hands. He is the only one who can change things for you. Don’t let the enemy
doubt…put doubt and…and total chaos in your mind because that’s what he’s
about. As people says, the enemy is not in the clubs or in the crack houses. He’s
in the churches and in the homes. He already has those other people. He needs
to work on the ones that are loving God. That is why you’re under attack and
you had to rebuke…you had to rebuke him. You had to reach out with prayer and
surround yourself with people who are like minded, who…who will hold you up
like this group. You’ve come to a beautiful spot, a group of people who will
lift you up and give you everything you need when it comes to being totally
surrounded with a hedge of prayer and commitment. Keep pushing forward my
friend. Keep pushing forward. You are remorseful and God knows that, and He
will put His loving protection around you. Take care sister. Thinking of you
and praying.