Thoughts on January 10 Reading

January 10, 2018

Reading: Genesis 25-26; Matthew 9

A few thoughts from our reading today. I hope these encourage you to stay engaged in your reading of the Bible. 

Genesis 25:33–34 (CSB)

³³Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him.

³⁴Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.

In our Old Testament reading for today, Abraham dies, and we begin to see the stories of Isaac and his two sons, Jacob and Esau. This family is the beginning of the Jewish people. God called Abraham and made promises to him in Genesis 12. The line goes through Isaac, his son, and then eventually through Jacob and his twelve sons. This family became the nation of Israel.

One thing that struck me in the reading for today was how Esau, Isaac’s oldest, basically gave away his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of stew. A birthright may not seem that important in our day and time, but this was a very big deal. It is also noteworthy that Jacob essentially used extortion to gain his brother’s birthright from him. Neither of these two people are particularly good. Yet, God had said before they were born that the older would serve the younger, and here we see His words coming to pass.

God’s Word will come to pass, even when we do not see how it could be possible. The choices of people and apparent setbacks progress will not thwart God’s Word coming to pass.

Matthew 9:12 (CSB)

¹²Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.

In Matthew 9, we continue to see the ministry of Jesus. One thing that I noticed in the reading was that people criticized Jesus for spending time with sinners and tax collectors instead of with the more religious people. His reply was that He came to call sinners to Himself, that they were the ones who needed a doctor, not those who were well. 

Man, this really hits home with me. As a pastor, I spend a lot of time around Christian people who are involved in church. I bet if you are active in a local church, you spend a lot of time with the same kinds of people. Yet Jesus came to earth for everyone. I need to spend more time with people who are not connected to a local church or who do not already have a relationship with Jesus. Lord, help me to have the same love for all people that you have shown, and help me to spend more time with people who need Jesus. Amen.

What is the Lord showing you in your reading today? What will you do about it?