TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
Genesis 50:4-6 — Side note: Pharaoh was glad to accommodate a diligent and profitable God-fearer who asked for time off for work for a good reason. Only 15 times does someone weep in Genesis – most of the time it’s Joseph. It’s okay for a God-fearing leader to have compassion!
Genesis 50:17 — The first time Joseph wept was Genesis 42:24, then Genesis 43:30, Genesis 45:2, Genesis 45:14, Genesis 45:15, Genesis 46:29, Genesis 50:1, and now for the 8th time.
Genesis 50:24 — An echo of faith in the promise of Genesis 15:14. Congratulations on finishing your first book of the Bible! Let’s see what happens to Jacob/Israel’s descendants in Egypt.
Exodus 1:22 — Satan is attempting to destroy the Israelites and specifically the line of the Messiah. Haman tried this in Esther 3:13. Herod would try this in Matthew 2:16.
Matthew 16:16 — Once Simon Peter recognized who He was, Jesus could explain what would happen (Matthew 16:21). Interesting that only after the disciples had seen Jesus telling John’s disciples that He was the prophesied one (Matthew 11:4-6), that they watched the 5,000 being fed (Matthew 14:21), that they experienced Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:25), that they witnessed countless incredible miracles (Matthew 15:30-31), and that they participated in the feeding of the 4,000 (Matthew 15:38). Peter voices the obvious conclusion. Yet Jesus doesn’t let any of us stop at a confession – He calls for us to take up our cross and follow Him. He wasn’t talking about a nice piece of jewelry; He was talking about the element of execution.
Psalm 21:6-7 — If the king trusts in the Lord, he will be blessed. Let’s pray for our elected officials that they will trust in the Lord so He can bless them. PublicServantsPrayer.org is a great website to remind you to pray for your leaders. I’m subscribed to the Wisconsin prayer list.
Proverbs 5:1 — Hopefully you’ve realized that wisdom is more than just cute sayings on a refrigerator magnet. It’s pretty important. Today we follow up on the Strange Woman that we met in Proverbs 2:16, and will meet again in Proverbs 6:24 and Proverbs 7:5. Other women we’ll meet are the evil woman, the whorish woman, the woman who lacks understanding, the brawling woman, the angry woman, the contentious woman, the adulterous woman, the odious woman, and the foolish woman. We’ll also meet the gracious woman, the fair woman, the virtuous woman, the wise woman, and the God-fearing woman!
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