12-Cheshvan 5994 / 27 October 2023
Day 300 Readings
Torah: Lech-Lecha, 6th Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 15:7-17:6
Genesis 15
New King James Version
7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8 And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall [a]go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Genesis 16
Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall [b]obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her [c]eyes.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, [d]“My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.”
6 So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
7 Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”
9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her:
“Behold, you are with child,And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name [e]Ishmael,Because the Lord has heard your affliction.12 He shall be a wild man;His hand shall be against every man,And every man’s hand against him.And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-[f]the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here [g]seen Him who sees me?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi;[h] observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Genesis 17
The Sign of the Covenant
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am [i]Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of [j]many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called [k]Abram, but your name shall be [l]Abraham; for I have made you a father of [m]many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
Bible Study Together
Judges 15-16:2
14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him so that the ropes that were on his arms were like flax that has burned with fire, and his restraints [g]dropped from his hands. 15 Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out with his hand and took it, and [h]killed a thousand men with it. 16 And Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,[i]Heaps upon heaps,With the jawbone of a donkeyI have [j]killed a thousand men.”
17 When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place [k]Ramath-lehi. 18 Then he became very thirsty, and he called to the Lord and said, “You have [l]handed this great [m]victory over to Your servant, and now [n]am I to die of thirst [o]and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his [p]strength returned and he revived. Therefore he named it [q]En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20 So he judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Judges 16
1 Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her. 2 When it was reported to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let’s wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.”
John 8:31-59
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word [a]has no place in you. 38 I speak of the things which I have seen [b]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come [c]on My own, but [d]He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand [e]what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells [f]a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of [g]lies. 45 But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan, and You have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone follows My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word. 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham [h]was born, [i]I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.
365 Daily Kingdom
Our God Reigns
With the political chaos in the world today, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s hand in the background. Some world leaders crow and cry, brag and boast about themselves and their might. Nevertheless, the psalmist suggests that it is those godless nations that should ‘tremble’ in fear, not us. We know that our Creator God who holds everything in place. Our God REIGNS!
Prayer: Father God, instead of getting all tense and concerned about the politics and happenings around me, may I just rest in you. You reign. You’re King of kings. Renew my mind to see that these daily stresses are the merest challenge to you. Erase my petty fears; help me see you enthroned in Glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 49
17 “Edom will become an object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will [l]hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “no one will live there, nor will [m]anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is chosen. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand against Me?”
Jeremiah 50
1 The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “Declare and proclaim among the nations.Proclaim it and lift up a flag,Do not conceal it. Say,‘Babylon has been captured,Bel has been put to shame, [u]Marduk has been [v]shattered;Her idols have been put to shame, her images have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her from the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Whether people or animals, they have wandered off, they have gone!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God whom they will seek. 5 They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [w]in its direction; [x]they [y]will come so that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become lost sheep;Their shepherds have led them astray.They have made them turn aside on the mountains.They have gone from mountain to hill,They have forgotten their resting place.7 All who found them have devoured them;And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,Since they have sinned against the Lord who is the habitation of righteousness,The Lord, the hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the midst of BabylonAnd [z]go out from the land of the Chaldeans;Be like male goats [aa]at the head of the flock.
24 I set a trap for you and you were also caught, Babylon, While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized Because you have engaged in conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory And has brought out the weapons of His indignation,
For it is a work of the Lord [ap]God of armies In the land of the Chaldeans.
44 “Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase them away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is chosen. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand against Me?” 45 Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has in mind against the land of the Chaldeans: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the [bf]shout, “Babylon has been conquered!” the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.
Titus 2
Proclaim Sound Doctrine
1 But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be [a]temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in [b]perseverance.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may [c]encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
6 Likewise urge the young men to be [d]sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with [e]purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Urge [f]slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not [g]argumentative, 10 not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, [h]bringing salvation to all people, 12 [i]instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of [j]our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.
15 These things speak and [k]exhort, and rebuke with all authority. No one is to disregard you.
Psalms 99
Praise to the Lord for His Holiness
1 The Lord reigns;Let the peoples tremble!He dwells between the cherubim;Let the earth be [a]moved!2 The Lord is great in Zion,And He is high above all the peoples.3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—[b]He is holy.
4 The King’s strength also loves justice;You have established equity;You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.5 Exalt the Lord our God,And worship at His footstool—He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests,And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;They kept His testimonies and the [c]ordinance He gave them.
8 You answered them, O Lord our God;You were to them God-Who-Forgives,Though You took vengeance on their deeds.9 Exalt the Lord our God,And worship at His holy hill;For the Lord our God is holy.
Proverbs 26:17
New King James Version
17 He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his ownIs like one who takes a dog by the ears.