Monday, 14 Kislev 5784 / November 27, 2023
331 Readings
Torah: Parshat Vayishlach, 2nd Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 32:14-30
Genesis 32:14-30
New American Standard Bible
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 Then he placed them in the [a]care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.” 17 And he commanded the [b]one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the flocks, saying, “In this way you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the gift passed on ahead of him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
22 Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.
Jacob Wrestles
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of [c]Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but [d]Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 And Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place [e]Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my [f]life has been [g]spared.”
Bible Study Together
Psalm 56
New American Standard Bible
Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.
For the music director; according to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has [d]trampled upon me;[e]Fighting all day long he oppresses me.2 My enemies have trampled upon me all day long,For [f]they are many who fight proudly against me.3 [g]When I am afraid,[h]I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust;I shall not be afraid.What can mere [i]mortals do to me? 5 All day long they distort my words;All their [j]thoughts are against me for evil.6 They [k]attack, they lurk,They watch my [l]steps,As they have waited to take my [m]life.7 Because of their wickedness, will there be an escape for them? In anger make the peoples fall down, God!
8 You have taken account of my [n]miseries;Put my tears in Your bottle.Are they not in Your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; This I know, [o]that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise,In the Lord, whose word I praise,11 In God I have put my [p]trust, I shall not be afraid. What can mankind do to me?12 Your vows are binding upon me, God;I will render thanksgiving offerings to You. 13 For You have saved my soul from death,[q]Indeed my feet from stumbling,So that I may walk before GodIn the light of the [r]living.
Psalm 34
New American Standard Bible
The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.
A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before [a]Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord;The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3 Exalt the Lord with me,And let’s exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord and He answered me,And rescued me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This wretched man cried out, and the Lord heard him,And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,And rescues them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 9 Fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything. 10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the person who desires lifeAnd loves length of days, that he may see good?13 Keep your tongue from evilAnd your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn from evil and do good;Seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,And His ears are toward their cry for help. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,To eliminate the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hearsAnd rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenheartedAnd saves those who are [b]crushed in spirit.
19 The afflictions of the righteous are many, But the Lord rescues him from them all. 20 He protects all his bones,Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil will bring death to the wicked,And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt. 22 The Lord redeems the souls of His servants,And none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
A Change Of Mind
William Ernest Henley’s famous quote from Invictus, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul" can be seen in today’s scripture readings in both Daniel and Luke. Both the younger son and King Nebuchadnezzar had taken their lives into their own hands. They chose their own destiny. Little did they realize that the Holy God of heaven and earth is the Master and Captain of all life. By His grace, mercy, and love, the Heavenly Father allowed both men to regain their senses. Also in today’s reading (Psalm 119:109), we find the preventive cure for such tragedy: "I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law." The Psalmist knew that God’s Word would keep him from falling into the trap of controlling his life.
Prayer: Lord, help me not to become arrogant and demand my own way. I acknowledge You as Lord of my life and Captain of my soul. May Your Will be done in my life and may You fill me with Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Daniel 4
13 ‘I was looking in the visions [n]in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.
14 He shouted out and spoke as follows:“Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit;Let the animals flee from under itAnd the birds from its branches.15 Yet leave the stump [o]with its roots in the ground,But with a band of iron and bronze around itIn the new grass of the field;And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,And let [p]him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.16 Let his [q]mind change from that of a humanAnd let an animal’s [r]mind be given to him,And let seven [s]periods of time pass over him.17 This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers,And the decision is a command of the holy ones,In order that the living may knowThat the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,And He grants it to whomever He wishesAnd sets over it the lowliest of people.”
18 This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
22 it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your [t]majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth. 23 And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump [u]with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let [v]him share with the animals of the field until seven [w]periods of time pass over him,” 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven [x]periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. 26 And in that it was commanded to leave the stump [y]with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will [z]remain as yours after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. 27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.’
33 Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34 “But at the end of [ae]that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my [af]reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.35 All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account,But He does according to His will among the army of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can [ag]fend off His handOr say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
36 At that time my [ah]reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were [ai]restored to me for the honor of my kingdom, and my state counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my [aj]sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are [ak]true and His ways [al]just; and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
2 Peter 1
4 Through [g]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral [h]excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Eyewitnesses
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a [j]declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is [k]My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this [l]declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture [m]becomes a matter of [n]someone’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Psalms 119:97-112
Mem
97 How I love Your Law!It is my meditation all the day.98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,For they are ever [a]mine.99 I have more insight than all my teachers,For Your testimonies are my meditation.100 I understand more than those who are old,Because I have complied with Your precepts.101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,So that I may keep Your word.102 I have not turned aside from Your judgments,For You Yourself have taught me.103 How sweet are Your [b]words to my [c]taste!Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!104 From Your precepts I get understanding;Therefore I hate every false way.
Nun
105 Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path.106 I have sworn and I will confirm it,That I will keep Your righteous judgments.107 I am exceedingly afflicted;[d]Revive me, Lord, according to Your word.108 Be pleased to accept the [e]voluntary offerings of my mouth, Lord,And teach me Your judgments.109 My [f]life is continually [g]in my hand,Yet I do not forget Your Law.110 The wicked have set a [h]trap for me,Yet I have not wandered from Your precepts.111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever,For they are the joy of my heart.112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutesForever, even to the end.
Proverbs 28:15-16
15 Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding, But a person who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.