Monday, 29 Cheshvan 5784 / November 13, 2023
Day 217 Readings
Torah: Toldot, 2nd Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 26:6-12
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, [a]showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”
10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.
Bible Study Together
1 Samuel 10
1 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on [a]Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has the Lord not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance? 2 When you leave me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has stopped talking about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What am I to do about my son?”’ 3 Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the [b]oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you: one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine. 4 And they will [c]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 5 Afterward you will come to [d]the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre in front of them, and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be changed into a different man. 7 And it shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what [e]the occasion requires, because God is with you. 8 And you shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and inform you of what you should do.”
9 Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God changed [f]his heart; and all those signs came about on that day. 10 When they came there to [g]the hill, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he prophesied among them. 11 And it came about, when all who previously knew him saw that he was indeed prophesying with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man from there responded and said, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Have Faith
The defining moment finally came and it called for a decision. From here it looks like you have made a wrong choice and there is no way out. What to do? Don’t worry. Stand firm in your faith. Pray for it, and confidently step out onto the path that God maps out for you.
Prayer: Lord, I stand at the watershed right now considering what to do. I call on You to help me each step of the way. Show me Your path of grace. Thank you that You are paving a way for me to cross over to the other side where Your rest awaits. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Scripture
Ezekiel 27
Grief over Tyre
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, take up a song of mourning over Tyre; 3 and say to Tyre, who sits at the [a]entrance to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord [b]God says:
Ezekiel 28
Tyre’s King Overthrown
1 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to the [s]leader of Tyre, ‘The Lord [t]God says this:
“Because your heart is haughtyAnd you have said, ‘I am a god,I sit in the seat of [u]godsIn the heart of the seas’;Yet you are a mortal and not God,Although you make your heart like the heart of God—3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;There is no secret that is a match for you!4 By your wisdom and understandingYou have acquired riches for yourselfAnd have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.5 By your great wisdom, by your tradeYou have increased your riches,And your heart is haughty because of your riches—
6 Therefore this is what the Lord God says:
‘Because you have made your heartLike the heart of God,7 Therefore, behold, I am going to bring strangers against you,The most ruthless of the nations.And they will draw their swordsAgainst the beauty of your wisdomAnd profane your splendor.8 They will bring you down to the pit,And you will die the death of those who are killedIn the heart of the seas.9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”In the presence of one who kills you,Though you are a mortal and not God,In the hands of those who wound you?10 You will die the death of the uncircumcisedBy the hand of strangers,For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”
24 And there will no longer be for the house of Israel a painful thorn or a hurtful thorn bush from any surrounding them who despised them; then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
Israel Regathered
25 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 They will live on it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments upon all around them who despise them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”’”
Hebrews 11:14-40
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been [a]thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not [b]ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his [c]only son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your [d]descendants shall be named.” 19 [e]He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back [f]as a [g]type. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, 26 considering the [h]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen. 28 By faith he [i]kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were [j]drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down [k]after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies [l]in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their [m]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others [n]experienced mocking and flogging, and further, chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [o]they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented 38 (people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes [p]in the ground.
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive [q]what was promised, 40 because God had [r]provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Psalms 111
The Lord Praised for His Goodness.
1 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,In the company of the upright and in the assembly. 2 Great are the works of the Lord;They are [c]studied by all who delight in them. 3 [d]Splendid and majestic is His work,And His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;The Lord is gracious and compassionate. 5 He has given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;He will remember His covenant forever. 6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,In giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are [i]truth and justice;All His precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are upheld forever and ever;They are performed in [j]truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has [k]ordained His covenant forever;Holy and [l]awesome is His name. 10 The [m]fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;All those who [n]follow His commandments have a good understanding; His praise endures forever.
Proverbs 27:15-16
15 A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He who would [a]restrain her [b]restrains the wind, And [c]grasps oil with his right hand.