Sunday, 27 Kislev 5784 / December 10, 2023
Day 344 Readings
Torah: Mikeitz, 1st Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 41:1-14
Genesis 41:1-14
New King James Version
Pharaoh’s Dreams
1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
Bible Study Together
1 Samuel 30
New King James Version
David’s Conflict with the Amalekites
1 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”
And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”
So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”
16 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. 19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. 20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he [b]greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless[c] men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the [d]spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”— 27 to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, 28 those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 those who were in Hormah, those who were in [e]Chorashan, those who were in Athach, 31 those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
But What About The Poor?
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the writers are consistent in reflecting God’s concern for the poor and marginalised. There is no sympathy for those who abuse them, ignore them, or deny them of their basic rights. Not only that, according to Jesus’ teaching, there are surprising benefits for those who have mercy on the poor and give them care (Matt. 25:34-45).
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to reflect your love and care for the poor today. Show me how to better address their real needs – both physical, emotional and spiritual. May I have the courage to speak against injustice; may I never exploit them. When people see me responding to the poor in however some small ways they may be, may they see your love behind it all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Amos 1
Amos 2
11 Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am making a rut in the ground beneath you, Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves.
14 Refuge will be lost from the swift, And the strong will not strengthen his power, Nor the warrior save his [p]life.
15 The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will the one who rides the horse save his [q]life.
16 Even the [r]bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
Amos 3
All the Tribes Are Guilty
3 Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire [s]family which [t]He brought up from the land of Egypt:
2 “You only have I [u]known among all the families of the earth;Therefore I will [v]punish you for all your wrongdoing.”3 Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?4 Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion [w]growl from his den unless he has captured something? 5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no [x]device in it?Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? 6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will the people not tremble?If a disaster occurs in a city, has the Lord not brought it about? 7 [y]Certainly the Lord [z]God does nothingUnless He reveals His secret planTo His servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear?The Lord God has spoken! Who can do anything but prophesy?
Revelation 2:1-11
Message to Ephesus
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [a]among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘I know your deeds and your labor and [b]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have [c]perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the [d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’
Message to Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
The first and the last, who [e]was dead, and has come to life, says this:
9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the [f]slander by those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. [g]Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’
Psalm 129
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.
A Song of Ascents.
1 “[a]Many times they have attacked me from my youth up,”Let Israel say,2 “[b]Many times they have attacked me from my youth up;Yet they have not prevailed against me.3 The plowers plowed upon my back;They lengthened their furrows.”4 The Lord is righteous;He has cut up the ropes of the wicked.
5 May all who hate ZionBe put to shame and turned backward;6 May they be like grass upon the housetops,Which withers before it [c]grows up;7 With which the harvester does not fill his [d]hand,Or the binder of sheaves his [e]arms;8 Nor do those who pass by say,“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Proverbs 29:18
New American Standard Bible
18 Where there is no [a]vision, the people are unrestrained,But happy is one who keeps the Law.
Dear AVI,
Blessed are YOU O GOD My KING JESUS of all the Universe and Created things! There is no one like YOU lover of my Soul! O Adonai! YOU have promied me and YOU have assured me today of YOUR Promise, because YOU have said that YOU have chosen Stephen for me, because this servant has pleased YOUR Soul, and so I pray pour out YOUR Ruach Hakodesh upon Stephen so he will bring justice to the Nations. Even to Benita his mother whom YOU have chosen for me to care and love like Ruth her mother in law. I pray for them, O GOD Almighty, give them dreams that will disturb them, let them dream of YOU or of me. Show them YOU are watching over them and answering their prayers. I pray that YOU will not give rest to Stephen until he decides to follow YOU, and love me for the rest of our lives. I pray his love for me will be my love for him because I do not want to suffer loving someone too much. Just as YOU loved the church more than the church loves YOU. O GOD, YOU have spoken and roared as a Lion, so I prophesy these things into my life that next year I will be married to Stephen, because YOU made my soul love him, he has been loving me through his actions, now please let him love me through his words. Please make it happen O GOD, let YOUR will be done on us the Yu families, and let YOUR kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Toda for answering my prayers for Arlene, for Glory, for Aunt Bebe, and Benita and my Stephen. Let YOUR WORD bring life to the dead earth, forgive all our trespasses and heal our land. Do not lead us to troubles and tribulations but deliver us from the evil one. For YOU are our GOD and YOU deserve to be glorified, honored, praised, thanked and worshipped, loved with all our hearts, mind and strenght, YOU are the Everlasting GREAT I AM, and YOU are mine just as we belong to YOU.
Ba HaShem JESUS the Messiah, Amen!