Wednesday, 16 Kislev 5784 / November 29, 2023
333 Readings
Torah: Vayishlach, 4th Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 33:6-20
Genesis 33:6-20
New American Standard Bible
6 Then the slave women came forward [a]with their children, and they bowed down. 7 And Leah likewise came forward with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came forward with Rachel, and they bowed down. 8 And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand, [b]for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept my [c]gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have [d]plenty.” So he urged him, and he accepted it.
12 Then [e]Esau said, “Let’s journey on and go, and I will go ahead of you.” 13 But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds that are nursing are [f]a matter of concern to me. And if they are driven hard just one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Please let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will proceed at my leisure, at the pace of the cattle that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
15 Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “[g]What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to [h]Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.
Jacob Settles in Shechem
18 Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. 19 He bought the plot of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred [i]pieces of money. 20 Then he erected there an altar and called it [j]El-Elohe-Israel.
Bible Study Together
Psalm 52
New American Standard Bible
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
For the music director. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast in evil, you mighty man? The faithfulness of God endures all day long. 2 Your tongue devises destruction,Like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good,Lies more than speaking what is right. Selah 4 You love all words that devour, You deceitful tongue.
5 [c]But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent,And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 6 The righteous will see and fear,And they will laugh at him, saying, 7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in [d]his evil desire.”
8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;I trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever. 9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it,And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.
Psalm 70
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Help against Persecutors.
For the music director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.
1 God, hurry to save me;Lord, hurry to help me! 2 May those who seek my [a]lifeBe put to shame and humiliated;May those who delight [b]in my harmBe turned back and dishonored. 3 May those who say, “Aha, aha!” be [c]turned backBecause of their shame.
4 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;And may those who love Your salvation say continually,“May God be exalted!” 5 But I am afflicted and needy;Hurry to me, God!You are my help and my savior;Lord, do not delay.
Psalm 86
New American Standard Bible
Pleading and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
1 Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Protect my [a]soul, for I am godly;You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, Lord,For I call upon You all day long.
4 Make the soul of Your servant joyful,For to You, Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,And abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
6 Listen, Lord, to my prayer;And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
7 On the day of my trouble I will call upon You,For You will answer me.
8 There is no one like You among the gods, Lord,Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,And they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and you do [b]wondrous deeds;You alone are God.
11 Teach me Your way, Lord;I will walk in Your truth;Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,And I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your graciousness toward me is great,And You have saved my soul from the [c]depths of [d]Sheol.
14 God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a gang of violent men have sought my [e]life,And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and [f]truth.
16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;Grant Your strength to Your servant,And save the son of Your maidservant. 17 Show me a sign of good,That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Luke 14:1-24
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
1 It happened that when He went into the house of one of the [a]leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him [b]closely. 2 And [c]there in front of Him was a man suffering from [d]edema. 3 And Jesus responded and said to the [e]lawyers and [f]Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5 And He said to them, “[g]Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” 6 And they could offer no reply to this.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Now He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “Whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your [l]repayment. 13 But whenever you give a [m]banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind; 14 and you will be blessed, since they [n]do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
21 And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.’ 22 And later the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”
365 Daily Kingdom
Decline In Morality
The fall in morality in the world today is evident from the rise and acceptance of corruption as a way of life in many parts of the world, and the rise in hedonism where seeking pleasure is the main goal of many people and this seeking of pleasure is without traditional moral constraints. And what do we believers in Christ do about this? – we see and recognise these trends but is that enough? The bible enjoins us to be concerned enough to weep about these disturbing trends and this will include crying out to God for mercy and for the reestablishment of biblical moral standards.
Prayer: Lord God, as we see the fall in moral standards all around us, we pray that your church will be concerned and weep with you. We also ask for your mercy and that you will send revival so that your standards are again upheld not only by your church but by the world around us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture
Daniel 6
10 Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously. 11 Then these men came [i]by agreement and found Daniel offering a prayer and imploring favor before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction: “Did you not sign an injunction that any person who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which [j]may not be revoked.” 13 Then they responded and spoke before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the [k]exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps offering his prayer three times a day.”
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “[m]Your God whom you continually serve will Himself rescue you.” 17 And a stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed regarding Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
19 Then the king got up at dawn, at the break of day, and went in a hurry to the lions’ den. 20 And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke [n]to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, since [o]I was found innocent before Him; and also [p]toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” 23 Then the king was very glad and gave orders for Daniel to be lifted up out of the den. So Daniel was lifted up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had [q]maliciously accused Daniel, and they threw them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all [r]languages who were living in all the land: “May your [s]peace be great! 26 [t]I issue a decree that in all the realm of my kingdom people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;
For He is the living God and enduring forever,And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,And His dominion will be [u]forever.27 He rescues, saves, and performs signs and miraclesIn heaven and on earth,He who has also rescued Daniel from the [v]power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
2 Peter 3
The Coming Day of the Lord
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers [a]fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [b]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
A New Heaven and Earth
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and [c]its works will be [d]discovered.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of [e]unscrupulous people and lose your own [f]firm commitment, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Psalms 119:129-152
Pe
129 Your testimonies are wonderful;Therefore my soul complies with them.130 The unfolding of Your words gives light;It gives understanding to the simple.131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,For I longed for Your commandments. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,As is right for those who love Your name.133 Establish my footsteps in Your [a]word,And do not let any [b]wrongdoing have power over me. 134 Redeem me from oppression by man,So that I may keep Your precepts.135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,And teach me Your statutes.136 My eyes [c]shed streams of water,Because they do not keep Your Law.
Tsadhe
137 You are righteous, Lord,And Your judgments are right. 138 You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousnessAnd great faithfulness.139 My zeal has [d]consumed me,Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.140 Your word is very [e]pure,Therefore Your servant loves it.141 I am small and despised,Yet I do not forget Your precepts.142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,And Your Law is truth.143 Trouble and anguish have [f]come upon me,Yet Your commandments are my delight.144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;Give me understanding that I may live.
Qoph
145 I cried out with all my heart; answer me, Lord!I will comply with Your statutes.146 I cried to You; save meAnd I shall keep Your testimonies.147 I [g]rise before dawn and cry for help;I [h]wait for Your words.148 My eyes anticipate the night watches,So that I may meditate on Your [i]word. 149 Hear my voice according to Your faithfulness;Revive me, Lord, according to Your judgments.150 Those who follow after wickedness approach;They are far from Your Law.151 You are near, Lord,And all Your commandments are truth.152 From long ago I have known from Your testimoniesThat You have founded them forever.
Proverbs 28:19-20
19 One who works his land will have plenty of food, But one who follows empty pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful person will abound with blessings, But one who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.