Reading from January 12

Up to yesterday! If I can bust out this one and another one tonight I'll be caught up! I've also started to bold and italicize the verses to make it a little easier to read.

Reading for January 12


Genesis 26:17-27:46
OK, this is a confusing passage here. Isaac is now old and blind and realizes he is near death. He tells his son Esau -whom he favored over Jacob - to go hunting and bring him back some tasty meat. He tells Esau that when he returns from the hunt, he will give him his blessing. Rebekah overhears this and goes to her son Jacob - whom she favored over Esau - and tells him to go take a couple goats from their stock outside and then she will prepare them and give them to Jacob to give to his father, so Jacob can receive Isaac's blessing. Got that?

So Jacob and Rebekah pull off the rouse and Jacob receives a blessing meant for Esau. Esau returns knowing nothing of this and Isaac realizes what has happened. Now he can't give Esau his blessing, because he gave it to Jacob.

Esau asks the question I think we would all ask when reading this:

"Why can't you just give me another blessing?"

I don't understand this piece, or exactly what the significance of the blessing was in those times. But Esau is so pissed that he vows to kill Jacob after Isaac's passing. Rebekah hears this and convinces Jacob to flee the area until Esau calms down.

Here is a further, and more coherent interpretation from papa blog.

Matthew 9:1-17
Here is what I have been looking for. Jesus sits down the the tax collectors and what the text calls "sinners" (quote marks are in the Bible)

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

 So, Jesus came to Earth, not for the pious or good people, but for the sinners. By definition, we are all sinners, but I think this passage places special emphasis on the people society looks down on. At that time, it was the tax collectors, prostitutes, and non-Jews. To put it in context, Jesus came for the people who you and I can't stand. And it's those people Jesus died for.

Psalm 10:16-18
Here again is a positive verse:  

¹⁷ You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
       you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
 ¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
       in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
 

Proverbs 3:9-10
This is the first text I've read that encourages us to give our money to God. I know this is all over the New Testament, but here it is in the good old Old Testament:

 ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth,
       with the firstfruits of all your crops;
 ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
       and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Yes! Day 12 done, and I'm ready to do the 13th...