Jan 17, 2022
GENESIS 30:
In
yesterday’s reading in Genesis 28-29, Jacob left home, and God
appeared to him and promised to bless him as he blessed Isaac.
Jacob worked for Laban, married both Leah and Rachel, and he had
four sons through Leah.
JOB 17:
Yesterday was the first chapter of Job's
response to Eliphaz. He complained that his three comforters were
not very comforting, saying
1-2 GNT I have heard words like
that before;
the comfort
you give is only torment.
3 Are you going to keep on talking
forever?
Do you always
have to have the last word?
And he said,
6 But nothing I say
helps,
and being silent
does not calm my pain.
And
9 In anger God tears me limb
from limb;
he glares at
me with hate.
This last statement shows how easy it is for us humans to misunderstand God’s will or intentions concerning us. God did not hate Job!
MARK 10b:
Yesterday in the first half of chapter 10,
Jesus gave God's true perspective on divorce, blessed some
children, and said that is impossible for the rich to enter the
Kingdom of God (in their own strength). By the way, there is a
wrong teaching that is still often heard. People have heard that
the ‘eye of the needle’ was a little door next to the big gate in
Jerusalem, and that a camel could get through this gate but all the
burden would have to be taken off. This is just plain wrong, but it
is one of those things that just keeps being passed on. No such
gate was made in New Testament days in Jerusalem. Such gates were
made in castles in Europe in the middle ages. No, instead of
holding out hope for rich people, Jesus’ meaning is just what he
said: It is just as impossible for the rich to enter heaven as it
is for a camel to go through the eye of a real sewing needle. The
next statement of Jesus however shows the way the rich may enter
heaven.
Jesus gave a wonderful promise for missionaries at the end of the chapter. I bear witness to every part of that. 2,000 Orya people call me ‘Aya Bak’— which means ‘older brother’. The Lord has blessed me way more than 100 times.