Daily Reading Passages

Click below for access to the passages. Biblegateway.com is an excellent site with many versions of the Bible. The link below opens in NIV.Youversion.com is a new site that allows you to annotate your own Bible, make notes, and comments once you create an account. That link opens in the TNIV version. Other versions are available at both sites.

Coaching Comments

Today's Old Testament reading (Genesis 24:52 - 26:16) takes us further into the story of Abraham and his children. First we wrap up the romance of Isaac and Rebekah that we started yesterday. Then we come to Abraham's death. He was buried in the same tomb that he had bought for his wife, Sarah. It's notable that the text says that Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in this tomb. That means that Ishmael came home, and at least for a while he and Isaac set aside their differences so they could bury their father.

That leads us into a short section talking about Ishmael and his life's journey, including the children he had. This is the evidence of God keeping his promise to Abraham on behalf of Ishmael. These verses end with the foreboding comment, "And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers." Again, I get images of the ongoing conflict in Palestine to this day.

With Abraham dead, the narrative passes on to Isaac and his children. Pay attention as we go. Remember that through the whole Old Testament we're essentially following one family tree. We're seeing the consequences--both good and bad--of one family as they journey to (and away from) God. So you're going to witness some very interesting family dynamics, even family dysfunction.

In this passage Rebekah, Isaac's wife, finally gets pregnant with twins, but before the babies are even born, they are already fighting with each other. These two babies are Esau and Jacob. Esau was an outdoors kind of guy, a hunter. Jacob was the opposite. That of course leads us to the famous moment when Esau, coming back from the hunt, came upon Jacob cooking dinner. He begged Jacob for some food. Jacob said, "Only if you sell me your birthright." The birthright was the inheritance of the eldest son. It included not only the material inheritance when the father passes away, but the authority over the household, the family name, and a significant blessing from the father. It was a precious and sacred thing. But Esau didn't take it seriously and agreed to Jacob's ridiculous offer. More on the consequences of this later.

Chapter 26 is a real double-take moment. A famine comes into the land, but God tells Isaac to keep his family there and He would provide for them. This brought about some strain with the local inhabitants--struggles over grazing land and water, mostly. But at the same time some of the locals were eying Rebekah. So, Isaac decided he knew how to solve that problem. He just told them all that...

(wait for it...)

...

...

...she was his sister!

What? Are you kidding!? Nope. We really do learn to be who we are from our parents. Argh!

Of course this was a problem and had to get sorted out. In the end, Isaac was asked to leave the area because the local king didn't trust that Isaac wouldn't use his increasing wealth and power against him and his people. After all, can you trust someone who lies to you about who their wife is?

The New Testament reading is (Matthew 8:18-34). Today we get three different pericopes. The first presents the reality that following Jesus is not always an easy thing. It doesn't guarantee you earthly comfort and security. (v. 20) It doesn't allow you to live with the same priorities and timelines as the world around you. (v. 22)

The second story is the famous scene of Jesus calming the storm. It raises questions about our fear and about our trust. It also presents another messianic qualification for Jesus: He had authority over nature.

The third story is Jesus' encounter two demon-possessed men who lived among the tombs. Jesus delivered them and sent the demons out. The strange part of the story is that he sent them into a herd of pigs that subsequently committed mass suicide by running into the lake. Why? I have no idea. What can I learn from this? Well, for one it shows us that demon possessions in the Bible can't all be chalked up to mental illness. If Jesus had healed them from some mental disease, there would have been nothing to go into the pigs. In this case there was an actual entity that had invaded these poor men's minds, and when it was cast out, it had to go someplace.

Today we start Psalms 10. (Psalms 10:1-15) One of the enduring questions of humanity is why the proud, arrogant, and abusive continue to be successful. Today's Psalm struggles with this very idea. It begins with the question about those times when God seems far away, and then portrays the ever-increasing pride of the human heart and everything it can lead to. It ends with a call to God to rescue the innocent from these prideful and abusive people. It's a prayer for anyone who has ever felt abused or taken advantage of, anyone who feels like there is no one to take their side.

The reading from Proverbs is Proverbs 3:7-8. It's one simple but important warning: Don't take yourself too seriously, or think that you know everything. Build your life on a profound respect of God and his ways, and stay away from doing evil. This will keep you healthy and prospering.

2007 Cohort Comments