I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     After the problems at Shechem (which were in yesterday’s passage, but I did not cover in yesterday’s blog), Jacob receives word from God to move to Bethel and settle there. Jacob is instructed that he is to build an altar when he gets to Shechem. In preparation for this, Jacob told all of his household to get rid of all of their idols, purify themselves and change clothes. Jacob tells them that this is necessary because they are going to Bethel, where he will build an altar to God, who answered him in his distress and has been with him in all his travels. The people of his household gave him all of their idols and their earrings, which Jacob then buried under the oak at Shechem. Jacob then set out with his entire household. The fear of God fell on all the surrounding peoples and Jacob and his household were allowed to leave the area in peace. When Jacob arrived at Luz (which Jacob called Bethel) he built an altar to God there.
     There is a slight discrepancy in the flow of the story here, as if the writer is stitching together two stories that don’t overlap seamlessly (one, a story of Jacob’s life up until now, with one that started telling about Jacob’s family from this point forward). God appeared to Jacob at Bethel and confirmed his name change to Israel. Jacob translates more or less as “heel” or “deceiver” (interestingly enough, there appears to be no connection between this Hebrew meaning and the 20th Century English Language idiom of using “heel” to refer to a dishonorable man) while Israel translates as “God fights”. We are not to be deceivers rather we are to be those who rely on God to fight our battles because the only battles we are in are God’s battles. I wish I could say that the only battles I get into are God’s battles.

     Today we have two stories about what Jesus had to say about the Sabbath (and indirectly about following religious rules). While Jesus was walking through a grain field His disciples snapped off a few heads of grain and ate them. The Pharisees confronted Jesus because His disciples had violated the Sabbath rules against working. Jesus points out circumstances in the scripture where the “rules” were broken by those considered holy. Then He told them that their problem is that they do not understand the passage where Hosea says that God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Then Jesus continued on until He came to a synagogue which He entered. The Pharisees looked to gain a reason to bring charges against Jesus asked Him if it was legal to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus answer was that it is always lawful to do good. Jesus then told the man to stretch out his hand which was healed when the man did so.
     The Pharisees were caught up in a set of rules that they had created in order to obey the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. However, in the process of they lost track of the core of the command. The key part of the command was not the part to do no work, the key part of the command was to keep the Sabbath holy. You keep the Sabbath holy by doing good. Let us take every opportunity to do good.

     The psalmist asks, who can dwell in the presence of God? Then he answers the question. The answer is the one who speaks the truth. The one who does not slander or cast a slur on others. The one who does no wrong to their neighbor. The one who despises vile behavior. The one who keeps their promises even when it hurts. The one who lends to the poor without interest. If we act in this manner we will stand firm.

     The writer of this proverb tells us that if we keep our eye on wisdom and preserve sound judgment and discretion we will have no cause to fear sudden disaster. If we do these things God will be at our side.