Tag Archives: 01/12/22 Bible Study

Daily Bible Study

December 1, 2022 Bible Study — God Has Chosen Each And Every One Of Us To Fulfill A Role In His Body, And All Of Those Roles Are Important

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 12-14.

In today’s passage Paul writes about the gifts of the Spirit.  Often times we split chapter thirteen out and look at what Paul says there about love independently of chapters twelve and fourteen.  I have known all of this for many years.  So imagine my surprise when I noticed that Paul talks about more than the gifts of the Spirit in this passage.  In chapter twelve, verses four, five, and six, Paul writes that there are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working, but the Same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God behind them.  So, this whole passage is not just about the gifts of the Spirit, it is about the roles each of us play in the Body of Christ.  And the gifts of the Spirit which we have been given are not the whole of how we determine what role God intends us to play in His Body.  We tend to seek the flashy spiritual gifts, and the roles which stand out, but Paul tells us that, while those gifts and roles are necessary, there are more important roles for us to fill.  Paul writes that if one of us suffers, we all suffer, and if one of us is honored we all rejoice.  Then he tells us to seek the greater gifts and, in order to make his point clear, goes on to describe how God’s love, which is the greatest of the gifts which God offers us, will cause us to behave if we live in it.  So, if chapter thirteen tells us  to use God’s gifts, and to fill the role He has given us, in service to others out of the love God has given us, then chapter fourteen tells us that we should interact with others in an orderly manner so as to clearly communicate God’s message.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

January 12, 2022 Bible Study — Jacob Keeps His Promise To God

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 33-35.

When Jacob and Esau met Jacob acknowledged that the bad blood between them was his fault.  Esau, on the other hand, made it clear that he forgave Jacob and invited Jacob, and his family, join his household.  Jacob politely declined Esau’s invitation.  I point this out because when this passage was explained to me as a child it was used as an example of Jacob’s trickery.  Those who explained it to me believed that Esau intended to force Jacob to become subordinate to himself.  I read this instead as Esau offering Jacob his protection.  In fact, the very next story highlights this.  If Jacob had accepted  Esau’s offer, Jacob would never have been in a position where Shechem would have raped his daughter.  Really, this story is really about Shechem and his father trying to force Jacob to accept a relationship with them similar to the one he rejected with his brother.  Jacob’s sons pretended to be intimidated into going along with Shechem’s plan, but not too intimidated.  Yet, after his sons gained their revenge, Jacob feared that the rest of the locals would come after him and his family.  And what was the result of all of this?  Jacob was reminded of the oath he swore at Bethel when he was heading to Haran all of those many years ago.  Jacob returned to Bethel and had his family begin to practice monotheism, worshiping only God.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.