Revenge is not the way God wants His people to live.توسط Free audio sermons: Get free audio sermons and free audio Bible studies!

Bible Readings for February 18th Exodus 1 | Luke 4 | Job 18 | 1 Corinthians 5 Exodus 1 explains the transition between the story of Joseph and the story of Moses. When Joseph died at the end of Genesis 50, he was the second most powerful man on the planet, a man seated at the right hand of the pharaoh of Egypt himself. As such, Joseph’s brothers an…

Eph 1:23 – THE CHURCH 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.توسط Free audio sermons: Get free audio sermons and free audio Bible studies!

Bible Readings for February 17th Genesis 50 | Luke 3 | Job 16–17 | 1 Corinthians 4 As we talked about in the meditation for Genesis 45, Joseph evaluates the suffering he endured in his lifetime in a surprising way. Rather than seeing himself as a victim of thoroughly unfair treatment (which he certainly was), Joseph understood that God had sovereig…

This lesson looks at life not from the occasional mountain peak moments nor the dark valley days but from those long stretches of "in the meantime" periods where too often we tend to lose our worry.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

Bible Readings for February 16th Genesis 49 | Luke 2 | Job 15 | 1 Corinthians 3 Genesis 49 records the final words of Jacob before the patriarch is gathered to his people in death, buried in the same cave as Jacob’s grandparents Abraham and Sarah, Jacob’s parents, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob’s wife Leah (Gen. 49:29–33). The bulk of Genesis 49, how…

Bible Readings for February 15th Genesis 48 | Luke 1:39–80 | Job 14 | 1 Corinthians 2 In Genesis 48:5–7, Jacob formally adopts Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. There is a solid, practical reason for Jacob to do so: by adopting Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob gives those sons direct portions of his own inheritance. So, rather than giving Joseph’s fa…

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Bible Readings for February 14th Genesis 47 | Luke 1:1–38 | Job 13 | 1 Corinthians 1 As we discussed yesterday, the last few chapters of Genesis are setting up the story we will read in Exodus—a story of God’s redemption of his people that lives at the heart of the rest of the Scriptures. Genesis 47 charts three key events that establish the founda…

This lesson summarizes the familiar history of the relationship between Israel's first two kings, Saul and David. There is also information concerning God's choice of Saul and lessons for the church today based on these leaders of long ago.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

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Bible Readings for February 13th Genesis 46 | Mark 16 | Job 12 | Romans 16 What an incredible scene it must have been to see Jacob reunited with his son whom he had believed to be dead for so many years: “[Joseph] presented himself to [Jacob] and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while” (Gen. 46:29). This is very similar language to the …

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Bible Readings for February 12th Genesis 45 | Mark 15 | Job 11 | Romans 15 I love to imagine what must have been going through the minds of Joseph’s brothers when he revealed himself to them. All we are told directly is that “his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence” (Gen. 45:3). What could they possibly have been t…

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Bible Readings for February 11th Genesis 44 | Mark 14 | Job 10 | Romans 14 By Genesis 44, Joseph has spent considerable time with his brothers. He has interrogated them, imprisoned them, and feasted with them. It does not seem as though anything Joseph has done—even at the points when he treated them roughly—has happened out of malice but rather ou…

Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,توسط Free audio sermons: Get free audio sermons and free audio Bible studies!

Bible Readings for February 10th Genesis 43 | Mark 13 | Job 9 | Romans 13 When the first measure of grain runs out for Jacob and his sons, Jacob instructs his sons to return again to Egypt to buy more grain. Judah not only reminds Jacob that Joseph had told them not to appear before him without Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, but Judah also pledges…

Bible Readings for February 9th Genesis 42 | Mark 12 | Job 8 | Romans 12 In Genesis 42, we read the first installment of how Joseph reconciles with his brothers after many years since they had sold him into slavery. Although the brothers do not recognize Joseph—how could they possibly imagine that their brother had ascended to the right hand of Pha…

Bible Readings for February 8th Genesis 41 | Mark 11 | Job 7 | Romans 11 Despite the fact that the cupbearer had promised Joseph he would remember him and work to free Joseph from prison, two entire years pass without anything happening to rescue Joseph. And once again, even though the cupbearer abandons Joseph (one more person in a long line of pe…

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Bible Readings for February 7th Genesis 40 | Mark 10 | Job 6 | Romans 10 In yesterday’s reading, Joseph ended up in prison through no fault of his own. After being ambushed by his brothers and sold into foreign slavery, Joseph had gained the respect and admiration of his Egyptian master. But when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of trying to …

In this opening lesson Mike sets the historical setting for the books of Samuel and traces the rise of Samuel as a judge of Israel and a key figure in the nation's transition from a theocracy to a monarchy.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

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Bible Readings for February 6th Genesis 39 | Mark 9 | Job 5 | Romans 9 After the brief interlude in yesterday’s reading when we read about Judah and Tamar, Genesis 39 returns us to the story of Joseph. In this chapter, the narrator picks up where he left us at the end of Genesis 37, where we learned that Joseph had been sold to an Egyptian named Po…

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Bible Readings for February 5th Genesis 38 | Mark 8 | Job 4 | Romans 8 Because Jacob was renamed Israel after wrestling with God in Genesis 32:28, the sons of Israel then served as the heads of the tribes of Israel. And of all the tribes in Israel, the tribe of Judah (named after the man whom we read about in Genesis 38) will end up playing an unus…

Bible Readings for February 4th Genesis 37 | Mark 7 | Job 3 | Romans 7 In Genesis 37, we meet Joseph, the final main figure of Genesis. Although Joseph will be misunderstood and hated and rejected by his brothers, he nevertheless plays a key role in bringing the chosen family to Egypt (which sets up the story of Moses and God’s redemption of Israel…

Bible Readings for February 3rd Genesis 35–36 | Mark 6 | Job 2 | Romans 6 In everything we have read so far, Jacob has been in perpetual distress. From the beginning of his life, when he deceived his brother, Esau, and tricked his father, Isaac, Jacob has been on the run, the subject of mistreatment by his uncle, and living under the hanging cloud …

Bible Readings for February 2nd Genesis 34 | Mark 5 | Job 1 | Romans 5 The chosen family does not come away from Genesis 34 looking very good. In the wake of a horrific tragedy—the rape of Dinah by Shechem the Hivite—Jacob and his sons respond poorly, but in different ways. Simeon and Levi are rightfully outraged at the defiling of their sister, bu…

Bible Readings for February 1st Genesis 33 | Mark 4 | Esther 9–10 | Romans 4 We shouldn’t be surprised to see Jacob falter in his confident faith when he sees Esau coming from far off, even though Jacob had only just finished wrestling with God (Gen. 33:1). Of course, it didn’t help Jacob’s fear to see Esau coming with four hundred men, but even so…

Bible Readings for January 31st Genesis 32 | Mark 3 | Esther 8 | Romans 3 Up to this point, Jacob’s relationship with God has been fairly one-sided. God has made promises to Jacob, protected Jacob, and faithfully begun to lead Jacob back to the land of Canaan. Jacob, on the other hand, has tricked his brother, Esau, out of a birthright, schemed his…

Bible Readings for January 30th Genesis 31 | Mark 2 | Esther 7 | Romans 2 Jacob’s time living with Laban has been a terrible experience. At every turn, Laban has lied to Jacob and cheated him out of what he promised to Jacob, first by giving Jacob Leah instead of Rachel as a wife and second by stealing Jacob’s wages of the striped, spotted, and mot…

Bible Readings for January 29th Genesis 30 | Mark 1 | Esther 6 | Romans 1 Genesis 30 contains two main stories. The first half of the chapter continues the tragic, unhappy narrative of sibling rivalry between Leah and Rachel that began in Genesis 29. In yesterday’s meditation, we noticed similarities between this story and the stories of Abraham, S…

Bible Readings for January 28th Genesis 29 | Matthew 28 | Esther 5 | Acts 28 As we discussed during the meditation for Genesis 24, it is a running theme in Scripture for God’s people to meet their future spouses at wells. Abraham’s servant met Isaac’s wife-to-be, Rebekah, at a well, and now Jacob meets his future wife Rachel at a well. But after Ja…

Bible Readings for January 27th Genesis 28 | Matthew 27 | Esther 4 | Acts 27 At the outset of Genesis 28, Jacob has come to an impasse. If he does not flee, he will certainly be murdered by his brother, Esau, from whom he stole their father Isaac’s blessing in Genesis 27. But if he does flee, it is unclear how he will receive the blessing of Abraha…

Bible Readings for January 26th Genesis 27 | Matthew 26 | Esther 3 | Acts 26 The blessing that Isaac pronounces on Jacob—the blessing that he does not pronounce on Esau, despite his intentions to do so—was not a vague wish for his son’s well being. In fact, it was a prophesy that bore great weight and significance, so much so that Isaac had no bles…

Bible Readings for January 25th Genesis 26 | Matthew 25 | Esther 2 | Acts 25 Like father, like son. Or, to borrow a more Hebrew idiom, a father has eaten sour grapes, so his son’s teeth are set on edge (Jer. 31:29; Ezek. 18:2). What Abraham foolishly did twice in his lifetime—lying about the fact that his wife was, in fact, his wife to protect hims…

Bible Readings for January 24th Genesis 25 | Matthew 24 | Esther 1 | Acts 24 Genesis 25 is a chapter of extreme transition in the unfolding story of God’s salvation in and through his people. In this chapter, we see God’s purposes in election across three generations. First, we read in Genesis 25 about the death of Abraham at the age of 175. Abraha…

This final lesson traces both the religious and moral low points in Israel's history.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

Bible Readings for January 23rd Genesis 24 | Matthew 23 | Nehemiah 13 | Acts 23 Yesterday, in Genesis 23, we read about the death of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Today, in Genesis 24, we see Abraham himself approaching death. He too will not live to see God’s promises fulfilled. So, Abraham makes plans to help his son Isaac continue to serve Yahweh faith…

Bible Readings for January 22nd Genesis 23 | Matthew 22 | Nehemiah 12 | Acts 22 Abraham and his wife, Sarah, lived their lives as pilgrims in the land God had promised to them. Theirs was a hard life, characterized by unfulfilled longings, constant danger, and disappointment. Still, they obeyed Yahweh, following him to the land of Canaan, out of th…

Bible Readings for January 21st Genesis 22 | Matthew 21 | Nehemiah 11 | Acts 21 In spite of all the long waiting and the extraordinary faith Abraham had to exercise while waiting for Isaac to come, God tests Abraham’s faith in an even greater way in Genesis 22 by asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain in Moriah. Shockingly, we read Abraham…

Bible Readings for January 20th Genesis 21 | Matthew 20 | Nehemiah 10 | Acts 20 At last, God fulfills his promise to Abraham and to Sarah. Finally, here in Genesis 21, Yahweh visits Sarah, enabling her to conceive, just as he had promised. Despite their old age (Abraham was one hundred years old at this point), God gives Abraham and Sarah a son. As…

In this lesson Mike reviews 5 things that every Christian must do in order to develop this virtue.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

Bible Readings for January 19th Genesis 20 | Matthew 19 | Nehemiah 9 | Acts 19 Genesis 20 is the second time we see Abraham lying about his wife to protect his own safety. A nearly identical story takes place in Genesis 12:10–20, when Abram lied to the pharaoh of Egypt, saying that his wife was merely his sister. In that story, God sent plagues aga…

Bible Readings for January 18th Genesis 19 | Matthew 18 | Nehemiah 8 | Acts 18 Lot is a fascinating example of someone who does not love God’s righteousness but who also does not approve of the world’s wickedness. There is a strange irony in the fact that Lot has become captivated with Sodom—captivated enough that he selfishly chose the region when…

Bible Readings for January 17th Genesis 18 | Matthew 17 | Nehemiah 7 | Acts 17 Genesis 18 contains a promise of extraordinary hope and of devastating judgment. This passage in some ways marks both the beginning of Abraham’s redemptive, covenant offspring as well as the end of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here Yahweh appears to Abraham in t…

Mike reviews the life and times of one of the most iconic and erratic characters of the Old Testament.توسط Mike Mazzalongo

Bible Readings for January 16th Genesis 17 | Matthew 16 | Nehemiah 6 | Acts 16 In Genesis 15, Yahweh had cut a covenant with Abram by passing twice through the pieces of the animals who had been torn in two. In this, Yahweh was promising that his body would be broken like the animals if either he broke the terms of the covenant or if Abram (or Abra…