NL-Day012 Genesis 22-23; Job 12; Mark 8:1-21

GENESIS 22-23:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Abraham deceived Abimelech, Isaak was born, and Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son be sent away— which grieved Abraham. (But remember that story, because Paul uses it as a spiritual metaphor in Galatians 4.) Finally Abimelech visited Abraham, and the two made several formally ratified promises.

JOB 12:
Yesterday, Zophar said to Job,

Job 11:1-2 GNT Will no one answer all this nonsense?
Does talking so much put you in the right?
3 Job, do you think we can't answer you?
That your mocking words will leave us speechless?
4 You claim that what you say is true;
you claim you are pure in the sight of God.
5 How I wish God would answer you!
6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;
there are things too deep for human knowledge.
God is punishing you less than you deserve.

Having accused Job of sin in that way, Zophar then goes on to give this lovely advice:

13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.
14 Put away evil and wrong from your home.
15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous.
16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,

MARK 8a:
In Mark 7 yesterday, Jesus gave this very significant teaching:

15 GNT There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.”

And we heard the way that Jesus gave a difficult test to the Gentile woman. Don’t just assume that Jesus was unfeeling to that woman. There is treasure there to dig for in that enigmatic test!

NLT Translation note:
8:9 There were about 4,000 [people//men] in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. [The 2007 edition has ‘people’ instead of ‘men’. The newest edition has ‘men’. Since Mat. 15:38 clearly says ‘men’, it is the better to use that word here also. However Mark doesn’t actually specify the gender, because he says, “Those who had eaten … .”]

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.