Bristol Bay Bible Reading
Week 4 January 22-28
The Available Holy Spirit
But the difference between the Old and New Testaments, between before Christ's resurrection and after, is the availability of the Spirit. And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And, also, upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.” (Joel 2:28)
If the Holy Spirit is the same yesterday, today, and forever, I believe the Holy Spirit had much more to do with the Creation and the beginnings of the nation of Israel as described in Genesis than most Christians acknowledge.
Consider the life of the Patriarchs of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God establishes Abraham's connection with the Holy Spirit by calling him a prophet.
The Holy Spirit speaks in and by prophets (2 Peter 1:21). But there is no direct announcement in Genesis of the Holy Spirit's activity in the lives of Isaac and Jacob. We could therefore justify the consensus that the Holy Spirit did not work in their lives. But where communication with God exists, the Holy Spirit exists. Both of these Patriarchs heard directly from God.
This is confirmed in Psalm 105:15, where David refers to the Holy Spirit's work among the Patriarchs.
Jacob, whose name means deceiver, spent much of his life running away from his troubles and chasing after the cares of the world. But God was with him. He blessed his labors. At the right moment God spoke to him ''Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee. (Genesis 31:3)." The Holy Spirit helped make known to Jacob the words of God.
Facilitating communication between God and man is only one way the Holy Spirit works. Isaiah 11:2 prophesies how the Holy Spirit would work in the life of Jesus as the Messiah. This verse reminded me of Jacob's need for the Holy Spirit in dealing with his father-in-law and brother Esau as he left Laban's home and headed towards the land of his father. “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord ((Isaiah 11:2).
'The Spirit of God rested on Jacob. He had the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding. God allowed him to understand the dangerous position he and his family faced in Laban's home. God, through the working of his Spirit, gave Jacob the fortitude and the favor to end his relationship with his conniving, untruthful father-in-law peacefully. He reconciled with Laban only when forced to face him after running. But God stood for Jacob and warned Laban in a dream to keep his words to Jacob in a direct non-threatening manner.
.two groups. He sent gifts ahead to pacify l' u. m.
In a time alone, God met him. Jacob wrestled with a man in a battle that ended in a draw. The man tells Jacob, "Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel, for
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man and hast prevailed. "
The NIV states this italicized part of
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struggle as meaning literally "he who strives with God.'' The NIV leaves out the phrase
concerni•ng t'he power of a prince. T, n H,e-
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Jacob moved in counsel and power.
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the results of God's power on his life as he
grace of God that he had prevailed. In
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face to face, and my life is preserved."
In this verse Jacob recognizes his need to fear the Lord. Jacob often specifi-cally refers to this as the "fear of his father
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again. The recognized this movement of the Spirit of God upon his life and obeyed readily.
\\7hen he spoke to Laban, the Spirit of counsel intervened by allmvi1ig his fa.�
tl1er-in-law to listen and hear Jacob's con-v•m•e1ng worm'T;.h e nvo arnencet'alj.ti.1.,e•1r
differences.
When he heard that his brother Esau was approaching with 400 men, God gave Jacob the wisdom and knowledge to devise a plan (Genesis 32:4). He split his family and flocks into two groups. He sent gifts ahead to pacify.
reverence toward the same God as his father Isaac..
Jacob's name was changed at the hand of God
God and the work of his Spirit, from being known as the supplanter to being the prince, changing his name from Jacob to Israel.
Through the life of Jacob, we view the work of Holy Spirit made available
to everyone on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on all who
tarried in the upper room.
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32:4) He split his family and flocks into
Ten Weeks or 70 Days of Reading Remaining!
For those who want to read along in your own Bible, I will publish the passages for the week in a special column to check off. I look forward to reading with you. Each week I will also send some study questions to go with your reading if you choose to use them. Reply with questions and answers. I look forward to reading God's Word with you daily.
Chronological Bible Daily Reading Schedule
January 20
Job 5:1-7:21
January 21
Job 8:1-11:20
January 22
Job 12:1-14:22
January 23
Job 15:1-18:21
January 24
Job 19:1-21:34
January 25
Job 22:1-25:6
January 26
Job 26:1-29:25
Questions to Ponder January 20-26
January 20
Job 5:1-7:21
1) In Job 6:10, Job describes what he takes joy in. What is it? How does this relate to you?
2) In Job 6:15, Job mentions his need for friends and the response he gets. What kind of a friend are you? What does the Bible say about friends? Find one other verse.
January 21
Job 8:1-11:20
1) Job 1:2 and 1:18-19 tell us about Job's children and what happened to Job's children. Job 8:2-4 refers to Job's children. What does Job's friend say about them?
2) Who is Bildad? Do a little research on him. Does he have a right to speak as he does in chapter 8 about Job's family? Why or why not?
3) Job attempts to answer his friend in Job 9:14-22. What do you think of this answer? Compare his answer in NLT and NIV.
4) Compare what his friend says in Job 11:13-15 to what God tells Satan in Job 1:8. What is the conflict, and where does the true answer rest?
January 22
Job 12:1-14:22
1) Read Job 12:13. Compare to Isaiah 11:1-3. Who is Job talking about and who is Isaiah speaking of?
2) In Job 14:7-12, Job compares and contrasts the life of a tree and a human being. What does this remind you of mortality with and without Christ?
January 23
Job 15:1-18:21
1) Can you identify a situation in your life where you felt like Job, isolated, misunderstood, and wanting truth to win? How did you handle it?
2) Explain the need for faith in God at a time like Job's.
3) How does Job’s suffering alter or affirm your understanding of God's role in suffering?
January 24
Job 19:1-21:34
1) In Job 19:25-27, Job is awe-struck by God. He calls God his Redeemer. What is the meaning behind this Hebrew word? Is there another story in the Bible where we would find it? Compare the two and the meaning.
The Book of Job | Biblical Text and Themes | Britannica
This is an interesting secular look at the book of Job. Answer the following questions while regarding Job 19-21.
2) What do you know about Zophar? What do you need to know about him to respond to his thoughts in Job 20?
January 25
Job 22:1-25:6
1) Who is Eliphaz? What do you need to know about him to understand his perspective?
2) Who is the sinner in these chapters? Is there one?
January 26
Job 26:1-29:25
1) In Job 26:1-3, Job questions his friends and their virtue? What does he ask and how would you have answered?
2) Compare how NIV, NLT, and ESV title Chapter 29. What is a more realistic title? How has the past dialogue in Job compared to a court trial that requires a defense?
Answers to Questions to Ponder January 13-19
January 13
Genesis 36:1-43
1) Where did Esau take his wives from? The land of Canaan.
2) Why is this an issue in the Bible? 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 explains how believers-those who are Christians and follow the Bible-are not to marry non-believers. God had similar rules for the Jews. They were not to marry people of other religions or bring other gods into their household.
I Chronicles 1:35-2:2
1) Which son of Noah is Abraham related to? Shem
2) How is this related to the lineage of Jesus? Noah, through Shem, was the line of relatives Jesus was born into. This biological lineage can be seen in Luke 3:23-38. Scholars believe this lineage traces Mary's family, showing that biologically, Jesus is from David's lineage as prophesied in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. Scholars believe this line can be partially seen in Matthew 1:1-17, which traces Jesus' legal lineage through Joseph.
January 14
Genesis 37:1-39:23
Genesis 37 begins with the stories of Jacob's family. The lineage of Jacob, Israel's son and Isaac's grandson, includes the life of Joseph. Israel had 12 sons. Joseph was one of two younger and favored.
1) One of the more memorable stories children are taught is "Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors." The KJV says "he made him a court of many colors." The NIV says "he made an ornate robe for him." NLT says, "Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe."
When using the BlueLetterBible.org, Strongs suggests ideas for the Hebrew meaning of the word describing coat. Is it beautiful, ornate, or coat of many colors? Decide by taking a little time
to study the definitions on the Blue Letter Bible website as listed here: H6446 - pas - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv). What do you think? (your choice)
2) I like studying the Blue Letter Bible and Strong's Lexicon. To use these tools, you must be willing to read the KJV. Carefully consider reading Genesis chapters 37-39. Then, compare the different Bible versions of these chapters, KJV with NLT or NIV. Do you notice any differences you would like to investigate with the Blue Letter Bible?
To research this all online, consider doing the following:
1. Go to BibleHub.com
2. This will allow you to explore the website.
3: To comparatively research Genesis 37 specifically you can go here: https://biblehub.com/p/nlt/esv/genesis/37.shtml
4. This will bring you to a page comparing the NLT to the ESV
5. If you want to look at a different version of the Bible, choose from the line above the verses on the website that provides options and looks like this: NASB Parallel KJV [BSB CSB ESV HCS KJV ISV NAS NET NIV NLT HEB]
6. Compare these versions noticing differences. This place on the website gives a "parallel" look at or reading of two versions of the Bible for the passage you chose. From here you can see differences in the words.
7. You can explore the Lexicon and the Strong's here that goes verse by verse.
8. Or you can go to Blueletterbible.org and type in the Bible address such as Genesis 37.
9. To use Strong's Lexicon, you must choose the KJV in Blue Letter Bible and check the box that says Strongs.
10. Then you would choose the number next to the word you are interested in. This would give you the Hebrew form of the word, its meaning, and other information.
I Chronicles 2:3-8
1) As we move through the lineages from Adam to Christ, who do you see as important Christ's lineage in these verses? (your choice)
2) The male names are the most straightforward to find. Consider the only woman listed here. Why would she be listed? Tamar is the one to whom lineage is extended through Jesus. She is one of three women listed in the genealogies of Jesus. All three had distinct sins that the blood line of Jesus overcame and used for his glory. There is more to this, and it is a good topic to research.
January 15
Genesis 40:1-41:57
1) Joseph worked for Potiphar in Genesis Chapter 39. Potiphar is Joseph's boss and called the captain of the guard, "Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard." Genesis 37:36
Again in Genesis 41, it says that Joseph served the captain of the guard. Think about the possibilities of Potiphar's being the captain of the guard in each of these situations? Is it possible? KJV Search Results for "captain" AND "of" AND "the" AND "guard" . Discover your own answers or thoughts.
Genesis 35:28-29
2) What is the significance of these verses? Esau and Jacob came together to bury their father. The father's death brought reconciliation for the moment.
January 16
Genesis 42:1-45:15
1) Genesis 45:7 speaks of the preservation of a remnant. This is a theme throughout the Bible when speaking of God's people-Jew or Christian. Find one additional reference about this theme. (your choice.)
2) What is the story between Benjamin and Joseph? Benjamin and Joseph had the same mother. They were born in Israel's old age.
January 17
Genesis 45:16-47:27
1) Genesis 46:1-4 shows God speaking to Israel. How does God speak? God spoke to Israel in a vision at night.
2) How does Israel answer? Find one other incidence in the Bible where someone answers God or his angels with the same words. “Here I am,” Israel responded. Your choice of another response or place where a bible character says "Here I am."
January 18
Genesis 47:28-50:26
1) Explain the words of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 regarding Joseph's life and Israel. What men mean for evil, God can change to good.
2) How does it apply to your life as well? Do you have a story that relates to Genesis 50:20? Your choice
January 19
Job 1-4
1) What did Satan say he was doing in Job 1:7? The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” And he does this today I think.
2) Job 2:4 gives a claim from Satan. How does Job 2:10 show Satan wrong? It says that Satan despite trouble did not sin against God.
Praying for Bristol Bay.
Questions? Call Pastor Val at 907-952-3317 or email pastorval@bristolbay.church
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