DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 12
WORD OF WISDOM
One of the greatest casualties of COVID is the lack of importance of being
connected to a church body.
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DAILY DEVOTION
How to Pray about Trouble
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of
Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I
besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
From what we read in the Bible of the life and ministry of Paul, we see a
pattern of answered prayer. Paul asked God to do things to further the work
of spreading the gospel, and God provided what was needed. Paul healed the
sick, survived shipwreck and snake bites, and even raised the dead. Yet when
it came to the most personal burden Paul carried, his request was denied.
Paul seriously and intently prayed that his thorn in the flesh would be
removed, and God refused. Rather than becoming bitter over God not doing
what he wanted, Paul rejoiced, seeing that what God had in mind was better
than what he had asked the Lord to do.
Many times when we are in difficulty, we pray with a solution in mind. We
have figured out how we think things should work, and our prayers are closer
to directions than petitions. None of us enjoy going through hardship, yet
there are times when the very thing we are asking God to take out of our
lives is something that He sent for our good and for His glory. Paul needed
the thorn in the flesh so that pride would not hinder his ability to serve
God faithfully. The thorn was a gift, and its removal would have been a
handicap to Paul. We need to be careful as we pray to remember that God
knows more than we do, so that we are not inadvertently asking Him to do
something that would harm us.
Every prayer must be offered in submission to the will of God and in
recognition that He knows what is best.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Genesis 34-36 New King James Version
The Dinah Incident
34 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to
see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the
Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and
violated her. 3 His soul [a]was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of
Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke [b]kindly to the young woman.
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as
a wife."
5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were
with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held[c] his peace until they came.
6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7
And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men
were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in
Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing which ought not to be done. 8
But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for
your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 And make marriages with
us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. 10 So
you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade
in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it."
11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in
your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Ask me ever so much
dowry[d] and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give
me the young woman as a wife."
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke
deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 And they said to
them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is
uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. 15 But on this condition
we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you
is circumcised, 16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take
your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one
people. 17 But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take
our daughter and be gone."
18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. 19 So the young
man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter.
He was more honorable than all the household of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke
with the men of their city, saying: 21 "These men are at peace with us.
Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is
large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let
us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent
to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as
they are circumcised. 23 Will not their livestock, their property, and every
animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell
with us." 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and
Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of
his city.
25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of
the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword
and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they killed
Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from
Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and
plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took
their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what
was in the field, 29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their
wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me
obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the
Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves
together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."
31 But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"
Jacob's Return to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make
an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of
Esau your brother."
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away
the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your
garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar
there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me
in the way which I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign [e]gods
which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and
Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were
all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came
to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the
people who were with him. 7 And he built an altar there and called the place
[f]El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face
of his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under
the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called [g]Allon Bachuth.
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and
blessed him. 10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall
not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called
his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful
and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and
kings shall come from your body. 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac
I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." 13 Then
God went[h] up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob
set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone;
and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob
called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
Death of Rachel
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance
to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. 17
Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to
her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also." 18 And so it was, as her
soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name [i]Ben-Oni; but
his father called him [j]Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the
way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave,
which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22
And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay
with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard about it.
Jacob's Twelve Sons
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's
firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of
Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's
maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's
maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born
to him in Padan Aram.
Death of Isaac
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba[k] (that
is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28 Now the days of Isaac
were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died,
and was [l]gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons
Esau and Jacob buried him.
The Family of Esau
36 Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. 2 Esau took his wives
from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
Aholibamah[m] the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 and
Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth. 4 Now Adah bore Eliphaz to
Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. 5 And [n]Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and
Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of
Canaan.
6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of
his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he
had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the
presence of his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for
them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not
support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau
is Edom.
9 And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount
Seir. 10 These were the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the
wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the
sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, [o]Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek
to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These
were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
14 These were the sons of [p]Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah,
the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.
The Chiefs of Edom
15 These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the
firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief
Kenaz, 16 [q]Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the
chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah.
17 These were the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah,
Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land
of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
18 And these were the sons of [r]Aholibamah, Esau's wife: Chief Jeush, Chief
Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from
Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of
Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs.
The Sons of Seir
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of
the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.
22 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and [s]Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timna.
23 These were the sons of Shobal: [t]Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, [u]Shepho, and
Onam.
24 These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who
found the [v]water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his
father Zibeon. 25 These were the children of Anah: Dishon and [w]Aholibamah
the daughter of Anah.
26 These were the sons of [x]Dishon: [y]Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and [z]Akan. 28 These were
the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief
Zibeon, Chief Anah, 30 Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These
were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of
Seir.
The Kings of Edom
31 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king
reigned over the children of Israel: 32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in
Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 And when Bela died, Jobab
the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 When Jobab died, Husham
of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 And when Husham died,
Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in
his place. And the name of his city was Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah of
Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 And when Samlah died, Saul of
Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. 38 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan
the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 And when Baal-Hanan the son of
Achbor died, [aa]Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was
[ab]Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter
of Mezahab.
The Chiefs of Esau
40 And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their
families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief [ac]Alvah,
Chief Jetheth, 41 Chief [ad]Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 42 Chief
Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 43 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These
were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of
their possession. Esau was the father of [ae]the Edomites.
Footnotes
Genesis 34:3 Lit. clung to
Genesis 34:3 tenderly
Genesis 34:5 kept silent
Genesis 34:12 bride-price
Genesis 35:4 idols
Genesis 35:7 Lit. God of the House of God
Genesis 35:8 Lit. Terebinth of Weeping
Genesis 35:13 departed
Genesis 35:18 Lit. Son of My Sorrow
Genesis 35:18 Lit. Son of the Right Hand
Genesis 35:27 Lit. Town or City of Arba
Genesis 35:29 Joined his ancestors
Genesis 36:2 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:5 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:11 Zephi, 1 Chr. 1:36
Genesis 36:14 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:16 Sam. omits Chief Korah
Genesis 36:18 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:22 Homam, 1 Chr. 1:39
Genesis 36:23 Alian, 1 Chr. 1:40
Genesis 36:23 Shephi, 1 Chr. 1:40
Genesis 36:24 So with MT, Vg. (hot springs); LXX Jamin; Tg. mighty men;
Talmud mules
Genesis 36:25 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:26 Heb. Dishan
Genesis 36:26 Hamran, 1 Chr. 1:41
Genesis 36:27 Jaakan, 1 Chr. 1:42
Genesis 36:39 Sam., Syr. Hadad and 1 Chr. 1:50
Genesis 36:39 Pai, 1 Chr. 1:50
Genesis 36:40 Aliah, 1 Chr. 1:51
Genesis 36:41 Or Oholibamah
Genesis 36:43 Heb. Edom
