Genesis 24:50 – 26:35
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The command comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either good or bad. 51 Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your lord’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.” 52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he bowed to the earth and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver and gold and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and her mother. 54 And he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed all night.
Then they arose early in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my lord.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the virgin remain with us about ten days; after that she may go.” 56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my lord.” 57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 Thus they sent away Rebekah their sister and her goods and Abraham’s servant and those with him. 60 They blessed Rebekah their sister and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of myriads, and may your seed possess the gates of their enemies.” 61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and rode on the camels and went with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac came through the desert to the Well of the Vision, for he dwelt in the South. 63 Isaac then went out to meditate in the field in the evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw camels coming. 64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my lord.” So she took a veil and covered herself. 66 Now the servant told Isaac all the things he had done. 67 Thus Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took her and she became his wife. So he loved her, and was comforted concerning Sarah his mother.
Abraham and Keturah
1 Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 So she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. Thus the sons of Dedan were Ragouel, Nabdeed and the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.
5 Now Abraham gave all his possessions to Isaac. 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines; and while he was still living, he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.
The Death and Burial of Abraham
7 After these things, the sum of years Abraham lived were one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, old and full of days and was added to his people. 9 So his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field and the cave Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife.
11 Thus it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt at the Well of the Vision.
The Genealogy of Ishmael and Isaac
12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 These were the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names, according to their families: Ishmael’s firstborn, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names, by their towns and settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of Ishmael’s life: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was added to his people. 18 (He dwelt opposite Egypt, from Havilah as far as Shur, as you go toward Assyria, and dwelt separate from all his brothers.)
19 Now this is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as his wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, and the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and God granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
And two peoples shall be separated from your body.
One shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
24 Thus, when her days were fulfilled to give birth, indeed, there were twins in her womb. 25 Now the firstborn came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so she named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so she called his name Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah bore them.
Esau Sells His Birthright
27 So the boys grew. Now Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau because he ate his venison, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Then Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and was weary. 30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me taste this red stew, for I am exhausted.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said to Esau, “Sell me your birthright today.” 32 Esau replied, “Look, I am about to die. What good then is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me today.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
Isaac and Abimelech
1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I will tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your seed I give all these lands; and I will perform the oath I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your seed multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give your seed all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham your father obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My ordinances, and My laws.” 6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
7 Now the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” lest the men of the place should kill him for Rebekah, because she was beautiful to behold. 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of Gerar looked through a window and saw Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said to myself, ‘Lest I should die on account of her.’ ” 10 Thus Abimelech said, “Why have you done this to us? One of the people could easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had herds of sheep and oxen and many fields. So the Philistines envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 Again, Isaac dug the wells of water they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names his father had called them. 19 Also, Isaac’s servants dug in the valley of Gerar, and found a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar fought with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Injustice, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Enmity. 22 So he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not fight over it. Thus he called its name Room, because he said, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and has increased us in the land.”
23 Then he went up from there to the Well of Oath. 24 Now the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord; and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. 26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the commander-in-chief of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 But they said, “We have certainly seen the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 It came to pass the same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it, Oath; therefore, the name of the city is the Well of Oath to this day.
34 Now when Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 But they were contentious with Isaac and Rebekah.
Psalms 9:18-39
Let sinners be turned back into Hades,
And all the nations who forget God.
19 For the poor man shall not be forgotten in the end;
The patience of the poor shall not perish forever.
20 Arise, O Lord, and do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your presence.
21 Set a lawgiver over them, O Lord,
And let the nations know that they are men.
(Pause)
22 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You disregard me in times of affliction?
23 When the ungodly man behaves arrogantly, the poor are set afire;
Let him be caught in the counsels he ponders.
24 For the sinner praises himself in the desires of his soul,
And the unjust man blesses himself.
25 The sinner provokes the Lord;
He will not seek Him out because of the fullness of His wrath;
God is not before him.
26 His ways are defiled in every season;
Your judgments are removed from his face;
He shall rule over all his enemies,
27 For he said in his heart, “I will not be shaken;
From generation to generation I will be without trouble.”
28 His mouth is full of cursing, bitterness and deceit;
Suffering and pain are under his tongue.
29 He lies in ambush with the wealthy;
He kills the innocent in hidden places;
His eyes look intently at the poor;
30 He lies in ambush in a hiding place, like a lion in his den;
He lies in wait to seize the poor man,
To seize the poor man to drag him away;
31 He will humble him in his snare;
But he will bend down and fall when he rules over the poor.
32 For he said in his heart, “God forgets;
He turned His face so as never to see it.”
33 Arise, O Lord God, let Your hand be lifted high,
And do not forget Your poor.
34 Why has the ungodly man provoked God?
For he said in his heart, “You will never call me to account for this.”
35 But You do see, You do perceive the suffering and pain,
That You might deliver them into Your hands;
Therefore, the poor man will be left to You;
You give help to the orphan.
36 Break the arm of the sinner and the evil man;
His sin shall be sought, and because of it he will not be found;
37 The Lord will reign,
But you, O nations, you will perish from His earth.
38 The Lord hears the desire of the poor;
Your ear heeds the readiness of their heart,
39 To judge the orphan and the humble,
That man may no longer increase his great boasting upon the earth.
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you receive the words of my commandment
And hide them within yourself,
2 Your ear will be obedient to wisdom,
And you will incline your heart to understanding;
You will entrust it to your son as an admonition.
3 For if he calls upon wisdom,
And you utter your voice for understanding;
If you seek perception with a strong voice,
4 If you seek her as silver
And search for her as treasure,
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
And find the knowledge of God.
Matthew 6:19-34
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.