Daily Devotion for June 5, 2017
Prayers
Scripture
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
The extraordinary positive energy of Alex Boyé pours into a contemporary, Africanized mashup of Brand New Day and Amazing Grace.
Prayer to Live Today in Obedience
Almighty God, who is the Father of light and who has promised by your dear Son that all who do your will shall know your doctrine: give me grace this day, to live by sincere obedience, that I may increase in faith and in the understanding of your Holy Word; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for the Holy Spirit to Pray for Me
Holy God, sometimes there is something in my heart and I cannot find the words, or sometimes, there are prayers I have wanted to pray and have forgotten. Come to me in your Holy Spirit, Lord God, I humbly ask of you, and find the prayers of my heart.
Holy Spirit of God, come to me. Pray for me. Pray all of the things in my heart that have escaped my mortal memory. Pray for all that I cannot find words to pray.
And come to me, O Holy Spirit, and make your will known to me. What would you have me remember today? What may I do to show my love for you?
[Let your mind remain silent and empty until you feel the Spirit has responded.]
Thank you, Lord God for the gift of your Spirit, and I pray for your help in obeying your will. In the name of Christ I pray,
Benediction
Now to him who by his power within us is able to do far more than we ever dare to ask or imagine — to him be glory in the Church through Jesus Christ for ever and ever,
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
In what verse does Jesus tell us that He is “the way and the truth and the life”?
Psalm 91:5-6 (NKJV)
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Genesis 27:36-40 (ESV)
The Story of Isaac [13] - Jacob and Esau
Then Esau said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”
Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
and away from the dew of heaven on high.
By your sword you shall live,
and you shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
Notes on the Scripture
oday, we see more evidence that Isaac's “blessing” meant much more than a wish or prayer for success. The singular blessing he gave Jacob was what we would call his last will and testament. Isaac does not know when he will die, and must make a final disposition of his estate before he dies. There are no courts and, actually, not even a written language; although the great cities of Egypt and Mesopotamia have begun to use primitive forms of writing -- hieroglyphics and cuneiform -- it is not widespread.
But the blessing Isaac gives to Esau sounds more like prophecy. Since Esau was disinherited, Isaac does the best he can for him, for he loves Esau. The first two lines are the exact opposite of Jacob’s; Jacob will have the fat of the earth and the dew of heaven, that is, he will own land and live by agriculture. Where Jacob was told he would rule, Esau will serve.
That Esau will live by his sword sounds as if he will be a professional soldier, but we know from later verses that this is not to be taken in the sense that it might be 1000 years later, when men spent their lives in uniform. Esau loves to be afield and grows restless in camp, anyway. He is to have the life he enjoys, the life of a hunter and man of action. And when he grows tired of serving Jacob, he will be allowed to free himself of obligation to Jacob. He has not been made the master of Isaac’s tribe, but unlike his younger brothers and other relatives, he has Isaac’s blessing to strike out on his own.
Thus Isaac fulfills the prophecy; it is through Rebekah’s trickery rather than Isaac’s own will, but remember, the prophecy was given to Rebekah in Genesis 25:
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
