| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| January 16, 2025 | ESV (2016) | OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027 |
Genesis 16
The chapter opens with Sarai and that she had borne Abram no children. Sarai identified that God had preventing her from having children and told Abram to go into her servant, Hagar, that she may have children through her. Thus, after living in Canaan ten years, Sarai gave Hagar to Abram to be his wife and Hagar conceived by Abram. Hagar’s conception leads to her having contempt toward Sarai, her “mistress”. Sarai confronted Abram who sided with her and Sarai mistreated Hagar. In her humiliation, Hagar fled toward Egypt.
The angel of the LORD (the first appearance of the angel in the Bible) found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness and told her that her offspring would be great in number. This promise echoes somewhat God’s promise to Abram (Gen. 12:2; Gen. 15:5). The angel told Hagar that she was to return to Sarai and submit to her, that she would bear a son, that his name would be Ishmael and that he would be a wild donkey of a man. Hagar returned to Sarai, bore Abram a son and Abram named him Ishmael.
Key Takeaways and Application
In the midst of the drama between Abram, Sarai and Hagar, God shows Himself patient and faithful. He was attentive to Hagar in approaching her in wilderness and listening to her affliction. As with Hagar, we need to say to God, “You are a God of seeing.” He sees all and is gracious to work in and through us despite our brokenness.
Matthew 16
The scene between the disciples and Jesus when they forgot to bring bread is remarkable. The disciples had forgotten the bread and Jesus’ response was they were to be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples discussed among themselves but remained focused on how they had not brought any bread. Aware of this, Jesus confronted their little faith and reminded them of the previous two instances in which He miraculously fed a multitude. They had missed the point of His warning about the leaven as it had nothing to do with bread. Instead, he was telling them to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Key Takeaways and Application
This call to beware is for us as well, not be distracted by our immediate concerns to the extent that we miss what God would have us see. Let us not be so fixated on the bread that our attention is shifted away from the bigger picture, from our Lord and from His gospel.