| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| January 8, 2026 | ESV (2016) | ESV Life Journal Plan – 2026 |
Genesis 20-22
Observation & Interpretation
Gen. 20:2 – Abraham again spoke that Sarah was his sister, this time to Abimelech, the king of Gerar. Abraham clearly had not learned his lesson from his previous encounter with pharaoh (Gen. 12:12-15).
- Just like when Abraham and Sarah went into Egypt (12:10–20), Abraham fears that his life is in jeopardy. (FSB)
Gen. 20:6 – The LORD told Abimelech in a dream that it was He who kept Abimelech from sinning against Him, showcasing how it is by God’s grace alone that we are able to not sin against Him.
- God in his mercy intervened to keep his promise regarding Sarah (18:10) from being destroyed by Abraham’s foolish act. (CSB Notes)
Gen. 20:13 – Abraham provides explanation as to why he keeps telling people that Sarah is his sister. It also shows that he placed the responsibility on her that he instructed her to do a kindness to him in saying of him, “He is my brother.”
Gen. 20:17-18 – The LORD healed Abimelech but also restored fertility to his wife and female slaves, for all the wombs of Abimelech’s house had been closed on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Gen. 21:16-17 – Hagar generally verbalized that she not look on the death of the child and God heard the voice of the boy. The text does not say that the boy was speaking, but it seems he must have been at some level as it was the boy’s voice He heard and not Hagar’s.
Gen. 22:5 – Abraham told the young men with him that he and the boy would go and worship and return again to them. Abraham tied the sacrifice of his son to be made as worship in saying that he “and the boy will go over there and worship”.
- Abraham tells his servants that not only would he and Isaac go and worship (to sacrifice Isaac, unbeknownst to all but Abraham), but both of them would return. This may mean Abraham was concealing the true purpose of the trip from Isaac. However, the nt book of Hebrews takes this as a statement of Abraham’s faith—that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Heb 11:17–19). (FSB)
Luke 8
Observation & Interpretation
Luke 8:18 – In Jesus’ teaching, He spoke of how more will be given to the one who has and from the one who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away. For the latter, what will be taken goes beyond what he actually has to what he even thinks he has.
Luke 8:34 – When the herdsmen saw what had happened with the demons entering the pigs from possessed man and drowning in the lake, they told it in the city and in the country. The herdsmen were extensive in spreading the news of these events.
Luke 8:49-50 – In addressing the person who spoke regarding Jairus’ daughter who had died and that Jairus not trouble the Teacher, Jesus told him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” Jesus’ response contains two commands: 1) do not fear, and 2) only believe, striking a contrast between fear and belief and that only belief was needed for the girl to be well.
Resources
- J. I. Packer et. al, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)
- Colin Hansen (Editor in Chief), TGC Bible Commentary (Columbia, MO: The Gospel Coalition, 2022)
- Iain M. Duguid (Series Editor), ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018-2025)
- Faithlife Study Bible (Lexham Press, 2016)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 2016)
- CSB Study Bible Notes (Holman Bible Publishers, 2017)
- The New American Commentary (Brentwood, TN: Holman Reference)
- Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem (Editors), ESV Study Bible, Crossway, 2008.
