Genesis 28 - Esther 4 - Matthew 27 - Acts 27

Genesis 28
- Isaac told Jacob NOT to marry a Canaanite but to go marry one of his first cousins, Rebekah's brother's daughter.
- Esau went to Ishmael, his uncle, and married one of his daughters.
- Jacob left Beersheba and headed toward Haran. There he fell asleep (with a rock for a pillow) and had a vision of stairs going from earth to heaven. There were angels go up and down it and God was at the top. He spoke to Jacob, reminding him of His covenant with his grandfather Abraham.
- Jacob then knew God was in that place!
- What was Jacob's perception of God at this time in history?
- How would God fulfill His promise through Jacob when He had told Abraham that his people would inherit the land after 400 years?
- Jacob named that town where he saw the vision Bethel.
- Jacob was aware of God's presence and promised to give Him a tenth of everything he had or ever would have.
- Is this the first "tithe" ever in history?

Esther 4
- Mordecai and the other Jews put on sackcloth and mourned at the king's gate, which was illegal.
- Esther sent her eunuch Hathach to ask Mordecai why he was weeping and Mordecai told her servant all that Haman had plotted to do to all Jews and showed her the decree.
- Was the decree posted in the city?
- Mordecai asked her to go and talk to the king about what Haman was doing, but she told Mordecai that it was illegal to go into the king without being summoned. The punishment was death. (She was understandably fearful). The King had not summoned her for 30 days.
- He said go in or not, the Lord will use her or someone else to save His people.
- Mordecai also saw Esther's queenship as being God's doing for a "time such as this".
- Esther agreed to go and if she was killed, she'd accept that.
- She asked Mordecai to tell all of the Jews of Susa to fast from food and water for 3 days on her behalf before she went into the king.

Matthew 27
-Jews deliver Jesus to Pilate to be killed.
- Judas is grieved by what he has done and goes and gives back the 30 pieces of silver to the Jewish counsel and hangs himself.
- The Jews buy a field with the money because it was "blood money" thus fulfilling what was written in Jeremiah where it states the will buy a field for 30 pieces of silver (wow!)
- Jesus said nothing at the Jews accusations before Pilate and he was amazed.
- Pilate's wife was having bad dreams and told her husband to have nothing to do with Jesus.
- Pilate offered to free Barabbas or Jesus and the chief priests had the crowd free Barabbas and say to crucify Jesus.
- Pilate asked what He had done wrong and they just kept shouting.
- Pilate washed his hands before the Jews and they replied, "His blood be on us and on our children!”
- Why would they say this, cursing themselves?
- The soldiers dressed him up and put a crown of thorns on His head mocking Him by calling Him the "king of the Jews"
- They spit on Him and hit Him.
- Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus' cross and Jesus refused to drink wine offered Him (thus keeping His vow at the last supper.
- People mocked Him saying that IF He were the Son of God He should be able to save Himself (But Jesus stayed there to finish what God had sent Him to do because He loved us)
- Even the 2 robbers being crucified with Him mocked Him.
- The sky darkened for 3 hours and then Jesus died.
- What exactly did Jesus mean when He said that God had "forsaken" Him?
= The curtain in the temple tore in two (the curtain separated God's holy place from the people and there was an earthquake. The centurion on guard knew that Jesus was the Son of God.
- Mary Magdalene and Mary and the mother of the sons of Zebedee were there.
- Why does Matthew acknowledge Mary Magdalene here when he hadn't mentioned her before?
- A man named Joseph asked Pilate for Jesus' body to bury Him and he rolled a great stone in front of the tomb's entrance.
- The Pharisees knowing that Jesus said He would raise from the day in 3 days requested that guards be placed around the tomb so that no one could steal Jesus body (pulling off a "hoax" that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

Acts 27
- Paul was sent by boat toward Rome (Luke was there with him) and the trip was slow going.
- Paul advised them not to go further because there would be great loss, but they pressed on anyway.
- They almost made their destination but were caught in a horrible storm that lasted for 3 days.
- They threw their cargo over to not sink and were getting hungry.
- Paul told them that an angel had told Paul he must go to Rome and that the ship would be wrecked but not one life would be lost.
- They had been lost at sea for 14 days and some men tried to leave in small boats but Paul told them that if they left the ship they would die, so they trusted him.
- There were 276 men on the ship, and not one hair was harmed. (Ties in with Jesus' one parable).
- The men wanted to kill the prisoners, but the centurion who had talked with Paul saved his and the other prisoners' lives.
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