Genesis 30 - Esther 6 - Mark 1 - Romans 1

Genesis 30
- This chapter is all about sibling rivalry between Rachel and Leah.
- Rachel was mad at Jacob that she could not have children and she blamed him. He responded to her in anger.
- Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob and she bore him 2 sons; Dan and Naphtali.
- Why didn't Rachel hate Bilhah for bearing children? How was this any easier for Rachel than seeing her sister bear children?
- Leah saw that Bilhah was having children so she sent in her servant Zilpah who bore Jacob 2 sons' Gad and Asher.
- Rachel wanted some of Rueben (Leah's son's) mandrakes http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mandrakes.
- Leah said no because Rachel had taken Jacob away from her, so Rachel said Leah could have Jacob for one night in exchange for some mandrakes.
- Leah conceived and bore Issachar (a 5th son by her)
- Why did Leah have to "buy time" with her husband Jacob?
- How did she bear Jacob an additional son? Did she again have to buy time with him or did he sleep with his wife because she bore him a son?
- Leah bore a 6th son, Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah
- Why did it mention this daughter since in previous genealogies it only addresses boys who were born?
- Rachel finally conceived and bore Joseph. God finally answered her prayers.
- Jacob wanted to leave Labon and start his own land because he wanted to care for his large family. He had served the allotted time as promised to Labon.
- Labon knew that he had been blessed during the time Jacob was with him and agreed to give Jacob every spotted goat and black lamb as payment as Jacob had requested.
- Labon tried to deceive Jacob by intentionally going into his own flock and sending any spotted or black lamb to his own sons flocks, so Jacob would get nothing.
- Why would Labon intentionally try to sabotage the blessings that he had had from Jacob's presence?
- Jacob did not respond in anger but simply put spotted sticks in front of the lambs when they were drinking (and breeding) and they bore spotted babies. He only did this in front of the stronger sheep and goats. The weaker ones he did not put spotted sticks in front of and those babies went into Labon's flock.
- Why did Jacob request the "blemished sheep and goats" when in later scriptural references these sheep are looked down upon and the "spotless lamb" is seen as good. Even in Jesus' one parable in Matthew he said goats would be separated out from the sheep. Was this just a metaphor?

Esther 6
- The king could not sleep, so he had the king's chronicles brought in and read to him. Upon doing so it was recorded that Mordecai had once saved the king's life.
- The king asked what had been done for Mordecai and his servants said nothing.
- In an ironic twist Haman was on his way to the king to talk about hanging Mordecai the next morning.
- The king asked Haman what should be done to honor someone in who the king delighted.
- Haman thought the king was referring to him so he told that king that such a person should be dressed up and paraded around town on the kings horse.
- The king told Haman to do this for Mordecai, which he did.
- Afterwards Haman ran home with his head down and his wife and friends said that if Mordecai was indeed a Jew nothing could be done to him and Haman would surely be defeated by Mordecai.
- What was the time frame of this chapter? Was Mordecai paraded around town late at night, or during the next day since the king's servants got him for Esther's feast while Haman was talking to his wife and friends?

Mark 1
- Mark jumps straight into Jesus' ministry, no birth story, just picking up right at John the Baptist in the wilderness. Mark does start his gospel with a prophecy from Isaiah.
- John the Baptist said there would be a man after him who he was not worthy to even tie his shoe.
- John lived in the wilderness and people came to be forgiven of their sins.
- How could John forgive sins? Did he have the power to do this?
- Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee came and was baptized by John and He heard a voice say to Him here is my Son in who I am well pleased.
- Did only Jesus hear and see these things?
- Did Jesus have the power of the Holy Spirit before this happened?
- Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan for 40 days.
- Didn't Matthew say that Jesus was tempted AFTER being in the wilderness 40 days?
- It's interesting to not how brief Mark's accounts of these things is.
- John was arrested and Jesus began His ministry.
- Jesus calls the first 4 disciples who leave fishing and become "fisher's of men".
- Interesting to note - James and John are sons of Zebedee (I thought that was a place)
- In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit who knew who Jesus was, and he commanded it to be silent and leave the man, which the spirit did.
- How does the evil spirit know who Jesus is?
- Jesus healed Simon's mother-in-law (so Simon aka Peter was married)
- What happened to Peter's wife while he was preaching with Jesus and after His death and resurrection?
- The disciples found Him and said people were looking for Him, but He said they must go on to the next town.
- Jesus healed a leper who he told to tell no one except the priests that He had healed the man, but of course the man told everyone, and Jesus could no longer enter into a town but had to stay outside the town and let the people come to Him.

Romans 1
- Paul shares the gospel message in his greeting to the Romans, again pointing out that God had sent His Son, whom had been talked about in the OT, to give grace to those who would believe.
- Paul longed to go to them but had so far been prevented in doing so.
- This letter must have been written before he visited Rome in his appeal to Caesar which was talked about in Acts 27 & 28.
- How has Paul heard about the faith of the Romans when they had NOT heard about Paul's doings (as talked about in Acts when he entered Rome?)
- Did those receiving this letter even know who Paul was at the time?
- "The righteous shall live by faith" shows how believers should live (This can also be translated as, "The one who by faith is righteous shall live" This seems to change the verse's meaning slightly.
- Paul says that the "unrighteous" have denied God and have been able to see Him in nature and the things around them.
- Does this mean that ALL people should know God regardless of whether they have been told about Him or not? How can they know the completed truth about God's Son if no one ever tells them?
- Paul says that mankind turned away from god and began worshipping idols. The people worshipped the creature (created things) instead of the Creator! (misguided by sinfulness)
- Paul appears to be addressing sin that came from turning away from God focusedness, one thing being same sex relations, which were shameful.
- "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." - These things are ALL sinful acts that God allowed due to sin and these are ALL reasons why people need a savior.
- (How often have I taken part in these things, even though I know the truth of the gospel)
- Paul says that even worse than DOING these things is the fact that other people are approving of and encouraging those people in their sins.
- Have I ever encouraged others to sin instead of gently rebuking them?