Genesis 49 - Job 15 - Luke 2 - 1 Corinthians 3

Genesis 49
- Jacob "blesses his sons"
- Why are their blessings so unkind? Are these really blessings?
- Reuben, strong and powerful, shall not have preeminence because of laying with Jacob's concubine Billah.
- Simeon and Levi are cursed for their anger toward the circumcised guy who raped their sister.
- Why was the house of Levi chosen to be God's chosen household to be priests?
- Judah shall be praised and hold the scepter (which holds true later in the OT)
- Zebulun shall live by the sea at Sidon.
- Issachar is a donkey who shall be at forced labor.
- Dan will judge his people
- Why is Dan compared then to a viper?
- What does Jacob mean by, "I wait for your salvation Oh Lord"?
- Gad will be raided.
- Asher shall have rich food
- Naphtali will bear beautiful "fawns" also interpreted as "give beautiful words"
- What does this mean?
- Joseph gets the longest speech and Jacob says the Lord will bless Joseph. Jacob passes his blessing from his father onto Joseph.
- Benjamin is a ravenous wolf that divides the spoil.
- What does this mean?
- How can some of these things said by Jacob be seen as blessings?
- Jacob tells his sons to bury him at Ephron the Hittite with Abraham/Sarah, Isaac/Rebekah, and his wife Leah.
- Does this mean Rachel has not yet died?
- Why did Jacob want to buried with Leah in Ephron and not Rachel in Ephrath?

Job 15
- Eliphaz the Temonite responds but his response is hard for me to fully understand.
- He tells Job that he is doing away with the fear of God and hindering mediation (he is throwing away the spiritual disciplines)
- Again the focus is on God's almighty character.
- Eliphaz again states that God is larger than life itself.
- Job's words have borderlined upon blasphemy against a holy and righteous God.
- Even heaven is not pure to God, so how can man be.
- The wicked man is in pain, distress, and anguish (It seems Eliphaz thinks that Job has done wrong and turned from God)
- What does turning from God look like in times of trouble (since God had told Satan that Job did not sin)?
- Possessions and wealth leave you at death.
- Those who trust in possessions will be left with emptiness.

Luke 2
- Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem (the city of David) for a census. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and lay him in a manger.
- Why did the angel appear to shepherds and not nobles or people of importance so that word might spread of Jesus' birth?
- A heavenly host appeared before the shepherds.
- The shepherds went and saw Jesus and Mary treasured what they said had happened to them.
- After 8 days Jesus was circumcised and named Jesus.
- Joseph and Mary followed the Jewish customs with their first born son.
- They took baby Jesus to the temple to sacrifice 2 doves.
- There they met an old man named Simeon who had been filled with the Holy Spirit.
- Simeon said that Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles and bring glory to the people of Israel.
- It's interesting to note that the Gentiles are listed first by Simeon.
- How were people filled with the Holy Spirit before Jesus died and rose again?
- Were they able to be saved with this faith in the Spirit?
- Simeon told them that Jesus would pierce Mary's soul also and reveal the hearts of many.
- This seems to mean that Mary was a sinner in need of a Savior too
- Anna prayed outside the temple day and night for many years and began to give thanks to the Lord and speak of the redemption of Jerusalem.
- Jesus was from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, but his family line is through King David whose hometown was Bethlehem.
- Every year Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.
- They left and after a day's journey they realized that Jesus was missing, so they returned to Jerusalem looking for Jesus.
- After 3 days of searching they found Jesus in the temple talking with the teachers there.
- The teacher's were astonished at Jesus' understanding.
- Mary asked Jesus why He had worried them (Mary had been fearful of what had happened to him)
- Jesus responded that He must be in his Father's House (also interpreted as Father's business)
- They did not understand what he meant.
- Jesus was submissive to their parenting and went home with them.
- What did Mary treasure in her heart if she didn't understand what he was talking about?
- Why doesn't it ever say how Joseph responded in these situations?
- Jesus continued to increase in wisdom years and favor of God and man.
- How could Jesus grow in greater favor with God if He was God in part?

1 Corinthians 3
- Paul begins chapter 3 by telling the Corinthians that they were and still are people of the flesh and not spiritual people which is obvious by how they are acting.
- They are fighting over who to follow; Paul or Apollos.
- Paul rebukes them and says the Paul and Apollos are nothing but servants of God.
- They plant and water but only God can cause things to grow.
- Paul uses a builder's analogy by saying that Christ is the foundation and each person will be tested with fire based upon what they build upon that foundation.
- The Day will disclose it (notice that Day is capitalized probably referring to the last day.
- The fire will test what people build and what remains will be rewarded.
- How can people be saved and suffer loss v.15?
- We are God's temple and we cannot destroy God's temple or we too will be destroyed.
- Paul tells them that the wise are foolish compared to God.
- If Christ is God's and we are Christ's then all things are ours if we boast in God and not in the wisdom of men.