Reading for Today:
-
Genesis 13:1
Chapter 13 1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South.
–14:24
-
Psalms 4:4-8
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in Jehovah. 6 Many there are that say, Who will show us `any' good? Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than `they have' when their grain and their new wine are increased. 8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 5 For the Chief Musician; with the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.
-
Proverbs 2:1-5
Chapter 2 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.
-
Matthew 6:1-18
Chapter 6 1 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. 5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. 7 And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil `one.' 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; 18 that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
Notes:
Genesis 13:8
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren.
we are brethren. Abram’s whole reaction in resolving the strife between the two households and their personnel portrayed a different Abram than seen in Egypt—one whose attitude was not self-centered. Waving his rights to seniority, he gave the choice to his nephew, Lot.
Genesis 14:18
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
Melchizedek king of Salem. The lack of biographical and genealogical particulars for this ruler, whose name meant “righteous king” and who was a king-priest over ancient Jerusalem, allowed for later revelation to use him as a type of Christ (see Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:17, 21). His superior status in Abram’s day is witnessed 1) by the king of Sodom, the first to meet Abram returning in victory, deferring to Melchizedek before continuing with his request (vv. 17, 21) and 2) by Abram, without demur, both accepting a blessing from him and also giving a tithe to him (vv. 19, 20). priest of God Most High. The use of El Elyon (Sovereign Lord) for God’s name indicated that Melchizedek, who used this title two times (vv. 18, 19), worshiped, served, and represented no Canaanite deity, but the same one whom Abram also called Yahweh El Elyon (v. 22).That this was so is confirmed by the added description,“ Possessor of heaven and earth,” being used by both Abram and Melchizedek (vv. 19, 22).
Proverbs 2:1
Chapter 2 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;
my words. Solomon made God’s law his own by faith, obedience, and teaching. The wisdom of God’s words is available to those who understand its value. Appropriating wisdom begins when one values it above all else.
DAY 7: What does the Lord’s Prayer teach us about forgiveness?
The request, “Forgive us our debts” (6:12), is the heart of the prayer; it is what Jesus stressed in the words that followed the prayer (vv. 14, 15; see
Mark 11:25
25 And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
).The parallel passage in
Luke 11:4
4 And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.
uses the word that means “sins,” so that in context, spiritual debts are intended. Sinners are debtors to God in their violations of His laws.
When Jesus added that “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (v. 15), this is not to suggest that God will withdraw justification from those who have already received the free pardon He extends to all believers. Forgiveness in that sense—a permanent and complete acquittal from the guilt and ultimate penalty of sin—belongs to all who are in Christ (see
John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
; Rom.8:1; Eph. 1:7).Yet, Scripture also teaches that God chastens His children who disobey (Heb. 12:5–7). Believers are to confess their sins in order to obtain a day-to-day cleansing (
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
).This sort of forgiveness is a simple washing from the worldly defilements of sin; not a repeat of the wholesale cleansing from sin’s corruption that comes with justification. It is like a washing of the feet rather than a bath (
John 13:10
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
). Forgiveness in this latter sense is what God threatens to withhold from Christians who refuse to forgive others.
From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.
Additional Resources
