Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” 
 
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was 5 and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. 11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’ ” 14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.” 
 
17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. 
22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” 
 
25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 
 
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods. 
 
36 Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.” 
 
43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? 44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. 50 If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” 
 
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, 54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. 
55  Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. 
 
 
Meditation
The covenant love of God redeems us individually so we can re-direct our worst ways for God’s glory. The redeemed thief no longer steals, but rather does honest work so they have something to give (Ephesians 4:29).
 
Jacob’s plotted plan to plunder Laban’s flocks was so productive it unsettled Laban’s sons and pushed Jacob to “return to the land of (his) fathers” (1-3). Rachel and Leah agreed to leave (4-16). Laban pursued and had a heated dispute with Jacob centered on stealing (17-42). A narrative ending in a peaceful pact (43-55) is packed with personal attacks about stealing.
 
The key word is “steal” and synonym “to take by force” (19, 20, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 39, 43). Laban accused Jacob of “stealing his heart,” or deceiving him (26), the same language used of Absalom who sat at the gates of Jerusalem to steal the hearts of Israel with his council before executing a coop against his father David (2 Samuel 15:6). Laban also accused Jacob of stealing his gods, when in irony the favored daughter Rachel had stolen them. Laban’s silence on accusing Jacob of stealing his flocks speaks volumes, confirming Jacob’s defense.
 
Laban’s decades of cheating and stealing by changing Jacob’s wages for work ends with his gods being set under a menstruating woman, his daughters defining themselves as spouses of another, his grandchildren migrating to another country, and former flocks more fruitful- heading away from him. While God’s sovereign grace redirects Jacob’s days of deceit to form a family that will give blessing to all the earth.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to the motif of stealing and theft?
 
-Why is it significant that Laban is looked upon as empty handed after decades of living in deceit as a thief and Jacob is bountiful and redirected to a life of blessing through what will be twelve tribes?
 
-How does the work of God in Christ redeem people like Jacob (and me) to redirect our worst ways (like stealing and deceiving)? What does this look like for you?
 
Key Verse
26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword?

​O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, 
and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 
2    You have given him his heart’s desire 
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3    For you meet him with rich blessings; 
you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 
4    He asked life of you; you gave it to him, 
length of days forever and ever. 
5    His glory is great through your salvation; 
splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 
6    For you make him most blessed forever; 
you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 
7    For the king trusts in the Lord, 
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 
8    Your hand will find out all your enemies; 
your right hand will find out those who hate you. 
9    You will make them as a blazing oven 
when you appear. 
       The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, 
and fire will consume them. 
10    You will destroy their descendants from the earth, 
and their offspring from among the children of man. 
11    Though they plan evil against you, 
though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 
12    For you will put them to flight; 
you will aim at their faces with your bows. 
13    Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! 
We will sing and praise your power. 
 
 
Meditation
The King’s victory is strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Today, we rejoice in the spoils of our King’s victory by trusting His strength and celebrating His blessings. Though enemies of the king still compete for His authority, hope is fueled knowing Christ’s accomplished victory will one day be fully applied, His enemies destroyed forever.
 
Today’s Psalm celebrates the King’s victory. David, the king of Israel, rejoices in the strength and salvation God gave for victory (1). Together with God’s people, we Rejoice- the Lord is King!
 
David worships the Lord for His blessings, the spoils of God’s victory (2-6). With joy and gladness, the song of victory celebrates the blessings of God hearing prayer, granting life, establishing authority for dominion, showing His glory, and sharing His presence.
 
The center of this Psalm is an aside, breaking the fourth wall to articulate the invitation to join David in trusting the Lord as king. Only through trusting God’s steadfast love we will be secure- not to be moved (7). Hope is fueled through celebration of the removal of the wicked, knowing the enemies of God who will be comprehensively destroyed (8-12).
 
The Psalm is framed in exalting the Lord for strength shared with those who surrender to Him (1, 13)- God is mighty to save! Jesus is the true King, giving victory to His people and strengthening all whose trust is in Him. Jesus defeated the final enemy, death, and He will rule until all enemies will be put under His feet (1 Corinthians 15). Rejoice, Jesus is king!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to the present strength and future hope that comes through the King’s victory?
 
-Where do you struggle to both see the king’s victory and sing of the king’s victory?
 
-How does the finished victory of King Jesus fuel both your faith and hope? Be specific in where you need to see this more in your life.
 
Key Verse
7    For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. 
Peter’s Vision
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests. 
 
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
 
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” 
Gentiles Hear the Good News
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 
The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. 
 
 
Meditation
“There are no closed doors at the cross.” This means, “everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ receives forgiveness through His name!” (43) Everyone means everybody, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation whose primary community is God’s family- brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Peter’s powerful proclamation came from pondering God’s providence. Peter saw a vision (three times), welcomed visitors sent by the Spirit, and was directed to visit Cornelius, a Gentile working for the Romans and leading Italian soldiers. Directed by God’s providence, Peter saw God’s power to convert non-Jews. Peter proclaimed, “Now I understand that God shows no partiality!” (34) All who believe are a part of God’s family.
 
God is patient with Peter to understand His plan. God had purposed the election of Abraham to bless all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3) and proclaimed through His prophets the Messiah would be a light for all peoples (Isaiah 49:6). Jesus had revealed Divine necessity for God’s love to go as far as places like Samaria (John 4) and the gospel had already advanced to gentiles (Acts 8).  
 
God pursued Peter’s heart individually and it transformed the church corporately. Peter would later need another reminder that the gospel is for everyone and God’s love shows no partiality (Galatians 2:11-14). The Church today needs another gospel reminder, too- God’s is still patient, and His purpose continues by capturing hearts from every ethnicity, socio-economic status, and nation. “Everyone” means EVERY body who believes. Christians are one in Christ, brothers and sisters in the family of God. 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to God’s emphatic providence, His patience with Peter, and the priority of His purposes?
 
-God’s word teaches that God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; James 2:1).Why does the Church sometimes live and love as though this isn’t true? How does God’s grace deal with the idols of our heart?
 
-How can you practice God’s purpose today, celebrating your primary identity in Christ by participating in your primary community- The Church, specifically celebrating unity in Christ and community with people who are not like you?
 
Key Verse
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

 

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali. 
 
9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad. 12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher. 
14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. 
19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. 
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May theLord add to me another son!” 
Jacob’s Prosperity
25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. 
 
33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock. 
 
37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. 
 
 
Meditation
The greatness of the Gospel enriches faith and eliminates envy.
 
Envy drive’s Rachel’s determination and decisions (1). Rachel’s envy of Leah’s fertility is rooted in social disgrace (23). Leah is envious of Jacob’s love for Rachael. Each woman wants what the other has and neither treasure what has been entrusted to them.
 
Envy leads Laban to selfishly scheme and cheat, trying to tip the contract he makes with Jacob for flocks (25-34) and igniting a contrast between the two schemers (35-43). Envy leads to competition, partiality, manipulation, and deep dysfunction. Envy is fruit of a heart struggling to trust God’s sovereignty, missing faith that settles believers into God’s steadfast love.
 
God’s grace is greater than envy. Though Rachel looked to Jacob alone for help and hope (2), God opened her womb. Leah looked to Jacob alone for the acceptance her heart hungered for, and she negotiated with Rachel to purchase evenings with him. Yet Jacob’s family was fruitful and his property increased. Though Jacob remained prayerless, God remained faithful.
 
The gospel alone eradicates envy, securing our hearts in the sovereign grace and steadfast love of Jesus. Paul writes in Titus 3:3-8, “At one time we lived in envy…” Note the past tense perspective, envy in the rearview mirror of the Christian’s life. “But when the kindness and love of our Savior appeared, He saved us… because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing and rebirth of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus…justified by grace… to devote ourselves to doing good.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to the envy?
 
-Where do you struggle with envy in your life? Who or what do you envy? What does this reveal about your lack of trust in God’s sovereignty and security in His steadfast love?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus give you security in God’s sovereign grace to not only be free from envy but to flourish in doing good to others?
 
Key Verse
1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 
​
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. 
Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 
Saul Escapes from Damascus
23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 
Saul in Jerusalem
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 
The Healing of Aeneas
32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 
Dorcas Restored to Life
36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner. 
 
Meditation
Jesus rules over everything, even His enemies. “All things” are under Christ’s feet (Ephesians 1:22) and God’s enemies will be a “footstool” for the King of Kings (Psalm 110:1). After sacrificing His life for our sin, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father until this promise is complete (Hebrews 10:12-13).
 
Saul was, “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (1). On his way to capture and kill more Christians, Jesus arrested Saul’s attention and brought him into submission. Rather than annihilate Saul, Jesus repurposed the persecutor by redeeming him to be an instrument for kingdom proclamation and church planting. God shows His love in this: While we were His enemies, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8-10).
 
Saul is shaped to proclaim the rule of King Jesus and receives persecution himself. Quickly, people wanted to kill Saul as he had previously wanted to kill Christians (26-29). The rule of Jesus continued to advance His Church and by the comfort of Holy Spirit the Church was built up and multiplied (31).
 
After calling Saul to Himself, Jesus authenticates Peter as an apostle through demonstrating His authority over disease and death. Peter proclaimed Jesus Christ as healer of Aeneas and in the authority of Jesus he commanded Tabitha to rise from death- and she did! Jesus rules through His people, by His word, over His enemies- even disease and death.
 
As you read now, Jesus is on the throne of heaven. Jesus rules over everything and is still converting enemies to family and reversing the curse for His Kingdom causes.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the rule of King Jesus over everything- His enemies, disease, and even death?
 
-Why is it difficult for you to believe Jesus rules over everything, all things being subject to Him?
 
-How does seeing Jesus transform lives and reverse the curse fuel your faith and buoy your boldness to live for His glory?
 
Key Verse
5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. 
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. 
 
8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” 
David Flees to Gath
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 
       ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, 
and David his ten thousands’?” 
12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” 
 
Meditation
Psalm 34 celebrates the event in today’s reading as commencing David’s wilderness run from Saul, inviting worshippers to “taste and see the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). The Lord delivers His people from trials and troubles! The Lord rescues all who look to Him for refuge! The Lord provides the bread of His presence for all who look to Him to satisfy our heart hunger for hope.
 
David’s deceit does not derail the Lord’s deliverance. Ahimelech’s reception of David reveals the tension all Israel feels from the friction between David and Saul. Ominously, Doeg the Edomite sees Ahimelech giving David and his men the Bread of Presence. Humanly, David grabs what he can for provision (even Goliath’s sword) and flees to his enemies for protection (where he pretended to be insane- literally translated, “made himself to look foolish”). Faithfully, God does not forsake David for his deceptive and foolish actions. From grace, God nourishes David with the Bread of Presence.
 
David’s difficulties intensify, but God hears his cry (Psalm 34:6). Divine grace will not disqualify His people for their failures because God is faithful to His covenant promises. Jesus reflects on this episode when condemning self-righteous Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:22-28), but Jesus does not condemn David. Religious rituals must yield their place to works of necessity and mercy involving meeting human needs (Leviticus 24:5-9).
 
“The Lord redeems the life of His servants” (Psalm 34:22), His sovereign grace delivering believers from both our sin internally (even deceit) and external hostility. Greater than the bread of presence, Jesus is the “bread come down from Heaven” (John 6:41). Jesus will satisfy our hunger for hope as He will protect and provide.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to God’s provision and protection in spite of David’s deceit and foolishness?
 
-How does the worship of Psalm 34 reflect David’s hearts to trust the Lord, despite his sinful steps?
 
-Where does the grace of God fuel your faith and focus your heart to look to Jesus as the bread of life, feasting on Him to satisfy the hunger of your heart?
 
Key Verse
6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.