13-19 July 2026 (Genesis, Matthew, Psalms)
Bible Reading Plan
Monday: Genesis 9:18-11:32
Tuesday: Genesis 12:1-14:16
Wednesday: Genesis 14:17-24
Thursday: Matthew 9:35-10:42
Friday: Matthew 11:1-12:50
Fluid (fit in any time): Psalm 3:1-8
Reflection and Discussion Questions
Monday (Day 1): Genesis 9:18-11:32
Who were Noah’s three sons?
Which son told his brothers of the nakedness of Noah, and which grandson was cursed? (cf. Gen 9:22-25)
How long after the flood did Noah live?
What are some interesting points and thoughts that you have taken from the story of the Tower of Babel?
Who was Abram’s father? (cf. Gen 11:27)
From what land did Terah and his family leave, what land did they set out, and where did they settle?
Tuesday (Day 2): Genesis 12:1-14:16
What does God say to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3?
Who was Lot? At the time, do you think Abram would have regarded Lot as his heir?
What land was Yahweh referring to when He appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land” (Gen 12:7)?
After facing famine in the Negev, where did Abram go? Why was he initially afraid of the people from there?
What did Pharaoh give Abram for Sarai? What punishment did Yahweh bring on Pharaoh and his household? What was Abram’s excuse? Do you think this action from Abram would be considered cowardly? If so, why is it in the book? Isn’t Abram supposed to be a ‘good guy’?
Why did Lot and Abraham separate? Which land did Lot choose and why? What land did he pitch his tent toward? Do you think this says anything about his nature or character?
What does Yahweh say to Abraham in Gen 13:14-17? Where does Abraham then settle?
Is the salt sea and the Dead Sea the same thing?
After moving from near Sodom, it appears Lot had moved into the city of Sodom. When Abraham found out that Lot and his possessions had been taken, what was his response? Was this brave or cowardly?
Wednesday (Day 3): Genesis 14:17-24
Who is Melchizedek? Was he a priest of God Most High? Where is he referred to in the New Testament? What is said about Melchizedek in the NT, and how is Ps 110:4 relevant?
How much did Abram give to Melchizedek and how much was returned to the king of Sodom?
What does Abram giving a tenth of everything to Melchizedek tell us?
Do you think Abram wants to be seen as a man who became rich by of his own hard work or by God’s grace? Abram knows the spoils are his to take if he wants to, and as they are spoils, they are no longer the possession of the king of Sodom! Why would he not take them?
Was Melchizedek Jewish?
Thursday (Day 4): Matthew 9:35-10:42
What is inspiring to you about Matthew 9:35-38?
What are the names of the 12 Apostles/Disciples listed in Matt 10:2-4?
Where did Jesus instruct the Disciples/Apostles to go? (see Matt 10:5-6)
Why do you think Jesus instructed the Disciples to go to “the lost sheep of Israel” rather than the Samaritans and Gentiles? (Matt 10:5-6)
Were the instructions of Matt 10:9-10 appropriate? Why? Is this contrary to what Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:17-18? Why?
What does it mean to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves? (Matt 10:16)
Remembering that Jesus was accused of being Beelzebul in Matt 9:34, what do you think Jesus is warning his disciples of in Matt 10:25?
How can Christ call for division in Matt 10:34-39 but also desire unity? Does God desire unity?
Friday (Day 5): Matthew 11:1-12:50
Did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Messiah?
Was John the Baptist open to accepting Jesus as the Messiah?
What Old Testament prophet is John the Baptist said to be?
Is there a lack of faith shown by John the Baptist in the question asked in Matt 11:2-3? Why or why not?
What do you think Jesus meant by His proclamation in Matt 11:11? He states “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist. But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Do you think the term “Live the Word” is relevant to Matt 11:19? Do you see any connections between this verse and James 2:14-20?
In Matthew 11:20, Jesus denounces the towns that did not repent. Does the Greek term “μετενόησαν” translated “repent” mean to acknowledge one’s wrongdoing and/or does it mean to change one’s life and ways, thought and attitude?
Were Tyre and Sidon (mentioned in Mt 11:21-22) Jewish cities? What is the value in using reference to these Phoenician cities in comparison to the Jewish ones? What is the value of using the hyperbole of Sodom in Matt 11:23-24?
What stands out to you, or do you find interesting, in the passage of Matt 11:25-30? Do you see any connections between the unrepentant towns in Matt 11:20-24 and the plucking of grain on the Sabbath in Matt 12:1-8?
Why do you think the Pharisees were wanting to destroy Jesus in Matt 12:14?
What do you make of Matt 12:31? What do you think is meant by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Are the passages of Matt 12:22-32 and Matt 12:33-37 connected in assisting us with an appropriate determination of what is meant by the author regarding sin against the Holy Spirit?
What nation was Nineveh the capital of? Who invented crucifixion? In the times of Jonah, were the Assyrians feared for being aggressive or befriended by surrounding nations as a passive and agreeable people?
What is required to be part of Christ’s family in heaven? (cf. Matthew 12:50)
Psalm 3
After an Introductory Psalm of Wisdom (1:1-6), and a Coronation Psalm (2:1-12) last week, we have a Morning Prayer this week in Psalm 3:1-9. In our Christian climate that is commonly obsessed with love and peace it can be difficult to relate the concepts of confrontation, enemies, struggles and the need for deliverance. Craigie (2004) makes the following comment in explaining Psalm 3:
As a morning prayer, the psalm conveys a particular wisdom. For a person afflicted with troubles or “enemies,” the opening moments of consciousness which mark a new day may be filled with an awareness of problems on every side. The psalm required of the worshiper a conscious movement of attention from those troubles to God, who is a source of protection and who answers prayer. After any sleep, there is cause for gratitude and trust; the moments of unconsciousness have ended and life resumes, only because God is the perpetual Sustainer. That same Sustainer of all life can grant victory for the coming day. Thus the psalm reflects a spiritual progress which is necessary for every day of human existence. The worshiper must consciously move from the natural state of anxiety, through trust and thanksgiving, to a prayer for God’s victory (or salvation) and blessing in the coming day. Such a psalm is not only present in the Psalter for instruction, but it is there to be used in the daily spiritual life. (p. 75)
What thoughts do you have regarding Psalm 3? How is it relevant to your life today?
Regarding the meaning of Selah (or the uncertainty of it), Craigie writes the following Excursus:
Excursus I: The Meaning of SELAH (סלה) in the Psalms
The word Selah is used three times in Ps 3 (vv 3, 5, and 9); in the Book of Psalms as a whole, it is used a total of seventy-one times and a further three times in the psalm of Habakkuk (Hab 3:3, 9, 13). Both the etymology of the term and its precise significance remain uncertain. It is used sometimes at the end of sections which may be equivalent to strophes or stanzas (e.g. Ps 3:3, 5), sometimes at the end of a psalm (e.g. Ps 3:9), sometimes after what appears to be a quotation (e.g. Ps 44:9), but sometimes no evident significance may be determined from its location; thus it is used in Ps 68:8 in the middle of what is probably a quotation from an ancient passage of Hebrew poetry. The wide distribution of the term throughout the Psalter, and throughout the collections within the Psalter, probably indicates that the use of the word goes back to ancient times, though whether the usage goes back to the time of the composition of the psalms within which it appears cannot be certain.
One factor which seems to be fairly certain is that the term has some kind of musical significance, either with respect to the singing of the psalm or with respect to its musical accompaniment. With very few exceptions, the term is used in psalms which have titles; the majority of the titles identify the psalms containing סלה with David or the Levitical singers, and about 75 percent of the titles also make reference to the “musical director” or “choirmaster.”
A variety of theories, some ancient and some modern, have offered possible solutions to the meaning of the term:
(i)G rendered the Hebrew term by διάψαλμα, which might be taken to imply “pause,” or “instrumental interlude,” or even “louder.”
(ii) The Palestinian Jewish tradition, as represented in the Targum and followed by some early Christian interpreters such as Jerome, took the term to mean “for ever,” though no precise etymological basis can be found for this meaning for the term. The implication would be that a benediction or chorus was to be sung at this point in the psalm.
(iii) A third possible interpretation is to understand the term as referring to points in the use of the song in the context of worship at which the congregation prostrated themselves on the ground in obeisance before God (see S. Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship II 211).
Unfortunately, the absence of a clear etymology for the term means that the uncertainty as to its meaning cannot be removed. The commonest derivation is from the root סלל, “to raise, lift up,” whence the possible implications: (a) “to raise the voice” (or sing louder) or (b) “to raise the volume” (of the musical accompaniment). But it is possible to suggest alternative derivations and no single etymological proposal has yet been received with the common assent of all scholars.
With respect to the interpretation of the psalms in which the word is used, it must be admitted that in the light of current knowledge no precise significance can be attributed to סלה. However, it may serve as a useful reminder to the modern reader of the Psalms that many psalms were initially sung with musical accompaniment. And in terms of probabilities, the tradition preserved by G should probably be considered as providing the most likely significance of the term. (pp. 76-77)
References
Craigie, P. C. (2004). Psalms 1–50 (2nd ed., Vol. 19). Nelson Reference & Electronic.
Kissling, P. (2009). Genesis (Vol. 2). College Press Publishing Company.
G Greek Old Testament
G Greek Old Testament
38 Num 34:5; Josh 15:4 seem to refer to this Wadi.
39 P.S. Ash, “Borders,” DOTP, p. 102.
