291 And Jacob continued his journey, and went into the land of the children of the east. 2 And he looked, and behold, there was a well in the fields, and behold there, three flocks of sheep were lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a great stone was at the mouth of the well. 3 And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the mouth of the well in its place. 4 And Jacob said to them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. 5 And he said to them, Do ye know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do know [him]. 6 And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, [He is] well; and behold, there comes Rachel his daughter with the sheep. 7 And he said, Behold, it is yet high day; it is not time that the cattle should be gathered together; water the sheep, and go, feed [them]. 8 And they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water the sheep.
9 While he was still speaking to them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was a brother of her father, and that he was Rebecca's son; and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house; and he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month's time.
15 And Laban said to Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall be thy wages? 16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger, Rachel. 17 And the eyes of Leah were tender; but Rachel was of beautiful form and beautiful countenance. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes as single days, because he loved her. 21 And Jacob said to Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave to her Zilpah, his maidservant, to be maidservant to Leah his daughter. 25 And it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done to me? Have I not served thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou deceived me? 26 And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfil the week [with] this one: then we will give thee the other one also, for the service that thou shalt serve me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled the week [with] this one, and he gave him Rachel his daughter to be his wife. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, Bilhah, his maidservant, to be her maidservant. 30 And he went in also to Rachel; and he loved also Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet seven other years.
31 And when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Reuben; for she said, Because Jehovah has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me. 33 And she again conceived, and bore a son, and said, Because Jehovah has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this one also; and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she again conceived, and bore a son, and said, Now this time will my husband be united to me, for I have borne him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she again conceived, and bore a son, and said, This time will I praise Jehovah; therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased to bear.
301 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3 And she said, Behold, there is my maid, Bilhah: go in to her, in order that she may bear on my knees, and I may also be built up by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God has done me justice, and has also heard my voice, and given me a son; therefore she called his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah Rachel's maidservant again conceived, and bore Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, Wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali. 9 And when Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, Fortunately! and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I; for the daughters will call me blessed! and she called his name Asher.
14 And Reuben went out in the days of wheat-harvest, and found mandrakes in the fields; and he brought them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. 15 And she said to her, Is it [too] little that thou hast taken my husband, that thou wilt take my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes. 16 And when Jacob came from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in to me, for indeed I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17 And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maidservant to my husband; and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah again conceived, and bore Jacob a sixth son; 20 and Leah said, God has endowed me with a good dowry; this time will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons. And she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bore a son, and said, God has taken away my reproach. 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, Jehovah will add to me another son.
25 And it came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my country. 26 Give [me] my wives for whom I have served thee, and my children; that I may go away, for thou knowest my service which I have served thee. 27 And Laban said to him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes—I have discovered that Jehovah has blessed me for thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint to me thy wages, and I will give it. 29 And he said to him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and what thy cattle has become with me. 30 For it was little that thou hadst before me, and it is increased to a multitude, and Jehovah has blessed thee from the time I came; and now, when shall I also provide for my house? 31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything. If thou doest this for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock: 32 I will pass through all thy flock to-day, to remove thence all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and [that] shall be my hire. 33 And my righteousness shall answer for me hereafter, when thou comest about my hire, before thy face: all that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, let that be stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Well, let it be according to thy word. 35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the brown among the lambs, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons. 36 And he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock.
37 And Jacob took fresh rods of white poplar, almond-tree, and maple; and peeled off white stripes in them, uncovering the white which was on the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flock, in the troughs at the watering-places where the flock came to drink, and they were ardent when they came to drink. 39 And the flock was ardent before the rods; and the flock brought forth ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he made himself separate flocks, and did not put them with Laban's flock. 41 And it came to pass whensoever the strong cattle were ardent, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might become ardent among the rods; 42 but when the sheep were feeble, he put [them] not in; so the feeble were Laban's, and the strong Jacob's. 43 And the man increased very, very much, and had much cattle, and bondwomen, and bondmen, and camels, and asses.
91 And going on board the ship, he passed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, laid upon a bed; and Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Be of good courage, child; thy sins are forgiven. 3 And behold, certain of the scribes said to themselves, This [man] blasphemes. 4 And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, Why do ye think evil things in your hearts? 5 For which is easier: to say, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Rise up and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then he says to the paralytic,) Rise up, take up thy bed and go to thy house. 7 And he rose up and went to his house. 8 But the crowds seeing [it], were in fear, and glorified God who gave such power to men.
9 And Jesus, passing on thence, saw a man sitting at the tax-office, called Matthew, and says to him, Follow me. And he rose up and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as he lay at table in the house, that behold, many tax-gatherers and sinners came and lay at table with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And the Pharisees seeing [it], said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax-gatherers and sinners? 12 But [Jesus] hearing it, said, They that are strong have not need of a physician, but those that are ill. 13 But go and learn what [that] is—I will have mercy and not sacrifice; for I have not come to call righteous [men] but sinners.
14 Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a patch of new cloth on an old garment, for its filling up takes from the garment and a worse rent takes place. 17 Nor do men put new wine into old skins, otherwise the skins burst and the wine is poured out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into new skins, and both are preserved together.
(Read Matthew 9:1-8)
The faith of the friends of the paralytic in bringing him to Christ, was a strong faith; they firmly believed that Jesus Christ both could and would heal him. A strong faith regards no obstacles in pressing after Christ. It was a humble faith; they brought him to attend on Christ. It was an active faith. Sin may be pardoned, yet the sickness not be removed; the sickness may be removed, yet the sin not pardoned: but if we have the comfort of peace with God, with the comfort of recovery from sickness, this makes the healing a mercy indeed. This is no encouragement to sin. If thou bring thy sins to Jesus Christ, as thy malady and misery to be cured of, and delivered from, it is well; but to come with them, as thy darlings and delight, thinking still to retain them and receive him, is a gross mistake, a miserable delusion. The great intention of the blessed Jesus in the redemption he wrought, is to separate our hearts from sin. Our Lord Jesus has perfect knowledge of all that we say within ourselves. There is a great deal of evil in sinful thoughts, which is very offensive to the Lord Jesus. Christ designed to show that his great errand to the world was, to save his people from their sins. He turned from disputing with the scribes, and spake healing to the sick man. Not only he had no more need to be carried upon his bed, but he had strength to carry it. God must be glorified in all the power that is given to do good.
(Read Matthew 9:9)
Matthew was in his calling, as the rest of those whom Christ called. As Satan comes with his temptations to the idle, so Christ comes with his calls to those who are employed. We are all naturally averse from thee, O God; do thou bid us to follow thee; draw us by thy powerful word, and we shall run after thee. Speak by the word of the Spirit to our hearts, the world cannot hold us down, Satan cannot stop our way, we shall arise and follow thee. A saving change is wrought in the soul, by Christ as the author, and his word as the means. Neither Matthew's place, nor his gains by it, could detain him, when Christ called him. He left it, and though we find the disciples, who were fishers, occasionally fishing again afterwards, we never more find Matthew at his sinful gain.
(Read Matthew 9:10-13)
Some time after his call, Matthew sought to bring his old associates to hear Christ. He knew by experience what the grace of Christ could do, and would not despair concerning them. Those who are effectually brought to Christ, cannot but desire that others also may be brought to him. Those who suppose their souls to be without disease will not welcome the spiritual Physician. This was the case with the Pharisees; they despised Christ, because they thought themselves whole; but the poor publicans and sinners felt that they wanted instruction and amendment. It is easy, and too common, to put the worst constructions upon the best words and actions. It may justly be suspected that those have not the grace of God themselves, who are not pleased with others' obtaining it. Christ's conversing with sinners is here called mercy; for to promote the conversion of souls is the greatest act of mercy. The gospel call is a call to repentance; a call to us to change our minds, and to change our ways. If the children of men had not been sinners, there had been no need for Christ to come among them. Let us examine whether we have found out our sickness, and have learned to follow the directions of our great Physician.
(Read Matthew 9:14-17)
John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, and the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who were peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. Christ referred them to John's testimony of him, John 3:29. Though there is no doubt that Jesus and his disciples lived in a spare and frugal manner, it would be improper for his disciples to fast while they had the comfort of his presence. When he is with them, all is well. The presence of the sun makes day, and its absence produces night. Our Lord further reminded them of common rules of prudence. It was not usual to take a piece of rough woolen cloth, which had never been prepared, to join to an old garment, for it would not join well with the soft, old garment, but would tear it further, and the rent would be made worse. Nor would men put new wine into old leathern bottles, which were going to decay, and would be liable to burst from the fermenting of the wine; but putting the new wine into strong, new, skin bottles, both would be preserved. Great caution and prudence are necessary, that young converts may not receive gloomy and forbidding ideas of the service of our Lord; but duties are to be urged as they are able to bear them.
