Reflective Bible Study

⁵ “Suppose there is a righteous man
    who does what is just and right.

⁶ He does not eat at the mountain shrines
    or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
    or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.

⁷ He does not oppress anyone,
    but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
    but gives his food to the hungry
    and provides clothing for the naked.

⁸ He does not lend to them at interest
    or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
    and judges fairly between two parties.

⁹ He follows my decrees
    and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
    he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things ¹¹ (though the father has done none of them):
“He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.

¹² He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.

¹³ He lends at interest and takes a profit.
Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

¹⁴ “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

¹⁵ “He does not eat at the mountain shrines
    or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

¹⁶ He does not oppress anyone
    or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
    but gives his food to the hungry
    and provides clothing for the naked.

¹⁷ He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
    and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.
He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. ¹⁸ But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

Read Ezekiel 18:5-18 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man who loved the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. ²⁸ Isaac preferred Esau, because he enjoyed eating the animals Esau killed, but Rebecca preferred Jacob.

²⁹ One day while Jacob was cooking some bean soup, Esau came in from hunting. He was hungry ³⁰ and said to Jacob, “I’m starving; give me some of that red stuff.” (That is why he was named Edom.)

³¹ Jacob answered, “I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the first-born son.”

³² Esau said, “All right! I am about to die; what good will my rights do me?”

³³ Jacob answered, “First make a vow that you will give me your rights.”

Esau made the vow and gave his rights to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave him some bread and some of the soup. He ate and drank and then got up and left. That was all Esau cared about his rights as the first-born son.

Read Genesis 25:27-34 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

²³ I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
    We are not able to plan our own course.

²⁴ So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
    Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.

²⁵ Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—
    on the peoples that do not call upon your name.
  For they have devoured your people Israel;
    they have devoured and consumed them,
    making the land a desolate wilderness.

Read Jeremiah 10:23-25 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

¹ My dear brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never think some people are more important than others. ² Suppose someone comes into your church meeting wearing nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes.³ You show special attention to the one wearing nice clothes and say, “Please, sit here in this good seat.” But you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit on the floor by my feet.” ⁴ What are you doing? You are making some people more important than others, and with evil thoughts you are deciding that one person is better.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! God chose the poor in the world to be rich with faith and to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love him. ⁶ But you show no respect to the poor. The rich are always trying to control your lives. They are the ones who take you to court. ⁷ And they are the ones who speak against Jesus, who owns you.

⁸ This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you obey this law, you are doing right. ⁹ But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. ¹⁰ A person who follows all of God’s law but fails to obey even one command is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. ¹¹ The same God who said, “You must not be guilty of adultery,” also said, “You must not murder anyone.” So if you do not take part in adultery but you murder someone, you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law.¹² In everything you say and do, remember that you will be judged by the law that makes people free. ¹³ So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.

Read James 2:1-13 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!