January 16 - Gen 11:1-13:4, Matthew 5:1-26, Psalm 5, Prov 1:24-28

January 16th, 2026
by Edward Goode

Genesis 11:1-13:4

Again, feels like a response to an ancient (and current) question - how did all these things come about?
Abram - similar call to what comes so many other times. Go, leave what you have always known and I will lead you.
Notice that Abram is afraid and takes actions that reflect that fear.
Notice that Egypt shows up for the first time...And not for the last....

Matthew 5:1-26

Sermon on the Mount pt 1 - Read closely - was Jesus speaking to the crowd as a whole or just to his disciples?
Just imagine what the world would look like if it was anything like what Jesus describes in the Beatitudes
Light under a bushel - if you did that, it would just go out (candles would have been the light back in the day of course). It isn't that it hides - it just goes out.
The commands that Jesus reinterprets - notice that he makes it harder, not easier.
It is about transforming who we are on the inside and not just obedience

The Bible Project has a bunch of videos abou tthe Sermon on the Mount. There's an introduction and then several that go into specific parts. Best thing would be just to link to their youtube playlist of them.

Bible Project - Sermon on the Mount

Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:24-28

Psalm 5 - Deep painful sighs. Not crying but just feels like this has been going on for a long time - that's when the sighs come. Then calling on God to act.