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Wednesday
First Lesson
Genesis 47:29-31;48:8-20
29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called
his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace
in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and
deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out
of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will
do as thou hast said.
31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel
bowed himself upon the bed's head.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God
hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray
thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could
not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them,
and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy
face: and, lo, God hath shown me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he
bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's
right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon
Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's
head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life
long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;
and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon
the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's
hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this
is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know
it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great:
but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his
seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel
bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and
he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
1st Lesson Questions -
Israel blessed Joseph's sons in a straightforward way. How have I blessed those of my family? RESOLVE.
Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 14:1-12
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather
that ye may prophesy.
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto
men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the
spirit he speaketh mysteries.
3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and
exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but
he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye
prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh
with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive
edifying.
6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what
shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation,
or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or
harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall
it be known what is piped or harped?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare
himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to
be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall
speak into the air.
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world,
and none of them is without signification.
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall
be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall
be a barbarian unto me.
12 Even
so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that
ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
2nd Lesson Questions -
How can I help in the edifying of the church? (V. 12). Which do I desire most - spiritual or temporal gifts? RESOLVE.