January 3 - readings for Jan 5

Today's Readings: Gen 5; Mt 5; Ezra 5; Act 5


Gen 1: 26  26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness..."
Gen 5: 3 When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.

Chart of Antediluvian Patriarchs' lifespans as detailed in Genesis 5

I always wondered how the lifespans of the long-lived patriarchs would look if graphed. The flood occurred in 1656 (by my accounting, indicated by red line). Methuselah dies in 1656, Lamech in 1651.


Matt 5: 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?

Note: The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its flavor since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested that the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens; under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), when asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be that both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24, where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.

Matt 5: 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.


Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture readings and notes are taken from the NET Bible. You can find the M'Cheyne reading plan many places online, as PDFs to print out, as well as in Bible reading apps (e.g., Olive Tree) - some of my favorites include here and in the Lumina online Bible (click Daily and then select M'Cheyne in the dropdown)