Study Notes...

Scriptures  
Genesis 25, 26
Psalms 13
Proverbs 13
Matthew 16, 17

Notes on Genesis

There is a parallel tale in the Neo-Hittite about the two sons, "The Tale of Appu's Two Sons," which tells about Appu who was wealthy but childless until the gods gave him a son. He named him Wron because he believed that the gods had wronged him from withholding him the son until his old age. They gave him another son whom he named Right because this time they had acted fairly to him.
Wrong and Right grew to adulthood. When wrong tried to hoodwink Right from his portion of their inheritance, the gods summoned them and judged them both. Of course, Wrong was punished from doing wrong while Right was rewarded.

What is amazing about the God of Abraham was that He had chosen Jacob, the younger brother based not on merit but mainly of His own plan. In the end, Jacob turned his life around and became the person what God wanted him to be. He did tasted his own medicine when Laban deceitfully switch Rachel with Leah that he had to work another seven years to get to marry Rachel whom he loved.

Notes on Matthew

God's shekinah glory means "His visible presence."

About 200 B.C., the city named Panion was named after the god Pan, correlated to fields and herds. In 23 B.C., Augustus gave the area to Herod I to rule for Rome. Phillip took over the region after the death of his father and built an administrative structure as the capitol and changed the name of Panion to Caesarea Phillipi in honor of Caesar and himself. Jesus and his disciples perambulate this area during his ministry.

The Capernaum synagogue that Jesus taught was discovered in 1968. In 1981 the floor was discovered together with the pottery of the first century A.D.