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JANUARY 6
Day 5:Why did Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew records five important discourses: the Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5–7); the com-
missioning of the apostles (chap. 10); the parables about the kingdom of heaven (chap. 13); a dis-
course about the childlikeness of the believer (chap. 18); and the discourse on His second coming
(chaps.24;25).Each discourse ends with a variation of this phrase:“when Jesus had ended these say-
ings.”That becomes a motif signaling a new narrative portion.
The Sermon on the Mount is a masterful exposition of the law and a potent assault on
Pharisaic legalism,closing with a call to true faith and salvation (7:13–29).Matthew is keen to show
the error of the Pharisees for the benefit of his Jewish audience—not for personal or self-aggran-
dizing reasons. Christ expounded the full meaning of the law, showing that its demands were
humanly impossible (see 5:48).This is the proper use of the law with respect to salvation: It closes
off every possible avenue of human merit and leaves sinners dependent on nothing but divine
grace for salvation (see Rom. 3:19,20; Gal. 3:23,24). Christ plumbed the depth of the law, showing
that its true demands went far beyond the surface meaning of the words (5:28,39,44) and set a
standard that is higher than the most diligent students of the law had heretofore realized.

January 6 earth, and they ceased building the city.
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Therefore its name is called Babel, because
there the LORD confused the language of all
Genesis 11:1–12:20 the earth; and from there the LORD scattered
them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Now the whole earth had one language and
10 This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was
11 one speech. And it came to pass, as they
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journeyed from the east, that they found a one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad
two years after the flood. After he begot
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plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and
there. Then they said to one another, “Come, begot sons and daughters.
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let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot
They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt Salah. After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived
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for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build four hundred and three years, and begot sons
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ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in and daughters.
the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, 14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.
lest we be scattered abroad over the face of 15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hun-
the whole earth.”
dred and three years, and begot sons and
daughters.
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot
Peleg. After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four
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hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and
11:3,4 build ourselves a city. After God com-
manded the people to scatter to fill the earth, daughters.
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the people,under the leadership of the power- Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
ful Nimrod, disobeyed God’s command to dis- 19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred
perse.They stopped to build a city and tower in and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
their own honor. The tower itself was not the 20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot
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singular act of rebellion. Rather, human pride Serug. After he begot Serug, Reu lived two
caused them to rebel against God. hundred and seven years, and begot sons and
daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.
But the LORD came down to see the city and
5 23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hun-
the tower which the sons of men had built. dred years, and begot sons and daughters.
6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are 24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot
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one and they all have one language, and this is Terah. After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one
what they begin to do; now nothing that they hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons
propose to do will be withheld from them. and daughters.
7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their 26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot
language, that they may not understand one Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered 27 This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah
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them abroad from there over the face of all the begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot
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