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JANUARY 19
DAY 18:What is the unforgivable sin that Jesus spoke of?
According to Jesus’words in Matthew 12:31,the unforgivable sin is “the blasphemy against the
Spirit.”The sin He was confronting was the Pharisees’ deliberate rejection of that which they knew
to be of God (see John 11:48; Acts 4:16).They could not deny the reality of what the Holy Spirit had
done through Him,so they attributed to Satan a work that they knew was of God (v.24; Mark 3:22).
Someone never exposed to Christ’s divine power and presence might reject Him in ignorance
and “it will be forgiven him”(v. 32)—assuming the unbelief gives way to genuine repentance. Even
a Pharisee such as Saul of Tarsus could be forgiven for speaking “against the Son of Man”or perse-
cuting His followers—because his unbelief stemmed from ignorance (1 Tim. 1:13). But those who
know His claims are true and reject Him anyway sin “against the Holy Spirit”—because it is the Holy
Spirit who testifies of Christ and makes His truth known to us (John 15:26; 16:14,15). No forgiveness
was possible for these Pharisees who witnessed His miracles firsthand, knew the truth of His claims,
and still blasphemed the Holy Spirit—because they had already rejected the fullest possible revelation
(Heb. 6:4–6; 10:29).

And his brothers said to him, “Shall you
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January 19 indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed
have dominion over us?” So they hated him
even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:1–38:30
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and
Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have
37 father was a stranger, in the land of dreamed another dream. And this time, the
Canaan. This is the history of Jacob. sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed
2
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feed- down to me.”
ing the flock with his brothers. And the lad 10 So he told it to his father and his brothers;
was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of and his father rebuked him and said to him,
Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought “What is this dream that you have dreamed?
a bad report of them to his father. Shall your mother and I and your brothers
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his indeed come to bow down to the earth before
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children, because he was the son of his old age. you?” And his brothers envied him, but his
4
Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But father kept the matter in mind.
when his brothers saw that their father loved 12 Then his brothers went to feed their
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him more than all his brothers, they hated him father’s flock in Shechem. And Israel said to
and could not speak peaceably to him. Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the
flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to
them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if
37:3,4 Overt favoritism of Joseph and tacit it is well with your brothers and well with the
appointment of him as the primary son by the
father conspired to estrange him from his flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent
brothers. They hated and envied him (vv. him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went
4,5,11) and could not interact with him with- to Shechem.
15 Now a certain man found him, and there
out conflict and hostility. Joseph must have
noticed the situation. he was, wandering in the field. And the man
asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
So he said, “I am seeking my brothers.
16
Please tell me where they are feeding their
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to flocks.”
his brothers; and they hated him even more. 17 And the man said, “They have departed
6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to
which I have dreamed: There we were, bind- Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers
7
ing sheaves in the field. Then behold, my and found them in Dothan.
sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed 18 Now when they saw him afar off, even
your sheaves stood all around and bowed before he came near them, they conspired
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down to my sheaf.” against him to kill him. Then they said to one
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