======================================================================== THRU THE BIBLE IN A YEAR by Wayne S. Haines ======================================================================== A guided reading plan for completing the entire Bible in one year by Wayne S. Haines. Using the New American Standard Bible, the work provides daily readings with commentary to help readers understand and apply Scripture throughout the year. Chapters: 56 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 00.1-Thru the Bible in a Year 2. 01-The Story Behind the Study 3. 02-Genesis 1-9 4. 03-Genesis 10-30 5. 04-Genesis 31 – Exodus 1 6. 05-Exodus 2-22 7. 06-Exodus 23-40 8. 07-Leviticus 1-18 9. 08-Leviticus 19 – Numbers 6 10. 09-Numbers 7-20 11. 10-Numbers 21-36 12. 11-Deuteronomy 1-20 13. 12-Deuteronomy 21- Joshua 6 14. 13-Joshua 7-23 15. 14-Joshua 24 – Judges 17 16. 15-Judges 18 – 1 Samuel 14:23 17. 16-1 Samuel 14:24 – 2 Samuel 2 18. 17-2 Samuel 3 – 20 19. 18-2 Samuel 21 – 1 Kings 11 20. 19-1 Kings 12 – 2 Kings 5 21. 20-2 Kings 6 – 2 Kings 23:20 22. 21-2 Kings 23:21 - 1Chronicles 16 23. 22-1 Chronicles 17 – 2 Chronicles 9 24. 23-2 Chronicles 10 – 33 25. 24-2 Chronicles 34 – Nehemiah 3 26. 25-Nehemiah 4 – Esther 7 27. 26-Esther 8 – Job 24 28. 27-Job 24 – Psalms 17 29. 28-Psalms 18 – 59 30. 29-Psalms 60 – 100 31. 30-Psalms 101 – 143 32. 31-Psalms 144 – Proverbs 22 33. 32-Proverbs 23 – Isaiah 4 34. 33-Isaiah 5 – 42 35. 34-Isaiah 43 – Jeremiah 6 36. 35-Jeremiah 7 – 31 37. 36-Jeremiah 32 – 52 38. 37-Lamentations 1 – Ezekiel 19 39. 38-Ezekiel 20 – 42 40. 39-Ezekiel 43 – Hosea 6 41. 40-Hosea 7 – Habakkuk 3 42. 41-Zephaniah 1 – Matthew 9 43. 42-Matthew 10 – 24 44. 43-Matthew 25 – Mark 11 45. 44-Mark 12 – Luke 9 46. 45-Luke 10 – 24 47. 46-John 1 – 18 48. 47-John 19 – Acts 16 49. 48-Acts 17 – Romans 10 50. 49-Romans 11 – 2 Corinthians 4 51. 50-Corinthians 5 – Philippians 4 52. 51-Colossians 1 – Hebrews 4 53. 52-Hebrews 5 – 2 Peter 3 54. 53-1 John 1 – Revelation 11 55. 54-Revelation 12 – 22 56. 55-Bible Reading Chart ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: 00.1-THRU THE BIBLE IN A YEAR ======================================================================== Thru the Bible in a Year by Wayne S. Haines "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." NASB® Scripture appears in the work in boldface text. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: 01-THE STORY BEHIND THE STUDY ======================================================================== The Story Behind the Study At the end of 2008 our house church group was looking for a new topic of Bible study for the teaching portion of our Saturday evening gathering. We had done studies of individual Bible books, topical studies, and also freeform group discussions, but we were looking for something new. My wife suggested that I should consider the ambitious goal of teaching an overview of the entire Bible. The more I thought about it I realized that our group consisted of the whole range of seasoned to new Christian believers who may or may not have actually read through the Book that describes their faith. There are many guides and schedules that show what to cover to systematically read the Bible in a year. I selected one of those lists and married it up to a study class that covered the scheduled readings from the week prior to the Saturday evening class. This enabled the participants to read the material and come prepared with any questions they might have had. I brought the idea up before the group and was encouraged to give it an attempt. Instead of using pre-prepared material I decided to write a condensed version of the weekly material and read and talk about it during the class. The first week proved to be successful as did the entire year. This work is the collected handouts from our yearlong study through the Bible. Even though the pace was fast we were blessed as a group to complete the study. We all gained a basic understanding of the Word of God that has led each of us on to further study and a deeper relationship with our Savior. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: 02-GENESIS 1-9 ======================================================================== Genesis 1-9 Jan. 3, 2009 The title of the first book of the Bible is Genesis. This word means origins or beginnings. Genesis is a book of origins or beginnings. The following list is of some of those firsts. 1. The origin of the universe and time. 2. The origin of man. 3. The origin of marriage. 4. The origin of sin. 4. The origin of nations. 5. The origin of Israel. “In the beginning God”. This was not the beginning of God because He is eternal. God has no beginning or ending; He is, was and always will be. This was “our” beginning. God made all that we see in six, twenty four hour periods of time that He called days. He also made it all from nothing. This is a summary of the seven days of creation. Day 1 - Heaven and earth. Day 2 - Separation of waters. Day 3 - Land, sea, and plants. Day 4 - Sun, Moon, and the stars. Day 5 - Birds and fish. Day 6 - Land animals and man. Day 7 - God rested. God set aside the seventh day as a day of rest and reflection. God Himself did not need the physical rest, but He sanctified the last day of the week for His people later. The Book of Genesis then narrows down its focus several times on the people of God’s creation. First God speaks of the whole creation, then in Gen. 2:4 God focuses down to Day 6 and the making of man. Chapter 6 speaks of Noah, then by Chapter 12 to Abraham and his descendants, Israel. The Bible has gone from the whole of creation down to a single man and his family. Before we continue let’s look back at Chapter 1:26. This is the first shadow of the existence of the Trinity in the English Bible. In the Hebrew Bible the Trinity is foreshadowed in the first sentence. The Hebrew name that we translate as God in verse one is Elohim, a plural form of the word used to describe a singular God. God made man to cultivate the Earth. He was different than all the rest of creation. God spoke all of creation into existence, but with man, God formed him in His image, with His own hands, from the materials of His creation (the dust of the Earth). He also brought man to life with His own breath. Only man in all creation was made in the image of God. God also made a helper suitable for the man He had made. Out of the flesh of the man, Adam and one of his ribs, God made the woman, Eve. God then started the institution of marriage. In the beginning of Chapter 3 we are introduced to Satan, our adversary. Satan is an angel of God who fell from grace due to the sin of pride and was expelled from Gods heaven. Satan entered into the serpent and tempted Eve by subtly changing God’s words. Eve gave in to Satan’s advice and ate from the only tree of the garden God had forbidden man to eat, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam also ate from the tree. This act caused man to fall and allowed sin to enter God’s perfect creation. God then cursed the serpent, cursed the ground, and made the lives of man difficult. Eve was also told that women would suffer during the birth of a child. But, in Chapter 3:15 God spoke a prophecy on His plan of redemption for man. It foretold of the defeat of Satan at the cross of His son Jesus Christ. God further foreshadowed the future sacrifice of His Son at Calvary by providing the skins of animals to the man and woman to clothe themselves with. This act required the shedding of blood. Chapter 4 is the beginning of civilization. Eve had a son, Cain, a tiller of the ground, and then, Abel, a keeper of sheep. The boys in the course of time both presented offerings to the Lord out of what they had produced. Abel’s offering was accepted, but Cain’s, because of his unbelief, was rejected. In his anger and jealousy he murdered his brother. This was the beginning of murder. God, in His mercy, did not kill Cain for his transgression, but banished him from the land to be a wanderer. God also protected Cain with a mark. Cain continued his sinful ways. Adam was then given another son, Seth, to replace Abel who Cain murdered. Chapter 5 is a genealogy on the family line from Adam to Noah. The key thing in this chapter is how long people lived in those days. Man lived an average of 900 years before the flood. Enoch is an exception. He did not die, but walked with God and was taken to heaven. Enoch was a foreshadowing of the future rapture of the church. Chapter 6 talks of Noah. Sin had become so bad on Earth that God regretted His creation and planned to destroy it by flood. But, as verse 8 says, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. God instructed Noah to build a large vessel, an ark, in order to save a remnant of life from the coming flood. Noah was 500 years old when God told him to build the ark. He built and preached for 100 years to all who would listen, but no one did. Noah loaded the ark with seven males, and seven females of all the clean animals, then a male and a female breeding pair of every other living creature, two by two. God shut up the ark and water rained from the sky for 40 days and nights and sprang up from the ground until the whole Earth was covered, even over the highest mountains. In all it took 150 days. Every living thing that God had created died, except those that were on the ark. Noah, his family and cargo of animals occupied the ark for a total of 371 days. After leaving the ark Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed some of the clean animals he had brought. When God smelled the soothing aroma of the sacrifice He promised never again to destroy man and every living thing. He set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant. God also made a change in man’s diet after the flood. From this time on animals were to fear man. Man was now allowed to use them as food to eat along with the vegetation they ate before the flood. The flood also caused great changes in the Earth’s climate, and geography. I do not believe that Noah or his family could recognize this new world they now lived in.The last thing for this week is the story of what was left of Noah’s life. God speaks of an incident when Noah had become a vineyard owner and had become drunk on his own wine. His nakedness caused Canaan, his son to dishonor his father. This act would cause great problems for God’s future chosen people that are even felt today. Next week we will continue in the Book of Genesis and look at the lives of the Patriarchs. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: 03-GENESIS 10-30 ======================================================================== Genesis 10-30 Jan. 10, 2009 We begin this week after the flood when the descendants of Noah migrated southeast from the Mountains of Ararat, which is located in present day Turkey, to the plain of Shinar near what is now the city of Babylon in Iraq. Mankind stayed together, against God’s wishes, under the control of Nimrod, a descendent of Ham, and built a city and a tower in defiance of God. God saw what was happening and went down and caused each family group to speak a different language and not be able to communicate with each other. God’s will was done when the people were scattered throughout the whole Earth and no longer together. This stopped the city and the tower from being completed. The Bible, in Chapter 12 now narrows down to the call of Abram out of the city of Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram was a young man who grew up in a prosperous, sophisticated, idol worshipping center located in what is now southern Iraq. God spoke to Abram and told him to get up and leave his home and family and go to a place He would show him. God said He would make of Abram a great nation, that He would bless him, and that he would be a blessing. He also said that his enemies would be cursed, and that through him all the families of the Earth would be blessed. The last part is being fulfilled today when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts. Abram did as God directed and traveled to the land of Canaan. When he and his family reached the Oak of Moreh, near present day Nablus, in the West Bank region of Israel, God appeared to Abram and told him that He would give this land to him and to his descendants. Abram continued south until he reached Bethel. He stopped and built an altar to the Lord, and called upon His name. Abram continued his travels south, and because of a famine in the land he continued on into Egypt. After a time in Egypt he returned to Bethel and settled there. Chapter 13 begins with the Abrams return from Egypt and a serious conflict over land resources between his herdsmen, and the herdsmen of his nephew Lot. The two large families needed to separate. Abram gave Lot first choice on where to live. Lot chose what looked good to his eyes and settled in the cities of the fertile valley near the Dead Sea. Abram then moved south and settled in the Plain of Mamre, which is present day Hebron. God again told him that this land was his. Chapter 14 begins with Lot being taken captive during a war between Kings in the valley he had settled in. His uncle Abram heard of this and took 318 men born of his house and defeated the Kings and set Lot free. He received a blessing from the King of Salem named Melchizedek, an unknown man, and a picture of Jesus Christ, and gave him a tithe of the spoils from the battle. In Chapter 15 the Lord came to Abram in a vision and told him in Genesis 15:1 “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.” Abram questioned God about his lack of an heir, and the Lord again told him of a son that would become his heir, and reminded him of His promise. Abram believed the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousness. By this belief he was saved. God then had Abram gather up animals for a sacrifice, and array the animals as outlined in the text in the manner that was used in those days to seal a covenant between men. God then put Abram to sleep, possibly even to death, and made His covenant with Himself so that it was not dependent on Abram to keep the promise. God then told Abram the geographic boundaries of the Promised Land, and foretold of Israel’s future slavery in Egypt. Abram and his wife, Sarai, became tired of waiting on God to fulfill His promise for an heir. In Chapter 16 Sarai, as was the custom in that day, offered to Abram her servant, Hagar the Egyptian, as a wife to provide him with a son. Abram accepted Sarai’s offer and made Hagar his wife. Hagar’s conception caused Sarai to be angered and jealous of her that she did conceive, even though it was originally her idea. Sarai treated Hagar, with Abram’s blessing, so badly that she fled away from them. God spoke to Hagar and told her to return to her masters. He remembered His promise to Abram’s descendents and told her that her son would be blessed. He also told her to name the boy Ishmael. This act of disobedience by Abram has greatly hurt his chosen descendants today. Ishmael became the father of the Arab people, the Muslims, who Israel is still fighting with today. When Abram was 99 years old God appeared to him and reaffirmed His covenant with him. At this time God also changed Abrams name to Abraham, the father of many nations. God instituted the practice of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. This is similar to the rainbow God used as a sign to Noah after the flood. God also changed Abraham’s wife Sarai’s name to Sarah to mark the occasion. God also told Abraham that Sarah would have a son at 90 years old and would call him Isaac. Chapter 18 begins the account of the Gods destruction of the cities of the valley where his nephew Lot had settled. Abraham was visited by three men as he sat at his tent door in the Oaks of Mamre. Abraham did not recognize his visitors but gave them the customary hospitality that was given to strangers in that time. He did not realize immediately his visitors were two angels and the pre-incarnate Christ! The Lord spoke to Sarah and told her that she would give birth to a son. Sarah laughed to herself in disbelief, but the Lord heard and asked her if anything is too difficult for the Lord. The other purpose of this visit was to destroy the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and also the other cities of the valley near the Dead Sea. The people of these cities were wicked and worldly. The abomination of homosexuality was Gods reason for the destruction. The Lord stayed behind with Abraham while he bargained for the cities and his nephew Lot. The men of the city of Sodom acted towards the two angels as expected. This forced the angels to remove Lot and his family from the city. They were told to flee and not look back. Lot’s wife disobeyed and was turned into a pillar of salt. The angels destroyed the cities with fire and brimstone. Lot’s trouble was not yet over. He had talked the angels into sparing the small city of Zoar. He went there to settle with the two daughters that were left of his family. He became afraid of what the people of Zoar would think of him and his family and fled the city and hid in a mountain cave. His two daughters, using the worldly “wisdom” they learned from life in Sodom, decided to get Lot drunk and have incest with him to give their family an heir. Both daughters conceived and Lot became the father of the Moabites and the Ammonites. These two peoples would become a problem for God’s chosen people in the future. The Bible now turns to the story of Abraham’s promised heir Isaac. In Chapter 21 Isaac was born to Sarah at the appointed time. After he was weaned Sarah caught his older brother Ishmael mocking him. Sarah wanted Abraham to banish Ishmael and his mother Hagar from their household. God allowed Sarah’s wish and told Abraham to listen to his wife and banish them. God also let Abraham know that it was through his son Isaac his descendents would be named. Abraham banished Ishmael and his mother, but the Lord remembered His promise to Hagar, and rescued them and blessed Ishmael. Time passed and in Chapter 22 the Lord tested Abraham. He told him to take his son, his only son and go to the land of Moriah, the site of the temple mount in Jerusalem today, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering to the Lord on the mountain there. Abraham did as he was told believing that God would allow his son to return alive. This act was a picture of what God would do for all of us with His Son Jesus at Calvary. Abraham prepared Isaac for sacrifice, bound him to the altar, and lifted his knife over him, but at the last minute God provided a substitute, a ram trapped in the nearby brush for the sacrifice. He then reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham. By Chapter 24 Abraham was old and wanted to make sure his son Isaac would have a wife of his own people, not a daughter of the Canaanites. He sent his chief servant Eliezer of Damascus to the land of his brother Nahor which is near Haran. Eliezer devised a unique way to tell if a woman was the proper choice for a wife for Isaac. He stopped and prayed for God to show him the proper wife. This was done by having the woman draw water for him and all his camels at the city well. This was unique because it took a great deal of effort to draw that much extra water for a stranger during an already full day of work. Rebekah, Abraham’s niece, the daughter of his brother Nahor did this, and also met all of Abraham’s requirements. Eliezer went with Rebekah and met her family including her brother Laban who will come up later. He told them of Abraham’s plan, received their blessing and returned to Isaac with his new wife. Isaac married Rebekah and inherited all that belonged to his father when Abraham died. Isaac buried his father with Rebekah in a cave located in present day Hebron. In the middle of Chapter 25 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife Rebekah for a son because she was barren. His prayer was answered and she conceived twins. The twin boys struggle in her womb before birth caused Rebekah to ask the Lord why. He told her that two opposite people were in her womb and that they would separate and that the older twin would serve the younger. Esau was the firstborn and became a hunter. Jacob was next and became a peaceful man. Esau rejected the things of the Lord and sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of lentil soup. The birthright consisted of a double portion of his father’s wealth, but more important it was for the spiritual leadership of the family. In Chapter 26 another famine came upon the Land of Canaan similar to the one that caused Abraham and his family to go to Egypt in Chapter 12. The Lord told Isaac not to go to Egypt as his father did. The Lord also transferred His covenant with Abraham to Isaac at this time. Isaac lied to the ruler of the land about the status of his wife. He called her his sister as his father Abraham did with Sarah many years before. The ruler sent them away but continued to have conflicts with them over water and wells. The two groups separated and Isaac was blessed. Esau then disappointed his parents and married two women who were Hittites, against his parent’s wishes. Time passed and Isaac became old, blind, and near death. It was time to bless his sons with their inheritance. Jacob and his mother, Rebekah planned a scheme to have Jacob receive the blessing of the firstborn. This rightfully belonged to Esau and it was to Esau Isaac planned to give the blessing. Isaac enjoyed a stew made from the game that his son Esau hunted, and sent him for it before his blessing. Rebekah overheard them and while Esau was hunting she had Jacob gather the ingredients for Esau’s stew from the flock. She prepared the stew and disguised Jacob as his brother. Jacob brought the stew to his father and deceived him into blessing him as if he were Esau. Esau soon returned and both father and son realized what Jacob been done. Isaac’s blessing was legally binding and could not be reversed even by him. Isaac could only repeat to his son Esau what God had told his mother before his birth that he would serve Jacob. Esau was furious and planned from that day to kill his brother. Rebekah found out what Esau planned to do and wanted to have Jacob flee to Haran, the land of her brother Laban. By Chapter 28 Isaac had been convinced by Rebekah to send Jacob to Laban to find a wife. Isaac blessed Jacob and told him of God’s promise then sent him away. Esau in defiance to his family went to Ishmael’s territory and married into his people. Jacob left for Haran, but along the way he stopped and had a dream. The dream was of a ladder that sat on the ground and reached into heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. This dream is explained by the Lord Jesus to His disciples in John 1:51 “And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” God at the time of this dream reaffirmed His covenant to Jacob. After this, Jacob promised to return to the Lord a tenth of all the Lord gave him. In Chapter 29 Jacob continued his journey and arrived in Haran. When he arrived he fell in love at first sight with Laban’s daughter Rachel. Jacob offered to serve Laban seven years as a price for his daughter Rachel. Laban, a better deceiver than Jacob, then tricked him into marrying his firstborn daughter, Leah instead of Rachel. Leah was not as desirable as Rachel and had not yet married. Laban deceived Jacob into seven years of service for Leah and an additional seven years for Rachel. Jacob through jealousy and pride between his wives and their servants ended up with eleven sons and one daughter. After he finished his years of service to Laban he went to him and told him he wished to return with his family to the land of his father. Laban realized that God’s blessing on Jacob’s life had greatly increased his own personal wealth during the fourteen years that Jacob was his servant. He did not want Jacob to leave and change what he believed was his good fortune. Laban offered Jacob the chance to name his wage to stay with him. Jacob offered to stay and take care of Laban’s flocks. Jacob convinced Laban to separate his flocks and give to him all the striped, speckled and black lambs. Laban agreed because he thought he was getting the better bargain. The lambs Jacob wanted Laban considered inferior. God helped Jacob to selectively breed the flocks to produce an abundance of the striped, speckled and black lambs. Jacob’s flocks increased while Laban’s flocks dwindled. Jacob became very prosperous. We will continue with Jacob’s story next week in Chapter 31. Look into the lives of his sons, and then finish up the Book of Genesis with the story of Jacob’s favorite son Joseph. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: 04-GENESIS 31 – EXODUS 1 ======================================================================== Genesis 31 – Exodus 1 Jan. 17, 2009 In the beginning of Chapter 31 six years have passed since Jacob took control over the flocks of his father-in-law Laban. The Lord blessed Jacob and through his selective breeding of the flocks became extremely wealthy. Laban had become very angry with Jacob and jealous of his good fortune. The Lord told Jacob to gather his family and return to the land of his father Isaac. Jacob justified the move to his wives by reminding them of his 20 years of dedicated service to their father, and his anger with him over how the Lord had blessed them. Jacob also blamed the Lord for his deception of Laban over the breeding of the flocks. They gathered their belongings and left for Canaan unannounced. When Laban was told three days later that they had left, he gathered his men and pursued Jacob and his family. Laban and his men caught up with Jacob’s party as they traveled in the Hill Country of Gilead. Laban confronted Jacob and wanted to know why he had left Haran unannounced. Laban was upset that he was unable to even kiss his daughters and grandchildren goodbye. Laban’s manner was somewhat subdued because the night before the God of Jacob had come to him in a dream and told him to neither speak good or bad to Jacob. Even though Laban did not worship God, he feared Him for what he had done for Jacob. He did manage to accuse Jacob and his family of the theft of his own household gods. Jacob allowed Laban to conduct a search throughout all his possessions for his gods, and swore that he would put the thief to death if found in his group. Laban was unable to find the idols in Jacobs’s goods because his daughter Rachel took them and was sitting on them while Laban was searching. She deceived her father into not standing up and revealing the idols by telling him it was her time of the month. Jacob and Laban agreed on a covenant between their two families to separate them from each other. They swore an oath to each other that neither would enter the other’s territory from that day forward, thus protecting both of them from harm. In Chapter 32 Jacob and his family continued on their journey until they came upon his brother Esau. Scouts from his group told him that Esau was coming to them with 400 of his men. Jacob still feared his brother because of what he had done to him 20 years ago. He told his servants to prepare a large gift of livestock for his brother, and go ahead of them and present it to Esau. Jacob helped his family to cross the river at the ford Jabbok and returned back to the other side by himself and camped for the night alone to spend time in earnest prayer. Jacob wrestled with the Lord the entire night and would not let Him go until he received a blessing. By the time of daybreak he still had not let go, and the Lord did finally bless him. As this time the Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel and put his hip out of joint to remind him of the change. From the time of this event on in God’s Word Jacob will be referred to by the Lord as Israel when he is acts in God’s will and as Jacob when he does things on his own and acts like the deceiver he was known to be. Jacob looked up from the events of the night and saw his Brother Esau approaching. He gathered his nerve and lined up his family from least favored to the most favored, then went ahead to meet his brother. To Jacobs surprise Esau was happy to see him. Esau had prospered during Jacob’s absence and had forgiven him after all these years. Jacob, I believe out of guilt, insisted that Esau keep the gift his servants had prepared for him. Again, similar to the way he did with father-in-law Laban he left the area with his family unannounced instead of telling his brother that he was leaving. Years later, at the end of Chapter 33, Jacob settled with his family in the city of Shechem. While living there his daughter Dinah went about with the women of the town. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah and wanted her. He took her, and forced her. He fell in love with Dinah and asked his father to get her for him as his wife. Jacobs’s sons were outraged with Shechem because he had defiled their sister. The brothers convinced their father Jacob to allow the marriage only if the men of Shechem would consent to be circumcised and join with them. The men agreed because they believed the marriage of Shechem and Dinah would help them to prosper. Three days after the men had been circumcised, and incapacitated with pain; Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon came to the city of Shechem and killed all the weakened men to avenge their sister’s honor. This act angered Jacob in that he could not save face with the other people in the area because of the massacre. He was more worried about how he would be viewed by the Canaanites in the land then he was for the feelings of his daughter, and that his sons were the murderers of an entire town. Jacob then moved his family to Bethel in Chapter 35 and purified them in the sight of the Lord by removing from them, all of their false idols, their earrings and all other symbols of false worship in their possession. God then appeared to Jacob and renewed His covenant with him. They then continued towards Ephrath, which is now called Bethlehem, and stopped because Rachel had become pregnant and was about to give birth. She had trouble in childbirth and did not survive. She did however deliver a son who Jacob named Benjamin. Jacob buried Rachel there near Bethlehem. After this time Reuben, Jacobs’s firstborn, went in to his father’s concubine Bilhah and had relations with her. Bilhah was the birth mother of some of his brothers. Jacob found out what he had done, and this shameful act would have consequences for Reuben later. Jacob and his family continued their journey and finally arrived in Mamre before his father Isaacs’s death. Both he and his brother Esau buried Isaac there in Mamre at the age of 180 years. Chapter 37 now shifts to the story of Joseph. Joseph was the firstborn of Jacobs’s first love, Rachel, and was the favorite son of his father. His brothers resented him for this and Jacob made things worse by giving Joseph a coat of many colors to represent his favored status. Joseph further increased his brother’s hatred for him by telling them of several dreams of his that had shown them and their parents bowing down to him and also serving him. The brothers plotted to kill their younger brother Joseph at the earliest opportunity. One day Jacob asked Joseph to go and check on his brothers who were away from home tending their father’s goats and sheep. Joseph found them in Dothan. The brothers thought that this was the right time to do away with their problem, Joseph. Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and oldest son did not agree with their plans and wished to protect Joseph from his other brothers. He had them put Joseph into a pit and then he went away. After Reuben had left, the other brothers removed Joseph from the pit and were going to kill him right there until Judah came to Joseph’s defense. They took Joseph and sold him to a band of passing Ishmaelites heading towards Egypt. Reuben returned and found Joseph missing and was afraid of what his father would blame him. The brothers decided to solve this problem by killing a goat from the flock and splatter its blood on Joseph’s special coat and tear it so that their father would think Joseph was killed by a beast. Jacob identified the coat as the one he gave to his son, believed the brothers deception and went about in mourning over the death of his favorite son Joseph. The Bible in Chapter 38 now turns from Joseph’s life to a story in the life of Jacobs’s son Judah. Judah married outside of his own people to a woman of the Canaanite people they were living near. His wife bore him three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah gave the woman Tamar to Er, his firstborn, to be his wife. Er was evil and displeased the Lord so much He killed him before Tamar was able to give birth to an heir. Judah gave Tamar to his second son Onan to produce an heir as was the custom of the time. Onan refused to have relations with Tamar because he wanted the inheritance for himself. This displeased the Lord also and He killed him like his brother Er. Judah promised to give Tamar his youngest son Shelah to produce the heir when he was grown. Tamar became tired of waiting for Judah to give her Shelah to provide her with her inheritance. She wanted an heir and decided to take things into her own hand. She disguised herself as a temple prostitute and waited for her father-in-law Judah to come by. Judah did not recognize Tamar and was wishing for some female pleasure after the death of his wife went in and had relations with what he thought was a prostitute. He gave the girl his staff, bracelets, and signet ring until he could return with a kid goat from his flock as payment for her services. Tamar had changed back into the mourning clothing she normally would wear and left the area. Judah returned with the goat and was confused that the prostitute was no longer there. Three months later he was informed that his daughter-in-law Tamar was pregnant through prostitution. He had her brought forward to be killed for her transgression. She showed to him his belongings that he left with the prostitute as payment and realized that she had every right to be upset with him because he had not given Shelah to her as he had promised. She gave birth to twin boys. The importance of this story is that the name of one of the twins, Perez, appears in the Book of Matthew 1:3, and also Luke 3:33 as part of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Chapter 39 we get back to Joseph’s story. When the Ishmaelites arrived in Egypt they sold Joseph into slavery to Potiphar, an Egyptian, and the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. Joseph served Potiphar in his house and was blessed by the Lord. Potiphar realized this and promoted Joseph to be the overseer of all his possessions. In time Potiphar’s wife had become enamored with Joseph and wanted to sleep with him. Joseph refused to dishonor God and Potiphar with this act and would not go in to Potiphar’s wife. In her anger she falsely accused Joseph of acting inappropriately towards her so that Potiphar had no choice but to put Joseph into prison. By the end of the Chapter we are told that the Lord continued to bless Joseph even as an inmate in the prison. As it was with Potiphar, the Lord’s blessing on Joseph was so great the keeper of the prison placed Joseph in charge over all the prisoners in the jail. The cupbearer and the royal baker to Pharaoh had offended the ruler in such a way they were both thrown into the same prison that Joseph was being held in. In Chapter 40 both of the two men had dreams they were not able to interpret. After the two men were brought before the overseer and spoke of not knowing the meaning of their dreams, Joseph told them that such interpretation belongs to God then he asked them to tell him the dreams. The Lord interpreted the dreams to Joseph and he revealed to the men what he was told. Joseph told the cupbearer that in three days he would be free and restored to his former job. Joseph relayed to the cupbearer his story of false imprisonment and asked him to remember him to Pharaoh when he was released. Joseph then told the baker that in three days he would be executed. These things came to pass exactly as Joseph had said, but the cupbearer did not remember Joseph when he returned to his duties for Pharaoh. Two years later in Chapter 41 Pharaoh had a strange group of dreams about some cows and grain. He called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt to interpret his dreams, but no one was able to tell him what the dreams meant. The King’s cupbearer then remembered a young Hebrew boy in the jail he was in two years before who was able to interpret dreams. Joseph was cleaned up and brought before Pharaoh and told the dream. God revealed to Joseph that the both dreams indicated seven years of plenty followed by seven years of severe famine in the land. He told Pharaoh the interpretation and encouraged him to locate a wise man to oversee Egypt and store up grain during the years of plenty. They could find no one in all of Egypt that possessed the qualifications to do this. But Pharaoh being a wise ruler himself realized that Joseph, the only man in all of Egypt wise enough to correctly interpret his strange dreams would be the perfect choice. Pharaoh then placed Joseph as ruler over all of Egypt under him. Joseph had the Egyptians store up grain during the years of plenty and when the years of famine came Egypt had an abundance of food. People from all around would come to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph. The famine had also spread to the Land of Canaan where his father and brothers were living. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy some grain. Joseph recognized his brothers even though they did not recognize him. Joseph was now older and dressed in the finery of a royal Egyptian. Joseph remembered his dreams and realized it was God’s appointed time to bring his brothers to repentance. The text describes the trials Joseph caused his brothers to endure while supplying them with grain until finally revealing himself to them. They feared him because of what they had done. Joseph told them not to worry that God in His wisdom had sent him ahead of them in order to save their lives. Joseph was then reunited with his father and he had the family move away from Canaan and settle in Egypt to be near to him. Pharaoh heard of this and was pleased. He said he would give the Hebrews the best land in all of Egypt to settle in. The Lord came to Jacob and also told him to go to Egypt with his family. They settled in the land of Goshen, an abundant region of Egypt on the eastern part of the delta of the Nile River. By the end of Chapter 47 Jacob had grown old and sick and was ready to die. He asked his sons not to bury him in the Land of Egypt. In Chapter 48 he began to bless his sons with their inheritance. He began by breaking established tradition and blessing Joseph with the double portion of inheritance meant for the firstborn and adopting his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. His firstborn Reuben had forfeited the rights of the firstborn when he slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah after Rachel had died. Levi and Simeon also forfeited the rights of the firstborn because of their massacre of the men of the city of Shechem. The physical and spiritual leadership of the family was passed on to Judah. It is through Judah that the unbroken line of genealogy passes to Jesus Christ. The text shows that the blessings of Jacob to his sons are full of prophecy concerning things that would happen, and characteristics his descendants would have in the future. The Book of Genesis ends in Chapter 50 with the death of Jacob. Joseph also dies, but before he does he tells his brothers that although they meant what they did to him for evil, that God meant it for good. He also made them promise not to bury his bones in Egypt. The Book of Exodus begins many years later after the Children of Israel had multiplied and prospered in Egypt. A new Pharaoh came to power that did not remember Joseph. The new Pharaoh saw that the Hebrew people had become many and powerful in the land, and decided he needed to do something about it. He issued a command, to the Egyptian midwives assisting the Hebrew women about to give birth, to kill any newborn male Hebrew child when he was born. He believed that this would control their numbers and slow their power. The midwives feared the God of the Hebrews more then they feared Pharaoh and refused to do this evil thing. Pharaoh, unable to control the midwives, issued a command to all of Egypt that every Hebrew boy must be thrown into the River Nile and be drowned. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Exodus and meet Moses, Aaron, and the Children of Israel, and learn of their deliverance by God from their bondage in Egypt. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 6: 05-EXODUS 2-22 ======================================================================== Exodus 2-22 Jan. 24, 2009 In Exodus Chapter 2, around the time Pharaoh had commanded the death of all male Hebrews born, a man and a woman from the descendants of Jacob’s son Levi married. The woman gave birth to a son, and could not allow him to be killed as Pharaoh commanded, because the text says he was a beautiful child. Beauty was a sign of divine favor in those days. The woman hid the baby boy from the Egyptians for three months until she was no longer able to hide him. She decided to place the baby into an ark made out of a wicker basket covered with tar and pitch and placed it in the reeds on the edge of the Nile River. The baby’s sister Miriam hid herself nearby to see what would become of the boy. Pharaoh’s daughter came with her maidens to the riverbank to bathe. She spotted the ark in the reeds and discovered the baby inside. The woman had compassion for the baby as he cried. She could tell the boy was one of the Hebrews, and gave him to his sister when she offered to take him to the Hebrew women to nurse for her. The boy, named Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter, was taken back to his mother for her to nurse. Moses grew up as a member of Egyptian royalty, and was trained in all the wisdom and ways of Egypt. When Moses was 40 years old he came upon an Egyptian striking a Hebrew man. Moses in his heart felt the effects of the burden of Egypt on his Hebrew brethren, and when no one was looking he killed the Egyptian and hid the body under the sand. The next day he came up to two Hebrew men fighting, and tried to break them up. They didn’t respect Moses’ attempt to intervene and asked him in Exodus 2:14 “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses realized that his murder of the Egyptian man was now known and Pharaoh would be looking to have him killed. Moses fled from Pharaoh and the Land of Egypt into the desert of Midian, and came upon a well. While he was there he helped the daughters of Reuel, the Priest of Midian, also known as Jethro to draw water for their father’s flock and protected them from some shepherds nearby. Because of this helpful deed Jethro offered Moses a place to live, and gave him his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. Zipporah gave birth to a son that Moses named Gershom for he was a stranger in a strange land. Forty years passed and the Pharaoh who wanted to kill Moses died. God heard the cries of his people in Egypt and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was now time for the children of Israel to be delivered from Egypt and their bondage. Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, in Chapter 3, near Horeb, which is also known as Sinai, The Mountain of God, when the Lord appeared to him as the fire in a burning bush that was not consumed. Moses was amazed and went to see why the bush was not burned up from the fire. God called out to him from the bush and told him to remove his sandals the ground on which he was standing was holy ground. God spoke to Moses and told him that He had heard the cries of His people and that He would send him to speak to Pharaoh on His behalf. Moses asked God why He chose send him, and who would he say to the Children of Israel had sent him. God told Moses I AM THAT I AM, and to tell them that I AM sent him. In Chapter 4 God continued to tell Moses what he was to do in Egypt, but Moses would only give the Lord excuses on why he could not do as he was asked. He was afraid the Hebrews would not believe him. God then had Moses perform a sign that he would show to the elders of Israel. Moses threw down his shepherd’s staff, and it was turned into a serpent. Moses was afraid but God had him pick it up by the tail and it returned into his staff. God also turned the hand of Moses white with leprosy, and then healed him. Moses then complained to God that he could not speak very well. God became angry with all the excuses and told him that his brother Aaron would speak for him. Moses then returned to his father-in-law Jethro and told him he needed to return to Egypt and his people. Jethro understood and gave Moses his blessing. Then Moses took his wife and child and returned across the desert to the Land of Egypt. On the way the Lord was going to kill Moses because he had not circumcised his son Gershom as required. His wife performed the circumcision for Moses and was angry with him. Moses then left them and met his brother Aaron in the wilderness and told him what the Lord had said. Moses and Aaron gathered the elders of the children of Israel and spoke to them on all the Lord had said, and performed the signs for them. The elders believed them and worshipped. Moses and Aaron, in Chapter 5, went to Pharaoh and told him the Lord said to “let my people go to hold a feast for Me in the wilderness”. Pharaoh refused and told his men overseeing the Hebrews to have them make their bricks without providing them with straw. This made their labors much more difficult because they had to gather their own straw. Pharaoh did not decrease the quota of bricks he required them to make in a day. The Hebrew people were used by the Egyptians to build the elaborate cities in Upper Egypt remaining even today. Israel was angry with Moses for the extra work he had caused Pharaoh to require from them. Moses went back to the Lord to find out what to do. The Lord answered Moses and told him. Moses and Aaron returned to Pharaoh and repeated God’s request to let His people go, and performed the sign of making Aarons staff become a serpent in front of him. This did not sway Pharaoh. He called for his Egyptian magicians and they performed the same sign. He refused to let Israel out of bondage. Moses and Aaron continued to go before Pharaoh and repeat God’s request. Each time he refused, God would send a plague to afflict the Egyptian people. The ten plagues God sent on Egypt to make Pharaoh free His children were: 1. Moses turned the Nile to blood. 2. A plague of frogs from the Nile. 3. A plague of gnats and lice on men and beasts. 4. A plague of flies. 5. A plague of disease on the livestock of the Egyptians. 6. A plague of boils on man and beast. 7. Destructive hail throughout Egypt. 8. A plague of locusts. 9. Three days of darkness. 10. The death of the firstborn men and beasts of Egypt. Before God brought about the tenth plague to afflict Egypt He told Moses to tell the Children Israel how to protect their firstborn from what was about to come. In Chapter 12, Moses told the people to slay a male lamb without blemish of one year old from their flocks. There should be a lamb for each family. They were each to take a bunch of hyssop and paint using the blood of the slain lamb the doorposts and lintels of the entryways to their houses. They were to roast the meat of the slain lamb over fire and consume it entirely along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs quickly before morning. This is the Lords Passover. At nightfall when the Lord sends the destroyer to Egypt and sees the blood on the entryways he will pass over that home and not kill the firstborn inside. The Lord tells Israel to keep this Passover as a feast to the Lord the same day each year to remember how he delivered them from their bondage in Egypt forever. That night the destroyer came and killed the firstborn of Egypt, even Pharaoh’s own son. The angel saw the blood on the doors of the Children of Israel and passed them by without harming the people inside. After this final plague, Pharaoh in his grief agreed to let Israel go. The Lord gave favor to the Children of Israel in the eyes of the Egyptians causing them to give the Israelites all the gold and silver they asked them for. In this way they plundered the wealth of Egypt before they left. Moses gathered the people together and the Lord led them into the wilderness toward Sinai, as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They stopped and camped by the Red Sea. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he changed his mind about letting Israel go and pursued them with his army to their camp by the Red Sea. The children of Israel saw the Egyptians closing in on them and were afraid and complained to Moses. God went behind the camp between them and Pharaoh thus protecting the Israelites from Pharaoh and his army throughout the night. He told Moses to lift his hands and stretch out his staff over the waters of the Red Sea. Then God caused a strong wind to blow from the east that dried up the sea. The waters became divided like the sides of a canyon. Israel passed through the Red Sea to the other side on dry land. Pharaoh and his army followed them between the walls of water. When Israel was through to the other side the Lord told Moses to again raise his staff over the sea and the waters would return to normal. Moses did this and Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the collapsing walls of water. The Lord wiped out Pharaoh and the Egyptian army saving Israel from the Egyptians. Then they believed in God and Moses. In Chapter 15 the people sang a song to the Lord. Moses and Aaron’s sister Miriam led the women of the camp in worship to the Lord. This happiness was short-lived, for after having marched for three days without finding water the people became very thirsty. The water they finally found was too bitter to drink, and they complained against their leader Moses. After Moses cried out to God he was shown a tree that when thrown into the water would make it sweet. Moses did this and the waters became sweet. God then told Israel that if they would listen to Him and keep His commandments He would heal them of all the diseases of the Egyptians. A month and a half had passed since leaving Egypt and the people had run out of food to eat, and again they complained about Moses that he had led them out of Egypt to starve in the wilderness. The Lord heard his people and told Moses He would rain bread down from heaven for them to eat even though they did not listen to Him. Bread from heaven would be provided in the morning for six days with a double portion on the sixth day for the Sabbath. Moses spoke to the people of this and reminded them that they were complaining not about him and Aaron, but about God who delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. God provided quail for them to eat that evening, and the bread began the next morning. The dew of the morning had condensed into a substance the people did not recognize. They said to each other “what is it” and called it manna. Moses told them it was the bread God provided for them to eat. It was like white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made from honey. The Lord told Moses to keep some of the manna in a pot as a reminder to Israel of what He has provided to them forever. The children of Israel had run out of water again, and in Chapter 17 they hadn’t learned and complained about Moses again. Moses was afraid of the people and asked the Lord what to do. He told him to strike a rock with the same staff that parted the Red Sea and that water would come from the rock for the people to drink. While they camped there in Rephidim the Amalekites came to make war with Israel. Moses had Joshua form an army to defend them. He went with Aaron and Hur to the mountain to watch the battle. They noticed that when Moses lifted his hands his people would prevail in the battle, and when he lowered them the Amalekites would have the upper hand. Moses grew tired of holding his arms up, and Aaron found a stone for him to sit on. Both he and Hur helped Moses to keep his hands up until the battle was won. After the battle God told Moses to write the account into a book and tell it to Joshua that he would blot the Amalekites from the earth. Moses made an altar to the Lord and called it Jehovah-nissi, the Lord is my Banner. Now in Chapter 18 Moses’ father-in-law Jethro came to him with his wife and children. Jethro noticed that Moses was having trouble finding time to judge the many disputes between his people. Jethro advised him to seek out able God fearing men and teach them the ways of God, then appoint them to be judges over the people to help him. Moses listened to his advice and Jethro left and returned to his home. The people continued their journey until they came to the wilderness of Sinai. Moses went up to God on His Mountain and spoke to Him there. God told Moses to go down to the people and ask them if they were willing to listen to the Lord and follow His law. If they would do this He would make of them a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. He went down the mountain and told Israel what was said. They all agreed to God’s request and Moses returned to the mountain with their answer. Three days later the children of Israel came to meet God at the mountain. God told Moses to tell them to keep away because none of them could look upon the Lord and live. Moses set boundaries around the mountain and went back up. The people could hear the thunder, see the smoke and lightning, and feel the presence of God on the mountain. At Moses’ return up the mountain, in Chapter 20, God first revealed to him the Ten Commandments on which the rest of The Law is based. These ten commands are: 1. Do not have any other gods before the Lord your God. 2. Do not make any idols. 3. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. 4. Keep the Sabbath. 5. Honor your father and mother. 6. Do not commit murder. 7. Do not commit adultery. 8. Do not steal. 9. Do not bear false witness 10. Do not covet. Again Israel could saw the smoke and lightning, and heard and felt the thunder of God on the mountain, and were afraid. They moved back from the mountain and begged that only Moses would speak to them. They thought that if they heard the voice of the Lord they would all die. Moses then went further up the mountain into the presence of God. God then began to recite to Moses the detailed laws and ordinances by which His children were to live. These laws were given in this order: Chapter 21 verses 1-11 Laws concerning slavery. Chapter 21 verses 12-36 Laws concerning personal injury. Chapter 22 verses 1-4 Laws concerning theft. Chapter 22 verses 5-6 Laws concerning property damage. Chapter 22 verses 7-14 Laws concerning dishonesty. Chapter 22 verses 16-17 Laws concerning immorality. Chapter 22 verses 18-31 Laws concerning civil and religious obligations. This ends our study for this week. The laws concerning obligations will be continued next week in Chapter 23. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 7: 06-EXODUS 23-40 ======================================================================== Exodus 23-40 Jan. 31, 2009 This week begins with Chapter 23. This is a continuation of the last group of laws from last week, laws concerning civil and religious obligations. The Bible now turns to laws concerning the observation of the Sabbath. One point brought out in the text is that the Lord has also instituted a Sabbath year in the planting of crops by the farmers of Israel. Crops were to be planted for six years, and then the fields were to be kept fallow for the seventh year to rest the land. The Lord would cause the fields to yield enough food for the Sabbath year during the sixth year of harvest. The next area the Lord speaks to Moses about is that the men of Israel must appear before the Lord, with their offerings, during the three main feasts to the Lord. These three feasts are: 1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (includes the Passover) 2. The Feast of Harvest (Pentecost) 3. The Feast of Ingathering (Booths or Tabernacles) The last of the laws the Lord gives to Moses at this time were the laws concerning conquest. This is the first time God reveals His plan for His people to possess the land of Canaan. God said that He would go before His people and confuse their enemies and would utterly destroy them. God knew that if any of the inhabitants of the land were left alive to co-exist with His people Israel that they would corrupt them and turn them away from Him. Moses came down from the mountain and told the people all that the Lord had told him. The people of Israel agreed in one voice to do all that the Lord had commanded them to do. They went to the Lord to offer sacrifice and to ratify the covenant before the Lord. Moses then opened the Book of the Law and read it to the people. The Lord then revealed His Glory to the people and had Moses come back up the mountain to receive the stone tablets of the Law from God. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. In Chapter 25 while on the mountain the Lord gave Moses the plans for a dwelling place for Him on Earth. The plans were for a movable tent called the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle would travel with Israel as they went on their journey through the wilderness. The materials and furniture that made up the Tabernacle were very specific and held a deeper meaning than just what was obvious. The Lord told Moses to take up a freewill offering from the people to purchase the materials for the Tabernacle. God only wanted what was given freely from the heart of his people to finance His home on Earth. We will now look at the furniture of the Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant was to be made of acacia wood, and covered in pure gold. The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat, and was where the Lord would rest when in the Tabernacle. The mercy seat was also to be covered in pure gold with the statues of two cherubim facing each other on top. The choice of the cherubim was significant in that they were the order of angels charged with guarding the holiness of God and to serve Him at His Throne. The Ark of the Covenant was to be placed into the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle, and it was to contain the tablets of the Law and the pot of manna that Moses saved. These things and Aaron’s rod that budded, added later, were placed there for Israel to remember. The next piece of furniture in the Tabernacle was the Table for the Bread of Presence, or Showbread. This table also made from acacia wood, and covered in gold was to hold twelve loaves of unleavened bread placed before the Lord representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The table also had rings built into the sides so that poles could be inserted and the table could then be carried by men. The Table of the Bread of Presence was to be located inside the Tabernacle but outside of the Holy of Holies. Next was the seven branched lampstand. This lampstand was to be made out of one piece of beaten gold. It is believed to have weighed about 90 lbs. This is approximately the weight of a talent in today’s measurements. On January 29, 2009 when this weeks study was written, the price of gold was $905 a troy oz. The cost of the gold alone for the lampstand today would be $1,187,812.50. Not only was the lampstand to be made of pure gold, but also all the utensils that go along with the workings of the lamp. The lamp was to burn only purified olive oil made in the proper way. Curtains were to be made to cover the Tabernacle. Each curtain was to be made from a different material depending on its location in the structure. The Tabernacle was said to not have looked like much from the outside, but was beautiful within. We know today that the Tabernacle is a “type” or representation of Jesus Christ, and like Isaiah 53:2b says “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” This is similar to the appearance of the Tabernacle, plain on the outside, but inside pure gold. The boards that made up the sides of the tabernacle were also special. They were made of wood and also overlaid with pure gold. The boards were made with sockets and tenons so that they could be taken apart and put back together. They also could be carried by men when the congregation traveled through the wilderness. The Tabernacle also had a veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the inside of the tent. The veil protected the priests from looking upon God and being killed. Only the High Priest could enter within the veil and offer the blood of the sacrifice of atonement to the Lord on the Day of Atonement once each year. This is the veil that was referred to in Matthew 27:51 which says “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” This happened the moment Jesus died on the cross, giving all who believe in Him the right to say “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16. It was reported by the Historian Josephus that the veil that was torn in Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s death was four inches in thickness and could not be pulled apart by horses tied to each side of it. The veil was torn from the top to the bottom to show that man did not tear the veil, but God did to give us all access to Him through the sacrifice of His Son. There also were the plans for the bronze altar that was outside the tent in the court that was used to burn the burnt offering to the Lord. The altar was in the courtyard of the Tabernacle so that it was accessible to all the people to make sacrifices to the Lord. The sacrifices were made, the blood of the sacrifice was collected by the priests and poured out at the base of the altar, and the parts of the animal were washed and burnt on the altar for a sweet smell to the Lord. Everything used at the altar was holy and had to be made to the Lords specifications. Even the ashes from the sacrifice needed to be disposed of properly. The Lord also gave Moses instructions on how to set up the Courtyard of the Tabernacle. Moses was told how to produce the pure olive oil used in the Tabernacle by beating the olives instead of crushing or pressing them. God had plans for the production of garments that the High Priest and his helpers were to wear when performing their duties in the Tabernacle. The clothing was very ornate and of the highest quality, reflecting the majesty of God, and what was fitting to wear in His presence. The High Priest was to have made for him a Breast piece of Judgment, having on it twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel, also in the pocket of the Breast piece were to be kept the Urim and Thummim to be used to determine God’s will. Also the hem of the High Priests robe was circled with bells that the people would hear when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to offer the blood of the sacrifice. If the bells were not heard the sacrifice was not accepted and the High Priest was dead. No one else was able to enter in to find out if he was dead. In Chapter 29 God gave Moses instruction on how to consecrate the priesthood. Certain rituals and offerings needed to be done before the Lord would enter and dwell with His people. He said that He would dwell with His people and would consecrate the Tabernacle with His Glory. God also described his plans for the Altar of Incense used to burn fragrant incense to the Lord while Aaron would trim the wicks of the lampstand. The Altar was also used to burn a continuous supply of incense before the Lord. The Altar of Incense was also covered in gold and located inside the Tabernacle near the Lampstand and the Table of the Bread of Presence. There were also instructions given to Moses on how to make a large bronze laver to be placed in the court of the Tabernacle to be used to cleanse the priests before service. The laver was a basin filled with clean water and also was used to wash the inner parts of the cut up sacrifices before burning them on the altar. God then told Moses how to produce the anointing oil for use in the Tabernacle from the pure olive oil and a mixture of perfumes and spices. The instructions for producing incense were also given at this time. In Chapter 31 God told Moses who the builders of the Tabernacle would be. He said that He would fill the craftsmen He selected with His Spirit to complete the work. God again stressed the importance of observing the Sabbath. God told Moses that the Sabbath is a sign between Him and His people and that anyone who does not observe the Sabbath will surely be put to death. The Lord had then finished speaking with Moses and gave him the two stone tablets, inscribed with the Law, written by the finger of God. Moses had been on the mountain a long time and in Chapter 32 the people did not think that he was going to return. They complained to Aaron and asked him to make for them a god to go before them as Moses had promised. Aaron gathered up the earrings of the people and fashioned an idol of a young bull, or calf for them to worship from the gold. The gold the people possessed was most likely from the wealth the people plundered from the Egyptians when they left. The idol of gold reminded the people of their old home in Egypt because the bull was one of the Egyptian’s major gods. Aaron finished the idol and called the people to hold a celebration the next day. The Lord saw what the people had done and told Moses to go down to the people at once because they had corrupted themselves. God asked Moses to leave Him alone, so His anger could burn against the people He delivered from Egypt. He planned to destroy them all and make of Moses alone a great nation. Moses interceded for his people and went down to them. When he saw what they were doing, and their unbelief of the God of their fathers, he threw down the tablets of stone and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. Moses confronted his brother Aaron for what he had done, and Aaron reminded him that his people had a strong habit of unbelief. He lied to his brother and said that he just placed the earrings into the fire and the golden calf fell out of the fire on its own. Moses took the idol and burned it with fire then ground it into powder and added it to water and made all the people drink it to remove all traces of the idol from their sight. Many of the people who still refused to follow the Lord died as a result of their sin. After the people were purged of this act of unbelief, Moses prayed to the Lord and asked if he could see His Glory. The Lord could not allow even Moses to see His face, but instead hid him in a cleft in a rock with His hand until He had passed by. Then He would only allow Moses to see His back. The people had repented and God had Moses cut two new stone tablets to replace the ones he shattered, and bring them up the mountain for God to replace the writing. Moses was again on the mountain with no food or drink for forty days and forty nights. By the time Moses was ready to leave the mountain His face shown with the brightness of the reflection of God for speaking with Him all that time. The people were afraid to talk with Moses when he returned from the mountain because of the brightness of his face. Moses from then on had to wear a veil and cover his face when speaking to the people. He could only remove the veil when he spoke to the Lord. Chapters 35 through Chapter 39 describe the actual building of the Tabernacle described earlier in this study using the materials and methods the Lord gave to Moses on the mountain. At the end of Chapter 39 Moses inspected the work and pronounced it was made properly to the specifications the Lord provided on Mt. Sinai. To add to an earlier note, all the metals used in the Tabernacle in today’s dollars are: Gold 2,800 lbs. = $ 36,953,865.00 Silver 9,600 lbs. = $ 1,896,960.00 Bronze 6,700 lbs. = $ 40,200.00 These figures are only for the metals used. The Tabernacle and priestly garments also used fine woven cloth, rare woods, and precious stones. The stones were at least large enough to have the names of the tribes of Israel engraved on them. The breast piece for the High Priest included rubies, emeralds, and diamonds, all set in gold. Of course if any part of the Tabernacle was still remaining today, it would be considered priceless for its historical value alone. Chapter 40 ends the Book of Exodus with the erection of the Tabernacle, its court and furnishings set up, and the Shekinah Glory of the Lord filling the Holy of Holies from above the mercy seat. The Lord now had a place to dwell with His people. Next week we will begin the Book of Leviticus which goes into much more detail on God’s Law. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 8: 07-LEVITICUS 1-18 ======================================================================== Leviticus 1-18 Feb. 7, 2009 In this weeks study we will begin the book of Leviticus. The name Leviticus comes from the Latin Vulgate, a version of the Greek Old Testament. The name means “Matters of the Levites”. The Hebrew name for the book comes from the first three words of the Hebrew text “And He Called”. The setting for the book is right after the Lord’s Glory filled the newly erected Tabernacle in the final chapter of the book of Exodus. As soon as God entered the Tent of Meeting He called for Moses to come to Him. The following chapters of Leviticus are an account of God’s instructions to Moses on how His people were to approach and worship Him. In Chapters 1-9 God told Moses about offerings and sacrifice. Also he was given instructions on how to consecrate and ordain the Tabernacle, the Priesthood and its service to Him. Today we now realize that the sacrifices and offerings were a representation of God’s plan of redemption for the human race He created through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. God requires the shedding of blood for the redemption of sin. As Hebrews 9:22 says “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Now let’s take a little time to think about why our faith is filled with so much blood and sacrifice. Unbelievers throughout history have accused Christianity and Judaism as being bloody and violent. The truth about the blood is that as the Bible tells us in Leviticus 17:11a “For the life of the flesh is in the blood”, and also in Leviticus 17:14a “For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life.” The Lord God is serious about sin, and has told us in Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death”. The death of an animal and the shedding of its blood temporarily paid God’s price for mankind’s sin. Man’s final debt was paid in full by the death of Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood on Calvary. The end result of all this blood is told to us in the second half of Romans 6:23 “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Of all the worlds’ bloody religions, Christianity is the only one that in the end is bloodless. The end result is eternal life with the Lord. Chapter 1 begins a description of the offerings used to address different sins and trespasses, and also to express thanksgiving to God. The word “offering” was derived from the root meaning “to draw near”. Offerings were required for Gods people to live close to Him. The first offering in the text is the Burnt Offering. This is a voluntary offering that could be given by anyone who had a desire to repent from their sin. The offering had to be a male from the herds or flocks without any defect. No wild beast was acceptable. The type of animal required depended on the wealth of the person giving the offering. The poorest of people could offer as little as pigeons or turtledoves and be accepted. Before the offering was slain the person giving the offering had to place their hands on the head of the animal to identify themselves with the beast. The animal was paying the price that they deserved. The text explains all the individual steps required for this offering. The Grain Offering is explained in Chapter 2. The Grain Offering was an offering that represented dedication to the Lord. It consisted of three different types. The first type is an offering of raw grain ground to fine flour, mixed with oil and frankincense, which was to be burnt up completely on the Altar for the Burnt Offering. The smoke that rose from each of the offerings was a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The second grain offering was that of the flour mixed with oil and baked into unleavened flat bread on the altar. The remains of this offering that were not burnt were to be eaten by the Levites. The third grain offering was an offering of flour mixed with oil and incense, and baked at home in a pan by the person giving the offering. This cake was then broken up by the Levites and offered on the altar. Chapter 3 covers the Peace Offering. The Peace Offering is a voluntary offering of thanksgiving to the Lord. It was to consist of a male or female animal from the flock or herd. The animal was brought to the priests and was slain. The blood of the sacrifice was collected and sprinkled around the altar. The priest then removed the fat and kidneys from the animal and burned them on the fire of the altar to the Lord as His portion. The meat of the offering was then shared with the people as food for a celebration of thanksgiving. This is the only offering that the person offering could partake of. Birds were not permitted for this offering because they were not large enough to share. The Sin Offering is covered in Chapter 4. The Sin Offering was the first one offered and was mandatory for the people. This offering directly foreshadowed the final substitutionary offering of Jesus for us. This was the offering the people used to atone for their sin. The Sin Offering was very specific on the type of animal required by each person or group represented by the offering, and the steps to be taken to offer the sacrifice. Bulls were required for the High priests sins and also for the sins of the whole congregation. Lesser animals were required for other people giving the offering. The blood from the animal was taken along with the fat and kidneys as the portion for the Lord. The blood was sprinkled before the veil in the Tent of Meeting, placed on the horns of the altars, and poured out at the base of the Altar of the Burnt Offering. The fat and kidneys were to be burnt by the priest on the Altar of the Burnt Offering. The remainder of the offering was to be taken from the camp and burned completely with wood in the place where the ashes from the altar were placed. Examples of sins requiring a Sin Offering are listed in Chapter 5. The examples are, withholding evidence when testifying, touching any unclean thing, and the inability to fulfill an exaggerated vow. All sin required an offering, these are just special cases. Also in Chapter 5 the Trespass or Guilt Offering is given. This offering was a ram without defect, and God required it for certain sins outlined in the text. Additional instructions are given in Chapters 6 and 7 concerning the offerings. The text explains how the priests had to wear different clothing to remove ashes from the altar, and then change them to take the ashes outside the camp to dispose of them. Also the fire in the Altar of the Burnt Offering had to be kept burning continuously, it could not go out. Additional instructions were given about the Grain Offering. God said again the offering could not be made with any leaven, and that the Priests were to eat it. The bread had to be eaten in a holy place because the bread had been made holy through the offering. The priests could not eat any of their own grain offerings. The additional instruction on the burnt offering was that the hide of the burnt offering belonged to the priest that performed the sacrifice. The leftover flesh from the peace offering had to be eaten the day of the offering or on the next day. Any leftovers on the third day had to be burned up with fire. God also told Moses that the people could not eat an animal that died on its own or was killed by another animal. They also were not to eat any blood. The penalty for disobeying any of these commands was to be cut off from the people. Aaron, the High Priest, and his sons were consecrated in Chapter 8. Moses gathered together the anointing oil, an unblemished bull, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread, and brought Aaron and his sons to the Tabernacle. He had the entire congregation gather at the doorway to the courtyard of the tent. Moses then washed Aaron and his sons with water. He took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and all that was in it. He sprinkled the Altar of Burnt Offering seven times and anointed the Laver and all its utensils. Next he poured some of the anointing oil onto Aaron’s head, consecrating him. This act, and the nature of the anointing oil, is shown through Psalm 133, one of the Songs of Ascent written by King David, and sung by the pilgrims on their journey to the Lords three feasts in Jerusalem later in history. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron’s beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing--life forever.” Moses then clothed Aaron in the garments that were made for him, slaughtered the bull, and presented the offering. He then presented the ram for the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the heads of both animals before they were slain by Moses. The second ram was called the ram of ordination. The blood from it was collected and placed on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of Aaron and his sons. This was to signify that the priests were to listen to God’s Word, perform His assignments, and live holy lives. The remainder of the blood was sprinkled around the altar. The fat and the kidneys of the ram along with one loaf of the unleavened bread was waved by Aaron for a wave offering to the Lord then burned on the altar. The flesh of the ram was then boiled at the doorway of the tent and eaten with the basket of unleavened bread by Aaron and his sons. These offerings were repeated for seven days. On the eighth day, in Chapter 9, Aaron and his sons performed the sacrifices instead of Moses. Aaron and Moses entered the Tent of Meeting and when they came out they blessed the people. The Glory of the Lord then appeared to the people as a fire came out and consumed the sacrifice on the Altar of Burnt Offering. The Tabernacle, the priests, and their service were now consecrated and ordained. Chapter 10 tells the story of what will happen to anyone who disobeys the rules of service and the priesthood. Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron’s sons offered “strange fire”, or fire that did not come from the Altar of Burnt Offering and burned incense to the Lord at an inappropriate time. A fire came out from the presence of the Lord, and consumed the brothers. The Lord told Moses to talk to Aaron. God did not tell Moses to console his brother on the loss of his sons, but told him to tell Aaron that the Lord is holy and that He will be honored by anyone who comes near to Him. Some of Aaron’s more distant relatives were told to remove the remains of Aaron’s sons from the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were forbidden to tear their clothes and morn their loss. The Lord then Himself spoke to Aaron and told him that the priests were to teach the Children of Israel God’s laws and statutes. He was also told that they were to refrain from wine and strong drink while serving or else they would die. The Lord’s laws were not to be taken lightly. This now ends the chapters on worship and priestly service. Chapter 11 begins God’s instructions and definitions of purity. The instructions begin with a chapter on what animals were acceptable for the people to eat. Wild animals including carnivores were not acceptable to eat, where bulls, goats, and sheep that were the kind of animals tended by people were acceptable, Swine or pigs, although kept by people, were considered by God to be detestable. The pig was the animal most favored for food and sacrifice by the idol worshipping people of the Land of Canaan where the Children of Israel were to settle. Animals that lived in water were restricted to fish that had both fins and scales. This eliminated some of the creatures we eat such as catfish, shrimp and clams. The animals God allowed the people to eat were also foods that were generally safer to eat than the unacceptable creatures. The entire list on the foods in the text is extensive and specific on what God requires from the people. The chapter also deals with what to do with cooking utensils that have come into contact with unclean things. Childbirth is covered in Chapter 12. Although the birth of a child was a joyful occasion, it was also a reminder that sin had been transferred to a new life. The woman who gave birth would become unclean by the birth, and a different period of purification was prescribed for her depending on the gender of her child. All male children had to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. After the woman’s period of purification was complete she had to bring a burnt and sin offering to the priest to make her become clean again and able to participate in the congregation. Chapter 13 is a long description on the identification of leprosy. The leprosy spoke of here is not the disease we know as leprosy today. This leprosy seems to resemble a scaly skin condition, or some form or type of infection. When leprosy was determined to be present in someone by the priest, the person was isolated from the congregation until the leprosy passed. The tests for telling if the leprosy is present or has passed are in the text. The confirmed leper was a pitiful sight. He had to tear his clothes, cover his face and cry out “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” as he walked. The chapter also says that leprosy could be found on clothing. The cleansing for leprosy is covered in Chapter 14. The entire process and the required sacrifices and offerings are outlined in the text. God told Moses that He would place a mark of leprosy on some of the houses of the Land of Canaan when His people went in to possess the land. The process for cleansing these houses is found at the end of the chapter. Chapter 15 covers a variety of discharges from a person’s body and the ways to become clean after the discharge had passed. In Chapter 16, after the death of Aaron’s two sons, God instructed Moses to tell Aaron that he could not enter the Holy of Holies inside the Tent of Meeting or he would die. The only time he could enter into the presence of God was once a year on the Day of Atonement. Aaron on that day had to purify himself with water and perform the required sacrifices. He would then enter within the veil with a basin of blood collected from the sacrifices. At this time he would atone for his sins and the sins of the Children of Israel. If the Lord accepted the offering, Aaron would be allowed to leave and live. One other point about the Day of Atonement was that the priests drew lots to decide between the two rams brought in for the sacrifice. The ram the lot fell on would be called the scapegoat and would be sacrificed alive and not killed. Aaron would then lay both of his hands on the head of the scapegoat and confess all the sins of Israel. The goat would be let go into the wilderness carrying with it the sins of the congregation. The Day of Atonement was to take place only once each year. The rules for sacrifice are given in Chapter 17. The Lord said that all animals slaughtered by the Children of Israel needed to be brought to, and offered to the Lord. The people were not to sacrifice as the other inhabitants of the land did. God also said that the blood is life, and life belongs to the Lord. We will finish up this week with Chapter 18. This chapter deals with the rules on sexual relations. The Lord goes through all the unacceptable forms of sexual relationships in the text. The only form that is acceptable to Him is between a man and his wife. God set this in place first after creating Eve in Genesis 2:24 when He instituted the covenant of marriage. God tells Moses to tell the people not to do what was done in Egypt, and also not to do what is done in the Land of Canaan where they are headed. The people must not become defiled and keep the commandments and judgments of God. Next week we will look at what God has instructed on more laws, and on the feasts of Israel. We will finish up the Book of Leviticus and begin the Book of Numbers with Israel preparing to travel from Mt. Sinai. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 9: 08-LEVITICUS 19 – NUMBERS 6 ======================================================================== Leviticus 19 – Numbers 6 Feb 14, 2009 This week we will pick up our study in Chapter 19 of the Book of Leviticus. God continued to speak to Moses about his laws. The Lord spoke to Moses about His requirements on the manner in which His people needed to go about their daily lives. He reminded Moses to tell the people in Leviticus 19:2 “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” God does not want His people to turn to idols, or make them for themselves. God also told Moses that the people were not to completely harvest their entire crop from their fields and vineyards after they went in and possessed the Promised Land. The people were to leave some of the crop for the poor to glean from the fields. The people were to be benevolent. God also wanted the Children of Israel to honor Him with their appearance. He did not want His people to trim their sideburns or beards. The Lord would also not allow them the follow the heathen practices of the people living in the Promised Land such as cutting themselves for the dead or marking their bodies with tattoos. Moses was told to tell the people that they must respect the elderly that lived among them. In Chapter 20, God set the penalty for the practice of worship to Molech as death. This worship consisted of the sacrifice of their children to this pagan idol. Anyone performing this act was to be stoned by the congregation. The practices of the occult were also punishable by death by stoning. These practices included anyone who acted as a medium or any other form or practice of spiritualism. The practitioners were killed by stoning, and those who consulted them were to be cut off from the people. God again reminded Moses that the people were holy because He is holy. He also said that He had set apart the people for Himself. These same words are spoken of us in 1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” The priests were also to be given standards to live by. God told Moses to tell Aaron and the priests that they were not to become defiled by any dead thing or person, and that they could not participate in any burials. No one was able to enter priestly service if they possessed any defect. In Chapter 22 the priests were told to be very careful with anything that was offered to the Lord. The remains of the selected offerings had to be eaten by them and not by the common ordinary people of the congregation. The last half of the Chapter deals with what could be offered. In Chapter 23 God stopped telling Moses of His laws and began to speak to him about the festivals the Lord’s people were to attend during the year. First the Lord reminded Moses that the people were to keep His Sabbath day, as a day of rest. The reason God told Moses about the feasts at this time was to indicate which days of the feasts were to be regarded as Sabbath days. These days were to be a holy convocation to the Lord. The word convocation means a meeting for holy purposes. The feasts the Lord spoke to Moses about and the time of the year when they occurred in our calendar are: 1. Passover – March/April 2. Unleavened Bread – March/April 3. First Fruits – The Sabbath after Passover 4. Pentecost – May/June 50 days after Passover 5. Trumpets – September/October 6. The Day of Atonement – September/October 7. Tabernacles – September/October 5 days after the Day of Atonement In Chapter 24, God spoke to Moses about His requirement that Aaron was to be supplied with clear beaten olive oil so that he would be able to keep the lamp in the Tent of Meeting burning continuously. The twelve loaves of bread for the Table for the Bread of Presence needed to be replaced every Sabbath. The old loaves had to be eaten by Aaron and the priests in a holy place each week. The Book of Leviticus then goes on to tell a story illustrating what would happen to anyone who blasphemes the Name of the Lord. A man, who was the son of an Egyptian man and an Israelite woman from the tribe of Dan, cursed and blasphemed the Lord. The man in question was placed into custody to await the Lord’s word on his actions. The Lord told Moses to have the entire congregation place their hands on the head of the accused, then take him and stone him to death. The penalty for blaspheming the Lord is death. The standards God applied to the Children of Israel also applied to the other people who chose to live with them. Personal injury inflicted on a person would be dealt with as the Lord says in Leviticus 24:19-20 “If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.” In Chapter 25 the Lord speaks to Moses on the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee. For six years the Children of Israel were to sow and reap their fields and vineyards. During the seventh year the fields and vineyards were not to be disturbed. This was a year of rest for the land. The Lord also said that after seven Sabbaths of years, or forty nine years, the fiftieth year was to be a year of jubilee. The year of jubilee was a time to even out the wealth and property ownership of the people. Any property that was sold was to be returned to the original owner or their heirs at this time. If anyone became so poor that they had to sell themselves into service, this was the time they would be set free. This practice assured the equality of God’s people under Him. No one family could gain too much power or wealth. Chapter 27 deals with God’s instructions on vows and tithing. This ends the Book of Leviticus and the instructions God gave to Moses for His people while they were camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. We will now begin the Book of Numbers. The Hebrew name for the book is from the first verse “in the wilderness of.” It was called this because the Book of Numbers chronicles the forty years of wandering by the Children of Israel through the wilderness. The English name comes from the Greek Septuagint Bible. That name is “Arithmoi”, or Numbers. Numbers was named because of the amount of times the people were counted in the Book. The Book of Numbers begins with the Lord’s issue of a command to Moses to take a census of the people in the camp according to their family heritage. This census was to be taken of all the men twenty years old and up that could go to war. The Lord had a military reason for numbering the people. The exact number of men in all the Tribes of Israel, except for the Tribe of Levi is listed in the text. The total number of men who could be soldiers in the camp was 603,550 men. The men of The Tribe of Levi were not counted with the others. The Levites were to have assigned to them the care of the Tabernacle. The next thing, in Chapters 2-3, the Lord told Moses was the order for marching for the tribes and their position in relation to the Tabernacle when they had stopped marching and were camped. This order is outlined in the text. The Lord then told Moses to number the Levites by their families and to tell them what their duties in regards to the Tabernacle were. The descendants of Gershon were to be in charge of the Tabernacle, the tent, and its curtains and coverings. They were to camp on the west side of the erected Tabernacle. The descendants of Kohath were to be in charge of the furniture of the Tabernacle, the Ark, the Lampstand, the Table of the Bread of Presence, and the two Altars. They were to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle. The descendants of Merari were in charge of the boards for the Tabernacle along with its pillars and sockets. They were to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were to camp on the east side of the Tabernacle and perform the duties of the sanctuary. In Chapter 4 the Lord goes into detail on how the Levites were to perform their assigned tasks that Moses was told of in Chapter 3. Each family group had a certain way outlined in the text to perform their duties. We will finish up this week’s study in Chapter 6 where the Lord describes to Moses the Nazirite vow. The Nazirite vow was a vow of dedication to the Lord that could be made by either a man or a woman. The person taking the vow was to separate themselves from the people. They were to abstain from grapes, wine, vinegar, or anything else made from the grape, for the duration of the vow. While performing their vow they were not permitted to cut their hair or shave their heads. For the duration of their vow they could not go near any dead person, even if the deceased was their own family member. The Nazirite vow could be taken for life, or for an agreed upon duration. At the end of the vow the person leaving their time of separation had to shave their heads in the doorway to the Tabernacle, and bring the offerings specified in the text to the Lord. At the end of Chapter the Lord tells Moses to speak to Aaron and his sons to bless the congregation with these words from Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.” This passage is one that throughout history has been a favorite of the Jewish people. It speaks to them of a personal promise by the Lord to care for each one of them. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Numbers, and discover why the Children of Israel had to wander for so long through the wilderness. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 10: 09-NUMBERS 7-20 ======================================================================== Numbers 7-20 Feb. 21, 2009 This week we will begin in the Book of Numbers Chapter 7. In last week’s study we learned that the Lord had given Moses the order of marching for the congregation to travel. In Chapter 7 the people realized that they were about to leave Mt. Sinai and head for the Promised Land. The elders of the twelve tribes of Israel brought a freewill offering of oxen and carts to the Lord. This offering was to be used by the Levites to transport the disassembled Tabernacle. The Lord had Moses divide the offering up between the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari. The sons of Kohath did not receive any carts or oxen. The furniture of the Tabernacle was required to have been carried on their shoulders. During the next twelve days the elders from the tribes brought additional offerings to the Tabernacle. Each tribe had one of the days, and each of the offerings was similar. The offerings consisted of bowls of silver and gold, and also animals for sacrifice. The Lord was very pleased with the generous offerings of the people. After the offerings were given, Moses entered the Tent of Meeting and the Lord spoke to him. Moses was given the instructions to set apart the Levites for service to the Lord in the Tabernacle. Moses was told to sprinkle the Levites with water. They were then to shave all the hair from their bodies and wash their clothes. This process was required to cleanse them. The congregation was gathered to the doorway of the Tabernacle. The people placed their hands on the cleansed Levites, ceremonially transferring their sin to them. The Levites then continued the transfer of sin by placing their hands on the heads of the bullocks brought to them for the sin and burnt offerings. The offering was made. The Lord then accepted the Levites for service and took them in place of the firstborn of Israel, as he had required earlier. The firstborn of Israel were sanctified by the Lord when He spared them from death in Egypt during the first Passover. The Lord gave the Levites to Aaron as a gift to help in the service of the Tabernacle. A Levite would begin to serve the Lord in the Tabernacle from the age of twenty five. They were then to retire from service at age fifty. A man after fifty could assist the Levites ministering in the Tabernacle but could do no work. In Chapter 9 the Children of Israel celebrated the first anniversary of the Passover. A controversy came up over some men of Israel who were defiled by a dead person at the time of the Passover Feast. The men knew they were required to observe the Lord’s Passover, but were unclean at the time. Moses waited on the Lord to see what He would say concerning this matter. The Lord told Moses that an exception was to be made for men of the congregation that were away from the camp on a journey, or defiled by a dead body on that day. An alternate Passover was to be held one month later for those who missed the Passover feast for these exceptions. The Lord also said at this time that His laws applied not only to the Children of Israel, but also to the mixed multitude that lived with them. After this time the presence of the Lord covered the Tabernacle as a cloud in the daylight and as fire during the night. The people were told that when the Cloud of the Lord lifted from the Tabernacle the people were to travel. They were to follow the cloud wherever it led. When the Cloud of the Lord stopped, the people were to set up the Tabernacle and camp. The people were to observe the Lord’s command. It did not matter if the cloud stayed on the Tabernacle for a day, a month, or a year; they were not to travel without the Lord’s command. In Chapter 10 the Lord told Moses to make for himself two silver trumpets. The trumpets were to be used to summon the congregation to the Tabernacle, and also as an alarm for the people to prepare to travel. If one trumpet was blown the elders were summoned. If both trumpets were blown this meant the entire congregation’s presence was required. The trumpets were also blown by the sons of Aaron during the feasts to the Lord. The trumpets were the means Moses used to communicate with, and command the people. The people had been camped in the wilderness of Sinai, at the foot of the Mountain of God, for about fourteen months when the Cloud of the Lord lifted from the Tabernacle. The Children of Israel were finally going to begin their journey toward the Promised Land. They marched for three days and stopped in the wilderness of Paran. The people again began to murmur against Moses, and in Chapter 11, the Lord caused a fire to travel through the fringes of the camp to consume the complainers. Moses interceded again and prayed for the people, and the Lord’s fire was quenched. The mixed multitude of people that followed the Children of Israel incited them to complain to Moses of their desire for the abundant variety of food they ate in Egypt. They had lost sight of the fact the Lord had brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, and supplied them with all their needs, including food, since they had left. This displeased the Lord greatly. Moses was also discouraged at his inability to govern and please the people. He asked the Lord to kill him because he was not able to bear the burden he was given. The Lord heard Moses and had him gather up seventy elders from the tribes to assist in governing the people. God promised Moses that he would fill those chosen with the Holy Spirit to help them with their tasks. The Lord also promised that He would supply the congregation with so much meat they would become sick of it. Moses gathered together the elders and the Holy Spirit came on them. They began to prophesy as a sign of the Holy Spirits presence on them. This utterance of prophesy only happened this one time it was not repeated. Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, did not gather with Moses and the others at the Tabernacle. They were still with the people in the camp. When the Holy Spirit came on the elders at the Tabernacle and they prophesied, the same thing happened to Eldad and Medad where they were. A young man ran to the Tabernacle to tell Moses what the two men were doing. Joshua was jealous for Moses and his authority over the people and wanted him to stop the men. Moses did not agree, and rebuked Joshua in Numbers 11:23 “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” This request of Moses was fulfilled for the church at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” The elders act of speaking prophesy when the Spirit of God came upon them, was the same sign as the disciples exhibited at Pentecost when they spoke with other tongues. Today, the moment each of us accept Jesus as our savior, we also receive the Holy Spirit. I believe we do not speak with other tongues as they did, but the Spirit of God indwells us to guide us in all things. During Old Testament times the Holy Spirit did not indwell God’s people as He does today for His church, but only temporarily rested on those who the Father chose to do His will. That same day the Lord caused a wind to drive quail into the camp from the sea. The quail were only about three feet off the ground when they came near to the camp. They were easy prey for the people to capture. Even with such an abundance of meat some of the people became greedy with the food, and began to hoard the quails. This angered the Lord and He struck them with a plague to punish their greed. In Chapter 12 Miriam convinced Aaron to speak against their brother Moses. The excuse they used was that they were angry with him for marrying a Cushite woman. This was not the real reason. Miriam was jealous of Moses and his relationship with the Lord. She wanted the same prominence as Moses before the people. Aaron, as he did when he made the golden calf, was too meek to go against his sister or the people. The Bible tells us in Numbers 12:3 that Moses was the most humble man in all the Earth. He would not argue with his family, but would let the Lord decide on Miriam’s complaint. The Lord called Miriam, Aaron, and Moses to Him and told them that he spoke to the prophets through visions and dreams. He said that to Moses only would he speak mouth to mouth. When the Cloud of the Lord lifted from them, Miriam was left a leper. Aaron begged his brother to intercede for Miriam. The Lord heard Moses’ prayer and healed Miriam, but only after she was unclean for seven days. Her punishment for her jealousy was to be a public punishment. The whole congregation saw her banished to outside of the camp for her sin. The Children of Israel had reached the southern boundary of the Promised Land at Kadesh-Barnea, and camped there. The Lord instructed Moses to send out spies from the camp to explore the Promised Land. One man from each of the tribes was to be included in the group. No Levite was chosen to spy. The twelve were told to go and report back on the quality of the land and the people who lived there. The spies left and went about the Promised Land for forty days, then returned to the people. Ten of the men returned with a bad report. They told the people of the abundance found, that the land flowed with milk and honey, and of a valley that was found where a single cluster of grapes had to be carried on a pole between two men. Even with this they were afraid of the people who lived in the land. They said the people were strong, their cities were fortified, and that they saw the sons of Anak, the giants, including the Nephilim in the land. They told the people they became as grasshoppers in their sight. Caleb, the spy from the Tribe of Judah, did not agree with the other men and encouraged the people that they should go in and possess the land. The people would not listen and grumbled again to Moses and looked to replace him with a new leader who would return them to the safety of Egypt. Joshua and Caleb stood up to the people and pleaded with them to follow the Lord. God saw all that went on and told Moses to separate himself from the people so that He could destroy them, and start again with Moses alone. Moses again interceded for the people and the Lord decided to spare the people. God’s anger however was not appeased. He told the people that because of their disobedience that no adult living of this generation would set foot in the Promised Land. They were to wander through the wilderness for forty years until they all were dead. Only their children, along with Caleb and Joshua would go in and possess the land. The people heard this and changed their mind. They decided to go into the Promised Land without the Lord and possess it. They came upon the Amalekites and the Canaanites and were severely beaten and driven back from the land. In Chapter 15 the Lord goes back to relating to Moses instructions for the people on the laws they needed to follow when they went into the land. By the end of the Chapter Moses was told to have the people place tassels and fringes on the hems of their garments to remind them of the Lord’s commandments. Chapter 16 relates the story of the rebellion of Korah. Korah was a Levite and the grandson of Kohath. He was not satisfied with his position among the other Levites and got together with the grandsons of Reuben, his neighbors in the camp, and plotted against Moses. After a period of time they had convinced a total of 250 leaders of the people to side with them against Moses and Aaron. They accused Moses of possessing too much power. Moses told the rebels to return tomorrow bearing censers with fire and the Lord would address their complaint. Korah and the other rebels were not satisfied with their duties to the Lord and wanted to be part of the priesthood with Aaron and his sons. The grandsons of Reuben, Dathan and Abiram, did not want the priesthood. They believed that they deserved to be the civil authority over the people because they were descended from Jacob’s firstborn son. In their eyes their grandfather was denied his rightful place in the congregation. The next day when the men came before the Lord the earth opened up and swallowed them and their entire households. After this a fire came from the presence of the Lord and consumed the rest of the 250 conspirators. God had Eleazar gather up the censers of the men and beat them into plating for the altar as a reminder to the people of what would become of those who would rebel against the authority of the Lord. The next day the people had forgotten who had caused the death of so many people, and blamed Moses and Aaron for the loss. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to move away from the people so that He could consume them. Moses then interceded for the people again and had Aaron fill a censer with fire from the altar and make atonement for the people. Aaron had to hurry and do this, because the Lord had already started a plague that began to sweep through the people. Aaron stood between the living and the dead, made atonement, and the plague was stopped. Beside the 250 men and their households that died from the rebellion, an additional 14,700 were killed by the plague. In Chapter 17 the Lord had Moses get a rod from each of the tribes of Israel. The rod was a staff like a shepherd’s crook that was made from an almond tree. The name of each owner was written on his rod. Moses placed the rods inside the Tent of Meeting. The Lord told Moses that the man who was His choice to be High Priest would have his rod sprout by morning. The next morning Aaron’s rod had not only sprouted, it had produced buds and fully ripe almonds. Moses was told to save the rod as a reminder to the people not to sin and die. God speaks to Aaron, in Chapter 18, about the duties of the Levites. At this time He also told Aaron that the gifts and offerings brought to the Lord by the people belonged to the Levites. This meant that they were given the best of all the food in Israel to eat. Included were the firstfruits offerings of the people and their unblemished animal sacrifices. Aaron was told that the Levites were to have no inheritance or land of their own in the Promised Land, but they would receive the tithe of Israel as their inheritance. In Chapter 19 the Lord explains the red heifer sacrifice to Moses. The ashes of a sacrificed red heifer were used as a portable cleansing for people or objects defiled by the dead. The ashes would be stored and mixed with water to be sprinkled on a defiled object that could not be brought to the Tabernacle for cleansing. This was necessary to purify that which had become defiled. This week we will end our study in Chapter 20. Chapter 20 begins with the word “then”. This word represents the passing of forty years of wandering in circles through the wilderness by the Children of Israel. The people were now back at Kadesh, where they were forty years ago during the time of the spies. Miriam died and was buried there in Kadesh. The people had not learned much during the years of wandering. They began to complain to Moses about the lack of water in the camp. They still said they missed the old life in Egypt, even though most of the people remaining alive were not old enough to remember their life there. This was forty years later, after the adults of the generation that the Lord had brought out of Egypt had died in the wilderness. The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock that was near him and water would come out abundantly so the people could drink. Moses was angry with the people and disobeyed the Lord by striking the rock twice with his staff and rebuking the congregation. Moses and Aaron, by their actions tried to take the glory of this miracle from the Lord and make the people believe they alone had caused the water to flow from the rock. Because Moses did not treat the Lord as holy in front of the people, and for this disobedience in striking the rock, God would not allow him to lead the people into the Promised Land. The people wished to travel through the territory of Edom on their way to the Promised Land. Moses sent messengers to the King of Edom asking for safe passage through their land. Israel considered the Edomites brothers because they were the descendants of Esau, their father Jacobs’s brother. The Edomites were afraid that the Children of Israel would cause damage to their land when they passed, and remembered the Israelites had received the blessing of Isaac, and not them. They came out against Israel with their army and did not allow them to pass through their land. The Children of Israel marched a different way around the territory of Edom and stopped to camp at Mt. Hor. God had Moses have Aaron and Eleazar follow him up the mountain. The office of High Priest was then transferred from Aaron to his son Eleazar on Mt. Hor outside of Edom. When the transfer was complete, Aaron died. The mountain was bare so that what happened there was visible to the entire congregation. Moses and Eleazar then returned to the people. Israel mourned the passing of Aaron for the next thirty days. Next week we will finish up the Book of Numbers as the Children of Israel approach and prepare to enter into the land God promised to give His children long ago. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 11: 10-NUMBERS 21-36 ======================================================================== Numbers 21-36 Feb. 28, 2009 We will begin this week’s study in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 21. A King of the Canaanites in the city of Arad, whose territory was in the Negev, received word that Edom had refused passage of the Children of Israel through their land. He was worried that Israel would try and reach their destination through his territory. The king sent an army to meet the Israelites. The army prevailed and took some of the Israelites prisoner. The Children of Israel made a vow to the Lord that if He would deliver the Canaanite army into their hands they would destroy them entirely. The Lord heard their request and granted their vow. Israel then defeated Arad and destroyed their cities. Even though Israel defeated the Canaanites at Arad, Moses turned them to the south and journeyed around the territory of Edom by way of the Red Sea to reach the Promised Land. The people again complained to Moses that he had led them into the wilderness to die. They complained that there was no bread or water, and that they loathed the manna God had provided for them to eat. God became angry with the people and sent fiery serpents to bite and kill the complainers. When the people saw those who had been bitten by the serpents begin to die, they repented of their sin and asked Moses to intercede for them yet again. Moses prayed to the Lord for the people, and God had him make his own fiery serpent and set it upon a standard, so that anyone who had been bitten could look upon Moses’ serpent and live. Moses made the serpent out of bronze and placed it on top of a staff. Moses then lifted the standard up and the people who had received a bite from a fiery serpent and believed in the Lord, lived. This account of the fiery serpent is used by Jesus in the New Testament as an illustration of His death on the cross and what would happen to those who believe in Him. This passage is spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” After this incident Israel continued to travel north around Edom to the eastern side of the Jordan River. Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites to request passage through his land as they did with Edom. Sihon also refused but was defeated in battle by Israel. Israel then continued north and defeated Og, the king of Bashan and his people. In Chapter 22, Balak, the king of the Moabites had become very afraid of the Children of Israel because of what they had done to their neighbors, the Amorites. He wished to form an alliance with the Midianites that lived to the south. Balak sent messengers with the proper fees to Balaam the son of Beor, a Midianite prophet, to enlist his services to curse Israel. Balaam had a reputation of speaking effective curses that came to pass as spoken. Balaam asked the messengers to stay for the night while he inquired of God. Balaam did not have a relationship with the God of Israel. He was not a prophet of God, but a worshipper of the idol Baal of the Midianites. Balaam knew of the God of Israel because his people were descended from Abraham through his wife Keturah, he took after the death of Sarah. God asked Balaam who had accompanied him, and what was it that he wanted. Balaam replied that they were representatives of Balak the king of Moab, and they were sent to him to have him curse a people who had come out of Egypt. God told Balaam not to curse the Israelites because they had been blessed. Balaam told the messengers the next morning to return to Balak, and that he could not curse Israel. The men returned, but Balak was not ready to give in. Balak then sent more money and a more distinguished group of messengers to Balaam to enlist his help. Balaam did not want to refuse the money and had the messengers stay the night again. God spoke to Balaam and allowed him to go with the men as long as he only told them what God had said. The next morning Balaam saddled his donkey and left with the men towards Moab. God was angry that Balaam decided to go with the messengers, and went out and stood in his path. On the way Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord blocking their way with a sword in His hand. The donkey was afraid and left the path. Balaam was angry and struck the donkey to make her move on. The donkey complied with Balaam until they reached a narrow passageway in some vineyards. The angel of the Lord again blocked the way. The donkey went close to the vineyard wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against it. Balaam again struck his donkey for disobeying him. Again the angel of the Lord blocked their way in a narrow place in the path so they could not pass. The donkey sat down under Balaam and he again became very angry and struck the donkey a third time. The Lord then opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam what she had done to deserve to be hit these three times. Balaam answered the donkey and said she had made a fool of him and if he had a sword he would have killed her by now. The donkey replied and asked him if she hadn’t been the donkey that had transported him his entire life until this day, and had never done this before? Balaam answered no, his eyes were then opened, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the path. The Lord said to Balaam that if it had not been for the donkey he would have been dead. Balaam then understood the message and repented of his sin. He asked if he should turn back and go home. The angel of the Lord told him to continue on to Balak, but warned him to only say what God had told him to say. Balaam continued, and when he came to Balak he refused to curse Israel no matter what Balak did, or where he was taken. Again and again he would only speak prophecy about Israel’s future dominance over the people of the land. In Chapter 24:17 Balaam even prophetically spoke of the future coming of Christ to lead His people. Balaam was then finished with Balak and returned to his home. Balaam though was not finished with Israel. He suggested that the men of Israel should join themselves with the women of Baal of Peor. Some of the Children of Israel corrupted themselves and began to worship the idol Baal, and sacrifice to the gods of the Midianites. The Lord became very angry with His children, and told Moses to execute the leaders of Israel in His sight so that His anger would be turned away from His people. Moses went to the judges of Israel and told them to kill all the people who were worshipping the gods of the Midianites. While Moses was giving this command at the doorway to the Tent of Meeting, a man of Israel came by along with a woman of Midian, in defiance of the Lords command. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the High Priest, and the grandson of Aaron, saw this act, and in his zeal for the Lord went into the tent where the couple was and pierced them both through with a spear. This appeased the Lord’s anger and He stopped the plague that had begun to go through the people. In all 24,000 died from the plague for their transgression. As a reward to Phinehas, for his zeal for the Lord, God made him and his descendants a perpetual priesthood. The Lord then told Moses to strike the Midianites for what they had done to His people. In Chapter 26 the Lord told Moses and Eleazar to take a census of the Tribes of Israel the same as Moses and Aaron had done forty years before. They were to number the people by the men who were twenty years old and older that were able to go to war. The text goes through the census for each tribe. One interesting result of the census was the loss of 45,020 fighting men from the tribes of Israel living on the side of the Tabernacle next to the Levites of Kohath. It was his grandson Korah who had incited the rebellion against Moses and Aaron resulting in the death of almost 15,000 people. The people from the nearby tribes had participated in the rebellion with Korah. In all there was a net loss of 1,820 fighting men through the forty years of wandering. The Levites gained 1,000 men from one month old and older even including the loss of men during Korah’s rebellion. This census was to be used by Moses when he divided up the land by lot to the tribes; the larger the tribe, the larger the inheritance of land, the smaller the tribe, the smaller the inheritance. When the census was complete, not one man from the previous census except Moses, Caleb, and Joshua was left alive as the Lord had promised. Instructions were given to Moses for the people in Chapter 28 on the rules concerning inheritance. A descendent of Manasseh, Zelophehad, died and had no sons to receive inheritance; his wife had born him only daughters. The daughters of Zelophehad came before Moses and Eleazar and said that their father had died in his own sin, meaning he was not involved in the rebellion of Korah, and that he had no sons to receive his inheritance. They wanted to know why his name should be withdrawn from the line of his family, and asked that his inheritance would be given to them. Moses asked them to wait while he stated their case before the Lord. The Lord told Moses that the daughters of Zelophehad were correct in their request, the inheritance of their father rightfully belonged to them. The Lord also gave Moses the other rules of exception for the issues of inheritance at this time. The Lord then told Moses to go up on the mountain of Abarim and look out at the land He had given to the Children of Israel. He then told Moses that after he saw the land he would die as his brother Aaron had died on the mountain. God reminded Moses that he would not lead the people into the land because of his rebellion against the Lord at Meribah in Kadesh, and that he did not treat the Lord as holy there. Moses accepted what the Lord had said and asked Him to appoint a successor over the children of Israel. Moses realized the people would be like sheep without a shepherd if they had no leader. The Lord heard Moses and asked him to take Joshua, in whom the Spirit of the Lord rested, and lay your hand on him. Moses was to have Joshua stand before Eleazar, and the congregation, while he was commissioned by him in their sight. Moses was to give Joshua some of his authority so the people would obey him. Joshua was also to be told to seek the Lord’s will on issues with Eleazar by the use of the Urim. Joshua was not to be able to inquire directly with God as Moses did. Moses then did what the Lord had instructed and Joshua was commissioned before the congregation. The next several chapters deal with the requirements for the daily offerings to the Lord, and the offerings required during the three feasts to the Lord during the year. The listing of the offering requirements are outlined in the text. A large number of animals were required to be offered by Israel to the Lord throughout the year. Chapter 30 deals with vows to the Lord made between a husband and wife, and a father and his daughter during her youth in her father’s house. In Chapter 31 the Lord tells Moses to send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel against the Midianites. In all there were 12,000 men with Phinehas to lead them to totally destroy the people of Midian for what they had done to corrupt the Children of Israel. The army went to battle and killed every male of Midian. The five kings of Midian were killed along with Balaam the prophet during the battle. When the battle was complete Moses asked the men if they had spared the women because they were told to kill them also. It was the women of Midian, because of Balaam’s advice, which caused the men of Israel to transgress against the Lord in Peor. Moses told them to kill even the male little ones along with the women. They were only to spare the virgin girls who could safely be assimilated into the congregation of Israel. The soldiers were to stay outside the camp for seven days and purify themselves. Also the ashes of the red heifer were then used to cleanse their garments and articles of leather, goat’s hair and wood. The metals they possessed that could withstand fire would be purified with fire. Anything that could not withstand the fire would be purified with the water containing the ashes of the red heifer. The spoils of the battle were then divided up evenly through the congregation. An equal portion was given to the people who fought and also to the people who stayed in the camp. A portion was also given to the Levites, and also a portion was given to the Lord. The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad possessed a large amount of livestock. They noticed that the land where they were camped on the eastern bank of the Jordan River was a land suitable for livestock. Even though this was not the land the Lord had promised the Children of Israel, the two tribes wanted this land for their inheritance. They went to Moses to ask for the land. Moses became very angry with them and asked if they would let their brothers fight alone for the Promised Land while they sat here safe. He accused the two tribes of committing the same sin their fathers did during the episode with the spies, many years before, of discouraging the Children of Israel from entering the land. He reminded them that the bad report of the spies caused Israel to wander through the wilderness for forty years. To appease Moses the representatives for the Reubenites and the Gadites said they would build pens for their livestock and accompany their brothers across the Jordan to help them fight and possess the land, and not return to their families until the entire land was conquered. Moses then agreed to their proposal and divided up the land of Gilead, the Amorites, and the land of Bashan between the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh. In the first part of Chapter 33 the Bible lists a review of Israel’s journey from Egypt to where they were now camped on the northern end of the Dead Sea near the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Each starting point and camping place of each movement of the Children of Israel is listed in the text. At the end of the chapter the Lord tells Moses to instruct the people on what they were to do when they crossed the Jordan to possess the land. Moses was to tell the people to go in and drive the inhabitants out of the land, to destroy their idols and molten images. They were also to demolish all their high places. This was necessary because any of these people or things would become a source of trouble for the Children of Israel later. The land would be divided by lots to the people according to their numbers. The Lord also warned the Children of Israel that if they did not obey His commands that He would do as He says in Chapter 33:56 “And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.” In Chapter 34 the Lord gave to Moses the borders of the Promised Land. At this time He also told Moses that Joshua and Eleazar would be the ones who were to divide up the land. The Lord then appointed the leaders over each of the tribes of Israel. The Lord instructed Moses to command the people that they were to provide cities in their territories for the Levites to live in. The Levites required these cities because they had no inheritance of land from the Lord. These cities would also be cities of refuge for men who had killed another by accident. The Levites in the city would judge the innocence of a fugitive murderer when he reached the city. If the murder he committed was considered intentional the man would be put to death. If the murderer was found to have committed the murder unintentionally, he would be safe from those who sought to avenge the murder the man committed. The murderer would only be safe to leave the city at the death of the High Priest. We will end our study and the Book of Numbers this week with Chapter 36. This chapter outlines the rules for inheritance through marriage. The main thing is that all inheritance must stay within the original tribe. The land cannot be passed through marriage between tribes. Next week we will begin the Book of Deuteronomy which is a re-telling of God’s Law by Moses on the Plain of Moab to the new generation of the Children of Israel during the final weeks of Moses’ life. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 12: 11-DEUTERONOMY 1-20 ======================================================================== Deuteronomy 1-20 Mark. 7, 2009 This week we will begin the Book of Deuteronomy. The name of the book in the English language Bible comes from the Greek Septuagint. The name means “second law giving”. This was a mistranslation of Deuteronomy 17:18, which actually reads “a copy of this law”. The Hebrew name, “Words”, comes from the first verse of the book. The Book of Deuteronomy follows the pattern of a suzerainty treaty. This was an ancient treaty form that was used between a strong powerful ruler, and his servant subjects. This type of treaty would first have an historical section. Next it would have a section devoted to rules and laws. It would then follow with a section on the rewards and penalties for obeying or disobeying the treaty, finishing up with some instruction on how the people were to follow the treaty. The Book of Deuteronomy is a treaty between the all-powerful God of creation, and his chosen people, Israel. Chapters 1 through 3, and most of 4 covers a review , by Moses of Israel’s history from when they left Egypt until they were camped in the Plain of Moab. This is where we had left Israel at the end of the Book of Numbers. Moses reminded the people of the time when he needed them to select men from among themselves to act as judges, because he could not bear the burden they had caused him alone. Moses also reminded them of the incident with the spies, and how he had agreed with the people that the spies were a good idea. He also told them that the bad report from those spies they had wanted caused them to wander through the wilderness the past forty years. We learn that all those forty years of wandering in the desert by the children of Israel were spent in one area, not all over the entire area of desert lands. Chapter 2:1 tells us that most of the time was spent circling Mt. Seir in the territory of Edom. After the last of the men numbered by Moses and Aaron in the beginning of the Book of Numbers had died, the Lord had Israel stop circling Mt. Seir and head towards the Promised Land. The people were told to pass through the territory of Edom and Ammon without disturbing anything. These people were not to be harmed because they were related to the Israelites through their father Abraham, and his nephew Lot. We spoke of the trouble the King of Edom gave to Israel about passing through his land last week, and also the battles Israel had with Sihon and the Amorites, and Og of Bashan. We learn here in Deuteronomy that King Og was the last of the Rephaim, the giants. His bedstead, or actually his iron trimmed coffin, is described in the text as being measured at 13 1/2 feet by 6 feet. Moses then spoke of the allotment of the Transjordan to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. Moses tells the people of his plea to the Lord to allow him to see the Promised Land. He said that although God did let him see the land, he was told to charge Joshua with the task of going in and possessing the land promised to the people. Moses was also told to strengthen and encourage Joshua before he died. In Chapter 4, Moses told the people to listen to all the laws that he would teach them, so they would be able to go into the land and possess it. They were warned not to add or take away from God’s law that they were given. Moses reminded them of the 24,000 people who had died for their disobedience by serving other gods at Baal-Peor. Moses continued to warn and encourage the people on what the Lord required of them. Moses stressed to the people that God’s law was not to be broken. The people were told in Chapter 4:24 “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Moses then prophesied that Israel would be removed from the land if they were disobedient to God. This prophecy did come to pass when Israel was taken into captivity to Babylon, and also in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Moses then set apart three cities of refuge in the Transjordan. The cities were Bezer, in the wilderness for the children of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for Gad, and Golan in Bashan for Manasseh. Moses then recited to Israel the Ten Commandments the Lord gave to him on the tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai. Only one change was made to the commandments at this time. The people were also told that they shall not covet their neighbors’ field in the tenth commandment. This was added because the people were soon going to stop being nomads and become land holders. From Chapter 5:22-33 we are told of the awesome appearance of God on the mountain at Sinai, and how Israel feared the Lord and asked Moses to go and find out what He had to say to them. The Lord’s desire for His people is stated in verse 29 “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!” Included in Chapter 6 are the passages in the Bible that are known by Israel as the Shema. The first portion of the Shema consists of Verses 4-9, and it reads: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” The other passages that are included in the Shema are Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. Originally the Shema contained only Deuteronomy 6:4. God’s greatest desire is for His people to love Him, and keep and remember His commandments. In Chapter 7 Moses told the people how they were to possess the land when they go in to it. The people were told that there were seven separate nations living in the land that were stronger than they were. God wanted the people to not be afraid, that He promised to deliver their enemies into their hand, if His people would obey Him and completely destroy the inhabitants when they were given to them. The people were told that if they would keep the Lord’s commands they would be blessed. Moses then told the people, in Chapter 8, that God wanted them to remember what He had done for them in the past. Verse 3 contains the well-known response of Jesus to the first temptation by Satan in the wilderness revealed in the Book of Matthew Chapter 4. The text in Deuteronomy 8:3b reads “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” The responses of Jesus to the other two temptations are also taken from the Book of Deuteronomy in Chapter 6:13, and 6:16. Moses also reminded the people on how their clothing had not worn out during the past forty years and that the Lord had kept them free from harm. God wanted the people to realize that all their strength, wealth, and power came only from Him. God wanted the people to know, in Chapter 9 that they have nothing to fear from the inhabitants of the Promised Land, and that even the once feared Anakim were no match for the Lord. He also wanted the children of Israel to know that He was driving the people from their land because of their wickedness, not because of the righteousness of His people. Moses continued to remind Israel of their past disobedience, and told them of the greatness of their God. Moses reminded them that God has kept His covenant with His people. In Chapter 10:20-22 Moses told Israel “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.” Again and again Moses contrasted God’s blessings for obedience with His penalties for being disobedient. He exhorted Israel to love the Lord and keep and remember His commandments. In Chapter 12 Moses told the people to not be like the people who were living in the land. God’s people were to have only one single sanctuary to worship God, not the many high places and ceremonial pillars the people that lived in the land used to worship their gods. God also warned Israel about something that did come to pass during the time recorded in the Book of Judges. This warning was in Chapter 12:8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” The children of Israel were told, in Chapter 13, to kill any false prophets that were found among them. They were also told to destroy an entire city if any men there had seduced the inhabitants to serve other gods. This was necessary for the Israelites to do to keep God’s people pure. Chapter 14 covers God’s dietary laws that were first given to Moses in the Book of Leviticus 11:1-30. Deuteronomy Chapter 15 is about the sabbatical year. At the end of each seven year period the children of Israel were to grant all debtors a release from their debt. This was to keep things equal between the people. The Lord had promised to bless all who kept His commandments, so that no one would lack anything. Commands concerning the festivals to God were covered in the first part of Chapter 16. The last part of the chapter goes over the commands to the men who were selected to judge the people. An important rule of God concerning judgment is covered in Chapter 17. Guilt could not be proven on the testimony of only one witness. God required the testimony of at least two or three witnesses to for the judges to render a guilty verdict. The accurate determination of a guilty verdict was critical because the penalty was death by stoning. The incentive for the witnesses to be truthful and accurate in their testimony was that if their testimony was found to be false they would receive the same death penalty as the accused. Also the accuser was to be the first to carry out the sentence on the guilty party. He would throw the first stone. Jesus used this principle to teach the people in the Temple in Jerusalem about their own guilt as sinners and that they were unqualified to judge anyone in the story told in the Gospel of John 8:1-11. The entire town was also required to participate in the stoning. It was their hands that caused the death of a fellow citizen. This is different from our justice system today. Capital punishment has been taken away from the hands of the people and is hidden from view by the justice system. I do not believe we all feel the same level of deterrent as the people of Israel had to feel when deciding to commit a capital crime. God’s justice was harsh, but completely fair. In Chapter 18 the Lord promised to raise up a prophet for the people who would speak His words to them and to lead His children. This was a prophecy that predicted the advent of Jesus Christ. The Lord had Moses tell the people, in Chapter 19 to build roads between the cities of refuge when they settled in the land. The Promised Land was originally settled by separate groups of people. God wanted His people to be united, even though they were to be allotted specific areas in which to live according to their family lineage. These were three additional cities of refuge to be added to Israel’s territory on the western side of the Jordan River. The people were also told not to steal land from their neighbors. Moses repeated God’s instructions concerning witnesses again at this time. We will finish up our study for this week in Chapter 20. This chapter covers the instructions to the people on conducting warfare. The priests were told to select the men for battle, and only let the brave fight. The women, children, and animals were to be spared as a spoil of war if the fight was in a far off city. But if the city was close by and belonged to the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perrizites, the Hivites, or the Jebusites, the Israelites were to utterly destroy them and their city. God knew that it was these people who would corrupt Israel. At the end of the chapter the people were told not to cut down any fruit trees during a battle. Their wood was not to be used in the siege of a city because they would be needed for food after the battle. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Deuteronomy and begin the Book of Joshua where the children of Israel finally go to battle with the cities of God’s Promised Land. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 13: 12-DEUTERONOMY 21- JOSHUA 6 ======================================================================== Deuteronomy 21- Joshua 6 Mark. 14, 2009 This week we will pick up our study in the Book of Deuteronomy in Chapter 21. As we learned last week, the Book of Deuteronomy reads like a treaty. This was Moses’ last words to the people he had led through the wilderness during the last forty years of his life. It had been a difficult time for Moses. God had selected Moses to lead His rebellious people, the children of Israel, to the land that He had promised to Abraham many years before. Even with all the signs and wonders, performed by God, the people had witnessed throughout their journey they still fought Moses’ leadership, and continually complained. Before Moses was to die, God wanted him to re-tell Israel His law and give the people born in the wilderness instructions on how they were to live in the Promised Land. The men of Israel, who had heard God’s law when it was first given to Moses, were all now dead. Over and over again throughout the Book of Deuteronomy Moses repeated to the people that they were to love the Lord your God, and keep His commandments. In Chapter 21 Moses gave the people instruction on what to do if a person was found murdered in the open countryside. If the one who had committed the murder was found he would be put to death. If the murder became unsolved, the city closest to the murdered person had to make atonement for the act. This was required by God so that all the sins of Israel would be dealt with. This chapter also contained the rules concerning the marriage of a man of Israel to a woman of a conquered enemy’s people. The woman was required to mourn for her family for thirty days, and renounce her old culture. Only then could she enter the congregation of the people and be accepted. The man was required to treat her fairly, even if the union ended in divorce. The woman could not be sold, and if she had born the man a firstborn son, that son would receive the double portion from his father. God required the people to return lost property, and that men should dress as men, and women to dress as women. It was not allowed for one sex to impersonate the other. It was an abomination against the Lord, and went against the order He had assigned to mankind. God also gave restrictions against the mixing of different things. He had reasons for His laws. Some of those meanings are not recognized by people today, but their intent can still be applied. The last part of Chapter 22 deals with men and women. A woman was required to be a virgin before marriage. If a woman was found to have been no longer a virgin, and had been betrothed to a man, she would be stoned to death. If a man raped a woman who had been betrothed to a man, the rapist would also be stoned. If a man raped an un-betrothed woman, he would be required to marry the woman. This seems very unfair to the woman in today’s thinking. It was needed at that time to ensure that the woman would be cared for. Even though the rape was wrong, the woman would become ineligible for marriage according to the law that says that only a virgin woman was eligible for marriage. These laws were required by God to purge the evil from His people. Chapter 23 covers some rules on who could be accepted into the congregation of Israel. Eunuchs were not allowed into the congregation because of their association with idol worship. Anyone who was born illegitimate was not allowed. Also men of the Ammonites, and Moabites were not allowed because of what they had done to Israel in not allowing them to pass through their land. The prohibition was also because of their association with the Prophet Balaam the son of Beor, and their wish for him to curse Israel. The people of Israel were not to charge interest to a brother, but could charge interest to a foreigner. They were told to protect the weak and poor among them. People were to be allowed to eat what they wanted from a field or a vineyard. They could eat, but not use tools to harvest and steal the farmers’ crop. At harvest a farmer was to leave a remnant of his produce in the field for the widows, orphans, and aliens to glean. The people were told to do this so that they would remember that they were once slaves in Egypt. The people were required to obey the judges of the land in a dispute. They were to accept the punishment given, and could be beaten no more than forty times. An example of the lengths the Jews went to keep the law is illustrated in 2 Corinthians 11:24 “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.” These words were spoken by Paul when he spoke of his times in prison. The Jews would beat him only thirty nine times so they would not break the law of only forty lashes by accident. They were zealous of the law, but entirely missed the point about Gods reason for the law. The text also says in Chapter 25:4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” This verse was used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10, and 1 Timothy 5:18 to show that human workers are to be rewarded for their labors. This labor could be spiritual, as well as physical labor. Next in the chapter the principle of the Kinsman Redeemer is covered. If a man dies and his widow had not born him any children to carry his name, the brother of the dead man was to take his widow as a wife to produce a firstborn child to continue the man’s name in the people. If the man’s brother did not accept this obligation, the woman, before the elders would take off the brothers sandal and spit in his face. The dead man’s name would be known from then on as “the house of him whose sandal was removed.” The practice of the Kinsman Redeemer will be illustrated later in the Book of Ruth. Moses also told Israel of God’s requirement for them to use correct weights and measures in commerce. The people were to be careful to not cheat anyone. In Chapter 26 Israel was told to bring the firstfruits of their fields to the Lord after they had been in the land. The text shows the words they were to recite to the Lord. After the tithe was given to the Lord and the giver realized what the Lord had done for him, he was to rejoice with the Levites with what he had given. Every third year, a tithe was also to be brought for the Levites, widows, strangers, and orphans in the congregation. The people were to have compassion for the poor among them. After this Moses told the people another promise of God. This is recorded in Chapter 26:16-19 “This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.“You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.“The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.” The people were told to set up rough stones on Mt. Ebal, after they crossed the Jordan River, cover them with white lime, and write the law on them so that all could see. They were also to set up an altar there. The stones were not to have been worked with metal tools. Moses then recited to Israel a series of twelve curses they were to hear in the land. The tribes were to be split into two groups with one group on Mt .Gerizim, and the other on Mt. Ebal. The Levites will then tell the twelve curses to the people. After the people hear each curse they were to acknowledge the Levites with Amen. This was to ensure they heard and understood the curses from God. The curses were spoken to those on Mt. Ebal. These curses of Chapter 27 were followed, in Chapter 28 with a series of four blessings directed to Mt. Gerizim. The result of these blessings was then revealed. After this the blessings were contrasted with the curses that would come to pass if Israel disobeyed the law, and Gods covenant with His people. In Chapter 29 Moses told the people the words of God covenant with them. This covenant is the latest in the covenants that God has made with mankind. The first covenant was made with Adam. It is known as the Edenic Covenant. This was the covenant of innocence, God told man to be fruitful and multiply, have dominion over the animal kingdom; care for the garden, and to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After Adam broke this covenant, God gave another one to Adam. It is known as the Adamic Covenant. This covenant consisted of God’s promise of a savior in response to the fall of man. God then made a covenant with Noah after the great flood. This is known as the Noahic Covenant. In this covenant God promises to never destroy all life again. He used the rainbow as a sign to man of His covenant with Noah. This covenant was followed by Gods covenant with Abraham. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised to bless Abraham and make of him a great nation. This covenant was then passed on to Abraham’s son Isaac, then to Isaacs’s son Jacob. The sign of this covenant was circumcision. The next covenant was a covenant that God made with Moses on Mt. Sinai. This is known as the Mosaic Covenant. The covenant was Gods law to His people and its condemnation of man. The covenant that we are speaking about in Deuteronomy is the covenant between God and Israel. It is known as the Palestinian Covenant. The covenant is about the blessings of the Promised Land for Gods people. This covenant is conditional. If Israel disobeys God the covenant would be broken. The covenant speaks of the scattering of disbelieving Israel, and their eventual re-gathering in the future. The covenants of God serve to separate time into distinct periods of events. The covenants describe how God deals with His people during a particular point in history. At the end of the chapter God promises restoration to Israel even if they break His covenant. Moses then told the people to make the right choice. This is written in Chapter 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” These words are the main points of the Palestinian Covenant. In Chapter 31 Moses told the people all the words that we have been looking at these past two weeks. He let the people know that he was 120 years old and could no longer lead the people. He told the people not to fear the people of the land they were about to possess, and that the Lord would be with them. H wrote down all the words of the law in a book, and instructed the Levites to read it to the people during the Feast of Tabernacles, on the sabbatical year. This would be every seventh year. The Lord then told Moses that Israel would fall away from God after his death. Moses was told to write a song and teach it to the children of Israel to help them remember. Moses wrote the song that same day and taught it to the people. Moses then commissioned Joshua and placed the Book of the Law beside the Ark of the Covenant. The words of the song of Moses are recorded in Chapter 32. Moses then blesses the tribes of Israel in a similar way as Jacob blessed his sons at the end of the Book of Genesis. The blessings of Moses were also prophetic and described what would happen to each tribe in the future. The Book of Deuteronomy ends in Chapter 34 with the death of Moses. God told Moses to climb Mt. Nebo and see the Promised Land. After Moses saw the land he died. God then buried the body of Moses in the valley in the land of Moab in secret. No one knows where the body of Moses was buried. God knew that if the people had the body of Moses they would worship it as an idol. Satan knew this and it is recorded by Jude in the New Testament Book of Jude 1:9 that Michael the archangel disputed with Satan over the body of Moses. “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” The people then mourned the passing of Moses for thirty days. It is recorded that will never again be a prophet like Moses in all of Israel. This ends the Book of Deuteronomy. We will now begin the Book of Joshua. The Book of Joshua is named for its author, and covers Israel’s conquest and settlement of the Promised Land. Chapter 1 begins with God speaking to Joshua to encourage him and direct him to lead the people to possess the land. God tells Joshua to read His law, and meditate on it. The words God spoke to Joshua are recorded in Chapter 1:2-9 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.“From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua tells the people to prepare to cross the Jordan River in three days’ time. Joshua learned from the earlier trouble with spies to only send out a few trusted men in secret to view the land. Joshua sent two men across the Jordan to spy, and check out their first opponent, the City of Jericho. When the two spies entered Jericho, they entered the home of a prostitute named Rahab. The King of Jericho received word that there were spies from Israel in his city. He sent word to Rahab to release the men to him. Rahab lied to the King and protected the spies. She had heard of the Israelites, and what their God had done in Egypt, and also to the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan. She knew to fear God and ask the spies to spare her and her family from the coming battle. The spies agreed as long as Rahab was being truthful. She helped them escape from the city. The spies returned to Joshua with a good report. Joshua then, after three days had passed, told the people to follow the Levitical priests that would carry the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan River. The priests carried the Ark for this occasion instead of the sons of Kohath. The people were told to keep back 2,000 cubits, or 3,000 feet, from the Ark so that all could see. When the Ark of the Covenant reached the bank of the Jordan River the flow of water from the north was stopped and became a heap. The bed of the river became dry land the same as the Red Sea when Israel left Egypt. After the crossing twelve men, one from each tribe made a memorial of twelve stones in Gilgal, in Canaan. They then went back to the center of the river and made another twelve stone monument to mark their passing. The text says the stones are still there today. When the Ark left the river it returned to normal. Half of the men of war belonging to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh came across the Jordan with the people ready for war. This was 40,000 men. The other half stayed behind to protect their women and children. God then exalted Joshua in front of the people, and he became as revered as Moses in their eyes. Joshua then told the people to look at the stone monument at Gilgal and remember where the Lord had brought them from. In Chapter 5 the men of Israel that had not yet been circumcised, were circumcised. The sign of circumcision was not done in the wilderness. The people then celebrated the Passover. The next day the children of Israel ate from the produce of the Promised Land, and the fall of manna ceased. The people then sustained themselves on the produce of the land. After some time when Joshua was near Jericho a man approached him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked the man who he was for. The man answered and told Joshua that he was the Captain of the Lords Host. Joshua fell to his face, and the man told him to remove the sandals from his feet, the ground he was standing on was holy. Joshua realized the man was the Lord. The Lord then told Joshua how to defeat Jericho. We will end this week in Chapter 6, and the battle of Jericho. The City of Jericho was surrounded by walls and could not be defeated easily by normal methods. Joshua told the people to do what the Lord had told him. The armed men of Israel preceded the priests with the Ark and circled the city. The priests blew their rams horns continually. They circled the city one time for six consecutive days. On the seventh day the parade circled the City of Jericho seven times with the horns blowing. At the seventh time the people shouted, and the walls of the city fell flat. Only the part of the wall that held the home of Rahab was left standing. The fighting men then entered the city and killed all that were there. Only the metals of the city were taken for the Lords treasury, along with the family of Rahab were spared. Rahab is notable because she is a part of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is recorded in Christ’s genealogy in the Book of Matthew that Rahab was the mother of Boaz. We will meet Boaz later in the Book of Ruth. Joshua then places a curse on the site of the City of Jericho. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Joshua, with Israel’s conquest of Canaan. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 14: 13-JOSHUA 7-23 ======================================================================== Joshua 7-23 Mark. 21, 2009 Our study this week begins in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 7. When we ended last week, Israel had just defeated their first objective in the Promised Land. Although they had defeated the Amorites and the inhabitants of Bashan earlier, Jericho was actually located in the land that the Lord had originally promised to the people. God had delivered the city of Jericho into the hands of His people, and they utterly destroyed it. All that remained of Jericho was Rahab and her family, along with the wealth of the city. God instructed Israel to place the wealth from the city “under the ban”. The words “under the ban” meant that the spoils of war were to be given to the Lord so that the people would not covet those articles and sin against God. We now find in Chapter 7 that Achan, a man from the tribe of Judah, disobeyed the Lord and took for himself some of the articles from Jericho that were under the ban. The text says that the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. Joshua was not aware of Achan’s sin, and sent men to the nearby city of Ai to spy out the land. Ai was not the Canaanite name for the city. The word Ai in Hebrew actually means ruin. The spies returned to Joshua and told him that they would require only two to three thousand men to take the city because it was small. Joshua then sent about three thousand warriors to Ai to defeat the city. The Lord was not with them, and the men of Ai killed thirty-six of the men of Israel then pursued and struck them down as far as Shebarim. A city with the name Shebarim has never been located. The text seems to indicate that the men of Ai pursued the Israelites until they killed them all. Ai’s small army had defeated mighty Israel. Joshua tore his clothes in grief, and fell to his face before the Ark of the Covenant. He prayed to the Lord, along with the Elders of Israel until the evening. Joshua asked God in Chapter 7:7-9 “Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!“O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies?“For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?” The Lord answered Joshua and asked him why he was so upset, Israel had sinned and broken their covenant with God, and have taken some of the articles under the ban. God said that He would not forgive Israel until the articles were recovered and destroyed. God’s penalty for the man who had sinned against Him was that he, along with all that was his, was required to be burned up with fire. The next morning the tribes, including the tribe of Judah was brought before Joshua and divided into families. The people were narrowed down until Achan and his family was brought before Joshua. Joshua told Achan to give glory to the Lord, and praise Him and admit what he had done. Achan told Joshua that he had truly sinned against the Lord and had taken the articles. He said that he had coveted the gold, silver, and beautiful mantle from Shinar. He removed the articles from Jericho and buried them in the earth under his tent. Joshua sent messengers to Achan’s tent, and they recovered the articles where Achan had said they would be. Joshua along with all of Israel took Achan, with his family, livestock, and all that belonged to him, and stoned them to death. Their remains, along with the articles taken were then burned with fire. The great heap of stones that cover the remains of Achan still remains in the valley of Achor today. The anger of the Lord was now turned away from Israel. The Lord, now pleased with Israel, told Joshua to go against the city of Ai. He would now give the city along with its king into their hands. God told Israel to do the same to Ai as they did to Jericho. Joshua set out at night with thirty thousand men to ambush the city. He commanded the men to wait behind Ai while he and those that were with him would draw out the people from the city. When the inhabitants of the city came out towards Joshua, the men waiting behind Ai attacked. The ambush worked as planned, and the city was utterly destroyed, and burned to the ground. Joshua hung the king of Ai from a tree, and only cut him down that evening when the victory was complete. Joshua then built the altar of uncut stones on Mt. Ebal as Moses had commanded. He wrote the law on the stones, and separated the people between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. The blessings and curses were spoken, and Joshua read every word of the law to the men, women, and children of Israel along with strangers that were living with them. In Chapter 9 the people living in the Promised Land had heard of the victories of Israel at Jericho, and Ai, and made an alliance with each other to fight against the threat of Israel. While the formation of this alliance was in progress the people of the nearby city of Gibeon also heard of Israel’s might and feared for their lives. The men of the city devised a plan to save their people. They sent messengers to Israel dressed in worn out sandals and clothing, along with torn and mended wineskins, and old bread to fool Israel into believing they had come from a far off country. They told Israel that they were from far away, and had heard of the might of their God. They said they would serve Israel. Joshua did not consult the Lord in this matter, and made a covenant of peace with the men from Gibeon. After three days’ time Israel found out that the men of Gibeon had lied to them, and that they were from a nearby city. Joshua was angry, but would not destroy them because of his oath. He did however curse them to become slaves to Israel forever. The text says that the people of Gibeon were hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation of Israel from that day forward. Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem heard of Joshua’s victories at Jericho and Ai, and also of the peace treaty with the Gibeonites. He became very afraid of Israel and sent word to four other kings to join with him and fight against Gibeon. Adoni-zedek thought the Gibeonites would be an easier foe then Israel. Gibeon heard of their plans and sent word to Joshua, pleading with him not to abandon his servants. The Lord told Joshua to go against the five kings, and that He would give them to him. When the warriors of Israel came to the armies of the five kings, God caused confusion in their ranks that made them easy prey for Israel. The men of Israel killed many with their swords, and God Himself entered the battle by causing hailstones to fall from the sky killing more than Israel. It was recorded in the Book of Jashar, and also in Joshua 10:12-13: “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.” Joshua had asked the Lord to lengthen the day so all the men against them could be defeated. The Lord answered and stopped the sun’s motion in the middle of the sky for an entire day until the battle was complete. Joshua said that there had never been, or ever will be a day like this again where the Lord listened to a man and fought for Israel. The five kings fled during the battle to a cave near Makkedah, and hid themselves there. Joshua found out the kings were hiding there and sent men to cover the entrance to the cave with large stones. Several men guarded the cave while the others participated in the slaughter of the armies of the kings. After the victory, Joshua removed the five kings from the cave and declared victory over them. He then had the kings put to death, and when they were dead, hung them on five trees. At sunset he cut them down and threw them back into the cave where they had been hiding. He again covered the mouth of the cave with large stones. Makkedah was then defeated and the city was treated the same way as Jericho. The central part of Palestine was now completely conquered. Joshua and Israel then turned south and fought against Libnah, at the end of Chapter 10. The Israelites then moved on to Lachish, then to Eglon, and to Hebron. They then returned to Debir, and fought with it. The Lord was with Israel and gave them victory in each battle. Israel continued fighting south until they had taken the land of Goshen in Egypt. This was where they had lived as slaves many years before. They then continued north to Kadesh-Barnea, and Gaza. The southern campaign for Palestine was now complete. God had delivered each of the people into Israel’s hand. In Chapter 11 the kings of the northern part of Palestine came together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. Merom was located north of the Sea of Chinneroth, or as it was later called, the Sea of Galilee. The army gathered was so large that it was described in the text as that their number was as the sand is on the seashore. They also had many chariots and horses. The Lord told Joshua not to fear, that He would deliver them into his hands. Joshua was told to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire. Joshua and the army of Israel did as the Lord commanded and defeated the large northern army. The Israelites then turned to Hazor, and destroyed the city, burning it to the ground. They captured the rest of the cities of the north, and gathered up their wealth and cattle as spoils of war. The northern part of Palestine was now also conquered. Joshua and the armies of Israel had now completely conquered the Promised Land from Egypt in the south, to the valley of Lebanon in the north. As a final measure Joshua removed the Anakim from the land. The only giants remaining were in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Joshua had taken all of the land that was spoken of by Moses, and gave it to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance. The land now rested from war. In Chapter 13 the Lord told Joshua that he was old and advanced in years, and that much of the land still needed to be possessed. The kings and the cities had been destroyed, but there were still people throughout the land. God told Joshua to divide the land among the tribes of Israel while He drove the people out of the land for him. Joshua began the division of the land with the half tribe of Manasseh, the tribe of Reuben, and the tribe of Gad. Those tribes were given an inheritance by Moses of land on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Joshua honored Moses’ decision and allocated that land to those tribes. Caleb, the only other man beside Joshua that remained from the men who had left Egypt long ago, had requested an inheritance of land for himself as the Lord had promised him when he was a spy in the land long ago. Joshua gave Caleb the city of Hebron as his inheritance. Chapters 15 through 19 cover the division of the land by Joshua to the other nine and one half tribes of Israel. The portions of land given to the tribes by lot as an inheritance are listed in the text. Each tribe, along with their land and cities are described in detail. In Chapter 20 the six cities of refuge were established in the land. The cities were Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. These six cities were spread evenly throughout the land. In Chapter 21 the forty eight cities that were given to the Levites to dwell in are listed. The Levites received no portion of the land but were given places to live within the other tribe’s territories. The Lord had given Israel all the land He had promised and had given them rest from all sides. Not one of God’s promises had failed. Every one of them had come to pass. The men of war from the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh had fulfilled their obligation to their brethren and could now return to their families on the other side of the Jordan. Joshua then blessed them and instructed the tribes to walk in the ways of the Lord, to keep His commandments, and to hold fast to Him with their hearts and souls. The tribes then returned to their families with the wealth they accumulated, from the spoils of war from the conquest, through the land of Gilead. On their way home, in Gilead, the men erected a large altar to the Lord on the eastern side of the Jordan River. This altar offended Israel in that the Lord had commanded them to only worship Him in the single place in which He chose. Phinehas set out with ten chiefs from the tribes of Israel to ask the three departing tribes why they had done this unfaithful act. The sons of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh explained to Phinehas and the chiefs that the altar was not for burnt offerings. The altar was built to be a witness between their generations and the generations of the other tribes on the western side of the Jordan that they would follow the Lord. This explanation pleased Phinehas and the chiefs that were with him. They returned to the west of the Jordan River and told Joshua and the people what the altar was for. The word of Phinehas pleased the people and they blessed the Lord. The children of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh called the altar “Witness” because it was a witness between them that the Lord is God. We will finish up our study this week in Chapter 23 where Joshua gives his farewell address to the children of Israel. Joshua had completed his task of leading the people through the conquest of the Promised Land. He had also finished allotting the inheritance of the Lord to the tribes of Israel. Joshua encouraged the people to follow every word of the law. He told them to keep away from the other nations around them and to not follow their gods. He said that they would be a snare to them. He told the people that today he would die, and warned them that the anger of the Lord would burn against them who broke His covenant. This ends this week’s study. Next week we will cover the final chapter of the Book of Joshua, and begin to look at the Book of Judges. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 15: 14-JOSHUA 24 – JUDGES 17 ======================================================================== Joshua 24 – Judges 17 Mark. 28, 2009 This week we will finish the Book of Joshua with Chapter 24, and look into the Book of Judges. Last week we studied Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land of Palestine. We saw how Joshua led Israel in battle, and how he divided up the land to God’s people. Joshua is now in the last day of his life, and is speaking his final words to Israel. Joshua told the people a review of their history as God had told him to. The words spoken were from God’s point of view. The Lord wanted Israel to remember all that He had done for them from the beginning. I believe God was disappointed that the people had been so unfaithful at times, and would not obey His commandments, even though He had done everything to bless them. Joshua then, as his final word to Israel, placed before them a decision. He told them that they each had to make a choice on who they would serve. Joshua’s words are recorded in Chapter 24:14-15 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I believe these words have the same importance today. We are all faced with a choice. First, the choice is that each of us chooses to accept or reject the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The next is that if we have chosen to accept Jesus, we need to also choose each day if we will follow the Lord’s ways, or reject them and act on our own. Even though Joshua told the people they would turn from the Lord, they decided as a people to follow the Lord. Joshua then died at the age of one hundred ten and was buried in the hill country of Ephraim on the north of Mt. Gaash. The text says the people of Israel followed the Lord through all the years of Joshua, and the Elders who survived him. Israel then buried the bones of Joseph that they had carried from Egypt in Shechem. Aaron’s son Eleazar also died and was buried in Gibeah. This ends the Book of Joshua. We will now begin the Book of Judges. This book covers a period of approximately three hundred thirty years of the history of Israel. This was a time that was after the death of Joshua, and before Israel was given a king. It was a time when the Lord would periodically raise up judges to bring His people out of oppression by the inhabitants of the land. This oppression was brought on by Israel’s unbelief. The overall theme of this time in Israel’s past is stated best by God through the last verse in the book, Chapter 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” We will open up the Book of Judges in Chapter 1. It is after the death of Joshua, and Israel had asked the Lord which of the tribes should go against the Canaanites in the land. The Lord replied to them that the tribe of Judah should go and fight. Men from Judah took some of the children of Simeon with them and defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek the king and removed his thumbs and big toes. The king acknowledged to them that God had repaid him in kind for what he had done himself to seventy other kings. This act by Israel was said to have made the enemy unable to use a weapon, and to walk in battle. The Israelites captured Jerusalem, and then went on to Hebron, then to Debir. Othniel captured the city and was given Achsah, Caleb’s daughter as his wife. Other tribes then went against the inhabitants of their territories, but were not always successful in removing them completely. In Chapter 2 the Angel of the Lord visited the people and rebuked them. They had not obeyed the Lord, and removed the people of the land and their altars. The people wept, and called the place where the Angel met them Bochim, or “Weepers”. The remaining inhabitants of the land Israel did not remove caused them to turn away from God and serve the Baals. God said He would use these idols and false gods to test Israel. The same way today God uses Baals to test His church. All of us are faced each day with the idols of money, television, and every other thing that could turn us away from the Lord. I pray that we can all use the example of Israel, and not make the same mistakes they made. The text says that God had left some of the people of Palestine untouched by war. He would use these people to test Israel as we spoke of in the previous paragraph. Israel failed these tests and turned away from the Lord and served the other gods of the land. It is written that God sold His people into slavery to the king of Mesopotamia, Cushan-rishathaim. Israel served him for eight years until they cried out to the Lord of their plight. The Lord heard His people and raised up a deliverer to bring them out of slavery. God filled Othniel, the man mentioned earlier, with His Spirit to deliver Israel. Othniel led Israel in revolt against Mesopotamia and won the battle. The land then had rest from war for forty years. Othniel, the first judge of Israel, then died. The people then again turned away from the Lord. God then strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab against His people. Eglon, along with the sons of Ammon, and Amalek defeated Israel and kept them in bondage eighteen years. Israel again cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God heard His people and raised up Ehud to deliver His people. Ehud prepared a sword with two edges and hid it on his right thigh when he went in to present tribute to king Eglon. Ehud told Eglon that he had a secret message for him. Eglon dismissed his servants, and when he and Ehud were alone, Ehud told the king that his message was from God. Ehud then removed the sword from his thigh and plunged it into Eglon’s fat belly. The text says the fat of Eglon’s belly covered up the handle of the sword, and when he died his bowels emptied on the floor. The foul stench caused his servants to believe Ehud, when he told them the king was relieving himself in the cool of the room. I believe the fact that the servants believed Ehud shows just what kind of behavior was accepted in those days. Ehud escaped and delivered Israel from the Moabites. The land then had rest for eighty years. The story of the third judge of Israel is contained in a single verse at the end of Chapter 3. Verse 31 says that Shamgar killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad, and also saved Israel. The Lord had to have been with Shamgar in this battle. An oxgoad is an eight foot long pole that was used to clean plows. This was an extremely difficult tool to use as a weapon, let alone to use it to kill six hundred men. After Ehud died Israel again turned away from the Lord God let them be controlled by Jabin of the Canaanites, and his army commander Sisera. Israel cried to the Lord because the Canaanites possessed nine hundred iron chariots. They oppressed Israel for twenty years. The person who was judge over Israel at that time was a woman. Her name was Deborah, and she was a prophetess. She enlisted the services of a man named Barak to lead an army of ten thousand men against Sisera. Barak agreed to do this only if Deborah would accompany him. Deborah then prophesied that the honor of the battle would not be on Barak, but the Lord would deliver up Sisera to a woman. The text says the Lord routed the nine hundred chariots and all the men of Sisera from before Barak and his ten thousand troops. Sisera fled the battle and went to the house of Heber the Kenite. Jael, Heber’s wife, met Sisera and had him hide in her tent. She then with a hammer drove a peg through Sisera’s temple into the earth. Jael was descended from the father-in-law of Moses. Israel then pressed Jabin and the Canaanites until they were defeated. Chapter 5 records the song of Deborah and Barak which recalls the events just described. The land then had rest for forty years. In Chapter 6 Israel again turns away from the Lord and was oppressed by the people of Midian. The Midianites were like locusts and stripped the land bare of food before Israel. The people then cried out to the Lord. God sent a prophet to Israel to remind them what He had done for them and that they had disobeyed. Meanwhile the Angel of the Lord visited a man named Gideon in Ophrah. The Angel of the Lord said to Gideon as he was beating grain in his father’s winepress “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Gideon answered and asked “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord answered Gideon and said “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” This going back and forth reminds me of the time that the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Gideon still was unsure and asked the Lord for several signs to convince him. Gideon then angered the Midianites by following the Lord’s instruction in tearing down the altar of Baal with his father’s bull. When the Midianites gathered against Israel in the valley of Jezreel, the Spirit of the Lord entered Gideon and he blew his trumpet to gather Israel to him. Gideon again asked the Lord for a sign and used a fleece of wool to prove God’s desires. God wanted it to be known that it was He who would win the battle against Midian. The Lord reduced the army of Gideon from twenty two thousand to eleven thousand. He then reduced it further, by unusual means, down to three hundred men. The fear of the Lord was placed into the minds of Israel’s enemy by the use of dreams. The text says their armies were like locusts in number. God had Gideon arm his men with trumpets, clay pitchers, and torches. When Gideon gave his men the prearranged signal, they blew their trumpets, smashed the clay pitchers, and held the torches, while they shouted “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” The armies of Midian were confused by the Lord and turned their swords against each other. Gideon and his men chased them with their trumpets until Israel was delivered. Israel then had rest for forty years. Gideon then had seventy sons, and many wives. The text mentions one of his sons in particular, Abimelech from his concubine in Shechem. Gideon died and was buried with his fathers. Israel had begun to turn away from the Lord before Gideon died because of the Ephod he had made from the spoils of the war with Midian. After his death Israel completely turned and worshipped Baal-berith as their god. There was a power struggle in Israel within the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon). Gideon’s son Abimelech convinced the people that it would be better for him alone to rule over them then a group of seventy men. He conspired against his brothers and killed all seventy of them. He took over the rule of Israel. After Abimelech ruled Israel for three years God sent an evil spirit to come between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. They went against Abimelech and fought until he was finally killed by a woman by dropping a millstone on his head. Abimelech died and Israel was judged by a man named Tola for twenty three years. After Tola’s death Jair judged Israel for twenty two years. Israel then again turned away from the Lord after the death of Jair and served Baal. Israel was then oppressed by the Philistines and the Ammonites for eighteen years. They cried out to the Lord again and God raised up Jephthah to deliver His people. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord that he would give Him whoever came from his house to meet him. Jephthah delivered Israel, and then regretted his vow because his daughter came to meet him. He was distressed because his daughter would not ever be able to marry and have children. The people of Israel began a custom to mourn the virginity of Jephthah’s only child every year. Jephthah judged Israel for six years, and was followed by Ibzan, Elon, and then Abdon. These four judges cover a period of thirty one years. Israel again turned away from the Lord and did evil in His sight. God then sent the Philistines to oppress Israel for forty years. In Chapter 13 the book begins the life of Samson. The barren wife of Manoah, a man from the tribe of Dan, was visited by the Angel of the Lord, and told that she would bear a son that would deliver Israel. She was told not to take wine or strong drink, to refrain from eating anything unclean, and that her son would be a Nazirite to God from the womb. The woman went to her husband and told him what had happened. Manoah prayed that the man would return and explain what he was to do for the boy. When the man returned he told Manoah what he had said and that Manoah would ensure that his wife obeyed all she was told. Manoah wanted the man to stay and eat with them. They did not realize they had been visited by God in human form. He answered Manoah and had him prepare a burnt offering instead of a meal. Manoah asked the visitor his name so they could honor him when his words came to pass. The Lord answered in verse 18 “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” Manoah prepared the burnt offering while the Lord performed wonders in their sight. They understood who their visitor was when He ascended towards heaven on the flame of the offering. Samson was born and grew and was blessed by God. The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan. Samson went to Timnah and saw a woman of the Philistines ha wanted. His parents wanted him to take a bride from his own people. Samson replied to his father in Judges 14:3 “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” This sounds like the attitude of Israel during the time of the judges, but it was actually from the Lord. God wanted to create an issue with the Philistines. Samson came to his parents in Timnah until he reached the vineyards. The text says that a young lion came roaring up to him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he killed the lion as he would kill a goat. He went to his parents, but did not tell them what he had done. They talked with the woman and he decided he wanted her. When he went to get her he came to the carcass of the lion. The body of the lion was filled with a swarm of bees and honey. Samson scraped the honey from the lion and ate it on his way. He gave some to his parents but did not tell them where it was from. They then had a feast for the woman, and thirty men from the Philistines were there with his bride. Samson told the thirty a riddle for them to solve in seven days. He promised to give them all clothing and wraps for a correct answer. Samson wanted to brag to them about what had done to the lion. The men could not figure out an answer by the third day. The men threatened Samson’s new wife to find out the answer for them. She did and they answered Samson on the seventh day. The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson and he went to Ashkelon and killed thirty men. He gave the winning men the clothing even though they received the answer by his wife. Samson left angry, and his new wife was given to his companion who was his friend. In Chapter 15 Samson tried to visit his wife to give her a goat. Her father would not allow him to see her and offered him her younger sister. Samson was angry and went into the fields of the Philistines with three hundred captured foxes. He set fire to the fox’s tails and they burned up the crops of the Philistines. The Philistines found out who had caused this tragedy and burned up Samson’s wife and her father. Samson caused a great slaughter in the people and then lived in a cleft in the rock of Etam. Three thousand men of Judah came to Etam and bound Samson to take him to the Philistines. They were afraid he would again anger their rulers, the Philistines. When they reached Lehi and the Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and he broke his bonds. He picked up the jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand men. When he had finished God provided him water to drink. Samson judged Israel for twenty years. In Chapter 16 the weakness of Samson is discussed. The weakness was shown to be his hair. The life of Samson shows that his real weakness is the same as many of the weaknesses we observe in men today. Samson had a weakness for beautiful women, and a weakness of pride. He was born a Nazirite, but slept with prostitutes and ate unclean things. Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there. The men of the city hid themselves to kill Samson in the morning. Samson awoke at midnight and left the city with a show of strength toward the people. He then fell in love with a woman from the valley of Sorek named Delilah. She was told by the leaders of the Philistines to find out Samson’s weakness. She was promised money to do this for them. She went to Samson, and he tested her three times with lies about his weakness. He did not fear her attempts and wanted her so he told her what she believed was the truth. Samson told her he was a Nazirite and that a razor had never come near his head. He said that his strength was in his hair. Delilah believed and had a man shave his hair while he slept that night. She collected her money and began to test Samson. Samson’s strength was no longer with him. The Lord had left him for what he had done. Delilah gave Samson over to the Philistines, and they gouged out his eyes, put him in bronze chains, and took him to prison. Samson’s hair began to grow after it was shaved. The people were happy and prepared a sacrifice to their god Dagon. Samson was brought out of the prison to amuse the people. Samson was placed between the pillars that held up the house he was in. There were three thousand in the house being amused by Samson. Samson repented from his ways and asked the Lord to return his strength one last time. He wished to die with the Philistines. The Lord granted his request and Samson pushed down the pillars of the house. The people Samson killed in death were more then he had killed during his life. His family then came for his body and buried him with his father. We will finish up this weeks study with Chapter 17. This chapter tells the account of a man of Ephraim named Micah, who took silver from his mother, then returned it to her. She said that her son was blessed by the Lord, and had a graven image made from some of the returned silver. The image was made and Micah constructed an ephod, or shirt, from the idols and consecrated one of his sons to be his priest. In the next part of the chapter a young man who was a Levite was staying at Bethlehem in Judah. He left the city and traveled to find another place to stay. He ended up in the hill country of Ephraim in the home of Micah. Micah asked him where he was from, and when he found out the young man was a real Levite, he offered him the job of being his personal priest. The man agreed and became the priest to the man Micah. Micah actually believed that the Lord would now prosper him because he had a Levite as his priest. The people had fallen so far from the Lords commandments that they were making up their own. The people did what was right in their own eyes. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Judges, cover the Book of Ruth, and begin the Book of 1 Samuel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 16: 15-JUDGES 18 – 1 SAMUEL 14:23 ======================================================================== Judges 18 – 1 Samuel 14:23 Apr. 4, 2009 This week we will begin in the Book of Judges with Chapter 18. Last week we learned about the different people God raised up to deliver His people. The up and down cycle of disobedience and repentance continued through this entire period of Israel’s history. We finished up last week talking about Micah and his false priest. This event happened during the time covered in the first chapter of the book, when the individual tribes went in to possess their land. Now in Chapter 18 the people of the tribe of Dan who were unsuccessful against the inhabitants of their allotment needed more land for their people. Their difficulty with the Amorites was recorded in Judges 1:34. The Danites sent five men to spy out the land to look for additional territory. The spies stopped in the hill country of Ephraim on their journey, and stopped at the house of Micah to spend the night. They had heard of the ephod, idols, and images that were there, and also the Levite priest. The spies asked the priest to ask God about their intention of taking the city of Laish. The false priest gave them a vague favorable report they thought was from God. The men returned to their territory and told the people what they had found. The spies returned with six hundred armed men to take the city. They stopped again at the house of Micah, and stole his priest and idols for themselves. The men threatened Micah and his people with destruction if they resisted the theft. The army then came to Laish and easily defeated the city and its people. They burned the city to the ground, then rebuilt it and renamed it Dan after their father. They set up the images and idols they had taken from Micah in the city. The priest, whose name we now learn was Jonathan, and his sons were priests to the Danites until Israel was taken into captivity years later. The saddest thing about this story is that several old manuscripts say that Jonathan, the false priest, was a grandson of Moses. Chapters 19 through 21, the end of the book, cover a series of events that occurred during the period of the judges between the children of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. It is thought to have been soon after Joshua’s death, before the first judge was raised by the Lord. A Levite from the hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. The woman cheated on the man and left and stayed in her father’s house for four months. The Levite loved the woman and traveled to Bethlehem to retrieve her. Her father did not want them to leave and delayed them for five days with excuses. The fact that the Levite went to get her and she had not been killed as an adulteress shows how badly God’s law was corrupted in those days. On the fifth night the man refused to stay and set out that evening, with the woman to his home. His servants wanted them to stop in Jerusalem for the night. The man refused because Jerusalem was a city of the Jebusites at that time. He only wanted to lodge with his own people. The party stopped for the night in Gibeah. An old man met them and gave them a place to stay. They had a celebration and settled in for the night. After the Levite fell asleep, evil men from the city came to the old man’s house to take the Levite and have homosexual relations with him the same as the men of Sodom came for the two angels. The old man rebuked them and offered them his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine instead. This was also similar to what Lot did with his daughters. The men took the concubine and abused her all night until she was dead. When the Levite awoke the next morning and found the woman, he cut her into twelve pieces and had the pieces delivered throughout the land of Israel. He wanted his brethren to know what the evil men had done. The men were from the tribe of Benjamin. This wicked act angered all of Israel and caused a civil war with the people of Benjamin. The Benjamites were defeated and nearly cut off from Israel. In Chapter 21 the people of Israel began to mourn the loss of Benjamin and what had become of Israel. They got together and devised a way to ensure the survival of the tribe. This ends the Book of Judges, and the time when all of Israel did what was right in their own eyes. We will now look into the Book of Ruth. The events recorded in this book occurred during the period of the judges we have been covering since last week. The book opens with a man named Elimelech from the tribe of Judah. He left the city of Bethlehem with his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Chilion and Mahlon, to live in the land of Moab because of a famine in Palestine. Elimelech died and left Naomi alone with her two sons. Chilion and Mahlon took for themselves wives from the women of Moab. The names of their wives were Orpah, and Ruth. The five of them had lived in Moab for about ten years when Chilion and Mahlon both died. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and her people because she had heard the famine was over. Nothing remained for her in Moab. She told her two daughters-in-law to return to their mother’s house and be blessed with new husbands. Both of the women refused and Naomi explained to them that she could not provide for them, and they would be better off here with husbands and children. Orpah returned to her mother’s house, but Ruth still refused. Her words to Naomi were recorded in Ruth 1:16-17 “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.“Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” They both returned to Bethlehem where Naomi wanted the people to call her Mara instead of Naomi. The name Mara meant “bitter” while the name Naomi meant “pleasant”. Naomi believed the Lord had treated her bitterly because of her loss. Naomi and Ruth were poor so Ruth went to the town’s fields to glean some food after the reapers. This was a Law in Israel at that time to provide for the poor and widows. They had returned to Bethlehem during the barley harvest. A portion of the field belonged to a wealthy relative of Elimelech named Boaz. When the reapers came to the field that belonged to Boaz, he asked his servant who the woman was who was gleaning after them. His servant told him it was Ruth the young Moabite woman who arrived with Naomi. Boaz favored Ruth and told her to glean only in his field He also said to her in Chapter 2:11-12 “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.“May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Boaz shared his meal with her and allowed her to glean whatever she wanted from his grain. Ruth returned home to Naomi and told her about her day. Naomi blessed the Lord and realized that Ruth had found favor with a relative of hers. Ruth returned and gleaned in the field of Boaz until the end of the harvest. There was a law in Israel in those days referred to as the law of the kinsman redeemer. The brother or closest relative of a man who had died was to take his widow as a wife if she had not provided an heir to carry on her husband’s family line. This was required to keep the inheritance of the Lord divided properly to the people. Naomi realized this and gave Ruth instructions on what she was to do. Ruth went to Boaz one evening, and did not reveal herself. Boaz went to bed and after he had gone to sleep Ruth removed his cover and lay down at his feet. With his covering removed he would awaken and find Ruth. He awoke and saw Ruth at his feet. He asked who she was, and Ruth replied and asked him to marry her because he was a close relative. Boaz admired Ruth and told her he would redeem her if he could. He was not her closest relative, but he said he would go to town and try to redeem her tomorrow. Boaz went to the city gate the next morning and found out that only one man was a closer relative to Elimelech. That man was not able to buy the field that belonged to Elimelech from Naomi without jeopardizing his own inheritance. The redemption of Ruth came along with the field. Boaz then bought the field and redeemed Ruth. Boaz married Ruth and she had a son. The women of Bethlehem were happy for Naomi and blessed her and prayed that the boy would support her in her old age. They knew it would be true because Ruth her daughter-in-law loved her and was better to her than six sons had given birth to him. The boy was named Obed. The story of Ruth is significant because Obed, the son of Boaz was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. These three men are part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This ends the Book of Ruth. We will now begin the Book of 1 Samuel. The book is named for the prophet Samuel. He was considered the final judge over Israel. Samuel followed the Lord and was the man who anointed the first two kings of Israel. Chapter 1 begins with a man named Elknah from the tribe of Ephraim who had two wives. Their names were Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had provided him with children, but Hannah had not. Elknah did not mind, he loved Hannah and gave her a double portion yearly. Peninnah thought she was better and continuously provoked Hannah. She wept, but Elknah asked if he was not better to her than ten sons. Hannah was still very sad and when she was in Shiloh, at the temple of God, she prayed and made a vow that if God would provide her with a son he would be a Nazirite to the Lord. Eli the High Priest saw Hannah’s lips moving without speaking and asked her why she was drunk. She told him her story that she was pouring her heart out to God. Eli blessed her and told her he hoped her petition to God would be answered. The Lord heard Hannah and she had a son. They named the boy Samuel, and when he was weaned they brought him to Shiloh and left him with Eli. Eli’s own sons were worthless men the text says that did not follow the Lord’s ways, and took bribes and profaned the offerings to the Lord. They angered the Lord with their sin. Meanwhile the boy Samuel grew and served the Lord in the temple with Eli. Hannah would come to him yearly with a new robe. Eli would bless Hannah, and she did conceive again. She provided Elknah with three more sons and two daughters. Eli had been given reports about the activities of his sons. He spoke to them and told them to change their ways. They would not listen to him and continued to disobey the Lord. God became very angry with the sons. Eli was then visited by a Man of God. This was another occurrence of the Lord visiting man in human form. God told Eli that he would have no heirs and that his family line would end because of his sons. Eli was told that both of his sons would die at the same time. God said he would raise up a new faithful priest that would honor and serve Him. In Chapter 3 the story shifts back to the boy Samuel. The text says that word from the Lord was seldom heard in those days. Eli had gone to his bed and was lying down when Samuel heard his name called. He rushed to Eli and said here I am. Eli told him he did not call and sent him away. This happened two more times until Eli perceived that the Lord was calling Samuel. He told the boy to answer the call and say “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” Samuel did this and God told him that what he had told Eli would come to pass. Eli asked Samuel to tell him what the Lord had said, and not to leave anything out. Samuel told Eli everything and he realized he had brought it all upon himself and said to let the Lord do what seemed good to Him. Samuel continued to grow in the Lord and people began to realize that he was a prophet chosen by God. In Chapter 4 God’s prophetic word was carried out. The Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle with the Philistines, and the sons of Eli died in the fight. When Eli heard the Ark was taken he fell backwards off his bench and broke his neck. What God had told Eli had come to pass. The widow of Eli’s son Phinehas gave birth to a son. She died in childbirth, but before she passed the people told her not to fear she had given birth to a son. She ignored them and called the boy Ichabod because the Glory of the Lord has left Israel. God was angry that the Ark was captured and it is recorded in Chapter 5 that he struck the captors with illness and cut apart their idol Dagon. The Philistines realized the Ark had to be returned to Israel. The Ark was returned with a great loss of life among the Philistines. Samuel told the people of Israel that if they returned to the Lord and followed His commandments He would defeat the Philistines for them. The people honored Samuels request and served the Lord. The Philistines were defeated. Samuel judged Israel his entire life and traveled a circuit annually around the country to fulfill his task. In Chapter 8 Samuel had grown old and appointed his sons to judge the people. Samuel’s sons did not follow the Lord and treated the people unfairly. The people could not follow Samuel’s corrupt sons. They demanded a king from Samuel to rule over them. Samuel was angry and asked the Lord what he should do. God told Samuel not to be angry. The people did not reject him, they rejected the Lord. God told Samuel to honor the peoples demand but first warn them on what having a king would do to them. The people listened to Samuel, but still demanded a king. Samuel went in search of a king in Chapter 9. God had already selected a man named Saul to be the first king over Israel. Saul was the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. God had selected a king that the people wanted. Saul was a handsome man and very tall, he possessed the outward appearance of a king, but as we will see was lacking inside. Samuel found Saul and anointed him with a flask of oil as king of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord entered Saul and he prophesied with the rest of the prophets. Samuel gathered the people at Mizpah and presented the people with their new king. Some of the people there wondered if Saul could deliver them from their enemies. Saul’s first challenge as king was a threat from the Ammonites. They threatened to kill the people of Israel if they would not make a covenant with them. Saul heard this and became angry. The Spirit of the Lord entered Saul when he heard the Ammonite threat, and he and 330,000 men from Israel defeated the Ammonites that day. Saul was proclaimed king at Gilgal by the people, and all of Israel rejoiced. Saul then addressed the people and was confirmed king by the Lord. The Lord did this by causing lightning and thunder to fall on Israel as Samuel had predicted. The people asked for prayer because they had sinned in asking for a king. Samuel replied that the Lord would not abandon his people or their king as long as they followed the Lord and obeyed Him. Saul began his reign when he was thirty years old and reigned over Israel for forty two years. The Philistines did not approve of Israel and wanted to go against them in battle. Saul chose men to go against the Philistines. He waited in Gilgal for Samuel for seven days as he was told. Samuel did not come so Saul took it upon himself to offer the burnt and peace offerings to the Lord. Saul was not a Levite and was not supposed to offer to the Lord. Saul’s lack of patience caused this sin. Samuel then came and saw Saul’s sin. He rebuked Saul and told him his kingdom would not endure. He told Saul that God had chosen a man after His own heart to be king instead of him, and then left Gilgal for Gibeah. Saul continued on to the battle. There were no blacksmiths to be found for swords so the people sharpened their farming tools for weapons. Saul’s son Jonathan possessed a sword and took his armor bearer to the garrison of the Philistines to go against them. He fought bravely and killed twenty men. After this an earthquake occurred that caused a great trembling in the land. The people were afraid and confusion came over the Philistines. They turned their swords against each other. The Philistines were defeated that day. We will end our study for this week here in Chapter 14:23. Next week we will finish up the Book of 1 Samuel and the reign of Saul. We will look into the acts of David and begin the Book of 2 Samuel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 17: 16-1 SAMUEL 14:24 – 2 SAMUEL 2 ======================================================================== 1 Samuel 14:24 – 2 Samuel 2 Apr. 11, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 1 Samuel 14:24. We finished up last week with the victory over the Philistines led by Saul’s son Jonathan. This week we will start off with a foolish order that was given by King Saul during the battle. Saul made the people take an oath that they would not eat anything until evening, or until the battle was won, or they would die. Jonathan did not hear his father, and when he came to a forest there was honey on the ground. Jonathan was hungry and dipped his staff into the honeycomb and ate some honey. The men with him told him of his father’s order, but Jonathan replied to them that the order was foolish; they could have done much better in the battle if they were not so hungry. The men went to their enemies and killed and ate from the spoils, mainly the meat along with its blood. Saul was told of this and he had the people bring their sheep and oxen and eat without sinning against the Lord. Jonathan was brought to him and Saul would have killed him if the people did not intercede because of his great victory. Israel was in a constant state of warfare for all the days of Saul’s reign. The Lord spoke to Saul through Samuel the prophet. Samuel told Saul to go up against the Amalekites for what they had done to Israel. Saul gathered his men and went to fight. Saul defeated and destroyed the Amalekites that day, but did not obey the Lord. Saul spared the Kenites and took king Agag of the Amalekites prisoner. Israel killed the people, but kept everything of value as spoil. God had told them to completely destroy the Amalekites, and all that was theirs. Samuel came and rebuked Saul for their sin and told him in Chapter 15:22-23 “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” Saul acknowledged his sin, but the damage was already done. He asked Samuel to come with him to worship the Lord. Samuel refused and as he turned to leave Saul grabbed him and tore his robe. Samuel turned to Saul and told him these words from Chapter 15:28-29 “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” Samuel then went with Saul to worship the Lord. He asked Saul for King Agag. Agag came cheerfully, but Samuel took a sword and hacked King Agag to pieces before the Lord. He then left Saul and did not see him again until the day of his death. Samuel mourned Saul, and the Lord regretted making Saul king over Israel. In Chapter16 the Lord told Samuel not to grieve over Saul, but to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, where He would select Israel’s next king. Samuel filled his horn with oil and went to Bethlehem. He called the house of Jesse to sacrifice. He had Jesse bring his sons before him to find out who the Lord had selected. The Lord told Samuel in Chapter 16:7 “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesse had seven of his sons come before Samuel, but none of them were chosen. Samuel asked Jesse if these were all his sons. Jesse replied that his youngest son was tending his sheep. Samuel had David brought before him, and the Lord said this was the one. Samuel poured the oil from his horn on David’s head to anoint him king. The Spirit of the Lord was mighty in David from that day forward. From the moment that David was anointed by Samuel the Spirit of the Lord left Saul. The Lord sent an evil spirit to torment Saul after this time. Saul’s servants looked for a musician to comfort him when the evil spirit was plaguing him. They had heard that the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite had a son who was skilled with the harp. David was brought to Saul to play for him. Saul loved David and had him become his armor bearer. Whenever the evil spirit from God would come on Saul, David would play for him. The Philistines were still against Israel. They gathered their armies to fight them in Socoh. The Philistines sent out a champion to meet Israel. Their champion was a giant from Gath named Goliath. Goliath was one of the Anakim Joshua had left alive that was recorded in Joshua 11:21-22 “Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained.” God had Joshua leave these giants for this time so He could show the fearlessness, and devotion of His chosen king, David. Goliath was extremely strong and stood over nine feet tall. His weapons and armor were larger and heavier then any other mans. He challenged Israel to send out their champion to meet him in combat. This challenge went on for forty days. Israel was very afraid of Goliath. Jesse had his son David take food to his brothers who were on the battle line with Israel near Goliath. He wanted David to bring him news of his other sons. When David arrived he ran to the frontline to greet his brothers. When he was there Goliath came and gave his challenge again. The people were still afraid, but David said in Chapter 17:26 “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” The people answered, but his brothers were angry with him for what he had asked. David was not afraid of Goliath and offered to go against him. Saul did not want to send a boy to meet a true warrior and tried to stop David. David told Saul that he had killed both a bear and a lion himself when they threatened his sheep. Saul then agreed and gave David his sword and armor to wear. David tried on the armor and could not move in it. He removed the armor and selected five smooth stones from the brook for his sling and went to face Goliath. When Goliath saw who Israel had sent to face him he laughed. The Philistine said to David in Chapter 17:43 “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” He cursed David by his gods and told him he would feed his flesh to the birds and beasts. David replied to Goliath in kind and told him in Chapter 17:45-47 “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.“This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” David then took one of the stones from his pouch and loaded his sling. He rushed towards Goliath and let the stone fly. It hit Goliath in his forehead and sank in deep. Goliath fell to the ground and David came to him and killed him with his own sword. David then cut off the head of the Philistine champion. When they saw their champion was dead they fled in fear from Israel. Israel chased the Philistines and defeated them and plundered their cities. David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem but left his weapons in his tent. David took the head to the stronghold of the Jebusites to strike fear in them. The sword was preserved where David left it as a memorial to what the Lord had done. Saul did not remember David and asked who the boy was that defeated Goliath. Saul brought David to his house after this. Jonathan, Saul’s son struck up a friendship with David and the two became very close. Jonathan made a covenant with David the text says because he loved him as himself. David prospered in all he did, and his fame spread throughout the land. Saul became jealous of David when he overheard the women of the town singing “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Saul feared for his kingdom and became suspicious of David from that day forward. The next day as Saul was raving from the evil spirit, he tried to kill David with his spear as he played his harp for him. David escaped from Saul and was made the commander of his army. Saul feared David because the Lord was now with him and wished to be rid of him. David continued to prosper in all he did and Israel loved him. Saul had promised his daughter to David, but withheld her so he would continue to fight the Philistines for him. Instead of David Saul gave his firstborn daughter to another man. Saul’s other daughter, Michal loved David, and Saul thought that giving her to him would be advantageous to him in his quest to destroy him. He told his servants to tell him he required the foreskins of one hundred Philistines for the hand of Michal. David did this and Saul gave him Michal to marry. Saul then became even more afraid of David. In Chapter 19 Saul told his son Jonathan and his servants to put David to death. Jonathan loved David and told him what his father had said. He told David to be on his guard and hide while he spoke to his father. Jonathan went to Saul and convinced him to spare David for what he had done for Israel. Things returned to what they had been when David lived with Saul and he was not seeking to harm him. There was another war with the Philistines and David again delivered Israel. The evil spirit from the Lord again came on Saul and he tried to pin David to his wall again with his spear. David again escaped and his wife Michal disguised a household idol with clothes as David and placed it in his bed. She deceived the messengers from her father into believing David was sick. This gave him enough time to escape to Ramah and the prophet Samuel. Every messenger that Saul sent to retrieve David was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied with Samuel and the other prophets. Saul himself came to Ramah and the Spirit of the Lord also entered him and he stripped naked and prophesied before Samuel all that day and night. David again escaped from Saul. In Chapter 20 Jonathan made a covenant with David that he would find out if his father still wanted him dead. Jonathan knew that David would someday rule Israel and he wanted safety for his house from his enemies. Their friendship was so great Jonathan could not go against David and help his father. Saul became angry with Jonathan and told him he would never be king as long as David lived. Jonathan had no desire to be king and went to David and told him what his father had said. They both wept and Jonathan returned to the city. David went with his men to the city of Nob and told the priest Ahimelech there he was on a mission for the king. He asked the priest for bread. The only bread the priest had was the bread from the Table of Presence that was reserved for the priests. He also asked Ahimelech for a sword and was given the sword of Goliath that was kept behind the ephod there. The priest gave David and his men what they wanted. Jesus used this story to rebuke the Pharisees in Matthew Chapter 12:1-7 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” A servant of Saul named Doeg was there in Nob and knew David was not on a mission for the king. David left Nob and fled Saul to king Achish of Gath. The king’s servants thought they recognized David as the man who had killed so many of their people. David faked insanity to deceive king Achish of his true identity and escaped to the cave of Adullam. David was joined by his brothers and many other men who were distressed and in debt. David left them in the stronghold in Moab for their safety. The prophet Gad told him to leave the stronghold and go back to the land of Judah. Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered and was told by Doeg that he had been seen in Nob and was given provisions and the sword of Goliath by Ahimelech the priest. Saul was very angry with the priests of Nob. Because of David’s deception to Ahimelech the priest of Nob, every priest and the entire city was destroyed by Saul. David then went to Keilah and delivered the city from the Philistines. Saul pursued David until they came to a place they called the Rock of Escape. Saul entered the cave where David and his men were hiding to relieve himself. David rose up and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. Saul did not realize David was there in the cave and had spared his life. David left the cave and told his men in Chapter 24:7 “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” He persuaded his men with those words and allowed Saul to leave the cave unaware. David then went after Saul to show him what he had done. He said he would not seek to harm him. Saul realized what David had done and it is recorded in Chapter 24:16-21 “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you.“You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me.“For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day.“Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.“So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household.” David swore to Saul and left for the stronghold at Engedi. In Chapter 25 Samuel the prophet died and was mourned by all of Israel. David then went down to the wilderness of Paran. While David and his men were there they spent the time protecting the flocks of a wealthy man of Maon named Nabal who had business in Carmel. David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel and sent men to him to collect something from him for their services. Nabal was ignorant to the messengers and said to them in Chapter 25:10-11 “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master.“Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?” Nabal’s servants told his beautiful wife Abigail what her husband had done, and how David and his men had been very good to them in protecting their sheep. Abigail gathered together much wine and food and went to David to correct her husband’s mistake. When she came to David she asked him not to pay attention to her “worthless” husband and accept what she had for him. She asked for restraint for her house for what her husband had done. David was impressed with Abigail and blessed her and thanked her for restraining him from causing bloodshed that day. Abigail returned to Nabal and waited until morning when he was not drunk to tell him what she had done. When Nabal heard what his wife had done the text says that his heart died within him and he became as a stone. It is believed he had a stroke and became immobile for ten days until the Lord killed him. When David found out Nabal was dead he sent for Abigail to be his wife. David also took another woman of Jezreel as a wife. Saul had given his first wife Michal to another man. We see that even though David was a man after God’s own heart there were many things in his life that God could not have approved of. We have heard so far of multiple wives, deceptions, and idols in his home. Even with all of David’s faults God continued to be with him and he became the most beloved king in all of the history of Israel. In Chapter 28 David again spared Saul’s life when he could have taken it. Even though Saul pursued David to kill him, David refused to touch God’s anointed. David fled from Saul and lived with the Philistines for a year and four months. Saul was afraid of the Philistines, but he no longer had anyone to consult. God had left him and Samuel was dead. He had also removed all of the mediums and spiritists from the land. His servants knew of a woman of Endor who was a medium. Saul disguised himself and asked the witch to conjure up someone for him. She was afraid because she knew what Saul had done to the other mediums in the land. She wanted to know why he wanted to set a trap for her. Saul swore an oath to the woman in the name of the Lord that no harm would come to her if she did what he asked. She agreed and asked him who he wanted. Saul told her he wanted Samuel, and when she saw him she cried out and realized she had been deceived and the man was actually Saul. Saul told her not to be afraid and tell him what she saw. She said she saw a divine being coming up from the earth. Saul asked her his form and she replied that he looked like an old man wrapped in a robe. Saul knew it was Samuel and bowed down to him. Samuel asked Saul why he had disturbed him. Saul answered that he was distressed with the Philistines making war on them and that the Lord would no longer answer him so he called Samuel to tell him what to do. Samuel told Saul in Chapter 28:16-19 “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary?“The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.“As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.“Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines; therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!” Samuel had predicted the death of Saul and his sons the next day. The Philistines did not trust David and sent him away. On their return David and his men came to Ziklag and found it in ruins. The Amalekites had come and destroyed the city. All of the women and children there were taken captive including David’s wives. David and the people wept over their lost families and the men were bitter with David over what had happened. They even considered stoning him. David strengthened himself in the Lord and asked for the ephod to consult the Lord’s will in this matter. The Lord told him to pursue the Amalekites and he left with four hundred men. David found the Amalekites and slaughtered them and retrieved all that was theirs. He also retrieved his wives. David divided the spoils to the men who went with him and also those who stayed behind. He also divided a portion of the spoil among the elders of Judah. In Chapter 31 the Philistines fought against Israel on Mount Gilboa. Many men of Israel were killed. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons and killed Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. Saul was also severely wounded. He asked his armor bearer to kill him so he would not fall into enemy hands, but the man refused. Saul then fell on his own sword and died. The Philistines found Saul and his sons. They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons and sent them throughout the land to prove their victory. They fastened his body to a wall in Beth-shan. Men of Israel that lived in Jabesh-Gilead came and retrieved the body of Saul and his sons. They burned the bodies in Jabesh and buried their bones under a tamarisk tree. The men then fasted seven days. Saul was only mourned by these men in Jabesh. He had died in disgrace. This ends the Book of 1 Samuel. We will now begin the Book of 2 Samuel. Chapter 1 begins with David finding out about the death of Saul and his sons. David and his men were staying in Ziklag after the defeat of the Amalekites. After the third day a man full of dust with torn clothes came and lied to David about the battle with Saul. He told David that he had killed Saul. David and his men tore their clothes and mourned the death of Saul and his sons. David also killed the messenger because he admitted that he had killed God’s anointed. David then went to Hebron and was anointed king over the land of Judah. Saul had another son named Ish-bosheth who Abner the son of Ner who was the commander of Saul’s army took to Mahanaim and had anointed king over Israel. Ish-bosheth reigned over Israel for two years. David reigned over Judah in Hebron for seven and one half years. A civil war broke out in Palestine between the people under the two kings. We will end our study here this week in 2 Samuel Chapter 2 and pick up next week in 2 Samuel 3 with more on the history of events during the reign of King David. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 18: 17-2 SAMUEL 3 – 20 ======================================================================== 2 Samuel 3 – 20 Apr. 18, 2009 We will begin this week’s study in 2 Samuel 3. At the end of last week we talked about the civil war that was fought in Palestine after the death of King Saul. David had become king of Judah, and Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was installed as king over Israel. The commanders over both kings’ armies fought for control over the kingdom. This week in the beginning of Chapter 3 we learn that the house of David was winning the war, while the house of Saul was becoming weaker. The text also mentions that six sons were born to David in Hebron. Abner the commander of Ish-bosheth’s army had a disagreement with the king over a concubine of his father Saul. Ish-bosheth accused Abner of an improper relationship with the woman. Abner became very upset with Ish-bosheth and decided to switch his allegiance to King David. He had messengers sent to Hebron to tell David of his decision. David was pleased but required his first wife, Michal to be brought to him before Abner would be accepted. Abner did this and went to David. Abner had convinced the elders of Israel to side with him and David. David accepted Abner and sent him away in peace. Joab returned to Hebron with David’s army and much spoil and heard about Abner. He was very upset and believed Abner had come to spy on them and find out their weakness. Joab sent messengers to Abner to have him return to Hebron. When he arrived Joab met Abner privately and killed him to avenge his brother Asahel who Abner killed in the battle at Gibeon. When David heard that Abner was dead he mourned his loss. All of Israel then knew that David had nothing to do with the murder of Abner. In Chapter 4 when Ish-bosheth heard that Abner had been murdered he lost courage and the people of Israel became concerned. Ish-bosheth had two men who were commanders over two parts of his army named Baanah and Rechab. The text then for some reason inserts a verse that tells us that Saul‘s son Jonathan had a five year old son. When word came that Saul and Jonathan were dead, the boys nurse took him and fled. During their escape the boy fell and became lame. The boy’s name was Mephibosheth. The text goes back to the story in verse five. Baanah and Rechab came to the house of Ish-bosheth when he was taking his midday rest and killed him and removed his head. The men escaped with the severed head and traveled all night to reach David. I believe they wanted to gain favor with the inevitable king. When David was shown the head of Ish-bosheth he killed Baanah and Rechab and buried the head with Abner. David told the two men in Chapter 4:9-11 “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,when one told me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.“How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hand and destroy you from the earth?” After Ish-bosheth was dead the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron and swore their allegiance to him. The people remembered that it was David during the reign of Saul who delivered Israel from their enemies. They made a covenant with David before the Lord and anointed him King over all of Israel and Judah. David became king when he was thirty years old and reigned for forty years. He reigned over Judah in Hebron for six and one half years and over both Judah and Israel for thirty three years in Jerusalem. David and his men then went to Jerusalem to go against the Jebusites. The Lord was with David and even though the inhabitants of the city taunted him with their strength, David and his men took the city. He established his capital their and renamed his stronghold the City of David. David expanded the city and prospered. David then realized that the Lord had made him king over Israel and had increased his kingdom. David took for himself more wives and concubines in Jerusalem and had more sons and daughters. At the end of Chapter 5 it is recorded that the Philistines heard that David had become king over all of Israel and set out to go against them again. David again met the threat and defeated the Philistines. In Chapter 6 David gathered thirty thousand men to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Kiriath-jearim, where it had been for the past twenty years, to Jerusalem. God was so far out of the picture in Israel that His dwelling place with His people was left in an out of the way place. They placed the Ark on a new cart and all the people including David celebrated before the Lord with all kinds of musical instruments. When the cart carrying the Ark came to the threshing floor of Nacon, which was a hill, the oxen nearly upset the cart and caused the Ark to fall. Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark and was struck dead in anger by the Lord. The people did not treat the Ark with the proper respect. It was only to be hand carried on specified poles by Levites from the family of Kohath. The Ark was not to be carried on a cart by oxen, or touched by just anyone. David was angry with God because He had killed Uzzah. He did not know how to get the Ark to Jerusalem. David was afraid to move the Ark. Instead of looking in the law for the proper way to transport the Ark, he left it where it was with the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The family of Obed-edom was blessed by the Lord for the three months they were in possession of the Ark. When David found out the Lord had blessed Obed-edom and all that was his he realized it was now alright to retrieve the Ark. The Ark was brought to Jerusalem with sacrifices and dancing for joy. David danced with all his might before the Lord as the Ark was brought through the gates of Jerusalem. His first wife Michal saw him dancing and leaping from her window and was embarrassed by his actions. David brought the Ark of the Covenant to a tent he had pitched for it in the city. He sacrificed burnt offerings and gave the people each three cakes to eat. One was bread, one was made with dates, and one was made with raisins. (Other translations of the Bible read that David gave the people a cake of bread, a good piece of beef, and a flagon of wine) I believe that either way David wanted this to be a great celebration. When David came to his own home to bless it, his wife Michal met him and told him of her embarrassment. David rebuked her and she spent the rest of her life childless for her actions. In Chapter 7 sometime after the Ark had been brought to Jerusalem David began to feel guilty that he had a large elaborate home to live in, but the Lord dwelled in a tent. David desired to build a house for the Lord. Nathan the prophet told David to do what he wanted, but God came to Nathan that night and told him different thing. God said these words to Nathan to relay to David in Chapter 7:5-16“Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? “For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.“Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?” “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.“I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.“I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly,even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.“He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.“I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,but My loving-kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” David understood who God is and prayed a prayer of worship and thanksgiving to Him. The Lord was with David and he prospered over his enemies. The spoils from the victories increased his personal wealth and the wealth of his kingdom. David’s kingdom was then fully established and he surrounded himself with faithful men for his administration. During a time of peace in Israel David remembered his promise to Saul and Jonathan. He had sworn an oath with each of them that he would take care of their descendants after he became king. The house of Saul was mostly destroyed during the civil war that occurred after his death. David asked if any of Saul’s family still lived for Jonathan’s sake. A former servant of Saul, Ziba, told David that Jonathan had a remaining son who was crippled in both feet named Mephibosheth. We first heard of him back in Chapter 4. David had Mephibosheth brought to him and he restored all the land that belonged to his grandfather to him. David treated Mephibosheth as one of his own sons. David was given word, it is recorded in Chapter 10, that the king of the Ammonites had died and his son had taken over the throne. David sent messengers to comfort the new king’s loss because his father had been an enemy of Saul. Maybe David wanted to make an alliance with Ammon. The new king was given bad advice about David and was told the messengers had come to spy on them. He humiliated David’s men by cutting off half of their beards and cutting their clothing so their backsides were exposed. These things were signs of great disrespect in those days. David was told what had been done to his men and went to Jericho to meet them. He told them to remain there until their beards had a chance to grow. The Ammonites realized what they had done and were afraid of David and Israel’s strength. They hired two bands of Arameans to protect them from David. David sent his commander Joab and his army to fight the Ammonites. The Ammonites and their Aramean mercenaries surrounded the army of Israel. Joab divided his forces and went against the enemy. Joab and the mighty men of Israel had another victory that day. We are now at Chapter 11 and the account of King David’s greatest sin. While his army was away fighting the Ammonites David stayed behind. One evening while David was walking on his roof he saw a woman bathing nearby. The woman was beautiful and David found her to be very desirable to him. He asked who she was and someone said that she was Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was a soldier in David’s army and was away fighting the Ammonites for him at the time. David sent for the wife of Uriah and committed adultery with her. She then returned to her home. Sometime later she came to David and told him she was pregnant with his child. David was afraid of what the people would think and tried to figure out a way to make the child seem to be Uriah’s. He had Uriah brought from the battle to bring him news. David wanted him to spend the night at home with his wife. Uriah was an honorable man and would not accept pleasure while his fellow soldiers were at the front. He stayed outside. David tried everything but Uriah would not dishonor God or his fellow soldiers. David then thought up a different plan. He sent Uriah back to the war with a note that would cause his death. Joab was told in the message to place Uriah the Hittite in the front line of battle where the fiercest fighting was and leave him there. Uriah was killed by the enemy. David had orchestrated the murder of Uriah to cover up his sin. When he was told of Uriah’s death he did not show remorse, but was glad his plan worked. After Uriah’s wife “mourned” the death of her husband, David sent for her and Bathsheba became his wife. David had hidden his sin from Israel, but not from the Lord. David’s sin with Bathsheba angered God and He sent Nathan the prophet to David to confront him. Nathan used a parable to help David realize what he had done. The story was recorded in Chapter 12:1-4 “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” David heard the story and thought it was real. He was angry with the man who had killed the lamb and wanted to sentence him to death. He wanted the guilty man to pay restitution to the victim in accordance with the law. Nathan told David in Chapter 12:7-14 “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!‘Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’“Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.‘Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.” David admitted his sin and told Nathan in verse 13 “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied to David in verse 14 “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.“However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.” Even though God spared David from his sin the child created from his sin would die. This should be an example to each of us today. Even though the Lord has forgiven our sins because of our belief in His Son, our sins do have consequences to us and those around us. To get an idea of how David reacted at this time is shown in Psalm 51 that he wrote about this event in his life. David’s child was born by Bathsheba, but became very sick. David fasted and prayed for seven days, and would not eat with his advisers. The child then died and David’s servants were afraid to tell him for fear of what he would do. David perceived the child was dead and he got up and purified himself and went into the house of the Lord to worship. His servants were confused by David’s behavior and asked him what he was doing. He told them in Chapter 12:22-23 “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me that the child may live.’“But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” After this he went to Bathsheba and comforted his wife. Bathsheba again conceived and produced for David a son. The boy was named Solomon. The text says the Lord loved Solomon and the prophet Nathan named him Jedidiah, or “beloved of the Lord” for the Lord’s sake. There was another war with the Ammonites and again Israel was victorious. After this time, in Chapter 13, the text tells us a story of a disgraceful thing that happened in the family of King David. David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Tamar’s half-brother Amnon lusted after her, and desired her so much he became sick. The law forbade sexual relationships between siblings. Jonadab, a friend of Amnon, and the son of one of David’s older brothers, found out what was troubling his friend and devised a scheme for him to get what he wanted. Jonadab told Amnon to fake sickness and ask for Tamar to bring him food in his bedchamber. Normally unmarried virgins were supervised and protected from other men. This thing was only possible because Tamar was Amnon’s sister. Tamar prepared the food and brought it to Amnon. She did not desire Amnon, and when Amnon reached for her she told him not to do this shameful thing to her. Amnon did not listen, and raped his half-sister. Amnon hated her for what he had done, and when Tamar left she put ashes on her head and tore her clothes in anguish. Her brother Absalom found out what happened and brought Tamar to his home to protect her. David also heard and became very angry. Absalom did not say anything, but hated Amnon for what he had done. Two years later Absalom had his revenge on Amnon by having him killed. Absalom’s servants fled to David and told him that Absalom had killed all his sons. The truth finally came out that only Amnon was dead in revenge for what happened to Tamar. Absalom fled away from his father and stayed away for three years. David mourned for his missing son Absalom. After the three years had passed, Joab wanted to bring Absalom back to David. David missed his son, but was afraid of what his people would do to him. Absalom was guilty of the murder of his brother Amnon. Joab sent to Tekoa for a wise woman to speak to David. Joab put the words to a story in the woman’s mouth to tell David. She told David a tale of her two sons who bore a striking resemblance to Absalom and Amnon. She asked the king to spare her son who committed the murder from the avenger of blood who was after him. David perceived that Joab had given her the story and she confessed to him. David was not angry with Joab, but sent him to get Absalom from Gesher. David should not have saved his son, but let him face the punishment the law required. Absalom had not repented, and at least David had him placed under house arrest when he came. Absalom was not satisfied in his pardon and asked Joab several times to be taken to his father. Joab refused and Absalom had his servants set fire to Joab’s field and burn up his barley crop. Joab went to Absalom and realized he would be forced to grant Absalom’s request. Joab brought Absalom to David after he was in Jerusalem for two years. When they met Absalom faked remorse and was accepted by his father. In Chapter 15 Absalom had been restored and plotted to steal the kingdom from his father. He would awaken early and go to the city gate and judge the people. By acting the part the text says that Absalom “stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” After a period of time, (the text reads forty years, but there is some question about the accuracy of that number. Other translations read four instead of forty, and some other manuscripts say that it was forty days instead of years) Absalom asked his father’s permission to go to Hebron to pay a vow to the Lord. David let him go in peace. When Absalom arrived in Hebron he had prearranged to have a large group of men shout “Absalom is king in Hebron” when a trumpet blast was heard. With this deception Absalom took over the kingdom of Israel from his father. David was afraid of the power his son had over the people and fled with the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem. David went up on the Mount of Olives and wept. David met Hushai and had him go to Absalom and fake allegiance to thwart his plans. David met Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, on his way from the summit. Ziba had food and drink for David. He lied and told the king that his master was going to restore the kingdom of his grandfather for himself that day. David was angry and gave Ziba all that belonged to Mephibosheth. Meanwhile Absalom entered Jerusalem and came to his father’s house. He followed the advice of Ahithophel and went in and slept with David’s concubines establishing his claim to the kingdom. Hushai, who had been sent to Absalom, warned David of his son’s plans allowing him to escape. In Chapter 18 David numbered his men and went up against Absalom. He asked his commanders to be careful with Absalom and not to let him be killed. David’s soldiers routed Israel that day and were victorious over Absalom’s soldiers. When Absalom fled from his father’s servants on his mule his head got caught in the fork of a tree. The mule continued to walk and left Absalom hanging in the branches. When David’s servants reached him they told Joab. He was angry that they were afraid to kill Absalom because of David’s request to his commanders. Joab took the matter into his own hands and struck Absalom through his heart with three spears. Absalom was still alive at that time. They took his body down and threw it into a pit and covered him with a great heap of stones. When David was told of the death of Absalom he was stricken with grief. He lamented that he should have died instead of him. In Chapter 19 Joab came to David and told him he was shaming the people that fought for him and loved him with his grief for his traitorous son. David listened and went to the city gate to have his enemies brought before him. David used wisdom and pardoned the men who led Absalom’s armies and gained the respect of the people. Mephibosheth also came to David to tell him he had been deceived by Ziba. He had wanted to come to David but could not because he was lame. David partly believed him and divided Saul’s old land between Mephibosheth and Ziba. We will end our study this week in Chapter 20. Through all the trouble David had lost some of the control he used to have over the kingdom. A man of Benjamin named Sheba started a revolt against David. The king decided to send his old enemies out to squash the revolt of Sheba. Amasa did not follow David’s orders correctly, so he sent Abishai instead. When David’s enforcer Joab came to Amasa he pretended to greet him. While doing this he actually killed him with his sword. Joab then pursued Sheba and killed him also putting down the revolt. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of 1 Samuel and the life of David, and Begin the Book of 1 Kings, and the reign of David’s son Solomon. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 19: 18-2 SAMUEL 21 – 1 KINGS 11 ======================================================================== 2 Samuel 21 – 1 Kings 11 Apr. 25, 2009 We will begin our study this week in 2 Samuel 21. Last week we talked about the reign of King David. This week we will finish up the story of David with several events that happened during his reign as king. The events in these last chapters of 2 Samuel do not follow the first twenty in their chronological order. Chapter 21 talks about the people of Gibeon. These people were not from the tribes of Israel, but actually came from the Amorites. They had made a covenant through deception with Joshua four hundred years earlier. We covered this earlier when we looked into the ninth chapter of the Book of Joshua. They said they would serve Israel if they would be spared. Israel at that time was beginning to possess the Promised Land. Even though the covenant was made through deception, God wanted His people to be serious in honoring them. The Gibeonites sought revenge from Israel because King Saul went against them in his zeal to rid the land of his enemies. In doing this he disregarded Israel’s earlier covenant with them. They required seven of the remaining sons of Saul to be given to them for execution as reparation. The text says that David agreed, but spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth and turned over Saul’s son with the same name with six others. These men were hung in Saul’s old capital for all to see. The mother of two of the slain men came and spread sackcloth and mourned before the hanging men and would not let any bird or beast near them. She was there from the beginning of the barley harvest until the rains came. David heard what she had done and was moved to retrieve the bones of Saul and Jonathan, along with the bones of the slain men and bury them with honor in the grave of Saul’s father Kish. The last part of the chapter tells us about the destruction of more of the giants that remained in the land by David and his men. Chapter 22 records a psalm written by David after he had been delivered by the Lord from Saul, and his other enemies. We read in our study two weeks ago in 1 Samuel 16 that David was a skilled musician and could speak very well. Using these gifts, and because of his close personal relationship with the Lord David became the most loved writer of songs in Israel. His songs and writings that were inspired by the Lord are recorded in the Book of Psalms. The last song of David is also recorded in the first part of Chapter 23. The last part of the chapter tells about David’s mighty men. Their names and exploits are listed in the text. There were thirty seven men listed in all. They all exhibited great strength and bravery in battle. Also notable is the inclusion of Uriah the Hittite among David’s mighty men. Uriah was the man David had killed for his wife Bathsheba. Chapter 24 ends the Book of 2 Samuel. The chapter tells the story of an unauthorized census ordered by David of the men of Israel. It is believed that the reason for the census was for the Lord to punish Israel for some unspecified sin. God used Satan to cause David to number the people. After almost eleven months of census taking David became convicted for ordering the census. He realized he had sinned against the Lord and prayed for forgiveness. Gad the Seer came to David the next morning with God’s answer. He told David he had to choose between three punishments for his sin. The first was seven years of famine in the land, the second three months of fleeing from his enemies, and the third three days of pestilence. David did not know what to answer, but finally he told Gad to let God decide but he did not want to be pursued by man. The Lord chose to send the pestilence through the land. Seventy thousand men of Israel died. When the angel of death stretched out his hand to strike Jerusalem the Lord told him to stop. It was recorded in Chapter 24:7 what David told the Lord when he saw the angel “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.” David then built an altar to the Lord at the place he saw the angel. He went to the owner of the threshing floor and asked to buy the land from him. The man named Araunah wanted to give David the land along with the supplies required for sacrifice. David could not accept his gift and purchased the land for fifty shekels of silver. David told Araunah in Chapter 24:24 “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” The Lord accepted David’s offering and prayer and stopped the plague. This ends the Book of 2 Samuel. We will now begin the Book of 1 Kings. This book is the third in the historical set of 1 and 2 Samuel along with 1 and 2 Kings. Chapter 1 begins with King David in his old age. He was no longer able to keep warm even with extra clothes. Even though David had many wives and concubines, his servants decided to find him a young beautiful virgin girl to keep him warm. David did allow Abishag the Shunammite to be his nurse, but he would not sleep with her. It was nearing the time when a new king needed to be chosen to rule Israel. David was no longer able to perform his duties. Adonijah, David’s fourth born son conferred with Joab and Abiathar the priest. Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet were not asked. He went to the stone of Zoheleth, near En-rogel and had a feast for the people. David’s trusted men including his son Solomon were not invited. During the feast Adonijah proclaimed himself king. Nathan the prophet heard what Adonijah had done and went to Bathsheba with a plan to make God’s choice, Solomon king. Their scheme worked and David had Solomon anointed king in Adonijah’s place. Adonijah was terrified of what his brother would do and fled to the altar to ask for mercy. Solomon came to him and spared his brother’s life as long as no wickedness was found in him. David then spoke to Solomon and told him to obey the Lord and walk in all His ways He also told him that if he did this he would be blessed and him and his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever. David then gave his son instructions on what to do with the traitor Joab and Shimei. He told him to treat with honor the family of Barzillai the Gileadite for what he had done for David when he was fleeing his son Absalom. David then died and was buried in the city of David. Solomon and his kingdom were then firmly established in Israel in place of his father. After this Adonijah went to King Solomon’s mother Bathsheba and asked her to ask her son for David’s nurse Abishag for his wife. Bathsheba did not see anything wrong with the request and agreed. She went to Solomon with Adonijah’s request. Solomon became very angry and asked his mother if he should give Adonijah the kingdom also? Solomon knew it was another plot by his brother to gain control. He had Adonijah executed the next day. He would not kill Abiathar because he was a priest, but he had him removed from his duties. Abiathar was the last priest in Eli’s line. God had told Eli eighty years ago that his line of priesthood would die out because of his sin and the sins of his sons. Joab heard what Solomon did to Adonijah and also fled to the altar. It did not matter, Solomon had Benaiah go and execute Joab. Solomon then made Benaiah commander of his army instead of Joab, and installed Zadok as high priest replacing Abiathar. Solomon then continued to remove his enemies from his kingdom. Shimei was told not to leave the city of Jerusalem as punishment for cursing King David, and siding with Absalom. Shimei obeyed this punishment for three years until two of his servants escaped to Gath. Shimei left Jerusalem and went to Gath to retrieve the men. When he returned Solomon found out he had disobeyed his punishment and left the city. Solomon sent Benaiah again and had Shimei executed for his disobedience. In Chapter 3 it is recorded that Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He did this to form an alliance between Israel and Egypt. He brought her to the city of David until his own house, and the house of the Lord was finished. The text says that people still sacrificed in the high places because there was no temple. Solomon loved the Lord, and followed His commandments, except he also still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. The “high places” were where the pagan people of the land worshiped and sacrificed to their own gods. One evening when Solomon was sacrificing in Gibeon the Lord came to him in a dream. God told him in Chapter 3:5 “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Solomon responded to God with this prayer in Chapter 3:6-9 “You have shown great loving-kindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great loving-kindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.“Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.“Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The Lord was pleased with Solomon. He had not asked for riches or a long life, but unselfishly asked only for wisdom. God then granted his request and also gave him the wealth and a conditional promise for a long life he didn’t ask for. The end of the chapter gives us an example of the wisdom Solomon was given. Instead of summarizing the account I am going to read the story how it is written in the text in Chapter 3:16-28 “Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.“It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.“This woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it.“So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.“When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne.”Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king. Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’”The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.”Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!”Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.” The officials and leaders of Solomon’s government were listed in the beginning of Chapter 4. The last part consists of a set of examples that show Solomon’s wealth. Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and was one of the most prolific writers of wisdom and songs in Israel. Chapter 4:32 says that during his life Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, and wrote one thousand and five songs. His writings in the Bible are in the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. People from all over the known world would come to Jerusalem to listen to the words of the king. Solomon formed an alliance with Hiram the king of Tyre to acquire the timber needed to build a house for the Lord. Hiram had always been a friend of David. The cedar and cypress trees of Lebanon were world renowned for their size and quality for building. Thirty thousand men in groups of ten thousand were forced into labor to gather the timbers from King Hiram. The text also says that seventy thousand men were employed to transport the timbers, and eighty thousand cut the stone for the project. The building of the temple was a monumental task. In Chapter 6 it was recorded that work on the temple began during the four hundred and eightieth year after Israel was delivered from Egypt. This was also the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. The temple was an impressive structure that was made with the finest materials and workmanship. The interior wood paneling and cherubim were overlaid with pure gold. The temple was similar in design to the tabernacle, but was larger and more ornate. The tabernacle was designed to be carried through the wilderness. The temple was built in the place God chose to dwell with His people forever. The temple built by Solomon took seven full years to be completed. Chapter 7 describes the palace that Solomon had built for himself, and also the home he built for his wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. Both were built out of the timbers from Lebanon and costly stones. Solomon also sent for Hiram of Tyre. This was not the king, but an Israelite widow’s son from the family of Naphtali who was skilled in working with bronze. His father was from Tyre. He was filled with wisdom and understanding to work the metal and was able to make all the furnishings and objects used in the temple. The text says that the utensils were so numerous that their weight could not be calculated. Solomon also brought in the things that were dedicated by his father David and placed them into the treasury. It was recorded in Chapter 8 what was done to complete and dedicate the finished temple. Solomon gathered the people together to bring the Ark of the Covenant and the remains of the tabernacle into the temple. The ark was in the city of David where it had been placed by David in a tent since he brought it back from Kiriath-jearim. The Ark was the place where the Lord rested on earth and had to be brought to the Holy of Holies inside the veil of the new temple. The Ark and the old tabernacle were brought into Jerusalem with much sacrificing and celebration. The Ark was placed in the temple, and when the priests left the Glory of the Lord filed the place. The Ark, at this time only contained the stone tablets of the law from Moses. Aaron’s rod and the pot of manna had been lost. Solomon then addressed the people. His words were recorded in Chapter 8:12-13 “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. “I have surely built You a lofty house, A place for Your dwelling forever.” The rest of his words are in the text along with his prayer of dedication he spoke aloud to the people to mark the event. The celebration lasted seven days. The number of animals sacrificed during this time was unbelievable. It is recorded that twenty two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep were killed and offered to the Lord. The Lord then appeared to Solomon again and told him that He had consecrated the temple by His presence and would dwell there forever. This promise was conditional. God promised He would be with His people as long as they obeyed Him and walked in His ways. The second half of Chapter 9 covers additional things done by Solomon. The text says that Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre twenty cities of Galilee as a gift for his help with the materials for the temple. When Hiram went out to look over the gift he was not pleased. He called the cities the land of Cabul. The literal interpretation of cabul is “as good as nothing”. Hiram did end up giving Solomon one hundred twenty talents of gold for the cities. The text also talks about when Solomon gathered the slaves to build his projects, and that he had filled in a depression in the land between the city of David and the temple complex. Also the end of the chapter mentions King Solomon’s Mines in Ophir where he had found sixteen tons of gold. The gold mines of Solomon and their location have become legendary today. In Chapter 10 the queen of Sheba had heard of Solomon’s fame and wisdom and wanted to see for herself. Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived in the first century AD said that the queen of Sheba was actually the queen of Ethiopia in Africa. She traveled a great distance in a large group with many spices and other gifts. She spoke to Solomon all that was on her heart and was extremely impressed with his wisdom. She blessed Solomon and gave him the large amount of gifts she had brought. Solomon also gave her all she desired and she returned to her home. Solomon’s power and fame grew until he was the most sought after in all of civilization. We will end our study this week in Chapter 11. Even though God had blessed Solomon with wisdom and great wealth he still did not completely follow the Lord. The text says that Solomon loved many foreign women and took them for wives. These women were in direct disobedience to what the Lord wanted from Solomon. The Lord told the people to have no dealings with the people of the land to keep themselves pure. Solomon did not listen and was turned away from God by his foreign wives and served their gods. The Lord was angry and came and told Solomon in Chapter 11:11-13 “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” The Lord then raised up adversaries to go against Solomon until after forty years on the throne he was dead. He was buried in the city of David. His son Rehoboam then reigned in his place. This ends this week’s study. Next week we will continue in the Book of 1 Kings and learn about the divided kingdom and meet Elijah and Elisha the prophets. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 20: 19-1 KINGS 12 – 2 KINGS 5 ======================================================================== 1 Kings 12 – 2 Kings 5 May 2, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 1 Kings 12. Last week we looked at several events in the life of David and talked about his son Solomon’s reign. Now in Chapter 12 Solomon is dead and his son Rehoboam is on the throne of Israel. Rehoboam went to Shechem to be made king. Meanwhile Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had rebelled against Solomon in 1 Kings 11, returned from Egypt where he had fled. He had rebelled when Ahijah the prophet told him that he would be given ten of the tribes of Israel to rule over because of God’s prophesy against Solomon and his heirs. He went before Rehoboam with all the assembly of Israel and asked him to lessen the heavy load his father had placed on the people. Rehoboam told them to leave and return in three days for an answer. Rehoboam consulted with the advisors of Solomon and received bad advice. After three days when Jeroboam returned he told him he would not lessen the load but increase their burden greatly. The entire assembly of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and fulfilled the prophesy spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite that the kingdom of Israel would be divided. The people of Israel responded to Rehoboam with these words in Chapter 12:16 “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” The people then returned to their homes. Rehoboam then sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, to Israel. The people stoned him to death. Rehoboam then fled Jerusalem and Israel rebelled against Judah and the house of David. Jeroboam was then made king over Israel by the people. Rehoboam then gathered one hundred eighty thousand men of Judah to go against Israel and reclaim the kingdom for the house of David. Before they went to war Shemaiah, the man of God, came to them and spoke the words of the Lord in Chapter 12:24 “Thus says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.” The people listened and returned to their homes. Jeroboam, who had been made king over Israel, was worried that the men of Israel would return to following Rehoboam if they went to Jerusalem to sacrifice during the time of the feasts to the Lord. He made two golden calves and placed one up north in Dan and the other in Bethel. He told the people that his gods were closer to worship then to go up to Jerusalem. He also made priests of the people who were not from the tribe of Levi. He had created his own god and religion. In Chapter 13 when Jeroboam was burning incense in Bethel, a prophet came to him and spoke the words from the Lord recorded in verse 2 and 3 “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” Jeroboam stretched out his hand over the altar to have the prophet seized and it stiffened and he could not bring it back to his body. The altar also split in two. Jeroboam then asked the man he had just wanted seized to pray to the Lord for him to restore his hand. The prophet prayed and the Lord restored Jeroboam’s hand. The king wanted to have the prophet eat with him and to give him a reward. The man refused because the Lord told him not to eat or drink in Bethel and to return to his home by a different route. He did not want to disobey the command of the Lord. There was an old prophet in Bethel who was told by his sons what had happened that day. He wanted to know in which direction the prophet had left. He saddled a donkey and set out to look for the prophet. When he found the prophet he asked him to return with him and eat. The prophet again refused the offer, but the old prophet lied and told him the Lord said he could return and eat. He listened to the old man and ate and drank in his home. The old prophet then received the word of the Lord and told his guest that he would not be buried with his fathers because he had disobeyed the Lord. The prophet then left on a donkey and was met by a lion on the road. The lion killed him but did not harm the donkey or eat the man. The animals were in the control of the Lord. The old prophet came to the man and placed him on his donkey and brought him back to Bethel and buried him in his own grave. He told his sons to bury him also with the prophet from Judah. This sign of God’s power did nothing to change Jeroboam or any of his evil ways. He continued with the high places and making his own priests. This sin would cause the Lord to blot Jeroboam, and his house from the earth. After this Jeroboam’s son became sick. He asked his wife to disguise herself and go to Ahijah with some food and find out what to do about their son. She went to him, and even though he was almost blind he knew who his visitor was. Ahijah told Jeroboam’s wife that her son would die when she reached home along with the entire family of Jeroboam because of his sin. The events predicted by Ahijah came to pass and Jeroboam died. He had reigned over Israel for twenty two years. His son Nadab became king in his place. Meanwhile Rehoboam was on the throne in Jerusalem over Judah. He also went against the Lord and built up the high places, and made sacred pillars and Asherim. The people of Judah did all the evil things the old inhabitants of the land did. During the fifth year of his reign his father Solomon’s treaty with Egypt was broken when Shishak the king of Egypt came to Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the temple and the king’s palace. Rehoboam was even forced to make shields of bronze to give to the guards of his house to replace the gold shields that were lost. Rehoboam’s reign was continuously plagued in warfare with Jeroboam and Israel. After reigning over Judah for seventeen years Rehoboam died and was buried in the city of David with his fathers. His son Abijam was made king in his place. In Chapter 15 Abijam became king during the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel. Abijam was on the throne for three years in Jerusalem and followed all the sins of his father. He did not do as David did and it was only for David’s sake he was allowed to live and produce a son to rule over Judah. The Bible reads in Chapter 15:4 “But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem” The word “lamp “here means life. The only thing mentioned about Abijam was that he also was in continuous conflict with Jeroboam during his reign. Abijam then died and his son Asa succeeded him on the throne in Jerusalem. Asa became king during the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam over Israel. Asa reigned for forty one years in Jerusalem and followed the Lord for all his days. He removed all the idols and male prostitutes from the land. The text says he did not tear down the high places, but still did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Asa replaced the treasury of the Lord in the temple and rebuilt what was lost by his father. He had conflict with Baasha who had taken over as king over Israel after Nadab. He took the treasury of the Lord and gave it to Ben- Hadad of Aram to restore the old treaty between their fathers and break Aram’s treaty with Baasha. He then died in old age and was buried with his fathers. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place. The text then shifts back to Israel and king Nadab, then Baasha. Nadab was the son of Jeroboam and also did evil like his father. His reign only lasted two years. Baasha conspired against Nadab and killed him and took over the throne. Baasha’s first act as king was to strike down the remaining family of Jeroboam. This act fulfilled the prophesy of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam about the future of him and his house. Baasha became king during the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah. He was at war with Asa during his entire reign of twenty four years. He also did evil towards the Lord. In Chapter 16 the Lord sent Jehu to Baasha to prophesy against him and his house. God said he would do to Baasha the same he did to Jeroboam and his house because of his disobedience. Baasha then died and his son Elah became king. Elah had reigned for two years when Zimri, the commander of half of Elah’s chariots killed him and became king. Zimri’s first act was similar to Baasha’s in that he went and struck down the family of Baasha as Baasha did to Jeroboam’s. Zimri only reigned for seven days and the people turned on him and killed him. They made Omri king in his place. After the death of Zimri, the kingdom of Israel divided again and rule was split between Omri and Tibni. The people who followed Omri were victorious over the followers of Tibni and after five years Tibni died. The people of Israel then reunited under Omri. He reigned over Israel for approximately another twelve years until his death. So far none of the kings of Israel followed the Lord and walked in His ways. Omri’s son Ahab then became king over Israel. Ahab was even more evil than those who preceded him. He reigned over Israel for twenty two years. He disobeyed the Lord and married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, and worshipped Baal. He set up an altar to Baal in Samaria and also made the Asherah. The Asherah were wooden symbols of a female god. Also during this time prophesy spoken in the Book of Joshua 6:26 about Jericho came to pass when Heil the Bethite rebuilt the city and lost his firstborn. In Chapter 17 we meet the prophet Elijah. Elijah went to Ahab and spoke to him the word of the Lord and predicted a drought. God then told Elijah to go away and hide himself by a brook on the eastern side of the Jordan. The brook provided water to drink and God sustained Elijah by sending ravens with food to him. The drought caused the brook to dry up and God sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath. Elijah found the woman gathering sticks by the city gate and asked her for bread and a drink of water. She had only a small amount of flour that she was gathering the sticks for to bake her son some bread. Elijah told her not to fear that the Lord would provide. She listened and invited him to her home. She made the bread and her bowl of flour and jar of oil did not exhaust themselves for many days. After this the widow’s son became sick. The sickness was so bad the boy died. The woman was angry with Elijah and accused him of bringing the sickness to her home. Elijah had compassion for the woman and asked for her son. He brought him to the upper room where he had been living and laid him on his bed. He prayed to the Lord and stretched out over the boy three times. The boy recovered and the widow then knew that Elijah truly was a man of God. In Chapter 18 after a time Elijah left the widow and went to Ahab. God told him to go and say that He would bring rain. The famine was very bad because of the drought in Samaria. The man Obadiah was over the household of Ahab. Even though Obadiah held a high position with Ahab, he feared the Lord. When Jezebel, Ahab’s wife removed the prophets of God from the land, Obadiah took one hundred of them and hid and fed the rescued men in secret. Ahab told Obadiah to go out and find some grass for his livestock so he would not have to kill some of his cattle. During Obadiah’s search he came to Elijah. He was afraid because Elijah wanted him to go and tell Ahab that he was coming. Obadiah feared what would become of him if he did this. He relented and went to Ahab. Ahab then went to Elijah and called him the troubler of Israel. Elijah replied to Ahab with these words from Chapter 18:18-19 “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals.“Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” Ahab gathered up the prophets of Baal and Asherah and brought them to Mount Carmel. Elijah came and proposed to them a test. He had them build an altar and place a sacrifice to their gods on it. The test was to have their gods consume the sacrifice. Elijah said he would do the same. The prophets made their altar and prayed to their gods. Nothing happened so Elijah mocked them and asked if their gods had fallen asleep? The prophets were angry and continued to leap and cut themselves until the evening sacrifice had come. Elijah told the people to come near and he rebuilt the altar to the Lord on Mount Carmel with twelve large stones that represented the twelve tribes. He also dug a trench around the base of the altar. Elijah then cut up the sacrifice and placed it on the altar. To make the test even more difficult he had the people pour water over the sacrifice until it filled the trench. Elijah then prayed to the Lord and a fire came down and consumed the sacrifice. Not only was the animal consumed, but also the wood the water and the stones were also burnt up. The people saw what the Lord had done and said “The Lord He is God: The Lord He is God” Elijah told the people to seize the prophets of Baal. He took them to the brook Kidron and killed them all. Elijah then told Ahab to eat and drink because a shower was coming. The storm came and Elijah ran before Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel and Jezebel. In Chapter 19 we find that Elijah had become sure of himself in front of Ahab because of what the Lord did to the prophets of Baal. He thought he would come to Jezebel and she would repent. Instead Jezebel did not repent, but threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah’s pride was crushed and he fled to the wilderness and sat under a juniper tree and prayed that the Lord would kill him. He believed he had failed as a prophet and that his life should be over. God sent an angel to Elijah to give him food. He ate and the angel returned and told him to go to the Mountain of God, Mt Sinai. Elijah took an entire forty days and nights to reach the mountain. The journey should have taken only half as long. The Lord then came to him in a cave and asked him why he was there? Elijah told the Lord of his failure and God replied and told him to go up on the mountain. The text describes the effects of the passing by of the Lord near Elijah. He felt an earthquake, wind and fire during the time and wrapped his mantle around himself. He listened as the Lord told him to go to the wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazel king over Aram, Jehu over Israel, and Elisha as a prophet in his place. These three were to rid the land of the worshippers of Baal. After they were finished only seven thousand remained in Israel that did not worship Baal. Elijah then left and found Elisha and threw his mantle over him. Elisha then followed Elijah. There was then a war with Aram and Ahab was victorious. There was another war with Aram and Ahab was again victorious but the Lord was angry because he made a covenant with Ben-Hadad of Aram who the Lord wanted destroyed. Ahab left the victory depressed and sullen. In Chapter 21 Ahab coveted the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was located in Samaria near the king’s palace. Naboth refused to sell the inheritance of his father to the king. Ahab returned to the palace and was depressed and would not eat. His wife Jezebel went to find out what was wrong with Ahab and told him she would get the land for him. She had Naboth brought to trial falsely and he was found guilty and stoned to death. When Ahab heard Naboth was dead Jezebel reminded him he was king and to go and possess the vineyard. Ahab then went and claimed the vineyard for himself. God then told Elijah to go to Ahab and speak the words recorded in Chapter 21:18-19 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it.“You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’” The dialog between Ahab and Elijah is also recorded in Chapter 21:20-24 “Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.“Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel;and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.“Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’“The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.” When Ahab heard these words he became humbled and put on sackcloth and fasted. Because of this God withheld his punishment on the house of Ahab until after his death. In the last chapter of the Book of 1 Kings Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah came to Israel and Ahab wished to enlist their help against Aram in Ramoth-gilead. Jehoshaphat agreed to help them because they were once all one people. He also asked Israel to consult the Lord on the proposed battle. Israel gathered up four hundred prophets and they all said the Lord wanted them to go to battle. Jehoshaphat knew that these four hundred men were not men of God and asked Ahab for a real prophet. Ahab only knew of one man and he did not want to call him because his prophesies were always against him. Ahab knew he had to call for the prophet and had his men go and get Micaiah and bring him to the city gate. A man named Zedekiah came before the kings with iron horns on his head and made the false prophecy recorded in Chapter 22:11 “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” The effect this act had on Israel and Judah was spoken of in the Book of Zechariah 1:18-21 “Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns.So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.” Micaiah came and spoke the true word of the Lord to the kings. He said not to go against Aram and return to your homes. He also said that He would place a deceiving spirit into the mouth of the prophets to entice Ahab to war. Zedekiah turned prophesy around and Micaiah was placed into prison and they went to war. Ahab disguised himself and went to war with his men. The disguise did not fool the enemy and King Ahab was struck by an arrow through a gap in his armor. Israel lost the battle and Ahab bled to death during the fight. When the king was brought back to Samaria his blood was washed out of his chariot and the dogs licked it up. This fulfilled what the Lord told Ahab after he stole the vineyard of Naboth. Now that Ahab was dead, his son Ahaziah was made king over Israel. During about the same time in Judah Jehoshaphat died and the text records the good deeds he had done during his reign. His son Jehoram then reigned in his place. Back in Israel Ahaziah did evil like his father and reigned for only two years over Israel. This ends the Book of 1 Kings. We will now begin the Book of 2 Kings. This book begins with the account of King Ahaziah’s fall through the upper room of his home. The fall had made him sick, and instead of asking the Lord if he would recover he asked Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron instead. The messengers he sent to ask the god were met by Elijah and struck by fire from the Lord. Two groups of fifty men were killed before the third begged for mercy. Elijah told the man to let Ahaziah know that he would die. Ahaziah died and was succeeded by Jehoram his brother, because he no son of his own. At this time the king of both Israel and Judah were named Jehoram. In Chapter 2 God had decided to take Elijah the prophet to heaven in a whirlwind instead of letting him die like other men. Elijah went with Elisha to Gilgal and asked him to stay there. Elisha did not want to leave his master and followed him anyway. When they reached the Jordan River Elijah folded his mantle and struck the water. The river parted and the two prophets walked across on dry land. When they reached the other side Elijah asked Elisha if there was anything he could do for him before he left. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit to be given to him. Elijah said that he had asked for a hard thing, and a chariot of fire and horses appeared and separated the two men. A whirlwind then took Elijah to heaven. Elisha then cried out and tore his clothes. He took the mantle of Elijah and went back to the Jordan and said “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” and struck the water. The water parted and Elisha walked to the other side. The other prophets did not believe Elijah had been taken to heaven and searched for him for three days. The men of the city had a problem with their water supply and Elisha corrected the problem with a jar of the water and some salt. After he threw the salted water into the spring he spoke the words of the Lord recorded in Chapter 2:21 “I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.” The last verses of Chapter 2 record the story of what Elisha faced from the people. Some young men mocked him and called out to him “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” The men were actually young adults who did not believe his story of Elijah’s translation to heaven. The Lord was strong in Elisha, and when he cursed them in the name of the Lord, two bears came from the woods and killed forty two of them. He then went to Mount Carmel and then to Samaria. Chapter 3 is an account of a rebellion of Moab that was met by King Jehoram of Israel. Then in Chapter 4 a widow of one of the sons of the prophets came to Elisha and told him her husband was dead and people were coming to take her house because she could no longer pay them. All she had was a small jar of oil. Elisha had compassion for the woman and had her gather and borrow any vessel she could that would hold oil. He told her to go into her house and pour out her oil into all the vessels she had found. The flow of oil from that one small jar did not stop until all the other containers were filled. Elisha told the woman to sell the oil to pay her debt. Next there is the account of the son of a Shunammite woman’s son who had died. She was upset. Elisha had predicted his birth years before. She was afraid to tell the prophet of his death. Elisha knew what to do and took the boy into a room the same as Elijah had done. He stretched out over the boy and the child recovered and was given back .to the woman. Also the last part of the chapter tells the story of a pot of poisonous stew that was made safe to eat by Elisha. We will end our study in Chapter 5. Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram was highly respected because of the victory God gave him for Aram. The text says the man was also a leper. A little girl from Israel was captured and was a servant of Naaman’s wife. She told her about Elisha and how he could heal her husband. The king sent a letter to the king of Israel with much money to send Elisha to heal Naaman. The king of Israel was angry at the request and tore his clothes. Elisha heard the king was upset and went to find out why. Elisha heard the reason and sent a messenger to Naaman to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be healed. Naaman was angry with the answer and said in Chapter 5:11-12 “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’“Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” His servants told him how ridiculous he sounded and he went and did what Elisha had said. It worked and Naaman’s flesh became like that of a little child. Elisha’s servant Gehazi was greedy and wanted the reward from Naaman that his master Elisha refused to accept. He lied to Naaman and accepted a reward from him and also lied to Elisha that he took it. In punishment Gehazi and his descendants would suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever. The text says Gehazi left Elisha as a leper white as snow. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of 2 Kings and the history of the divided kingdom. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 21: 20-2 KINGS 6 – 2 KINGS 23:20 ======================================================================== 2 Kings 6 – 2 Kings 23:20 May 9, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 2 Kings 6. Last week we talked about the beginning of the divided kingdom and the kings and prophets on both sides. This week we will pick up the account in Chapter 6. A group of men who were studying under Elisha came to him and wanted to build a place for them to study and live. They wanted permission to go to the Jordan River and cut some beams for the building. They also asked Elisha to go with them. He agreed and they went to cut the wood. While they were there one man lost an axe head in the river. The man was very upset because the axe had been borrowed. Iron was scarce and very valuable in Israel at this time and the man could not afford to replace the axe head. Elisha understood and threw a stick into the river and the axe head miraculously floated to the waters surface where it could be retrieved. This was another example of the miracles associated with the prophets to authenticate their office. The chapter then shifts to the story of a war in Israel with the Arameans. The king of Aram found out that Elisha had told the king of Israel all of Aram’s plans before he could carry them out. He became enraged and sent his army with horses and chariots to capture Elisha. When Elisha’s servant went out in the morning he saw the army circling them. He told the prophet and Elisha replied in Chapter 6:16 “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” The Lord opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant and he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. The Lord struck the Arameans with blindness and Elisha led them into the heart of Samaria. When the blindness lifted from the army, they realized where they were. Elisha had the men fed and released instead of being killed. They went back to their homes and, out of fear, did not come back and trouble Samaria again. The king of Aram then came to Samaria and besieged the area. His army encircled the land and did not let any food go in. The people of Samaria were in a great famine because of the siege, and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Elisha was in the city and gave a promise from the Lord for food. Four lepers who were starving outside the city gate decided to go to the Arameans instead of dying there outside the gate. When they came to the Arameans camp they found it empty. The Lord had caused a great fear to come upon the army and they thought a large army was coming against them. They fled back to Aram and left everything at their camp. The lepers went back to the city and told the elders what they had found. The people then plundered the camp of their enemy and the siege was over. In Chapter 8 Elisha told the woman whose son he raised from the dead to get away from Samaria. He knew there was going to be a famine that would last for seven years. The woman took her son and went to the land of the Philistines for the seven years. When she returned Elisha had the king of Israel restore to her all of her land and the value of everything it produced since she was gone. Elisha then went to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Aram was sick and he sent Hazael to Elisha to find out whether he would recover or not. It is interesting to note that even though the Arameans did not follow the Lord their king enquired through his enemy for an answer to his illness instead of his own gods. Hazael asked Elisha the king’s request in Chapter 8:9 “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” Elisha replied in verse 10 “Go, say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” Elisha then wept for Israel for what Hazael would do to God’s people when he became king of Aram. The Lord had foretold Elijah about this when he had been at Horeb. Hazael then returned to Ben-hadad, killed him and took over as king. The end of the chapter tells us about Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram being made king over Judah and Edom’s revolt. The text says Jehoram was as Ahab in Israel, and even married one of his daughters. This woman was also a daughter of Jezebel. Jehoram allowed the worship of Baal in Judah as Ahab did in Israel. Even with this evil the Lord would not destroy Judah for his servant David’s sake. Jehoram then died and Ahaziah reigned in his place. His mother was named Athaliah and was the granddaughter of Omri the king of Israel. Ahaziah was also evil and did not follow the Lord. He went to war with Joram the son of Ahab against Hazael the king of Aram. Joram was wounded in the fight and went to Jezreel to recover. Even though the kingdom was still divided both sides got together to do evil because of their common relatives in Ahab and Jezebel. Satan used these two in another attempt to corrupt and break the line that led from Adam to Jesus Christ. In Chapter 9 Elisha had one of his students go to Ramoth-gilead with a flask of oil and find Jehu and anoint him king over Israel. The man did this and also told Jehu to strike down the house of Ahab. He also repeated prophesy against Jezebel. The man then fled from there as he was told. Jehu then ran out and told his fellow men what had happened and they acknowledged him as king. Jehu then went to Jezreel where Ahaziah and Joram were. When he came to Joram the king asked him “Is it peace, Jehu?” he replied with the words recorded in Chapter 9:22 “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?” Jehu then drew his bow and shot an arrow through Joram’s heart. His body was dumped into the field of Naboth. Ahaziah fled from the scene but was also shot by Jehu. He escaped wounded and fled to Megiddo before he died. Jehu then went again to Jezreel and went to Jezebel. She was found looking out her window with her face painted up as royalty. She sarcastically called Jehu Zimri to imply that the people would also turn on him. She was thrown from her window by her own officers. Jehu then trampled her with his horses and chariot. He then went in to eat and before he returned the dogs had eaten all of Jezebel except her skull, feet and the palms of her hand. This fulfilled the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah concerning Jezebel’s fate. Jehu continued to purge the land of the family of Ahab in Chapter 10. He killed the seventy sons of Ahab in Jezreel with their families along with the relatives of Ahaziah in Samaria. He also killed all that remained of Ahab in Samaria. After Jehu had rid the land of the relatives of Ahab he went against the worshippers of Baal. He used deceit to gather the men of Baal together and killed them with the sword. Jehu did not worship Baal, but he did sin in all the other ways of Jeroboam even down to using his golden calves. The Lord promised him his sons would remain on the throne of Israel for four generations as a reward for the destruction of the worshippers of Baal. Jehu followed the Laws of the Lord, but still did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam. The text says the Lord then began to remove portions of Israel from His people. The land east of the Jordan was removed first. Jehu then died and his son Jehoahaz was made king in his place. When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah found out her son was dead she killed all of the royal offspring. She wanted to become queen over Judah. Jehosheba, the sister of Ahaziah took one of his sons and hid him from Athaliah. The boy named Joash was kept hidden for six years in the temple while Athaliah reigned over Judah. Jehoiada the priest caused the people to rebel against the false queen and had her put to death. Joash was made king over Judah when he was only seven years old. The people rejoiced at the death of Athaliah. Joash did right in the sight of the Lord but did not tear down the high places. He wanted to repair the temple, but the priests took the treasures and offerings for themselves. Hazael then came against Jerusalem and king Joash removed what was left of the treasures of the Lord and gave them to the Aramean so that he would leave them in peace. Joash was killed by his servants and his son Amaziah was made king in his place. In Chapter 13 Jehoahaz was now king over Israel. He was evil and the Lord used Hazael and the Arameans to oppress Israel during his reign. Jehoahaz finally asked the Lord for help and the Lord gave Israel a deliverer to help them escape from Aram. They still did not stop doing evil before the Lord and Israel was left with only a small army. Jehoahaz then died and Jehoash his son became king. During the reign of Jehoash over Israel Elisha the prophet became sick and was near death. Jehoash came to him and Elisha had him take his bow and shoot an arrow into the air to the east. Elisha said this was a sign of victory over Aram at Aphek. He then told Jehoash to take his arrows and strike the ground. He struck the ground three times and Elisha was angry that he did not strike five or six times. They would only have victory over Aram three times; five or six would have destroyed them. Elisha then died and was buried. In the spring when the land was invaded by marauding bands of Moabites the men of Israel tried to bury a man. When the band came they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. When his body touched Elisha’s bones the man revived and stood up on his feet. Chapter 14 covers the reign of Amaziah over Judah. He became king after Joash when he was twenty five. He did right in the sight of the Lord, but unlike David he did not tear down the high places. He was defeated by Joash, the king of Israel in battle. The text then shifts back to Israel and we are told a second Jeroboam had succeeded Joash on the throne. We now go back to Judah and Azariah succeeded Amaziah on the throne. Meanwhile in Israel Jeroboam did the same as his namesake and was evil towards the Lord. During his reign he restored the land that Israel had lost. The prophet Jonah spoke for the Lord during this time. The end of the chapter says that Zechariah became king over Israel after Jeroboam. Chapter 15 lists a number of kings over both Israel and Judah, and by Chapter 16 it looks like a change is coming. Ahaz was now king in Judah and did evil before the Lord. He even sacrificed his own son with fire as the people of the land were known to do. Ahaz sold Judah out to Tiglath-pileser the king of the Assyrians to protect them against Israel and the Arameans. Assyria went up against Damascus and captured the city. The king of the Arameans was executed and his people were exiled to Kir. We will see later in our study of God’s Word that many of the Books of the Prophets were written about this period of history during the latter part of the divided kingdom. The prophets tried to convince the people to return to the Lord so they would not be scattered and exiled into service in foreign lands. Ahaz died and his son Hezekiah became king over Judah. In Chapter 17 Hoshea became king in Israel. He reigned for nine years and also did evil in the sight of the Lord as all the kings of Israel did before him. He refused to give tribute to Assyria like his father did. Assyria was now the main power in the known world. Hoshea sent messengers to Egypt to enlist their help against the Assyrians. Shalmaneser the king of Assyria captured Hoshea and put him in prison. Assyria then invaded Israel and besieged Samaria for three years. At the end of the three years Israel was defeated and the people were deported to the cities of the Medes. God allowed Israel to fall because they refused to follow Him and walk in His ways. The people and their kings never did what was right before the Lord. Even as longsuffering as God was because of His covenant with the patriarchs He had a limit. Israel had reached that limit and what God spoke in the Book of Deuteronomy 28: 49-50 came to pass “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.” The king of Assyria then filled the cities of Israel with strangers from other lands of his conquest. It was a common practice for a world power to scatter the people they conquered to keep them from regaining power over them. This was done by Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, and also Rome. It also helped the ruling powers to keep control over the land. Now in Chapter 18 we will go back to Judah and King Hezekiah. Unlike the kings of Israel Hezekiah was a good king. He did what was right before the Lord like David before him. He even tore down the high places that had stood in Judah for such a long time. Chapter 18:7 records words we have not heard since David “And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered.” Hezekiah did not serve Assyria like his father Ahaz did and was victorious over the Philistines. It was during the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign when Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. The Assyrians waited until the fourteenth year of Hezekiah and after Sennacherib became their king to go against Judah. Judah was the only place in the then known world that was not under Assyrian control. Hezekiah realized he was required to pay tribute to the Assyrians and removed parts of the gold of the temple to pay them. Sennacherib did not accept the amount of the tribute and sent men to Judah to bluff them into surrender. The Assyrians mistakenly thought that when Hezekiah did his reforms in the land and removed the idols and high places that they could no longer call on their God. The bluff did not work and no one from Judah replied to the men from Assyria. Even though Hezekiah defied the Assyrians, he was afraid and put on sackcloth and went into the temple. Isaiah the prophet came to him and encouraged him to pray. Sennacherib defied God and tried to turn the people away from Him. Hezekiah took the letter from Sennacherib into the temple and prayed to the Lord the prayer recorded in Chapter 19:15-19 “O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.“Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their landsand have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.“Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.” The Lord heard Hezekiah’s prayer and sent Isaiah to him with His reply. Sennacherib would be struck down for defying the Lord and a remnant of Judah would survive and thrive in Jerusalem for David’s sake. That same night the angel of the Lord killed one hundred eighty five thousand Assyrians in their camp. Sennacherib then went back to his home in Nineveh and was killed by his sons while he worshipped his gods. His son Esarhaddon became king in his place. In Chapter 20 it is recorded that in the days of Sennacherib Hezekiah became mortally ill. Isaiah came to him and said to get his house in order he was going to die. Hezekiah did not want to die and he prayed to the Lord to spare him. He reminded God of all that he had done and how he followed Him all his days. The Lord heard his prayer and added fifteen years to his life. Hezekiah asked Isaiah for a sign from the Lord so he could know His promise was true. Isaiah gave him the choice of observing a shadow travel the correct way down some stairs or for the shadow to impossibly go the other way. Hezekiah chose the impossible choice, and the shadow caused by the sun on the stairs miraculously reversed and went back ten steps. Hezekiah recovered and was sent a gift by the king of Babylon. He foolishly accepted the gift and proceeded to show the Babylonians all the treasures of the land. Isaiah came to Hezekiah and asked him what he had done. When Isaiah was told he spoke to Hezekiah these words from the Lord in Chapter 20:16-18 “Hear the word of the Lord.‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord.‘Some of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away; and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” Hezekiah had a strange answer for a man who followed the Lord and was given added years to his life. He answered Isaiah and said in verse 19 “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Is it not so, if there will be peace and truth in my days?” Hezekiah was only concerned about the days he lived and not the future of his people. Hezekiah then died and his son Manasseh became king in his place. Hezekiah had the advantage over all the other kings in that he knew the day of his death. He had made his son Manasseh king with him for the last ten years of his life. This time of training should have made Manasseh the same kind of king as his father. You would think Manasseh would have also followed the Lord and continued his father’s reforms. This did not happen. Even with his time on the throne Manasseh turned against the Lord and was the longest reigning and most wicked king in the history of Judah. He built up all that his father had torn down. He reestablished the high places and practiced divination and witchcraft. He also seduced God’s people in Judah to turn from the Lord and join him in idolatry. Because of the evil of Manasseh the Lord’s longsuffering also ran out over Judah. He said in Chapter 21:11-15 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols;therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.‘I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies;because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.’” The end to the kingdom of the children of Israel was now in sight. Manasseh then died and was succeeded by Amon who also was evil. Amon was killed by the people and his son Josiah was made king in his place. Josiah became king at eight years old and reigned for thirty one years in Jerusalem. He did what was right and repaired the damage to the temple. During the repairs the Book of the Law was found and read to Josiah. The king tore his clothes and asked for the word of the Lord. God’s word to Josiah was that Judah had gone too far to be reconciled to Him, and that Jerusalem would become desolate. As for Josiah, the Lord said he would die before his eyes could see what was to come to pass. There was then a time of peace in Judah while King Josiah lived. Josiah read the Book of the Law to the people and made a covenant to the Lord to walk in His ways. The people also joined him in the vow. Josiah instituted many reforms in Judah and also fulfilled prophesy spoken by the prophet to Jeroboam at the broken altar in Bethel from 1 Kings 13. He slaughtered the priests of the high places and burned their bones at the place of the altar and ground the stones to dust. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the book of 2 Kings and begin the Book of 1 Chronicles and review the history of God’s people. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 22: 21-2 KINGS 23:21 - 1CHRONICLES 16 ======================================================================== 2 Kings 23:21 - 1Chronicles 16 May 16, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 2 Kings 23:21. Last week we left off in the middle of Josiah’s reign over Judah. Josiah was a good king and Judah experienced a time of peace and reform during his life. This week in Chapter 23 starting with verse 21 we find that Josiah had commanded all the people to celebrate the Passover that he had read about in the Book of the Law. Passover had not been observed by God’s people since before the time of the judges. Even King David did not observe the feast. Josiah also removed all of the mediums, spiritists, teraphim, idols and other abominations from the land. The text says there was no king like him before or after that turned to the Lord and did according to the Law of Moses. Even though Josiah was a good king and the people returned to the Lord in his day, God still intended to remove His people from the land because of their unfaithfulness. Josiah was killed in Megiddo by the king of Egypt, Pharaoh Neco, when he went up against him and the king of Assyria in their journey to the Euphrates River. The people then took Jehoahaz his son and anointed him and made him king. Jehoahaz was evil and only reigned in Jerusalem for three months. Jehoahaz was put into prison by Pharaoh Neco at Riblah located at the northern edge of Palestine and under the control of Babylon. He then demanded a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. This equaled seven hundred fifty lbs. of silver and seven and one half lbs. of gold in our system of weights. Pharaoh Neco put another of Josiah’s sons on the throne that would answer to him. The new king’s given name was Eliakim, but Neco proved his control over him by renaming him Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz was then taken to Egypt where he died. Jehoiakim was also evil like so many of the kings before him. He reigned in Jerusalem eleven years and taxed the people to pay Pharaoh Neco his tribute. During the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated Assyria and Egypt and became the ruling power in the world. Jehoiakim served Babylon for the last three years of his reign then turned against Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord did not want Jehoiakim to rebel against Babylon and sent alternating bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah to destroy them. God had spoken through the prophets that He was going to allow His people to be taken into captivity for the sins of Manasseh, and the innocent blood that he had shed in Jerusalem. Jehoiakim died and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin on the throne of Judah. He was also evil like his father and reigned three months in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar then sent his servants to Jerusalem to place the city under siege. The siege was successful and Nebuchadnezzar himself came to Jerusalem and took Jehoiachin and his family and staff into exile along with the treasures of the temple back to Babylon. He even cut up the golden vessels that Solomon had made. Nearly all of the people of the city were also taken with the treasure. Only the poorest people remained in the city. The text says that Nebuchadnezzar then made his uncle Mattaniah king instead of Jehoiachin. Mattaniah was actually the youngest son of King Josiah, and the uncle of Jehoiachin. His name was changed to Zedekiah. He was also evil like Josiah’s other children and the Lord caused him to also rebel against Babylon. His reign lasted eleven years in Jerusalem. When Zedekiah rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar came and built a siege wall around Jerusalem and held the city captive for almost all of Zedekiah’s reign. During the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign the famine in Jerusalem was so severe the siege succeeded and the city fell again. Zedekiah and his family was captured and taken to Riblah. His sons were killed in his sight then Zedekiah was blinded and taken to Babylon. The Babylonians then burned the temple and the city and removed what was left. Only a few were left to tend the grapevines and farm the land. Everything else was taken to Babylon. The people of Judah were now completely exiled from the land. A man named Gedaliah was made governor over the people who were left. He was killed along with his followers, and those responsible fled to Egypt. The Book of 2 Kings ends with Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar, releasing Jehoiachin from the prison he had been in for the past thirty seven years and taking him into his palace. We will now begin the Book of 1 Chronicles. The two Books of Chronicles along with the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah are believed to have been written by Ezra after Jerusalem had been reoccupied after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The books cover the history of God’s people from the beginning through the resettlement and rebuilding of Jerusalem around four hundred BC. The books differ from the books of Samuel and Kings in that they were written to encourage the returning exiled people to Jerusalem. The conditions then were nothing like what had existed during the reigns of David and Solomon. The evil kings of the kingdom of Israel are not covered in these books. Israel was taken captive many years before by the Assyrians and has disappeared from view. All the tribes of Israel were represented though because some of their people were living in Judah when Israel was taken captive. The first nine chapters of the Book of 1 Chronicles consist of genealogies of the people of God from Adam to the people of Jerusalem during the time of David and Saul. Emphasis is placed on David and his family. The individual tribes are also listed including their descendants. In reading and studying the genealogies we can see where some of the people included in the Bible text we have covered so far have come from. Tucked into Chapter 4 is one of the most interesting prayers in all of God’s word. This is the prayer of Jabez. The prayer is listed in Chapter 4:9-10 “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.”Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.” This is a great example of what happens when you ask the Lord for something that lines up according to the will of God! After the first nine chapters of genealogies, Chapter 10 covers the defeat and death of King Saul. Saul was only wounded in his battle with the Philistines, but took his own life rather than face the abuse of his enemy. The Jews believe suicide is an insult to God. This was the reason Elijah did not take his life when he fled to the wilderness from Jezebel back in the Book of 1 Kings 19. Saul killed himself anyway and the Lord took responsibility for his death as proper punishment for his request to the witch of Endor. In Chapter 11 David was recognized as Israel’s king in Hebron. The people said to David in Chapter 11:1-2 “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.“In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince over My people Israel.’” David then went to Jerusalem, which was known as Jebus at that time, and took over the city from the Jebusites. He made Jerusalem his capital. The text then tells us how Joab became King David’s commander and right hand man. David said in Chapter 11:6 “Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander.” Joab was the first to do this and was made chief. The rest of the chapter lists the Mighty Men of David and some of their exploits. Verses 41-47 add additional names that were not listed in the Book of 2 Samuel 23. Chapter 12:1-22 cover the time when David fled from King Saul to the Philistine city of Ziklag that was also told of in the Books of 1 Samuel 27 – 2 Samuel 5. In verse 18 the Holy Spirit came upon Amasai who said these words to David “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you; Indeed, your God helps you!” The men of Judah and Benjamin wanted David to know that he had their support and it was blessed by God. The verses 23-37 cover David’s seven and one half year reign from Hebron. In Chapter 13 David realizes that the Ark of the Covenant needed to be brought to Jerusalem. We had read before that the Ark had been stolen by the Philistines back in the Book of 1 Samuel 5-6. Even though it had been returned the people did not reverence it as they should have. David, even though he loved and followed the Lord, did not transport the Ark properly. David had placed the Ark on a cart that was pulled by oxen and caused the death of Uzza when the man tried to stop the ark from falling off the cart. David did not understand that Uzza’s death was caused by having the Ark transported by animals and not carried by the sons of Kohath the Levite. He was afraid of the Ark and left it with Obed–edom the Gittite. David then went back to Jerusalem. In Chapter 14 the text says David’s kingdom was highly exalted and that he had many wives and children there. Also during this time the Philistines were defeated. Three months had passed and David saw the family of Obed-edom was blessed since they had possession of the Ark. King David realized his error and brought the Ark to Jerusalem the correct way with much celebration. In Chapter 16 David assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord. The psalm that was written at that time is recorded in Chapter 16:8-36 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, As the portion of your inheritance.” When they were only a few in number, Very few, and strangers in it, And they wandered about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the Lord in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord; For He is coming to judge the earth. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting. Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name, And glory in Your praise.” Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.” The people were then set in place to minister to the Lord before the Ark in the tent King David pitched for it in Jerusalem. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of 1 Chronicles and begin the Book of 2 Chronicles. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 23: 22-1 CHRONICLES 17 – 2 CHRONICLES 9 ======================================================================== 1 Chronicles 17 – 2 Chronicles 9 May 23, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 1 Chronicles 17. Last week we looked at the history of Israel from a different viewpoint then our previous studies in the Books of Samuel and Kings. As we talked about last week these two Books of Chronicles, along with Ezra and Nehemiah were written to encourage the Israelites that had returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon. We will continue this week in Chapter 17. After King David moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he had become convicted about God’s dwelling place. He was living in a fine palace, and the Lord was in a tent. David wanted to build a house for God to dwell in with His people. God did not allow David to build His temple because he was a man of war and had shed too much blood in the land. The Lord did tell David that he would have a son who would sit on his throne and build the temple. David then prayed a prayer of thanksgiving before the Lord and thanked Him for His blessing on his life. Chapter 18 then tells us that the kingdom of David was strengthened through victorious battles with his enemies. The text says that some of the spoils of King David’s wars provided the metals used in the construction of the temple by his son Solomon. The people he defeated also became the forced labor Solomon used in his building projects. Chapter 19 recounts the story of David’s fight with the sons of Ammon. The king of Ammon died and his son took over the throne in his place. David had been treated kindly by the former king and wished to show the same kindness to his son. David’s reputation as a man of war preceded him, and the new king of Ammon was given bad advice about Israel’s message of condolence on the loss of his father. The Ammonites captured David’s messengers and humiliated them. After David found out, the king of Ammon hired mercenaries from the people of Aram to protect them against David and his mighty army. The Lord was with David and his army defeated the Ammonites even with their help from Aram. After their defeat the people of Aram would no longer side with the Ammonites or help them. Chapter 20 continued the story of David’s wars and told how Joab and his men destroyed the land of Ammon. The end of the chapter lists the defeat of three more of the giants in the land of the Philistines. These men were descended from the giants of Gath and were related to Goliath who David slew as a young man. Chapter 21 covers the account of David’s unauthorized census of the people of Israel. The text here in 1 Chronicles 21:1 reveals that David was moved by Satan to number the people. This sin caused the death of seventy thousand men in Israel. David’s repentance caused the Lord to lift his hand from the destruction of Jerusalem, and also caused David to purchase the future site of God’s temple from Ornan the Jebusite. His threshing floor was located on Mount Moriah where Abraham offered his son Isaac to the Lord back in the Book of Genesis 22:1-19. Even though David was not permitted to build the temple, it did not stop him from gathering up the supplies needed for the project. David brought together all the things needed to build a magnificent structure. He charged his son Solomon with the task and also told the leaders of Israel to follow his son. He commanded them in Chapter 22:18-19 “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people.“Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.” In Chapter 23 David has become old and has made Solomon king over Israel. The text then goes through what appears to be more genealogies. The purpose of these lists was that David had to reassign the Levites. When the temple was finished the tabernacle would no longer be needed. The duties that pertained to the tabernacle also would no longer be needed. The temple was a building and could not be carried from place to place; also the furniture would no longer need to be moved. The duties of the different families of the Levites needed to change to reflect what was to come. David assigned the Levites to be musicians, gatekeepers, keepers of the treasure of the Lord, and caretakers for the temple along with the priesthood. At this time David also established the duties of other groups of people in Israel. David then told the people about the temple that was to be built and told Solomon where to build it. David again encouraged Solomon with these words in Chapter 28:20-21 “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.“Now behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.” David then took up an offering from the people to support the temple project. The people gave willingly and a great abundance of wealth was accumulated for the building. Solomon was again proclaimed king and the death of King David was recorded at the end of the chapter. This now ends the Book of 1 Chronicles. We will now continue our study with the Book of 2 Chronicles and the reign of Solomon. The Book of 2 Chronicles opens with Solomon speaking to Israel from the high place in Gibeon. This was where the tabernacle was located. The Ark of the Covenant had been carried by his father earlier to Jerusalem and placed in a tent he had pitched in the city of David. The tabernacle with the altar and all its furnishings except the Ark was left in Gibeon. This was where the people worshipped the Lord at that time. It was the night after Solomon spoke to Israel when the Lord came to him and asked him what He could give him. Solomon did not ask the Lord for wealth, power, or a long life. Solomon greatly pleased the Lord and asked only for wisdom so that he could rule Israel properly. The Lord granted Solomon’s request and also gave him the wealth and power he did not ask for. After this Solomon left Gibeon and reigned over Israel from Jerusalem like his father David. The end of the chapter talks about King Solomon’s wealth. The new thing here is that the horses of Solomon were mentioned. The verses that cover the horses are in Chapter 1:16-17 “Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders procured them from Kue for a price.They imported chariots from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver apiece and horses for 150 apiece, and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.” Moses had warned Israel’s future king in the Book of Deuteronomy 17:16 “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.” This verse specifically forbids the king from acquiring horses from Egypt. Chapters 2 through 7 give us the account of the construction and dedication of Solomon’s Temple. In Chapter 2 Solomon decided to start building the temple his father told him to build along with a royal palace for himself. Solomon sent messengers to his father’s friend, the king of Tyre, for the choicest timbers and stones to use in the construction of the temple. He also asked Huram for a skilled craftsman to work with the craftsmen he had from Judah and Jerusalem. Huram agreed to help and sent Solomon what he asked for. Solomon then took a census of the aliens living in the land of Israel and divided them up to do the work of preparing and transporting the stones and timbers for his projects. Solomon began construction of the House of God on Mount Moriah at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite his father had purchased. Chapter 3 describes the dimensions of the temple and how it was constructed. The splendor of the building must have exceeded anything man had built before this time. Even the pillars that framed the entrance to the building were given names. Chapter 4 then describes the furnishings of the temple and their dimensions. These pieces also were very ornate and much more intricate than the pieces prepared for the tabernacle. The text says there were ten lampstands and ten tables for the Bread of Presence instead of the single pieces used in the tabernacle. In Chapter 5 Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the newly completed temple from the tent his father had pitched for it in the city of David. The Levites carried the Ark into the Most Holy Place under the wings of the cherubim that Solomon had put there. Chapter 5:6 states that there were so many sheep and oxen sacrificed during the dedication celebration they were impossible to number. After the Ark had been placed in the temple the Glory of the Lord filled the place and the presence of God was with His people. We will now go to Chapter 6 where Solomon dedicates the new temple. He first said, then turned toward the people the words recorded in Chapter 6:1-2 “Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. “I have built You a lofty house, And a place for Your dwelling forever.” After this Solomon spoke a prayer of dedication to the Lord and recounted some of His law to the people. Here is the ending of Solomon’s prayer as recorded in Chapter 6:40-42 “Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. “Now therefore arise, O Lord God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good.“O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember Your loving-kindness to Your servant David.” In Chapter 7 it is recorded that after Solomon finished his prayer, a fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The Shekinah Glory of the Lord then filled the temple. The people, when they saw the fire, bowed down with their faces on the pavement and worshipped the Lord. They all said in unison “Truly He is good, truly His loving-kindness is everlasting.” The sacrifices during the seven day feast were now listed at twenty two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. The text says in Chapter 7:10 “Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy of heart because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David and to Solomon and to His people Israel.” The end of the chapter is a warning and promise given to Solomon by the Lord after the feast. These prophetic words would have a great impact on Israel in the years to come. God’s words were recorded in Chapter 7:12-22 “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.“For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.“As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances,then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.“As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’“And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’” Chapter 8 lists some of the activities and accomplishments of King Solomon. We will finish up this week with Chapter 9 which covers the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon and also a listing of his wealth and power. The text says in verse 4 that the Queen of Sheba was left breathless by the wisdom of Solomon and the splendor of his kingdom. The end of the chapter records King Solomon’s death. His sins with foreign women that were told in the Book of 1 Kings 11 that caused his downfall were not recorded here in 2 Chronicles. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of 2 Chronicles. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 24: 23-2 CHRONICLES 10 – 33 ======================================================================== 2 Chronicles 10 – 33 May 30, 2009 This week we will continue looking through the Book of 2 Chronicles. So far in both of the books we have covered through the death of King Solomon. During the reigns of David and Solomon Israel was at the peak of its power. David had conquered the land and expanded his kingdom through war. Solomon also expanded the kingdom through diplomacy and alliances. Solomon’s wealth and wisdom had made Israel the envy of the world. It was not brought out in the Books of Chronicles that the days of Israel’s strength were nearing an end. Even though Solomon was blessed by God with more than all he could ever need, he still desired more. He was not satisfied obeying God’s law and turned away from the Lord by idolatrous women from foreign lands. His lust for these women caused Solomon to worship their gods and forsake the Lord. Because of this sin God had the prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam that he would be given ten of the twelve tribes of Israel to rule. Israel’s downfall began, and the mighty kingdom of David and Solomon was divided. In Chapter 10 Solomon’s son Rehoboam had taken over the throne of Israel after his father’s death. When Jeroboam heard that Rehoboam had been made king he remembered the words of Ahijah and returned from Egypt where he had fled from Solomon. Jeroboam and the elders of Israel came before Rehoboam and asked him to lessen the burden of labor on the people of Israel. Rehoboam consulted with his advisors who convinced him not to grant the peoples request. God planned this turn of events and ten of the twelve tribes Israel turned away from following the descendants of David. The word of the Lord was fulfilled and only the people from Judah and Benjamin would follow the house of David from then on. The man Rehoboam sent to Israel to be over the forced labor was stoned to death by the people. They refused to follow Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam then fled in fear back to Jerusalem. Rehoboam’s attempt to gather an army to restore the kingdom of Israel was stopped by God. He instead stayed in Jerusalem and built up the cities in the territories of Judah and Benjamin. The Levites came to Jerusalem from Israel because Jeroboam refused to allow them to continue being priests before the Lord. He had assigned other men to the priesthood who were not from the tribe of Levi in direct opposition to God’s law. Israel also served false gods which were made by Jeroboam and worshipped by his false priests. The displaced Levites served in Jerusalem and supported Rehoboam for three years. The text then says that Rehoboam like his fathers before him had many wives and concubines. The first verse in Chapter 12 says that when Rehoboam’s kingdom in Judah was established and strong, both the people of Judah and Israel turned against the Lord. In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign the Lord allowed Shishak the King of Egypt to come up against Judah with his army. The people of Judah humbled themselves before the Lord and God granted them some measure of deliverance from the Egyptians. Even though God did not permit Shishak to defeat Judah He did allow them to impoverish the people by plundering the land. Rehoboam then died and was succeeded by his son Abijah. The acts of Abijah’s reign were recorded in Chapter 13. Abijah started a civil war with King Jeroboam of Israel in an attempt to restore rule to the house of David. He did achieve victory over Israel in spite of the fact his army was half the number of Israel. The Lord fought for him, but the kingdom was not restored. Jeroboam never recovered from the defeat and the Lord struck him dead. Abijah became very powerful, and like those before him, had many wives and children. Asa then became king over Judah after Abijah died. Asa did what was right before the Lord and the land had peace for ten years. He removed the false gods and high places from Judah. After the years of peace Zerah, the Ethiopian came against Judah with his army of one million men and three hundred chariots. Asa had built up an army of five hundred eighty thousand during the time of peace. Asa did not need his army. He called to the Lord in Chapter 14:11 “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” God heard Asa and routed the Ethiopians and chased them as far as Gerar. They killed many more Ethiopians in the pursuit and plundered the cities around Gerar of livestock and goods. The army then returned to Jerusalem. In Chapter 15 the prophet Azariah came to Asa and warned him with these words from God in Chapter 15:2-7 “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.“For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.“But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.“In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.“Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.“But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.” Asa heeded the Lord and brought about many reforms in Judah. He did what was right for most of his reign. He turned from God when he asked for help from Aram in his conflict with Baasha the king of Israel instead of relying on the Lord. He imprisoned the prophet Hanani when he came to tell the king of God’s anger at his decision to enlist the Arameans. In the thirty ninth year of his reign Asa became ill with a disease in his feet. He consulted physicians instead of the Lord on his condition and died after reigning for forty one years. Jehoshaphat then became king over Judah. It was recorded in Chapter 17 that the beginning his reign was good. He followed the example of David and obeyed the Lord. God was with him and he became strong. We find out here in Chapter 18:1 that Jehoshaphat went wrong and allied himself with wicked King Ahab of Israel through marriage. Ahab was the king of Israel that was married to Jezebel. Jehoshaphat went to Ahab to ask him to be his ally against Aram. Ahab’s false prophets assured victory. Micaiah, the only true prophet in the land told Jehoshaphat these words in Chapter 18:16 “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” Israel was defeated and Ahab was killed by an Aramean archer. Jehoshaphat was rebuked by Jehu for helping the wicked men of Israel. God did see some good in him because Jehoshaphat had removed the Asheroth from the land and set his heart to seek God. He reformed Judah and was ready when they were invaded by Moab. He prayed to the Lord in Chapter 20 for Him to go against his enemies, and was answered by Jahaziel the Levite with these words from God in Chapter 20:15-17 “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.‘Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.‘You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” The people then worshipped the Lord and the next morning their enemies destroyed themselves in the wilderness of Tekoa. The people plundered the cities of their enemies and triumphantly returned to Jerusalem. Even with this victory the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign did not go well. He allied himself with Ahaziah, another wicked king of Israel, and turned against the Lord. He died and was succeeded by his son Jehoram. Jehoram was also wicked. When he had become strong and secured the throne of Judah, he killed off all his brothers along with some of the heads of Judah. This was to rid the land of his rivals. He married the daughter of Ahab and was evil like all of the kings of Israel. Even though Jehoram was wicked the Lord still would not destroy Judah for David’s sake. He did cause Jehoram to suffer from an incurable disease in his bowels that caused him great pain and resulted in his death. Jehoram’s youngest son Ahaziah was made king by the people. The new king’s older brothers were killed by the men who came up against his father Jehoram. Ahaziah was also wicked like the kings of Israel. His mother was the daughter of Omri, one of the evil kings of Israel. The text blames Ahaziah’s councilors for his wicked ways because they came from the kingdom of Israel. This is an example of how the Books of Chronicles attempt to show even the evil kings of Judah in a good light. Ahaziah was killed by Jehu when he removed the house of Ahab from the land. The king was killed along with the princes of Judah. When Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah found out he was dead she killed the entire line of royal succession in Judah. She wanted to rule over the people as queen. A rightful male descendent of Ahaziah was hidden by his mother in the temple from Athaliah the queen. The boy was hidden for six years until Jehoiada became strengthened and gathered up enough support to put the rightful king on the throne. The boy Joash was installed as king by Jehoiada and the people recognized him as king. Athaliah cried “Treason! Treason!” and tore her clothes. She was put to death by Judah’s army at the Horse Gate of the king’s house. Joash was made king when he was seven years old. The priest Jehoiada influenced the boy very much during his reign. Joash followed the Lord and Jehoiada helped institute reforms in Judah. The temple was repaired, but the people did not change their evil ways. After Jehoiada died the king was persuaded by the officials of Judah to abandon the house of God and return to the worship of the Asherim and idols. Joash murdered the son of Jehoiada when the man rebuked him for transgressing the Lords commandments. Aram then invaded Judah, and because of the people’s disobedience the Arameans were victorious. Joash was killed in his own bed by his servants. Josash’s son Amaziah became king after his death and did what was right before the Lord, but the text says he did it without a whole heart. Amaziah killed the servants that killed his father and gathered together an army to go up against the men of Edom. He listened to a prophet and dismissed the mercenaries from Israel he had hired and routed the Edomites in battle. The Lord was with him in this fight. After the victory Amaziah took his enemies gods and set them up in Judah and worshipped them instead of the Lord. God was angry and brought about Amaziah’s destruction for what he had done. He was defeated by Joash of Israel and killed. Amaziah’s son Uzziah was then made king of Judah by the people. Uzziah did what was right like his father and prospered as long as he sought the Lord. He was successful in war and his fame spread far and wide. Pride was his undoing. He decided to go into the temple and offer incense to the Lord which was not for him to do. This was only to be offered by the Levites. This angered the Lord and He struck Uzziah with leprosy in his forehead. He lived until his death separated from the people and excluded from the house of the Lord. His son Jotham judged the people in his place. Jotham was made king after Uzziah’s death. Jotham did what was right before the Lord and became a builder in the land. He added to the wall of Ophel and built cities in the territory of Judah. He was also successful in war. After he died his son Ahaz became king. Ahaz was evil and worshipped Baal. He made molten images and even burned his sons in the fire as the earlier people in the land did before the Lord drove them out. Judah was invaded by Aram and many of the people were killed. Israel carried away two hundred thousand people from Judah to place them in slavery. The Lord was angry with Israel and forced them to treat the captives well and return them to Judah. Ahaz compromised himself with the Assyrians and gave some of the treasures of the temple to Tiglath-pileser the king. Ahaz then died and his son Hezekiah took over the throne. Hezekiah did what was right before the Lord and repaired the temple. He also brought about many reforms in Judah. Hezekiah restored the worship of the Lord in the temple. The Levites ministered to the Lord and sacrifice was reinstated. Hezekiah then sent a letter through all of Judah, and even Israel, to invite the people to celebrate the Passover. The Passover feast was celebrated by the people, and even though all the proper rules were not followed Hezekiah prayed that the people would be forgiven. The Lord was pleased and their voices were heard even to heaven. After the celebration the people went out and removed the idols and high places. The reforms continued and Hezekiah and the people prospered. After this time Sennacherib the king of Assyria invaded Judah. Hezekiah cut off the water supply outside of Jerusalem and repaired the city walls. Sennacherib did not attack the city but sent his servants to turn the people away from Hezekiah for taking away their false gods. Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed about this threat and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the warriors of Assyria. Hezekiah’s illness and his mistake in showing the Babylonians the treasures of the Lord were not mentioned in the Book of 2 Chronicles. Hezekiah died and his son Manasseh was made king in his place. Manasseh was evil and rebuilt all his father had torn down. He worshipped all the false gods of the land. He even placed altars to Baal in the house of the Lord. The text says that he misled the people more than any king that came before him. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and the people to change their evil ways. They refused and the Lord, in His anger, allowed the Assyrians to capture Manasseh and take him away to Babylon in chains. In his distress Manasseh humbled himself before God and prayed for deliverance from the Assyrians. God heard Manasseh’s prayer and restored him to Jerusalem. Manasseh had changed but the people still had not. He tried to undo his sins, but the people only replaced their false gods with the Lord and worshipped Him the same way. Manasseh died and was succeeded by his son Amon on the throne of Judah. Amon was also evil like his father, but he would not humble himself before the Lord as Manasseh did. His own servants conspired against him and killed him in his house. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of 2 Chronicles, cover the Book of Ezra, and begin the Book of Nehemiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 25: 24-2 CHRONICLES 34 – NEHEMIAH 3 ======================================================================== 2 Chronicles 34 – Nehemiah 3 Jun. 6, 2009 We will begin our study this week near the end of the Book of 2 Chronicles in Chapter 34. Last week we looked at the reigns of the kings of Judah when the kingdom was divided. This week we will study the last few kings and look at the return of the Jewish people from Babylon after their seventy years of exile. In Chapter 34 Josiah has succeeded the evil King Amon on the throne of Judah. Josiah was a good king and sought the Lord from his youth. He was only eight years old when he began to rule Judah. By the twelfth year of his reign he purged the land of all the idols and carved images. The text says he ground them to powder and scattered the dust on the graves of those who worshipped them. When he returned to Jerusalem in the eighteenth year he set out to repair the temple. He placed men in charge of the task. One man, Hilkiah found the book of the law given to Moses that had been lost for many years. When the king finally heard the words of the law he tore his clothes in mourning for how far the people had fallen from the Lord. He spoke these words in Chapter 34: 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.” Hilkiah and the rest of the people Josiah spoke to went to Huldah the prophetess to find out what the Lord had to say about the king’s request. God said the people would be punished and evil would be brought on the place for what the people had done. Josiah though, would live a life of peace because of his prayer and obedience. Josiah’s reign was good. He made a covenant with the Lord to follow His commandments. He had the people also make the same commitment. Josiah had the people observe the Passover as Hezekiah did earlier. Near the end of his reign Josiah decided to intervene in a conflict between Egypt and the men of Assyria. Neco the king of Egypt and his army were passing through Judah on their way north to fight Assyria. Josiah was killed by an archer during the battle. Egypt then took control of Judah and removed their new king. Neco placed the kings brother on the throne who was evil and did not follow the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon then came against Judah and took the new king and the treasures of the temple back to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then placed another evil king over Judah. Finally he came and defeated Judah and carried the people away to exile in Babylon. Zedekiah was king at the time and rebelled against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar crushed the rebellion and carried away all that was left in the city. The temple was burned along with the other buildings in Jerusalem. The city was left all but empty for seventy years until the time Cyrus the king of Persia allowed the return of the captives to Jerusalem. This ends the Book of 2 Chronicles. We will now begin the Book of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the time of the Jewish captivity. The Book of Ezra was written about the history of the Jewish people from the year 538 B.C. through 458 B.C. During the exile of the people of Judah in Babylon, Persia had defeated the Babylonian king and taken control of world power. Possibly because of the testimony of Daniel and the other captives the new king sent out a proclamation allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. The text says in Chapter 1 that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Cyrus also brought out the vessels of the temple that were stolen by Nebuchadnezzar and gave them to the returning people. The return was led by Zerubbabel the Levite priest. Chapter 2 lists the people who were brought back to Jerusalem, where they were from, and their number. When the people returned and were settled in the seventh month, the altar was restored and the continual sacrifice to the Lord was reinstated. The people celebrated the Feast of Booths at the prescribed time. In the second year of the peoples return to Jerusalem work began on the restoration of the temple. Solomon’s temple had been destroyed and burned by Nebuchadnezzar during the captivity so a new foundation had to be laid to support the new structure. The people rejoiced when they saw the work completed, but the old men who had been in Jerusalem before the exile wept because the new temple was to be only a shadow of the splendor of the earlier temple. The Ark of the Covenant was missing, and also the Shekinah Glory of the Lord’s presence was no longer there. In Chapter 4 it was recorded that the former enemies of the Jewish people in the land wanted to help with the work on the temple. This was not an effort to join with Israel, but they wished to continue the corruption that caused the Lord to send His people into exile in Babylon years ago. The Jews refused their help and their enemies frightened and frustrated the people from working on the temple from this time until the reign of Darius in Babylon. The people that had remained in the land did not want the Jews to regain their former control and power they experienced during the time of King Solomon. A letter, in Aramaic, was written to Artaxerxes the king of Persia to falsely warn him of the threat the Jews activity was to his kingdom. The king answered the letter and halted work on the temple. Restoration work on the temple ceased for sixteen years. In Chapter 5 Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the people and work resumed on the temple. The Persian governor of the land asked the Jews who gave them the authority to rebuild their temple. The text says in Chapter 5:5 “But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a written reply be returned concerning it.” Tattenai the governor sent the report to Darius and awaited his reply. In the report the Jews told the story of how King Cyrus had issued the decree to rebuild the temple. Darius read the report in Chapter 6 and searched the archives for the decree of Cyrus. The decree was found and Darius the king honored its words. He sent a reply to Tattenai instructing him to leave the restoration work on the temple alone and that the work was to be financed by the royal treasury. The temple was completed and dedicated with much celebration among the Jews living in the land. The returned exiles gathered in Jerusalem and celebrated the Passover and also the Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed. The people rejoiced because the Lord had turned the heart of the king of Assyria towards them to rebuild the house of God. After this time the author of this book, Ezra traveled to Jerusalem from Babylon. Ezra was a skilled scribe and priest who was well versed in the Law of Moses. He had set his heart to go up to Jerusalem to teach, study, and practice the Law. Artaxerxes issued a decree and gave it to Ezra that allowed anyone who wished to return to Jerusalem. Ezra was charged by Artaxerxes to rule over the city and to appoint magistrates and judges over the people. It’s hard to believe that an unbelieving king of the Persians would send a man to teach the laws of God to the people. Chapter 8 lists the people who returned to Jerusalem with Ezra. He had to send to Babylon for some Levites because none could be found in the land. Ezra proclaimed in Chapter 8:21-23 “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.”So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.” The people made the journey safely and the treasure was placed into the temple in Jerusalem. The end of the Book of Ezra covers the issue of mixed marriages among the Jews and the people of the land. The Samaritan people were created from such unions. The issue of mixing with people other than Israelites had been the problem with God’s people from the beginning. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt they allowed a mixed multitude to follow them. When Joshua led the conquest of the Promised Land the people did not obey the Lord and destroy all their enemies. The downfall of King Solomon came from his association with foreign women. And also many of the kings of both Israel and Judah turned from the Lord and worshipped the gods and idols of God’s enemies. Ezra realized this fact and even though God hates divorce the people were encouraged to dissolve the mixed unions and separate and purify themselves before the Lord. This ends the Book of Ezra. We will now start the Book of Nehemiah. The Book of Nehemiah is also believed to have been written by Ezra the scribe. The book covers the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem about fourteen years after the events in the Book of Ezra. Chapter 1 opens with Nehemiah, the royal cupbearer to the king of Persia mourning over the condition of the walls of the city of Jerusalem where his brothers had returned from. He prayed that the Lord would cause the king to have compassion on him when he went in to ask about the walls of the city. In Chapter 2 the opportunity arose for Nehemiah to ask about the walls of Jerusalem and the Lord was faithful to grant his request. Artaxerxes agreed with Nehemiah’s request and sent him to Jerusalem to inspect the walls. The Persian officials of the city did not like the idea of anyone seeking the welfare of the Jews. The official’s names were Sanballat and Tobiah. Nehemiah came to Jerusalem and was there three days. He did not tell anyone why he was there and he and a few men rode a circuit around the city to inspect its gates and walls. When the officials saw Nehemiah they mocked him and asked him if he was rebelling against the king. Nehemiah answered in Chapter 2:20 “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.” Chapter 3 lists the men who Nehemiah assigned to do the work on the gates and walls of the city. Many of the people of the city were assigned the section of the wall or the gate near their home to repair. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Nehemiah, and cover most of the Book of Esther. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 26: 25-NEHEMIAH 4 – ESTHER 7 ======================================================================== Nehemiah 4 – Esther 7 Jun. 13, 2009 This week we will continue looking through the Book of Nehemiah. Last week we studied the first two waves of returning exiles to the city of Jerusalem in the Book of Ezra. Then we began our study of the third and final wave of resettlement in the beginning chapters of the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had the ear of the king of Persia and a burden for the condition of the walls and gates of Jerusalem. He petitioned the king to let him travel to Jerusalem and repair the city wall and the gates. Jerusalem was unprotected from invaders with so much damage to its wall. The king allowed him to go and supervise the work. When he arrived in the city he inspected the damage and assigned people to work on the different areas. There was opposition to the work by the foreign leaders of the land who did not want to see the Jewish people prosper. Work had begun and in Chapter 4 their efforts were ridiculed by Sanballat and the wealthy men of Samaria. The people were demoralized but continued working on the walls. They prayed to the Lord for the strength to complete the task and for protection from their enemies. When Nehemiah saw their fear he encouraged the people with these words in Chapter 4:14 “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” The people armed themselves and continued to work on the walls. Half of the people would do the work while the other half would stand guard in breastplates, with spears, bows, and shields. They carried trumpets as a rally call if they were attacked. When the sound of a trumpet was heard the people shouted “Our God will fight for us”. In Chapter 5 the people were angry and so desperate for food to feed their families that they had to mortgage their homes and fields to purchase what they needed to survive. Nehemiah heard their plight and was angry with their Jewish brothers who were charging interest on the loans. This practice was in direct opposition to Gods Law spoken by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 23:19-20 “You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. “You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.” Nehemiah abolished the collection of interest and led by example. The Jews who repopulated Jerusalem needed to honor the Lord and work together in order to survive. Sanballat, Tobias, and the other enemies of Nehemiah tried to lure him out of the city to do him harm after the work on the walls were completed. The new gates had not yet been hung and the city was still vulnerable to attack. Even though they had sent four messages he was too busy to reply. Nehemiah’s enemies were angry and made up lies that the Jews were attempting to set up their own kingdom when the city was fortified. Nehemiah did not fear his enemies and the work on the gates and walls were finished. After this in Chapter 7 a census was taken of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The city could now be closed up and protected. The gates would only be opened during the time the sun was hot and guards were present. In Chapter 8 Ezra the scribe was asked to bring the Book of the Law of Moses to the city and read it in its entirety to the people. Ezra did this in the square in front of the Water Gate of Jerusalem. The people all listened to Ezra with attention and understanding. Nehemiah, who was governor at the time, proclaimed the day as holy and told the people to not mourn or weep. The people went away and celebrated the Feast of Booths that was written of in the Law they had just heard. The people confessed their sin and the Levites prepared a document to the Lord that all the people signed. The people recognized the obligations of the covenant they signed before the Lord. Chapter 11 and the beginning of Chapter 12 list the leaders of the Jewish people and the names of the Levites who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. The wall was dedicated and procedures were set up concerning the order of the temple service. On the day of dedication, in Chapter 13, foreigners were excluded from the temple. The Ammonites and the Moabites were mentioned by name because they did not care for Israel, but hired Balaam to curse God’s people. Tobiah was expelled from the temple and the building was cleansed. The tithe was restored to provide for the Levites in the temple and also the Sabbath day was observed. At this time the practice of the Jewish people intermarrying with foreigners was forbidden. This ends the Book of Nehemiah. We will now begin the final book of the historical books of the Bible, the Book of Esther. The Book of Esther took place during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah at the end of the captivity of the Jewish people in Babylon. The book chronicles the events that occurred in the Persian capitol of Susa during this time. The name of God is not mentioned anywhere in the book, but His provision for His people is obvious throughout. The book opens with a one hundred eighty day exhibition of excess in the form of a banquet by the king of Persia and his officers. The king held this event to show off his wealth and power to the people. After the spectacle Ahasuerus the king invited all of the people from the most prominent to the least to an exclusive seven day feast in the garden of the king’s palace. The people all did much drinking and no limits were placed on consumption. The queen, Vashti, also held a feast for the women in the palace at the same time. On the seventh day of the feast, when the king and his guests were extremely intoxicated, Ahasuerus sent for his Queen to parade her beauty before his guests. Vashti refused to lower herself to the king’s demands and remained in the palace. The words of the king of Persia were law and unable to be revoked. Ahasuerus was angry at being defied and had an edict written up that banned Queen Vashti from his presence forever. The edict also pleased the king’s guests because it commanded all the women of the kingdom to honor their husbands. It was not recorded what became of Vashti, but we do know that her stand against the king to not display herself to a crowd of drunken men caused her to be removed from her place of prominence and wealth. Sometimes making the right decision can have severe consequences in our lives. When we decide to follow the Lord we will also be excluded from some of the people we used to be friends with. When the king’s anger subsided he sent his attendants throughout the kingdom to gather up all the young beautiful virgin women to find a replacement for the banished Queen Vashti. The women were brought from their homes to the palace and given cosmetics and clothing to present themselves to the king. The woman who most pleased the king would be elevated to queen and a position of honor in the kingdom. There was a Jew in the city of Susa named Mordecai who was a Benjaminite from the family of Kish, and a descendant of King Saul. He had a cousin living with him named Hadassah, or Esther that he raised as his own daughter. Mordecai recognized the opportunity for Esther and allowed her to go to the palace with the other women. He told her not to let it be known that she was a Jew. Mordecai went every day and walked before the court of the harem to see how Esther was doing. Esther found favor with the eunuch in charge of the women and was given special treatment. The women spent an entire year of preparation before they were able to see the king. When Esther’s turn came to present herself to the king she found favor with all she passed and the king made her his queen. After Esther was made queen Mordecai was at the gate of the city and overheard two of the king’s guards planning to overthrow the kingdom. He told Esther about the plot and the king was informed. The two guards were captured and hanged. The king was told by Esther that it was Mordecai who was her source of information about the plot and who was responsible for spoiling their plans. In Chapter 3 after this event King Ahasuerus promoted a man named Haman to be in charge of his kingdom. The people were commanded by the king to bow down to Haman and lie prostrate before him in obedience. Mordecai refused to bow before Haman. The king’s servants questioned Mordecai on why he refused the king’s order concerning Haman. Mordecai did not answer them until finally he revealed that he was a Jew. It is believed there was a great deal of anti-Semitism in Susa during this time and was the reason Mordecai kept his and Esther’s heritage secret. In regards to Haman there had been a thousand year feud between going on between the families of Mordecai and Haman. Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin and also a descendant of King Saul. We read before in the Book of 1 Samuel 15 where Saul angered the Lord and lost the rule over Israel to David when he spared King Agag of the Amalekites. Haman was a descendent of King Agag and harbored an intense hatred for the Jews because they defeated his people and hacked Agag to pieces. Mordecai, being a Benjaminite, could not bow down to a descendent of the man who caused the downfall of Saul. Haman found out who Mordecai was and devised a scheme to rid the land of the entire Jewish race. Satan attempted to use Haman to block the family line to Jesus Christ. Haman lied to Ahasuerus and asked his permission to remove a people who were a threat to the kingdom. The king gave Haman his signet ring and allowed him to do whatever he wished. Haman wrote an edict that specified the extermination of the Jewish people on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. The document was sealed with the king’s ring and issued throughout the land. This edict was now law and could not be revoked by anyone, even the king himself. When Mordecai heard of the edict he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He mourned for what was to happen to his people. The rest of the Jews in the city also fasted and mourned with weeping and wailing. Queen Esther also heard about the new law from her maidens and eunuchs. She sent one of the king’s eunuchs named Hathach to Mordecai with some new clothes to hide himself. Mordecai refused and told Hathach about Haman’s plot and sent a copy of the edict for Esther to read. Mordecai wanted Esther to go to the king and plead for her people. Esther was afraid to disturb the king because if she was not granted an audience it would mean her death. Mordecai replied to Esther with these words from Chapter 4:13-14 “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Esther then told the Jews to fast for three day and she also would do the same with her maidens then go to the king. After three days Esther put on her royal robes and went to see the king. When Ahasuerus saw her he touched the top of his scepter and granted her an audience with him. The king favored Esther and asked her what was troubling her. She requested that a banquet would be held for Haman, herself and the king the next day. The king agreed and commanded the banquet be prepared. Haman was happy that night when he left the palace because of the honor of being invited to the banquet. His mood changed when he passed Mordecai at the city gate and he still would not bow down. He complained about Mordecai to his friends and wife when he reached his home. They suggested that he prepare a large gallows outside and hang Mordecai from it before he went to the banquet. Haman liked the idea and had the gallows made. That night King Ahasuerus could not sleep and asked for the book of records to be brought to him and read. The Lord caused Ahasuerus his distress in order to set up the events which followed. In the record book it was found out that Mordecai had received no honor for saving the kings life when his guards plotted to overthrow him. Ahasuerus was upset at this oversight and was planning what to do when Haman came in to tell the king about his plans to hang Mordecai. Before he could tell the king he was told to take a royal robe and one of the kings own horses and lead Mordecai around the kingdom in honor. Haman was forced to honor the king’s request and when he was finished he went home in anguish. His wife and friends no longer felt sorry for him, but predicted his downfall for his treatment of the Jews. Haman was then rushed to Esther’s banquet. During the second day of the banquet when Haman was present the king asked Esther her request. Esther told him that she was one of the people in which the order was written for extermination. She asked for her own life and also for the lives of her people. She told the king she would not have troubled him if they were only sold into slavery. She could not do nothing and cause all of her people to be lost. The king asked who wrote this order and Esther turned and said in Chapter 7:6 “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” The king became very angry and left the room. Haman was terrified of Esther and the king, and was found by Ahasuerus falling on the couch where Esther was sitting. Ahasuerus returned and thought Haman was assaulting Esther. He gave an order to have Haman hanged on his own gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will conclude the Book of Esther and begin the Book of Job. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 27: 26-ESTHER 8 – JOB 24 ======================================================================== Esther 8 – Job 24 Jun. 20, 2009 We will begin this week with the ending of the Book of Esther in Chapter 8. Last week we studied the events in the life of Esther and her Uncle Mordecai in the Persian capitol of Susa. We found out that the Lord had placed Esther at the right place at just the right time to deliver the Jewish people from extermination by the hand of the wicked man Haman. We will pick up the story this week after Haman’s deception had been found out and he had been executed for his crime on his own gallows. Here in Chapter 8 Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman to Queen Esther and had Mordecai brought before him. Esther told the king who Mordecai was to her and Ahasuerus gave to Mordecai his signet ring and promoted him to Haman’s old job. Mordecai became administrator over the kingdom of Persia and Esther transferred all that was Haman’s to Mordecai. She then begged the king for the freedom of her people. The edict written by Haman was law and could not be revoked, but now Mordecai possessed the authority to write his own edicts in the king’s name. Mordecai wrote an edict that made it law for the Jews to be able to defend themselves from their enemies. He sent the decree to all the provinces of Persia from India to Ethiopia to ready the Jews for their defense. Mordecai then left the palace in royal robes and wherever the law went it became a day of celebration for the Jewish people. Many people became Jews at this time in fear of what was to happen to their enemies. When the thirteenth day of the month of Adar came the Jewish people were ready. The text says they had gained mastery over their enemies and those who hated them. The Jewish people fell on their enemies and killed five hundred men in Susa alone. Queen Esther requested that the edict of Mordecai be extended through the fourteenth day of Adar, and that the sons of Haman also be hanged. The king agreed and the sons of Haman were hung on the gallows along with an additional three hundred men killed in Susa. In all seventy five thousand enemies of the Jews were killed. The people did not plunder the goods of the dead. On the fifteenth day of Adar the people rested and made it a day of celebration. Mordecai recorded the events and instituted a new holiday for the Jewish people on the thirteenth and fifteenth day of Adar every year. This holiday is known as the Feast of Purim and it is still observed today. Mordecai was advanced by Ahasuerus to second in the kingdom and spent his days seeking the welfare of his people. This ends the Book of Esther. We will now begin the Book of Job. The events in the Book of Job took place during the time of the patriarchs in Abraham’s day. The fact that Job lived for two hundred years, he was the priest of his home, nothing in the book refers to the Law of Moses, and his wealth was measured in livestock placed this date as correct. The author is unknown, except that it could not have been Job because he was unaware of the events that caused his trouble. The book was written many years after the events that were described in it. Tradition says the author was Moses because Midian was near the land of Uz, but people as far as Solomon have been suggested as the author. The book opens with the description of a wealthy man named Job who lived in the city of Uz. Job feared the Lord and lived an obedient life. Job’s children were not like their father and were sinful in their ways. Job would offer burnt offerings to the Lord weekly to atone for his family’s sin. The scene of the book then shifts to heaven and the throne of God. The Book of Job gives us one of the rare glimpses in the Bible of heaven and what goes on there. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is shown coming before God along with a group of angels. It seems that God used this meeting to teach Satan and the angels some truth about Himself and the humans He created. We see here that Satan has been roaming about the Earth. Further insight on Satan’s activities can be gained in the Book of 1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And also in the Gospel of Luke 22:31“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” Satan tried to do a similar thing as he did in the garden to Eve. When God asked him about the man Job, Satan told God the only reason Job feared Him was because a hedge of protection was placed around him. Satan seems to want to cast doubt to the other angels about God’s words. God allowed Job’s protection to be removed and gave Satan permission to strike all that belonged to Job, except Job himself, to prove the man would still worship and not curse God. Satan then left the presence of God and made quick work to strike at all that Job had. In a series of three events Job’s livestock, servants, and children were taken from him. Job did not react the way Satan had expected him to react, but tore his clothes, shaved his head, and worshipped the Lord. Job said these words in Chapter 1:21“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this tragedy, Job did not blame or curse God. After some unspecified time Satan again came before God at His throne. The Lord asked Satan the same questions as before about Job. Satan would not accept defeat, and even after Job proved him wrong, he told God that Job would surely curse Him if his health was taken away. God also agreed to this challenge and allowed Satan to take away Job’s health, but not his life. Satan went from the presence of God and struck Job with a case of boils over his entire body. Job was reduced to scraping his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat on a heap of ashes. His wife came to him and viewed her husband as foolish for keeping his attitude of praise towards the Lord. She told him to “Curse God and die.” Job rebuked her and still would not curse the Lord. Three of Job’s friends heard of his distress and came to comfort him. They sat in silence with Job for seven days waiting for him to speak. Job’s first words after the seven days, in Chapter 2, were to curse the day he was born. Job could not understand why these things had come upon him. During his lament he went from cursing his birth, to wishing he had been stillborn, to finally hoping his life would be taken from him in death. Where in the beginning God removed his hedge of protection from Job, he now believed in Chapter 3:23 “Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?” This verse means, why would God give life to a man who He has placed in prison? Job’s friends were no help to him. In Chapter 4 Eliphaz spoke to Job on the premise that he must have committed some sin for God to cause him such turmoil. He told Job he should be honored that the Lord chose to chastise him and not take his life. Eliphaz was using human logic that says the innocent do not suffer. The Book of Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” We cannot attribute what we think is right and just as what God thinks. Eliphaz pleaded with Job to go to God and confess his sin. He believed that if Job would do this he would be restored. Job could not do what his friend asked. He had done nothing to cause his torment. He told his friend in Chapter 6:10 “But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” He again told his friend that he was not lying and he had nothing to confess. Job had come to the point where he viewed his life as futile. He wanted to be left alone to die. Another of his friends, Bildad, spoke to Job in Chapter 8. Bildad also believed that Job was being punished for his sins and the sins of his family. He simplistically believed that God rewards good and punishes evil. Bildad had no knowledge of the dialog that had taken place in heaven between Satan and Almighty God. He did rightly predict Job’s outcome though in Chapter 8:7 “Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly.” He also wanted Job to repent and be restored. Job answered Bildad in Chapter 9 and said he understood what he meant. Job then questioned Bildad on who could answer to God? It is God who makes and controls all things, and if He says I am guilty, I am guilty, and there is nothing I can do. He says in Chapter 10 that he will complain bitterly from his soul and asks God why these things have come upon me? He asked God why He had made him only to destroy him. Job again asked God to let him die. The last of Job’s three friends, Zophar, rebuked him in Chapter 11 for what he perceived as arrogance on Job’s part. He also thought that if Job would stop complaining and admit to his sinful ways his trouble would be over. Job told his friends in Chapter 12 that he is as intelligent as they are and that he, a just and blameless man has become a joke to his friends. Job told them they didn’t know God and in the end of the chapter he told them of the power of his God. He also told his friends, in Chapter 13 that he had listened to what they had to say and that he was not inferior to them. Job said he no longer wanted to hear them but he would speak directly to God and argue his case. He told his friends that all they spoke were lies and their advice is nothing but ashes. He knew if he would be given the chance to state his case before God he would be vindicated. Job then spoke on the finality of death in Chapter 14. He said that man is short lived like a flower that blooms, and then withers and dies. He also said that life flees like a shadow. He realized man’s days are numbered by God and limits on man’s life are set. Job asks God a question in Chapter 14:14 “If a man dies, will he live again?” We know the answer to this question if we have accepted God’s son Jesus as our savior. We will receive eternal life with Him. Eliphaz responds to Job in Chapter 15 and told him his words are just a bunch of wind. He said that he condemns himself by what he speaks. He accuses Job of thinking he knows more than any other and that he should listen to their council. Eliphaz then gave Job some of the wisdom he had gained from his life. He told Job how he had seen the arrogant punished. Job then told his friends, in Chapter 16, that they were no comfort to him. He said it was easy to speak as they did when they were not suffering for any reason themselves. He told them that God had shattered him and his name had become a byword and he had no hope. Bildad then spoke again in Chapter 18. He asked Job how long he would continue to make up excuses for his trouble. Bildad wanted Job to show some understanding before he would continue to speak and help him. Bildad then went on and described the wicked to Job. Because Job had not believed his words and taken his council, he was including him with the wicked. Job felt insulted by his so called friends and wanted to know why they did not believe his words. He cried out that his own friends were persecuting him worse than God Himself. Psalm 55:12-14 written by David give us an idea of the betrayal Job must have felt from his friend’s attitude towards him. “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend;We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”And also verse 16-18a “As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice.He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me” Job had reached his end and believed everyone was against him. He did though; in his distress speak with great wisdom in Chapter 19:23-27 where he uttered these famous words “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! “That with an iron stylus and lead They were engraved in the rock forever! “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.“Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!” Job revealed in these few verses the future work of Jesus Christ during His first and second comings to Earth. Job’s friend Zophar had heard enough and accused Job of being one of the wicked and that their time is always short. His friends continued to prove they did not understand the workings of their creator. Job responded and said that God would deal with the wicked in His own way and that they only pretend to know God’s will. Job’s friend Eliphaz again accused Job of causing his own trouble and exhorted him to realize his transgressions and repent. Job replied, in Chapter 23 that he longs for God. He could not understand why he was in this condition and could no longer feel God’s presence in his life. He wanted to know why he had not been given the opportunity to present his case before Him. He still had not departed from following God’s words. It seemed to Job that God was ignoring the wrongs that were taking place in the world. He did not understand why God had continued to let his so called friends speak lies to him, and why he had been left in this condition. This ends our study for this week in the Book of Job. We will finish up the book next week and begin looking through the Book of Psalms. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 28: 27-JOB 24 – PSALMS 17 ======================================================================== Job 24 – Psalms 17 Jun. 27, 2009 This week in our study we are halfway through the Book of Job. Last week we saw how the Lord gave Satan permission to take away Job’s family, wealth, and health to teach the angels that the man would still be upright and not curse his creator. Because of his trouble Job’s wife rejected him, and his three friends that had come to be a comfort also turned against him because they would not understand. The three friends believed they possessed all the answers and became angry with Job when he refused to heed their advice. We are now in Chapter 25 where Bildad the Shuhite told Job that man is inferior to God. Job rebuked Bildad for his simple answers and understanding. He told him sarcastically what a help he had been. Job then went on and spoke of the greatness of God. Job continued to speak in Chapter 27 and said these words in verses 2-6 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul, For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils,My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.“Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.“I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.” These words from Job serve again to show that Satan was wrong in his prediction of Job’s attitude towards God after his loss. Job then spoke on the state and future of those who do not know the Lord and walk in His ways. In Chapter 28 Job spoke about the treasures man has found in the Earth. He spoke of precious metals and gemstones. He also spoke of how hard they were to find. In the next section he said that even though the treasures of the Earth were hard to find, the search for wisdom was harder still. Job’s words on wisdom were recorded in Chapter 28:12-13a “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? “Man does not know its value” Job said that the value of wisdom is greater than gold or silver, and by the end of the Chapter he revealed that the search for wisdom could be found in God. Job finished his words on wisdom in Chapter 28:23-28 “God understands its way, and He knows its place.“For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.“When He imparted weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure,When He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’” Job then spoke in Chapter 29 about his past. He remembered the time before his trouble when he believed the Lord watched over him. He spoke with pride on his good works and about his righteousness. This was one of the first times Job showed his faults. Pride is a sin and all righteousness and good works come only from the Lord. After this Job contrasted his earlier state with his present state of humiliation. As much as Job spoke with pride about his past, he spoke with mourning on what had become of him. Job still could not understand why God had forsaken him. He again, in Chapter 31 stood up and asserted his integrity before his friends, but his words fell on deaf ears. Job made his last plea of innocence and finished talking. A change occurred in Chapter 32. Job and his three friends stopped their dialog and had reached an impasse. Job’s words were not believed, and his three friends stopped speaking because they believed Job was only righteous in his own eyes. A younger man named Elihu was also there and listened to the four older men as they spoke. He had kept his peace out of respect, but anger burned within him. He was angry with Job because he had justified himself before God, and also with the three other men because they could not find the answer to Job. He could not be silent any longer and began to speak. Elihu was also puffed up and believed the Spirit of God was in him and he had all the answers. He told the men that wisdom did not come from age, but is from God. For some reason Elihu believed that he was able to speak for God. I wonder sometimes what God thinks of us when we do the same thing? Here we have another who thinks they had all the answers. The truth was that none of them had any real idea what actually was the reason for Job’s distress. Elihu then went on and said that God was just and that Job deserved the His judgment. Even though Elihu knew nothing of Job or what caused his trouble, he was of the opinion that Job was one of the wicked. He said of Job in Chapter 34:35-37 “Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men‘For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’” Elihu continued through the next several chapters to tell Job about God even though he had no real understanding or qualification to speak. Finally in Chapter 38, I believe the Lord had heard enough talk from his creation on Earth and decided to address Job out of a whirlwind. He said in Chapter 38:2-3 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” God wanted to know why Job was speaking without knowledge. He told him to stand up like a man and answer the questions he was asked. It seems like God said to Job “if you have all the answers, instruct Me!” God then asked Job a series of questions to find out if he had the authority to speak. He asked Job in Chapter 38:4-7 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” God wanted an answer from Job on where he was “in the beginning”. God went on and asked Job questions concerning what He, the creator of everything, had done in the universe. He also, by His questions let Job know what He alone controls. In Chapter 39 God spoke to Job about nature and the kingdom of animals He made on the Earth. Job was left speechless before the Lord in Chapter 40 and finally responds to his creator in verses 4-5 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice and I will add nothing more.” God was not satisfied and continued to ask Job to answer His questions and instruct Him. In this section God wanted to know if Job thought he was greater than Him. God told Job that if he possessed, and could do the things in the text, that He the Lord would do the words in Chapter 40:14“Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.” God knew that Job did not possess these qualities and continued to speak to him. The Lord’s next words to Job were to show His power through the description of two of the powerful beasts He had made. God’s first example was the land animal known as Behemoth. This creature has been thought to represent a hippopotamus by its description, but we do not know for sure. The second creature was the water creature Leviathan. This animal may be a crocodile, but again we are not sure. We do know that Leviathan was an extremely strong creature. Job finally understood and spoke these words to the Lord in Chapter 42:2-6 “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You;Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” The Lord was pleased with Job’s repentance, but was angry with his three friends. Job spoke the truth about God, but his friends did not. God had the three men prepare burnt offerings while Job prayed for them. This pleased the Lord, and because of Job’s repentance and his prayer for his friends his fortunes were restored. The experiment was over and Satan was found wrong. Job’s latter days were blessed with much more than his earlier days. He lived a full life without knowing the real reason for his trouble. This ends the Book of Job. We will now move on to the Psalms. The Book of Psalms was known as “Praises” in the Hebrew Bible. It is the collection of poetry and songs that make up the Jewish hymnal. The individual Psalms were meant to be accompanied by musical instruments, but the musical notation was not recorded. Many of the Psalms have a title that tells the author and the type of instrument to be used. Each Psalm is also a work of poetry. The poetic style used is not based on rhyme and meter as English poetry, but is in the Hebrew style. Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism by contrasts, or by expressing the same idea in a different way in the next line. Some of the longest Psalms, like Psalm 119 is in the acrostic form which is based on alphabetical progression. The Psalms were written by David, Solomon, Asaph, Moses, and others, but all God-breathed. They form the basis of prayer, thanksgiving, and worship to the Lord. The Psalms cover praise, worship, deliverance, thanksgiving, and the coming Messiah who we know is Jesus. This week we will look at the first seventeen Psalms. Psalm 1 contrasts the two types of men, the righteous, and the wicked. It tells us that the righteous meditate on God’s word and delight in what they read. This man will prosper. The wicked, on the other hand, are inconsequential and will blow away like chaff and perish. Psalm 2 speaks of future things and the coming of Jesus to rule the nations during the end times. The events described in this Psalm will occur in our future. Psalm 3 is the first of many written by David. Many of his Psalms are prayers for deliverance from his enemies. This Psalm is a prayer that was spoken in the morning. The Psalm is divided by the word “Selah” which is believed to indicate a pause, crescendo, or a musical interlude. It is used in many of the Psalms. Psalm 4 also by David is similar to Psalm 3, but is an evening prayer. David placed his trust in God and knew that the Lord heard his prayers. Psalm 5 records David’s request for God’s protection from the wicked. David knew the Lord and realized that it came from him. David did not turn to man for help, he always relied on the Lord. We can learn a lot from David. Psalm 6 is a good example. David sinned as we all do, but he was greatly troubled when he did wrong. He realized the effects of his sin and who he needed to confess those sins to. He also knew he would be forgiven because of the Lord’s loving-kindness to him. In Psalm 7 we see that David turned to the Lord in his times of trouble. God has let us know through the words of David that He will deal with the wicked and reward those that rely on Him. Psalm 8 begins and ends with the same words. “O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth” In between the Psalm speaks of the glory of God’s work and the place for man who He created. The Psalm also talks about the order of God’s creation. Psalm 9 is a Psalm of thanksgiving for God’s justice. David knew that God is forever and the wicked and evil would be dealt with. He rejoices in his salvation and his relationship with his God. The author of Psalm 10 asked why the Lord has allowed the wicked to prosper. The writer looked around and could see the evil of man around him and prayed that the Lord would do something about the injustice he has seen. In Psalm 11 David acknowledges that he can take refuge in the Lord. God will judge between the righteous and the wicked. Psalm 12 and Psalm 13 are both by David and both are prayers for help during times of trouble. David knew he had to turn to the Lord when he was faced with adversity. Psalm 14 is about the foolishness of man and their view of God. Paul used parts of this Psalm when he wrote his letter to the Romans that is part of the New Testament. Psalm 14:3b reads “There is no one who does good, not even one.” Paul wrote the verse in Romans 3:10 as “There is none righteous, not even one” Psalm 14:7 is prophetic and speaks of future events that had not occurred in David’s time. “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.” This verse speaks of the Jewish exile to Babylon, Jesus Christ, and Israel’s future restoration. In Psalm 15 David gives us God’s description of a godly man. It was written to tell us how we should walk before God. The title in the NASB is “Description of a Citizen of Zion”. We all should want to follow this pattern because Zion is not only Jerusalem, but also the City of God. If we have accepted Jesus as our savior we all will one day live in that city with Him. In Psalm 16 David describes the Lord as his portion in life and his deliverer in death. The Psalm is also prophetic where in the second half of verse 10 he tells the truth about the future state of Jesus after the crucifixion. “Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” Jesus did not suffer any bodily decay between the cross and the resurrection. We will finish up this week with Psalm 17. This is another Psalm of David where he prays for God’s protection against his oppressors. David uses the image of a bird protecting its young under its wings to describe his feeling of safety with the Lord. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Psalms. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 29: 28-PSALMS 18 – 59 ======================================================================== Psalms 18 – 59 Jul. 4, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Psalms in Psalm 18. Last week we started the book and learned about its purpose and looked at the first seventeen Psalms. We may be going at a rapid pace, but we need to cover forty two Psalms this week to keep to our schedule! This week we will begin with Psalm 18. In Psalm 18 David praises the Lord for delivering him from his enemies. We will see the idea behind David’s words in verses 1-3 repeated often as we go through the Psalms. “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” David understood that the Lord was his rock and salvation. Psalm 19 is one of my favorites. It shows that the proof of God’s existence is evident in the heavens by its majesty and order. The second half of the Psalm tells us how wonderful also is the Word of God. The words in verse 14 are what we who love the Lord should live by. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” In Psalm 20 David again prays to the Lord for help over his enemies. In the Psalm David says that men rely on weapons, but he relies on the Lord and that the Lord saves His anointed. Psalm 21 is another of David’s prayers for deliverance. He says in verse 11 “Though they intended evil against You and devised a plot, they will not succeed.” You can feel and sense some of the passion of David in Psalm 22 on his anguish over his sin. This Psalm is also prophetic in verses 16-18 that describe truths about the crucifixion. “For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” The next Psalm we will cover is one of the most loved Psalms in the Bible, Psalm 23. In this Psalm David compares the Lord to a shepherd. This is a very good analogy of the relationship between God and His people. The men of Israel were sheepherders and understood how important the shepherd was to his sheep. The shepherd protected, led and provided for his flock. This Psalm was fulfilled by Jesus when He said in the Gospel of John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; And I lay down My life for the sheep.” Reading all of John 10 will give you more complete understanding of what our Lord said. Psalm 24 says that everything belongs to the Lord and looks forward towards the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Psalm 25 is a prayer of David for the Lord to teach him His ways. David knew that God is the only one with the authority to forgive sins and determine the truth. The path of the Lord leads to salvation, and the path of man leads to death. In Psalm 26 David asks God to separate him from sinful men. His words echo the words of Psalm 1 in that David reminds the Lord that he has followed what was said. He asserts that he is not like the wicked, but has placed his trust in the Lord. Psalm 27 is also about trusting the Lord. The words of verse 1 tells where David gets his strength. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” David touches on trust, deliverance, salvation, and his strong relationship with God in this Psalm. The words of verses 13-14 tell us David’s attitude towards his Lord. “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” In Psalm 28 David asks the Lord to treat the wicked according to their evil deeds. He does not want their works to go unpunished. In the end of the Psalm David praises the Lord and thanks Him for answering his prayer. In Psalm 29 David speaks of God as the Voice Out of the Storm. We saw last week in the Book of Job how God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind. This imagery shows the power of God and how awesome He is. Psalm 30 is a Psalm of thanksgiving by David to the Lord. He thanks the Lord for healing him and keeping him alive. He also says an important truth about God in verse 5 “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” He also in verse 9 reminds God on why he created man in the beginning. “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?” Jesus does answer David’ s question in the Gospel of Luke 19:40 “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” He spoke this when the Pharisees tried to silence His disciples from worshiping Him during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. David speaks in Psalm 31 of the hardships of his life because of his sin and his trust in the Lord. He knows that his strength comes not from himself, but from the Lord. Psalm 32 says how we who know and have placed our trust in the Lord should feel. We are blessed because the Lord has forgiven our sin and not placed on us the penalty sin requires. David tells us that they who know the Lord should rejoice! In Psalm 33 the author exhorts us to praise the Lord for who He is and for what He has done. God deserves all the glory because everything that is, comes from Him. David’s heart is again shown in Psalm 34. We should also have the same attitude as verses 1-3 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” We also see in verse 8 that we can know the Lord with all our senses “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” We have all said at some time that something was so good we could taste it! This Psalm is also prophetic about the cross in verse 20 “He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.” None of the bones of Jesus were broken on the cross. Psalm 35 is another of David’s prayers for rescue from his enemies. If you remember the story of David’s life from the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel we saw how David was pursued by his enemies for most of his life. King Saul wanted him dead, and also did the people he went to war with for Israel, even members of his own family. We do know one thing for sure, David turned to the Lord in his times of need. Psalm 36 is a contrast between wicked man and the loving-kindness of God. David again uses the illustration of a bird protecting its young under its wings to describe God in verse 7 “How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 37 is also a contrast similar to Psalm 36. This time David contrasts those who trust in the Lord to those who are wicked. A good verse for us to keep in mind today during these difficult economic times is verse 25. “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.” Of all the people in the Bible, David shows us best what a believer’s attitude towards sin should be. In Psalm 38 he gives us another powerful graphic example of the weight of sin on his heart. David shows us that only God Himself can deliver us from the burden sin has put upon us. We should realize that if our sin does not affect us like David we need to check who our heart belongs to. Psalm 39 is David’s request for God to show him how insignificant man is and how life is vanity. In verses 4-5 He shows the truth about man. “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath.” David, when he was sick wrote Psalm 41. In this Psalm he also places his trust in God and complains that the person he thought was his friend had turned against him. This ends the first of the five ancient books that make up our Book of Psalms. Psalm 42 was written by the sons of Korah who were the descendants of the Levite that led the rebellion against Moses and Aaron recorded in the Book of Numbers 16. Korah and his co-conspirators were killed by the Lord for their actions, but his sons were left unharmed. The family’s duty was to transport the Ark of the Covenant and the other tabernacle furniture when Israel was in the wilderness. They were given the position as the choir for the Lord’s House by David when the temple was to be built in the Book of 1 Chronicles 6:31-48. In this Psalm the writers equate their longing for God to a thirsty deer panting for the cool refreshing water of a brook. This is said in verses1-2 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 43 is another prayer for deliverance. The author is not indicated but it carries the similar theme as other Psalms that ask God for deliverance from the ungodly and unjust. Psalm 44 is another Psalm by the sons of Korah. It is a Psalm that tells of how the Lord delivered Israel in the past and that they were in trouble again and in need of help. Psalm 45 also by the sons of Korah is a Psalm that celebrates the marriage of the king. It speaks of the joyous event, and also talks about a King that is bigger then any king on Earth. Psalm 46 is a Psalm that says that God is our refuge. Verse 1 says it best “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” This Psalm was Martin Luther’s inspiration when he composed the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” The entire Psalm speaks of God’s strength. Psalm 47 acknowledges the Lord as the King of the Earth, and speaks of His majesty. This Psalm was also written by the sons of Korah. The city of Zion is in Psalm 48. A key verse is verse 1 “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain.” Jerusalem is a special place on Earth to the Lord. It is His city and the central point of God on the Earth. Psalm 49 is the last Psalm in this group of the sons of Korah. The Psalm is about the folly of wealth. It says our trust should be placed in the Lord and not on our wealth. All our money cannot purchase salvation. All we accumulate here on Earth will be left here when we die. The Psalm says in verses 19b-20 “They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 50 is the first Psalm by Asaph in the Book. Asaph was commissioned by David to write Psalms. Another Psalm of Asaph was ordered by David for the day the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. This Psalm was recorded in the Book of 1 Chronicles 16. Psalm 50 is a declaration by Asaph that the Lord is the Judge of all. Everything belongs to the Lord and He has the authority to judge both the righteous and the wicked. Psalm 51 is another important Psalm for a believer to understand. David wrote this Psalm after he was confronted by Samuel on his sin with Bathsheba. David is devastated by his sin and asks the Lord to forgive him. Some key verses in this Psalm are verse 10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Also verse 12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” Un-confessed sin will separate us from God and rob us of our joy. The tongue is the subject of Psalm 52. David says the tongue of a worker of deceit is like a sharp razor. What you say can bring a blessing or cause much destruction. In Psalm 53 David describes man without God. The key is in verse 1 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.” Paul picks up this concept in the beginning of the Book of Romans 1:20-23 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.Professing to be wise, they became fools,and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” And also in verses 10-12 “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one.” Psalm 54 is another of David’s Psalms for defense from his enemies. David calls God his helper and sustainer of his soul. In Psalm 55 David prays for God to destroy the friend who turned against him. You can sense his anguish in verses 13-16 “But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng. Let death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, for evil is in their dwelling, in their midst. As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me.” Psalm 56 is David’s acknowledgement to God for his deliverance from the Philistines in Gath when they captured him. His words of thanks are in verse 13 “For You have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living.” David prays in Psalm 57 for rescue from Saul as he was pursued. He again uses the illustration of taking refuge under the wings of a bird from his enemy in verse 1 “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.” In Psalm 58 David again asks for the wicked to be punished by the Lord for their actions. We will finish up this week with Psalm 59. In this Psalm David prays for deliverance from the men King Saul sent to watch his house and kill him. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Psalms. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 30: 29-PSALMS 60 – 100 ======================================================================== Psalms 60 – 100 Jul. 11, 2009 This week will continue our study in the Book of Psalms. Last week we covered up to Psalm 59 and saw many examples of man making his desires known to God. This week we will start off with Psalm 60. Psalm 60 is a Psalm by David that is not like his other writings. This Psalm is a lament over a defeat David experienced in battle. David did not lose often and prayed to the Lord to not reject him and help him in his fight with his enemies. Psalm 61 is the opposite of Psalm 60. David here shows that he is confident that the Lord would protect him. David gives us good advice in verse 2 “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” In Psalm 62 David again uses the illustration of a rock to describe his trust in the Lord. The Psalm contrasts his hope in the Lord with the evil and wickedness of man. Psalm 63 is another Psalm that uses the imagery of thirst to describe the desire of a godly man for the Living God. This is shown in verse 1 “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” David prays to the Lord in Psalm 64 for protection against enemies he did not know he had. He knew there were people that plotted against him in secret and that he knew the Lord would reveal them and deal with them. In Psalm 65 David praises the Lord for what He has done for man, and how blessed the man who He chooses will be. The Psalm also speaks of the beauty of the Earth the Lord created. David exhorts all people in Psalm 66 to recognize the mighty works of God. He says he will worship the Lord with burnt offerings as instructed in the law. In verse 16 he tells the people to come and listen to his testimony on what the Lord has done for him. Psalm 67 is another Psalm of exhortation. In this Psalm David tells all the nations of the Earth to praise and worship the Lord. David knows that only through the Lord will the people be blessed. In Psalm 68 David describes the Lord, and tells some of His attributes. In verse 18 he speaks of freeing the captives “You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, even among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.” Paul quotes this verse in the Book of Ephesians 4:8 when he wrote about what Jesus did while he was in the grave. “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” Some believe that during this time Jesus led the spirits of the Old Testament saints to heaven and freed them from captivity in the lower parts of the Earth. Another good verse for us to remember is verse 19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.” We should all remember this when times get hard. Psalm 69 is an imprecatory Psalm by David. This means that in this Psalm David invokes a curse on his enemies. David is distraught in verse 28 where he asks the Lord to condemn his enemies to Hell. “May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.” Psalm 70 is a prayer for deliverance. David asks the Lord to hurry and save those who seek Him and rejoice. The Psalmist, in Psalm 71 writes the prayer of an old man who asks the Lord to continue to be there for him when his strength fails. He reminds God that he was taught about Him from his youth and has never stopped praising His wonderful deeds. The Psalmist has a long lifetime of experience in the goodness of the Lord to tell others about. Psalm 72 is the first Psalm in the Book of Psalms written by King Solomon. This Psalm is autobiographical about Solomon’s reign over Israel. Solomon writes of the good works and legacy of his time as king. This Psalm ends the second of the five ancient books that make up the Book of Psalms. Psalm 73 is by Asaph who we spoke about last week. In this Psalm he contrasts the wicked with the righteous. This is a theme that is common in the Psalms. In Psalm 74 Asaph asks the Lord why He has rejected His people, and why did He allow His temple to be burned? God has said throughout His word in the books and the words of the prophets that He would scatter and abandon His people if they turned from Him and served other gods. Asaph already had an answer to his question. Asaph states in Psalm 75 that God is the Judge of all. He says that God will exalt those who trust in Him and will render judgment on the wicked. Psalm 76 is a Psalm of Asaph that speaks of the power of God. The beginning of the Psalm tells us the location God has chosen to be His home on the Earth. It is told in the first two verses. “God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion.” Psalm 77 is a song of remembrance by Asaph. In times of trouble this Psalm was for the people of Israel to remember the works of God from their past. The people did not possess their own personal copies of God’s word as we do today and used song to remember and pass down the word to their children. Psalm 78 is a long Psalm of Asaph that was written to teach and remind the people of Israel what the Lord had done in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him. Asaph recalls their sin in the wilderness and how God continued to provide for them even up to the present day when He gave them David as their shepherd. Psalm 79 also by Asaph was written about the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar during the time of Israel’s captivity in Babylon. The Asaph who was named the author could not have been the Asaph from David’s day. It is believed that some of the Psalms attributed to Asaph may have referred to the sons of Asaph. The Psalm does tell of Israel’s mourning over the loss of their beloved city and their wonder over why the Lord allowed its destruction. In Psalm 80 Asaph uses the illustration of a shepherd to describe God. It is a call for help for the trouble that has happened in Israel. In this Psalm the Psalmist uses part of Aaron’s benediction from the Book of Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” It is a plea for the Lord to remember His promises to His people. The Psalm also alludes to the coming Messiah in verses 15-17 “Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted, and on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.” In Psalm 81 Asaph conveys God’s desire that His people would have followed Him and not gone astray. He says what He would do if His people would only obey Him. Asaph writes in Psalm 82 about unjust human judges. He says in the first verse “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.” He then goes on and questions the judgment of others. In verse 8 the truth is told “Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.” Psalm 83 is another Psalm where the Psalmist asks the Lord for help against an enemy. In the Psalm the writer recalls some of the past works of God. Psalm 84 by the sons of Korah, is a song that expresses the choir’s desire to return to the worship of the Lord in His temple. An often quoted verse in this Psalm is verse 10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” We should all feel this way about God’s house and come in with a spirit of worship! In Psalm 85 the sons of Korah ask for mercy from the Lord on His people. The Psalm repeats the desire for salvation several times and for God to not turn His face from His people. Psalm 86 is a Psalm of David where he acknowledges his need for God. David had a strong relationship with the Lord and knew it was Him that gave him his strength. His relationship with God is evident in his writings more than any other Psalmist. Psalm 87 speaks of the special place of Jerusalem and its people to God. Zion is the central point and the Lord’s place on Earth. In Psalm 88 the Psalmist pleads with the Lord to spare him from death. The man is afraid of what is to come and the Lord does not seem to want to answer him. We who know the Lord today know that death is only the gateway to eternal life with our Lord. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus this was made possible and true. Psalm 89 is about God’s promises to Israel and the Lord’s response about His chosen king, David. This Psalm marks the end of the third of the five ancient books that make up the Book of Psalms. Psalm 90 is a Psalm that was written by Moses. In this Psalm Moses contrasts the fact that the Lord is eternal and man’s time on Earth is short. A glimpse of God’s viewpoint is shown in verse 4 “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.” Moses also reveals in this Psalm the life expectancy of man in verse 10 “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” A long life is still short by God’s standards. Moses gives us very good advice on what we should ask God about on the short time He has given each of us on Earth in verse 12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 91 is a wonderful Psalm for us to remember when we are faced with the trials of life. The first two verses say much about our God “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” The Lord gives us a promise in verse 11 “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” This verse is proof that God has placed angels on Earth assigned to protect each of his people. He continues His comforting promise in verses 14-16 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.” The ancient title for Psalm 92 is “A Song for the Sabbath Day.” The Psalm reads like the description of a worship service in our churches. It includes praise, prayer, worship, instruction, and music. We can use this Psalm as a model to praise and worship the Lord on Sunday. Psalm 93 is a short declaration on the majesty of the Lord. Verse 2 gives us one of the most important attributes of God “Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.” The Lord has no beginning or end. He is eternal. In Psalm 94 the Psalmist seeks vengeance from the Lord on Israel’s enemies. The tone of the Psalm is one of a very confident man. He knows the Lord will stand up for His people. Psalm 95 is a Psalm of praise to the Lord that also contains a warning. God’s people are warned in this Psalm to not show the same unbelief as their fathers did at Meribah when they rebelled against Moses and Aaron about the lack of water to drink in the Book of Numbers 20. The result of this sin caused even Moses to be excluded from entering the Land the Lord promised to His people. Numbers 20:12-13 “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.” Verse 11 of Psalm 95 tells the tragic result of unbelief towards the Lord. “Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest.” Psalm 96 is a call to worship the Lord. It tells us why we should worship the Lord and what He has done. It also gives us a warning of what is to come in verse 13. “Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Today is the day to place your trust in the Lord. He is coming soon to judge man so tomorrow may be too late to make the decision to accept the Lord’s gift of salvation. Psalm 97 is a declaration of the Lord’s dominion over the Earth and mankind. God reigns and has ultimate control over all things. Verses 10-12 give instruction to those of us that call upon the name of the Lord. “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 98 tells us to “sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things” I like to interpret this to mean that our worship should be fresh and new each time we worship. We serve the living God who is active in our lives at all times. We should all strive to strengthen and deepen our relationship with the Lord each day that He gives us. In Psalm 99 the Psalmist writes of the Lord’s faithfulness to Israel. He always kept His promises to His people who obeyed Him. The Psalm mentions Samuel, Moses, and Aaron by name. We will finish up this week with Psalm 100. This short Psalm relays the joyous spirit of praise we should all have towards the Lord when we come before him in worship. This Psalm is addressed to all the people of the Earth. Remember these words from verses 4-5 tomorrow when you attend your church service. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His loving-kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Psalms. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 31: 30-PSALMS 101 – 143 ======================================================================== Psalms 101 – 143 Jul. 18, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Psalms in Psalm 101. Over the past several weeks we have looked at many Psalms and how they relate man’s view of God, and His of man. The common theme we have seen is that the Lord is eternal. He is the Creator and Judge of the Earth. We have also seen that one day the Lord will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. This day is coming soon so I hope that everyone who reads or hears these words has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, so they will be counted on the side of the righteous! We will start this week with Psalm 101. This Psalm was written by David and in it he professes his right ways. He says he will always praise the Lord and destroy those who go against Him. This is a different attitude from what Jesus teaches us in the New Testament. As followers of Jesus we are taught to pray for our enemies, and not seek their destruction. Psalm 102 is the plea of a man for mercy on himself and on Jerusalem. The man is repentant for what has happened in Israel and how God’s people turned from Him. In Psalm 103 David lists the mercies of the Lord on His people. David starts the Psalm in an attitude of worship in verse 1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Another important attribute of God’s, for our sake, is written in verse 8 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness.” We are also told in verse 12 what the Lord has done with our sin if we have placed our trust in His Son. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 104 speaks of God’s works. The words give us an image of the splendor and majesty of our God. A good verse for us to remember is verse 34. “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.” Psalm 105 is also about God’s works. In this Psalm the Lord’s works for Israel, His people are listed. Over and over in God’s Word He asks for us to remember. The purposes of these Psalms were to aid the people in remembrance of what the Lord has done. Psalm 106 is also to Israel, but in this Psalm Israel’s rebellious nature is listed. The author wanted to remind Israel to change their ways because the Lord blessed them even in their rebellion. The Psalmist knew the Lord’s patience with His people would not last forever. This Psalm ends the fourth of the five ancient books that make up the Book of Psalms. Psalm 107 speaks of how the Lord has delivered man from many troubles. He gives a command in verse 1-2 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.” We should all remember to tell others of the goodness of the Lord because He has also redeemed us! Psalm 108 is a Psalm of David where he asks the Lord for victory over his enemies in the land. He speaks for the Lord in the Psalm where God declares His ownership over the people who would go up against David. Psalm 109 is another Psalm of David where he asks the Lord for vengeance over his enemies. David here also gives God advice on how to deal with those who have hurt him. Psalm 110 by David is full of prophecy. The entire Psalm speaks of Jesus Christ and what He will do on the Earth during His second coming. Verse 1 alone is quoted in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, Ephesians, and Colossians. “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” Psalm 111 is a Psalm of praise to the Lord. Many of the Psalms are specific and address needs, but others, like Psalm 111 is a Psalm of pure worship and praise to the Lord for what He has done. Psalm 112 is a promise of blessing and prosperity to those who fear the Lord. The last verse of the Psalm though, gives a warning of how the wicked will view the Lord’s blessing on His people. “The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.” In Psalm 113 the sure road to blessing is revealed. A spirit of humility is the way to be blessed by the Lord. The Psalm also says the Name of the Lord is to be praised “from the rising of the sun to its setting.” In other words at all times! Psalm 114 is a Psalm that speaks about the time the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. It speaks of the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan, the trembling of Mount Sinai, when Moses received the Law, and when the Lord brought forth water from the rock. Psalm 115 contrasts idols made by the hands of man with the Living God. The beginning of the Psalm says that although idols appear to have eyes, ears, noses, mouths, hands, and feet, the parts are useless because they are not real. God says that those who worship idols will become just like the lumps of wood , stone, and metal they have made. The last part tells us what worship of the Living God will do. Verses 17-18 tell us the real difference. “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 116 is the prayer of a man who fears death. He pleads to the Lord for his salvation. Verse 15 does say how the Lord feels about the death of his saints. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the Bible. Its two verses exhort all people in all nations to praise the Lord. Psalm 118 is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving for the salvation of the Lord. The Psalmist thanks the Lord for what He has done. Verse 8 tells us one of the most important truths in all of God’s word. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” Towards the end of the Psalm is a verse that is quoted often in the New Testament. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The quoted verse is verse 22. I also continued with verses 23-24 because of the truth in them and how the verses go together. We can see Jesus in verse 27a, “The Lord is God, and He has given us light.” Jesus said in one of His I Am statements in the Gospel of John in Chapter 8:12 “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible and talks about the Psalmists love for God’s Word on almost every line. Eight different names are used for the Word throughout the Psalm, law, testimonies, precepts, commandments, statutes, ordinances, word, and judgments. This Psalm is written in the acrostic form that we spoke about in the beginning of our study through the Psalms. Some key verses to remember that may be familiar are verse 11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”, and verse 105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Psalm is full of verses that describe the Psalmist’s love for the Word of God. The next fourteen Psalms from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134 are grouped together and are called the “Songs of Ascents.” These songs were sung by the Jewish people as they made their three yearly pilgrimages to God’s temple in Jerusalem during the feasts. Each of the Psalms shows a different aspect of the Lord on their journey and time in Jerusalem. Psalm 120 is a prayer for deliverance. God’s people lived in a land that was still filled with enemies that had not been fully removed from Joshua’s day. In the beginning of their journey they asked the Lord for protection. Psalm 121 continues the theme that the Lord is Israel’s protector. The people knew that their help comes only from the Lord. Psalm 122 is a prayer for the people’s destination. Verse 1 tells us the words that were spoken when the people reached their destination. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Verse 6 also gives us a promise and a command from the Lord. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Israel and Jerusalem have not been forgotten by the Lord. We should all pray for our brothers and sisters, the Jewish people. Psalm 123 is the Psalmist’s prayer to the Lord for help. It is not for help against enemies, but for help with his own attitude. In Psalm 124 the prayer is for help against an enemy. David does recognize what the Lord has done for Israel in verse 1. “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say.” Psalm 125 is a declaration of comfort in the Lord. Israel is given a promise in verse 2. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.” The Lord surrounds His people with that “hedge of protection” that we spoke about from the Book of Job and cares about who belongs to Him. Psalm 126 is a song of thanksgiving for Israel’s release from captivity and the peoples return to their beloved Jerusalem. Psalm 127 states that only what comes from the Lord has any lasting value. The Psalm also speaks of the blessing of children, that they are a gift from God. Psalm 128 says that those who fear the Lord will be blessed. We have often heard the words “fear the Lord” in our study of God’s Word. Fear does not mean that we should be afraid of God, but that we should reverence Him. Psalm 129 is a call to the Lord to deal with the enemies of Zion. Israel had experienced much persecution during its history, but they did have the Lord to rely on. The hope of the Psalmist in Psalm 130 is that the Lord will forgive his sin. An important truth is told in verses 3-4 “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” Psalm 131 speaks of the childlike faith the Lord desires from His people. God wants us to have the same trust and desire for Him as children have for their loving parents. Psalm 132 is about the Lord’s choice of Zion to be the place where He will dwell with His people. Verse 17-18 is a promise by God on the coming of His Son. “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.“His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself his crown shall shine.” The first part of the verse also appears in the prophecy of Zacharias in the Gospel of Luke 1:69 at the circumcision of his son, John the Baptist. “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant” Zacharias was speaking of Jesus before His birth to his wife’s cousin Mary. Psalm 133 tells us how pleasing it is to the Lord when His people live together in peace. We all have enough problems interacting with the world that we should not want to experience the same thing with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Psalm 134 is the last of the Songs of Ascents. In this Psalm the people who serve the Lord during the night are blessed. This Psalm is also a prayer of thanks for the priest’s service before the pilgrims left Jerusalem for their journey home. Psalm 135 is similar to Psalm 115 where the idols of man are contrasted with the Lord. The Psalmist brings out that the signs and wonders of the Lord are real and visible to the senses, where the idols made by man’s hands are inert and silent. In Psalm 136 the Psalmist lists the good works of the Lord towards Israel. After each work in each verse the Psalmist writes “For His loving-kindness is everlasting.” Psalm 137 is a song of sorrow by the Jewish captives in Babylon over the destruction of Jerusalem. The Psalm says the Babylonians would torment the captives and ask them to “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” The Jews could not do this because it would bring back painful memories of their home. The end of the Psalm says that whoever destroys Babylon would be blessed. Psalm 138 was written by David and is a declaration of thanksgiving for the Lord’s favor in his life. David recalls what the Lord has done for him. Psalm 139 is a Psalm that states the truth that the Lord is everywhere at all times and that He knows everything. David writes in this Psalm that the Lord knew your days before you were born. The truth about man is given in verse 14. “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” The last two verses of Psalm 139 are a prayer we should all repeat often. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” In Psalm 140 David again prays for deliverance from his enemies. David also gives the Lord suggestions in verse 10 on what He should do to the wicked. “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, into deep pits from which they cannot rise.” I think we all can be relieved sometimes that the Lord does not listen to those who have been angry with us. Psalm 141 is a prayer that David prayed in the evening to the Lord. He asked the Lord to hear his requests. He asks the Lord for some very important help in verse 3. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” This verse reminds me of the words of our Lord’s brother James in his book in the New Testament. His words on the tongue are recorded in James 3:5-12 “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.” In Psalm 142 David again is asking for help in his time of trouble. In verse 5 David says what he thinks of the Lord. “I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” We will finish up this week with Psalm 143. In this Psalm David asks the Lord to guide him. In verse 6 he speaks of his thirst for the Lord. “I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land.” David spent his life with a desire to learn more from God and build his relationship with Him. We can see his thoughts, for example, in verse 8 “Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.” He also in this Psalm prays for deliverance. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Psalms and begin Solomon’s Book of Proverbs. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 32: 31-PSALMS 144 – PROVERBS 22 ======================================================================== Psalms 144 – Proverbs 22 Jul. 25, 2009 We will continue our study this week with the last few Psalms in the Book of Psalms, and then move into the Book of Proverbs. Last week we saw more and more how God’s character was revealed in the Jewish hymnal in songs and poetry. We will start off this week with Psalm 144, a prayer, and then look at the last six Psalms which are songs of praise to end the book. Psalm 144 is a prayer of David where he asks the Lord to rescue him. He again refers to the Lord as his rock in verse 1 and then talks of God’s power and strength. In verse 3 David writes, “O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?” This verse is similar to the words he wrote in Psalm 8:4 “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” The question on why the Eternal God would take the time to notice something as insignificant as man was first brought up by Job in the Book of Job 7:17, and also was included by the writer of the Book of Hebrews in Chapter 2:6. The fact that the life of man is just a mere breath has also appeared before in the Psalms. In Psalm 145 David praises the Lord for how good He has been to His creation. In this Psalm David says that all people will praise the Lord and that the Lord is near to all that call on Him. Psalm 146 is a Psalm of praise to the Lord. In verse 3 the writer says, “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.” Hope is in God alone because everything comes from Him. In Psalm 147 the Psalmist praises the Lord for Jerusalem. This Psalm seems to have been written during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah after the Jewish people returned from their captivity in Babylon. The last two verses of the Psalm tell us of Israel’s special place to God in His dealings with man. “He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the Lord!” Where Psalm 147 is a Psalm where Israel is encouraged to praise the Lord, Psalm 148 encourages the whole of creation to praise Him. This includes everything He has made, Moon, stars, animals, trees, and of course, all people. In Psalm 149 the people of Israel are again encouraged to praise the Lord. The Psalmist says the Lord will bless Israel with salvation, and punish their wicked enemies. Psalm 150 is the last Psalm in the Book of Psalms. It is a song of praise. The Psalmist encourages us to praise the Lord with musical instruments. The last verse of the Psalm, verse 6, tells us what we all should do! “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” This ends the Book of Psalms. We will now begin the Book of Proverbs. The English dictionary defines the word proverb as a short memorable saying that expresses a truth or gives a warning. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of five hundred thirteen of these sayings that were selected out of the three thousand that King Solomon wrote during his life. This number comes to us from the Book of 1 Kings 4:32 “He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.” Solomon was uniquely qualified to write this book of wisdom because he was the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon was asked by God in a dream recorded in 1 Kings 3:5 “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Solomon replied to the Lord that he wished to have the wisdom to rule Israel properly. This response pleased the Lord and He gave Solomon His answer in 1 Kings 3:11-12 “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.” The words of the Book of Proverbs were God breathed to instruct us on how to live and be successful in life. The Book of Proverbs is divided into five sections. The first section is Chapter 1:1-7 which is the introduction to the book, and also describes the book’s purpose. The second section is from Chapter 1:8 through the end of Chapter 9 and cover Solomon’s proverbs addressed to his son. These sayings were directed towards the young, but we, as adults, should also heed their advice. The next two sections of the book are collections of proverbs by King Solomon. The first is directly from Solomon and covers Chapter 10 through the end of Chapter 24. The second collection from Chapter 25 through the end of Chapter 29 was a collection of Solomon’s proverbs organized by King Hezekiah who was king of Judah almost three hundred years after Solomon. The last section consists of two chapters that have the name of their author as their titles. Chapter 30 was written by a man named Agur who was possibly a student of wisdom during the time of Solomon. Chapter 31 is by King Lemuel who ancient Jewish tradition believes was Solomon. This chapter contains a glowing tribute to a woman that was very unusual to find in the literature of that day. The first seven verses of Chapter 1 introduce the Book of Proverbs to the reader. Verse 1 discloses the author of the book and the next six verses tell us the purpose of why the book was written. Verse 7 tells us where to start! “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Verse 8 begins the second section of Proverbs where Solomon addresses his son. Solomon describes the condition of those who refuse wisdom throughout the chapter to his son. He calls them in the text, sinners, naive, simple-minded, full of dread, scoffers, and wayward. In verse 33 Solomon gives us the reason to listen to his words. “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil” Chapter 2 continues Solomon’s words of wisdom to his son. In the first part of the chapter he says you should seek wisdom as you would hidden treasure. He also says that wisdom comes from the Lord, and without wisdom you will be subject to evil, and the ways of evil. The chapter also speaks of several paths a man can follow. First there is the crooked path that leads to the “ways of darkness”. Then there are the paths of uprightness, life, and righteousness, which lead to the Lord. Solomon lists the rewards of wisdom in Chapter 3. Verse 2 says that wisdom will add years to your life, and that you will live in peace. Verses 5-7 give us the key to the entire book. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” Another good pair of verses to remember are verses 11-12 “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” The Lord will correct us when we stray from His commandments, but out of love He will guide us back to Him. The Chapter goes on and repeats the value of wisdom in verses 14-15 “For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.” Wisdom will give you peace and make your path through life straight. Chapter 4 is also written in the form of a father instructing his son. He wants to give him an understanding of the way to walk through the path of life. Solomon tells us in verse 7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.” Wisdom is not something man is born with and possesses from birth. Wisdom is something that must be sought out and acquired. Solomon tells his son to hear his sayings and not enter the path of the wicked. He tells us in verse 24 some very wise words on how we should speak to others. “Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you.” Chapter 5 continues Solomon’ s instruction to his son. In this chapter he warns of the temptation to follow immoral women. He says their words would “drip like honey” from their mouths, and be “smoother than oil” in verse 3. The truth is that this path only leads to the grave and is of no value. Solomon tells his son to “rejoice in the wife of your youth” in verse 18 as the Lord expects. He also tells us in verse 21 that no one can hide from Him. “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths.” The instruction to Solomon’s son continues in Chapter 6. First he warns him against becoming responsible for someone else’s debt. He says that you will become trapped by it and that you should find a way out of the responsibility as soon as you possibly can. He then goes on and tells those of us who are lazy that we should use the example of the ant and how it works to supply its needs. Disaster will come upon us while we are sleeping when we should be working. In verses 16-19 lists some things the Lord “hates” and are an abomination to Him. “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” We all need to ponder these verses before we point our finger at someone else’s transgressions. The last part of this chapter and the next again deal with the temptation immoral women can have in the life of a man. In Chapter 6 Solomon warns of the adulteress. In Chapter 7 Solomon then turns his attention to advising against the temptation of the prostitute. Solomon tells his son to remember his advice. He tells him to live by the Lord’s commandments and “bind them to his heart” so that when the temptations come he can stand against them. Solomon says the prostitute will come in the night when you are most vulnerable and will entice you away for simple pleasures that will cost you your life. The path of the prostitute leads only to the grave. Solomon then shifts back in Chapter 8 to speaking about wisdom. He again talks about the value of wisdom in verse 10-11 “Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choicest gold. “For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.” And also in verse 19 “My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my yield better than choicest silver.” Solomon describes wisdom as like a person who was with God from the beginning that He used to perfect His creation. Solomon tells his sons to listen to wisdom in all things. In Chapter 9 Solomon describes this same wisdom as the invitation from a woman to come in to her home. This is not the woman who was described in Chapters 5, 6, and 7, but a good woman who wants to instruct. The words of verses 9-10 are similar to Solomon’s words in the beginning of the book “Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This ends the second section of Proverbs and Solomon’s instructions to the young. Chapter 10 begins the third section of the Book of Proverbs. This chapter contains proverbs that are made up of contrasting ideas. This theme is continued through Chapter 15. The contrasting style that Solomon used for this group of proverbs is one of the styles of Jewish poetry. These proverbs form a sort of checklist for you to follow to see if you can be counted with the righteous or the wicked. Here are some examples of some of the proverbs contained within these chapters to give you an idea of the range of topics Solomon covers. Chapter 10:4 is about work “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Chapter 10:32 is about speech “The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.” Chapter 11:1 is about truth in business “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” Chapter 11:29 is about managing family “He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wise hearted.” Chapter 12:16 is about personal conduct “A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man conceals dishonor.” Chapter 13:10 is about being teachable “Through insolence comes nothing but strife, but wisdom is with those who receive counsel.” Chapter 15:16 is about the desire for stuff “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Than great treasure and turmoil with it.” The next three Chapters 16-18 are in a different poetic form. These proverbs, for the most part, are not contrasts but similar ideas expressed twice in each verse. It was done this way to reinforce the idea in each proverb to the reader. Here are a few examples of this form from these chapters. Chapter 16:20 is about the Word of God “He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” Chapter 17:12 is about who you associate with “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.” Chapter 18:7 is also about your speech “A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” In the next chapters as we finish up our study for this week, the proverbs are now about how we should live and conduct our lives. These chapters give us sound advice on our behavior and attitude towards others. These proverbs are also two lines each that reinforce the thought of the verse. I will again give several examples from these chapters to give you an idea of the areas of instruction that are covered. Chapter 19:3 is about the heart of man “The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord.” Chapter 19:11 is about temperament “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” Chapter 20:1 is about the danger of drinking alcoholic beverages “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.” Chapter 20:20 is about the respect towards parents “He who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in time of darkness.” Chapter 21:4 is about pride “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.” Chapter 21:21 is about relationship “He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor.” Chapter 22:6 is advice on proper parenting “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Chapter 22:19 is the reason we have this study “So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you.” These are only a few examples of the life giving wisdom of the Book of Proverbs. I would encourage you to read the entire book to learn what the Lord has to teach you on how to live. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will be covering a lot of ground. We will finish up the Book of Proverbs, cover the Books of Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon, and begin the Book of Isaiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 33: 32-PROVERBS 23 – ISAIAH 4 ======================================================================== Proverbs 23 – Isaiah 4 Aug. 1, 2009 We will begin our study this week in Proverbs 23. Last week we spoke about how the Book of Proverbs gives us insight on how God wants us to live and conduct our lives. It also gives us God’s principles for success. What I mean by success is not necessarily success in the eyes of man, but success in the eyes of the Lord. Chapter 23 continues the theme of Chapter 22 of proverbs on how we are to live and conduct our lives. The beginning verses cover an area that has been difficult for me in my life. The topic is the abuse of food. This can be as addictive and harmful as alcohol and drugs, and must be handled wisely to ensure good health. The text says to beware the enticement of food and also not to wear yourself out seeking wealth. This is recorded in verses 3-5 “Do not desire his delicacies, for it is deceptive food. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” Here are some other examples from this chapter and some warnings from Chapter 24. Chapter 23:24 is about pleasing parents “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.” Chapter 23:33 is about the perils of intoxication “Your eyes will see strange things and your mind will utter perverse things.” Chapter 24:5 is about wisdom “A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power.” Chapter 24:21 is about who you associate with “My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change” Chapter 24:28 is about false accusations “Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.” Chapter 25 begins the fourth section of the Book of Proverbs. These were proverbs of Solomon that were collected and organized by King Hezekiah of Judah. These four chapters continue Solomon’s wisdom and instructions on how to live. Here are examples of the proverbs contained in these chapters. Chapter 25:14 is about pride “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.” Chapter 25:21-22 is about dealing with enemies “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” Chapter 25:28 is about self-control “Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit.” Chapter 26:4 is about being separate from the world “Do not answer a fool according to his folly or you will also be like him.” Chapter 26:27 is about starting trouble “He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.” Chapter 27:1 is about boasting in the future “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Chapter 27:2 is about self-pride “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Chapter 28:5 is about following the Lord “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things.” Chapter 28:13 is about confession “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” Chapter 28:27 is about benevolence “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.” Chapter 29:15 is about discipline “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” Chapter 29:23 is about humility “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” Chapter 30 begins the fifth and final section of the Book of Proverbs. The chapter was written by Agur and is called an oracle in verse 1. The word oracle, or burden, was usually used by a prophet when he speaks the words of God. This chapter is also sometimes referred to as the numbered proverbs, because in it the author uses the number of things often to tell us what he had to say. One of the most interesting passages in the chapter is verse 4 “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!” This is an Old Testament view of two thirds of the Trinity! Also important are verses 5-6 “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” These verses establish the inviolability of the Word of God. Chapter 31 is also referred to as an oracle, or burden, in verse 1. This proverb may have been also written by Solomon about his mother Bathsheba. The first part of the chapter gives instructions to the king. The rest of the chapter is a tribute to a woman. We use this proverb today as the model of a godly woman. The woman described is the perfect helpmate for her husband. She runs the household with diligence and honor. She also helps her husband to be known by his peers in the gates of the city where business is done. Verse 30 sums up the important characteristic of a godly woman “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” This ends the Book of Proverbs. We will now look at the next wisdom book written by King Solomon, the Book of Ecclesiastes. The name of the Book of Ecclesiastes comes from the Greek word that is translated as “the Preacher”. This in turn comes from ekklesia which is the Greek word for “assembly or congregation”. The Hebrew name for the book is Qoheleth which means “one who calls or gathers”. The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by David’s son Solomon during the latter years of his life. The book gives us Solomon’s view of what is really important in life and the futility of chasing after material things. In the first eleven verses of Chapter 1 Solomon tells us what he has learned about life during his days. He says that all man’s work, that he thinks so much of, is futile. Man comes and goes on the Earth and its workings remain the same. He says in verse 9 “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.” Solomon reveals the conclusion he has come to from his life with wisdom in verse 14-15 “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold; all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.” In Chapter 2 Solomon turns his attention to the things he had possessed during his life and the activities that gave him pleasure. Solomon said that during his life he had acquired everything a man could want when it came to material things. He had also experienced the sensory pleasure of all sorts of women and concubines. He finally revealed to us what his wisdom revealed to him about this in Chapter 2:11 “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” Solomon had come to the conclusion that his wisdom died with him and that the wise and the fool die the same way. He went on to say that even his works were for nothing because he had no guarantee that he would leave his wisdom to wise men. Solomon believed there was no profit in his legacy. Solomon records in Chapter 3 that God has appointed a time for all events on the Earth. None of these pursuits of man are of any value whatsoever if they are the chief goal of their labor. Chapter 3:11 reveals that only when man is in heaven in the presence of God will he gain satisfaction. “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.” Solomon is disillusioned in the end of the chapter and compares man to beasts and asks who can tell the difference? Both men and beasts die and return to the dust of the Earth. Solomon here is not talking about heaven or hell or whether man or animals possess a spirit, but how all life on Earth appears the same in our eyes. Solomon looked at oppression in Chapter 4 and said that the one who never lived was better off because he had not seen the evil of man. He then spoke of the folly of rivalry in verse 4-5 and futile labor in verse 7-8. The tone of Solomon’s depressing words change with verse 9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” These verses tell us of the benefits of working together. He said in verse 13 that a young man who was poor but wise is much better off than an old fool who was rich. In Chapter 5 Solomon gives us important truths that are as relevant today as they were in his day. Solomon is talking about our conduct in church. We are told to enter God’s house with a spirit of reverence and to keep a watch on our tongue and attitude. When we make a promise to God we must fulfill it and not just let the vow be idle words. We must be careful to not allow our words to make us sin and anger the Lord. Solomon gives us some concluding advice in verse 7 “For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.” In verse 10 Solomon began to write about the love of money. This concept was also brought up by Paul in his first letter to Timothy in the New Testament. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 reads “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Solomon said that the pursuit of money is also “chasing after wind” and that only harm can come from it. He told us to be satisfied with the fruit of our labor because it is a gift from God and also our reward. Solomon wrote about the futility of life in Chapter 6. Solomon, I believe, was worried about his legacy in his later years. He realized that he had done many things that had no lasting value and were unimportant. It was this that gave him the opinion that it would have been better if he had not been born. His conclusion to this was recorded in verses 10-12 “Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?” The first fourteen verses of Chapter 7 read like the Book of Proverbs. These are proverbs that address the contrast between wisdom and folly. Solomon does warn us in verses 15-18 to not be overly religious and pharisaical in nature. He says that wisdom is good, but the fear of the Lord is even better. In Chapter 8 we are told to obey those who are over us. This means we are to submit to parents, bosses, and our government leaders. This does not mean we are to go against the Word of God to submit, but we are to obey their direction. Solomon concludes at the end of the chapter that even the wisest will never know everything. Some things are only knowable by God. Chapter 9 reveals that we should be content with the simple things of life. Our lives are in the hand of God and our works have already been approved. Solomon tells us in Chapter 9:9 “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.” He said in verse 10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” Our time on Earth is short and we should not waste it. Solomon wrote of foolishness in Chapter 10 Man does so many foolish things in his life. Solomon lists examples of this foolishness in the chapter. In Chapter 11 the mood changes and Solomon instructs us to take chances in our lives and to give in verse 1-2 “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” He tells us to keep busy and rejoice in all your days. He also tells us to remember that when we do the desires of our heart that the Lord will judge us for our actions. We will now look at the final chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12. Solomon tells us to remember the Lord when we are young and not to wait until we have grown old and disillusioned by life. He then gives us an illustration of the process of ageing in the next verses. Solomon finally reveals to us at the end of the book that he believed his purpose in life was to give people knowledge and to write as he puts in verse 10 “The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.” In conclusion to the entire book on the futility of man Solomon wrote in the end what is really important in verse 13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” This ends the Book of Ecclesiastes. We will now turn our attention to the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon is a short book of eight chapters that compose what Solomon referred to in the first verse of the book as his greatest song. The pages depict the true beauty of a godly marriage. It is believed that this was written about Solomon’s first wife before he sinfully acquired six hundred and ninety nine additional wives and three hundred concubines. The book should be taken at face value, but it does show God’s love for Israel and the Church in its pages. Chapter 1 describes the courtship of the two lovers. Solomon’s bride to be is concerned about her appearance and station in life to be accepted by the king. She has been tanned dark by the sun from working in the vineyard. She is not from the upper class. Solomon has looked past her outward appearance and her social status and has seen her inner beauty. She is the most beautiful woman Solomon has ever met. Chapter 2 begins with a verse that through the ages has been attributed to some of the names of Jesus Christ “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.” The bride is describing herself also with these words. We also attribute verse 4 to show God’s love for us. “He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” The banner is military in nature and is God’s symbol of protection to those He loves. Solomon had gone away and his bride to be lets the women around her know that she will remain forever devoted to Solomon and not waver in her love for him. Solomon comes for her after the seasons have passed and tells her they need to remove from their relationship anything that will hinder them in the future with the poetic language of verse 15 “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom.” As the wedding day approached Solomon’s bride to be was troubled by dreams because of her increasing desire for the two of them to be together. The watchman of verse 3 was a premonition of what would really happen in an event recorded in Chapter 5. The wedding day came and the ceremony went with much splendor and celebration. Solomon was glad in his heart on that day. Chapter 4 is the personal graphic description of the wedding night of Solomon and the consummation of his marriage. The words here reveal to us the wonderful personal relationship between a man and his wife before the Lord. This should not be viewed as pornographic literature, but God’s perspective on the two becoming one flesh in marriage. In the beginning of the next chapter the words indicate God’s approval of the union. “Eat, friends; Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.” Chapter 5 goes on and shows the new couples first argument. This is an example to us that at times even the closest of friends can disagree. The event with the watchman from the bride’s dream came to pass at this time and the couple reconciled. This is also a wonderful picture of our relationship with Jesus. We are His bride and even though we sin and stray sometimes, He comes to find us and wants to be reconciled to his bride through our repentance. The remainder of the song is about Solomon and his wife’s life together and how they grew to love each other as time went on. It also can portray our relationship with the Lord that deepens and strengthens the longer we know Him. This ends the Song of Solomon. We will now begin the first book of the prophets, the Book of Isaiah. The Book of Isaiah belongs to the group of books of the Bible known as the Major Prophets. This designation is given not because of the prophet’s importance, but because of the length of his book. Even with this in mind Isaiah was one of the most influential prophets during the Old Testament times. His use of language and his literary style was unparalleled in the Bible. Isaiah spoke God’s Words to the people of Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. God’s chosen people continued to rebel against Him so He sent Isaiah to tell them He had had enough. In Chapter 1 Isaiah said that even the beasts of burden know their master, but God’s people who He supported did not. He said the land would become desolate and the people will be beat down for their rebellion. Unless they change they would become as Sodom and Gomorrah. God has had enough. He reveals to His people his thoughts in verse 11, and the beginning of verse 13. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.” “Bring your worthless offerings no longer” He does though give them a chance to repent in verse 16-20 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.“If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah then turns In Chapter 2 to even our own future and the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the Earth after the Day of the Lord. The prophecy concerning Jerusalem is in verses 1-3 and the peace Jesus will bring is revealed in verse 4 “And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.” The Lord says in verse 12 that in that day will be a day of reckoning against man and his pride. In Chapter 3 God said that He would remove the leadership in Judah and those that are left to lead will not be able. God will plunge their ordered society into chaos for their disobedience. After a time God will step in and judge His people. This is revealed in verse 13-15 “The Lord arises to contend, and stands to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. “What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord God of hosts.” God then turns His wrath on the women of Jerusalem and their pride. He says He will take from them their symbols of wealth and boasting and cause them to become like beggars in the street. He tells them He will also remove their men, the source of their wealth. In Chapter 4 the Lord gives them the hope of a remnant of believers that will remain until the Day of the Lord. He makes a promise about a Branch in verse 2-6 “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.” This Branch is Jesus and what God’s people Israel have been waiting for. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Isaiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 34: 33-ISAIAH 5 – 42 ======================================================================== Isaiah 5 – 42 Aug. 8, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Isaiah. Last week we were introduced to the book and we looked at the condition of the Jewish people at that time and about some future events. We will pick up our study this week in Chapter 5. In Chapter 5 Isaiah recorded a parable to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. In this parable God is described as a vineyard owner, and the Jewish people as the vineyard. The Lord planted the vineyard with the choicest vines, and expected it to produce good fruit. Isaiah said the vineyard only produced worthless grapes. God said that because the fruit was worthless He would not try to correct the problem, but He would remove the vines and let the land become a wasteland. This parable was to inform the Jewish people on what would occur if they continued in their rebellion against God. Isaiah predicts the Jewish exile and death in verse 13 “Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.” Chapter 6 then went back and told the story of the Lord’s call and commission of Isaiah as His prophet to the people of Judah. Isaiah had a vision of heaven and was terrified at what he saw. He recorded his thoughts in verse 4 “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” It is then recorded in verse 6-7 that one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a coal from the altar and touched it to his lips. This act was God’s way of removing Isaiah’s sin from him and preparing him for his call. Isaiah then spoke with God in verse 8-10 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” Isaiah then began his new life as a prophet of God. In Chapter 7 Isaiah was told to go and meet with King Ahaz and warn him of the treachery of the king of Israel. The northern tribes wanted to depose Ahaz and install their own king in his place. Isaiah reveals in verse 8-9 that Israel will cease to exist in less than sixty five years. “For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.” The Lord told Ahaz to ask Him for a sign. When Ahaz refused God spoke through Isaiah a prophecy about his coming Son Jesus in verse 13-16 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.” Isaiah then predicted that the Assyrians would come against Judah and the Lord would use them to disgrace the people. In Chapter 8 Isaiah called his wife a prophetess and she gave birth to a son whose name was translated as “Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey” as a sign to Israel that Assyria would defeat them and plunder their land. Even with this God promised there would be a remnant of believers left in Judah. The coming of Jesus Christ as king is predicted in Chapter 9. In verse 2 the people who are in darkness are promised a great light. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” In verse 6-7 we are told how this king would arrive. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” God then sent a message to His people through Isaiah about His anger towards them. In Chapter 10 we find out that Assyria would be God’s instrument to punish Israel for their rebellion. Even though God would use the Assyrians to punish Israel and bring them into captivity He would also remove the power from Assyria because of their pride. They didn’t realize that they were only a tool in the hand of God. Again in verse 21-22 God promises that a remnant of believers would be left. “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return; a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.” Jesus Christ is again foretold of in Chapter 11. Here He is called the Shoot from the stem of Jesse and also the Branch. Isaiah is referring to the fact that the coming messiah will be a descendant of King David. The peaceful characteristic of His kingdom is shown in verse 6-10. “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious.” We are again told of the surviving remnant in the end of the chapter. Chapter 12 consists of words of thanksgiving to the Lord from the people, and Chapter 13 contains a prophesy against Babylon. God’s judgment during the Day of the Lord is described and also the future demise of Babylon by the Medes is predicted in the prophecy. Now in Chapter 14 Isaiah wrote about a time in the future when the people of Israel will be restored and returned to the land of Palestine. Today God’s people are returning to their land, but their restoration will have to wait for the second coming of Jesus in the future. The people are told in the prophecy to taunt the king of Babylon. In the chapter the words go from the human king to a description of the sin and fall of Satan. This event was recorded in verse 12-21. I will read here verse 12-15. “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” This passage contains the prideful statements of Lucifer to God in heaven. God called Himself “I AM”, Satan, who Lucifer became, said “I will”. He had the audacity, as a created being, to declare he was like God. Jesus told His disciples that He witnessed this event in the Gospel of Luke 10:18 “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” Isaiah then goes on and describes a series of judgments against Assyria, Philistia, and Moab. In Chapter 16 Isaiah predicted that Moab would be devastated within three years. In Chapter 17 Isaiah then told the people of Damascus that their city would be destroyed. This was done by the Assyrians in 732 BC. Isaiah then gave Ethiopia and Egypt messages in Chapter 18 and 19. Then in Chapter 20 he gives them a prophecy about their future. The Lord had Isaiah go around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign to Egypt and Ethiopia that they would be taken captive in shame by the king of Assyria. Isaiah also spoke a warning to the people of Jerusalem and the land of Israel in Chapter 22. He called it the Valley of Vision because the Lord spoke to His people there in visions. Jesus used the words Isaiah spoke about Eliakim in verse 22 “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open.” to refer to Himself in that He held the key for entry to His kingdom. Isaiah then spoke about the destruction of the city of Tyre in Chapter 23. In Chapter 24 through 27 Isaiah looks into our future today and writes about the final judgment on the Earth during the time of tribulation and the millennial kingdom. In Chapter 24 he revealed that the Earth will be laid waste and all normal activity will cease. Chapter 25 is a song to the Lord that will be sung by His people after this time passes. We are told of a promise in verse 8-9 “He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Chapter 26 is also a song that also has a promise in verse 2-4 “Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful. “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. “Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.” In verse 20-21 the believing remnant is told to hide until the judgment is finished. “Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while until indignation runs its course. For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer cover her slain.” Finally, in Chapter 27 Isaiah reveals that Israel will be delivered in the end. Isaiah then turned his attention back to his day and predicted the fall and captivity of the Northern Tribes called the Nation of Israel to the Assyrians in Chapter 28. He says that because of their drunkenness they would not experience the protection of the Lord. He also spoke a warning to Judah to turn back to the Lord. A prediction is made on the coming messiah in verse 16. “Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” Many places in the New Testament refer to Jesus as that Cornerstone from Isaiah. In Chapter 29 Jerusalem is also warned about the coming destruction. In verse 13 the Lord’s problem with the people is revealed. “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote” We seem to have the same attitude today towards the Lord in our country. The Lord asks us all a question in verse 16. “You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Even with these words the Lord also promises a blessing to those who believe in the end. Chapter 32 is about the future reign of Jesus on the Earth .The chapter is full of the glory of that time of peace and plenty on the Earth and how the people will be blessed. Chapter 33 looks again at God’s judgment on the Earth and its people. These thoughts were extended to the judgments on the nations in Chapter 34. God will punish the nations of the Earth with His wrath in the future and avenge His people. After the trouble Israel will blossom as recorded in Chapter 35. Another wonderful promise was given in verse 10. “And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” The next chapters of Isaiah are historical in nature and mark the end of the first part of Isaiah’s book. Chapter 36:1 - 38:9 read almost identically to the text of the Book of 2 Kings 18:3 – 20:19. Isaiah was most likely the author of this section of 2 Kings. It was recorded in the Book of 2 Chronicles 32:32 “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.” This historical section covers the invasion of Judah by the Assyrians through the rule of King Hezekiah and his illness. After Hezekiah’s recovery it is recorded in Chapter 39 that the king showed the treasures of his kingdom to the Babylonians. Isaiah then predicted that a time would come soon when the treasure and the people would be carried off to Babylon. The historical section of Isaiah is finished in Chapter 39, and then in Chapter 40 Isaiah wrote a Psalm on the greatness of God. Verse 3 foretells of the ministry of John the Baptist. “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke this man is revealed to be John the Baptist who preaches ahead of Jesus to prepare His way. This event is also predicted in the Book of Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.” The song goes on to say that the Lord is coming in judgment and encourages His people in verse 28-31. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” The Lord continues to encourage His people in Chapter 41. He told them these words in verse 8-10. “You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” We will finish up this week with Chapter 42 where God promises to send His Servant to His people. It was recorded in verse 1-4. “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.“A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. “He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.” Also in verse 8 is an important warning to everyone about pride. “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.” In the end of the chapter the Lord says that His people have become blind and do not realize what they have done. God questions the people in verse 24. “Who gave Jacob up for spoil and Israel to plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they were not willing to walk, and whose law they did not obey?” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Isaiah and go on to the Book of Jeremiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 35: 34-ISAIAH 43 – JEREMIAH 6 ======================================================================== Isaiah 43 – Jeremiah 6 Aug. 15, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of Isaiah in Chapter 43. Last week as we looked at Isaiah we saw how he became a prophet of God and the words he spoke to the people of Judah and Israel. Many times Isaiah spoke prophetically about the future and our Lord Jesus Christ. We will continue now this week in Chapter 43. Isaiah wrote of God’s promise to His people in this chapter of his book. He revealed in verse 1 “But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” He promised to be their protection and that the people were honored and precious in His sight. He called Israel His witness in verse 10-13 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” As the Father called Israel to be His witness in Isaiah, Jesus has called us to be His witness today. This is shown in the Great Commission in the Gospel of Mathew 28:18-20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Even though Isaiah spoke that the people of Judah would be taken in exile to Babylon, he revealed that in the future Babylon would also be destroyed. In the end of the chapter Isaiah reminded the people of their shortcomings towards the Lord. In Chapter 44 Isaiah told Israel of the blessings they had been promised by the Lord. A promise of the Holy Spirit was given in verse 3 “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants” Isaiah also gives us a declaration from God in verse 6-8 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’” He then spoke against idols and reminded the people that the Lord is Israel’s Redeemer and the only one who can forgive their sin. At the end of the chapter Isaiah gave a prediction about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple after Judah’s captivity. This describes how the Lord would use a heathen king named Cyrus to defeat Babylon and allow the Jews to repopulate Jerusalem. During Isaiah’s time the Babylonian captivity was in the future and Cyrus, the king of Persia, was not yet even born! Then in Chapter 45 God revealed to His people that He is sovereign and will use Cyrus to do His will. God asserted His place in verse 5-6 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” The Lord also spoke to all mankind in verse 22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” He also told us what will happen to all men in the end in verse 23 “I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.” In Chapter 46 the Lord contrasted Himself with the idols of Babylon. He said that idols are carried about but are inert and cannot deliver anyone. The Lord said that He is unchanging and that there is no one else like Him. He said that only He could bring about their deliverance. In Chapter 47 Isaiah changed from speaking God’s words to the people of Judah. Here he spoke to the people of Babylon. He revealed to them that they would experience success and prosperity only because God was going to use them to punish His disobedient people, Israel. Isaiah told them that because they would not show mercy to His captive people He would remove them from power. Isaiah then returned to tell God’s words to Israel. In Chapter 48 they are reminded of their stiff-necked ways. In verse 9-11 God said “For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, and for My praise I restrain it for you, in order not to cut you off. “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.” There was nothing Israel had done to deserve God’s favor, and their testing and refining were not over yet! At the end of the chapter the Lord again promises to deliver Israel. Although the Lord looks back in verse 17-19 at what could have been. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. “If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. “Your descendants would have been like the sand, and your offspring like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.” In Chapter 49 Isaiah wrote as the Messiah speaking to all people. In the first verse the islands and the people from afar are told to listen. This refers to the people of the gentile nations that would one day mane up His church. God’s people Israel had rejected Him and served other gods. The Lord in His plan had a way for all men to be saved through His Servant Jesus. In verse 2 the text said that “He has made My mouth like a sharp sword” Compare this to the text of the Book of Revelation 1:16 which is the description of the appearance of Jesus to John on the Island of Patmos where he had been exiled. “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.” At the end of the chapter He promises the Jewish people that their nation will be restored and all nations will bow to them in the end. The Lord will never forget His chosen people. Then in Chapter 50, God told His people that He had never given them up. There is no divorce papers or a bill of sale causing their separation from Him. The suffering of His people was only temporary to punish their disobedience. Verse 6 prophetically describes the punishment Jesus would endure before He was taken to the cross. “I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.” Jesus did not fight back, but submitted willfully to the pain so that we could be forgiven. Jesus could withstand the pain because He placed His trust in His Father. The text in verse 10 is an invitation to the lost for salvation. “Who is among you that fears the Lord that obeys the voice of His servant that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” Isaiah exhorts Israel in Chapter 51 to remember where you came from. They had received the promise of God’s favor through His covenant with Abraham. The people will be restored to their former glory in the future. Then in Chapter 52 the people are told of the glory of that restoration. In verse 7 the Lord told us how He views those that spread His message throughout the world. “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Chapter 52:13 through Chapter 53:12 show us a clear picture of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and what the event accomplished for us as believers. Chapter 52:14 is an indication of the inhuman torture our Savior endured at the hands of men. “So His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.” Then in Chapter 53:4-6 the text explains to us reason for His death. “Surely our grief’s He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Many of us have no idea what Jesus did as a substitute for what we all deserve for our sin. The events described in this chapter of Isaiah prophetically describe the events of the crucifixion over seven hundred years before they actually took place. In Chapter 54 attention is now back on Israel. Isaiah equates them as a barren woman while they have been in exile. He goes on and tells them to shout for joy because the Lord is going to restore them to prosperity. In verse 7-8 the Lord told Israel that their rejection by Him is only temporary. “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting loving-kindness I will have compassion on you,” Says the Lord your Redeemer.” A strong promise is given to God’s people in verse 17. “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.” In Chapter 55 the Lord offers everyone His free gift of salvation. In the beginning of verse 3 God told us what we must do. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live” Verse 8-11 describe some very important truths about the Living God that we all need to keep in mind when we want to question Him. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, or are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Chapter 56 told of the rewards for obedience to the Lord. Then in Chapter 57 Isaiah wrote of the Lord’s rebuke to the evil leaders of the day. In the first part of the chapter Isaiah lists the characteristics and works of the evil men. He let them know that they were experiencing what they wanted today, but in the future their idols would not save them from what is to come. In verse 21 the text reads. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” The Lord spoke through Isaiah in Chapter 58 when the people asked why their fasting had not given them results. The Lord said they did not fast with a proper heart and were not observing My ways. The words in verse 7 are similar to the words used by Jesus when He spoke of the judgement of the gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew 25:35-40. Isaiah 58:7 reads “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Matthew 25:42-43 “for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” The people were also told of their abuse of the Sabbath day at the end of the chapter. In Chapter 59 Isaiah told the people why God has separated Himself from them. This is revealed in verse 1-2 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” The people had become violent and evil and as the text reads in verse 8 “They do not know the way of peace” Isaiah confesses to the Lord for the people in the middle of the chapter. When God said there was no man in Israel to intercede for them He took it upon Himself to send His Servant to intercede for the people. Paul used the words of Isaiah Chapter 59:17a when he wrote about the armor of God in the Book of Ephesians at the end of chapter 6. Isaiah 59:17a reads “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head” Chapter 60 records the future millennial kingdom of Jesus at the end of this world. The Jewish people and Zion will be glorified and assume their position as the center of the world in culture and government. The Lord will be on the throne and all the nations of the Earth will bring their wealth to Jerusalem. This will be a time of peace on the Earth. During the thousand year reign of Jesus the world will be a very different place. An example of this difference is shown in verse 19-20 “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory.“Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon wane; for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over.” Chapter 61 has the words of the coming Messiah. Jesus spoke the words of verse 1-2 in the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath when He began His public ministry. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” This is recorded in the Gospel of Luke 4:18-19. Jesus was the fulfillment of these scriptures and described what He had come to do. Isaiah wrote of his joy for what the words of this promise meant to him and the people. When the Lord returns and the restoration of Israel is complete it was written in Chapter 62 that Jerusalem and Zion will receive a new name from the Lord. The Jewish people will no longer be called “Forsaken” and the land would not be known as “Desolate”. The people will then be called “My delight is in her” and the land will be called “Married”. The Lord has redeemed His people and will protect them as a husband does his wife. In Chapter 63 Isaiah wrote of the Lord’s wrath poured out on the nations of the Earth. He would have vengeance in the end for their sin and disbelief. He will remember His people and His promise of long ago from the days of Moses. The people will then call the Lord Father and understand. Chapter 64 is a prayer for mercy by the people of Israel. They finally reveal what their works meant to God in verse 6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” The people give up their prideful ways and repent in verse 8 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” God then addresses His rebellious people in Chapter 65. He told them what they had done and how they had rebelled and turned against Him. He promises in the end of the chapter that He will make a new Heaven and new Earth for His people that believe in the end. In Chapter 66, to end the Book of Isaiah, the Lord declares His home is Heaven in verse 1-2 “Thus says the Lord, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? “For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord. “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” He will provide for His servants and judge the wicked. He said in verse 18“For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.” The Book of Isaiah ends with a promise to the men He will make His priests in verse 22-24 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your offspring and your name will endure. “And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” This ends the Book of Isaiah. We will now begin the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the leading prophet of God to the people of Judah between the years 627 BC through 570 BC. He spoke to God’s people from the reign of Josiah and his reforms to the middle of Judah’s captivity in Babylon. Throughout his book he warned of the coming exile, and then after he warned the people to obey their new masters so they would not be destroyed. Chapter 1 covers the call of Jeremiah to become a prophet. God’s word came to him during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah over Judah. God spoke to him in verse 5-10 these words. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah then had a vision of an almond rod and a boiling pot that represented the Lord looking on His people and the trouble that was to come. In Chapter 2 Jeremiah went to Jerusalem and spoke against the people for turning away from their God and serving other gods they had made. He told the people in verse 22 “Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord God.” The Lord will reject the people that have turned away from Him. In Chapter 3 God compares Israel to a faithless wife. Even though King Josiah instituted reforms the people did not change in their heart. God gave the people a chance to repent in verse 11-14 “And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. “Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not be angry forever. ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord. ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord; ‘For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” Jeremiah spoke of the threat of invasion in Chapter 4. If the people of Judah do not change, the Lord will bring on them an “evil from the north”. In the end of the chapter Jeremiah laments the destruction of Judah for their unbelief. In verse 22 the Lord said “For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children and have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know.” In Chapter 5 Jeremiah spoke on how far the people have strayed from following the Lord. In verse 11-13 the Lord told the truth about His people and what they had become “For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord. They have lied about the Lord and said, “Not He; misfortune will not come on us, and we will not see sword or famine. “The prophets are as wind, and the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!” Then in verse 15 God told Judah what He would do. “Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord. “It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.” Jeremiah warns the people in Jerusalem, in Chapter 6, of the coming destruction of the city, and told them to flee for safety. Because of their unbelief and disobedience the Lord reveals in verse 21 “Therefore, thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, fathers and sons together; neighbor and friend will perish.” Jeremiah also told the people that the Lord had compared them with ore that was supposed to contain metal, and that Jeremiah would be the one to act as the surveyor of the people. This was revealed in verse 27-30 “I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, that you may know and assay their way.” All of them are stubbornly rebellious, going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; they, all of them, are corrupt. The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, but the wicked are not separated. They call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Book of Jeremiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 36: 35-JEREMIAH 7 – 31 ======================================================================== Jeremiah 7 – 31 Aug. 22, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Jeremiah in Chapter 7. Last week we looked at the call of Jeremiah and some of his prophesies and words against the people of Judah. We will pick up this week in Chapter 7. In Chapter 7 the Lord told Jeremiah to speak His words in the gate of His temple in Jerusalem. The people of the city believed God would not destroy them or Jerusalem because His house was located there. Through Jeremiah God let the people know that His temple could not save them. Only if they would change their evil ways, and put down their false gods would they escape destruction. Jesus used the words from Chapter 7:11 when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers at the temple recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 21:13. Jeremiah 7:11 reads “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah was then told by the Lord not to pray for the people of Judah or intercede for them because he would not be heard. The people would have to change their ways on their own. Jeremiah told the people of Judah in Chapter 8 that even the birds of the air possess greater knowledge than God’s people. They would not care for each other and their leaders and priests continually practiced deceit. Jeremiah still asked the Lord to heal the people in the end of the chapter. This is shown in verse 21-22 “For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?” Jeremiah was willing to travel as far as Gilead to retrieve a cure for the people’s sin. God Himself would go much farther in the future to achieve the same thing. In Chapter 9 Jeremiah laments the condition of Zion’s people. They had slain each other with their tongues. Jeremiah wrote, in verse 8-9 “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit; with his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, but inwardly he sets an ambush for him. “Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord. On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?” In the end of the chapter the Lord said he was going to punish the circumcised along with the uncircumcised in the future. This included the nations that did not believe, along with His people who were circumcised, but uncircumcised in their hearts. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah about idols in Chapter 10. He told the people in verse 8 “But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood!” Jeremiah wrote in verse 12 “It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” Only the Lord is in control of all things. Idols of gold, silver, and wood are useless. In Chapter 11 the Lord told Jeremiah to remind the people of His covenant. The text in verse 3-5 reads “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I said, “Amen, O Lord.” The Lord could see the people had broken the covenant He had made with them long ago and served and worshipped other gods. God pronounced that He would bring disaster on the people for their sin. It was also revealed in the end of the chapter that Jeremiah’s life was threatened by the men of Anathoth. God told Jeremiah that these men, along with their sons and daughters would die from famine and the sword for their threat. Jeremiah prayed to the Lord in Chapter 12 and asked Him how long it would be before the disaster and destruction to come. The Lord answered Jeremiah in the end of the chapter and told him it would be soon. He also revealed that He would restore His people to their inheritance in the future. In Chapter 13 the Lord had Jeremiah do some strange things. We will see this type of visual teaching used by other prophets in the course of their work. God used these unusual acts to get the people’s attention to their sin. God told Jeremiah to buy a waistband and wear it around his waist. He then told him to take the same waistband and bury it under a rock near the Euphrates River for many days. When Jeremiah retrieved the waistband it was ruined and worthless. God had him do this to illustrate that His relationship with His people was like Jeremiah and the waistband. He revealed in verse 11 “For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the Lord that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.” The Lord then had Jeremiah use the example of a full jug of wine to tell the people He was going to fill the leaders of the people with drunkenness and send them into captivity. The Lord asked in verse 23 “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” The people’s hope of doing right was just about as possible as it was for a man or animal to change the color of their skin. The Lord sent a drought over the land, in Chapter 14, so the people would experience being as physically dry as they were spiritually dry. Jeremiah was again told by the Lord not to pray for the people. The Lord refused to listen to the prayers because the people had placed their trust in false prophets. The hardships and disease they were experiencing was the punishment told to them from the Book of Leviticus in Chapter 26 where the Lord revealed the penalties for disobeying Him. In Chapter 15 the Lord reveals that the time of judgement must come. Even if the most revered godly men of Israel, Moses and Samuel came before Him to plead their case, their fates were sealed by the sin of Hezekiah’s wicked son, King Manasseh. The disaster that would soon come upon them would make the people wish they had never been born. The text of verse 14 reads “Then I will cause your enemies to bring it into a land you do not know; for a fire has been kindled in My anger, it will burn upon you.” Jeremiah then prays to the Lord for his own safety, and God answers him. The Lord gives Jeremiah a precious promise in verse 20-21 “Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; and though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you,” declares the Lord.” So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.” Jeremiah was told in Chapter 16 that he was not to take a wife or have sons or daughters to only die in the land like the people. He was also told not to participate in the community and be separate from them as an example. In the end of the chapter the Lord again spoke of restoration, and Jeremiah rejoiced over the fact that one day even the Gentile idolaters would recognize the one true God. In Chapter 17 Jeremiah echoes the Psalmist’s words from Psalm 1 in verse 7 and the beginning of verse 8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water” Then right after in verse 9-10 he reveals the truth about the heart of man. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Man cannot change his own heart, only the Lord is able to cause it to change. Jeremiah also declares in verse 14 “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.” When something is done by the Lord you can be sure it is completely done! Jeremiah is told to go to the potter’s house in Chapter 18. There God used the potter at work on his wheel to illustrate a truth for Jeremiah. Jeremiah saw the potter working with the clay at his wheel. The piece he had formed was not to his liking so he pressed the clay together and began to work the same clay into a different piece. God told Jeremiah that He was the Potter and Israel was the clay. If they were not formed to His liking He would crush them and start over just like the potter did on his wheel. The people turned and made plans to get rid of Jeremiah and refused to listen to his words. In Chapter 19 the Lord told Jeremiah to go again to the potter’s house and buy from him a finished clay jar. He was told to gather the senior priests and the leaders of Jerusalem at the potsherd gate near the Ben-hinnom valley and explain to them the coming judgement on the people from the Lord. He was then told to smash the jar in front of the men and say that God would break them just like he had broken the jar. After this, in Chapter 20, Pashhur the chief priest had Jeremiah beaten and placed in stocks for the night as punishment for his prophesying against the people. When Jeremiah was released the next day he told Pashhur that the Lord had given him a new name. This name was Magor-missabib which was translated “Terror on every side” Pashhur would be removed in exile by the king of Babylon and would die there with his fellow conspirators. Jeremiah complained to the Lord that he had been deceived. He said he could not endure the work God asked him to do. Like Job before him, he cursed the day he was born. Jeremiah was told to bring a message to King Zedekiah in Chapter 21. The priests asked him to go to the Lord on their behalf for help in their war with Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The Lord’s response to Zedekiah was to remove from Judah the weapons of war and allow them to be defeated by the Babylonians for their sin. The people were warned in Chapter 22 of the imminent fall of Jerusalem. Then, in Chapter 23, God promises to send them a Messiah in the future. He reveals in verse 5-6 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. “In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.” The Lord denounces the false prophets through the end of the chapter. In Chapter 24 the Lord had Jeremiah use two baskets of figs to illustrate another truth about His people. One basket is of ripe good figs, and the other is full of old rotten ones. God said His captive people in Babylon are represented by the basket of good figs and will be restored. The bad rotten inedible figs represent the priests and corrupt leaders that will be left in Jerusalem to die. Chapter 25 goes back to an earlier time during the career of Jeremiah when he prophesied on the coming captivity of Judah. It was here that God revealed that He would use Nebuchadnezzar to punish His disobedient people. In verse 11 Jeremiah reveals that the people will be in exile in Babylon for seventy years. After the seventy years have been completed the Lord would judge Babylon for their mistreatment of His people during their exile, and would remove them from power into the hands of the Medes and Persians. Jeremiah warned the cities of Judah, in Chapter 26 of the coming judgement, but the priests and leaders plotted to have him seized and executed for his words. Jeremiah stood up and told them in verse 12-15 “Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. “Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you. “But as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight. “Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.” Jeremiah’s words changed the mind of his captors and he was set free. They realized men had come before him with the same sort of prophesy and were not killed. This, however, did not change their ways. In Chapter 27 the Lord gave His people into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. He told the people to serve their new king in Babylon and they would be restored. In Chapter 28 Hananiah falsely prophesied to Jeremiah and the priests that within two years the Lord would break the yoke of Babylon from around their necks and restore the people to Jerusalem. Hananiah then ceremonially broke a wooden yoke from around Jeremiah’s neck. The Lord then came to Jeremiah and told him that Hananiah only broke a yoke of wood and that He would place a yoke of iron around their necks to serve Babylon. Hananiah was also revealed as a false prophet and was dead soon after for his actions. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiled people, in Chapter 29, to encourage them to become good citizens for the king. They were to become productive members of Babylonian society. The Lord had promised to restore them to Jerusalem after the seventy years of exile was complete. He told His people in verse 11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” He also spoke against false prophets in the letter. The people were promised deliverance from their captivity, in Chapter 30. Then in Chapter 31 Jeremiah said that all of Israel’s suffering will be turned to joy. They will be restored, the Lord heard their weeping. At the end of the chapter God said He would write a new covenant with His people on their hearts when Jesus comes again to be their King during His thousand year reign on the Earth. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Jeremiah. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 37: 36-JEREMIAH 32 – 52 ======================================================================== Jeremiah 32 – 52 Aug. 29, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Jeremiah in Chapter 32. Last week we looked at Jeremiah’s words to the people of Judah warning them of their coming exile to Babylon. This week we will complete our study of this book. In Chapter 32 Jeremiah had been imprisoned by King Zedekiah of Judah for his prophecy against the city of Jerusalem. Zedekiah was the last Jewish king and was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar after he brought the previous king, Jehoiachin to Babylon in exile. Jeremiah had been warning the people of Judah for years about the coming judgement through Babylon by the Lord. After the first deportation of the people, during the reign of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah told the people to obey their new masters because they were going to be restored in seventy years. Jeremiah was imprisoned because he did not hold the same positive attitude as the king on the state of the people and their city. Jeremiah was told by the Lord to buy land for himself and seal the deeds in a clay jar as a record of the purchase. Jeremiah did as he was told but did not understand the reason for the purchase because the land was already under Babylonian control. Jeremiah prayed and asked the Lord the reason for his purchase of the land. God then listed the sins of Judah to Jeremiah and told him of the final deportation. He then revealed that after the seventy years He would restore His people and they would be able to redeem their land. Jeremiah’s deed was proof of ownership for his family name after the exile was complete. In Chapter 33 the Lord continued to speak to Jeremiah about His promise to restore His people in the future. This word from God came to Jeremiah the second time while he was imprisoned in the court of the guard. God was not referring to the restoration of Jerusalem by Ezra and Nehemiah, but to the future Kingdom of Jesus on Earth during the millennium. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in Chapter 34 at the time when the armies under the control of Nebuchadnezzar were completing their final siege of Jerusalem. The Lord had Jeremiah tell King Zedekiah that he would be defeated and taken to Babylon. The king had made a covenant with the people of Judah to release the men and women they held as slaves from their bondage as was the law of the Lord every seventh year. The people followed the covenant then turned from it and reclaimed their freed slaves. Because the people broke this covenant, and also because of their sin, the Lord would allow this final siege to be successful and the city would be emptied and burned with fire. Chapter 35 recalls an event that took place during the reign of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim. Jeremiah was told by the Lord to go to the Rechabites and offer them wine to drink in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. The men were obedient to the Lord and refused the wine. Their ancestor, Jonadab taught his children to follow the Lord’s command from the Book of Leviticus 10:9-11 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations—and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.” The Rechabites followed the words of their fathers and dwelt in tents and only came to the defense of Jerusalem when the army of Nebuchadnezzar came against it. This family was rewarded by the Lord for their obedience in the midst of the disobedience of Judah. In Chapter 36 the account of Jeremiah goes back several years to an event where the Lord told Jeremiah to dictate his prophesies to his scribe and have them written on a scroll. He was then to have Baruch, his scribe, read the scroll to the people of Judah in the temple on a day of fasting. This would give the people an opportunity to change their ways. Jeremiah could not read the scroll himself because he was being held in prison at this time. Baruch read the words of the scroll to the men of Jerusalem in the temple as soon as they called for a day of fasting. The men listened to the words, and in the fear of the Lord knew they had to be read to the king. When King Jehoiakim heard the first few columns of the scroll he cut it to pieces with a scribe’s knife and burned the pieces in the fireplace in his chamber. The Lord instructed Jeremiah to reproduce the burned scroll and tell Jehoiakim that he and his descendants would be punished for his actions. In Chapter 37 Jeremiah’s account shifts back to the time of King Zedekiah. Jeremiah was told to warn the people to not place their trust in the army of the Pharaoh of Egypt when it came against the Babylonians besieging the city of Jerusalem. The fall of the city had already been declared by the Lord and nothing could stop it. Jeremiah was thrown into prison again and accused of siding with the Babylonians against his people. Zedekiah though, came to Jeremiah in secret to enquire if he had heard a good word from the Lord on their behalf. Jeremiah angrily told the king that he would be given over to the Babylonians. He also asked the king to tell him how he had sinned against him and deserved this punishment. He had only spoken the truth from the Lord to the king. Jeremiah continued to speak the word of the Lord condemning the people in Chapter 38. In this chapter Jeremiah’s enemy Pashhur from Chapter 20 is heard from again. He along with other officials of the city had Jeremiah cast into the mud at the bottom of the cistern in the prison where he was held in the hope of causing his death. Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch of the king’s palace heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern and went to the king to secure his release. Even though King Zedekiah did not listen to Jeremiah, he feared him enough to not allow him to be killed. He had him removed from the cistern and imprisoned again in the house of the guard. Zedekiah went in secret to Jeremiah and swore that he would not have him put to death if he could help him with Babylon. Jeremiah refused the king and was kept in prison until the fall of Jerusalem. Chapter 39 covers the final capture and fall of the city of Jerusalem to Babylon. The city had been under siege for thirty months, and on the ninth day of the fourth month of 586BC the city wall was breached by the invading Babylonian army. The officials of Babylon entered the city and sat in the Middle Gate. Zedekiah and his men of war fled the city but were captured by the Babylonians. The king’s sons and also the nobles of Jerusalem were killed in his sight before he was blinded, bound and taken in chains to Babylon. His palace was burned to the ground by the Babylonian army after he was removed. The rest of the people of Jerusalem, except the poorest, were also taken captive and brought to Babylon. The poorest of the people that had nothing were given the fields and vineyards of the city to tend. Nebuchadnezzar gave orders concerning Jeremiah to his guard to take, but not harm him. They were also instructed to listen to his words. Nebuchadnezzar had learned from Daniel that it was profitable to listen to the men that spoke for the Lord. Jeremiah was spared and Ebed-melech the Ethiopian eunuch that stood up for Jeremiah was rewarded by the Lord for what he did. In Chapter 40 Jeremiah was given a choice by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, to continue on to Babylon with him under his protection, or to do as he wished and go his own way. Jeremiah chose to return to Jerusalem to assist Gedaliah the man who was appointed governor over the city by Nebuchadnezzar. The poor of the city along with the people who escaped the Babylonian exile came to Gedaliah for encouragement. Ishmael, one of the sons of the royal family of Judah was commissioned by the Ammonites to murder Gedaliah possibly because they wanted the land of Judah for themselves. Gedaliah was warned about the plot on his life but would not listen. Ishmael carried out the plot and killed Gedaliah in Chapter 41. Ishmael and the men that were with him also killed the Jews that were with Gedaliah and also eighty other Jewish pilgrims that were bringing offerings to the Lord in His temple. Ishmael took those that remained and headed off towards the territory of Ammon. A man named Johanan rescued the people from Ishmael and stopped near Bethlehem. In Chapter 42 Johanan, and the people he rescued asked Jeremiah to pray for them and also asked his advice. They had decided to flee to Egypt to escape the Babylonians. The Lord told Jeremiah to tell the people not to go to Egypt, but to go into exile with the rest of the people in Babylon. The Lord said terrible things would happen to them if the went to Egypt. The people did not listen to Jeremiah and heed the warning of the Lord and went to Egypt anyway. The people turned against Jeremiah, in Chapter 43 and accused him again of siding with their Babylonian enemy. They accused him of being a liar and that his scribe Baruch incited him to go against his people and turn them over to Babylon. Jeremiah was told by the Lord to gather some large stones and place them in mortar at the palace of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes to show where Nebuchadnezzar’s throne would be located when he defeated the Egyptians. In Chapter 44 Jeremiah predicted the conquest of Egypt by Babylon. The Lord said that He would turn against the remnant of Judah that went to Egypt in verse 11-12 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.‘And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach.” God revealed He was going to hand Pharaoh and Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the same way He did to Zedekiah. Chapter 45 is a short chapter that consists of a message from Jeremiah to Baruch his scribe. This event occurred during the time when Baruch wrote the scroll that Jehoiakim burned. Baruch was rebuked by the Lord for looking for personal promotion instead of serving Jeremiah. He was told the current state of affairs would soon be destroyed and that he should be satisfied where he was, serving the Lord for Jeremiah. In Chapter 46 Jeremiah’s account goes back to a discussion on the defeat of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah predicted that the army of Pharaoh Neco of Egypt would be defeated near the Euphrates River. In Jeremiah’s second message he said that Nebuchadnezzar would then send his army to Egypt to punish the land. At the end of the chapter the Lord told Jeremiah that the Jewish people need not fear the Lord would protect them and return them from captivity. Jeremiah spoke against Philistia in Chapter 47. This area is known today as the Gaza Strip in the southern coast of the country of Israel. The Philistines had been a problem for the Jewish people from their beginnings. Jeremiah said here that the Lord will destroy them. Then, in Chapter 48, Jeremiah spoke against Moab. The Lord here also promises to destroy the Moabites and cause them to no longer be a nation. The Lord said, in verse 42 “Moab will be destroyed from being a people because he has become arrogant toward the Lord.” Chapter 49 contains the Lord’s words against Ammon and Edom. God said He would remove the Ammonites from the land and exile their gods with them. Ammon had claimed territory given to Israel that the Lord wanted to return to His people. God did promise Ammon that they would be restored in the millennium. In a similar way the descendants of Esau, the Edomites would be dispersed for their pride and arrogance. They too had been promised a part in the millennial kingdom. The city of Damascus was also included in this prophecy of Chapter 49. God said the city would be destroyed. Kedar, Hazor, and Elam were also in this chapter. Kedar and Hazor would be destroyed, but Elam, though broken would be restored to fortune. Chapter 50 is the Lord’s words through Jeremiah concerning Babylon. Babylon, at this time was being used by the Lord to punish His people Israel for their disobedience. The people of Babylon would not treat Israel properly so the Lord promised to have them defeated by an enemy from the north. This enemy turned out to be the armies of the Medes and the Persians after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar. The entire contents of Chapter 51 cover the sins of the Babylonians towards their Jewish captives. The Lord said in verse 48-49 that there would come a day…“Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers will come to her from the north,” declares the Lord. Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, as also for Babylon the slain of all the earth have fallen.” The last chapter in the Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 52 is historical in nature and describes in detail the fall of Jerusalem. The description goes over the events of the capture and the numbers of the people exiled. The end of the chapter recounts the favor Jehoiachin received from Evil-merodach in Babylon during his life. The old king of Judah was a guest in the royal palace in Babylon for the rest of his life. This ends the Book of Jeremiah, and also our study for this week. Next week we will look at Jeremiah’s Book of Lamentations, and begin the Book of Ezekiel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 38: 37-LAMENTATIONS 1 – EZEKIEL 19 ======================================================================== Lamentations 1 – Ezekiel 19 Sept. 5, 2009 We will begin our study this week with the Book of Lamentations. Last week we finished the Book of Jeremiah and God’s words to His disobedient people. This week we will study Jeremiah’s Book of Lamentations and then move on to the Book of Ezekiel. The Book of Lamentations is believed to have been dictated by the prophet Jeremiah to his scribe Baruch. The book consists of five chapters lamenting the destruction of the Jew’s beloved city of Jerusalem. One interesting fact about Lamentations is that the first four chapters follow the acrostic pattern similar to Psalm 119. This pattern was used to help the reader remember the words of the book. The book was written during the Jewish exile in Babylon. In Chapter 1 Jerusalem was written as if the city was a lonely weeping widow. The once full, vibrant city had been reduced to a ruined empty shell by her enemies. Her people had been taken away for their sin. Even the roads that led to the city that were once teeming with pilgrims traveling to the feasts were empty and desolate. Her condition was told in verse 5 “Her adversaries have become her masters, her enemies prosper; for the Lord has caused her grief because of the multitude of her transgressions; Her little ones have gone away as captives before the adversary.” The people had felt their loss and now had regret for their sin. By the end of the chapter the people had asked the Lord for relief from their enemies and restoration. Chapter 2 covers the Lord’s reason for abandoning His city and punishing His people. He was angry with His people and had withdrawn His hand of protection from them. The condition of the city and the people were not a result of the Lord’s wish for His people, but because of their unrepentant disobedience. The Lord had strengthened the enemies of His people to punish them until they would acknowledge their sin and return to Him. In Chapter 3 Jeremiah’s lament turns from the city of Jerusalem and its people, inward towards himself. Jeremiah laments his sufferings in a way that also parallels the suffering of Judah and the Jewish people. Even though Jeremiah had been chosen by the Lord to speak to His people, his life was one of suffering and hardship. Jeremiah was hated by his countrymen, beaten, and thrown into prison for much of his life of service to the Lord. Jeremiah’s life had been hard, but his hope in the Lord was revealed in verse 21-26 “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving-kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.” Jeremiah included others in his lament in verses 41 through 47. Instead of writing I, me, and my, in this section he wrote of our, and us. Chapter 4 is a picture of what conditions were like inside the city walls during the siege of Jerusalem. The Babylonian army had prevented supplies from entering the city, and also their trash and waste from leaving. The people were starving and living in their own trash. In verse 10 the dirge reveals that, in their distress, loving mothers boiled their own children and served them to survive. The people of Jerusalem were reduced to animals because of the Lord’s wrath on them. The last chapter of the Book of Lamentations is a prayer for mercy from the Lord by the remnant of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They felt they had paid the price for their sin and ask the Lord to restore them, unless He had given up on them entirely and forsaken them for all time. This ends the Book of Lamentations. We will now begin to look at the Book of Ezekiel. The Book of Ezekiel was written from Babylon by a priest named Ezekiel, the son of Buzi. Ezekiel was part of the first group of Jews deported from Judah to Babylon in 597 B.C. This group also included Daniel and his three friends. Unlike the Book of Jeremiah, the Book of Ezekiel was, for the most part, written in chronological order. The Lord’s call to Ezekiel came when he was thirty years old. He was taken by Nebuchadnezzar when he was twenty five, and had settled in a town east of the city of Babylon near the Chebar River. It was here in Chapter 1 that Ezekiel describes his visit from the Lord. As I read the text I was reminded of the scene from several recent science fiction films of the alien mothership coming into Earth’s atmosphere. Ezekiel’s incredible vision of the power and majesty of God must have left him with a lasting lifelong impression of the Lord. The storm cloud contained four beings that were later identified as members of the class of angels known as the cherubim. These magnificent powerful angels are always associated with the throne of God. After this vision, Ezekiel was presented with a vision of God Himself on His throne. He fell to his face when the Lord spoke to him. In Chapter 2 the Lord told Ezekiel that he would be sent to the sons of Israel to speak to them during their exile. Ezekiel prophesied to Jerusalem about the coming final deportation of its people and it’s destruction by the Babylonians. Ezekiel did this from Babylon, being an exile himself. The Lord told Ezekiel to speak to His people Israel even if they would not listen. God then held out His hand and gave Ezekiel a scroll. The text says the scroll was covered front and back with “lamentations, mourning, and woes.” In Chapter 3 the Lord has Ezekiel take the scroll and eat it. The scroll represented the words Ezekiel was to speak to the sons of Israel for the Lord. When he ate it the scroll was sweet as honey in his mouth. The Lord told Ezekiel that the house of Israel was stubborn and obstinate, but He had also made his head as hard as theirs and that he should not be afraid. Ezekiel then went to the group of Jewish exiles near his home of Tel-abib, near the Chebar River and spoke to them God’s words for seven days. His words disturbed his listeners. At the end of the seven days the Lord came again to Ezekiel and made him a watchman over the house of Israel. He was to speak the Lord’s words again to the people. In Chapter 4 the Lord had Ezekiel perform a demonstration for Israel that must have looked like a child playing with toys. He was told to take a brick and inscribe the name Jerusalem on it. He was then to take the brick in front of the people and act as if he were laying siege to the brick as a boy would play with army men in a sandbox. He did this as a sign to Israel of the coming siege on the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was then told to lie on his right side for three hundred ninety days, then on his left side for an additional forty days. This represented the years first the people of Israel would be in bondage, then the people of Judah for their sinful ways. He was then tied down with ropes facing Jerusalem to represent the siege. Ezekiel then used an example of defiled bread to show the people their sin. God had Ezekiel use his own body as an example again in Chapter 5 to show the people. He was told to cut off his hair and beard with a sharp sword as a razor, then divide the hair into three parts. Using the hair Ezekiel was to describe the Lord’s judgement on Jerusalem and its people. The Lord spoke to Ezekiel in Chapter 6 about the people’s sin in their worship of idols. The people were going to experience God’s wrath upon them for their sin. Then, in Chapter 7, the people were told they would be punished for their wickedness. At the end of the chapter the Lord said that foreigners would plunder and profane His temple. In Chapter 8 when Ezekiel sat down with the elders of Judah in his house, he was visited by a vision of the Lord. During these visions Ezekiel was given a different view of events than were given to other men. God wanted Ezekiel to see things the way He saw them. Ezekiel was taken in the vision to Jerusalem and shown the abominations that were carved inside God’s house. Ezekiel wrote in verse 10-11 “So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising.” He was then taken to the inner court of the temple where twenty men had their backs to God and were worshipping the sun. Chapter 9 is a vision of executioners going through the city of Jerusalem to prepare for destruction. There was a man clothed in linen that carried a writing case to mark the foreheads of those who did not worship the idols of the people. The executioners then went through the city and slaughtered all who did not bear the mark. In Chapter 10 Ezekiel had a vision similar to the one he had during his call to service in Chapter 1. This time the cherubim were in the temple and were preparing to depart with the Lord away from His designated place on Earth. The Lord promised His people that He would dwell with them as long as they obeyed His ways. His Glory was leaving the temple because his longsuffering with His people was at an end. The people were about to lose the presence of their God with them for a very long time. Ezekiel was told by the Lord in Chapter 11 to prophesy against the evil rulers of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was in Babylon, but the Spirit of the Lord brought him to Jerusalem to speak the Lord’s words against His people. Ezekiel told the men of the city that they would be brought out and judged. In the end of the chapter the Lord promised restoration to the people. He said in verse 19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” In Chapter 12 the Lord had Ezekiel act out another illustration before the people. The illustration was to prepare the remainder of the house of Israel for exile. The text shows the illustration was done with Ezekiel using some packed baggage as if he were going on a journey. This was done as a sign to the people of Israel from the Lord. The Lord had Ezekiel prophesy against false prophets in Chapter 13. He said that they had misled the people in verse 10 by saying “Peace!’ when there is no peace.” These false prophets would also be subject to God’s anger for their sin. Then, in Chapter 14, the elders of the city that were worshipping idols were also condemned. The Lord said He would not spare the city. The Lord mentioned in verse 14 “even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God.” In Chapter 15 Jerusalem was compared to a useless vine that has been charred black in a fire. Then, in Chapter 16, God talked about Jerusalem as if the city was a human woman. The Lord spoke of the cities origin from the Amorites, Hittites, and Canaanites, and how He cleaned her up and made her His own. The city was made beautiful and famous under the Lord’s care, but it turned from Him and went after its fame to other gods. The city and its people had turned from the one who had made it and placed itself under judgement. The Lord though, remembered His covenant with His people long ago and promised forgiveness. In Chapter 17 the Lord had Ezekiel speak a parable to the people. The parable was the story of two eagles and a vine. The first eagle was a great bird that went to Lebanon and plucked off the top new twigs from large cedar tree. The eagle dropped the twigs in the middle of a city of merchants, and then planted some of the seeds from the land near the source of abundant water. The seeds grew into a vine which grew branches and became strong. The second eagle came and the vine reached its branches toward the bird. The Lord then asked if the vine could remain strong and not be pulled up by its roots. The parable illustrated Nebuchadnezzar, Egypt, and Zedekiah. Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the first eagle that took the king of Judah, represented by the twig, to Babylon, but left some people and installed Zedekiah as king. Zedekiah was the vine which looked towards the second eagle, Egypt, for help against Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was doomed to failure because the Lord wanted His people exiled in Babylon. The end of the chapter reveals the Lord, in the future will pluck His own king from the house of David and install Him to prosper on His throne. This future king is God’s own Son, Jesus. In Chapter 18 the Lord had Ezekiel set the people straight about a saying that had been spoken by the people. This saying is verse 2b “The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?” The people believed they were being punished for the sins of their fathers. God had Ezekiel tell them the proverb could no longer be used. Each man would die for his own sin, not the sin of anyone else. In the rest of the chapter the Lord reveals how He deals with each individual. He declares in verse 30-32 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.“Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die O house of Israel?“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.” We will end this week with Chapter 19. This chapter is a short lament over the princes of Israel. Ezekiel was addressing the men who were king over Judah during his life as a prophet of God. We will continue next week, in the Book of Ezekiel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 39: 38-EZEKIEL 20 – 42 ======================================================================== Ezekiel 20 – 42 Sep. 12, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Ezekiel in Chapter 20. Last week we began the book and looked at Ezekiel’s call from the Lord and also how he used his own body to act out some of the Lord’s prophesies to the Jewish people during their exile. This week in Chapter 20 some elders from Israel came to Ezekiel to ask a request from the Lord. God refused to let them ask then began to tell the men through Ezekiel the sins that had been committed by the people against Him from the beginning. At the end of the chapter Ezekiel was upset because the elders did not believe he spoke of the actual things that were to come, but that he only spoke in parables. In response to this the Lord gave Ezekiel, in Chapter 21, a parable to speak to the people. He told Ezekiel to tell them that the Lord would soon draw His sword against His people and cut off the righteous from the wicked. The Lord then told Ezekiel that the throne of David would be taken away until His Son comes during the latter years and reestablishes the throne of David in Israel. In Chapter 22 the Lord listed the sins of Israel to Ezekiel and told him their day of judgement was near. The Lord said the people were dross in His pure silver that He would burn off with fire in a furnace. The heat would separate the impurities from the fine metal that remained. He still uses this method today to drive the impurity of sin from us. The Lord said in verse 20-22 “As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you. ‘I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. ‘As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’” In the end of the chapter the Lord said in verse 30 “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” No one could be found on earth so God sent His own Son to stand in that gap. In Chapter 23 the Lord told Ezekiel the story of two women. These women were named Oholah and Oholibah and were sisters. The two women also acted as prostitutes. The Lord also said that both sisters belonged to Him. In reading further we find out that the two women were pictures of God’s people, the Jews. Oholah represented Israel, and her sister Oholibah represented Judah. Oholah continued to be a prostitute even after the Lord claimed her and lusted after the Assyrians. The Lord allowed them to take her and she vanished from view. Oholibah was even worse than her sister. She also continued to be a prostitute and lusted after the leaders of the Assyrians, and also Babylon. The Lord said that because of her sin He would have her lovers rise up against her and place her into bondage and under judgement. This illustration was to show the Lord’s displeasure at what His people had become. The Lord spoke another parable to Ezekiel in Chapter 24. This parable was about a boiling pot. The parable was to mark the day the Babylonians laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. He told Ezekiel that Jerusalem would be like a pot, and its people would be like the flesh boiled in the pot in their judgement. Ezekiel was also told that he would suffer a great loss as a sign to the people. His wife was to die and he could not mourn her as a sign to the people that the desire of their heart would also be taken away. In Chapter 25 the Lord gave Ezekiel judgments against several Gentile nations. The Lord first turned His attention toward Ammon. He said the Ammonites would be taken over by the Babylonians because they tried to entice Israel to side with them. They had caused God’s people trouble in the past and believed falsely that their God perished with them. It was revealed in the Book of Jeremiah that a remnant of the Ammonites would be restored during the millennial reign of Jesus. Next the Lord turns to Moab. He said the Moabites would be removed along with the Ammonites. The remnant of Moab would be absorbed into the Arabian people. The Lord then gave Ezekiel a prophecy against Edom. Edom would also be judged and absorbed into the Arabs. Last in this chapter were the Lord’s words against Philistia. The Philistines had been a thorn in the side of God’s people since they entered the Promised Land so many years before. God said He would execute vengeance on them for what they had done. In Chapter 26 the Lord continued His prophesies against the Gentile nations. Here He turned His attention on the city of Tyre. Tyre was an important commercial center in the region where many people came to sell their merchandise. In the past their king had befriended David and Solomon and supplied the timbers and craftsmen for the work on the temple and palaces of Israel. They turned against the Jews later and sold them into slavery. God said he would put the city into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and they would be defeated. Tyre had a large effect on Israel. The Lord’s words against Tyre cover three chapters in Ezekiel’s book. Because of their sin the city would be reduced to rubble in judgement. Ezekiel was told by the Lord, in Chapter 27, to take up a lamentation for Tyre. In the lament He equates the city of Tyre with a large merchant ship that is packed with cargo and destroyed at sea. The nations that had commerce with Tyre are named in the lament, also the ones who sent mercenaries to defend the city against Babylon. Even with this help the city would fall. In Chapter 28 the Lord turns to the king of Tyre. God said his pride would be his downfall. The man believed he was God and also wiser than Daniel, who had gained a great reputation during his exile. The Lord said that because of this attitude in verse 10 “You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers, for I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!” In verse 11 the Lord shifts from the earthly king of Tyre to something else. This lamentation appears to be addressed to Satan and gives us additional insight on his origin. We learn about Satan’s beginning here in verse 12 “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” Originally he was one of the Cherubim that guarded the throne of God. He was sinless from his creation until he turned against the Lord. His pride caused him to be cast out of heaven and face destruction. This will happen at the final judgement when he will be thrown into the lake of fire. He is now at work in our midst tempting us and accusing us before the Lord until his time of judgement comes. The good news is that we know that through Jesus Christ we have obtained victory over the Devil even though he still stands to accuse us. Near the end of the chapter the Lord spoke against Sidon. The city would no longer be a torment to Israel and would be destroyed by pestilence. At the end the Lord said that His people would be re-gathered into the land in the latter days. This is happening now before our eyes since the Nation of Israel was reestablished in 1948. The Lord continued to speak of judgments to Ezekiel in Chapter 29. In this chapter He spoke against Egypt. He spoke directly to Pharaoh and equated him with a great monster that lived in the Nile River. He said He would remove him from the river with hooks and the small fish of the river would cling to his scales. The monster would be destroyed on dry land. God said in verse 8-9 “Behold, I will bring upon you a sword and I will cut off from you man and beast. “The land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’” God said He would put Egypt into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in the future. He also said in the last verse of the chapter“On that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” This meant that they would then understand the words that Ezekiel had spoken. In Chapter 30 the Lord had Ezekiel also say a lament for Egypt. Ezekiel said the day would come when Egypt and her allies would be judged. They would be defeated by Nebuchadnezzar and made a ruin. The people of Egypt would also be scattered throughout the nations. Ezekiel was told to speak to Pharaoh, in Chapter 31, about the fate of Assyria. Egypt wanted to be in league with them to go against the threat from Babylon. Ezekiel warned Pharaoh that even though Assyria was once great, both of them would be brought down together. In Chapter 32 Ezekiel was told to speak another lament on Pharaoh and Egypt. He said to Pharaoh, out of pride you thought of yourself as a young lion of the nations, but as the Lord had said you were a monster of the seas. He was told that the time had come for him to be judged for his actions. In 587 B.C. the Lord came to Ezekiel and had him say to Egypt in verse 19 “Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and make your bed with the uncircumcised.” Egypt was defeated and reminded that they would join Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and the Sidonians in the grave. Ezekiel was reminded of his duty as a watchman to the house of Israel in Chapter 33. He was told to warn the people of their evil ways and answer them with the words of verse 11 “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?” The Lord said in verse 20 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.” Ezekiel was then told about the fall of Jerusalem by the refugees from the city. He was told in the end of the chapter that the people would soon begin to listen to him. In Chapter 34 the Lord spoke against the shepherds of Israel. These men were supposed to be leaders of the people, but they only looked after themselves. God said that because of this they would cease to be shepherds over His people. He then said that during Israel’s restoration that He would be their shepherd. God’s words here sound very much like His Son’s from the Gospel of John Chapter 10 in the parable of the Good Shepherd. In Chapter 35 the Lord turns His attention to a prophesy against Mt. Seir. This prophesy was against the Edomites who had always been in conflict with Israel. Where the Lord spoke against Mt. Seir in Chapter 35, in Chapter 36 He blessed the mountains of Israel. The Lord had now changed from words of warning, destruction, and judgement to His people to words of restoration. He said He would restore His people for His name’s sake. The Lord told Ezekiel in Chapter 37 about the valley of dry bones. He brought him in the Spirit to the middle of a valley that was full of human bones that were very old and dry. The Lord asked Ezekiel in verse 3 “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered “O Lord God, You know.” He then spoke to the bones as the Lord instructed and they lifted up and slowly reformed themselves back to human form and became a great army when the breath was put back into them and their life was restored. God told Ezekiel that Israel was as dead and dry as these bones, but in the same way they would be brought back to life in the future. The Lord said in verse 12-14 “Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’” He also had Ezekiel use two sticks to represent that Israel and Judah would be brought back together in the restoration. Also the kingdom of David would be restored. Chapter 38 begins the Lord’s prophesy about a future invasion of the restored Israel. This war has not yet occurred in our time. It is believed that this event will take place during the period of time known as the Great Tribulation. The names of some of the invading nations refer to existing enemies of the Nation of Israel today. These armies will go up against Israel in what they believe will be a final conflict. In Chapter 39 the Lord reveals that He will get all the glory from the war. He will stand up for His people and defeat the invading armies with no loss of life to His people Israel. The nation will now be fully restored and prepared for a time of peace and prosperity. We will finish up this week with the beginning three chapters of the section of the Book of Ezekiel that describes a new temple and lands in the future Israel. In Chapter 40 Ezekiel was taken in the Spirit to a future Israel where he saw an angel with a measuring rod in his hand. With this rod the angel described the dimensions of a new magnificent temple. In Chapter 41 the angel described the inner area of the temple, and in Chapter 42 the chambers of the new temple were described. This ends our study this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Ezekiel, look through the Book of Daniel, and begin the last group of Books in the Old Testament, the Minor Prophets. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 40: 39-EZEKIEL 43 – HOSEA 6 ======================================================================== Ezekiel 43 – Hosea 6 Sep. 19, 2009 We will begin our study this week with the final chapters of the Book of Ezekiel before getting into the Book of Daniel. Last week we saw how the Lord’s words to Ezekiel and His message turned from words of warning to words of hopeful restoration after the fall of Jerusalem. This week at the end of Ezekiel we will continue to look at a future temple and land that is to come. In Chapter 43 Ezekiel was taken, in the Spirit, to the new temple in Jerusalem. There he had a vision of God the same as he had during his call to service beside the Chebar River many years ago. In this vision Ezekiel was taken to the holy place inside the new temple and witnessed the Glory of the Lord fill the entire place. This temple was different than all the others in that the veil that separated God from the people was missing. The Lord said that He would remain in this temple and His people would no longer defile it. Ezekiel was then told to describe and measure the inner temple before the people. Chapter 44 describes the closed eastern gate of the temple. This was the gate the Lord used when His Glory filled the Holy Place and could not be used by any other. A prince would sit in that gate who was a descendant of David. This new temple was to help Israel remember their sins and come back to the Lord. The Levites which were descendants of Zadok were given rules to follow and offerings to give at the end of the chapter. The land was divided, in Chapter 45, to show the allotment for the Lord. This land is to be 25,000 X 20,000 cubits, or 7 X 5.5 miles using an 18 inch cubit. This land was then divided into equal portions. The temple was centered in Jerusalem on Mt Moriah where all the earlier temples were located. Land was also set apart for the prince. The Lord will then establish fairness in measure to the people and describe the offerings He required. In Chapter 46 the offerings by the prince were listed, also in the chapter is the area designated where the priests would boil the offerings to the Lord. Chapter 47 describes a river of water that will flow from the temple to the Great Sea. This fresh water river will supply fish for the people to eat along with supporting trees along its bank. The fruit of the trees will be in season all year to provide for the people. The boundaries of the land were given that were the same as the original Promised Land given by the Lord to His people. The land was to be divided up again to the twelve tribes of Israel with each man receiving an allotment. Aliens with the people that believed in the Lord were to be treated the same as the people of Israel during this time. In the final chapter of Ezekiel, Chapter 48, the Lord lists the divisions of land to the tribes along with the land for the Levites, and the prince. Then at the end of the chapter the Lord describes the gates to the city. This ends the Book of Ezekiel. We will now begin the Book of Daniel. Daniel is the last book of the Bible that is known as the Major Prophets. This refers to the length of the book. Daniel was one of the young men taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar during the first deportation to Babylon in 597 BC. He was taken with three other young men from the royal class of Judah to be trained for service in the king’s court in Babylon. Daniel was one of the few Bible characters that have nothing negative written about them. He is a great example to us on how to live the Christian life. Chapter 1 begins with Daniel and the other three young men after they had been brought to Babylon for training. They had been specially selected to be trained in all the ways of the Chaldeans. The training they received reminds me of the training Moses received from the Egyptians as he was growing up. The young men were given a place to live in the palace and a ration of the king’s food to eat. The food was of exceptional quality, but Daniel and his three friends would not eat it and defile themselves before their God. Daniel asked the commander of the officials, who the caused to favor Daniel, to give them only vegetables and water to eat. The man was afraid to grant Daniel’s request because he was responsible for their welfare. Daniel persuaded him to give them a trial for ten days and see how they were. After the ten days Daniel and his friends were stronger and healthier than the rest of the captives. Daniel and the three finished their training in the knowledge of the Chaldeans and served their kings and the kings of Persia after them. In Chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar had a dream in his sleep that greatly troubled him, but he could not remember the details. He commanded his advisors to tell him his dream and its interpretation. The punishment for not doing this was death. None of the men could interpret a dream that was not even revealed to them, the task was impossible. Daniel and his three friends were included in this group of advisors. Daniel found out about the king’s request. He went to Arioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, to give him a little time to interpret the king’s dream and went away to pray to save him and the other men. He prayed and the mystery of the dream was revealed to him in his sleep. He went to Arioch and requested to be brought before Nebuchadnezzar to tell him his dream. Arioch brought him to Nebuchadnezzar and told him the dream, and it’s interpretation. God revealed to Daniel that the king dreamed of a great statute with a head of gold, arms and breast of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, and legs and feet of iron. The feet of the statute were also mixed with brittle clay. A stone cut without hands came from the sky and struck the statute on the feet, shattering them that in turn grew large and filled the whole earth. Daniel then told Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of the dream. The statute represented succeeding kingdoms from now into the future. Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the head of gold. Babylon would be replaced by an inferior kingdom represented by the silver arms and breast. This kingdom would then be replaced by another inferior kingdom represented by the belly and thighs of bronze. Finally this kingdom would be replaced by a strong kingdom represented by the iron legs. This final kingdom will be revived in a weakened state represented by the feet of iron mixed with clay and destroyed when the Messiah comes to set up His kingdom on earth. We know today that Daniel referred to the succeeding kingdoms of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the future revived Roman Empire that will be defeated when Jesus comes again. Nebuchadnezzar was pleased and worshipped Daniel and his God. The king gave many gifts and promoted Daniel to be ruler over the province of Babylon and over the king’s wise men. Daniel also promoted his three friends to help him. In Chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar made for himself a large golden image and set it up in a plain outside the city. The people of Babylon were told that whenever they heard music of any kind they were to bow down and worship the image. The wise men were jealous of the Jews and brought to Nebuchadnezzar’s attention they did not worship the image as directed. Daniel’s three friends could not dishonor God and go against His commandments and worship an image. This angered Nebuchadnezzar and the king had the three bound and brought to him. They refused to worship and told the king in verse16-18 “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” The penalty for refusing was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. The king was angry so he had the furnace heated seven times greater than usual and commanded the three be thrown in. The executioners were killed by the heat of the furnace when they opened it, but when the king looked inside the three men were walking around unharmed by the flames. He also saw a fourth man with them that looked like a “son of the gods.” It is believed that an Old Testament appearance by Jesus saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire. After the men came out of the furnace without even having their clothing singed, Nebuchadnezzar gave a decree that no one could ever speak an offense against the God of the Jews. Daniel and his three friends are beginning to affect Nebuchadnezzar and, in Chapter 4, he acknowledges God with these words from verse 1-3 “May your peace abound! “It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. “How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.” Nebuchadnezzar then had another dream his wise men could not interpret. The men brought Daniel before the king to interpret his dream. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a large tree that covered the land. The tree had abundant fruit and protected all who were near it. The tree gave the ground creatures shade and a place for the birds to nest in its branches. An angel commanded the tree to be chopped down and the creatures around it scattered. The stump with the roots would be left with a band of metal placed around the cut off stump. The angel then addressed the stump as a man and said that his mind would leave him and he would be drenched with the dew of heaven for a period of seven times. This was to show him that the Lord was ruler over all. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar the dream was about him. His kingdom was the tree and would be removed from him soon. He would lose his mind and go into the field and eat grass like a beast for seven years to show him who God is. One year later this happened and Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom and his mind and was in the field for seven years. At the end of the time Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God as Most High and his kingdom was restored. He said in verse 37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” Nebuchadnezzar, I believe, died a believer in the Lord. In Chapter 5 a son of Nebuchadnezzar is on the throne of Babylon. He had not learned from the past to fear the Lord. Belshazzar held a feast in his palace while the armies of the Medes were besieging the city. In his drunken state he decided to dishonor the Lord by drinking from the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. At the height of the party, a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the wall of the chamber. Belshazzar was very afraid but could not understand the writing. Belshazzar made a decree that whoever could interpret the writing would be made third ruler over the kingdom. His queen remembered Daniel could interpret dreams and had him brought to the chamber. Daniel looked at the writing and told Belshazzar that he was not like Nebuchadnezzar and had not learned to fear the Lord. The inscription MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and UPHARSIN meant that in verse 27-28 “‘MENE’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.“‘TEKEL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. “‘PERES’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” Belshazzar placed the robe on Daniel and promoted him to ruler. That night the army of the Medes came in through the open water supply and killed Belshazzar and took control of the kingdom. Darius the Mede was placed in control in Babylon. The Medes were now in control of the old Babylonian kingdom and, in Chapter 6, Darius needed to place new leaders over the people. He chose one hundred twenty men to rule and decided to place Daniel along with two others over them. Daniel excelled and was blessed in all that he did. He impressed Darius so much he planned to place him alone over the entire kingdom. The other rulers were jealous and tried to find some corruption to accuse Daniel with. They could find nothing so they went to Darius with an idea that he should execute anyone who worshipped any other god but him for one month. They knew Daniel prayed to his God daily in public view. Daniel prayed as usual and was taken to the king for sentencing. The penalty for breaking the edict was to be placed into the lion’s den. Darius had no choice but to comply with his irrevocable ruling and had Daniel thrown into the den. He went to his chambers, but could not sleep from worry for his friend. The next morning when the door to the den was opened Daniel came out unharmed. He said the Lord shut the mouths of the lions because he had committed no crime. Darius was very pleased and ordered Daniel’s accusers, and their families to be thrown in the den. Their bones were crushed before they reached the bottom. Now, in Chapter 7, the account of Daniel shifts from the chronological account of Chapters 1-6 to Daniels own visions during these times. In this chapter Daniel describes a vision he was given during the first year of Belshazzar’s reign over Babylon. The vision was of four beasts that came up from the sea. The first was like a lion, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard, and the fourth like nothing he had ever seen. These four beasts represented God’s view of the kingdoms represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. The vision went on to describe future events associated with these kingdoms that have proved too be very accurate today. The prophesies of Daniel give us a sweeping panorama of world history. This vision also predicted the length of the time known as the great tribulation. Daniel then had another vision of a ram and a goat. This vision foretold of future rulers and events in a future kingdom. Here in Chapter 8 Daniel was visited by the angel Gabriel to tell him the meaning of his vision. Gabriel said the vision was of the last days and spoke of future events. The knowledge sickened Daniel and he was in his bed for many days. In Chapter 9 during the first year of Darius Daniel prayed for his people, Israel, to the Lord. Daniel had read from Jeremiah that Israel would be in bondage for seventy years and wanted to intercede for them. He was concerned and asked the Lord for mercy. At the end of the chapter he was visited again by the angel Gabriel to answer Daniel’s request. Daniel was told that seventy weeks had been set aside to punish Israel. After seven prophetic weeks the temple would be rebuilt, then after the sixty ninth week the Messiah who is to come will be cut off and rejected. There would then be a pause until a man would make a treaty with Israel beginning the seventieth week. The treaty will be broken in the middle of that week and war will be fought until the end. The prophetic weeks here represent weeks of years. Several years later, in Chapter 10, Daniel was again terrified by a vision of the future. He prayed for three weeks for an answer and was finally visited by Gabriel on the twenty fourth day. God heard his request from the first time he prayed but Gabriel had been delayed in conflict with demonic forces along with Michael the Archangel. There is a spiritual war going on today all around us that we are unaware of. Gabriel said these visions also pertained to future things. Gabriel told Daniel about the visions and returned to help Michael in the battle. Chapter 11 goes back several years to another vision of Daniel on future things. The vision showed events that would take place in future kingdoms on earth. The vision covered the decline of the Medes and Persians and their loss to Alexander the Great from the kingdom of Greece. Alexander would die young and the vision describes the events of his generals as they came to power. The vision has proved to be very accurate in describing history. In the final chapter of Daniel, Chapter 12, Daniel is told the Lord will separate the believers from the wicked in the end for reward or judgement. There is going to be a time of great trouble in the future. Daniel was also given timelines that describe the last days. He though, being at the end of his life was told to enter into God’s rest and wait for the final resurrection where he would receive his portion for his faithful service. This ends the Book of Daniel. I would encourage all to study this book because it tells of things that are occurring today. This study only touches some of the story of the book. We will now begin the first book of the Minor Prophets, the Book of Hosea. The Book of Hosea was written by Hosea to the people of the ten northern tribes of Israel from the reign of Jeroboam II to the captivity by Assyria. Hosea is a Minor Prophet only because his book is shorter than the Major Prophets books. The book was written to show the unfaithfulness of Israel towards God. In Chapter 1 Hosea is told by the Lord to marry a prostitute and have children as a sign to Israel. Hosea married Gomer and had three children. The first was named Jezreel to show the people they would be punished a while longer for their sin. The second, a girl, was named Lo-ruhamah as a sign to the people the Lord would no longer have compassion on them. A third child was born who was named Lo-ammi as a sign to the people in verse 9 “you are not My people and I am not your God.” In this chapter the Lord is represented as Hosea, and Israel as His adulteress wife. In Chapter 2 the Lord condemns His faithless wife and divorces her because of her evil ways. She is condemned for her actions until the end of the chapter where she is told of restoration. This represents the exile of God’s people and there restoration in the future. In Chapter 3, Hosea was told to go again and pursue Gomer even though she was an adulteress. He was to spend time with her without having relations and also to remove the idols from around her. She, representing Israel, would again turn to God and David, representing Jesus, in the Millennium during the final days. This was a picture of God’s love for His people. In Chapter 4 the text reveals the controversy God had with His disobedient people. He said to them in verse 6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” The Lord has that problem today when his people refuse to read His Word. In Chapter 5 the apostasy of the people is rebuked by the Lord. God told the people in verse 4-5 “Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know the Lord. Moreover, the pride of Israel testifies against him, and Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also has stumbled with them.” We will finish up this week with Chapter 6 where the people respond to the Lord with the words of verse 1-3 “Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Hosea and look at several other of the Minor Prophets. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 41: 40-HOSEA 7 – HABAKKUK 3 ======================================================================== Hosea 7 – Habakkuk 3 Sept. 26, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of Hosea in Chapter 7. Last week we discussed the Book of Daniel and also began the Book of Hosea. This week we will continue in Hosea and also look through several other Minor Prophet books. In Chapter 7 of Hosea, the Lord spoke about the sins of the Northern Tribes. These Northern Tribes, known as Israel in those days were here referred to by the name of their largest tribe, Ephraim. In verse 8 God referred to them as a cake that was baked without turning, that is, burned on one side and raw on the other. Instead of looking to the Lord for help they turned to Assyria, and Egypt. In Chapter 8 the Lord said to Israel that their enemies would defeat them. The words of verse 1 “Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the Lord.” literally translate as the enemies were like a vulture coming down on a dead thing. Their calf god would be destroyed and in verse 7 “For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.” Ephraim’s punishment would come in Chapter 9. The Lord said in verse 15-17 “All their evil is at Gilgal; indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, they will bear no fruit. Even though they bear children, I will slay the precious ones of their womb. My God will cast them away because they have not listened to Him; and they will be wanderers among the nations.” In Chapter 10 the Lord said the people of Israel will face retribution for their sin. They would be chastised and bound with their guilt. The Lord did though, give them advice in verse 12 “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” The Lord had compassion on His lost people in Chapter 11, and desired they had never turned from Him. He said in verse 9 “I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” The Lord reminded Himself that He is God, and does not hold grudges like man. The people of Israel were reminded of their past in Chapter 12. They had continued in the ways of Jacob, except to return to the Lord. Then, in Chapter 13 they are told of their idolatry. The Book of Hosea finishes with Chapter 14 which spoke of a future blessing on Israel from the Lord. We will now move on to the Book of Joel. It is believed the Book of Joel was written during the late ninth century BC, while Joash was on the throne of Judah. The prophet Joel’s theme for his book is the “day of the Lord”. In the first chapter Joel describes the current day of the Lord that was occurring in Palestine during his life. At the end of the book he turns to the future second coming of Christ in the last days. In Chapter 1 Joel spoke of a plague of locusts that devastated the land and stripped it of all vegetation. Joel equates the swarms of locusts to a great army with teeth like lions. The devastation would cause a severe famine in the land. The Lord in judgement would also bring a drought. The people were told to cry out in verse 15 “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.” Joel again warns that the day of the Lord is near in Chapter 2. The locusts are described as a consuming fire and an unstoppable army marching across the land. Even as the people faced destruction, the Lord encouraged them with these words in verse 11-13 “The Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His camp is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it? “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and relenting of evil.” When the people repent the Lord will have pity on them and restore His people. He gave His people a promise in verse 25 “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you.” The end of Chapter 2 also holds a prophecy that concerns us, the Lord’s church. This is verse 28-32 “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.” These words were also spoken by Peter in the Book of Acts on the day of Pentecost during the birth of the church. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit to the church was just a preview of what is to come during the second coming of Jesus and His reign on earth. In Chapter 3 the Lord declares that during the coming day of the Lord the nations of the earth will be judged, not His people Israel like before. The nations will be gathered up in the valley of Jehoshaphat and judged. The Lord will prepare the earth for His kingdom during this time. In the end Judah will be blessed. This ends the Book of Joel. We will now move on to the Book of Amos. The next book of the Minor Prophets, Amos was written during the days of Uzziah in Judah, and Jeroboam II in Israel. Amos was a sheepherder from Judah who was called to prophesy to the Northern Tribes of Israel. He prophesied during the same time as Isaiah, Jonah, and Hosea. Amos spoke the words of the Lord to Israel against the wicked and corrupt leaders of the land. In Chapters 1 and 2 Amos gives a series of eight messages to the nations and people of the land. God is spoken of as a lion roaring out judgement on the people from Jerusalem. Amos began each message with the words “For three transgressions of …… and for four” This phrase meant that the people’s iniquity was so great that they had passed the point of escaping judgement. The people of Israel listened to Amos as he spoke against the nations, but rejected him when he turned to Israel and Judah. In Chapter 3 Amos takes on the women of Samaria. They had grown lazy and spoiled and had neglected their proper duties. Amos called them “cows of Bashan.” Instead of managing their homes for their husbands they had turned around God’s order and demanded service from them. The Lord said in Chapter 5:6 “Seek the Lord that you may live” He repeats these words throughout the chapter. The people had so corrupted themselves the Lord said in verse 21-25 “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.“Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? “You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. “Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.” In Chapter 6 the Lord spoke to the lazy people in the land. They acted like everything would be good for them and remain the same. They had no fear of the Lord or His judgement. Amos was given a vision in Chapter 7 of a plumb line that the Lord would use to judge Israel on how true they were to His words. Today we can also tell how close we are to the Lord by our obedience to His Word, the Bible. Jeroboam II told Amos to go home and prophesy to his brothers in Judah and leave Israel alone. By Chapter 9 things had become so corrupt in Israel that in verse 6 “So as to buy the helpless for money and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?” The Lord said in the end of the chapter that a famine was coming to judge the people. In Chapter 9 the people are told that the judgement of God cannot be avoided. No one will escape the judgement, but as with many of the prophetic books, there is a promise of restoration in the end. This ends the Book of Amos. We will now open the Book of Obadiah. The Book of Obadiah is a short prophetic book directed to the people of Edom. The book is hard to date, but it is believed to have been written during the days of Elijah and Elisha. The Edomites were descended from Jacob’s brother Esau and had been against Israel from their beginnings. In the only chapter of the Book of Obadiah the prophet told the Edomites they would be made small for their arrogance and pride. They were told they came from a man who allowed his inheritance to be taken without a care. They were told not to gloat over Jacob’s son’s distress because they would prevail over the Edomites in the day of the Lord. We will now move on to the well-known Book of Jonah. The Book of Jonah was written about the prophet’s reluctance to prophesy to the city and people of Nineveh. It was written during the days of Isaiah when the Lord was preparing Assyria to take the disobedient Northern Tribes of Israel into captivity. The Lord wanted to strengthen them and bring them to repentance before He could use them to judge His people. The book begins with Jonah’s passage on a boat in the opposite direction from Nineveh where the Lord called him to go. To get Jonah’s attention the Lord caused a great storm to form on the sea that threatened to sink the craft. The passengers and crew were frightened and prayed that they could find out who caused this trouble to come upon them. They decided to draw lots to see who was guilty of angering the Lord. The lot fell on Jonah and the men tried to row to the shore. The storm was too fierce so Jonah told them to cast him into the sea to save themselves. The men cast Jonah over the side where the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow him from the sea. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Jesus used this account to describe His time in the grave between His crucifixion and resurrection in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. In Chapter 2 from the belly of the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord and repented. Some believe Jonah was actually dead inside the fish and brought back to life when the fish was commanded to spit him out on dry land. In Chapter 3 the Lord again told Jonah to go to Nineveh and prophesy to the city and its people. This time Jonah did as he was told and traveled through the city and spoke God’s words. Jonah told them their city would be overthrown in forty days. The king listened to the prophecy and put on sackcloth with the people and repented before the Lord. In Chapter 4 the response of the people of Nineveh to the Lord’s words angered Jonah. He did not want the people of Nineveh to obey the Lord and be blessed over his Jewish brothers. He pleaded to the Lord for death. Jonah left the city and made a shelter in the east to see what would happen. The Lord appointed a plant to grow over his head to provide shade. During the night the Lord appointed a worm to kill the plant. In the morning when the sun came up the Lord appointed a scorching east wind to torment Jonah along with the hot sun. Jonah again asked the Lord for death. He was angry about the plant. The Lord used these things to teach Jonah. He said that Jonah had compassion on the plant that he did not work for, so why should He, the Lord not have compassion on the one hundred twenty thousand people of Nineveh who did not know any better and also their many animals? We will now move on to the Book of Micah. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and prophesied to the people of Judah after the fall of the Northern Tribes of Israel to Assyria. This was during the reign of Ahaz and Hezekiah over Judah. Micah’s prophecy was against the increasing corruption in Judah. In Chapters 1 and 2 Micah spoke about the destruction that was to come upon Judah soon and how the Lord said woe to those in Judah who oppressed His people. The Lord said in Chapter 2:7 “Is it being said, O house of Jacob: ‘Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these His doings?’ Do not My words do good to the one walking uprightly?” The wicked and corrupt rulers were denounced by the Lord in Chapter 3. Because of their evil ways the Lord pronounced in verse 12 “Therefore, on account of you Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.” In Chapter 4 Micah spoke about the peace that will exist during the last days. Here he is referring to the Millennium when Jesus will rule over the earth. During that time of peace the Lord will be our teacher and the weak, outcast, and lame will prosper. Chapter 5 contains the Old Testament prophecy on the location of the Messiah’s birth. In verse 2 the location is revealed “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” No one could be found in the land to shepherd the people so God decided to come Himself to lead in the future. In Chapter 6 the Lord gave the people His evidence for why they deserve judgement. Along with the evidence the Lord told the people what He required of them. Then in Chapter 7 Micah acknowledges what the Lord had said. He understood the justification for punishment, but as for himself he said in verse 7-9 “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness.” This ends the Book of Micah. We will now go on to the Book of Nahum. The Book of Nahum was most likely written during the reign of Manasseh in Judah towards the city of Nineveh. At this time Assyria was at the height of their power after falling again into idolatry after the time of Jonah. Nineveh would soon fall from power to Babylon. In Chapter 1 Nahum spoke about the Lord and His power and character. This set up the justification on why He would have Nineveh overthrown. Chapter 2 spoke of the overthrow of Nineveh and the Assyrians that were removed from power because the Lord was against them. The Assyrians were used by God to scatter disobedient Israel, but they did not continue in repentance after their turn around by the words of Jonah. Chapter 3 told of the complete ruin of the city by their enemies. Because of the wickedness of the city and its people the Lord promised to make of them an example to the other nations. This ends the Book of Nahum. We will finish up this week with the Book of Habakkuk. The book is believed to have been written in the final days of Assyria during and after the reign of Josiah in Judah. In Chapter 1 Habakkuk is told by the Lord that He is going to raise up the Chaldeans to punish Judah. Habakkuk questions the Lord on why He chose a people so fierce to punish Judah He said in verse 12 “Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge; and You, O Rock, have established them to correct.” The Lord answers Habakkuk in Chapter 2. He said in verse 2-3 “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.” He also said in verse 14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The people chose to put their trust and worship on idols instead of their God. The final chapter of Habakkuk, Chapter 3 is a prayer that speaks of the Lords deliverance of His people. The beginning of the prayer addresses the Lord’s power and might against His enemies. It also says in verse 13 what the Lord will do “You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil to lay him open from thigh to neck.” Habakkuk gives his response in verse 18-19 “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” This ends the Book of Habakkuk, and also our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Old Testament, then Begin the New Testament with the first chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 42: 41-ZEPHANIAH 1 – MATTHEW 9 ======================================================================== Zephaniah 1 – Matthew 9 Oct. 3, 2009 We will begin our Study this week in the Book of Zephaniah. Last week we quickly covered many of the books of the Minor Prophets and what they spoke to the people. This week we will finish up the minor prophetic books and also the Old Testament before finishing up in the Gospel of Matthew. Zephaniah was the only prophet of royal decent. One of his ancestors was King Hezekiah. Zephaniah prophesied during the early reign of Josiah in Judah before Hilkiah found the Book of the Law and Josiah began his reforms. During this time Assyria was loosing control of world power to Babylon and the yoke on the people of Judah had eased for a time. In Chapter 1 Zephaniah began by looking toward the last days and the final day of the Lord. This time will be a time of judgement on the earth. All those who are not living for the Lord will then be removed. The end of the chapter describes that day as a day of wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, and gloom. Chapter 2 covers the Lord’s judgments on the enemies of Judah. In verse 4-5 Zephaniah spoke the Lord’s words against Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, the Cherethites, and the Philistines. In the last days God’s people will be restored and occupy these fallen peoples lands. In verse 8-9 the attention is turned toward Moab, then in the end of the chapter, Ethiopia and Assyria are prophesied destruction. In the final chapter Zephaniah spoke woe on Jerusalem and the nations of the world. Jerusalem is spoken against because of her disobedience and rejection of the Lord. The nations are also spoken of with pity because of their rebellion. In verse 9 the Lord said “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.” This will reverse what Isaiah said during his call to service in the Book of Isaiah 6:5 “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then at the end of the chapter Zephaniah spoke about the restored remnant of Israel. This ends the Book of Zephaniah. We will now move on to the Book of Haggai. Haggai was written during the time of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the exile around 520 BC. The Prophet Haggai, along with Zechariah was called by the Lord to encourage the returning exiles in the rebuilding of the temple and their spiritual condition. As the book begins, in Chapter 1, Haggai is instructed by the Lord to go to Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest and tell them it is now time to rebuild the temple. The people had returned to Jerusalem sixteen years earlier. Haggai was also told to encourage the people with these words from verse 13 “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” In Chapter 2 the builders were encouraged in their task. The Lord said that soon His Glory would return to them. In the end of the book, Haggai spoke of the future Millennial Kingdom and Israel’s return to prominence. This ends the Book of Haggai. We will now continue with the Book of Zechariah. Zechariah like Haggai was also written during the time of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The prophesies of Zechariah are full of references to the coming Messiah similar to the prophesies in the earlier Book of Isaiah. Chapter 1 opens with a call to repentance to the returned exiles from Babylon. They were instructed to not make the same mistakes as their fathers. Their sin and disobedience for years had caused the ruin of Jerusalem and the deportation the people had been released from. The book then shifts to a vision of a man on a red horse that patrolled the earth. This man appears to be a pre-incarnate vision of Jesus reporting to His Father that the state of things on the earth was peaceful and quiet. He then went on and laid out the plans for the temple with a measuring line. The end of the chapter spoke of four horns and four craftsmen which corresponded to the four kingdoms that were in the dreams and visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel. In Chapter 2 the vision is of angels talking and measuring out the city. The Lord said He would come and protect the city. He then told the people to flee from the land of the north, and return to Jerusalem. The Lord said in verse 8 “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.” This should be a warning to all who seek to harm Israel today. Touching Israel is like poking God in His eye! In Chapter 3 the vision is of the Lord’s rebuke of Satan and of Him changing the filthy garments of Joshua the High Priest to clean ones. This was a picture of the future salvation of Israel. The Messiah is then introduced as the Branch and the Stone with seven eyes. The number seven in the Bible represents perfection. Chapter 4 is a vision of two olive trees and a seven branched lampstand. The people were told in verse 6 the temple would be completed “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” The two olive trees represented Zerubbabel the king and Joshua the high priest that foreshadowed the Messiah in His dual role as priest and king. Chapter 5’s vision was of a flying scroll which represented the curse that was over the face of the land. The scroll was to purge the land from all wickedness and unbelief. The vision then turned to an ephah that represented the wickedness. An ephah was a unit of dry measure. Chapter 6 was a vision of four chariots that went to patrol the earth. The visions of Zechariah help to show that the Lord is always watching what is going on in His creation. Then the vision turned to symbolic crowns for the High Priest and the Branch. Zechariah then told the people the Lord’s words in Chapter 7. In verse 9-12 He said “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.“They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.” In Chapter 8 Zechariah spoke of the peace and prosperity that will come to Zion during the Millennial Kingdom. Then in Chapter 9 he spoke a prophecy to the nations that were near Palestine. It is here in Chapter 9:9 where the prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is described “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” At the end of the chapter Israel’s future deliverance is predicted. Chapter 10 covers the future blessings on Israel during the millennial reign of Jesus. The Lord said in verse 12 “And I will strengthen them in the Lord, and in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.” The last chapter spoke of the blessings of prosperity and peace that is to come to Israel after the second coming of Christ. Here in Chapter 11 Zechariah wrote of the rejection of the Jewish people of their Messiah during the first coming of Jesus. The people are referred to as the doomed flock that the Good Shepherd abandons to fend for themselves. In Chapter 12 Zechariah said that Jerusalem would be a central point on the earth in the last days and be attacked. At this time it was recorded in verse 10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” Then in Chapter 13 false prophets will be found out and the people will be refined. In the final chapter it is recorded that the Lord will fight off Jerusalem’s enemies in the end. When Jesus returns and places His foot on the Mt. of Olives it will split into a great east west valley and living water will spill from the gap. At this time the stars will go out and the Lord will be our Light and our King. The enemies of the Lord will be destroyed and it will usher in a time of peace and goodwill. This ends the Book of Zechariah. We will now look at the Book of Malachi. Malachi is the last book of the Minor Prophets and also the final book in the Old Testament. Malachi was most likely written around 430 BC after the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem and the sacrificial offerings had been resumed. The people had again become corrupt and were given their final warning before the Messiah would come. In Chapter 1 Malachi begins by reminding the Jewish people that the Lord chose Israel through Jacob, and hated Esau for his rejection. He then said the Lord could not accept their worthless blemished offerings. The priests had again become corrupt. In Chapter 2 the Lord said the priests would be disciplined for their actions. They were under condemnation because it was their duty to instruct the people and be an example. They had refused to do this so the Lord said there was sin in the family and in verse 15-16 He said “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” In Chapter 3 the Lord said he will send a messenger to clear the way for a purifier. It was recorded in verse 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.” The people were told to return to the Lord. The chapter shifts in verse 8 to say the people have robbed God in their tithes and offerings. They would not even do their duty to provide for the priests and the poor. The Lord said in verse 16 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.” A prophecy was then made of John the Baptist who came before Jesus in Chapter 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” This ends the Book of Malachi and also the Old Testament. We will now begin the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew. After the prophesies in the Book of Malachi a period of over four hundred years passed with no inspired writings from the Lord. The Bible had covered all of history from the beginning of creation until the time of Malachi. After this was a quiet time from the Lord, but an eventful time in Israel. It was during this time world conditions were being prepared for the coming of Jesus and the spread of Christianity throughout the world. We will begin the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew. The word gospel means good news, and that’s what the coming of Jesus Christ has meant for us and the world. Matthew was written to show Jesus as King by the tax collector turned apostle, Levi. Chapter 1 begins with a genealogy of Jesus through His adoptive father Joseph. This was to prove that Jesus had rightful claim to the throne of Israel because Joseph was a descendent of King David. At the end of the chapter Joseph was visited by an angel who explained the pregnancy of his future wife before he gave her a divorce. The angel explained that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Matthew 1:23 reads “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Chapter 2 begins after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and describes a visit by the Magi from the east. These Magi were descended from the wise men of Babylon that were led by Daniel long ago. They were astronomers and followed a new star that prophecy said would lead to the rightful king of the Jews. Herod, who the Romans had installed as king was jealous of a rival and called the Magi to tell him the date the star appeared. The Magi visited Mary and the Child and gave them expensive gifts. They were told in a vision to return to their homes a different way in defiance to Herod. Joseph was told in a dream to take Mary and the Boy to Egypt for a time. Herod then had all the male children under 2 years old near Bethlehem killed to remove his threat. After Herod’s death Joseph was visited again and told to return to Israel. They settled in the town of Nazareth. Chapter 3 is the account of John the Baptist who was predicted by Isaiah and Malachi in the Old Testament. He was to come before the Messiah to clear the way and prepare the people. John lived in the desert and walked about baptizing converts and preaching a message of repentance. He also spoke of Jesus who was to come after him. At the end of the chapter John baptized Jesus as part of our Lord’s preparation for His earthly ministry. Jesus was led by the Spirit, in Chapter 4, into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He used the Word of God to rebuke the Devil and also to ensure that it was a true statement that He was tempted in all the ways of men. Jesus began His public ministry in the town of Capernaum in the District of Galilee. Verse 17 says “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He then called His first disciples. While walking near the Sea of Galilee He told Simon, known as Peter and Andrew who were fishermen in verse 19 “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” After this he also called James and John. He then went through the land proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing the sick. Chapter 5 covers the first recorded sermon of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount. Here He spoke the beatitudes that told who would be blessed. He then spoke to His disciples the illustrations of salt and light. Jesus said in verse 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” The Lord then gave His disciples greater insight on murder, adultery, divorce, and punishment. The new covenant was based on love, not on law. Chapter 6 continues the sermon and spoke about giving to the poor and the proper attitude for prayer. True godly prayer is personal and not for show or advancement. Jesus also gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a model for their own personal prayers. Jesus then covers the act of fasting and the proper way to fast. He tells us our treasure is in heaven, and that we can only serve one master. At the end of the chapter Jesus gives us the cure for anxiety in verse 33-34 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Chapter 7 concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a warning against judging others. We are told to correct our own faults before we even think of pointing out another’s. He next told us the golden rule and described to us the narrow gate to heaven, and the easy wide gate to destruction and torment. We are also told that we should be able to discern our brothers and sisters by their fruit or obedience to the Lord. The end of the sermon describes in illustration the two foundations life can be built on. The wise man built his house on the rock, where the foolish man built his on the shifting sands. In Chapter 8 Jesus came down from the hill and healed a man who was a leper. He told him to tell no one but go to the priest for cleansing as was required by the law. He then healed a Roman soldier’s servant from a distance because of the soldier’s faith in Him. Jesus then healed Peter’s mother-in-law to fulfill Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried” Jesus then had His disciples take him across the Sea of Galilee in a boat to escape the crowds. Jesus was sleeping when a storm came up and tossed the boat on the waves. The men awoke Jesus in fear for their lives and Jesus rebuked their faith and the winds and calmed the sea to the amazement of the men. On the other side of the sea in the country of the Gadarenes they ran into two demon possessed men in from the tombs. The demons were afraid of Jesus and asked to enter a herd of swine that were nearby. Jesus allowed it and the swine ran and were killed in the sea. The people gathered and asked Jesus and His disciples to leave their region. They were angry for their loss of the swine. The sad thing is that Jesus never did return there to heal them or help them. In Chapter 9 Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed. Some scribes heard and saw Jesus and accused Him of blasphemy. After this Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector and called him to service as another disciple. He then ate dinner with the tax collectors and sinners to the disgust of the Pharisees. At the end of the chapter Jesus performed more acts of healing out of His compassion for the people who were hurting and sick. In verse 37-38 He told His disciples something that is sadly still true today “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Jesus has told all of us to do the work of evangelism throughout our lives here on earth. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Gospel of Matthew. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 43: 42-MATTHEW 10 – 24 ======================================================================== Matthew 10 – 24 Oct. 10, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Gospel of Matthew. Last week we finished up the Old Testament and began The New Testament with the first nine chapters of Matthew. This week we will continue with Matthew’s account of the Life of Jesus Christ. In Chapter 10 Jesus had completed His group of twelve disciples and had given them the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. Jesus then gave the men instructions to go out only to the lost sheep of Israel and preach to them the gospel of the kingdom. At this time they were not to enter Samaria or to go to the Gentiles. They were told to take little supplies and live off the hospitality of the people they met. Jesus told them their task was not easy. He said in verse 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” The men were told they would be persecuted, but they should not fear because God went with them. He even had each hair on their heads numbered. The Lord told them that following Him could break up families. Jesus must become first in their lives. He said in verse 38-39 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” Jesus also said at the end of the chapter that there will be a reward for those that serve Him. In the beginning of Chapter 11 John the Baptist had been imprisoned and had asked the disciples if Jesus was really the Christ. Jesus sent him a reply that told him that He was who He said He was. He then spoke to the crowds of people about John and what he had come to do for Him. Jesus then went on to denounce the cities where He had performed miracles but the people did not repent. Jesus then spoke a prayer to His Father and told all people in verse 28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” In Chapter 12 Jesus continues His war of words with the Pharisees when they complained He broke the law of the Sabbath. It was not lawful for Him and His disciples to pick and eat grain from the field during the Sabbath day. Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the time David and his men broke into the House of God and ate the showbread when they were hungry. He told them in verse 7-8 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus then challenged the Pharisees on if was lawful to heal on the Sabbath? He went on and healed and the Pharisees conspired together to destroy Him. When Jesus healed a demon possessed man and the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons in the name of the Devil. He told the Pharisees that the Devil would not cast out one of his own. He said in verse 30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” He told them also in verse 36-37 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” The Scribes and Pharisees wanted to see signs from Jesus or they would not believe. Jesus told them the only sign they would see is the sign of Jonah. He said as Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish so would He be in the earth. This spoke of His coming Death and resurrection. When Jesus was told at the end of the chapter that His mother and brothers were looking for Him He turned to His disciples and said all those who follow Me are My family. Jesus then went out in Chapter 13 by the sea and spoke to the crowds in parables. He did this because of the rejection of Him by the scribes and Pharisees. Only those that believed would be able to understand the spiritual implications of His stories. He did explain His words to His disciples. The Pharisees were predicted to reject the Messiah by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus told His followers that they would be blessed and understand what they heard. Jesus then explained the first parable and told the people another parable. This parable was about tares in the crop of wheat. Believers and unbelievers would be allowed to live together until the harvest when their difference became obvious. Jesus then spoke other parables about the mustard seed and leaven. He also told the people in parables how valuable faith in the Lord will be in the end. At the end of the chapter Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth and was rejected by the people there. Chapter 14 spoke of a sad day for Jesus when He was told of the execution of John the Baptist. He was killed by King Herod at the request of his stepdaughter for her mother’s anger over John’s words against her adulteress marriage to the king. Jesus then withdrew to Himself, most likely to pray, then returned and healed all those that followed Him out of compassion. It was late when His disciples came to Him and said the people needed to be sent away so they could eat. Jesus said they did not have to go and told the disciples to feed the crowd. They had nothing to give and could only find five loaves of bread and two fishes. They brought them to Jesus and He gave thanks and broke the bread. He divided the bread and fish and had His men distribute the food. Five thousand men, not including the women and children were fed from the small amount of food. With God nothing is impossible! Jesus then told His disciples to take a boat to the other side of the sea while He sent the crowds away. Jesus went alone to the mountain to pray and saw the boat in the middle of the sea being tossed by the waves. He walked across the sea to His men in the boat. When they saw Jesus they were afraid and believed they saw a ghost. Jesus told them not to fear and Peter asked if he could come to Him. Peter also walked on the sea as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. He turned away and began to sink and cried out “Lord save me”. Jesus took his hand and they both stepped into the boat. As soon as they were in the boat the sea calmed to the amazement of the men. They declared in verse 33 “You are certainly God’s Son!” In Chapter 15 the Pharisees complained to Jesus that His disciples were breaking with the tradition of the elders. They were looking for the smallest transgression to accuse Jesus and His followers. Jesus rebuked them and called them blind guides. He said it is not what enters a man’s mouth that defiles him, but what comes out of his mouth. He explained to His disciples that whatever comes from a man’s mouth comes from his heart. After this a Gentile woman came to Jesus for healing for her demon possessed daughter. Jesus told the woman He had come for Israel but she was persistent. By her words Jesus knew she possessed faith in Him. For this reason He healed the woman’s daughter. Jesus went on to heal all in the crowds around Him and also feed four thousand again with only a small amount of food. In Chapter 16 the Pharisees again asked Jesus for a sign and again He gave them the example of Jonah then left them. His disciples came to Him across the sea and were concerned because they had brought no bread. Jesus replied to them in verse 6 “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They were confused and Jesus reminded them how He fed the four thousand with nearly nothing. The spiritual lesson for them was to not become like the Pharisees and Sadducees by listening to their teaching. Jesus then asked His disciples who they thought He is? They replied Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Peter finally stood up and said in verse 16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then blessed him and said it was His father that had revealed this truth to him. He said that in verse 18 “upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” After this Peter turned around and spoke against the Lord’s death and was rebuked by Jesus in verse 23 “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” At the end of the chapter He told His disciples to count the cost of their decision to follow Him. Acceptance of Christ is not always an easy road to follow. After six days in Chapter 17 Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the summit of a mountain and changed to show them His true Glory. Moses and Elijah also came and spoke with Him. Peter offered to make three booths for them but the Father spoke from heaven and told the men to listen to His Son. They were afraid but only Jesus was there. On the journey down the mountain they were told to tell no one of this vision until after His death. When they reached the bottom they came to a demon possessed man the disciples were unable to cure. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and healed the man. He told the disciples that He would be given up to the authorities and killed, then raised on the third day. The men became very worried over this revelation. The Pharisees tried to catch Jesus and His followers for not paying a specific tax. Jesus proved that they were exempt but so not to offend He had Peter retrieve a coin from the mouth of a fish and pay the tax. Jesus went back to speaking with His disciples in Chapter 18. They asked Him “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He picked up a child to illustrate His answer. He told them that they must be converted and become like a small child before they were of any use. Jesus required them to have childlike faith and innocence. The greatest is last and anyone who causes a little child to stumble will be condemned. Jesus then used the analogy of removing offending body parts rather than keep them and be condemned to hell. He encouraged them to remove all the stumbling blocks from their lives. He then told His disciples how to settle disputes. Discipline must be done in order and accusations only on the say-so of two or three witnesses. The correction is for healing and restoration, not for punishment or condemnation. He declares in verse 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Then in the end of the chapter He gives Peter a lesson on forgiveness. In Chapter 19 Jesus answered the Pharisees questions on divorce, and then blessed a group of children. Someone came to Jesus and asked what he could do to obtain eternal life. Jesus told him he needed to keep all the commandments. The man believed he had kept each commandment until Jesus told to give up the one thing he coveted most. He could not give up his wealth and went away in sadness. Jesus told His disciples at the end of the chapter that even if they give up everything on earth they will be greatly rewarded in heaven. Jesus illustrated reward in Chapter 20 to His disciples and told them again of His death and resurrection. The mother of James and John came to Jesus to ask Him that her sons be given a place of authority in His kingdom. Like any good mother she wanted the best for her children. Jesus told her they must go through what was facing Him first. They did not know what they were asking for and agreed. Jesus said it was not for Him to decide but was His Father’s choice. Jesus went on to remind them that the last shall be the first and the first shall be the last. The disciples still did not realize that the ways of God were not the ways of man. On the way out of Jericho Jesus restored the sight of two blind men who called out to Him. He did it out of compassion for the men and the faith of their request. In Chapter 21 it was time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem as was foretold by the prophet Zechariah. He sent His disciples to get a young donkey for Him to ride into the city. The prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of worship on the back of the animal. His first act upon entering the city was to cleanse the temple of the evil practices that were going on there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and merchants. He said in verse 13 “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” Upon leaving the city for the night He cursed a barren fig tree for not providing fruit to satisfy His hunger. This was also to illustrate to His disciple the penalty for unfruitfulness in their walk with Him. The next day the elders of the people in the temple challenged His authority to teach. Jesus refused to answer them and spoke in parables. He said to them in verse 42 “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?” The Pharisees then plotted to seize Him because His influence had become too great and threatened their authority. In Chapter 22 Jesus directly addressed the Pharisees that sought to seize Him. He continued to speak in parables to them and they would not understand. The spiritual meanings were hidden from them. They tried to catch Him in the taxes that were due Caesar. He asked them to show Him a coin and replied in verse 21“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” The Sadducees also tried to find fault in Jesus because they did not believe in the resurrection. Throughout the day no one was able to find any fault in Jesus or His answers. Then in Chapter 23 Jesus turned to His disciples and the crowds and spoke directly against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He described eight ways their actions went against the Law they were so proud to uphold. At the end of the chapter Jesus spoke a lament for Jerusalem. In Chapter 24 as Jesus left the temple He told His disciples a prediction that the entire temple would be destroyed in the future. This did occur when the Roman army under Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. Jesus then answered His disciples questions on what will happen at His coming at the end of the age. He told them that many would falsely come in His name and mislead many. There will be wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes. He told them not to be frightened because these things must pass and are only birth pangs for what is to come. There will be difficult times ahead; there will be tribulation and a falling away from the faith. By this time the gospel of the kingdom will have been preached to all nations then the end will come. The disciples were told that when they saw the temple desecrated as was revealed as the abomination of desolation in the Book of Daniel there would be a great tribulation where no one would be safe. Jesus said that after this time they would see Him return in the clouds with His angels with power and great glory and set up His kingdom on earth. He told them in verse 35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” He also gives them advice in the end of the chapter. He said that no one but His Father knows the hour of His return so all should be prepared and ready for Him to come at any time. Jesus has not come yet so we too should be prepared and ready for His return. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Gospel of Matthew and begin the Gospel of Mark. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 44: 43-MATTHEW 25 – MARK 11 ======================================================================== Matthew 25 – Mark 11 Oct. 17, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 25. Last week we looked at the different events in the life of Jesus that were written with Jewish people in mind. We finished up with Jesus as He talked to His disciples about the end of the age on the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. This week we will finish looking at this discussion and the rest of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus continued to speak parables to His disciples in Chapter 25 encouraging them to work and be prepared for His return in the future. He began with a parable about ten virgins that were waiting for a wedding. Five of them were wise and took care of their lamps and conserved the oil they had brought. The other five virgins were foolish and burned up their entire supply of oil before the bridegroom came. They were unprepared and excluded from the wedding. We also need to be prepared for our Bridegroom, Jesus, when He comes for His bride, the Church. The next parable was about the talents. A talent was a measure of currency in those days that was equivalent to over $10,000 in silver at today’s value. The parable here speaks of talents in their monetary form but represents a teaching on the use spiritual gifts. The main idea is that some will receive more talents, or gifts, than others, but all that use their gifts will be rewarded. Salvation by grace was not in view here so the one who did not use the gift they received would be rebuked and condemned. Jesus said that in the end all nations would be gathered before Him and His angels; the believers, called sheep would be separated from the unbelievers called goats. Jesus will be able to tell them apart by the way they each treated His people during their lives. In Chapter 26 Jesus let His disciples know that in two days at Passover He would be handed over to the authorities and crucified. The disciples still did not realize what Jesus meant and while at supper in Bethany a woman came and anointed His head with an alabaster vial of costly perfume. Judas was upset at the waste of the valuable perfume that could be sold to help the poor. His real problem was that he was the group’s treasurer and wanted to steal the proceeds for himself. Jesus rebuked the disciples and commended the woman for her act. Judas then went to the Jewish leadership and betrayed Jesus for the price of a slave. The disciples were told to go into the city and find an upper room where they could celebrate the Passover meal with Jesus. They found it and ate the last supper with Jesus on earth. During the meal Jesus taught them how to perform the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of Him after He had gone. Even though Peter had stood up indignant for Jesus, the Lord told him he would betray Him three times before morning. Jesus then took Peter, James, and John out to the Garden at Gethsemane to stand watch for Him while He prayed. They were not able to stay awake and were awakened by Jesus when Judas came with some soldiers and betrayed Him with a kiss. Peter, as he often did, lost his temper and cut off a soldier’s ear with his sword. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed His captor and went with the men to stand trial. The disciples turned and fled from Jesus so as not to be taken captive with Him. The Lord’s words condemned Him to death before Caiaphas the High Priest. Peter also did deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed to signal morning. In Chapter 27 Judas realized what he had done and had remorse for his act of betrayal. He tried to return the silver to the temple but the priests refused the blood money. Judas Iscariot threw the silver to the temple floor and went out and hanged himself to death. The priests bought a potter’s field with the silver for a graveyard for the poor unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jesus was then taken before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, who asked Him if He was King of the Jews. Jesus replied that He was. The Jews did not have the authority to execute a prisoner on their own but had to receive permission first from their Roman rulers. Pilate believed Jesus was innocent and tried to have Him released. The Jews were given the choice of executing Jesus or an evil criminal named Barabbas. The Jews decided to spare the criminal and crucify Jesus. Pilate wiped his hands of the blood of Jesus and turned Him over to the Jews for crucifixion. Even with this act Pilate was still just as responsible for sending Jesus to the cross as we are by our sin. The soldiers mocked Jesus, stole His clothes, and beat and spit on Him. This was to weaken Him for what was to come. They then took Him to a place named Golgotha and nailed Him to a cross of wood. Some of our Lord’s last words from the cross before His death were recorded in verse 46 “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” This was the moment Jesus took upon Himself the entire sin of the world, past, present, and future and was separated from His Father for the first time in eternity. Because of this selfless act we all can be redeemed to God and experience eternal life. At His death the tombs opened, an earthquake occurred and the veil of the temple tore in two from top to bottom giving believer’s unlimited access to the Father from that day forward. A rich believer named Joseph of Arimathea offered his new personal tomb for Jesus and was given permission by Pilate. Jesus was quickly placed into the tomb before the Sabbath day began. The Pharisees reminded Pilate that Jesus said He would be raised in three days so Pilate ordered the tomb sealed and a guard placed there to ensure none of His followers could steal the body to prove the prophecy. In Chapter 28 Mary Magdalene and the mother of James and John came to the tomb to complete the burial process that was interrupted by the Sabbath. They noticed the guard missing and the stone cover rolled away. There was an angel on the stone that told the women that Jesus was not there but had risen as He said. They were told to go and tell the disciples. Jesus met the disciples and told them to go to Galilee. A false story was made up about His disappearance from the tomb to satisfy the Jews. In Galilee Then gave His disciples the great commission in verse 18-20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This ends the Gospel of Matthew. We will now begin the next Gospel, the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who was a cousin of Barnabas, and a companion of Paul on his first missionary journey. Mark’s Gospel is believed to have been written sometime after 50 AD on Peter’s memory of his time with Jesus. Mark wrote his Gospel to Gentiles about the events in Jesus’ ministry on earth with very little doctrine recorded. This is the shortest of the four Gospels for this reason. There is little material in Mark that would interest a Jewish reader. The Gospel of Mark skips the events surrounding the birth and early life of Jesus and also omits the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. Chapter 1 starts out with the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus Christ. From there the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is covered in a single verse. Also contained in Chapter 1 is the call of Simon Peter and Andrew, along with James and John. The men dropped everything when they answered Jesus’ call as shown in verse 20 “Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.” Jesus went out healing the sick and proclaiming the Gospel throughout the region. At the end of the chapter the fame of Jesus had grown so much He was unable to enter a town and stay because of the crowds that surrounded Him. The beginning of Chapter 2 contains the story of the paralytic man that was lowered through the roof where Jesus was to be healed. Jesus perceived there were some scribes present who thought He was blaspheming when He said He could forgive sins. He questioned the scribes on what they were thinking and healed the man to the amazement of all present. Next in the chapter was the call of Matthew the tax collector. When the scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus on why He ate with tax collectors and sinners He replied in verse 17 “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” When the Pharisees and John’s disciples fasted they asked Jesus why His disciples did not fast. Jesus tried to tell them in illustration that His disciples did not need to fast because they were already in the presence of God. The last event recorded in the chapter is where the disciples ate grain from the field during the Sabbath. In Chapter 3 Jesus healed a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath to the dismay of the Pharisees. From that moment on they together conspired to kill Him. Jesus then went to the Sea of Galilee and healed many. Here He appointed His twelve and gave them the power to heal and cast out demons so they could be sent out to preach to the people. The names of the apostles are listed here. Jesus was then rejected by His people and from then on spoke publicly only in parables. In Chapter 4 Jesus spoke the parable of the sower and the seed. This was to teach on what was required for spiritual growth and maturity. These stories were used by Jesus to illustrate His teaching to believers and to confuse His enemies. He then spoke other parables about seeds and the mustard seed. Jesus then stilled the sea while crossing over with His disciples. All He did to calm the raging storm was to utter the words in verse 39 “Hush, be still.” His men became afraid and said to themselves “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” In Chapter 5 on the other side of the sea in the country of the Geresenes Jesus came upon a man who was possessed with many demons. He told the demons to come out of the man. They asked Him if they could enter a herd of swine nearby. Jesus agreed and over two thousand pigs drowned when the demons caused them to run into the sea. Jesus left there and returned back across the sea and began healing the sick. He was approached by an official of the synagogue named Jairus who wanted healing for his sick daughter. Jesus followed him to his home but was touched by a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years the physicians could not cure. Jesus asked who touched His robe then healed the woman because of her faith in Him. When Jesus finally arrived at Jairus’ home his daughter had already died. Jesus told the crowd in verse 36 “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” He then told the child to come and she rose and started walking around to the astonishment of all that were there. In Chapter 6 Jesus went to Nazareth where He had been raised and was rejected by the townspeople. He left there healing few and did not return. He next sent out the twelve in pairs to further His ministry on earth. Next in the chapter is the story of the execution of John the Baptist. After this the disciples returned and gave Jesus an account of their travels and what they accomplished. Jesus saw that a large crowd had followed Him, and out of compassion began to teach. When the crowd became hungry He fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two small fish. He then walked across the sea to save His disciples from drowning when a storm came up on them. The next day He healed many at Gennesaret. The Pharisees were looking for anything to accuse Jesus, and in Chapter 7 they said His disciples were breaking the traditions of the elders when they did not wash their hands before eating. Jesus replied in verse 6-8 “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Jesus then healed a Gentile woman‘s demon possessed daughter from a distance because of her faith in Him. After this He healed a man who was deaf and unable to speak. Then in Chapter 8, Jesus fed four thousand men with a small amount of food out of compassion. Jesus warned His disciples on the leaven of the Pharisees and Peter gave his confession of faith. In Chapter 9 Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain and was transfigured before them. He wanted to show them a glimpse of His true glory. After His return from the mountain Jesus healed a boy who was demon possessed that His disciples could not cure. He rebuked their faith and healed the boy. He said that kind of demon required prayer to remove. He then told the disciples of His death and resurrection, He warned them of things to watch out for in the future. Jesus then, in Chapter 10, taught about divorce and blessed the little children. He talked to a rich young man who wanted eternal life but could not give up his wealth. Jesus told His disciples in verse 24-25 “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When they asked Him “Who could be saved?” Jesus answered in verse 27 “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Jesus then told His disciples how He would suffer and die. He told them in verse 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” At the end of the chapter Jesus restored the sight of a blind beggar named Bartimeaus. Chapter 11 covers the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King on the back of a donkey. After He entered the city He first went to the temple and threw out all who were buying and selling there and also overturned the tables of the moneychangers. At the end of the chapter the scribes questioned His authority but He refused to answer them. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Gospel of Mark and begin the Gospel of Luke. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 45: 44-MARK 12 – LUKE 9 ======================================================================== Mark 12 – Luke 9 Oct. 24, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Gospel of Mark in Chapter 12. Last week we finished the first Gospel, Matthew and began to look at the events of Jesus‘ life in John Mark’s account. This week we will finish up the Gospel of Mark and move on to the Gospel of Luke. In Chapter 12 Jesus began to speak to the people in parables because the leaders had rejected Him. He first told the parable of the vine grower who lost his son to the selfishness of his workers. This parable represented what they, the Pharisees, would do to Him. Jesus then spoke to these same Pharisees and Sadducees who came to trap Him into condemning Himself with His own words. Jesus answered their questions correctly and gave them nothing to accuse Him with. At the end of the chapter Jesus noticed a widow place all she had into the temple treasury and commended her before His disciples. The rich gave from their surplus to be seen, but the poor widow gave in obedience and faith in her poverty. Jesus then spoke to His disciples, in Chapter 13, on things to come. He told them that terrible times were coming and that many men would mislead the people away from the truth. The disciples were told to be on their guard and to preach the gospel to all nations. Jesus also told them to be on guard for His return. In Chapter 14 the chief priests and scribes gathered to find a way to do away with Jesus. They wished to have Him killed before the Passover so as not to incite the people to riot. Jesus did not want His death to be in secret, but made sure His death would occur during the most prominent time of the year. Jesus then angered Judas Iscariot during supper at Bethany when He allowed a woman to anoint Him with costly perfume that could have been sold for the poor. Judas actually wanted to steal the money for himself. He went off to the priests and betrayed Jesus for a reward. The disciples were then asked by Jesus to obtain an upper room where they could celebrate the Passover meal together. Jesus knew this would be the last time they would eat supper together on earth. During the meal Jesus said that one of them would betray Him, and also instituted the Lord’s Supper to be done in remembrance of Him after He was gone. He told His disciples that they would flee from Him at His capture and told them the Old Testament prophecy in verse 27 “I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.” On the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked His disciples to stand watch while He prayed. He asked His Father if there was some other way, but submitted to His will for what had to come. Jesus woke His friends before the soldiers came to capture Him. Jesus was taken before the high priest and condemned while Peter did deny His Lord three times before morning. In Chapter 15 Jesus was brought before Pilate the Roman Governor for disposition. He believed Jesus was innocent but did not want to anger the Jews by setting Him free. He allowed them to choose between Jesus and the criminal Barabbas for crucifixion. The people chose the criminal for release and had the Son of God killed instead. Jesus was taken by the soldiers and mocked, beaten, and whipped to near death before being marched to the place of execution. A man named Simon was placed into service to carry the cross of Jesus through the streets to the place of the skull where His death would be carried out. The Son of God was then nailed to the cross and crucified as an innocent man to take away our sin. He had fulfilled the reason for His coming, and at His death, a centurion remarked in verse 39 “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Jesus was then buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and a stone was placed at its entrance. In Chapter 16 Mary Magdalene and some other women came to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body. The stone had been rolled away and a man who sat on the stone told them that Jesus had risen. They were told to tell the disciples that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. The women were afraid and left. The final verses of the Gospel of Mark, from verse 9 to the end do not appear in the earliest manuscripts, but are similar to the Great Commission of the Gospel of Matthew. This ends the Gospel of Mark, we will now move into the next Gospel, Luke. The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke the Physician around 60 AD. Luke was a Gentile and companion of Paul on his missionary journeys described in Luke’s other work, the Book of Acts. Luke wrote his account on the life and times of Jesus from eyewitness accounts. We do not know if Luke ever actually personally met Jesus during His ministry on earth. The Gospel of Luke was written with Gentile people in mind and has emphasis on the healing work of Jesus. His Gospel shows Jesus the Son of man. Chapter 1 covers the birth of John the Baptist in detail missing from the other Gospels. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were old and had not had children. The Lord blessed them with a boy in their old age that was to become the one prophesied to come before the Messiah and lead the way. The angel Gabriel we read about in the Book of Daniel visited them and told them what was to come. Zacharias was made mute until the boy was born. Gabriel also visited Mary of Nazareth and told the virgin she would bear a son named Jesus by the Holy Spirit. She was also told her relative Elizabeth was pregnant and to visit her. When the baby in Elizabeth’s womb came near Mary he leaped for joy at who she carried. Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit and blessed Mary. Mary also spoke a prayer acknowledging the Lord and her place in His will. She also revealed her knowledge of the word of God as she spoke. At the proper time the baby was born to Elizabeth and Zacharias regained his voice to name him John. He also spoke a prophecy on his son’s future ministry and the Messiah who would come after him. In Chapter 2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem because of a census ordered by Caesar Augustus of Rome. Each man had to return to the city of his birth to be counted. There was no room for the poor family at the town inn so Jesus was born in the place that housed animals in a feeding trough. On the eighth day after His birth Jesus was taken to the temple to be named and circumcised. The devout old man that blessed Him prayed to see the Messiah before he died and his prayer was answered when he held the boy. The family then returned to Nazareth and Jesus grew. When Jesus was twelve His family took Him to Jerusalem during the feast because it was His time to become a man in the congregation. His parents misplaced Jesus when He stayed behind in the temple and talked with the priests there. They marveled at His understanding and answers. In Chapter 3 John the Baptist began to preach a message of repentance throughout the land. He was doing the prophecy of Isaiah as recorded in Luke 3:4-6 “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’” John baptized many and also predicted the coming of One greater than he. Jesus came to John for baptism before He began His earthly ministry. During His baptism His Father spoke from heaven “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” The end of the chapter contains the genealogy of Jesus from His adopted father Joseph’s side. Jesus was then tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Chapter 4. Satan attempted to use the word of God to tempt Jesus into disobeying the will of His Father. Jesus, being the Word refuted each of Satan’s attacks. Jesus then returned to Galilee and began to teach in the synagogues there. News of Him spread and He was praised by all. In Nazareth He entered the synagogue and spoke from the scroll of Isaiah in verse 18-19 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” Then He added in verse 21 “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The people of the town rejected Him because they could not believe that this Son of Joseph had the authority to speak the words He spoke. Jesus then went on to Capernaum and went about healing many. In Chapter 5 Jesus called His first disciples. The account of their call is different here than in the other Gospel accounts. Jesus performed a miracle for Simon Peter when He caused his net to become full of fish on a day when Peter had caught none. This story does not go against the other Gospels, but gives us more depth and insight on the event. Jesus went on, in the chapter, to heal a leper, and to forgive the sins of a paralytic man. This forgiveness of sins angered the Pharisees because only God could forgive sin and they could not believe Jesus was God. At the end of the chapter Jesus also called Matthew the tax collector to service as a disciple. In Chapter 6 Jesus continued to anger the Pharisees with His acts. He chose twelve men from His disciples and named them apostles. These twelve were different from the disciples in that they were given the power to heal the sick and cast out demons like Jesus. They were the ones who were to lead the spread of the Gospel after Jesus’ death. Jesus then spoke to the multitudes the beatitudes and turned around the people’s ideas about God and obedience. In Chapter 7 Jesus healed a centurion’s servant from a distance because of his faith, even though he was a Roman and not a Jew. Jesus also brought the son of a woman of Nain back to life out of compassion for her loss. John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out if He was the Christ. John was confused because he thought the Messiah was going to come as King, and not a healer of the sick. Jesus replied with scripture that told John He was who he thought. Jesus continued to minister to the sick and heal and the Pharisees continued to find fault in His works. At the end of the chapter Jesus commended a woman for showing him hospitality when the master of the house He was in did not. In Chapter 8 Jesus ministered to some women including Mary Magdalene and gained their support. He spoke to the crowds that gathered the parable of the sower, to help them understand the different types of believers. He also described, in detail the parables meaning to His disciples. He then stilled the Sea of Galilee while crossing and healed a demon possessed man on the other side. This angered the townspeople because they lost a large herd of swine as a result of the event. Jesus then returned to the other side of the sea and continued to heal the sick. He raised the dead child of an officer of the synagogue also because of his faith. In Chapter 9 Jesus gathered His twelve apostles and sent them out in twos to spread the gospel and continue His ministry. They were to rely on the hospitality of the people they met and return and give an account of their travels to Jesus. On their return Jesus fed five thousand men after a day of teaching and Peter gave his confession of faith. Jesus then took Peter, James, and John to the Mt. of Transfiguration to show them His true glory. In the end of the chapter Jesus told His disciples the true tests of greatness and gave them further insight on what is required to follow Him. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Gospel of Luke. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 46: 45-LUKE 10 – 24 ======================================================================== Luke 10 – 24 Oct. 31, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Gospel of Luke in Chapter 10. Last week we completed the Gospel of Mark and began looking through Luke. This week we will begin with the commission of seventy men by Jesus to spread His message throughout the land. In Chapter 10 Jesus appointed seventy men to also go out in pairs to prepare the way in different towns for His visit. These men were to preach the gospel of the kingdom and heal the sick they met. They were instructed like the twelve apostles before them to live off the hospitality of the people they came in contact with and to not take any provisions with them in their journeys. Here, unlike the twelve apostles, the seventy were not instructed to bypass the Gentiles in their evangelistic efforts. Jesus warned the people, who would not show hospitality to His men, that they would be condemned. The seventy went out then returned with joyful news of their travels. They were amazed at their success in casting out demons and healing the sick. Jesus told them not to rejoice over the power they possessed, but that their names were written in heaven. Jesus then answered a lawyers question about eternal life by telling him he must obey the law. He then went on and told the story of the Good Samaritan. The interesting thing about this story was that the Samaritans were believed to be inferior half breeds to the Jews Jesus spoke to. Jesus let them know the only person to show mercy to the injured man was the one who was thought to be the least. Jesus then came to the home of Martha and her sister Mary. Martha busied herself preparing the meal and other housework while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him teach. Martha was upset with her sister and asked Jesus why she did not help her with her work. Jesus told Martha that she worried too much and that Mary was doing right because He would not be there forever. In Chapter 11 Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. He gave them the Lord’s Prayer as a model for them to follow when talking to the Father. He then encouraged them to be persistent in their prayers and the Lord would provide what is good to those who ask. The Pharisees then accused Jesus of casting out demons using the power of Satan. Jesus rebuked them and explained their error. He said in verse 23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.” A woman from the crowd tried to bless Mary, the mother of Jesus, but He also rebuked her and said in verse 28 “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign he replied to them the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah. He then condemned the Pharisees for their sinful ways. They sought after prominence and prosperity instead of a right relationship with God. After then the Pharisees and scribes became very hostile towards Jesus and His followers and increased their efforts to silence them. Jesus then turned to His disciples, in Chapter 13, and warned them of the dangers of listening to the Pharisees and adopting their self-righteous ways. Jesus reminds His followers that they are much more valuable than sparrows and that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them what to say when they were brought before the authorities. Jesus then told the crowd to be content with what the Lord had provided and to not envy anyone. He said that God would provide for their needs and that they should lay up their treasures in heaven where their true eternal home should be. Jesus then told the people to be ready because He would return as a thief in the night. He said He would reward those who were prepared for His coming and had been good stewards of His ministry. Jesus also said that His words would cause divisions in families between those that accepted His teaching and believed and those who would reject. Chapter 13 begins with a call to repentance. Jesus told the Jews they were no better than the Galileans they were being compared to. He then spoke to them a parable about a fig tree. Jesus then angered the official of the synagogue He was teaching in by healing a woman on the Sabbath. His opponents were humiliated at His response. Jesus went on to teach the parables of the Leaven and the Mustard Seed. He then taught as He traveled through the villages on His way to Jerusalem. Jesus again healed on the Sabbath, in Chapter 14, when He was in the house of the leader of the Pharisees. He spoke to the guests of the house on how He observed them picking out the places of honor to sit at the table, and how dishonorable the practice really was. He told them the proper way to act then spoke to them the parable of the dinner. This said the invited guests all had excuses to avoid Him so He sent out His servants to the nations to find men that would follow Him into heaven. Jesus then turned to the crowd and revealed to them the true cost of discipleship. In Chapter 15 the scribes and Pharisees complained that Jesus was speaking to and attracting tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied to them the parable of the Lost Sheep. He said that heaven rejoices over the lost sheep that has been found rather than the ninety nine that has never been lost. He also spoke a similar parable about a lost coin. Jesus then recited the story of the Prodigal Son. The boy’s father rejoiced when his wayward son returned home and was not concerned with the son who did not leave. At the end of the chapter Jesus spoke about the rich man and Lazarus. This was to reveal there was no relief in hell and also no chance at redemption. In Chapter 17 Jesus told His disciples that they needed to show forgiveness to all and not become stumbling blocks to new believers. When the men asked Jesus to increase their faith He told them to have compassion on others. On the way to Jerusalem Jesus came upon ten lepers who begged to be cleansed. Jesus healed them and told them to go to the priest so they could reenter the congregation as prescribed in the law of Moses. Out of the ten who were healed only one man who was a Samaritan turned around and worshipped the Lord for his cleansing. The Jews had not learned anything from the Jesus or the law. Jesus said to them in verse 17-18 “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come He answered in verse 20-21 “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” He then revealed to His disciples the signs of His second coming. In Chapter 18 Jesus instructed His disciples with a parable on prayer then told a parable to those who thought they were righteous on their own. The Pharisee believed that because he did all the outward signs of religion he was better than a repentant tax collector. Jesus then disappointed a rich young ruler who wanted eternal life but could not give up his wealth. Jesus then revealed to His twelve apostles that He would be killed soon in Jerusalem, but they did not understand His words. On the way to the city Jesus restored the sight to a blind beggar named Bartimeaus. A rich chief tax collector named Zaccheus was converted by Jesus into the faith in Chapter 19. When Jesus asked to stay at his home Zaccheus gladly offered to give his wealth to the poor and follow the Lord. Jesus then went on and told the parable of The Talents to the men. After this Jesus arrived in Bethany near the Mount of Olives and told two of His disciples to go into town and find a donkey that no one had ever sat on to ride into Jerusalem. The men acquired the donkey and Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of the beast. The crowd of His disciples shouted the words of verse 38 “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The Pharisees told Jesus to quiet the crowd, but He replied in verse 40 “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Jesus then paused and wept for the city and what could have been for God’s people. The first thing Jesus did when He entered the city was to cleanse the temple by removing the moneychangers and merchants that were taking advantage of the pilgrims that had come to worship. In Chapter 20, as Jesus taught in the temple, the scribes questioned His authority to teach. Jesus refused to answer them and asked them a question. He then spoke the parable of The Vine-grower. This parable related a story where the vine-growers son was killed by his father’s own servants. They did not realize that Jesus would soon suffer a similar fate. At the end of the parable Jesus recited the words of Psalm 118 in Luke 20:17-18 “What then is this that is written: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone’? “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” Jesus then correctly told the Pharisees to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. The Sadducees then tried to catch Jesus in a lie concerning the resurrection. These men did not believe there would be a resurrection but used it anyway in their attempt to trap the Lord. Jesus answered them correctly and then turned to His disciples and told them to beware the scribes and their prideful ways. Jesus looked, in Chapter 21, and saw the rich placing their gifts into the temple treasury. He then noticed a poor widow place two small copper coins into the container. Jesus commended the woman, to the men who were with Him, for her faith. She gave not from her surplus as the rich did, but gave to the Lord all she had to live on. Jesus looked around the beautiful temple and said there would come a time when the building would be destroyed. The men asked Jesus when this time would come and what signs they should look for. Jesus then told them the events that would precede His coming and told them to be prepared and keep watch. In Chapter 22 before the Passover the scribes and chief priests sought to put Jesus to death because they were afraid of the people that followed Him. The text says that Satan entered Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, and had him go to the authorities and betray the Lord. While this was going on Jesus told Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal and acquire an upper room for them to use. Jesus told them to follow a man that carried a pitcher of water. This man would lead them to the owner of the room they were to use. Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples and gave them the Lord’s Supper for them to remember the reason for His coming after He was gone. The apostles then had a dispute over who among them would become the greatest. Jesus told them that the ones who were humble would be great, and that they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel in the kingdom. Jesus then told Peter in verse 31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said he was willing to follow Jesus to prison, and even death, but the Lord replied in verse 34 “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” Jesus then went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He asked the men who followed Him to keep watch then prayed to His Father that there could be some other way. There was no other way and Jesus in His agony sweat great drops of blood. An angel then came and ministered to Him because the disciples had fallen asleep. Judas then came with some soldiers and betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The disciples fled and Peter did deny Jesus like He said. Jesus was taken to be tried before the Sanhedrin. He caused Himself to be sentenced to death by telling the truth that He was God. Then, in Chapter 23, Jesus was taken before Pilate. He could find no guilt in Jesus and sent Him to Herod for disposition. He wished to wash his hands of Jesus blood. Herod was glad Jesus was brought to him and hoped to see some sign from Him. Jesus said nothing and was mocked and returned to Pilate. Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but to appease the Jews he released the criminal Barabbas instead. A man named Simon was seized and compelled to carry the cross of Jesus through Jerusalem to the place of execution. Jesus was nailed to the cross along with two criminals to die. One of the men mocked Him and told Him to save Himself where the other asked to be remembered when Jesus went to His kingdom. By this act this man was saved from hell. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council who did not consent to the execution of Jesus. On the first day of the week after the Sabbath, in Chapter 24, some women that followed Jesus came to the tomb with spices and perfumes to complete the burial process that was interrupted by the Sabbath day. They noticed the stone that covered the tomb had been rolled away and the body of Jesus was missing. Two men in dazzling clothing appeared to the terrified women and told them Jesus had risen as He said He would. They were told to tell the disciples what they had found. Peter did not believe and came to the tomb to see for himself. Inside the tomb he saw the linen grave clothes lying on the bench as if the body of Jesus rose right through them. Peter walked away from the tomb in wonder. As two of the men walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus a man appeared to them and asked what they were talking about. They related the events of the past few days about what they had witnessed concerning Jesus and how His tomb was empty. Jesus then revealed Himself to the men and proceeded to explain to them the scriptures beginning with the books of Moses that spoke of Him. He vanished to them but was seen by many men before He went to His Father. He told His disciples to spread the gospel to all nations before he was carried to heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father. This ends the Gospel of Luke and our study for this week. Next week we will begin the fourth and last Gospel book, the Gospel of John. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 47: 46-JOHN 1 – 18 ======================================================================== John 1 – 18 Nov. 7, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Last week we completed the Gospel of Luke and his account of the ministry of Jesus on earth. This week we will begin the fourth and final Gospel account by the disciple whom Jesus loved. The Apostle John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved in his Gospel account. John was the last Gospel record written about 80 – 90AD. John, at this time was an older man who knew of the other three Gospels and felt compelled to write his own “spiritual Gospel” to add information to the existing writings and show Jesus as the God-Man and savior of the world. John began Chapter 1 with theology. He said that he was a witness to the incarnation of the Living Word of God. In verse 14 he reveals “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John then wrote on the ministry of John the Baptist and his baptism of Jesus. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at His baptism foreshadowed what was to happen to His church when one believes and becomes born again. Jesus then began His public ministry and called His first disciples. At the end of the chapter Jesus reveals to Nathanael that He is the Ladder Jacob saw in his dream in the Book of Genesis. Jesus said in verse 51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Chapter 2 reveals the first miracle Jesus performed when He turned water into wine at a wedding in the town of Cana. Then at the Passover Jesus went to Jerusalem and cleansed the temple of the thieves and moneychangers that were corrupting His Father’s house. The Jews asked Him by what authority He did these things, and Jesus answered in verse 19 “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews were confused because it had taken forty eight years to build the temple, how could it be rebuilt in three days? They did not realize that Jesus was referring to His own body and the resurrection. In Chapter 3 Jesus explained to a Pharisee named Nicodemus what it means to be born again. Nicodemus knew he could not return to his mother’s womb and Jesus told him in verse 14-17 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John then wrote that John the Baptist ended his own ministry to defer to Jesus. He said in verse 28-30 “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Jesus returned to Galilee in Chapter 4. While He passed through Samaria He came upon a Samaritan woman by the city well. Even though the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water. Jesus then went on and told her of the gift of living water He could provide for her. He told the woman in verse 14 “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” The woman asked Jesus for that water and He forgave her of her sin and changed her life. He also revealed to her when she asked that He was the Messiah. Many Samaritans believed because of the woman’s testimony and the words of Jesus when he stayed with them. Before leaving He healed a nobleman’s son in Cana. In Chapter 5 Jesus returned with His disciples to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. He stopped by the Sheep Gate into the city at the pool of Bethesda and healed a man who had been ill for thirty eight years. It was believed that when the waters of the pool were stirred up anyone placed into the pool would be healed. The man had never found anyone to lower him into the pool. Jesus had compassion and told the man to get up and walk. The Pharisees scolded the man for carrying his pallet on the Sabbath against the law and did not recognize the miracle of his healing. They began to persecute Jesus for healing on the Sabbath and sought to kill him because He said He was God’s Son and therefore equal to God. Jesus then spoke and answered the Pharisees with the purpose of His coming, the resurrection, and the witness to His works and testimony. Jesus told them in verse 39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee in Chapter 6 before the Passover and taught the crowds from a mountain. The people had not eaten so Jesus asked His disciples to find them some food. Jesus knew what He was going to do but let Phillip tell Him the cost of feeding that many people. Andrew came with a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. Jesus gave thanks and distributed the food to the people to eat. All ate until they were satisfied and twelve baskets of food remained from the five loaves and two fishes. Jesus performed a miracle and five thousand men were fed. The crowd was amazed and wanted to make Jesus King. This was not the proper time and Jesus escaped to the mountain alone. His disciples took a boat across the sea for their next destination of Capernaum when a storm came up on the sea when they had reached the middle. Jesus walked across the sea and saved His men and immediately had them safe at Capernaum. The people followed them across the sea and were amazed to see Jesus because they knew He had taken no boat. They questioned Him about the bread and He replied in verse 35 “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” The Jews argued among themselves because of Jesus’ words and did not understand their meanings. Jesus then spoke to His disciples and Peter told Him He was the Holy One of God. Jesus then went to Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths, in Chapter 7, and taught in the temple. The Jews there were amazed that Jesus spoke as a learned man but had received no formal education. They did not realize that Jesus was the true author of the words He taught and needed no education from them. Jesus’ words and teaching divided the people. Some believed correctly that He was the Christ, and others rejected the truth and wanted Him dead. The next morning, in Chapter 8, Jesus went into the temple while the Pharisees brought in a woman that was caught in the act of adultery. The crowd picked up stones to deliver her punishment as prescribed in the law, but Jesus wrote in the sand on the ground and said in verse 7 “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The crowd one by one dropped their stones and left until Jesus was alone with the woman. He then said in verse 10 “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She replied “No one Lord” and Jesus said in verse 10 “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” Jesus then told the Pharisees that He is the Light of the world and anyone who follows Him does not walk in darkness. He said to the Jews that believed Him in verse 31-32 “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Jesus then went too far in the eyes of the Pharisees in verse 58 when He said “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” The Jews picked up stones to stone Him but Jesus disappeared from them and hid in the temple. In Chapter 9 Jesus healed a man that had been born blind and answered the Pharisees questions about the healing. By the end of the chapter He again told them that He was indeed God. Then in Chapter 10 Jesus told the parable of the Good Shepherd. The people did not understand the truth of His words. He said in verse 11 the reason He had come to earth. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus told the Jews again in verse 30 “I and the Father are one.” The Jews in Jerusalem continued to increase their efforts to have Jesus killed. Jesus received word that Lazarus, the brother of His friends in Bethany, Martha and Mary was sick. Jesus knew Lazarus was going to die and purposely stayed where He was for an additional two days before going to Bethany. Jesus planned to use the death of Lazarus to glorify His Father and to foreshadow His own death and resurrection that was to come soon. When Jesus arrived in Bethany His friends wept over the death of their brother. Jesus told them not to worry that Lazarus would rise again. Martha thought He meant at the resurrection, but Jesus replied in verse 25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus then went to the grave and said in verse 43 “Lazarus, come forth.” The dead man came out of the grave alive still bound in his grave clothes. Many believed in Jesus after being witness to this act, but the Pharisees still did not and conspired to kill Him before the Passover. In Chapter12 Jesus was still in Bethany and at supper with Lazarus six days before the Passover in the home of Martha and Mary. Martha as usual was serving the meal while Mary came to Jesus with a full pound of costly perfume and anointed His feet. Judas Iscariot was upset with the waste of the perfume that could have been sold to help the poor. His real motivation was that he was a thief and the keeper of the disciple’s strongbox of money that he would be able to steal from. Jesus said to him in verse 7-8 “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” The next day Jesus entered Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel” and the waving of palm fronds. His disciples would remember these events after Jesus was glorified, but did not understand them at that time. Jesus then predicted His death and told His disciples that His Father has hardened the hearts of the Jews to His Son because of their rejection until He comes again. In Chapter 13 before the Feast of Passover Jesus knew His Hour had come. He had supper for the last time with His disciples. During supper Judas, under the control of Satan decided to betray his Lord. Before they ate Jesus took a towel and washed the feet of His men. Peter complained and Jesus told him in verse 8 “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter then wanted Jesus to wash also his hands and head, but Jesus replied in verse 10 “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” Jesus knew who would betray Him. He washed their feet to show the disciples how to act towards one another when He was gone. He told them that He would be betrayed and die. He also said in verse 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus then comforted His disciples in Chapter 14 and told them He is going to prepare a place for them in heaven where He is soon to go. He said in verse 6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” This was in response to Thomas wanting to know how they could find the place. Jesus also said they would be given the Holy Spirit as a help to them when He was gone. In Chapter 15 Jesus told His disciples that He is the True Vine and that they were the branches. None of them could bear fruit alone without Him. He also said His Father would prune any branch that did not bear fruit. Jesus said that “apart from Him they could do nothing.” Jesus was preparing His men to carry on after He went to His Father. He said to them in verse 11-12 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” He knew the time was approaching when they would have to take over His ministry to the world. The disciples were again promised the Holy Spirit to help them in Chapter 16. Jesus then foretold His death and resurrection again to His disciples. They still did not understand what He said to them. He told them plainly that anything they asked for in His name would be given to them. These things had to be in accord with God’s will. He said to them in verse 33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus then, in Chapter 17, lifted His eyes towards heaven and prayed to His Father His High Priestly prayer. In this prayer Jesus told His Father that He had done what was to be done and prayed for His disciples who were to follow Him. He also prayed for His men that were with Him, but also included all of us who believe on the words written by His disciples. At the end of chapter He asked His Father that all who believe in Him would be with Him where He was going. In Chapter 18 Judas betrayed Jesus to a group of Roman soldiers and some representatives of the Jews and Pharisees. He was willing to go peacefully but Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus. Jesus rebuked Peter and was taken away to Annas the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Peter denied his Lord as Jesus was taken to Caiaphas for trial. Jesus was then taken to the Praetorium before Pilate for permission to have Him executed. Pilate questioned Jesus and asked if He was King. Jesus answered him and Pilate said in verse 37 “So You are a king?” Jesus then replied “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate replied in verse 38 “What is truth?” then went out to the Jews and proclaimed “I find no guilt in Him.” He did not release Jesus, but allowed as a custom of the Jews the release of the criminal Barabbas they wished instead. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Gospel of John then turn to the Book of Acts. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 48: 47-JOHN 19 – ACTS 16 ======================================================================== John 19 – Acts 16 Nov. 14, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the final chapters of the Gospel of John. Last week we looked through the first eighteen chapters of a Gospel that was different from the other three. John’s Gospel contains much more doctrine and shows his deep lifelong relationship with Jesus in his words. This week we will finish the Gospel of John beginning in Chapter 19 then move into the historical Book of Acts. When we left off last week Pilate had released the criminal Barabbas instead of the innocent Jesus. Now in Chapter 19 he sent the Lord to his soldiers to be scourged and mocked in preparation for crucifixion. This practice was to publicly weaken and humiliate the condemned before being nailed to the cross of wood. During this time Pilate became increasingly fearful that he was to be responsible for the death of someone as powerful as Jesus and tried to have Him freed. The Jews would not allow it so Pilate saved face by placing the blame in his own mind on the Jews. Jesus was then taken to the cross. Jesus was crucified under a sign that in three languages announced Him as King of the Jews. Before His last breath He transferred the care of His mother to the apostle John, and then said in verse 30 “It is finished!” Jesus was taken from the cross and placed into the unused tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In Chapter 20 on Sunday morning Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus and found the stone door rolled away. She ran to Peter and told him in verse 2 “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter and John ran to the tomb and Peter went inside and found the grave clothes lying on the bench as if the body was still there. They did not understand from the scriptures that Jesus must have risen from the dead as He said He would. The disciples returned to their homes. Mary stayed at the tomb weeping over Jesus when two angels appeared to her and asked why she wept. She turned to see Jesus standing there and thought He was the gardener. Jesus revealed Himself and told her to tell the disciples. Jesus appeared to His men and proved to them it was really Him. John then wrote in verse 30-31 the reason for his gospel “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” In the final chapter Jesus appeared to Peter when he went back to fishing and provided for him a catch when he had none. He then told Peter to take care of believers after He returned to His Father. Even though Peter had denied Jesus in His hour of need Jesus forgave him and told him to be the leader of the new group of believers that was to be known as the Christian church. This ends the Gospel of John. We will now begin the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts is the only historical book in the New Testament. It was most likely written around 65-60 AD by Luke the Physician the writer of the Gospel of Luke. The Book of Acts is a continuation of Luke’s gospel account and covers the events during the first three decades of the newly formed church. Chapter 1 reveals that Jesus was on earth for forty days after His resurrection. During this time He spoke with His disciples and had many others see Him as proof that He did rise from the dead as He said. He told His men to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit that had been promised to them. When asked Jesus told the men that no one can know the time of His return, but they were given instructions in verse 7-8 “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” After this Jesus was lifted up through the clouds and ascended to His Father. An angel appeared to the men and asked them why they were looking for Jesus. The angel said Jesus would return the same way as He left. The disciples then went to an upper room to wait. When they were there they numbered about one hundred twenty people. Peter took charge and they drew lots and chose Matthias to replace Judas in the twelve. The disciples waited in the upper room, in Chapter 2, until the Day of Pentecost when tongues of fire came from the sky and rested on those present. There was a sound of a great wind as each was indwelled by the Holy Spirit in the room. Each person was filled with the Spirit and went about speaking in languages they did not know. People from all over the world had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost heard the disciples speaking in the languages of their home countries. They accused them of being full of wine. Peter stepped up and said the men were not drunk, but it was as spoken of by the prophet Joel “AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” Peter continued his sermon and by the time he finished three thousand were added to the newly born church. A new thing began to happen, the new believers sold their things and pooled their resources and rejoiced in what they had in common. In verse 47 the text says they were “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” In Chapter 3 Peter and John healed a lame beggar who had asked for alms. They had no money, but what they did have was Jesus Christ. This act allowed Peter to draw a crowd on Solomon’s Porch in the temple and speak his second major sermon to the people. He preached at the temple the Jews murder of Jesus and their need for redemption. Peter finished his sermon in Chapter 4 when the Sadducees and the captain of the guard placed Peter and John in jail for the night. Even though they were arrested five thousand more were added to the church from the sermon of Peter. The next day at trial Peter stood up to the high priest and the council. The council recognized Peter and John as men who had been with Jesus and did not know what to do with them. Peter and John were unfazed by their capture and continued to preach in the city. The church continued to grow and the people shared what they had. A precedent was set when Joseph a Cypriot Levite sold a piece of land and laid the proceeds at the apostle’s feet. This became significant, in Chapter 5 when Ananias and Sapphira his wife sold a piece of land and held back some of the money they promised. The Lord killed them for their disobedience. This shows that even in this age of grace God still expects His people to obey Him. The apostles led by Peter continued to preach and heal on Solomon’s Porch and add numbers to the church. The high priest who was a Sadducee had the apostles imprisoned in a jealous rage. An angel came to them that night and had them released from the jail. The next morning they were back preaching in the temple. They were brought before the council to explain their actions. A respected Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up and counseled that the men should be released. He reasoned correctly that if they were not of God they would soon disappear, but if they were of God nothing this council would do could stop them. The council took Gamaliel’s advice and released the men after having them flogged. The attitude of the released apostles was significant and revealed in verse 41 “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” We need also to have this attitude when we suffer persecution as we go about doing the Lord’s work. Chapter 6 addresses an internal conflict within the rapidly growing church. The Greek Jews in the church complained that their widows were being neglected in the provision of food over the native Jewish widows. The problem was there were only twelve apostles and they could not do everything. They also were neglecting their duty of bringing the word of God to the people. They decided to select seven men from the congregation who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to serve the church. The selected seven men and conferred to them their office by the laying on of hands. These men solved the problem and also began to teach and perform signs like the apostles. One of the seven, a man named Stephen was accused of blaspheming the words of Moses and God. Stephen was brought before the council and the text says in verse 15 “And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.” In Chapter 7 Stephen gave his defense before the high priest and the council. His defense consisted of a history lesson to the Jews before he told them of their stiff-necked and rebellious ways. The council did not receive Stephen’s criticism well and took him out and stoned him to death. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and accepted his martyrdom by the authorities. The executioners laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. In the beginning of Chapter 8 the text reveals that the young man Saul was in agreement with the stoning of Stephen and began a zealous systematic persecution of the church of God. The text then shifts to the region of Samaria where Phillip had been preaching Christ to the people there. Phillip’s preaching converted a magician named Simon and changed his ways. When the apostles heard of Phillip’s success they sent Peter and John to Samaria to give the new believers the Holy Spirit. In the early church the Holy Spirit did not indwell believers at the moment of salvation but was transferred by the laying on of hands by an apostle. This changed later as the church grew. Phillip was then told by an angel to travel south on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. On the way he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading from the Book of Isaiah. The Spirit led Phillip to the eunuch’s chariot to ask him what he read. The man did not understand and requested a guide. He wanted to know who Isaiah spoke of in the passage he studied. Phillip Preached Jesus to the man and he believed and asked to be baptized. Chapter 9 contains the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul. Saul traveled on the road to Damascus with letters authorizing him to capture any believer of Jesus and take them prisoner to Jerusalem. On the Damascus Road he was stopped by a bright light that was Jesus and turned from his earlier ways. He was led as a blind man to Damascus to the home of a believer named Ananias. When Saul arrived he was filled with the Holy Spirit, his sight was restored and he was baptized into the faith. The newly named and converted Paul then went throughout the city of Damascus preaching Jesus in the synagogue. People were amazed that this persecutor of the church was now its greatest advocate. The Jews plotted to kill Paul, but he escaped the city by being lowered in a basket from the city wall. It is revealed in other writings that Paul went into the wilderness and was taught new things by Jesus Himself before he went to Jerusalem and the other apostles. When he did go to Jerusalem he was feared by the other apostles until they were convinced of the truth of his conversion. After this the text shifted to the ministry of Peter for the next several chapters. Peter traveled throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee preaching Christ and healing the sick as Jesus did. In Joppa he came upon a devout disciple named Tabitha who had become sick and had died. When Peter came to the body he prayed and said “Tabitha arise” and the woman lived again. Many believed after witnessing this act. The apostles were doing the work Jesus told them to do. In Chapter 10 a Gentile man named Cornelius had a vision from an angel that came to him to have him summon Peter from a nearby town. Cornelius was a devout man who believed and honored the Jewish God and was well respected by all. Peter meanwhile, the next day went out to pray and was placed into a trance. He saw a vision of a sheet lowered from heaven with all kinds of animals, birds, and creeping things on it. Verse 13 said “A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” Peter replied that he had never eaten any unclean thing, but the voice replied in verse 15 “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” Peter was confused by the vision even until the men from Cornelius came to get him. The next day Peter went with the men to Cornelius and his family and understood the vision. He realized that “God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” He preached Jesus to the family and all were saved that day. The Jews were amazed to see the Holy Spirit given to Gentiles as well as Jews. In Chapter 11 Peter returned to Jerusalem and reported on his vision and the conversion of the Gentiles. The people were upset until they realized that God had opened a way to repentance also for the Gentiles. The end of the chapter told of the church in Antioch where many fled persecution after the death of Stephen. Greeks were getting saved and Barnabus went to Tarsus to tell Paul. People were first referred to as Christians in the city of Antioch. In Chapter 12 Peter was arrested by Herod and placed into prison. That evening an angel entered the prison and freed Peter from his chains and led him out unnoticed by the guards. When he came to the house of the mother of John Mark he was left standing at the door by a woman names Rhoda who was amazed to see him. He told the people there to report what had happened to James and the Brethren. Herod was angry at Peters escape and had all the guards executed. He then suffered a horrible death for his actions at the end of the chapter. In Chapter 13, Paul along with Barnabus and John Mark set out on the first missionary journey from Antioch to Cypress and Asia Minor. They went about preaching Jesus to the people they met. In Pisidia on the Sabbath many came and listened to Paul. The Jews argued amongst themselves so much it caused Paul to change course and reveal God’s plans for him in verse 46-47 “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’” The Gentiles rejoiced with his words. This new way, in Chapter 14 caused both acceptance and opposition among the people. In Iconium Paul’s words were received and many Jews and Gentiles were saved. This created opposition in the Jewish community and caused Paul to leave the city and escape being stoned. In the city of Lystra the people tried to make gods out of Barnabus and Paul to their dismay. The Jews then stoned Paul and dragged him from the city. The disciples thought he was dead but Paul returned to the city the next morning and continued to preach. They continued preaching in the cities they entered until they returned to Antioch. In Chapter 15 it was decided by the apostles to get together in Jerusalem to talk over the new developments in the growing church. The people needed to be on one accord to further the growth and stability of the church. It came before the council of apostles in Jerusalem that Jewish believers thought it necessary for Gentile believers to convert to Judaism and be circumcised to enter the church. James thought the matter over and found scripture that said to let the Gentile believers remain Gentiles and not place the burden of circumcision on them. The council thought they would select Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch with a letter describing the findings of the council. They went to Antioch and delivered the message. From there Judas went out to spread the gospel while the others remained in Antioch and taught. In the end of the chapter Paul had a disagreement with Barnabus over John Mark and they split up and went their separate ways. Paul took Silas with him on his second missionary journey. Paul came to Derbe and Lystra and found a young believer named Timothy that he wanted to have accompany them on their journey. He had Timothy circumcised because his father was a Greek and they traveled together. The party traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian region because they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word in Asia. Paul had a vision in the city of Troas to go to Macedonia and preach the gospel there. Without this vision Christianity may not have spread past Jerusalem and the nearby regions. Paul and his party then set sail for the city of Philippi and converted a woman named Lydia there. Paul cast out a demon and the city was thrown into turmoil. Paul and Silas were imprisoned by the town authorities for their disruption of the city. They were beaten and placed into stocks. That night while Paul and Silas sang hymns in the jail an earthquake came and released the prisoners. The jailer was afraid and went to kill himself with his sword for allowing the prisoners to escape. Paul stopped him in Verse 28 with these words “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” The jailer was amazed and asked Paul and Silas in verse 30 “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied in verse 31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” The jailer then cleaned their wounds and immediately he and his entire household was baptized. He took them to his house and gave them food while his family rejoiced in their new found belief in the Lord. The police of the magistrates came to the jailer the next morning to release the prisoners but Paul told them they had imprisoned Roman citizens. The magistrates were afraid that these men were Romans and they had broken Roman law by imprisoning them without trial and asked that Paul and his party to leave the city. Paul stopped by the new believers and after encouraging them left the city. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Acts and Begin the Book of Romans. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 49: 48-ACTS 17 – ROMANS 10 ======================================================================== Acts 17 – Romans 10 Nov. 21, 2009 We will continue our study this week in the Book of Acts in Chapter 17. Last week we saw how the church began, and some of the early events that occurred after its birth. We will continue this week studying the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and his companions. After the Philippian jailer and his family were converted Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica in Chapter 17. Paul went into their synagogue for three Sabbaths and preached from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. He persuaded some of the Jews, along with a large number of Greeks and some prominent women to follow Jesus. A number of jealous Jews formed a mob in the city to capture Paul and Silas. They could not find them, so instead they dragged a believer named Jason into the street. They only released him when he gave them a pledge that the new teaching would stop. Paul and Silas fled by night to Berea and went into their synagogue. The Bereans were different from those in Thessalonica in that they searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul preached was as he said. Paul and his party were found in Berea by those that wished them harm and they had to escape from there also. Paul then went to Athens and became unsettled in the Spirit because of all the idols in the city. The philosophers of Athens brought Paul to the Areopagus to hear the strange new doctrines he was teaching. Paul preached Jesus on Mars Hill to the philosophers to prove to them that the God of the Jews is greater than all of their false gods and idols. Many of the listeners sneered at his words, but some believed. In Chapter 18 Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth. He stayed there with some fellow tentmakers named Aquila and his wife Priscilla and preached in the synagogue there. When Timothy and Silas arrived in Corinth Paul concentrated solely on the Word of God. When the Jews rejected the Gospel Paul shook out his garments and went to the Gentiles. Jesus spoke to Paul in a vision and told him not to fear that He was with him. Many people in Corinth were baptized into the faith by Paul’s preaching. Paul remained in Corinth for a year and a half. During this time he ran into some severe opposition and left Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila for Syria. On their way through Ephesus Priscilla and Aquila remained but Paul continued on to Antioch. Paul then began his third missionary journey by traveling through Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the disciples. An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus and was corrected by Priscilla and Aquila in his doctrine. He was an eloquent man but did not know Jesus. After this correction he became supported by the disciples in Ephesus. In Chapter 19 Apollos was in Corinth when Paul passed through Ephesus. He found some new believers there who had not received the Holy Spirit. They had been baptized into John’s baptism by Apollos before he knew about Jesus. Paul laid his hands on the believers and they began to speak in other tongues and to utter prophecy. Because of this and Paul’s teaching all of Asia had now heard the Word of the Lord. Paul performed many miracles while he was in Ephesus. He realized he needed to go to Jerusalem, parts of Macedonia, and also to Rome. There was a disturbance in Ephesus with the silversmiths. So many people were being converted to Christianity in the city that the craftsmen lost customers from their business of creating and selling idol statues of the goddess Artemis to the people. Paul was very unpopular with these people and left Ephesus and continued his journey. Paul left Ephesus in Chapter 20 for Macedonia and Greece. In Troas a young man fell asleep and fell from the third story because of the length of Paul’s sermon. He died in the fall. Paul went to the man, embraced him and the man came back to life. Luke went to the ship that Paul had arranged and waited for him. They sailed past Ephesus in their haste to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost. They did not want to spend time in Asia. When they arrived in Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus. He wanted to speak to them because he knew he would never return there. He encouraged them and told them that he had done what the Lord wanted him to do. When Paul had finished speaking they prayed. The elders wept with Paul because they realized they would never see him again. Paul set sail in Chapter 21 for his journey to Jerusalem from Miletus. When he reached Caesarea he stayed with Phillip the Evangelist who was one of the seven chosen with Stephen. A prophet named Agabus came from Judea and prophesied to Paul that he would be bound and taken captive in Jerusalem. The believers in Caesarea were in an uproar over Paul but he replied to them in verse 13 “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul entered Jerusalem and reported to James and the elders the story and success of his journeys. Paul spent seven days of purification in the temple before the Jews became upset with his teaching. They dragged him into the street to kill him. The Romans came upon the Jews beating Paul and had him brought to their barracks in chains. The Commander had mistaken Paul for an Egyptian troublemaker and allowed him to give his defense. The Commander realized Paul was not the Egyptian and Paul then said who he was and began to defend himself to the Jews. In Chapter 22 Paul told the Jews about his conversion experience on the Damascus Road and what Jesus had told him to do. The Jews could not accept his words and created a commotion in the street. The Roman commander called to have Paul examined by scourging to find out why the Jews accused him. Paul then told the commander that he was a Roman citizen. The commander was afraid because his own citizenship had cost him a great amount of money, and Paul had said he was born Roman. There would be a severe punishment if it was found out that he had harmed a Roman citizen. He immediately released Paul from prison and gave him to the Jews. Paul was taken before the Jewish Council in Chapter 23. He told them in verse 1 “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” The high priest wanted to strike him but Paul caused a conflict between the Sadducees and the Pharisees in the council on the subject of the resurrection. The two parties had opposing views so the conflict grew so great the Roman commander had Paul removed and taken back to the barracks. Jesus came to Paul that night and told him in verse 11 “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” The Jews plotted to kill Paul and when the commander found out he had Paul removed to Caesarea and brought before the Roman governor Felix. When Felix found out what province he was from Paul was told to wait until his accusers arrived. Paul was taken before Felix in Chapter 24 to argue his case. The Jews had a lawyer named Tertullus give their accusations on Paul to Felix. He spoke their accusations then Felix allowed Paul to speak. Paul gave his defense but Felix did not wish to make a ruling. He was afraid of the words Paul had spoken and left him in prison. Paul was held captive for two years until Felix was succeeded as governor by Porcius Festus. In Chapter 25 Paul was taken before Festus who also refused to rule in his case. Paul had appealed to Caesar so Festus decided to send him to Rome. At this time King Agrippa and his Queen Bernice came to Caesarea and Festus decided to have them hear Paul. Festus could find no offense in Paul and would send him to Caesar. Paul was then brought before Agrippa in Chapter 2. Paul was pleased to speak with Agrippa because he was an expert in the customs of the Jews and would understand the words Paul spoke. Paul again gave his story and was told by Festus in verse 24 “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” Agrippa could also find no wrong in Paul and would have released him if he had not appealed to Rome. It was decided in Chapter 27 to take Paul and some other prisoners to Rome. They needed to change ships several times in order to make the entire trip. They ran into some trouble off the Island of Cypress and had to make port at a place called Fair Havens instead of a good wintering port. Paul knew the ship would be lost and argued against leaving Fair Havens until a safer time. The crew knew they could not stay there and against Paul’s advice set sail in the worst time of the year for navigation. The voyage was difficult and Paul even though he was a prisoner took charge of the ship during the passage. While in the Adriatic Sea they were shipwrecked off the Island of Malta. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so they could not escape, but the centurion in charge of Paul wanted to deliver him stopped their plan. The entire crew and passengers made it safely to shore. In Chapter 28 when they had safely reached the shore of Malta the people there treated the castaways very kindly. While gathering woof for the fire a viper came out and attached to Paul’s hand. The native people were amazed when Paul shook the creature off and was unharmed. They all knew the bite of a viper meant certain death. While waiting on Malta Paul also authenticated his ministry by healing the father of an important official. Paul always preached Jesus no matter what his circumstances were. He stayed on Malta for three months before setting sail for Rome. When he arrived in Rome the Romans were curious about what he had to say. They had received no communication concerning him and set him free. Paul continued to testify about Jesus to all who would listen. He lived in a rented quarters for two years in Rome preaching and teaching all who came to him. This ends the Book of Acts. We will now begin the Book of Romans. The Book of Romans is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Roman church most likely about 56 AD. This was during Paul’s third missionary journey from the city of Corinth. Paul wrote this legal treatise of doctrine to the Roman Christians he had never visited, but had plans to go. Many important aspects on the gift of salvation are outlined in this letter. It also contains the spiritual condition of both Jew and Gentile in regards to salvation. In Chapter 1 Paul introduced himself to the reader and also spoke about Jesus, the common bond both the reader and he had. Paul wrote in verse 16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” In the end of the chapter Paul reveals that all mankind is without excuse when it comes to God. God is evident and clearly seen in His creation, but foolish men will disregard this truth and be left to their own will. Those that reject God will not be saved from judgement and will practice lawlessness and do what is worthy only of death. Paul also reveals in Chapter 2 that God is impartial when it comes to punishment for the unrepentant. Paul began to lay out a case to show mans need for salvation in verse 2 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law” He first looked at the Jew who is condemned by the Law because of their knowledge of the Law and their continued transgression. Paul goes beyond the Jews in Chapter 3 and concludes that the entire world is guilty before God. He quotes the Old Testament scriptures in verse 10 “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE” Paul also reveals God’s purpose for the Law in verse 19-20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” Another truth is told in verse 23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ. God gave each of us a gift of this opportunity for salvation through His Son. In Chapter 4 Paul gave evidence from the Old Testament on justification by faith . Paul used the life of Abraham as an example of faith. The scripture said in verse 3 “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Abraham was found righteous by his faith, not his works. Another Old Testament scripture Paul used was recorded in verse 7-8 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.” Paul wrote in Chapter 5 that we will obtain peace through the justification of God. We should all exult in our trials and tribulations because they bring about perseverance and prove our character. Paul also wrote in verse 8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The reason Christ had to die for us is in verse 12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” We can all have forgiveness of sin and eternal life in glory by our acceptance of the free gift of salvation brought about by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Chapter 6 reveals that even though we have been given the free gift of the forgiveness of sin by the grace of God we still must not practice sin. Jesus went to the cross to free us from the burden of our sin nature. We are to become a likeness of Christ. The text reveals in verse 4-7 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;for he who has died is freed from sin.” Without Jesus in our lives we were slaves to sin. The two options God has given to man is in verse 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul wrote in Chapter 7 that after salvation we are left with two natures. He wrote of his own struggle with the flesh and about the war he wages daily with his old self. He emotionally wrote in verse 24-25 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Paul wrote in Chapter 8 that in Jesus there is no condemnation. God had given us an opportunity to be free from sin. We have a choice the scripture reveals in verse 5 “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” We who believe have been adopted by God and are now privileged to be able to cry to Him, Father! We now have within us the Holy Spirit who can intercede for us when we are unable. Paul also gives us comfort in verse 28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We have been chosen before the foundation of the world by the Lord to serve Him. Through our adoption and calling we are able to do what the text said in verse 37-39 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul then wrote to Israel in Chapter 9. He told them that they had been given the choice to accept or reject Jesus, but they chose to reject. They were given every opportunity by God but in the end their hearts were hardened like Pharaoh to the truth. The Jews are still God’s chosen people, but salvation is open to all. Paul continued to write to the Jews in Chapter 10. “He wrote in verse 8-9 “But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” He continued this thought in verse 13 “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” The Old Testament scriptures are full of references to Jesus. Paul wrote in verse 17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” At the end of the chapter in verse 21 Paul quotes from Isaiah 65:2 “But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Romans and go on through the Book of 1 Corinthians, and begin the Book of 2 Corinthians. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 50: 49-ROMANS 11 – 2 CORINTHIANS 4 ======================================================================== Romans 11 – 2 Corinthians 4 Nov. 28, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of Romans in Chapter 11. Last week we looked at the first ten chapters of Paul’s letter to the Roman church. This week we will start in Chapter 11. Paul reminds Israel that they have not been rejected by God in Chapter 11. Just as God saved seven thousand during the time of Elijah He has also chosen a remnant today for salvation. Paul then revealed that Israel had been put aside in order for God to bring salvation to the Gentiles. He used the illustration of the olive tree to describe what God had done. Israel is spoken of as the broken off branches of a natural olive tree. The Gentiles are wild olive branches that God has grafted into the natural tree. These branches will grow and someday be removed and the old branches will be grafted back in. Paul wrote in verse 25 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” There will then come a time when all Israel will be saved. Paul exhorts his readers to dedicated service in Chapter 12. He told us to become living sacrifices to the Lord, which is our spiritual service. God wants us to be different from the world. We all have a duty by the grace of God to obey Him and treat each other with the same love and mercy the Lord has shown us. Paul wrote in verse 19-21 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.“BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In Chapter 13 Paul wrote that believers should subject themselves to government. We are to obey those that are over us. We are also not to owe anyone anything and to love our neighbors. Paul wrote in the text that anyone who loves his neighbor is following the law. He told us in verse 14 to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” Paul warned against judging others in Chapter 14. It is not for us to judge another. Paul wrote in verse 10-12 “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” None of us is to become a stumbling block to any man by judgement. In Chapter 15 Paul wrote that we should bear one another’s weaknesses. Those of us who are strong need to lift up those who are weak. He wrote in verse 7 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” Paul then told the Romans why he had not visited them yet. Paul was called by the Lord to preach the gospel to places that did not know the Lord first before he could come to Rome. He was on his way to Jerusalem with a collection for the saints. He then said he would come to them on his planned trip to Spain. Paul then concluded his letter to the Roman Church with personal greetings in Chapter 18. He asked the church to accept Phoebe, the bearer of his letter. Paul then greeted the people he knew on Rome and urged the believers in verse 17 to “keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.” Paul also encouraged in verse 20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” This ends the Book of Romans. We will now move on to the Book of 1 Corinthians. The Book of 1 Corinthians is another letter from the Apostle Paul. This letter was written to the believers in the city of Corinth during the first part of 55 AD from the city of Ephesus during Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul had planted the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey with the help of Aquila and his wife Priscilla. The letter was necessary to address the carnal and worldly state of the believers there. Paul had to address them before returning to them after leaving Ephesus. In Chapter 1 Paul first greeted the people of Corinth, then went on and addressed the fractured state of the church there. The believers in Corinth had split up, some followed Paul, some followed Apollos, and others followed Peter. They could not agree on whom to follow. Paul wrote that they all follow only Jesus Christ and should have no division. Paul then said that the wisdom of God seems to be foolishness to the wise, but in verse 24-25 but “to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” He ends the chapter with verse 31 “so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” Paul then stated in Chapter 2 that what came from him that seemed superior speech or wisdom was not from him, but from the Holy Spirit. Paul realized that he had been made a conduit for God’s words to His people. He wrote from the Old Testament in verse 9 “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” Paul also wrote in the end of the chapter that only the saved can understand the Lord and His Spirit. To the unsaved it is foolishness, but to the saved it is understood because we have been given the mind of Christ. In Chapter 3 Paul was disappointed in the spiritual state of the believers in the Corinthian church. He reminded them that when he founded the church in Corinth he fed them with the pure milk of the Word. He knew they were infants in the faith and could not accept solid meat. Now years later they had not progressed past infancy and grown eager for the meat of the Word. Instead of working together they created divisions and factions over insignificant things. Paul then contrasted the two types of men. Even though both had built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, one had built his house of gold, silver, and precious stones, where the other had built his of wood, hay, and straw. These last things could not survive the fires of judgement and would be burned up in the end leaving the first man with much reward and the second with loss. Paul then reminded the readers that they were the temple of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We need to protect our body because as God is Holy, we also are Holy. Paul wrote in Chapter 4 that we are all servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We have a duty to God and works to do for Him. Paul wrote in verse 15-16 “For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” Paul got down to business in Chapter 5 and rebuked the immorality that was rampant in the Corinthian church. The believers there had trouble giving up the carnal and worldly ways of the city. Paul wrote in verse 3-5 that he had committed one man to be killed by Satan rather than have him corrupt other believers in his carnal ways. God sometimes has to remove sinning Christians early so they cannot lead the remainder of the church astray. Paul also told the people that he did not warn them to stay away from immoral people of the world as they knew they should, but they were to stay away from the worldly Christians within the church. He said that we are not to judge outsiders, but we are to look out for the church. In Chapter 6 Paul discourages Christians from pursuing lawsuits against others. Lawsuits go against the teaching of Jesus in that we are not to judge one another. We are instructed to love one another including our enemies. Paul stated that he is no longer bound by the law, that all things are lawful for him. Even with this freedom Paul knew there were some things he could not do because they would harm another. Likewise we should abstain from anything that could be a stumbling block to others. Paul wrote in the end of the chapter in verse 19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” Paul then taught on marriage in Chapter 7 and gave us some of his own thoughts on the subject at the end of the chapter. Then in Chapter 8 Paul addressed things sacrificed to idols. Paul wrote that there was no such thing in the world as an idol, there was only one God. He did acknowledge that for some idols could become a stumbling block to their faith. Paul purposed in his heart to abstain from anything that could cause a brother to stumble. In Chapter 9 Paul wrote on his own use of the liberty he had been given. Again he said that although he could do all things he had used his freedom in Christ to become a slave to all. In his ministry he placed others before himself. In the end he relates himself to a boxer that does not punch the thin air, but one who disciplines his body so he is prepared to win. He placed his own body into submission to further the cause of Christ. Paul then warned, in Chapter 10, believers in Corinth to avoid the mistakes of the Israelites. They were given every opportunity as recorded in the Old Testament to follow the Lord, but decided on legalism and to worship idols instead of God. Paul wrote in verse 31-33 “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.” In Chapter 11 Paul then covered the seemingly difficult concept of Christian order. God, through His wisdom had laid out an order for man to follow. This order has nothing to do with superiority or ability, but it is to be able to have life proceed in a smooth fashion. Everyone involved in God’s order must completely fulfill their duty in order for the blessings associated with order to flow. Much conflict has come from misunderstanding God’s intentions concerning this order. Paul then uses the end of the chapter to describe the Lord’s Supper and its purpose. In Chapter 12 Paul addresses spiritual gifts. The Corinthian church had abused the gifts they had received at salvation so Paul needed to set their understanding right. Every believer is given one or more spiritual gifts from the Lord when they accept His Son as savior. These gifts are not some talent the believer already possessed but something new from the Lord. To be used in ministry. These gifts need to be used in cooperation between believers just as the body needs all its parts to function, so does the church. Paul then wrote in Chapter 13 that none of the gifts are of any use without love. Gifts are to be used to lift up, not to tear down. In Chapter 14 Paul showed that gifts have differing levels of importance. He wrote that the gift of prophecy is greater than the gift of tongues. Prophecy edifies others where one who speaks in tongues only edifies himself. My personal belief is that these gifts and the other sign gifts were for the apostolic era in the early church and became inactive after the apostles were gone. They were to complete the Bible and launch the new covenant but are not needed today. It is as Paul wrote in the end of the chapter in verse 33 “God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” And also in verse 40 “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” Paul then changed direction in chapter 15 and wrote about the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. If Christ did not rise all these words have no meaning. Paul then recited the gospel truth and who were its witness. It is by this truth that we can know that we too will be raised from the dead to eternal life in the future. Paul then revealed in verse 50-55 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Paul then ends his letter with greetings and instructions in Chapter 16. We will now begin the next letter of Paul to the Corinthian Church, the Book of 2 Corinthians. The Book of 2 Corinthians is the third letter that Paul sent to the Corinthian Church. The first addressed problems with the newly planted church and has been lost to time. The second letter, the Book of 1 Corinthians, we just finished complemented the lost first letter and also addressed immorality in the church. The third letter now known as the Book of 2 Corinthians was written by Paul on about 56 AD and addressed some additional concerns possibly referred to Paul by Timothy. Certain false teachers had crept in to the church and were trying to undermine Paul’s authority to further their own gain. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to defend himself. This is a very personal letter that tells us much about the Apostle Paul. In Chapter 1 Paul began with an introduction and spoke about his suffering for Christ. He asserted his authority and reminded the people in Corinth that God is faithful and they should listen to Timothy and Silvanus. In Chapter 2 Paul told the Corinthians he did not want to return to them in sorrow, but with much joy. He asked the church to reaffirm their love for him and show forgiveness. The believers in Corinth needed to be aware of Satan’s devices and not be taken in by his schemes. Then in Chapter 3 he wrote that we are all ministers of the new covenant. The text in verse 2-3 says “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” We have been given liberty through the Spirit of God. Unlike the Israelites who could not look upon the shining face of Moses we are able in verse 18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” Paul then began to explain his apostolic ministry in Chapter 4. He spoke in the chapter of how he has been sold out for Christ’s sake. He had no life of his own; everything he did was for the Lord. Paul wrote in verse 11-12 “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.” He concludes the chapter with these words from verse 16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of 2 Corinthians then continue on ending up in the Book of Philippians. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 51: 50-CORINTHIANS 5 – PHILIPPIANS 4 ======================================================================== Corinthians 5 – Philippians 4 Dec. 5, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 2 Corinthians in Chapter 5. Last week we finished up the Book of Romans, and looked at Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, the Book of 1 Corinthians. We then began the Book of 2 Corinthians and looked through Chapter 4. We will continue this week in Chapter 5. In Chapter 5 Paul wrote of a difference between the here and now, and that what God has promised us in the future. The text says in verse 6-8 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” Paul continued this thought to conclusion in verse 9-10 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Through the remainder of the chapter it is shown that the moment we accept Jesus as our savior and receive Him into our lives, we experience a change. The text reveals in verse 17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We each have been given the ministry of reconciliation in that we are to tell others what we have received so that they too can be reconciled to God. After salvation we became ambassadors for Christ. In Chapter 6 Paul began by writing that “now is the acceptable time”, and “today is the day of salvation.” We have not been promised tomorrow. Paul then went on to instruct that there became a need after conversion to do all things, and endure all things so as to not discredit the ministry that had been given by God. Paul told the Corinthians that had spoken freely to them that they should not enter into partnerships with unbelievers. He quoted from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah to illustrate that like the Israelites, they were to come out from the midst of the unbelievers and be a separate people. Paul then opened his heart to the Corinthians, in Chapter 7. He told them of the trials of his ministry and how he had always boasted of them to others. He reminded them he had always spoken to them the truth and was sorry that his earlier letter had caused them sorrow. He did not regret their sorrow because in that sorrow they came to repentance. In Chapter 8 Paul commended the generosity of the Macedonian churches. They gave abundantly in their poverty to others in need. He also commended Titus to them because he was there on his own accord to further the gospel of Christ. Paul continued his thoughts on giving in Chapter 9. He commended the Macedonians in the last chapter, now he used them to teach the Corinthians about Christian giving. He reminded them they needed to give with a clean heart. He wrote in verse 6-7 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving is part of our obedience to God and must not be neglected. It is such a small thing what we do will never come close to what God has done for us. Paul said it best in verse 15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Paul then described himself in Chapter 10. He said that he was meek, but bold when needed. He reminded us that our battle is not against flesh as he wrote in verse 3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” Paul relates at the end of the chapter that anything that comes from his lips that sounds like boasting is not for himself, but is a boast in the Lord. In Chapter 11 Paul defended his position as an apostle to the Corinthians. The reason for this letter was that there were false teachers in the city that wanted to discredit Paul and his divinely appointed authority. Paul told the people he preached the gospel to them without charge and that many other churches had given so that he could come to them. He said the others were false apostles and related in verse 14-15 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” Paul then told of some of the suffering he had endured to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. In Chapter 12 Paul meekly told the story of a man caught up to the third heaven. Paul was speaking of himself and the special gift he had been given. Paul was taken to the home of God to get a firsthand knowledge of what awaits a child of God in the eternal state. Because of this gift Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble. Much debate has gone on through the years on what this thorn actually was, but it is unimportant. The important truth is located in verse 9-10 “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” At the end of the chapter Paul said he would come visit the Corinthian church for the third time. Paul then concludes his letter in Chapter 13. He told the people in Corinth to examine themselves. They were to use a critical eye to find out if they really were saved and true Christians. We too should examine ourselves to see if we also hold to all the Word of God teaches. This ends the Book of 2 Corinthians. We will now begin the Book of Galatians. Paul wrote his letter to the churches in the region of Galatia in Asia Minor shortly after the Council at Jerusalem around 49 AD. Paul felt the need to address the Judaizers there who in defiance to the Council continued to require Gentiles to submit to circumcision and become Jews before conversion to Christianity. Paul, in Chapter 1, gave no personal greeting to anyone in this letter. He got right down to the purpose of this letter. Paul wrote that he could not understand why the churches had so quickly abandoned the true gospel they had received for a distortion of the truth. Paul strongly told them in verse 8-9 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Paul then defended his ministry by reminding them of his former life in Judaism and his pedigree. He also revealed in this letter that he was in the Arabian Desert for three years before going to Jerusalem to meet with Peter. He saw no other Apostle during his fifteen days with Peter, but he did speak with James, the Lord’s brother. In Chapter 2 Paul said that fourteen years later he returned to Jerusalem with Barnabus and Titus to attend the Council. Titus was a Greek and compelled to become circumcised against the liberty Christ died for. He revealed that it was for Peter to bring the gospel to the circumcised, and for Paul to bring the gospel to the uncircumcised Gentile world. Paul opposed Peter when they met because Peter had compromised the truth when he made a distinction between Jew and Gentile Christians. When watched he avoided the Gentile Christians he used to eat with and stayed with the Jewish Christians. This story proves Paul’s apostolic authority in that he was able to oppose another apostle publicly and teach him the truth. In Chapter 3 Paul asked what had happened to the churches? He wanted to know who had so strongly influenced them away from the truth. He reminded them that faith brings righteousness, not works. Paul, in this chapter outlined the true intent of the Law. Christ had freed us from the bondage of the Law. Paul wrote in verse 24-26 “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The Law points out our sin. Jesus died to free us from the penalty of our sin. We still though need to obey the Lord. The promise of God to His church is that we, like the descendants of Abraham, are heirs of the promises of God. In Chapter 4 Paul sets forth the doctrine that in Christ we are sons of God. We were held in bondage as a slave to sin until God sent His Son. We now in this age are still slaves to sin until we accept Jesus and receive God’s free gift of salvation. Paul used the illustration of Abraham’s two sons to explain those that are bound and those that are free. Hagar was the bondwoman and her son was bound, Isaac was the child of the promise and free. We are like Isaac, free and heirs of God. Paul then told us in Chapter 5 that we are to walk by the Spirit. The outward physical signs like circumcision are meaningless without a changed heart. What is now important is that we love one another. Paul then describes the deeds of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is singular and not just a collection of worthwhile traits. To possess the fruit of the Spirit is to have all of them not just one or two parts. By this fruit you will be able to identify a true child of God. In Chapter 6 Paul told us to bear one another’s burdens. If a brother stumbles we are to lift him up. Another way of saying this is that if a fellow Christian falls into sin we are not to point him out for condemnation, but to go up alongside of him with a goal of restoration. Sadly the old saying seems to be true; Christians are the first to shoot their wounded. This ends the Book of Galatians. We will now turn to the Book of Ephesians. The Book of Ephesians was written as a letter by Paul from Rome in 60-62 AD. It is one of the prison epistles that Paul wrote while he was held captive by Caesar in Rome. It is believed that this letter was possibly meant to be circulated throughout all the churches beginning with the church at Ephesus. In Chapter 1 Paul wrote of the blessing God had given those who believed in His Son. In verse 3-4 Paul wrote “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love” We have been given redemption, knowledge of the mystery of God’s will, and an inheritance. Paul praised the Ephesian church for their love for the saints, and their faith. Paul also placed Jesus as His rightful place as head of the church. In Chapter 2 Paul wrote that in Christ we have been made alive. We were dead in trespasses and sin. As recorded in verse 8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Through Christ we have been brought into the household of God. Paul wrote of the stewardship he had been given of the grace of God to the people he ministered to in Chapter 3. Paul was given the knowledge of the mysteries of God and an insight into the mystery of Christ that had not been revealed to others. Paul was given the task, by the Lord to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and give them access to the family of God. Chapter 4 is a call for unity in the church. Paul reminded us that we are all one. We each have been given grace as a gift from Christ. Paul wrote in verse 11-13 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” These individual spiritual gifts when brought together with Jesus as the head compose the complete properly working church. In the last part of the chapter Paul explained our Christian walk. We are to have been changed and need to walk not as we did before, but in a new way with a renewed mind. The text says in verse 30-32 to end the chapter “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Paul encouraged us to be imitators of God in Chapter 5. We ought to walk in love as Christ did. We need to watch our actions and do what is proper. Silly talk and coarse jesting are not acceptable behaviors for a true Christian. Paul revealed in verse 13 “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” We are to be careful how we walk. We are encouraged in verse 18-21 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” The end of the chapter covers God’s order as it relates to the relationship between a husband and his wife. The husband has a responsibility to love his wife as Christ loves His church. The wife is to respect her husband. When both people fulfill their proper roles the submission part comes easy. As the man submits to Christ the wife submits to her husband. These things have nothing to do with rule or power, but are God’s proper order to lead a godly life. Likewise in Chapter 6 this order passes on to the children. It will never work unless each part is willing to submit to God’s will and assume their proper place and work together in unity. The order then goes on to slaves and their masters. In the end of the chapter Paul describes the armor of God. We all need to study the parts and put on the whole armor of God daily to protect us against our enemy. This ends the Book of Ephesians. We will now begin the Book of Philippians. The Book of Philippians is another of the prison epistles of Paul that he wrote from Rome in 60-62 AD. This letter was to the church in the Macedonian city of Philippi. The purpose of Paul’s letter was to encourage the church, inform the people of his condition in prison, and to tell the church the reason for Epaphroditus’ early return to them. In Chapter 1 Paul greeted the church and told them how he had prayed for them during his imprisonment. He told them that his imprisonment had turned out for the good in that the gospel had been preached to the entire Praetorian Guard and everywhere else. This would not have happened any other way. Paul rejoiced in his condition in that Christ had been exalted in his distress. He wrote in verse 21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul had firsthand knowledge of what was to come for him, but was willing to remain to spread the gospel to the world. Paul wrote in verse 27-30 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” We should also expect to suffer as Christ suffered. In Chapter 2 Paul encouraged us to be like Christ. He wrote in verse 3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Paul told the Philippian church that he would soon send Timothy to them, and also he would soon follow. He needed to send Epaphroditus early because he had become very sick during his service to the Lord. The people in Philippi were told to receive him properly as a loyal worker for the Lord. In Chapter 3 Paul warned of false teaching in the Philippian church. He listed his accomplishments before conversion and counted them all loss to the cause of Christ. He may have lost all his past accomplishments, but he gained Christ, everything else became worthless in comparison. Paul wrote in verse 20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” In Chapter 4 Paul wrote in verse 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” He told us to pray and make our requests known to God. This right relationship will bring us peace. He also listed the things we should think about and practice in our Christian walk. At the end of the chapter Paul confessed that he was content in any of his circumstances that the Lord would provide for all his needs. This ends the Book of Philippians and also our study for this week. Next week we will begin in the Book of Colossians and finish up in the Book of Hebrews. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 52: 51-COLOSSIANS 1 – HEBREWS 4 ======================================================================== Colossians 1 – Hebrews 4 Dec. 12, 2009 We will begin our study this week with the Book of Colossians. Last week we covered several more of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the early church and the newly revealed doctrines of Jesus he taught. This week we will continue in Paul’s letters. The Book of Colossians was another one of the Prison Epistles Paul wrote from Rome while he was in prison there during 60-62 AD. The letter was written to the church at Colossae, a city in Asia Minor near the churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The city of Colossae was near the city of Laodicea, the location of the lukewarm church. In Chapter 1 Paul greeted the church at Colossae. He did not plant the church there, and had never been there himself. The church had been founded by Epaphras, who most likely learned from Paul during his time in the city of Ephesus. Paul had received good reports about the saints in Colossae and wrote this letter to encourage their continued good work. Paul then wrote about the characteristics of Jesus and of how he rejoiced in his own personal suffering he had endured in bringing the gospel to the world. In Chapter 2 Paul addressed the heresies that threatened the church at Colossae and also neighboring Laodicea. Even though Paul could not physically be there at Colossae with the church because of his imprisonment he had worked hard in prayer to keep them pure. The church was experiencing a period of intense Jewish legalism and a corruption of the deity of Jesus that would later be known in its full form as Gnosticism. The church was told to stay true to the faith and not be swayed by false teachings. Paul then discussed a fundamental difference between a Christian and the world in Chapter 3. The world also includes a Christian’s old self before salvation. Paul instructs us to put our thoughts on heavenly things and not the desires of the world. We are to daily put on our new self and put off the old nature we still possess. In this new self there is no difference between Jew and Greek, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian, or slave and freeman in Christ. We are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, and most of all love to our fellow man. We should all do what is written in verse 17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” At the end of the chapter as in the Book of Ephesians, Paul wrote on God’s order in the family and other personal relationships. Paul then continued the thoughts on personal relationships in Chapter 4. He told masters to treat their slaves properly. He said to devote yourself to prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. With this attitude God will open our eyes to the mysteries of Scripture that had caused Paul to be placed into prison. These mysteries would lead one to a deeper understanding of the Lord that is lost to the unbelieving world. To finish the letter Paul gave personal greetings and instructions to those that he knew. This ends the Book of Colossians. We will now turn to the Book of 1 Thessalonians. The Book of 1 Thessalonians was a letter written by Paul during 51 AD to the church at Thessalonica. This was one of the earliest letters from Paul that has been preserved in the Bible. Only the letter to the Galatians is believed to be older. The letter addresses several areas of concern in the Thessalonian church including some confusion about the future hope of the church. In Chapter 1 the letter was sent from Paul and his traveling companions Silas and Timothy. Paul commended the church for their faith and works. They had been an example to the other cities in Macedonia and Achaia. Paul had heard of them favorably during his travels. In Chapter 2 Paul reminded the readers of his imprisonment in Philippi when the jailer had been converted with his family into the faith. Paul said that even in hardship he had boldly proclaimed the gospel to all who would listen. He said also that he had suffered hardships bringing the gospel to them. The believers in Thessalonica had listened to Paul and had been a fine example to the neighboring cities. At the end of the chapter Paul told the Thessalonians that Satan had hindered him from coming to them. Paul was unable to travel at the time he wrote the letter so in Chapter 3 he spoke of how he had sent Timothy to them to find out how they were doing as a church. He was glad when Timothy returned to Rome with a good report on their spiritual health. He did though need to address several areas of concern with them. In Chapter 4 Paul exhorted the people to continue living out their faith. They had done well up to this point so Paul encouraged them to never go backwards and continue to mature. This also included their Christian love which they were known for throughout Macedonia. The believers in Thessalonica were concerned for some of their loved ones who had died before Jesus’ return and were confused about the second coming of Christ. The early church believed Jesus’ return was imminent and would occur during their lifetimes. Paul comforts them with these words from verse 13-18 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” This was a long passage of Scripture, but it is important in that it tells us of the rapture of the church to heaven, the blessed hope. In Chapter 5 Paul goes on to say that no one knows the time of the Lord’s coming. He will come as a thief in the night. We who know Him have nothing to fear. We are to put on the armor of God and wait for His return. The text records in verse 9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” At the end of the chapter Paul again exhorts us to good Christian conduct, and also to mature in the faith. This ends Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church. We will now turn to his second letter, the Book of 2 Thessalonians. The second letter from Paul to the church at Thessalonica was written soon after the first in 50-51 AD. Paul wrote this letter in response to what he had heard after his first letter had been delivered. The church had grown and matured from when he had known them last and some false teaching had crept in especially in the areas dealing with the coming day of the Lord. Paul wrote this letter to address this issue. This letter was also addressed from Paul along with Silas and Timothy. In Chapter 1 Paul commended the church on their growth and maturity. Paul also acknowledged that they had been experiencing increased persecution and difficulty. Paul told them not to worry about the persecution, that the persecutors will be punished for their deeds by the Lord in His time. In Chapter 2 Paul refutes the false teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. Paul told the church that before that time there would be a falling away from the faith. He told them to not be deceived that apostasy would come first then a man of lawlessness. Paul said also that there is a restrainer of evil that is present in the world that restrains the full extent of sin on the world. I believe this restrainer is the working of the Holy Spirit through the church that will be removed before the day of the Lord will come. This removal of the restrainer represents the rapture of the church to heaven and the glorification of the church body of saints. Paul told us we should always give thanks to the Lord for choosing us for salvation. Because of this we need to hold on to the truth of the gospel and be obedient to the One Who Saves. In Chapter 3 Paul asks for prayer and exhorts the Thessalonians to continue to grow and mature. He also warns those in the church that have begun to lead unruly lives to repent and return to fellowship. This ends the Book of 2 Thessalonians. We will now begin the Book of 1 Timothy. The Book of 1 Timothy was a letter by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome about 60-62 AD. Timothy was most likely led to the Lord by Paul during his visit to Lystra during his first missionary journey. On Paul’s second journey he asked Timothy to accompany him when he came back to Lystra. These two books today picture how God wants the older men in the faith to nurture and teach the young to carry on God’s work in the world. Timothy remained a friend and co-worker to Paul until the apostle was martyred by Nero. Timothy would often be sent by Paul to cities on his behalf when he was unable to travel. Paul trusted Timothy with the ministry he had been given by God. The occasion for this letter was to have Timothy take over the Pastorate of the church at Ephesus. In Chapter 1 Paul told Timothy of the abuses and misleading doctrines he was aware of. He urged Timothy to stay true to the faith and teach with a pure heart towards God. Paul wrote these words to Timothy in verse 18-19 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” Paul also handed two men over to Satan to teach them not to blaspheme. Paul called on all men to pray and work together in Chapter 2. He then instructed the women of the church to dress appropriately and act in a manner fitting a child of God. They were to be in submission to their men, not teaching or exercising authority over them. God had set up an order from Adam and Eve that was broken to the death of mankind. Then in Chapter 3 Paul went through the qualifications for elders and deacons in the church. Both leaders needed to be obedient believers who had been observed to lead a godly life. Neither should be a novice, but a fully mature man that is full of the Spirit of God. Many problems will occur in a church fellowship that does not follow these guidelines in selecting their leadership. These positions are of a divine calling, not just a congregation elected job. In Chapter 4 Paul reminded Timothy that in the latter days people will fall away from the truth of God and follow strange doctrines. He encouraged Timothy to be disciplined and stay true to what he had been taught. He was to continue in the public reading of Scripture, and also to exhort and teach. He was also instructed to not neglect the spiritual gifts God had given him at his conversion, so that he could be assured of his salvation and the salvation of those under him. Timothy is instructed in Chapter 5 to honor true widows and help them as their needs require. He must use discernment to find out who these widows are so that the women with families that remain can help them, or if they are young enough they can find new husbands to care for them. Timothy by this was encouraged to be a good steward of the resources God had provided him. He was also told to respect his elders and listen to their counsel. Paul also told him to judge responsibly. In Chapter 6 Paul gave instructions to those who minister. There is great responsibility placed on those who would preach the gospel. Paul commanded Timothy in verse 13-14 “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” He also wrote in verse 20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.” This ends the Book of 1 Timothy. We will now go on to the Book of 2 Timothy. The Book of 2 Timothy was written by Paul during his second imprisonment in Rome during 66-67 AD shortly before he was martyred by Nero. Paul was concerned for his friend Timothy’s spiritual health and needed to pass on his non apostolic ministry to him before his imminent death. In Chapter 1 Paul reminded Timothy of his mother and grandmother who had taught him well as a youth. Paul told him in verse 8-9 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” He also told Timothy in verse 13-14 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” Everyone had turned their backs on Paul and he was now alone with only Luke for company. Paul told Timothy to be strong in Chapter 2. He was to suffer as Paul suffered to bring the gospel to the world. Paul said that the suffering was worth the reward. Paul also told Timothy in verse 15-16 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness” Paul then gave Timothy the characteristics of a good servant. In Chapter 3 Timothy was warned by Paul of the difficult times that were ahead for him. In his ministry Timothy would be faced with all sorts of ungodly men and their temptations. Paul equates these men to Jannes and Jambres, the Egyptian wise men who opposed Moses back in the Book of Exodus with Pharaoh when he freed the Israelites from bondage. Timothy was told to remember what he had been taught by Paul and to continue steadfast in the ministry. Paul told him in verse 16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” In Chapter 4 Paul charged Timothy to “Preach the Word.” He was told to be ready at all times to do the work that God had laid out for him without excuse. Paul knew his days were numbered and that his death would soon come. He was satisfied that he had finished what the Lord had for him to do and was ready to go home and be with the Lord. Paul asked Timothy to come to Rome and visit him. Everyone else except Luke had deserted him and he wished to see his beloved son in the faith again one last time before his death. This ends the Book of 2 Timothy. We will now move on to the Book of Titus. The Book of Titus was written along with the Book of 1 Timothy during Paul’s time of freedom in Rome between his times in prison during 60-62 AD. This book along with 1 & 2 Timothy are known as the Pastoral Epistles because of their focus on church leadership. Titus was a fellow worker with Paul and like Timothy was well loved by the apostle. Titus was left in Crete by Paul to select elders for the church on the island. Paul trusted Titus with this task and sent him this letter with some additional advice. In Chapter 1 Paul listed the qualifications to hold the office of an Elder in the church. The candidate must be a mature Christian man who exhibited good character and a fruitful life. He also must be able to teach sound doctrine and refute those who come to contradict the faith. Paul gave examples of men who would come up against the church and try to corrupt and destroy the body of Christ. In Chapter 2 Paul then went through God’s order for people and their individual responsibilities. He began with older men then to older women and their proper behavior. He then listed younger men and slaves. These behaviors were necessary to be taught to the church so that it could remain pure until Christ’s return for it. In Chapter 3 Paul spoke of godly living. We are to conduct ourselves properly before one another. Titus is told to hold on to what is good and reject that which is evil. This ends the Book of Titus. We will now look at the short Book of Philemon. The Book of Philemon is a short personal letter from Paul to a wealthy believer in Colossae named Philemon. This letter was one of the Prison Epistles Paul wrote from a Roman jail during 60-62 AD. The reason for this letter was to plead for Onesimus, a runaway slave who Paul converted in Rome and had been useful to him in ministry. Before his conversion to Christianity, Onesimus had stolen some money from his master, Philemon and fled to Rome. In Rome he was led to the Lord and became friends with Paul and a worker in the Roman church. Due to Roman law and Philemon’s own repentant attitude Paul was required to return the slave to Colossae and his rightful master. Paul wished Onesimus would be forgiven by Philemon and included into the church at Colossae. Paul offered to pay back the money Onesimus had stolen from his own pocket. Paul also meant this letter to show the entire Christian church to show forgiveness and to accept people into the faith who had made mistakes in the past. This ends the Book of Philemon. We will now begin the Book of Hebrews. The writer of the Book of Hebrews is unknown and lost to time. Some say Paul wrote the book, and others say it could have been any from a host of characters in the early church. It is believed the book was written during 67 AD. One thing that is known about the book is that it was written to Jewish people to persuade them that the way of Jesus is a better way and the Lord’s fulfillment to the Law of Moses. In Chapter 1 the book reveals God’s thoughts about His Son. Jesus is better than the angels and has taken His place at the right hand of His Father. The first chapter is composed of passages from the Old Testament. In Chapter 2 the writer began to build his case for Jesus. We are told to take heed that our sin deserves a penalty. As the writer put in verse 3 “How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” Even though man has put the whole earth into subjection to him we see in verse 9 what Jesus has done for us “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” Even with our self-imposed greatness we are in need of a savior. In Chapter 3 Jesus is revealed to be our high priest. The text quotes from the Old Testament Book of Psalms 95 in verse 7-11 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’” The Israelites died during the forty years of wandering through the wilderness because of their hardened hearts. The writer urges them to not harden their hearts to the salvation that had been promised to them through Jesus. Chapter 4 is on God’s rest He has promised to those who believe in His Son. The writer then revealed an important truth about Scripture in verse 12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The text also says in verse 14-15 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” I then personally like the King James Version rendering of verse 16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Hebrews and finish up in the Book of 2 Peter. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 53: 52-HEBREWS 5 – 2 PETER 3 ======================================================================== Hebrews 5 – 2 Peter 3 Dec. 19, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of Hebrews in Chapter 5. Last week we finished up the letters of the Apostle Paul that have been preserved as Scripture in our Bible. This week we will finish up Hebrews and look at Peter’s words to the church. In Chapter 5 the writer compares Jesus to the character Melchizedek from the Old Testament Book of Genesis. He was the priest/king of Salem that Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils of his victory over the kings after his nephew Lot was taken captive. Abraham recognized the importance of this man and gave him the proper respect he was due. Jesus, like Melchizedek is also a high priest and king. The text says that we do not know all that Jesus has taught us because we have become dull of hearing and are not willing to accept the solid food of the Word, but are satisfied with milk, like children. The dangers of falling away from the faith are discussed in Chapter 6. The future is dark for those who knew the goodness and teaching of the Lord but have rejected them. It will be hard for them to come to repentance. The writer is assured that these things are not going to happen to us, the readers of this book. God has a plan for each of us that we will not stray from. We have been promised like Abraham that we will be blessed by God. This promise and hope keeps us following the Lord. The text records in verse 19-20 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek is brought up again in Chapter 7. The similarities between Melchizedek and Jesus are listed in the text. Jesus is not a temporary priest, but an eternal one. We are given the truth in verse 25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” In Chapter 8 we are shown that the ministry of Jesus is much better than the Law. God has made a new covenant with man that is described from the Old Testament in verse 10-12 “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” In Chapter 9 the text describes the tabernacle of Moses and also its furniture. Only once a year could the high priest approach God in the Holy of Holies with a basin of blood to atone for the sins of the people. Jesus changed all this by His sacrificial death on the cross and the shedding of his blood to cover our sin. This blood could do what the blood of sheep and goats could not do. The blood of Jesus forever forgives us of sin as long as we have called out his name, and walk in his ways. His one time death was sufficient to reconcile us to God. The text says in verse 27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Chapter 10 adds to the fact that the death of Christ was sufficient to take away the sin of the world. The text reveals in verse 4 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” We have been given a better way. We are able to go within the veil into the Holy place through the blood of Jesus and be near to our God. We have all been washed clean of our sin and as the text says in verse 22-25 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” But if we do not accept Jesus and the free gift of salvation from the Father and continue in sin, Jesus will come and judge us for our actions. Chapter 11 is known as the hall of faith. Here are listed the giants of faith recorded in God’s Word. The beginning of the chapter covers those who were blessed with good lives and prosperity for their faith, but the end of the chapter also reveals that faith can be made evident in the suffering of God’s people. Many showed their faith through hardships, even to death. We are to do the work of God; our time on earth is only temporary. In Chapter 12 the writer told us that because we have been surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses we have no excuse but to live out our salvation correctly. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is described in verse 2 as “the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We are told to not grow weary and lose heart. As revealed in the Old Testament passage in verse 5-6 “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” God will discipline us if we stray. He does this to help us as a father would his child he loves. We are told to preserve peace and not to let bitterness overtake us. We are under the new covenant that is expressed in Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, and not Sinai the place of the Law. The kingdom of God is strong and not able to be shaken as revealed in verse 28-29 “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Chapter 13 reminds us to stay true to the teachings of Jesus and continue to walk worthy of Him. Jesus in unchanging as recorded in verse 8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” We all should offer up a sacrifice of praise to the Lord and give thanks to His name. This ends the Book of Hebrews. We will now begin the Book of James. The Book of James was written by the Lord’s oldest half-brother, James most likely about 44 AD to the Jewish Christians who were dispersed due to persecution from Herod Agrippa 1 the king of Judea and the surrounding provinces. The Book of James can be looked at as a series of tests to determine true genuine faith. In Chapter 1 we are told to be joyful as we go through trials and persecution for the Lord. This does not include joy in the trouble we bring upon ourselves by our own foolish decisions or wrongdoing, but only what was caused by lifting up the name of Jesus. These trials and tests are to build character and mature our faith and are required so that we will experience growth. We are told in verse 22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” One who only hears the Word and refuses to act on what he has heard soon forgets and goes back to his old ways. Another important truth is in verse 26 “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” The tongue can cause great damage and will be further addressed in Chapter 3. In the end of the chapter James wrote that true religion includes benevolence. In Chapter 2 James wrote that we must not hold ourselves more highly than others. Our attitude towards others must be the same whether they are rich or poor, smart or dumb, beautiful or ugly, or any other individual trait. We must strive to follow the whole Law because if we miss the mark on one point, we are guilty of all. Grace is not an allowance for sin. James also wrote in verse 17 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” Mature growing faith is made manifest in good works of the Holy Spirit in a believer. Without good works our faith is useless to God. James returned to the discussion on the tongue in Chapter 3. He equates the tongue to a horses bit, and a ships rudder. Like these two small things that can control large things, the tongue, even though small can control a great many things. It is like a small fire that can set an entire forest ablaze. It is the tongue that defiles the body and no one is able to tame it. We need to pray that we can gain control over our tongues and what comes out of our mouths. As verse 11-12 reveals “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.” At the end of the chapter James instructs that wisdom comes from above and is the perfect expression of God. James wrote to us what to guard in Chapter 4. We do so many incorrect things and are confused why we do not receive what we ask for. The problem is that we ask for our own foolish desires and disregard the will of God for our lives. God is not a vending machine, prayer in, request out, but a loving father that will only give us what is best for His purpose. The text records in verse 7-10 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” We are also not to judge our brothers. We are to live our lives as is put in verse 14-17 “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” In Chapter 5 James wrote on the misuse of wealth. Misery can only come to a man who spends his money on pleasures and luxurious living. This will be his only reward. Riches should be used wisely to further the kingdom of God and those in true need. James then told us to be patient and wait on the Lord’s return to the earth. We are to pray and sing praises to God. Elders of the church should pray over the sick, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. We are also as written in verse 16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” This ends the Book of James. We will now turn to the Book of 1 Peter. The Book of 1 Peter is the first of two letters of the Apostle Peter that have been preserved as Scripture. These two books and also the Gospel of Mark are the apostle’s words to the church he had helped to found after Jesus’ resurrection. It is believed that Peter dictated his letter to Silas around 64 AD to encourage believers that were experiencing persecution from Rome. Nero, the Roman emperor, had set Rome on fire in his lust to build. He had to destroy the city to be able to build new buildings. Nero blamed the fire on the Christians, and the devastated inhabitants of the city took out their anger on the Christian church. In Chapter 1 Peter wrote of the hope a Christian has because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we have obtained an undefiled, imperishable inheritance in heaven. This suffering on earth is only for a little while so we should rejoice in the trials that refine us and make us more precious than perishable gold. Because of this gift we must, as revealed in verse 13-16 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Peter then wrote in Chapter 2 that we who believe should desire the pure milk of the Word by which we will grow in our salvation. We are all living stones that are building up the house of God where Jesus is the chief cornerstone. We are also as written in verse 9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” We are then told to submit ourselves to every human authority and government which is the will of God for His people. We are to act as freemen and not use our freedom as a covering for evil. Jesus is our example. He submitted to the shame and death on the cross to redeem us to the Father. The text records in verse 25 “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” Peter then wrote on God’s order in Chapter 3. Women need to be submissive to their husbands. They must conduct their lives in obedience to the Word of God. They should possess a quiet and gentle spirit and dress appropriately. Husbands also in the same way must treat their wives with understanding and with the knowledge that they are the weaker vessel. We should all conduct ourselves in harmony and peace. The text records in verse 18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” In Chapter 4 we are to keep ourselves from our old nature and the sins the lost commit. The text reveals in verse 7-8 “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” We are also told not to be surprised at the trials we encounter. We as believers are going to share in the sufferings of Christ. The truth is in verse 19 “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” In Chapter 5 we are told to be a willing servant of God. To those who do this Jesus will give an unfading crown of glory when they get to heaven. We are to be humble and cast our cares on Jesus. We also must be aware as written in verse 8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Our suffering will only be for a little while because Christ will come. We are to remain steadfast in the grace of God. This ends the Book of 1 Peter. We will now move on to the Book of 2 Peter. The Book of 2 Peter is the second letter of Peter to the church. This letter is believed to have been written from a Roman prison shortly before the apostle’s execution in 67 AD. The letter was written to warn the church of false teachers that had started to appear that had the potential to corrupt body of Christ. In Chapter 1 Peter encouraged the reader into spiritual growth. He reminded us of what we received along with conversion and the promises of God and the power we had been granted. We have been chosen and called by God and it is our duty to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Chapter 2 reveals there are false prophets that have risen up among the people who will induce heresies into the faith. Many will be deceived by their words. Peter then gave an example of the fallen angels, the world before Noah, and Sodom and Gomorrah to show God’s judgement over sinful acts. This was to show the reality of God’s penalty on His sin cursed unrepentant creation. The false teachers and their followers will turn to every kind of evil and wicked way imaginable to sinful man. Chapter 3 is on the coming day of the Lord. During the last days people will mock the faith and turn away from the truth. The earth was created by water and flooded in the past by water. It is now reserved for judgement through fire. The only thing that has delayed this judgement is revealed in verse 8-9 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” In the end the heavens and the earth will pass away with a roar. Even the elements will not escape the destruction. We though have been promised a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness will live. Peter in the end of his letter told us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This ends the Book of 2 Peter and our study for this week. Next week we will look at the letters of John and Jude then begin the Book of Revelation. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 54: 53-1 JOHN 1 – REVELATION 11 ======================================================================== 1 John 1 – Revelation 11 Dec. 26, 2009 We will begin our study this week in the Book of 1 John. Last week we finished up the Book of Hebrews and looked at the Book of James and the two letters of Peter. This week we will start with the first of the Apostle John’s three letters. The Book of 1 John was written by the Apostle John from the city of Ephesus during 90-95 AD. John wrote his letter as an old man to help stem the tide of the growing heresy of Gnosticism that threatened the early church. The theme of this first letter of John could be viewed as getting back to Christian basics. John began this letter in Chapter 1 as he began his gospel account. He describes Jesus Christ as the Living Word of God and that He was from the beginning. Mankind knows who Jesus is because they have examined Him with all their senses, ears, eyes, and touch. Jesus Christ is fully God and also fully man. The Gnostics wanted to deny these facts. John then reminded the reader that God is light and when we walk in that light we have fellowship with Him. To know and love God is to obey Him. We all have sinned, but the blood of Christ has cleansed us of sin. If anyone says they have not sinned they are a liar. In Chapter 2 John reveals that he has written his letter to encourage people not to sin. He does though say that if we do sin Jesus is our advocate to the Father who pleads our case for us. He is able to remind His Father that we are covered by the blood of His ultimate sacrifice. To know the Lord is to keep His commandments. John used a play on words to let readers know that the Word of God has not changed. The old commandments were only brought to life through Jesus. The new commandment of Jesus is love which is the end result of following the original commandments of God. John then spoke on the three stages of believers, little children, young men, and fathers. We are told to not love the world. We have been set apart from the world and all the worldly lusts. This world system will give rise to the antichrist who will deny the Father and the Son. We though, who abide in the Father and Son are promised eternal life. In the beginning of Chapter 3 John wrote about a marvelous promise of God to those who love Him and keep His commandments. We will be children of God and when Jesus returns for His church we will be raised up and changed to be like Him. Our minds will be opened and our senses will be sharpened to finally understand the true majesty of our Lord and King. John then divided the human race into two kinds of people, the people who practice lawlessness and are of the Devil, and those who love one another and are of God. John then warned us not to be deceived and turn out as Abel’s brother Cain from the Book of Genesis. We should not be surprised when the world hates us, because we are not of the world. God’s will for us is recorded in verse 23 “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” In Chapter 4 John wrote to us that we are to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. If any come to you with new information and ideas first see if they hold to the teachings of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection before you attribute their words to God. Many false teachers or antichrists will come and attempt to deceive the church. We must be careful to avoid such men. God is love and those who belong to Him exhibit that love for one another. In Chapter 5 John wrote about our Christian victory. Through our faith in Jesus Christ we have overcome the world. For the one who lives by faith the commandments of God is not a burden. We who have recognized the testimony of God have our own testimony of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. John then revealed why he wrote this letter and who he wrote it for. This letter was to remind those people who believe in Jesus Christ that they have obtained eternal life. John also clears up any questions about our requests to God in verse 14-15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” John’s final topic in this letter is sin that leads to death. A Christian can commit certain sins that will cause God to remove them early from the earth. These sins are not specific sins. I believe they are sins that could cause irreparable damage to the church. At the end of the letter John warns us to beware of idols. This ends the Book of 1 John. We will now turn to the Book of 2 John. The Book of 2 John was the Apostle John’s second letter from Ephesus. The letter was personal and addressed to a prominent woman that John knew to warn her against the false teachers that had made inroads in the church. He wished to tell her personally but believed this information was too urgent to await a visit to her home. This letter was also written during 90-95 AD. In the beginning of this letter John called himself the Elder indicating his advanced age and status in the Ephesian church. The letter then named the recipient as a prominent lady and her children in the church. John commended the woman on how some of her children had responded to her teaching and care. He reminded her about the old and now new commandment that we need to love one another. This love is made evident in our walk with the Lord and how we have kept His commandments. John then warned the woman about the deceivers that were around that denied that Jesus was one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. The woman was told to stay true to what she had believed in the beginning so that she would not lose any of the reward she had gained for her service through her faithfulness. She was told to not allow entry to her home of any false teachers who wished to steer her from true faith. She was not even to give them a greeting. John said to end the letter he would visit her soon. This ends the Book of 2 John. We will now move into the Book of 3 John. The Book of 3 John was the Apostle John’s third letter from Ephesus in 90-95 AD. John in his old age wrote this short personal letter to a believer named Gaius in a nearby church. He wrote the letter to personally commend Gaius on his Christian hospitality towards the traveling workers John had sent out from Ephesus. John reminded that these men were sent out with nothing and told not to accept help from unbelievers. John then spoke of a leader in the church of Gaius named Diotrephes who thought much of himself and refused to offer the visitors hospitality and threw those who did from the church. John said he would address this man when he comes in person to the church. Gaius was instructed to stay as he was and not to imitate Diotrephes. He was then told that Demetrius was a worthy visitor and needed to be received properly. John had much else to say to Gaius but wished to say it in person, and not with pen and ink. This ends the Book of 3 John. We will now begin the Book of Jude. The Book of Jude was written by the half-brother of Jesus, and the brother of James. Jude became a believer along with his siblings after the resurrection of their brother Jesus Christ and became prominent in the early church. The Book of Jude was written in 70AD shortly after the Book of 2 Peter. Jude had originally wanted to write a “feel good” letter about their common salvation but became compelled to write against the appearance of false teachers in the church. He told his readers to earnestly contend for the faith. False teachers had crept into the church and attempted to include doctrines that Jesus and the apostles had not taught. These new doctrines were false and needed to be avoided. Jude then spoke of several incidences in the Word of God where gross immorality was punished. The first was the Israelites who disbelieved perished in the wilderness during the forty years of wandering, the second the fallen angels of the Book of Genesis Chapter 6 that sinned were placed in chains and the third, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which were destroyed on the plain for their sin. The Lord is longsuffering but also just. Jude then warned about turning to the ways of Cain who killed his brother, or committing the error of Balaam who turned Israel to other gods, or the rebellion of Korah in the wilderness. All people such as this have a place prepared for them in darkness. Jude then brought up a story from the Book of Enoch that said in verse 14-16 “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.” This is about the coming day of the Lord when Jesus will come to judge the earth. In the end Jude reminds us to keep ourselves in the love of God and not cause divisions in the body. This ends the Book of Jude. We will now begin the final book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is not only the last book in the Bible, it was the last book written in the Bible. The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation from exile on the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor. John was an old man, all the other apostles had been martyred years before and only the disciple Jesus loved remained to write the Lord’s final prophecy for the earth. The book was written about 94-96 AD and is divided into three parts as revealed by Jesus himself in Chapter 1 verse 19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.” In Chapter 1 it is recorded that this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ communicated to His servant John. There is a blessing attached to those who read and heed the prophecy of this book. Revelation was addressed to seven specific churches in western Asia Minor and contains the final words of the risen Christ to creation. Jesus refers to Himself in verse 8 as “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” This title indicates His eternal nature. John was then told to write the sights he saw down in a book and send it to the churches of Asia Minor. This ends the portion of the book which is “the things which you have seen.” In Chapter 2 the first letter of “the things which are” was written to the church at Ephesus where John was last Pastor. The church was able to discern false teachers, but they had lost their first love. They were going through the motions of work but had forgotten who they worked for. They were told to regain their love for Jesus that they had in the beginning. The letters have impact on the churches today. Many have also lost the love for Jesus as they go about their programs and activities. The second letter was to the church in Smyrna. This church was persecuted and in deep poverty. Jesus let the faithful know that although they were financially poor they were spiritually rich and their reward was waiting for them in heaven. Today’s church in Iran, the Sudan, and China are like the church in Smyrna. The third letter was to the church at Pergamum, the throne of Satan. People there held to the teachings of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans in their false gods and immorality. We also have different gods today that we can be deceived into following. The fourth letter was to the church at Thyatira whose people followed a woman that was like Jezebel of the Old Testament who turned Israel to other gods and committed acts of immorality. The believers of this Jezebel will be judged according to their deeds in the end. In Chapter 3 the fifth letter was written to the church at Sardis who thought they were alive, but were really dead. We have churches today that have professed faith in Jesus but have never accepted Him in their lives and experienced rebirth. They have been deceived into a false sense of conversion and are believers in name only. The sixth letter is to the church at Philadelphia. This church was persecuted but remained true to the faith. They were promised to be kept out of the time of tribulation that was to come upon the earth described in the last section of this book known as the seventieth week of Daniel and the time of Jacob’s trouble, the tribulation period of God’s wrath on the unbelieving earth. The seventh letter was written to the church at Laodicea, the lukewarm church. The people there were as lackluster as their water supply. Jesus wanted nothing to do with them until they made up their minds. He wanted them to regain the heat they had for God when they were first saved. There are a lot of lukewarm churches today that will be surprised when Jesus returns. In each of the letters the people who overcome the world are promised a place with Jesus in eternity. Chapter 4 began the third period covered in the Book of Revelation, “the things which will take place after these things.” The scene shifts to heaven and the throne of God. The cherubim are present around the Father and cry out in verse 8 “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” There are twenty four elders around the throne who cast their crowns before the throne and say in verse 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” In Chapter 5 the Father on the throne held a scroll that has seven seals and asked who was worthy to take the scroll and break the seals? The people around the throne wept because no one worthy could be found. The Father said His Son was worthy to open the Book. Jesus appeared as a lamb that had been slain and took the scroll. The elders fell down with the bowls of incense that held the prayers of the saints and sang a new song in verse 9 “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” All in heaven then worshipped the Lamb and said in verse 12-13 “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” The seals to the scroll were broken in Chapter 6. The first four seals loosed the horsemen of the apocalypse. The first seal loosed the white horse that held a conqueror. The second seal loosed the red horse which brought war on the earth. The third seal loosed the black horse that brought scarcity and want. Then the forth seal loosed the pale horse that brought death through famine and pestilence. The fifth seal was the souls of those of those that had been slain for the Word of God under the altar crying out for vengeance. They were told to wait for a little while for the rest of their brethren to be killed. The sixth seal brought about terror on the earth through a great earthquake that changed the face of the earth and the sky. People tried to flee from the wrath of the Lamb. In Chapter 7 before the seventh and last seal of the scroll was opened, a pause occurred to allow time for one hundred forty four thousand Jews to be sealed on their foreheads the seal of the Living God to evangelize the Jewish nation during this time of tribulation. There was a multitude from all nations and tongues before the throne and the Lamb with palm branches clothed in white, worshipping the Lord. When asked, the angel said they were the ones that came out from great tribulation and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They were told in verse 15-17 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” In Chapter 8 the seventh seal was broken and there was a quiet time of half an hour in heaven. Seven angels were given seven trumpets to blow the next judgments on the earth and the remaining people. An angel stood with a censer of incense to add to the prayers of the saints before the throne. After the smoke of the prayers went up before God the angel took coals from the altar and rained fire on the earth. That was followed by lightning, thunder and an earthquake. An angel sounded the first trumpet that caused hail with fire mixed with blood to destroy a third of the earth including a third of the trees and a third of the grass was burned up. The second trumpet sound caused a large mountain to fall from the sky into the sea and kill a third of the fish and destroy a third of the ships of men. The third trumpet sound caused a large star named Wormwood to fall from the sky and poison a third of the rivers and the springs of the earth. Many died from the waters. The fourth trumpet caused a third of the sun, moon, and stars to be darkened that changed the night and the day. In Chapter 9 the fifth trumpet sounded and the bottomless pit was opened. Creatures came out like locusts to torment those that did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. The locusts were strange in appearance. They were like battle horses with crowns and the faces of men. They had a woman’s hair and tails like scorpions. Those that were stung longed for death but it would not come. Their king was in Hebrew Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon. This was the first of three woes to come. The sixth trumpet sound released four angels that were bound at the River Euphrates that had been prepared to kill a third of mankind. The armies of horsemen numbered was two hundred million. Mankind still did not repent. After this in Chapter 10 a strong angel came down from heaven with a little book in his hand. He landed with one foot on land and the other in the sea. The angel preached from his position. John was then told to take the book and eat it. The book was sweet as honey, but bitter in his stomach. He was then told in verse 11 “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” In Chapter 11 God sent two witnesses to earth to prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days clothed in sackcloth. Some believe that these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah returned to earth for a time. The witnesses had been given supernatural power to protect themselves during their time of witness. The beast that will come from the abyss will make war with the two and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem for three and one half days while the tormented people rejoice over their death. The Lord will then call them back to life and they will rise up to heaven while the terrified people watch. An earthquake will then destroy a tenth of the city and kill seven thousand. The remaining people will then glorify the Lord. The second woe had passed and the final woe quickly approached. When the seventh trumpet sounded, loud voices from heaven said in verse 15-18 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.“And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” Again there came, lightning, thunder and an earthquake on the earth. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Book of Revelation and our yearlong study through God’s Word. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 55: 54-REVELATION 12 – 22 ======================================================================== Revelation 12 – 22 Jan 2, 2010 We will begin our study this week in the Book of Revelation. Last week we looked at the letters of John, and Jude then began the Book of Revelation. In Revelation we covered the letters from Jesus to the churches in Asia Minor and the seal and trumpet judgments of God on the earth. This week, in Chapter 12, the seal and trumpet judgments were complete and the scene shifted to an illustration of Israel, Satan, and Jesus Christ. Verse 1 gave a picture of a great woman who was pregnant and about to give birth. This picture was of Israel, the chosen people of God, and the twelve tribes that were ready to produce the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. The next sign was of a great dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. This picture was of our adversary, Satan and the earthly kingdoms under his control that were represented in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. Next was an illustration of Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven and his fall to earth with a third of God’s angels he deceived into following him. From this point on Satan’s goal was to prevent the birth of God’s Son. Satan and his angels were unsuccessful and Jesus Christ was born and fulfilled His ministry on earth and redeemed sinful man back to their Creator. The text records that Israel then fled into the wilderness to a place of protection God prepared for them during the final three and one half years of tribulation on the earth. The text then described a war in heaven between Satan with his angels and Michael, the angel we learned from the Book of Daniel stood for Israel, and God’s angelic army. Satan was not strong enough to prevail and was cast to earth to persecute God’s people. Satan was ferocious in his persecution because from verse 12 he knows “he has only a short time.” Satan attempted to harm Israel with a flood of water, but God opened the earth to spoil his plans. Chapter 13 started out with a terrible beast that rose out of the sea of people. This beast was the Antichrist, the world dictator under the control of Satan who mimicked the acts of Christ but turned against a deceived Israel during the time of the Great Tribulation on the earth. At this time the old Roman Empire will be revived and consist of ten kingdoms or countries. The Antichrist was fatally wounded but rose again and was worshipped by the whole world as Jesus should have been. The text says in verse 7-8 “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Satan and his followers were against all who believe and follow the Lord. Another beast then came out from the earth that compelled, by the authority of the first beast, the world to worship the Antichrist who had come back to life after being slain. This false prophet created an image of the first beast that he breathed life into that man was forced to worship. Under his doing all who worshipped the beast were given on their right hands or their foreheads the name of the beast or his number. Without this mark of the beast men were unable to buy or sell and participate in society. The number of the beast was 666. No one knows exactly what this number represents, but it is believed to have something to do with numerology, or the representation and associations of words with numbers. John then witnessed another awesome sight in Chapter 14. Jesus was standing on Mount Zion along with the one hundred forty four thousand sealed evangelists from Chapter 7. They sang a new song before the throne of God, the Cherubim, and the twenty four elders. These sealed were purchased as the first fruits of men offered to God. There was then an angel that flew over the earth to preach an eternal gospel to those who remained and would listen. The angel said the hour of judgement had come. Another angel then said in verse 8 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” A third angel then said that all who worship the beast and wear his mark will experience the full wrath of God. The time had come to harvest the earth. Angels then swept their sharp sickles over the earth and threw those they picked into the great winepress of the wrath of God. The text records that for two hundred miles around the press the blood rose to a horses bridle. Chapter 15 shifts back to heaven where there were seven angels with the seven plagues of God. These were the last and final judgments of God’s wrath upon the earth. Those who had victory over the beast and refused his mark stood on a sea of glass mixed with fire holding the harps of God and sang in verse 3-4 “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.” The seven angels were then given seven bowls filled with the wrath of God. In Chapter 16 the angels were told to pour out the wrath of God on the earth. The first bowl caused loathsome and malignant sores to appear on those who had the mark of the beast. The second bowl caused the sea to turn to blood and kill everything in it. The third caused the rivers and springs of the earth to also change to blood to avenge the blood of the saints that had been poured out. The fourth bowl caused the earth and its people to be scorched with fire. In their agony the people blasphemed the name of God and did not repent of their evil acts. The fifth bowl dried up the Euphrates River to prepare a path for the kings of the east. Out of the mouth of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet came unclean spirits like frogs that performed signs and wonders to deceive and gather the armies of the nations together at a place called Har-Magedon for battle on the much prophesied day of the Lord. When the angel poured out the seventh bowl a voice was heard from heaven and said “It is done” The earth was full of lightning and thunder. An earthquake greater than the world had ever seen occurred that caused the city of Babylon to be split into three parts. Men were pounded into the ground by huge hailstones that weighed as much as one hundred pounds each. Chapter 17 marked the doom of Babylon, the false world religion that had deceived the world. The men that remained on the earth had only a short time left. They will wage war with Jesus but will be overcome because in verse 14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” This war will last only until the Words of God are fulfilled. In Chapter 18 an angel cried in verse 2 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” The place of sins had been destroyed and judged. The wicked mourn the passing of Babylon and all its lusts because of their greed and sin. A strong angel then threw a great millstone into the sea as an illustration of the future of Babylon and all that had a lust for her. A great multitude was heard from heaven, in Chapter 19, saying hallelujahs to God for His power, wisdom, and mighty works. The multitudes sang in verse 6 “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” Then according to the text came the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. Those that overcame the tribulation and stayed true to the word of God and refused the beast were invited to be guests in heaven where Jesus is joined to His bride, the church. After the wedding Jesus returned to earth as the prophecy said, not meek and mild but as the mighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus set foot on the Mount of Olives to finish off the nations of the earth in the battle of Armageddon. During the battle the beast and the false prophet were seized and cast into the lake of eternal fire that had been prepared for the devil and his angels. The text records that the rest of the enemies of God were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of Jesus. Their remains became food for the scavenging birds of the earth. In Chapter 20 an angel came down from heaven with a large chain with lock and key and bound Satan and locked him in the abyss for one thousand years. During this time Jesus and the saints ruled the earth in the Millennial Kingdom promised to Israel long ago. This was a time of great peace and prosperity on the earth. All of God’s people throughout history were resurrected at this time to be part of the Lord’s kingdom and would have no part in the second death that would come to the wicked. Those who were named among the wicked remained in the grave until the thousand years had passed. When the thousand year reign of Jesus was complete Satan was loosed from the abyss for a short time to deceive the nations. Those offspring of the people in the millennia that did not stay true to the Lord were revealed by this act. They gathered with Satan against Jerusalem and were devoured by fire from heaven. Satan faced his final defeat and was thrown into the lake of eternal fire to join the beast and false prophet from before. After this a great white throne appeared in heaven and Jesus sat on it to judge the wicked from the earth. Those wicked dead from the ages were resurrected from the grave to stand for judgement before the Lord. The books were opened and the men were judged according to their deeds. The text records in verse 14-15 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Chapter 21 records the new heaven and new earth that have been created to replace the old. A great city, the New Jerusalem was seen coming down from heaven. The wonderful truth was told in verse 3-7 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” One of the seven angels spoke to John and pointed out the bride of Christ, the church in the new city from heaven. The description of the city and its splendor was unlike anything that had ever been imagined on the old earth. Here God will dwell with His people and be their light. Only those whose names were found in the book of life will be in the city. Chapter 22 showed the rivers of living water and the tree of life from the Garden of Eden inside the New Jerusalem. Here there will be no more curse. Jesus and the Father will reign forever and ever and we will serve Him. John was then told by Jesus in verse 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” The final message of the Bible is to heed the warnings of this book and make things right so your name will be found in the book of life. Jesus said in verse 12-13 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” A stern warning is given to anyone who would add or take away from this book of prophecy. At the end of the book those who hold to these words repeated the words of Jesus in verse 20 “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” This ends our study for this week and also our yearlong study through God’s Word. Congratulations, I pray you have been blessed as I have been blessed by this year of work. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 56: 55-BIBLE READING CHART ======================================================================== Bible Reading Chart Through The Bible In One Year Study Schedule 2009 Jan 1-3 Gen 1-9 Jun 28-Jul 4 Psalm 18-59 4-10 Gen 10-30 Jul 5-11 Psalm 60-100 11-17 Gen 31-Ex 1 12-18 Psalm 101-143 18-24 Ex 2-22 19-25 Psalm 144-Prov 22 25-31 Ex 23-40 Jul 26-Aug 1 Prov 23-Isa 4 Feb 1-7 Lev 1-18 Aug 2-8 Isa 5-42 8-14 Lev 19-Num 6 9-15 Isa 43-Jer 6 15-21 Num 7-20 16-22 Jer 7-31 22-28 Num 21-36 23-29 Jer 32-52 Mar 1-7 Deut 1-20 Aug 30-Sep 5 Lam 1-Ezek 19 8-14 Deut 21- Josh 6 Sep 6-12 Ezek 20-42 15-21 Josh 7-23 13-19 Ezek 43-Hos 6 22-28 Josh 24-Judg 17 20-26 Hos 7-Hab 3 Mar 29-Apr 4 Judg 18-1 Samuel 14:23 Sep 27-Oct 3 Zeph 1-Matt 9 Apr 5-11 1 Samuel 14:24-2Sam 2 Oct 4-10 Matt 10-24 12-18 2Sam 3-2Sam 20 11-17 Matt 25-Mark 11 19-25 2Sam 21-1Kgs 11 18-24 Mark 12-Luke 9 25-31 Luke 10-24 Apr 26-May 2 1Kng 12-2Kng 5 May 3-9 2Kng 6- 2Kng 23:20 Nov 1-7 John 1-18 10-16 2Kng 23:21-1Chr 16 8-14 John 19-Acts 16 17-23 1Chr 17-2Chr 9 15-21 Acts 17-Rom 10 24-30 2Chr 10-2Chr 33 22-28 Rom 11-2Cor 4 May 31-Jun 6 2Chr 34-Neh 3 Nov 29-Dec 5 2Cor 5-Phil 4 Jun 7-13 Neh 4-Esth 7 Dec 6-12 Col 1-Heb 4 14-20 Esth 8- Job 24 13-19 Heb 5-2Pet 3 21-27 Job 25-Psalm 17 20-26 1John1-Rev 11 27-31 Rev 12-22 ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/thru-the-bible-in-a-year/ ========================================================================