Thursday, March 31, 2022
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Monday, March 28, 2022
Joshua, chapters 4 & 5, comments
Joshua 4:1 ¶ And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
Joshua 4:10 ¶
For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every
thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people,
according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed
over. 11 And
it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of
the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. 12 And
the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto
them: 13 About
forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the
plains of Jericho.
Joshua 4:14 ¶On
that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared
him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And
the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command
the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of
Jordan. 17 Joshua
therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And
it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD
were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the
priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan
returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they
did before.
Joshua 4:19 ¶
And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first
month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. 20 And
those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in
Gilgal. 21 And
he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask
their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 22 Then
ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry
land. 23 For
the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were
passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from
before us, until we were gone over: 24 That
all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that
it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
I think it is important to note that repeatedly Joshua
has told them to remember, to keep the words and deeds of God in the forefront
of their minds. They will fail at this and fail miserably.
Joshua, chapter 5
Joshua 5:1 ¶ And it came to pass, when all
the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward,
and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard
that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of
Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there
spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
The cities of Canaan were terrified of this vast horde
of former slaves who had fled Egypt and then wandered in the Sinai for forty
years. This was a massive invasion of proportions unknown until the Persians
attempted to invade Greece much later. The Canaanites had heard about the
miracles the Hebrew’s God had performed, not accepting that this was the God
who created all of them, all mankind, who had fallen away.
Joshua
5:2
¶ At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and
circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3 And
Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the
hill of the foreskins. 4 And
this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came
out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war,
died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 Now
all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that
were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of
Egypt, them they had not circumcised. 6 For
the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the
people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed,
because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he
would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he
would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 7 And
their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua
circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them
by the way. 8 And
it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they
abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 9 And
the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt
from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.
Joshua renews the covenant made between God and the
Israelites as first commanded of Abraham.
Genesis 17:7 ¶ And I will establish my
covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for
an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan,
for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my
covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep,
between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be
circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise
the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me
and you. 12 And he that is eight days
old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he
that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not
of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy
house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my
covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh
of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people;
he hath broken my covenant.
As you can see in verse 3 sharp knives, plural, were
made so that common sense tells us that Joshua commanded the circumcision to be
done and did not circumcise every man himself as some skeptics mockingly say
that the Bible suggests. You will see such a way of speaking in Genesis
regarding the incident with Hamor and Shecham and elsewhere as when David
numbers his people against God’s wishes, angering God so that Satan is
unleashed. David didn’t go out and count every person himself. See 2Samuel 24
and 1Chronicles 21.
This is interesting in that the place where God had
Joshua remove the taint of Egypt by the renewal of the rite of circumcision is
called Gilgal. Gilgal is mentioned in Deuteronomy 11:30 in Moses’ writing so
this must have been its place name and this passage in Joshua shows how it
would be remembered ever after. Pearl Harbor was the name of a place in Hawaii
which came to be forever associated with an important event in American and
World History ever after that goes way beyond its original name and meaning.
Joshu 5:10
¶ And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on
the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11 And
they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover,
unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.
So, the Passover celebration marks the beginning of
their sojourn in the Promised Land. They ate of food that had probably been
left in barns and storage harvested the previous year.
Joshu 5:12 ¶
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the
land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of
the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
The Manna has ceased and this reaffirms they are
eating of the abundance of Canaan.
Joshua 5:13 ¶
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and
looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in
his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for
us, or for our adversaries? 14 And
he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come.
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him,
What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And
the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy
foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Joshua has an experience with the preincarnate Christ,
one could assume in this bodily appearance. We’ve seen Abraham, Jacob, and
Moses have such an experience.
Genesis 32:24 ¶ And Jacob
was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the
day. 25 And when he saw that he
prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow
of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And
he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with
God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he
said,
Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed
him there. 30 And Jacob called the name
of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is
preserved.
From the Garden of Eden through differing patriarchs and Moses and
now Joshua we’ve seen God appear in different forms to His man for whom He has
a purpose. The text may say an angel, which is the appearance of, or a man, and
remember how later Gabriel will be referred to as the man Gabriel in Daniel and
the angel Gabriel in Luke. Finally, remember,
Revelation 21:17 And he
measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to
the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
An important point to make here is that God is on His
side, the side of His will, and not for any particular country or people as a
partisan. If you disobey God or put yourself in His place you are His enemy.
Abraham Lincoln made this statement according to the website Brainyquote.
“Sir, my
concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on
God's side, for God is always right.”
In his Second Inaugural
Address given just before his assassination he said;
“One
eighth of the whole population were colored slaves not distributed generally
over the union but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves
constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was
somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen perpetuate and extend this interest
was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war while
the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial
enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration
which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the
conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each
looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both
read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against
the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's
assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces but let
us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered ~
that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.
"Woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be that offenses
come but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose
that American slavery is one of those offenses which in the providence of God
must needs come but which having continued through His appointed time He now
wills to remove and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as
the woe due to those by whom the offense came shall we discern therein any
departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God
always ascribe to Him. Fondly do we hope ~ fervently do we pray ~ that this
mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it
continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty
years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three
thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.'”
So,
clearly we can understand, as Lincoln did, that God has His own purposes and
judgments that are not in keeping with our preferences.
Notice
previous instructions to Moses about removing his shoes.
Exodus 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off
thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground.
Modernists will say in a poorly thought
out manner that Joshua is only ordered to remove one shoe when the context
makes that ridiculous. “Hop over heah, Josh!” is not a likely scenario. It is
understood what is meant if you use common sense. The use of the collective
singular, shoe for shoes, foot for feet, heaven and heavens in Genesis 1:1 and
2:1. It is not rocket science. The Bible is not like your car owner’s manual.
It is not written that way.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Friday, March 25, 2022
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Psalms, chapter 9, comments
Psalm 9:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David.» I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. 4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. 5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. 7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
David is praising God, as he often does. He is great example for
us.
Psalm 7:17 I will praise
the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of
the LORD most high.
Psalm 34:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and
he departed.» I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually
be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her
boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt
his name together. 4 I sought the LORD,
and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 103:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David.» Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy
name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits:
Psalm 145:1 ¶ «David’s
Psalm of praise.» I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name
for ever and ever. 2 Every day will I
bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 146:1 ¶ Praise ye the
LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 2
While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God
while I have any being.
It is interesting to me that a king could sing a prayer for the
oppressed seeing that kings often were in the business of oppressing the
politically weaker. This must be attributed to David’s humility and his humble
origins along with his persecution by Saul.
In verse one the mention of God’s marvelous works reminds me of;
1Chronicles 16:12 Remember
his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his
mouth…24 Declare his glory among the
heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
Psalm 105:5 Remember his
marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his
mouth;
And verses like this;
Job 5:9 Which doeth great
things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
Psalm 145:3 Great is the
LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who
am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
David’s praise at God’s deliverance is also noted elsewhere. The
most famous of David’s Psalms of deliverance was my father’s favorite Bible
passage, the beginning of which are sewn into pillows on my family room sofa.
Psalm 23 expresses David’s confidence in God. He will fear no evil.
Psalm 23:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David.» The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Verse 5 details the fate of those people who reject God’s
revelation of Himself. Another Psalm has;
Psalm 149:7 To execute
vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
8 To bind their kings with
chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written:
this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
In verses 6 & 7 David makes a powerful contrast between a
physical enemy that can destroy cities and the immortal God who lives forever
untouchable by man. It is quite a contrast between the destruction that men
impose on the earth and each other in their wars and the power of the God who
gives them breath.
David did not know when the end of the world was. But, we should
remember that Benjamin Franklin, in June of 1787, acknowledged that God rules
over nations in this time as well.
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I
live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that god governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice,
is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”
And Abraham Lincoln, referring to the Civil War in March
of 1865 just before his assassination in his second inaugural address,
acknowledged the temporal judgment on nations.
Both [Union and
Confederacy] read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His
aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a
just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's
faces but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not
be answered ~ that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own
purposes. ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be that
offenses come but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.’ If we shall
suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which in the providence
of God must needs come but which having continued through His appointed time He
now wills to remove and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war
as the woe due to those by whom the offense came shall we discern therein any
departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God
always ascribe to Him. Fondly do we hope ~ fervently do we pray ~ that this
mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it
continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty
years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three
thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.'
I contend that David was speaking about temporal and
earthly judgment as he, in the last verses of the passage, refers to God’s help
of the oppressed as when David speaks of salvation he is referring to physical
deliverance from danger.
Prophetically, these are potent lines, with verse 7
revealing a link to the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation.
Revelation 20:11 ¶ And I
saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
For me, personally, I can see the
thwarting of plans of people who regard themselves as your enemy. We ask God
for protection and we praise Him for it. We are told to pray for our enemies,
though, and we do ask for those who hate us to be saved. It is the Christians’
duty to pray for their enemy’s salvation. Jesus said to His disciples;
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Psalm 9: 11 ¶ Sing praises
to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquisition for blood,
he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my
trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up
from the gates of death: 14 That I may
shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice
in thy salvation. 15 The heathen are
sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their
own foot taken. 16 The LORD is known by
the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his
own hands. Higgaion. Selah. 17 The
wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not alway be
forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail:
let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20
Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to
be but men. Selah.
Again, David instructs that people should give praise to Jehovah
and states that God dwells with Israel, Zion. They are told to be evangelists,
to tell what God has done and is doing. One definition of a prophet is one who
foretells but a clever word play reveals another work of a prophet,
forthtelling. He tells his people, David does, to tell people of God’s work.
David is not rejoicing in his army, his weapons of war, or the bravery
of his men. He is praising God and calling Zion to do the same.
In verse 12 when God looks into, inquires about, makes inquisition
for blood shed He does not forget the please of the weak and lowly oppressed by
power.
For verse 13 see a similar prayer here;
Psalm 25:19 Consider mine
enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
Then, the typical conditional promise in verse 14. I say
conditional because such promises reflect the nature of Israel’s conversion
process, with their obedience based on God’s fulfillment of promises He made to
them. See the events surrounding the covenant made with Abraham.
We are not called to say, “God, if you give me what I ask for I
promise that I’ll be faithful.” I doubt any conservative Christian, at least,
would consider basing their church attendance on how great things went for them
in the previous week. In fact, the worse things were the more likely they are
to plead for God’s mercy.
Truthfully, David’s plea is not quite as mercenary as I suggested.
He is saying that God’s protection against his enemies will allow David to
continue to praise God and to rejoice in the deliverance God gave him.
For verses 15 and 16 see these cross-references;
Psalm 7:15 He made a pit,
and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 His mischief shall
return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own
pate.
Psalm 35:8 Let destruction
come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into
that very destruction let him fall.
Psalm 37:15 Their sword
shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Psalm 57:6 They have
prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit
before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
Psalm 94:23 And he shall
bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own
wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
Proverbs 5:22 His own
iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords
of his sins.
Proverbs 22:8 ¶ He that
soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
In 17 David is talking about the nations of the heathen around him
but he is also stating a universal principle which we should mention in
reference to prophecy. Here is a king, a member of a privileged royal set of
people speaking about the expectation of the poor and understanding that the
heathen will learn that they are but fragile men. He is talking about Israel’s
enemies clearly. He prays that God will make apparent the frailty of the
nations around him. This, from David’s context, is a prayer for deliverance.
Prophetically we can see how in the Great Tribulation, the Time of
Jacob’s Trouble, the cry of the Jews will be for deliverance and mercy. Revelation,
chapter 12, is a good place to review. The nations that reject God and
persecute and murder Jews and Christians will suffer as per Jesus’ own prophecy
of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 in the series of prophecies He gave in
answer to the disciples’ question in Matthew 24. Read Matthew 24:1 through the
end of Matthew 25.
While when David is talking about the humble and the poor in this
passage, probably referring to the lower classes of society who suffer from
want and are easy prey, for us personally we can apply this to those humble
toward God and the poor in spirit. For the poor and humble as the meek see;
Isaiah 11:4 But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of
the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isaiah 29:19 The meek also
shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in
the Holy One of Israel.
Amos 2:7 That pant after
the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the
meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my
holy name:
See the meek and lowly;
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls.
But, with regard to linking the poor and humble to the poor in
spirit who are humble before God, which would be the best application of
the passage to the Christian today see the following where I have bunched
verses with contrite to show repentance in them and then verses with humble;
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is
nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite
spirit.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise.
Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith
the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.
Isaiah 66:2 For all those
things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
trembleth at my word.
Matthew 18:4 Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in
the kingdom of heaven.
Mathew 23:12 And whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.
James 4:6 But he giveth
more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto
the humble…10 Humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Then, there is this;
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We can plead with God not only for mercy but for justice and
protection from those who hate us because we love Christ.
Joshua, chapter 3, brief comments
Joshua 3:1 ¶ And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
Joshua 3:5 ¶ And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for
to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. 6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark
of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of
the covenant, and went before the people.
Joshua 3:7 ¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to
magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee. 8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the
covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye
shall stand still in Jordan. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither,
and hear the words of the LORD your God. 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God
is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the
Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the
earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of
Israel, out of every tribe a man. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet
of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall
rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from
the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
Joshua 3:14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their
tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant
before the people; 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and
the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water,
(for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose
up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those
that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were
cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the
LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites
passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Joshua establishes
himself, affirms himself as God’s ordained leader. The proof of his position
will be in the success in which he will lead the Israelites. He is going to
show them proof, a deposit on God’s leadership in a manner of speaking. This is
a miniature version of the Red Sea miracle and will show God’s approval of
Joshua as Moses’ replacement as well as God’s promise.
Monday, March 21, 2022
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Friday, March 18, 2022
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Monday, March 14, 2022
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Friday, March 11, 2022
Matthew 1:18-25 comments
Matthew 1:18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Here is an abbreviated account of the events
surrounding Christ’s birth. You can review these events in Luke 1 and 2 and
read over my comments on them including John the Baptist’s entry into the
world.
Under the Law given to Moses Mary could have been
killed but Joseph was a good man and must have loved her very much. He was
rewarded by an explanation of events from an appearance of God, the
preincarnate Christ who was also living in his betrothed’s womb.
Notice what the meaning of this conception is. It is
not like the heathen gods who came down in the form of humans to mate with
human woman carnally, as Zeus did with Leda disguised as a swan. Nor is it like
the fallen sons of God in Genesis.
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men
that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
What happened between Mary and the Holy
Spirit is something different.
Luke 1:35 And the angel
answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Now see another mention of overshadow.
Acts 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick
into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the
shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
It means, of course, to throw a shadow
upon, and in no way suggests the sex act.
Jesus is named as such because He will
save His people from their sins. Jesus is a Greek version of Hebrew names, most
notably Joshua. Some say it means Saviour, deliverance, etc. This is evident in
the verse.
In verses 22 and 23 the Holy Spirit has
linked Jesus to verses in Isaiah showing that a verse in the Old Testament can
have an immediate meaning and a prophetic meaning. Isaiah refers to an
immediate event;
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and
choose the good.16 For before the child
shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou
abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
While the Holy Spirit applies this through Matthew to Jesus. The
Hebrew Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 means, according to Strong, “with us is God.”
Joseph did not have intimate relations with Mary until she gave
birth to Jesus. Jesus was her firstborn son, which tells us she would give
birth to more sons. The Roman Catholic church says she remained a perpetual
virgin. There is a huge problem with that interpretation.
The perpetual virginity of Mary is one of the four main dogmas
regarding Mary of the Roman Catholic Church. It was first declared in a work
called the Gospel of James supposedly written some time in the second century
by a half-brother of Christ from a previous marriage of Joseph. Sounds pretty
modern doesn’t it? It is thought by some to have come from a group called the
Encratites who regarded sex as the original sin. Although rejected by the pope
in 405 and rejected by the Gelasian Decree in 500 it managed to creep into
Roman Catholic Church doctrine so that it was confirmed at the Council of
Ephesus in 431 and then again at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 and
then the Lateran Synod of 649, Mary’s perpetual virginity that is.
But, verse 25 shows us that Christ was Mary’s firstborn meaning
she had other children.
Mark 6:3 Is not this the
carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and
Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
That some Catholic writers say they had to be cousins is an
absurdity not worth arguing.
His name is JESUS and this is capitalized twice in this chapter, I
believe, for emphasis. Jesus is the English transliteration of a Greek word and
is the same name as the Hebrew Joshua.