Friday, September 30, 2022
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Monday, September 26, 2022
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Friday, September 23, 2022
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Psalm 19 comments: the heavens declare the glory of God
Psalm 19:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
In this passage we can see how David confesses something that is
prevalent in the Psalms.
Psalm 8:3 ¶ When I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast
ordained;
Psalm 33:6 By the word of
the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his
mouth.
Psalm 115:16 The heaven,
even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children
of men.
Psalm 148:3 Praise ye him,
sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye
waters that be above the heavens.
And in the prophets;
Isaiah 40:22 It is he that
sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as
grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them
out as a tent to dwell in:
Jeremiah 10:12 He hath made
the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath
stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Notice the figurative speech about the day uttering speech and the
night showing knowledge. Day and night speak for themselves, speaking volumes
about God if we are listening, available in every language of mankind. David
sees something that modern people, even Christians, are often blind to in that
how even the phases of day and night give evidence of God. They cannot be
ignored and they exist all over the earth. They are ever present and
undeniable.
Here, the sun is likened to a bridegroom and an athlete running a
race. We get the notion of joy and strength with the overwhelming heat of the
sun, pervasive and powerful.
Prophetically, what David has said here appears to point us toward
Jesus Christ as the Son, S-O-N, and the sun, S-U-N in type. Notice this
prophecy in Malachi with the Sun capitalized.
Malachi 4:1 ¶ For, behold,
the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all
that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up,
saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and
grow up as calves of the stall.
The Lord’s appearance is likened to the sun, as well.
Revelation 1:16 And he had
in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged
sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And He will take the place of the sun in providing illumination.
Isaiah 60:19 The sun shall
be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light
unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God
thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go
down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine
everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Revelation 21:23 And the
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory
of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 22:5 And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for
the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
From a personal perspective we have been brainwashed with this
philosophy of atheistic and materialistic determinism. The modernistic view
keeps us blind to the actions of God all around us, in us, and by us. Once we
open our spiritual eyes, the eyes of our mind, we can see God’s involvement in
the smallest detail of life. Reality, as we know it if we are not half asleep,
literally shouts “God is doing it.” Look at the sky, look at the earth, look
into your own hands, and see God at work.
Psalm 19:7 ¶ The law of the
LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is
sure, making wise the simple. 8 The
statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and
righteous altogether. 10 More to be
desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by
them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great
reward. 12 Who can understand his
errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be
innocent from the great transgression. 14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable
in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
David has declared the sovereignty of God and how obvious He is in
His creation. Now David moves to the words of God, the Law given to Moses.
Here, David makes some important declarations about God’s law, his statutes,
and his judgments. Notice this verse to show how these are all interconnected.
Nehemiah 9:13 Thou camest
down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them
right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
David says the law is perfect, converting the soul of man and
imparting wisdom. He also says in verse 8 that God’s law is right and makes the
heart rejoice with the clause after the colon defining that more clearly in
that God’s law is pure and opens up the internal eyes of man, letting him or
her see truth and giving them understanding. So, we have conversion and if that
is truly accomplished we have enlightenment through God’s law.
In verse 9 David declares that the fear of the Lord is
clean. Clean is contrasted with unclean, that which is approved by God with
that which is not.
Leviticus 10:10 And that ye
may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
The fear of the Lord is an important phrase in the
Bible. There are dozens of places where it is referred to and it is defined.
Here are two examples in Proverbs.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of
the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the
froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding.
David says by the law of God His servant is warned and that is a
great reward in following them. Notice what is said later in Psalms about God’s
words.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have
I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
David then says how can you understand your errors and asks for cleansing
from his secret faults.
He expresses a sentiment found elsewhere about how ignorant man
really is and how incapable he is of not only knowing his evil but even doing
anything about it without God’s intervention.
Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I
know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
As Paul says in Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the
evil which I would not, that I do.
And elsewhere in Psalms;
Psalm 17:5 Hold up my
goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a
good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalm 119:116 ¶ Uphold me
according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be
safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
And in Proverbs;
Proverbs 16:1 ¶ The
preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the
LORD.
Proverbs 20:24 ¶ Man’s
goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
David speaks of his secret faults in verse 12. This,
according to most commentators, refers to David’s sins committed out of
ignorance. We can and do commit sins because we do not have sufficient
knowledge of a matter. For instance, we may think we are doing right but what
we are doing is against the principles laid down by God in the Bible. These
could be things like trying to dominate others or expressing contempt
unconsciously. I am reminded in my own life when I became aware of unintended
and unconscious words that hurt someone. They were words I did not need to use
but that the culture I grew up in accepted as okay. When I became aware of
words that expressed contempt, even light-hearted contempt, for someone because
of their sex, race, or ethnic background I realized that I had been
unnecessarily cruel and justified it when called on it by saying, “well they
should just have thicker skin.”
Remember, in our human law, you have no excuse for committing a
crime simply because you weren’t aware it was a crime. Ignorance of the law is
no excuse. David is referring to things hidden from him that are wrong, that he
asks for protection from.
Some few commentators insist, though, that this is a reference to
sins David tries to hide from God. For instance, his affair with Bathsheba.
What is a presumptuous sin that David prays for in verse 13 that
it does not have dominion over him? When David assumes that God will accept
something David does without any scriptural justification David is presuming on
God. Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus 10:1-2, presumed that offering incense that
was not approved by God was okay and they died for it. Uzzah assumed God
wouldn’t mind if he kept the Ark from falling in 2Samuel 6:6-7. Israel assumed
that God would give them victory because the Ark was with them in 1Samuel
4:3-11. We might assume that God would extend our lives another year to make
money. See James 4:13-17.
Although all sin is rebellion against God presumption makes it
worse for us here in our flesh.
Numbers 15:30 ¶ But the
soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a
stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from
among his people. 31 Because he hath
despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall
utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
In
verse 14 David pleads his words and his thoughts be acceptable to God. We know
that we need God’s word to direct our words and even our thoughts to be
acceptable to Him.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy
works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
2Corinthians 10:5 Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ;
Prophetically speaking, whereas God’s majesty and glory are
revealed, as the first part Psalm 19 says, in physical reality, the universe it
is even more pronounced, as it is stated in this passage, and clear from divine
revelation, God’s Law, and His commandments.
In this passage, Jehovah, rendered as LORD, all caps, is repeated
seven times, a number of perfection and completion in the Bible. God’s word,
His Law, lifts up and completes or perfects His man or woman.
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.
God’s word is a prophetic warning to Israel in Ezekiel 3:17,
repeated in 33:7.
Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I
have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at
my mouth, and give them warning from me.
God’s word should be a warning to all nations.
Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Personally, there are several things of note in this passage. Rejoice,
as a word, carries within it the idea of joy and that is one of the fruits or
proof that one has the Spirit of God inside of them.
Galatians 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.
We should cling to God’s word for support. I don’t mean some
fanciful or wishful thinking interpretation as in ‘God would never let anything
bad happen to one of his people’ or some interpretation based on a political
agenda. I am referring to the plain truth of Scripture, the most profound and
clear sense that God lays on our hearts.
God’s word can convert us, give us wisdom, and open up our eyes to
the truth about who we really are.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word (that
is lowercase w) of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
One way for us to look at verse 14 is to plead with God to make
our prayers and our thoughts acceptable to Him, to do that with us, for us, and
through us by the Holy Spirit inside of us.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Monday, September 19, 2022
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Friday, September 16, 2022
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Monday, September 12, 2022
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Matthew, chapter 6, comments: do not worry
Matthew 6:1 ¶ Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Giving of alms, what we call charity today, was the giving of food
and money to the poor and indigent. From the Jewish Encyclopedia we have this;
According to the
Mosaic conception, wealth is a loan from God, and the poor have a certain claim
on the possessions of the rich; while the rich are positively enjoined to share
God's bounties with the poor. A systematic mode of relief of the needy was,
therefore, provided by the law and by the institutions of the synagogue. But
all these provisions could not entirely remove want. "The poor shall never
cease out of the land," says the lawgiver, and commands: "Thou shalt
open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy
land" (Deut. xv. 11). In the course of time the giving of Alms out of mere
pity and without regard to the permanent relief of the recipient, became a
meritorious practise, possessing, like sacrifice, the power of atoning for
man's sins, and redeeming him from calamity and death.[1]
This principle shows us that if you give
money and services openly trumpeting your charity publicly like a corporation
presenting a giant check to some group and posting the picture of the ceremony
online you have your reward.
Matthew 6:5 ¶ And when thou
prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their
much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore
like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye
ask him.
This is a tough one for me to talk about because I am not known
for long-winded prayers nor do I like it when someone preaches at me while
allegedly praying to God. But is this a condemnation of public prayer? I don’t
believe God rejects any sincere prayer and it does look like Solomon made a
very public prayer on his knees in 2Chronicles 6 although some would insist
that the text does not literally say he said the prayer loud enough for a crowd
to here. I mean, he could have. Remember that Ben Franklin noted that George
Whitefield, in certain venues, could be heard a half mile away. Whether he was
exaggerating or not I can’t say.
In any event, the context of the entire passage tells us that repetitive
prayers, pagan chanting; the repetitive chanting of words and phrases which
I’ve read was common among pagan religions is condemned by Christ. Prayers
should be sincere, from the heart, asking God or praising God. We must
understand that it is not the power of prayer but the power of the one being
prayed to that matters.
Some sources say that ancient priests would claim power over their
gods and natural events with a chant repeated over and over again, much like a
misguided Christian who thinks if they repeat the so-called Lord’s Prayer over
and over they will be protected from harm.
Matthew 6:9 ¶ After this
manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven. 11
Give us this day our daily bread. 12
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses.
Let’s first look at my comments on the so-called Lord’s Prayer
from Luke;
“Luke
11:1 ¶ And it came to pass, that, as he
was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto
him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give
us day by day our daily bread. 4 And
forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And
lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall
have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend,
lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of
mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say,
Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I
cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto
you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet
because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of
you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish,
will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
In a great passage on prayer one of Jesus’ disciples asks a
logical question about how His followers should pray. Jesus replies with a model
that starts with identifying to whom you are praying, God the Father in Heaven.
He then praises the Father and prays that the name of God be hallowed, holy,
set apart. Of course, in our world His name is all too often used as a curse
word with no reverence or respect with even Christians using substitutes for
God and Jesus Christ like gosh, golly, and gee whiz. I heard a child once say
that when you love someone their name is safe in your mouth. Using God’s name
flippantly as a curse word or exclamation does not show love at all, of course.
Jesus then tells the disciple to pray for the kingdom of God, the
kingdom of Heaven, to arrive on earth, to be fulfilled, and that God’s will,
clearly His perfect, directive will rather than just permission, be done on
earth as it is in Heaven. He then brings the prayer down to asking for God to
supply daily needs. In history, for the common man at least, hunger and
starvation were constant threats, as well as the disease that consumed a body
weakened by day-in and day-out hunger…
…After asking for what was needed in that day Jesus told the
disciple to pray for their sins against God to be forgiven in the same manner
that they forgave sins committed against them. This rather radical statement
says that we are not worthy to have our sins forgiven if we are not willing to
forgive others. Peter questioned such a command.
Matthew
18:21 ¶ Then came Peter to him, and
said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till
seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I
say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Certainly, the nature of our forgiveness is a little different
than God’s due to our finite and weak position. When God forgives He restores
fellowship with Him. We dare not always do that. The shop-owner who forgives
the cashier who stole money from them would be an idiot to put that person back
on the cash register if the person was even kept in the employment at all. They
might forgive the person and wish them no harm but dismiss them from their job
for prudence sake.
In the same respect if a person in a position of trust and
authority harms a child sexually or physically in some other manner it is
possible to forgive them but it is never acceptable to ever let them be in a
position of trust and authority again where they can hurt children. And, if the
offender were a Christian they would never want to be put in that position
again or ask to be.
So, our forgiveness does not always involve restoration although
it could. A spouse may forgive an adultery and restore their cheating spouse to
the marriage or they may forgive and simply acknowledge the irreconcilable
breach caused by the adulterer and move on.
But, regardless of the ability or willingness to restore or not,
it is essential that we forgive those who sin against us, even the most
egregious sins against our person or soul. One of the greatest causes of mental
illness is the unwillingness to forgive or to be forgiven. It will eat you
alive and ruin your life even more than the actions of the perpetrator. By not
forgiving them you give them power to hurt you again and again and again.
Christ calls us to forgive trespasses against us. It is not only a
command but it is a healthy thing to do lest bitterness consume us. This
statement of Christ underscores that we are in a time before the Resurrection
and this is still a very Jewish prayer that suggests you will not be forgiven
if you do not forgive. Jewish and Gentile Christians are not saved or lost
based on their willingness to forgive but on their faith in Christ and in His
righteousness, the fact that He forgave them, to get to Heaven. Be careful how
you apply this verse and this prayer although it is a great prayer for us all
to remind us of our need to forgive and how much Christ has forgiven us.
Then, we come to a very confusing statement for those people who
do not read and cross-reference their Bible. What is a temptation? Biblically defined a temptation is a test, a trial, a proving of your faith and trust in
God. The Devil tempts us in the hopes that we will fall away from Christ and
reject Him, while God tempts and tries us to reveal our faith.
James
1:13 ¶ Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
So, a temptation
can be sin itself as it leads you away from God. Many people, especially
young people, have abandoned their faith when the lusts of youth demanded their
attention. A noted evolutionary biologist, Edward O. Wilson, wrote a
book entitled Consilience in which he
writes in chapter one about the joy he felt when he found and believed in the
theory of evolution and the unity of all sciences with that atheistic
determinism as their foundation, well unquestionable fact more than theory to
him with the following as part of his journey to atheism;
On a far more modest
scale, I found it a wonderful feeling not just to taste the unification
metaphysics but also to be released from the confinement of fundamentalist
religion. I had been raised a Southern Baptist, laid backward under the water
on the sturdy arm of a pastor, been born again. I knew the healing power of
redemption. Faith, hope, and charity were in my bones, and with millions of
others I knew that my savior Jesus Christ would grant me eternal life. More
pious than the average teenager, I read the Bible cover to cover, twice. But
now at college, steroid-driven into moods of adolescent rebellion, I chose to
doubt.
It can also be suffering that puts pressure on your faith and, if
you are not grounded in God’s word, can lead you away from Him in your pain and
anguish.
Galatians
4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected;
but received me as an angel of God, even
as Christ Jesus.
And it can be persecution that forces you, in order to be accepted
by people or to keep from losing life, liberty, family, employment, or
property, to consider turning your back on God. Essentially, though, a
temptation is a test, a time of trial, and it can be caused by many different
circumstances. It is rarely a pleasant experience and if our faith is weak and
not grounded it can lead to disaster.
Evil,
synonymous with a temptation here,
can be in context simply trouble, the calamity that comes to our lives from
giving into temptations or the trouble that comes to us naturally living in
fallen bodies in a fallen world. It can also be judgment’s consequences.
Matthew
6:34 Take therefore no thought for the
morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is
the evil thereof.
Genesis
47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few
and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and
have not attained unto the days
of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
In this prayer that which challenges our faith is a malicious
event that can bring us down. The person praying was pleading to be delivered
from all such harms, griefs, disappointments, and discouragements that
challenge faith.
Then, Jesus gives a short parable on being persistent in prayer,
promising that God will provide your needs. As Jesus said in regard to our
basic needs in Luke, chapter 12, and in Matthew, chapter 6, quoted above.
Of course, your cellphone service payment and the mortgage on the
house at the beach don’t count as needs. We’re talking about what is needed to
get by from day to day. God uses other people sometimes to provide our needs
and needs are met most assuredly while we are doing our part. I have always
been amazed at Christians who are struggling and yet refuse employment, refuse
to improve their work skills, or insist that not only do they need someone to
give them something but want to have the right to demand exactly in what form
it is given.
With regard to temptation
Paul offered this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
1Corinthians
10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you
to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
In the context of verse 13 evil
is that capacity to be malicious and hard-hearted, capable and willing of doing
harm.
Genesis
37:33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph
is without doubt rent in pieces.
Genesis
50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
We know this is an accurate description of even the best of people
at their core from our own experience if we are honest and from the Bible.
Jeremiah
17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can
know it?
The point here is that God will answer this prayer if made
sincerely, persistently, and within the confines of what we know to be His
will. This is a promise we are challenged to press for the fulfillment of,
being constant in prayer. We ought to pray it every day.”
Now, back to the passage here in Matthew 6. Notice that the talk
in Matthew and in Luke are given on different occasions. Matthew, in verse 13
says;
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
Compare that to;
1Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O
LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the
majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the
kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Notice the debt we owe when we sin against someone. Clearly by
looking at the context and comparing to the passage in Luke this is not a
financial issue but clearly about our sin, a sin we sin against another and
against God. We are expected to forgive sins against us as we ask for our sins
to be forgiven.
Salvation for the Jews was contingent upon their obedience and our
relationship with Christ, indeed the Holy Spirit’s light within us can be
dimmed by our sin although most of us do not believe we can lose our salvation.
Read Ephesians 4 about grieving the Holy Spirit with your sin.
Matthew 6:16 ¶ Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward. 17 But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but
unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret,
shall reward thee openly.
Fasting is a very interesting practice mentioned here. Is it to be
a calculated practice where you schedule a fast or is it, as some say, the
consequence of a trial you are going through or a supplication you are making
for God and there is no desire to eat food as you are too consumed by what you
are facing?
Commentators say that under the Law there was one fast on the Day
of Atonement when men were to afflict their souls which was understood
by the Rabbis to mean fasting. See Leviticus 23:27 and Numbers 29:7. In times
of distress there were other fasts in times of distress or penitence. See;
Joel 1:14 ¶ Sanctify ye a
fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the
land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is
at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
16 Is not the meat cut off
before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
A fast was used for a nefarious purpose;
1Kings 21:7 And Jezebel his
wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat
bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth
the Jezreelite.8 So she wrote letters in
Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the
elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him,
to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And
then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
A fast could be the expression of extreme concern and anxiety;
2Samuel 12:15 ¶ And Nathan
departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare
unto David, and it was very sick. 16
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went
in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Mourning over sin;
Ezra 10:6 ¶ Then Ezra rose
up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son
of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water:
for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
Mourning for Jerusalem as well as the sins of the people;
Nehemiah 1:1 ¶ The words of
Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the
twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and
certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped,
which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are
left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and
reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are
burned with fire.
4 And it came to pass, when
I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and
fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 ¶ And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of
heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them
that love him and observe his commandments: 6
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest
hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night,
for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children
of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have
sinned.
But God also spoke through Isaiah with a criticism of the
intentions of the fasting that so-called holy men would perform, bringing us to
Jesus’ explanation here in Matthew 6.
Isaiah 58:3 ¶ Wherefore
have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our
soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find
pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness:
ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen?
a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an
acceptable day to the LORD? 6 Is not
this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the
heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the
hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou
seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine
own flesh?
There are things in God’s will that are more important than
others. Humans tend to enjoy worship that is self-glorifying rather than
glorifying to God. In Isaiah God lays out what He is seeking that is more
important than ritual.
Matthew 6:19 ¶ Lay not up
for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves break through and steal: 20
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also. 22 The light of the body
is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is that darkness! 24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon.
Here is a great lesson on what should be the Christian’s
priorities. There are many verses and episodes in the Old and New Testament
that buttress what Jesus is saying here including those who warn against
depending on earthly riches.
Psalm 39:6 Surely every man
walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up
riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
Psalm 62:10 Trust not in
oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your
heart upon them.
Proverbs 11:4 ¶ Riches
profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Proverbs 16:16 ¶ How much
better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be
chosen than silver!
Luke 12:21 So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Luke 18:24 And when Jesus
saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of God!
1Timothy 6:8 And having
food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of
all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows…17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all
things to enjoy;
The word single in verse 22 is interesting. It is
translated from a Greek word, according to Strong’s Dictionary, meaning whole
or sound. Notice that single is contrasted with evil in this passage,
indicating health and soundness on the one hand and diseased or malfunctioning
on the other. A spiritually healthy person serves God and places their trust
and hope in heaven while a sick and twisted person places their confidence in
the riches of the world.
You can’t serve both God and mammon, an Aramaic word used here to
personify worldly wealth in contrast to God.
Matthew 6:25 ¶ Therefore I
say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment? 26
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much
better than they? 27 Which of you by
taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he
not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall
we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles
seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day
is the evil thereof.
God typically honors prudent behavior. He honors doing sensible
things typically. Therefore, we cannot simply dismiss this as a condemnation of
savings and retirement funds, or insurance, to leave behind some form of living
for our family after our death, hard work, or attempts at self-reliance. This
is not a call for Jesus’ followers to be irresponsible and to write it off as
faith. As mammon was used in the last passage to personify worldly riches and
compare them to treasure in heaven, in service to God, so here is a call not to
anxiety or fear or undue concern over the smallest need but to faith in God.
Jesus’ followers are not called to sit on their hands and wait for
a government handout or charity.
Romans 12:11 Not slothful
in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
1Thessalonians 4:11 And
that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your
own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That
ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of
nothing.
2Thessalonians 3:10 For
even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work,
neither should he eat…12 Now them that
are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness
they work, and eat their own bread.
But see how David, a man of war, gave credit for his success to
God. Inasmuch as David fought successfully here is one example of giving God
the credit.
Psalm 18:17 He delivered me
from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong
for me.
See how Ezra prepared his heart to know the Scriptures.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had
prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in
Israel statutes and judgments.
See how you work but it is God who supplies the bounty.
Philippians 4:19 But my God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Just as it is He who provides the prey for the predator even
though you can watch the predator at work. Verse 26 says that God feeds the
fowls of the air.
Job 38:39 Wilt thou hunt
the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,…41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when
his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
So, the important doctrinal point here is not that we are called
to do nothing about our lives but that we are called to work for our living
understanding that it is God who provides what is needed and necessary,
typically, if we work hard. This is a difficult thing for Americans to consider
seeing as we tend to dislocate our arm trying to pat ourselves on the back for
our success in life.
The value of our lives should be in more than what we eat and what
we wear, our needs for survival. God knows what you need and the point of this
passage is summed up in seeking God’s kingdom. All that you need will be
provided for you. Hard work, faith in God, and righteous behavior will take you
a long way and you need not worry about tomorrow. This is the principle.
Again we see evil defined in a specific context. Here it is
the trouble, difficulties, and challenges each day brings.
Here it is disobedience to God;
Genesis 2:9 And out of the
ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and
good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree
of knowledge of good and evil…17 But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Here it is malicious intent;
Genesis 37:20 Come now
therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say,
Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his
dreams.
And here it is judgment, calamity from God, the opposite of peace.
Isaiah 45:7 I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all
these things.
Regarding the message of this passage Paul will say to not be full
of care;
Philippians 4:6 Be careful
for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.
Remember Isaiah’s promise;
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee.
Also keep in mind what Peter wrote;
1Peter 5:6 Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time: 7 Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.
So we are commanded not to have anxiety, not to worry. I don’t
know any Christian who doesn’t worry even though they might insist they don’t
and call their concerns about their loved ones, about tomorrow, or about the
trouble they face something other than worry. It is a common thing for one
person to feel just like another but in order to feel superior and smug simply
label what they feel inside as different. It is dishonest and foolish and
insulting but it is in our nature.
Christ points out that what you have to deal with today is enough
to concern yourself with. It is sound advice and a just command.
[1] Kaufmann Kohler, “Alms,” Jewish
Encyclopedia, https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1295-alms (accessed 05 Aug 2022).