Friday, June 30, 2023
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Psalms, chapter 34, comments
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. 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
In verse 1 this is not Abimelech the priest.
1 Chronicles 18:16 And
Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests;
and Shavsha was scribe;
Abimelech was the title of Philistine kings just as Pharaoh was of
Egyptian kings. I made a more detailed statement of this in my comments on
Genesis 20:2. So, this is a reference to;
1Samuel 21:10 ¶ And David
arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said unto
him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another
of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten
thousands? 12 And David laid up these
words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and
feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and
let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
This was easily resolved by cross-referencing.
This is a prayer of thanksgiving for his deliverance as he was
afraid of the king of Gath. This is yet another excellent prayer for us in
times of God’s mercy and deliverance.
Psalm 34:11 ¶ Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
David is not just talking to his children or young people in
Israel but to all of us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, teaching us
the fear of the LORD Jehovah. Here are some examples of defining what the fear
of the LORD is.
Job 28:28 And unto man he
said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is
understanding.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his
commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Verses 13 and 14 are quoted in Peter’s first letter.
1 Peter 3:10 For he that
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and
his lips that they speak no guile:11 Let
him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Verses 10 and 11 of the quote from 1Peter
present an interesting lesson in understanding the Bible for us. If you notice
the not so archaic word eschew in
verse 11 you can see the words let him and
evil surround it. If you did not know
the definition of eschew you could
search in the nearby verses for what those same words surround. In the case of
verse 10 they surround the words refrain
his tongue from which then gives you the definition of eschew and its
application in this context. Be alert to this as you read the Bible and you
will find similar instances in other parts of the Bible. It is impossible to
understand the Bible without not only reading it in context but comparing
verses, cross-referencing.
Verses 15 and 16 are also quoted by Peter.
1Peter 3:12 For the eyes of
the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but
the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
For verses 17 and 18 see these interesting cross-references from
Isaiah.
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.
And those verses in Isaiah and here in Psalm 34 explains the
meaning of this verse in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:3 ¶ Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
But, specifically for verse 17 notice this statement later in the
Psalms.
Psalm 145:18 The LORD is
nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear
him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
We can see in this passage a prophecy of Christ rooted to verse 20.
John 19: 33 But when they
came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his
record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.36 For these things were done, that the
scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
From the Passover Lamb;
Exodus 12:46 In one house
shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of
the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
These promises David makes, speaking under the inspiration given
to him by the Holy Spirit, should give us great comfort, if we are living for
Christ. There is no greater deliverance than resurrection from the dead and
eternal life with our Creator.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Matthew, chapter 19, comments
Matthew 19:1 ¶ And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
Matthew 19:3 ¶ The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Here is an important passage on divorce, a point of contention in
most conservative Baptist churches today. The Jew under the Law could put his
wife away. There was a school of the Pharisees,
according to some sources, that believed you could divorce your wife for any
reason as the Romans did. Please note this passage in the Old Testament under
the Law.
Deuteronomy 24:1 ¶ When a
man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no
favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him
write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of
his house. 2 And when she is departed
out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write
her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of
his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may
not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is
abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which
the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Once released from the marriage bond from a man by his own actions
she could never be married to him again. When she was divorced she was not
married to her original husband nor ever could be.
Jesus and Paul gave specific foundations for divorce. Fornication,
which includes adultery with a person who is not your spouse which would
include your child, of course, in the cases of incest, is grounds for divorce.
Paul included abandonment due to one of the spouses becoming a Christian and
one rejecting them because of it although he forbade leaving your spouse
because they stayed a heathen when you were converted. Paul’s admonition must
be taken in the context of Jesus’ reason of fornication.
1Corinthians 7:10 ¶ And
unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart
from her husband: 11 But and if she
depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not
the husband put away his wife. 12 But to
the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not,
and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him
not put her away. 13 And
the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to
dwell with her, let her not leave him. 14
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the
unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean;
but now are they holy. 15 But if the
unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage
in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. 16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou
shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy
wife?
There is another thing of note here that has application to our
modern world. God made mankind male and female. There are only two genders.
Yes, there is a very rare anomaly called hermaphroditism where a baby displays
what look like both male and female genitalia and there are people who insist
that they were born the wrong sex biologically. God made mankind two genders,
male and female, two sexes, male and female. This is the fact whether you or
society chooses to acknowledge a person self-identifying as one of over a dozen
different sexual identities as many modern people insist there are.
In addition, a eunuch is someone who cannot reproduce, referring
to a male. Some are born that way, some have been made that way by men who use
them for everything from Medieval Roman Catholic choirs to household servants
who can be trusted around the master’s harem, and some choose to not have
children for their service to God. The context of this passage is about not
getting married, not having a wife. This does not justify self-mutilation as
that is clearly understood as a sin. Commentators such as John Gill affirm this
is so as this is not necessarily a reference to the sin of self-mutilation but
of a commitment to chastity in the service of the Lord. See the 144,000 Jewish
virgins in Revelation.
I think Jesus basically tells His disciples here that if you can’t
stay faithful to your spouse and remain married it is best that you do not get
married at all.
Matthew 19:13 ¶ Then were
there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on
them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and
forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and
departed thence.
Here it is worthwhile to go back to chapter 18 and read the
chapter and my comments. I suggest again that one possibility for this emphasis
on children is that we will all be children in Heaven. It makes a lot of sense
as in not being given in marriage and some of the statements in Matthew in
particular.
Notice how suffer is used by contrasting it with forbid
them not? It means to allow, to permit.
Matthew 19:16 ¶ And,
behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life? 17 And he
said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that
is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou
shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou
shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour
thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. 20 The young man saith unto
him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect,
go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Verse 16 underscores that there was an understanding that eternal
life, life after death, was a possibility but had to be received somehow. Clearly
not a Sadducee who did not believe in eternal life he used the phrase Good
Master which John Gill said was much used when speaking to teachers, called
Rabbis.
Jesus quotes back at him from what I think may be 1Samuel 2:2;
1Samuel 2:2 There is none
holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like
our God.
He then tells the person that he should keep the commandments if
he wants to inherit eternal life.
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it
shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before
the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
This teaches us that while eternal life might not be specifically
promised in the Old Testament, under the Law given to Moses, it was implied as
understood by the Jews. I’ve already gone over how frequently the resurrection
from the dead was mentioned in the Old Testament.
See this verse on a physical resurrection from Job, written
between 1500 to 2000BC.
Job
19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26
And though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and
mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though
my reins be consumed within me.
And a thousand years later see this verse on a physical
resurrection from Isaiah.
Isaiah
26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together
with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in
dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and
the earth shall cast out the dead.
And then, a few hundred years later, as Daniel writes under the reigns
of the last Babylonian emperors and the first Persian.
Daniel
12:2 And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Jesus then restates some commandments, teaching us that the
following is a reference to murder of an innocent person not killing in
self-defense.
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not
kill.
The young man swears that he has been fastidious in observing
those principles. However, Jesus tells him to go one step further and to give
all that he has to the poor. This was specifically said because the young man
had great wealth. This isn’t saying that every Christian must make himself
impoverished and be a beggar to follow Christ. This is a statement about how
the wealthy love their wealth and will do almost anything to keep from parting
with it. Follow along as Jesus continues and explains to His disciples what was
just stated to the wealthy man.
Matthew 19:23 ¶ Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And
again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were
exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27 Then answered Peter and said unto
him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have
therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when
the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting
life. 30 But many that are first
shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Jesus says to His disciples that it is easier for a camel to pass
through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This
has often been distorted in evangelical circles to refer to some kind of door
in the gate of a city that a camel would have to get down on its knees to pass
through, being unburdened of its load. Unfortunately, there is no proof that
the first century Jews called any door a, “needle’s eye,” and this fantasy is
based on a 15th century, or maybe 9th century, myth about
this door.
The fact is that a camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle.
It is an absurdity. Jesus makes a very important point here. While that is
impossible, nothing is impossible with God. The lesson taught here is that
wealthy people tend to rely on their wealth and not God. They are not likely to
give up their comforts to follow Christ and will typically make excuses that
they can have their wealth and be good Christians at the same time. What Jesus
is saying here is that nothing can be more important than God or you cannot
enter into God’s kingdom, which makes it of a much smaller population than we
would normally think.
It is Peter then that makes the statement that unlike the young
man in the last passage, a wealthy person, he and the disciples have left all
to follow Jesus. Jesus’ final statement is that these disciples who have
forsaken all they had in the world will receive abundant reward and have
everlasting life to enjoy. This can only be referring to the people who were
listening to Christ speak rather than to us as to apply this to the church
would be a contradiction to the standards for our treatment of our families
that the Holy Spirit has given us.
1Timothy
5:8 But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Certainly, then, this is not a warrant for a new Christian to
abandon his or her responsibilities to their family and justify it by their
new-found faith. Jesus is talking to a select few disciples who are to follow
Him to see His death on the Cross and to witness the aftermath of His
Resurrection from the Empty Tomb and even to suffer martyrdom themselves.
He tells Peter and the other Apostles that they will be judging the
twelve tribes of Israel which gives us a hint as to who some of the following
people are.
Revelation 4:4 And round
about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and
twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads
crowns of gold.
What does it mean to inherit everlasting life? We are granted this
inheritance by virtue of God making a gift of it to us as we trust and believe
in the righteousness of Christ, His deity, and in His resurrection.
Those who are first in this world will typically be last in the
world to come. The beggar who belongs to Christ is far better off than the rich
man who has rejected Him.
Monday, June 26, 2023
1Samuel chapters 11 & 12 comments
1Samuel 11:1 ¶ Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. 2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. 3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee. 4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
Ammonites are descended from the wicked behavior of Lot’s youngest
daughter and a very drunk Lot in Genesis 19. They were perpetual enemies of
Israel until David made a great slaughter of them in some hideously cruel ways
in 2Samuel 12.
Jabeshgilead was punished in Judges 21 for their unfaithfulness. Here
they offer to team up with and serve Nahash the Ammonite to keep from being
destroyed. His condition for such a treaty is incredibly unpleasant. These men
of Jabesh ask for seven days to see if they can get salvation from their own
people. Nahash doesn’t think these hapless people have a choice. I think it is
such that he is going to kill them all anyway because of the unreasonableness
of his demand.
They seek Saul’s help and the people of Gibeah, Saul’s home, weep
for the situation.
1Samuel 11:5 ¶ And, behold,
Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth
the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul
when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. 7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in
pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands
of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel,
so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people,
and they came out with one consent. 8
And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three
hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said unto the messengers that came,
Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time
the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it
to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 10
Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you,
and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. 11 And it was so on the morrow, that Saul
put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in
the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came
to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not
left together.
Saul, not officially king yet, is working his occupation of a
herder still. Saul is inspired by the Spirit of God to call the Israelites to
rally together to fight the Ammonites. Notice the threat in verse seven which
underscores Saul’s manner of governing. This they did and destroyed the
Ammonite army, scattering the survivors.
1Samuel 11:12 ¶ And the
people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us?
bring the men, that we may put them to death. 13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put
to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel. 14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let
us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. 15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there
they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed
sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men
of Israel rejoiced greatly.
In the exhilaration of being led to a decisive victory by their
new king the people demand the lives of those who rejected Saul as king as
noted in verse 27 of the last chapter. Saul shows the naysayesr mercy and
Samuel calls the people together with Saul to make him king officially.
1Samuel chapter 12
1Samuel 12:1 ¶ And Samuel
said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye
said unto me, and have made a king over you. 2
And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and
grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before
you from my childhood unto this day. 3
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before
his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I
defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any
bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us,
nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand. 5 And he said unto them, The LORD is
witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have
not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
The deed has been done as the people requested; a king has been
made, anointed by God even. In this exchange between Samuel and the people of Israel
he defends his judgeship over them and they acknowledge that there has been no
fault in him.
1Samuel 12:6 ¶ And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers. 8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. 12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. 13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
Here Samuel reviews the history of the children of Israel. Notice
how the martyr, Stephen in Acts chapter 7, recounted Israel’s history. Israel
is reminded repeatedly of their miraculous founding as a people and of God’s
forbearance of them. Samuel gives a promise and a warning as Moses did in
Deuteronomy. The Israelites, like the individual Christian, have no excuse.
1Samuel 12:16 ¶ Now
therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your
eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest
to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye
may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done
in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. 18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD
sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and
Samuel. 19 And all the people said unto
Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we
have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye
have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but
serve the LORD with all your heart; 21 And
turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things,
which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for
his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I
should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you
the good and the right way: 24 Only fear
the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things
he hath done for you. 25 But if ye shall
still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
1 Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Samuel makes it clear that God is not happy with the Israelites
calling for a king. He calls upon God and a show of force is presented to them.
The rain that day showed that if God continued sending violent weather the
harvest could be ruined as these people in an agricultural society knew all too
well. There were famines in Medieval England caused by too much rain rather
than not enough. A chilling warning is given in verse 25. It will not be the
last. Note here in verse 23 that Samuel promises to teach the Israelites and to
pray for them. He has a heart for his people like Paul had.
Romans 9:3 For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to
the flesh:
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Friday, June 23, 2023
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Psalms chapter 33 Bible Study
Psalm 33:1 ¶ Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. 5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Note these cross-references;
Psalm 135:3 Praise the
LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
Psalm 147:1 ¶ Praise ye the
LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and
praise is comely.
Comely is a word that meant everything from pleasant to look at to
agreeable to worthy or proper to Psalm 147:1 linked with pleasant.
The upright person, the righteous person, for them praise
is proper, seemly, and worthy to express.
Then David goes into praising God with music, even loudly. There
was a huge dispute in the Baptist church of the 1600s about whether music
should be used in worship, whether it was too worldly to do so. Eventually
worshippers became convinced it was okay and, of course, Psalms tells us to
praise God with our voices and our musical instruments and loudly.
God’s word is right, all of his works are truth, and as He loves
righteousness and judgment the earth is full of His goodness. Here David
acknowledges God’s creation of all things.
Verse 7, according to John Gill, is a reminder of when the dry
land and the water were separated.
Genesis
1:9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under
the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:
and it was so. 10 And God called the dry
land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God
saw that it was good.
Amazingly, they understood where water is stored as there is a
vast reservoir of water under the earth that is greater than all of the world’s
oceans that could cover, scientists estimate the continents in 600 feet of
water.[1]
We should stand in awe at what God has done and is doing on a moment-by-moment
basis causing all reality to happen, not a watchmaker who winds up the clock
and stands back but is actively involved in every second making the hands move.
We are struck dumb by His unsearchable power and might.
Verse 9 makes two important statements about God’s efforts. First,
He spoke the universe into existence as a manifestation of His own thought
which preceded creation.
Genesis 1:3 And God said,
Let there be light: and there was light.
Secondly, as Jesus Christ
is not only God but the Word by which all things were called forth it is by Him
alone that all things are held together, or said to consist.
Colossians 1:17 And he is
before all things, and by him all things consist.
David confirms by his praise the power of God over the heathen and
how firm His word is. I am reminded of men of history like Hitler, who had
great plans which God brought to failure using both good and bad men to bring
about. God’s eternal decrees are permanent and cannot be overruled by mankind
or any in the spiritual world. That is part of our faith.
Psalm 33:12 ¶ Blessed is
the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he
hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13
The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh
upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15
He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the
multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon
them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep
them alive in famine. 20 Our soul
waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in
him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according
as we hope in thee.
Verse 12 is clearly a reference to Israel although it is great
preaching to apply it to an appraisal of countries and how they regard the
Lord. But God’s eyes are on every nation and He sees the wicked and the good,
the lost and the saved, the person trying to do right and the reprobate who
knows better than what he or she is doing. He sees the innocent and the weak,
and He sees those who think they are the strong and the powerful.
God made all human beings’ hearts like each other. We have that in
common. Our inclinations are never totally unique as we have this similarity between
us. And so, God examines everything we do. The Devil himself knows what we are
likely to do as we are so predictable.
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit
of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
The reference to hearts carries with it much more
significance than any beating organ of muscle of blood. I commented on this
back in comments on Psalm 22.
“The mention of heart as in your heart shall live
forever is significant. We think of the heart figuratively as from where
our emotions come although we know the heart is affected by emotions but
doesn’t create them. Still, we do not make rational decisions without emotion
being involved. Our reason is dependent upon both the mind and the heart. Our
ability to choose is profoundly affected by it. And so, our thoughts can be
considered to be products of not only the mind but the heart as well.
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Notice some other statements about our spiritual heart, the one
you can’t see, like our minds.
Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham
fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born
unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years
old, bear?
1Samuel 2:35 And I will
raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine
heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk
before mine anointed for ever.
The error of Modernism is to read the heart and mind as two
completely different things because they are, well, different words referring
to different organs, one of which we know does not generate thoughts in its
physical self. This is proof the Holy Spirit is talking about heart as it is
used in common speech as in when we say someone is, ‘following their heart.’”
The rest of this passage underscores how the things we depend on
for temporal salvation cannot save us without God involved. We are utterly
dependent upon His mercy. In the pre-Modern western world it was understood
that God imparted to men reasoning ability and also revelation and inspiration
could be given to him. Modernism, beginning with the misnamed “The Enlightenment”
placed all faith in man’s reasoning ability without God involved or even
necessary. Postmodernism, the natural result of Modernism, of man depending on his
own reasoning ability and intellect, denies that there is any truth but your
own truth, any reality but your own reality, and that you define the universe,
with all notions of reason and right or wrong as meaningless. All discussion of
truth or falsehood, reality or unreality, is pointless. Once God is removed
from your reasoning the end result is the madness we see about us every day.
[1] Mark Prigg, “Revealed:The vast reservoir hidden beneath
the Earth's crust that holds as much water as ALL of the oceans,”
DailyMail.com,( June 12, 2023).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2579584/The-vast-reservoir-hidden-Earths-crust-holds-water-ALL-oceans.html#ixzz47Uti24Se
Lucy Schouten, “Scientists Tally Earth’s Hidden Mega-stashes of
Groundwater,” The Christian Science
Monitor, November 17, 2015 (accessed June 12, 2023).
Monday, June 19, 2023
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Saturday, June 17, 2023
Friday, June 16, 2023
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Friday, June 9, 2023
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Psalms, chapter 32, comments
Psalms 32:1 ¶ «A Psalm of David, Maschil.» Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Notice how Paul includes verses one and two in his argument in
Romans, chapter 4.
Romans 4:1 ¶ What shall we
say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by
works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to
him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness. 6
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God
imputeth righteousness without works, 7
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins
are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Verses three to five underscore the necessity of confessing your
sins to God and how you cannot find peace until you do. This is a great prayer
for us in acknowledgment of our distress when we are being led to repentance by
a holy God.
Verse six reminds us that we must come to God while we have the opportunity
to receive that peace from Him so we do not wait for our hearts to be hardened.
Even though the Christian cannot lose their salvation they can suffer a great
deal when they are stubborn or blind to their sin.
Floods of great waters is recognized as an extremity
of affliction, also suggesting for Christians how God will protect them in the
final judgment. So, with David we see that he acknowledges that God will save
the Godly man in the worst of situations and we can imagine by looking forward
that this is yet another picture of the Translation of the Church, popularly
called The Rapture, when the church is removed from the wrath to come.
Psalm 32:7 ¶ Thou art
my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me
about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I
will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not
as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose
mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the
wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye
righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Notice this cross-reference.
Psalm 27:5 For in the time
of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
This preservation from trouble even extends to the time of great
tribulation at the end of human-centered history.
Revelation 7:14 And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb.
Remember the joy David expressed previously.
Psalm 30:11 Thou hast
turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness; 12 To the end
that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will
give thanks unto thee for ever.
Verse 8 seems like the point of view changes to God speaking
through David. Some commentators believe it is still David giving counsel, but
others agree with me that the point of view has changed. I am reminded of
another bit of advice that is similar.
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.
Notice the encouragement David imparts in verses 10 and 11. We
often don’t realize how dependent we are each day on God’s mercy.