Monday, September 30, 2024
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Friday, September 27, 2024
1Timothy, chapter 3, comments
1Timothy
3:1 ¶ This is a true saying, If a
man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband
of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to
teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker,
not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having
his children in subjection with all gravity; 5
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care
of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice,
lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of
them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
According
to Strong’s dictionary it is said that the Bible uses bishops, elders,
presbyters, and pastors interchangeably. Examples of some of these words are;
Acts 20:17 ¶ And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and
called the elders of the church. 18 And
when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that
I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
19 Serving the Lord with all humility of
mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in
wait of the Jews: 20 And how I kept back
nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you
publickly, and from house to house, 21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 22
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing
the things that shall befall me there: 23
Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and
afflictions abide me. 24 But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among
whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this
day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own
blood.
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Titus 1:5 ¶ For this cause left I thee in Crete, that
thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in
every city, as I had appointed thee: 6 ¶
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children
not accused of riot or unruly. 7 For a
bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon
angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
1Peter 5:1 ¶ The elders which are among you I exhort, who
am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God’s
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of
glory that fadeth not away.
A bishop in the New
Testament, according to many commentators, is like what we would call today a
pastor, overseeing the spiritual care of a specific, local congregation. Here
Paul gives some specific requirements for a bishop. He is not to have more than
one wife. This does not keep a widower who remarries from being an overseer of
a church any more than it does someone who became a Christian but his
non-Christian wife abandoned him for it. In 1Corinthians 7:10-16 the context is
about leaving one’s spouse because they have not converted to Christianity. If
one does that they must remain unmarried. You can imagine the possibility that
they might be converted. However, if they leave you for your becoming a
Christian you are not bound to them. Pretty common sense stuff but not pleasing
to the Pharisees among us.
Another comment can be
made that I’ve read that it was well known that traveling rabbis would
advertise for temporary wives in the cities that they taught in so they would
be a serial fornicator. This was not suitable for the Christian overseer.
The bishop, of all
people, should be vigilant and aware of what is happening around them.
1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
A bishop, in my opinion,
should have read the Bible through several times and be keenly aware of the
hypocrisies and lies of the age in which he lives. He should not be deceived by
popular culture, political pundits, or anyone who seems to justify his beliefs
or his values as they can be deceivers. He should be skeptical of religious
claims and regard someone as insisting they have a changed life be watched to
see if their actions bear this out. He must be careful in what he says and
rarely make a joke at another’s expense, not knowing what that person may be
going through. Vigilant and alert he must be, sensitive to the effect of every
word that comes out of his mouth.
The implication for a sober
minded man is that he be not only alert but strong in the faith and focused on
the important things, of a sound mind. Sober carries with it an idea of
moderation and sensibility.
A bishop or modern-day
pastor’s behavior should be exemplary with no stain of sin or carelessness on
it, without malice or guile. See verses for us all but understand they would
apply in an even more focused way on the bishop or pastor.
1Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
1Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
The pastor should be a
hospitable man, welcoming newcomers to the congregation as well as old
acquaintances who return.
The pastor should also
be a teacher, willing to dispense the words of God and their meaning in context
to his congregation and to others. These are positive traits a pastor should
have.
But there are negative
characteristics that Paul says should not be part of a pastor. He should not be
someone who binge drinks or sits at the cups imbibing one after another. Verse
8 coming up uses the phrase not given to much wine for deacons. So, we
can assume by cross-referencing that these phrases mean the same thing. It is
ridiculous to assume the pastor can’t have a glass but the deacon can but just
not more than a few. Such distinctions are the result of the fallacy of
modernism.
Timothy will be told to
take a little wine for his stomach’s sake later.
1Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine
for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
There were dozens of
types of wines in the first century, many of them not alcoholic but no more
than grape juice or laced with medicine. We now know that unlike what we were told
by the experts in the 1980s and beyond that there is no real safe amount of
alcohol to drink that doesn’t offer some health dangers. It is generally a good
idea to avoid alcohol but just think of a century or more ago when water was
often disease-causing, from shallow wells, and the source of much grief.
Drinking fermented beverages was much safer. Historians note that our colonial
era forebears drank three times as much alcohol per person as we do with
workers demanding their midmorning cup of whiskey for them to continue and it
was nothing to have a barrel of fermented cider by your door for even children
to drink from. In England it was noted that teething babies were given gin
wiped on their gums as late as the late 1700s. There was drinking at revivals, casks
of whiskey at preacher’s conferences and barn raisings, all before the
temperance movement and people like Carrie Nation (look her up) raised the
awareness of the damage done by alcohol.
A pastor was not to be a
striker, certainly not a violent man dangerous to himself and others
around him, but this carries a greater idea of also not being a quarrelsome
individual. The pastor is not to be the kind of person who is just looking for
a fight of any kind.
Not greedy of filthy
lucre is a point that Paul will make later
for us all. Loving money is a sign of wickedness and a failing of any Christian.
To be eager for base gain, greedy for money for its own sake is a poor
character trait to possess. Paul will insist later;
1Timothy 6:10 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.
The pastor must be a
patient man with the admonition against being contentious, both physically and
verbally, given again and then also not wanting what he does not have already,
not being a covetous man.
The way he administers
his own family should be an example. The famous negative idea of “the
preacher’s son,” of whom songs have been written about like Dusty Springfield’s
1960s hit entitled Son of a Preacher Man are examples of the sometimes
awful offspring of the so-called men of God. A pastor whose family is a wreck would
probably not be a good example for the pulpit. If the pastor’s family is filled
with examples of divorce, illegitimacy, suicide, drug and alcohol addiction,
and criminality it is probably a good bet that daily Bible reading and a good
example may have been missing. I’m not saying that such a person can’t serve
God, just that it should probably not be in the office of the pastor.
The pastor shouldn’t be
someone who just got saved either. New converts can be very zealous and
prideful but it is not likely that they’ve read the Bible from cover to cover
and are steeped in the deeper doctrines of it. They do not have the experience
of dealing with Satan’s deceptions in other people and themselves and
recognizing them as such. They may be enthusiastic, but they are not ready to
take on the role of a pastor of a church. It is a dangerous thing to make a
charismatic, well-spoken, and excited new convert move too soon to an office in
the church like this. There are many things they have to work out about their
walk with Christ and it is very dangerous, indeed, for them and for the
congregation if they be placed in such an important and influential post.
Finally, the pastor
needs to have a good reputation outside of the church. It is great that a
convicted felon who has spent time in prison comes to Christ and is fully
convinced of his mission and purpose and is completely surrendered to God. But
he should not be made a pastor. That position of leadership would expose him
and the church to shame and disapproval because of his past. A mature Christian
must consider the dirt he has left behind before he covets an office in the
church.
If a faith-filled member
of the church wants to be a pastor and has the skills and the talent for it and
feels led by God to it that is wonderful. However, if he has been divorced
several times, had bankruptcies, failed businesses, has children that are
running wild, etc. etc. he would do well
to forgo the pastor’s office and do something else for the Lord. Evangelism,
teaching, and other things are available to him but certainly not the
pastorship. This should be something he understands without being told. The
devil would certainly enjoy the way outsiders would view a church if it was led
by a person who had experienced such things in their life whether they were the
cause of them or not.
This advice is practical
and dismisses the fantasies that some Christians have about being saved, that
since they are forgiven by God everyone else, wronged spouses, the community,
the legal establishment, whomever, is required to also forgive you. Well, not
exactly. Again, Paul’s admonitions are necessary and good. Now, onto the
deacons.
1Timothy
3:8 ¶ Likewise must the deacons be
grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure
conscience. 10 And let these also first
be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found
blameless. 11 Even so must their
wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife,
ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have used the office of a
deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the
faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Deacons
served the early church in many ways. We can look at the beginnings of the
church to see why they were called for.
Acts 6:1
¶ And in those days, when the number of
the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against
the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the
disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word
of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor,
and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when
they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number
of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the
priests were obedient to the faith.
The bishop
was to be sober and the deacon and his wife, similarly, were to be grave, that
is serious-minded in keeping with the duties they were to perform for the
church body. They were not to be double-tongued, that is given to saying one
thing to one person and another to another person. They need to be men who were
straightshooters from the lip and didn’t dissemble or beat around the bush when
they talked. People needed to be able to trust them so the politicians you find
in many Baptist churches today as deacons would not be welcome in this role.
Again,
drinking sparsely and certainly not binge drinkers sitting in a tavern drinking
one glass after another for a terrible testimony, not obsessed with money so
they could be trusted to assist the poor with church funds, representing the
gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully and with understanding and obedience. The
deacons should be tested in their carrying out of the duties of office to see
if they can be trusted and relied on. It should be understood that it is
probationary until the bishop and congregation can determine their character.
The
deacon’s wife must not be a slanderer, running people down. We have this in the
modern era with those who will run members of the congregation down thinking
the worst of everyone that they cannot control. Again, she should be sober as
in having impulse control and a sound mind. Then, the deacon, like the bishop,
should be the husband of one wife with a solid family that won’t bring shame on
the cause of Christ.
Now
churches are filled with broken people, often whose lives have borne the consequences
of sin, theirs and others. This is not to denigrate these people who sought
Christ, whom He sought, and who have united to worship Him in spirit and in
truth. But these positions in the church are very important and very serious.
They are not like political patronage to be handed out to the wealthy or to
friends and supporters. Only a Spirit-led body of elders or congregation can
accomplish this. We have a hard time in America with these admonitions because
we firmly believe that such things as warned about here are our own business
and no one should be peeking too intently at our personal lives. This kind of
scrutiny is typically not welcome. So, this from Paul is a bitter pill for
modern congregations to follow.
1Timothy
3:14 ¶ These things write I unto thee,
hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But
if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in
the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground
of the truth. 16 And without controversy
great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in
the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory.
Let’s note
something here. The church of the living God is the house or family of God. In
Exodus 1:21 God blessed the midwives and made them houses. Now, lest you think
God is in the business of building suburban developments near Cairo understand
that a house can be a family, or a dynasty, that goes on for generations.
Exodus 6:14 These be the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel;
Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.
1Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the
LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.
As
well as a building…
1Kings 9:10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty
years, when Solomon had built the two
houses, the house of the LORD, and the king’s house,
So,
depending on the context house can be short for household as well including
servants, wives, and children.
Genesis 45:2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
So,
a question for fundamentalists arises naturally from this. Is this reference
following a physical building or a group of people characterized in type as a
spiritual building?
1Corinthians
14:23 If therefore the whole church be
come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in
those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
How
do physical buildings come together to meet? Seems an absurdity.
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
have the preeminence…24 Who now rejoice
in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions
of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
The
church is Christ’s body on earth, not a building, as we can understand by verse
15 in 1Timothy 3 here.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
So,
what is the house of God, to the Roman Catholic ‘wannabes’ of Protestant
fundamentalism, the Vatican’s auxiliaries? Has the gate of heaven reference in Genesis 28:17 confused you? Do you
consider your specific church building, the place where your church meets, the
ladder between heaven and earth? What about Christ in John 1:51? And what about
these verses?
1Corinthians 3:16
¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Corinthians
6:19 What? know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own?
Consider
this when you think of the family of God, His household, the house of God.
Ephesians
3:14 ¶ For this cause I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth
is named,
Here Paul reinforces
that Christ was God in the flesh, walking among men and women, performing
incredible miracles, witnessed by the very spiritual beings of Heaven itself,
preached to the Gentiles and believed on. These facts are clear and without
controversy as was His resurrection and ascension to Heaven. These are the
givens of the Christian faith, without which there is no Christianity and no
truth in the world as the church is the pillar and ground on which the truth
rests.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Psalm 79 comments
Psalm 79:1 ¶
«A Psalm of Asaph.» O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance;
thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. 2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they
given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints
unto the beasts of the earth. 3 Their
blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was
none to bury them. 4 We are
become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are
round about us. 5 How long, LORD? wilt
thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
John Gill underscores that this is a prophecy
of the Asaph who lived in David’s time and is not written by some other person
named Asaph after the destruction mentioned here. This foretells the
destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in the time of Nebuchadnezzar in the 500s
BC. Imagine the shock that this prophecy would create in the time of the mighty
King David.
2Kings 24:11
And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his
servants did besiege it. 12 And
Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his
mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of
Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13 And he carried out thence all the treasures
of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in
pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the
temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
2Kings 25:1 ¶
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month,
in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he,
and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built
forts against it round about. 2 And the
city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the
famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the
land. 4 And the city
was broken up, and all the men of war fled by
night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden:
(now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way
toward the plain. 5 And the army of the
Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and
all his army were scattered from him. 6
So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to
Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes
of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8
¶ And in the fifth month, on the seventh
day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of
Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt
the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem,
and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were
with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
This destruction came again in the time of
the future emperor, Roman general Titus, in 70AD.
Mark 13:1 ¶
And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master,
see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou
these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that
shall not be thrown down.
This future event is acknowledged by the
Psalmist to be God’s judgment. God did use other nations to punish Israel for
its idolatry.
I believe, wrongly or rightly, that every
Christian is a type of the ancient nation of Israel and while God will not cast
us off forever He will permit us to suffer for our apostasy. We must not think
of our faith as a charm if we sin and are unrepentant and don’t seek God with
tears and sorrow. We can suffer in this life for our unfaithfulness even though
we do have eternal life with Christ if we are saved. The Psalmist next pleads
for God’s vengeance on the heathen.
Psalm 79:6 ¶
Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon
the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. 7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste
his dwelling place. 8 O remember not
against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for
we are brought very low. 9 Help us, O
God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away
our sins, for thy name’s sake. 10
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be
known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of
thy servants which is shed. 11
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the
greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; 12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into
their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people and sheep of thy
pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all
generations.
Psalm 69:24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let
thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
Jeremiah 10:25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know
thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten
up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation
desolate.
The Psalmist cries out for God’s vengeance on
the heathen in the time of the destruction he is prophesying about. He pleads
for God’s tender mercies on the Israelites, God’s tender mercies
being the subject of songs and even a 1983 movie starring Robert Duvall.
God will indeed purge away the sins of many
in Christ.
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Psalm 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our
transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The time that the Psalmist is speaking of is
a very low point and there are many of us who can remember such low points in
our own lives when we cried out for help from our Creator. I can also see this
as a plea made by the tormented Jews in the Tribulation at the end of human
history as they face the wrath of the Beast. See Revelation, chapter 12.
So in conclusion, this Psalm as a prayer for
us in our lowest times can be a template we might use making it apply to us.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
2Samuel, chapter 13, comments
2Samuel 13:1 ¶ And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. 2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. 4 And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. 5 And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. 6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. 7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house, and dress him meat. 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. 9 And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him. 10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. 12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. 13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. 14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. 16 And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. 17 Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her. 18 And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. 20 And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
And so it begins as David will start to
experience the nightmare he has created by his awful sin, taking another man’s
wife who had no power to resist his advances and murdering her husband to hide
his misdeed. Tamar’s rape by her brother Amnon expresses a fundamental truth
about life, that a boy or a man who wants a girl to submit to their immoral
advances will hold her in contempt if she does. Passion that results in
contempt is a fact of life that most young women seem clueless about. Women as
little girls must be taught to demand respect from boys because if they do not
they typically won’t get it.
Notice that Amnon tries to diminish his guilt
by calling her Absalom’s sister, but not his, even though they are David’s
offspring and therefore siblings.
His cousin, Jonadab, is complicit in his
guilt but so is David, in a way, by sending her there.
Now Absalom is plotting his revenge.
David’s experience should be a lesson to us
that being forgiven for a sin against God does not mean you are free from its
temporal consequences. We learn that in life as even forgiven sin can create
tragic events in our lives and in the lives of others. We need God’s mercy for
the consequences of our forgiven sins but David’s sin was so extreme.
Note in verse 18 her garment of divers
colours. Remember this about Joseph?
Genesis 37:3
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the
son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
I have read reports that there have
been Egyptian tomb paintings showing traders from the area of Canaan wearing
such clothing, probably made more valuable by the costly work of dyeing the
fabric.
2Samuel 13:21 ¶ But when king David heard of all these
things, he was very wroth. 22 And
Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated
Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. 23 And it came to pass after two full years,
that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim:
and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath
sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
25 And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my
son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed
him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. 26 Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let
my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with
thee? 27 But Absalom pressed him, that
he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. 28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants,
saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto
you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be
courageous, and be valiant. 29 And the
servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the
king’s sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.
Absalom is not giving up his hand. He doesn’t
confront Amnon because his intentions are to kill him. Beware of the wronged
person who remains silent. They may be a morally courageous individual showing
Christ by not hating in their hearts or they might be an Absalom, silent
because revenge is being plotted in their hearts. He waited two years stewing
in his wrath. An 1846 French novel says that “revenge is very good eaten cold.” A
character in a Star Trek movie put it like this, “revenge is a dish best served
cold.”
This
shows real hate. Absalom is not going to prove anything to Amnon, not confront
him, or show him why he must die. He just wants him dead. There is no point to
this other than pure revenge. Absalom is a type of the Beast of Revelation and
the negative characters of the Bible show you that individual’s character. He
is a dangerous man.
Did David suspect? Perhaps, but inviting all
of his sons was a ruse that maybe threw him off the scent. This is a clever
type of move seen all through history in the betrayals and revenge of royalty
in every country on earth.
2Samuel 13:30 ¶ And it came to pass, while they were in the
way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s
sons, and there is not one of them left. 31
Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and
all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. 32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s
brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain
all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the
appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced
his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let
not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s
sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. 34
But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his
eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill
side behind him. 35 And Jonadab said
unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come: as thy servant said, so it is.
36 And it came to pass, as soon as he
had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up
their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai,
the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every
day. 38 So Absalom fled, and went to
Geshur, and was there three years. 39
And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for
he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.
The first news that comes out of a tragedy, a
disaster, whether it be from a person’s mouth or the news on the TV or
internet, is typically wrong. Always remember that.
Here is the troublemaker, Jonadab, comforting
the king and assuring him that only Amnon is dead and that Absalom planned that
death from the time that Tamar was raped. He encouraged Amnon’s wicked behavior
and informs on Absalom here.
Now Absalom will flee to his mother’s family’s
land, Geshur.
2Samuel 3:3
And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and
the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of
Geshur;
Remember what David did to Geshur.
1Samuel 27:8 ¶ And David
and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the
Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou
goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. 9
And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took
away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel,
and returned, and came to Achish.
Imagine, if you will, Absalom’s seething
hatred of Amnon and his anger at King David, his father, not defending Tamar,
his sister, from her half-brother’s rape. Imagine what stories would have been
told him by his mother’s family, who probably still bore resentment at David’s
depredations on their land. Obviously, 1Samuel 27:9 is the typical example of
hyperbole and people were left alive. This should give you an understanding of
other passages containing absolute statements like this. It is common in
ancient histories and the chronicler who wrote this most certainly fits into
that category. Keep in mind in the gospels when it says;
Matthew 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all
Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing
their sins.
…it doesn’t have to mean that every single
person, Jewish, Gentile, or Roman soldier came and was baptized in the Jordan.
It is an all without distinction, not all without exception. It is an example
of narrative telling in the ancient world.
In any event, Absalom has fled to the safety of his mother’s family’s territory. For three years, King David, who obviously loves his son, longs to see him. As in the baby that resulted from his union with Bathsheba, David accepts Amnon's death.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Monday, September 23, 2024
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Friday, September 20, 2024
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Psalm 78 comments
Psalm 78:1 ¶
«Maschil of Asaph.» Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline
your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I
will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our
fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide
them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises
of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
5 For he established a testimony in
Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they
should make them known to their children: 6
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which
should be born; who should arise and declare them to their
children: 7 That they might set their
hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn
and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright,
and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
A Maschil is an instructive or
doctrinal Psalm as per John Gill. See Psalm 32:1. Asaph is listed as the author
of some Psalms. He is listed as a seer, which is a prophet.
2Chronicles 29:30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes
commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and
of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their
heads and worshipped.
In this regard he represents Christ, who
spoke in parables.
Matthew 13:34
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without
a parable spake he not unto them:
Asaph gives a brief religious discourse on
Israel’s past admonishing the present generation not to do as they had done and
ignore God’s commandments. Dark sayings would be sayings that had not
been understood fully or at all.
Clearly the gospel of Jesus Christ, including
His death, burial, and resurrection were not understood as I have stated
repeatedly in my comments on the gospels that the Jews did not understand that
He was to die and to rise again. They were looking for a conqueror, not a
suffering God in the flesh.
Jesus’ Jewish followers literally had no clue what He
was talking about when He referred to His impending agony on the Cross or
understood anything about His Resurrection.
Matthew
16:21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus
to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised again the third day. 22 Then
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he
turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence
unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of
men.
Mark 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean…31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Luke
18:31 ¶ Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto
them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the
prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles,
and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the
third day he shall rise again. 34 And
they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them,
neither knew they the things which were spoken.
John
20:9 For as yet they knew not the
scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
I read in a book entitled A
History of Messianic Speculation in Israel from the First through the
Seventeenth Centuries by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver that there was an
expectation of two messiahs at times, one; Messiah ben Joseph and, two; Messiah
ben David. One is a conqueror and one suffers for the people of Israel and dies
fighting the enemies of God and Israel. Jewish tradition also refers to, “The
Four Craftsmen,” a subject more for a
study of Daniel or Revelation than here.
Acts 1:6
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord,
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Asaph’s Psalm is a warning and a plea to the
people of Israel.
Psalm 78:9 ¶ The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. 10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; 11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. 12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. 14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. 15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. 16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. 17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. 18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. 19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? 20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? 21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; 22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full. 26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. 27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. 29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; 30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, 31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. 32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. 33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. 34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. 35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. 36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. 38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
He now speaks about Israel’s unfaithfulness
in his warning to this present generation. The reference to Ephraim retreating
in the day of battle, according to some commentators, may refer to the time of
the priest, Eli, and the loss of the Ark to the Philistines. See 1Samuel 4. Others
say it was when Jephthah and the Gileadites fought against Ephraim. See Judges
12:1-6.
As Ephraim fled from battle so did the
Israelites turn back from following the Laws of God. The amazing things that
God did for Israel and to Israel as recounted in Exodus and further in the
books of the law, in Joshua, and Judges are summarized here. Yet, in spite of
their unfaithfulness God was merciful to them many times because He acknowledge
that they were, after all, only weak flesh and blood creatures. This gives us
one way of looking at God’s mercy on wicked humanity in general. He knows we
are weak, stupid, fickle, and unsteady in our ways and that, as Jeremiah noted,
our hearts are deceitful and wicked and we cannot direct our own steps.
Psalm 103:14
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a
flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof
shall know it no more.
If we older Christians are honest we too can
remember the great things God has done for us in our lives, remember the times
we doubted and were unfaithful, and remember God’s mercy on us, weak and
double-minded as we can often be.
Manna’s spiritual
nature here is reinforced by calling it angel’s food. There isn’t enough
evidence for the conjecture that spiritual beings eat manna but it is an
interesting thought. The implication can just be that it was supernatural food.
Psalm 78:40 ¶
How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in
the desert! 41 Yea, they turned back and
tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42 They remembered not his hand, nor the
day when he delivered them from the enemy. 43
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of
Zoan: 44 And had turned their rivers
into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. 45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them,
which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. 46 He gave also their increase unto the
caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. 47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their
sycomore trees with frost. 48 He gave up
their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his
anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among
them. 50 He made a way to his anger;
he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the
pestilence; 51 And smote all the
firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of
Ham: 52 But made his own people to go
forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 And he led them on safely, so that they
feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And he brought them to the border of his
sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had
purchased. 55 He cast out the heathen
also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes
of Israel to dwell in their tents. 56
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his
testimonies: 57 But turned back, and
dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful
bow. 58 For they provoked him to anger
with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was
wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: 60
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he
placed among men; 61 And delivered his
strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand. 62 He gave his people over also unto the sword;
and was wroth with his inheritance. 63
The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to
marriage. 64 Their priests fell by the
sword; and their widows made no lamentation. 65
Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man
that shouteth by reason of wine. 66 And
he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of
Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: 68
But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. 69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces,
like the earth which he hath established for ever. 70 He chose David also his servant, and took him
from the sheepfolds: 71 From following
the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his
inheritance. 72 So he fed them according
to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
The religious history of Israel continues
with the Psalmist recounting Israel’s faithlessness in remembering the great
deliverance that God performed for them against Egypt. Notice in verse 49 the mention
of evil angels, spirit beings, disembodied minds, intent on malice. These
are messengers of destruction, one way God has of interacting with our reality.
Here, the judgment that God visited on Israel
many times is told again. A mention in verse 68 how the tribe of Judah, from
whence would come the Messiah, is chosen and it is in this territory that of
Judah that God chose His temple to be built, on Mount Zion, which is an area
that includes Mount Moriah where Abraham was almost called to sacrifice Isaac
and where the temple was built, although at different times in history scholars
say it has designated the fortress of the Jebusites only and then the larger
area including Mount Moriah as evidenced by Isaiah below.
Genesis 22:2 And he said,
Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the
mountains which I will tell thee of.
2Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the
LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his
father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the
Jebusite.
Isaiah 8:18
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and
for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
Isaiah 24:23
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of
hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients
gloriously.
David’s anointing is also mentioned here
although a great deal of this is covered in Exodus.
Shall we not remember when God has delivered
us? Shall we not follow Him in gratitude and acknowledgment of who He is? Shall
we not be ashamed at our apostasy and our turning back to the ways of the world
when we should be ever faithful and thankful for His mercy? I know many of us
can relate a time of great deliverance and how after the heat was off we turned
away again to our own way, the way of the wicked, and came close to perishing
were it not for God’s mercy. We are all, us Christians, in type on an
individual basis like the children of Israel and studying what they did and
didn’t do and how God treated them gives us a lesson in our own lives.