Bible Study on Matthew 1, verses 1 to 17, part 2, the genealogy of Jesus continued

 

In verse 2 Judas is of a particular note because it is the transliteration of the Greek version of the Hebrew name, Judah. But Judas here refers to Judah, which we know by our knowledge of the genealogy presented in Genesis. It is just plain, common sense.

 

How does Luke have it? In Luke 3:33 it is written as Juda. I have noted in my comments on the Old Testament that the KJV translators were sensitive to variations in spelling in both Hebrew and Greek. I point you to, as an example, Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadrezzar. As each verse was reviewed by all of the committees after being included in each committee’s translating assignment it has been said that each verse of the Bible was reviewed a total of fourteen times at least. I am sure if they wanted to they could have made all spellings match but all of the committees agreed on these variations as being faithful to the documents they used.

 

Matthew 1:3 takes us back to Judah’s affair with his daughter-in-law thinking she was a prostitute. See Genesis 38. Then, we come to the characters discussed in the book of Ruth.

 

In verse 6 it goes through David to Solomon then in verse 7, Rehoboam, transliterated here as Roboam. Luke 3:31 going the other way has Christ’s lineage in human terms coming through Nathan not Solomon in Luke 3:31. The two lines of descent part here.

 

We know Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba. Nathan, according to many commentators is another son of David and Bathsheba.

 

1Chronicles 3:5  And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:

 

Bathshua is an alternate spelling of Bathsheba as Ammiel is an alternate spelling of Eliam, her father according to Strong’s dictionary.

 

2Samuel 11:3  And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

 

There are a lot of reasons given why these lines diverge and a lot of speculation from many different commentators with authority.

 

In verse 7 we have Abia and Asa. This Abia could not have been from whom Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father, came through because this Abia was not of the sons of Levi but from Judah, his brother.

 

Luke 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

 

This Abia is mentioned previously;

 

1Chronicles 3:10  And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

 

Jesus was not a Levite but came through Judah on both sides of his family, his physical mother and his stepfather.

 

You can read about King Asa in 1Kings 15. Ozias is a transliteration from the Greek for the Hebrew Uzziah who you can read about in 2Chronicles 26.

 

Joatham in verse 9 is Jotham, Uzziah’s son, as per 2Chronicles 26:23.  Achaz, Ezekias, and Manasses are Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh.

 

1Chronicles 3:13  Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,

Bible Study on Genesis 27, verses 6 to 29, Isaac is deceived by his wife and son

 

Genesis 27:6 ¶  And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7  Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8  Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9  Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10  And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11  And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12  My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 13  And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14  And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15  And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16  And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17  And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Genesis 27:18 ¶  And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? 19  And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20  And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. 21  And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. 22  And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23  And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24  And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 25  And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26  And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 27  And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: 28  Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29  Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

As God’s plan of reconciling man to Himself unfolds in its particulars, the theme of the Bible, here we find the deception of a feeble old man by his wife and son. We have no evidence to say that Isaac knew what we know, that Esau had given up his birthright to Jacob for a meal. In fact, it is possible that may not have been legal from a cultural perspective anyway. The fact that Jacob felt justified, along with his mother who probably did know what Esau had been willing to do, is what matters here. It is the fulfillment of prophecy given to Rebekah, not to Isaac.

25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Isaac blesses Jacob, thinking he was blessing Esau, passing on authority over his siblings. He also repeated God’s blessing on Abraham to Jacob.

Genesis 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Jacob’s blessing is bit more earthy and more immediate than Abraham’s though. Rather than promising that Jacob will be a blessing to all families of the earth, which Jehovah Himself will do later, he is told that nations will bow to him and he will rule over his own siblings. He is now given the birthright and we see the foundation laid for the fulfillment of the prophecy and curse against Canaan from earlier on. The nations of Canaan will bow down and those who curse his progeny will be cursed.

Genesis 9:25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27  God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

To curse the Hebrews was in the hearts of Balak, king of Moab, and the other kings of Canaan. It was the commission he wanted to give to Balaam, the heathen prophet.

Numbers 22:4b …And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

Although Balaam refused to outright curse the Hebrews he was willing to offer counsel to subvert them and make rotten their culture and standing with God from the inside.

Numbers 31:16  Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

But, this desire to curse the Hebrews, came back on them.

Numbers 31:8  And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

Jacob, posing as Esau, has deceived his father to gain the blessing that would have gone to Esau. But, we shall soon see that Jacob is to be sent away. He will not control his father’s wealth and he will have no opportunity to rule over his brethren. This prophecy is for future generations about to be revealed. We will see that Esau is not going to remain as unhappy as we will see him in the next passage, or as angry. Essentially Esau loses nothing but his place in God’s ministry of reconciliation, which matters little to a carnal man like himself as it does not matter to many Christians, who prefer a worldly kingdom to a heavenly one.

For centuries many countries in Europe and the United States of America viewed themselves as God’s chosen vessel. They tried to create in their minds God’s kingdom out of a temporal physical place. This Replacement Theology where an organization like the Catholic or Anglican churches or a country like Spain, Germany, England, France, Russia, or the United States declares that it is divinely inspired and God’s special country is the work of many carnal men. They failed and were judged by God and are being judged because man is an incorrigible sinner and the Christian’s home is in heaven and his capital is the New Jerusalem, not Madrid, Berlin, London, Paris, Moscow, or Washington D.C.

Bible Study on Matthew 1, verses 1 to 17, one genealogy of Jesus

 

Matthew 1:1 ¶  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2  Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3  And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4  And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5  And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6  And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7  And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8  And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9  And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10  And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11  And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13  And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14  And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15  And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16  And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

 

Compare 1:1 with the following book of genealogy.

 

Genesis 5:1  This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

 

Now, look at Luke’s genealogy in chapter 3 of that gospel going backwards from Jesus through Joseph. It is commonly noted that Luke’s genealogy starts with Mary and Joseph, as the text says, was presumed to be Jesus father in the sense of the world. Her genealogy goes backwards all the way to Adam connecting Christ with Adam as the Saviour of all mankind. Matthew’s genealogy would then be Joseph’s genealogy, from Abraham, the first Hebrew, to Joseph connecting Jesus under the Law as the Saviour of the Jewish people specifically. Think of Joseph adopting Jesus as his son with full rights of being a legal heir which would give this perfect meaning. Both Joseph and Mary come from the line of David but through a different son of David; Mary through Nathan and Joseph through Solomon.

 

Jesus is called the son of David. The son of David denotes that Jesus, in the flesh, is a descendant of David and then it says son of Abraham as David and Jesus are also descendants of Abraham in the flesh. The lowercase “s” indicates a descendant.

Bible Study on Genesis 27, verses 1 to 5, that my soul may bless thee before I die

 

Genesis 27:1 ¶  And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2  And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3  Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4  And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5  And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Isaac was growing blind as he grew old. His eyes were dim. Later, a prophet’s eyes will be said to be set because of age.

1Kings 14:4  And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

Here is an important point to consider. God’s people, even His chosen patriarchs and prophets, will suffer the pains of old age and the suffering that comes with it. They are not exempt from bodily decay and loss. Many conservative Christians seem to be shocked when they suffer the difficulties of old age, as if they should be exempt, as if they had made a bargain which wasn’t kept by the other party. They often live lives of excess with food, in particular, enjoying the sin of gluttony, no different than the unsaved drunk enjoying the excesses of alcohol, and when it is time to pay the bill for their incontinent lifestyle they find themselves flabbergasted at their distress.

Solomon commented on old age in very poetic terms.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 ¶  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2  While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3  In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4  And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5  Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Isaac feels his death is imminent and tells Esau to bring him some venison and then he will bless Esau. Esau has already expressed his willingness to give up his birthright for a bowl of soup. There is no reason to believe that Isaac is even aware of it or that such a thing would be legal and binding except as a justification for what Jacob and his mother are about to do. The blessing he wishes to give Esau is the blessing to the eldest son and the birthright and continuation of the lineage will flow from that. But, Esau’s surrender of his birthright to Jacob, even if not a legal and binding contract in that culture, certainly gave Jacob the justification he needed, along with his mother’s support and encouragement, to steal Esau’s blessing as well. If it was a legal and binding statement that guaranteed on its face that Esau lost his birthright Isaac would have been told. What matters is what the person giving the blessing wants. You, if you are born again, will have eternal life because of God’s free gift, His blessing on you, not because of your fidelity and worthiness after you trust Him and become His child.

Please read chapters 48 and 49 for Jacob’s blessings to his sons and grandsons. They took blessings very seriously and once bestowed a blessing could not be removed.

We find it odd and perhaps a little crazy that a man of honor would bind himself to an agreement that he made regardless of the fidelity of the other party or if he had been deceived in any way.

This is one aspect of a gentleman that is lost on today’s world. As God made an agreement with Himself regarding Abraham in chapter 15, so a gentleman honors any commitment he makes based on the truth of his own word and not the faithfulness of the other party. No doubt, no one teaches their children that sense of responsibility anymore. But a blessing was very important in this world as an expression of the giver’s mind towards the receiver and God’s will.

Rebekah was listening.

Bible Study on Genesis 26, verses 34 and 35, Esau takes wives

 

Genesis 26:34 ¶  And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 35  Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

When Isaac was a hundred years old (See 25:26) Esau married two Hittite girls, which upset Isaac and Rebekah terribly. Notice that I said previously in the comments on the passage that began in 10:15 that a Hittite was a descendant of Heth.

Genesis 23:10  And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

2Samuel 11:3  And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

Heth was a son of Canaan, who had a curse or prophecy pronounced on him by his grandfather, Noah, after Canaan’s father’s, Ham’s, behavior after their family departed the Ark. Canaanites, the descendants of Canaan, were steeped in the worship that permeated the ancient world. Esau will eventually take more wives of the daughters of Canaan (36:2). We have no record of how long his wives lived or if any of these wives were replacing deceased ones as Judith is not mentioned again. We also know he took a second daughter to wife of Elon and we do know he had two wives with the same name; Bashemath, here, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Bashemath, a daughter of Ishmael, later in 36:3. One would naturally assume that Elon’s Bashemath had died without leaving children as they are not mentioned but we cannot say with certainty. Just imagine, in a culture where multiple wives were not unusual, a man marrying during the course of his life two women with the same first name. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon cult in the United States, had many wives; with multiple wives named Sarah.

Esau, a carnal man, has married from the daughters of the heathen whose religious views and sympathies would not be in keeping with how he was raised. Many young Christian men and women in the last fifty years think nothing of marrying someone outside of their faith because their faith is so weak and their commitment to God is less than the allure of emotional impulse. But, we are told specifically;

2Corinthians 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

An unbelieving husband or wife will poison a Christian’s home and set a terrible example for children, who are your responsibility to raise with a knowledge of God.

Many a Christian parent has been much distressed by their child’s choice of an unbelieving spouse.

2Kings comments, first draft

 

2Kings 2:1 ¶  And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2  And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 3  And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 4  And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 5  And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6  And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7  And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 8  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

This is going to be a type of Rapture, a Translation in Bible terminology, moving someone from one location to another. Elisha will take Elijah’s place as God’s special prophet. With fifty disciples of these prophets of God watching, Elijah repeats the miracle of the Red Sea and of the Israelites entering the promised land and parts the Jordan, of course, by God’s special power that is granted him.

Knowing, as has been noted previously, that God has taken Elijah and moved him at will, Elisha refuses to leave his side. Let’s review the following passage from 1^st Kings.

1Kings 18:1 ¶  And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 2  And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. 3  And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: 4  For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 5  And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 6  So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7  And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 8  And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9  And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10  As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12  And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 13  Was it not told my lord what I did when

Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. 15  And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. 16  So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

2Kings 2:9 ¶  And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10  And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

Elisha has the nerve to ask for twice as much of God’s power that Elijah has to be on him. This might not be from a passion for power but for his desire to glorify God in the ministry of the prophet in healing and prophecy.

 It is made clear here that it is possible for a person to be translated by God and for others not to be able to see it happen. Elijah tells Elisha, though, that if Elisha sees Elijah taken away then he will get what he asked for. He does see Elijah’s rapture, his translation, carried away by a chariot and horses of fire.

I think Elijah may have asked God to give Elisha this vision as Elisha will ask God later to give a young man the vision to see a heavenly host around Elisha.

2Kings 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Elijah is raptured, translated, to Heaven presumably and Elisha is grieving at the loss of this great prophet to Israel. Clearly, there are probably angels driving this chariot as verse 12 suggests.

2Kings 2:13 ¶  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15  And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 16  And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17  And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18  And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

Evidence is seen that Elisha has the power of Elijah on him. These witnesses pressured Elisha to send men to find Elijah because, as before, it is thought that God had just translated him from one physical place to another physical place in Israel. But they couldn’t find him as Elisha told them they would not. Now, Elisha will take on the LORD’s work.

2Kings 2:19 ¶  And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 20  And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. 21  And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 22  So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 23  And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 25  And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

In verse 4, it is said they were at or near Jericho. Here, in this passage, there is a problem with the water being poisoned or cursed. Elisha performs a miracle, actually the Lord God’s doing, of healing the waters. His using of salt shows even more so that this is a miracle from God.

What happens next is a disturbing scene for us and a possible partial fulfillment of this prophecy. I am not sure but this came to mind.

Leviticus 26:21  And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22  I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

2Chronicles 36:16  But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Jeroboam committed great sin here at Bethel and the place was steeped in idolatry.

1Kings 12:25 ¶  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26  And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 27  If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28  Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 30  And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31  And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. 32  And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 33  So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

In the ancient world the sins of the parents were often visited upon their children.

Exodus 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

But a new day is coming.

Jeremiah 31:27 ¶  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28  And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. 29  In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. 30  But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. 31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

And again it was written.

Ezekiel 18:1 ¶  The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 2  What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? 3  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 5  But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6  And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7  And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8  He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, 9  Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

    10 ¶  If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 11  And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife, 12  Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 13  Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. 14  Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 15  That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife, 16  Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 17  That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. 18  As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 19  Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

    21 ¶  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22  All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24  But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25  Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26  When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27  Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28  Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29  Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

Bible Study on 1John 5, verses 18 to 21, This is the true God, and eternal life

 

1John 5:18 ¶  We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Context is so important here. John has already said that we sin so this is a statement that the born again Christian does not become the sin he or she might fall into at times. When I was young I knew many unsaved people who defined themselves by their sins, such as the “party animal” or the “ladies man” or the, typically feminine, “free spirit.” The Christian must keep his or herself and resist Satan and not fall into habitual sin. Preachers have pointed out that God does not see us as sinners but as the redeemed of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But we will still sin as fallen humans in a fallen world.

James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Christ, the living Word of God, the angel or appearance of God the Father, the Son of God is the true God and the key to eternal life. This is in keeping with the declaration in Titus.

Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

This was understood in the manuscripts from which the King James Bible was translated from to mean Christ was God. If you can’t accept the deity of Christ you have a problem. Not only did the Jews regard the Word of God, the angel of the LORD, as God as I pointed out in the Targums but the early Christians regarded Jesus as also God as Pliny the Younger (AD 112) reported Christians “sing hymns to Christ as to a god”.[1] The Oxyrhynchus Hymn addresses Christ in those terms. Archaeologists have uncovered 2nd-century house-church grafitti in Dura-Europos depicting believers praying to Jesus—liturgical evidence harmonizing with Titus 2:13.

Christ is the Word of God, by which all things were created and by which all things are sustained, and is also God as part of the Godhead or, as early Jewish writers noted, the powers in the heavens. There is one God composed of three parts.

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

From the Targums, certainly lacking the credibility and inspiration of the Bible but revealing the Jewish mindset of the time;

A source I studied said that one translation of the Targum Neofiti has two interpretations.

 

From the beginning by wisdom the son of the LORD created the heavens and the earth.

 

From the beginning by (the) wisdom the LORD created and formed the heavens and the earth.

 

Notice the phrasing of several verses in the Old Testament which while others clearly are talking about God’s words these and ones like them seem to be referring more specifically to the Godhead;

Genesis 15:1 ¶  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Jeremiah 1:4 ¶  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Ezekiel 28:11 ¶  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Then, from John’s gospel;

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And then from Paul;

Colossians 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (as in the creator of all living things) 16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Look at these verses;

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 

Genesis 11:7  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

And consider these;

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2Corinthians 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1John 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

These are just some things to consider as we try to understand what God has given us.

John finally warns them to beware of idols, and idolatry, of course, just as Paul did on several occasions which we have discussed, a grave danger in their world as it is in ours even if we don’t call them gods. Consider the warnings above regarding the world.

---

[1] Pliny the Younger letter to Trajan, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/pliny/