Bible Study on Matthew 5, verses 21 to 26, without a cause

 

Matthew 5:21 ¶  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26  Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

 

Thou shalt not kill is stated as such in the Law given to Moses in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17. Jesus will define this very general sounding statement and clarify it as not murdering, that is killing an innocent person, in Matthew 19:18.

 

However, in this context God in the flesh is going a step further than forbidding murder. John Gill, the Baptist preacher who led Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s church a century before him said, citing rabbinical sources, that the brother here is every human being, every man. The Jews, and we by extension, are to be angry at no man without a cause, to call no one worthless, Raca, a term of contempt or reproach in Aramaic, which John Gill linked with someone worthy to be spit upon, and we are to call no one a fool, with the meaning, according to Gill, of being wicked.

 

Psalm 53:1  «To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.» The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

 

From this we see that this is serious stuff to God. Christians should be careful in their speech, not mocking, or using words carelessly.

 

Ephesians 5:3 ¶  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

 

On the most superficial level you don’t know what anyone you talk to is going through or what they are struggling with and if you say you don’t care you are a reprobate.

 

On a deeper spiritual level the Jew here is told and we by extension that we are not worthy to worship God if our brother, whom many commentators, such as Matthew Henry, insist is anyone made of the one blood of all mankind, has an offense against us. Please note the express literal meaning of the following verse without any racist interpretation.

 

Acts 17:26  And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

 

If someone has something against us, if we have been angry at someone without a cause, called someone a worthless person holding them in contempt, or even wicked and without a cause as the context implies this without having to write the phrase without a cause over again, we need to be reconciled to them before offering our worship to God. Think about this for a moment.

 

There are other places in the Bible where writing a phrase once allows it to be applied to the rest of the statement without writing it over again.

 

Matthew 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [the passage requires we think “for a reason other than for the cause of fornication” and then] committeth adultery.

 

James 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man [the passage we requires we think adding “with evil” for God does tempt, test, prove His people as in a comparison of Genesis 22:1 with Hebrews 11:17]:

 

The analogy Jesus gives us with a criminal case before a judge compares that to the Jew’s and our relationship to God’s judgment. It does not suggest a purgatory however as a place from which you can be delivered by the prayers of others or your own repentance AFTER death.

A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 66, make His praise glorious

 

Psalm 66:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.» Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2  Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. 5  Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6  He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. 7  He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

 

The first verse of this Psalm is repeated later.

 

Psalm 100:1 ¶  «A Psalm of praise.» Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

 

Certainly we can see how this would be realized in the Millennial Reign of Christ with the Lord present and ruling physically over the earth, most likely from Jerusalem. In different contexts notice the joy which doesn’t take much to see as having a meaning of the time in which they were written but also applying to Christ’s reign on earth.

 

Zechariah 8:23  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

 

Deuteronomy 32:43  Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

 

1Chronicles 16:31  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.

 

A glorious praise of God is what David calls for. This sentiment is present all through the Psalms. It is a joyful expression of worship. Here are examples.

 

Psalm 47:6  Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

 

Psalm 96:3  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4  For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6  Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7  Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10 ¶  Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

 

In verse 3, the word terrible once also meant awe-inspiring, leaving one speechless in amazement, worthy to be feared.

 

Deuteronomy 10:21  He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

 

Verse 4 has, of course, its application in David’s praise but also we can look forward with the verse to God’s fulfillment in our lives and in the future history of Revelation.

 

Psalm 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

 

There seems to be a reference here to the Red Sea Crossing in verses 5and 6. I am reminded of Exodus 15.

 

Exodus 15:1 ¶  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4  Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5  The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6  Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in

power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7  And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8  And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9  The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10  Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11  Who is

like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12  Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13  Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14  The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15  Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16  Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall

be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17  Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 18  The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19  For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20  And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in

her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21  And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

 

Verse 7 is a praise and a warning.

 

Daniel 4:35  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

 

Psalm 66:8 ¶  O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: 9  Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. 10  For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11  Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

 

This praise of God continues as the people are expected to praise Him who keeps them alive and makes them stand strong. God has tested them and heated them like silver that is being refined, allowing their enemies to have their way with them for awhile but eventually bringing them through it.

 

Can you see how this speaks to our own lives? Can you imagine how this speaks to those who survive the depredations of the Beast of Revelation? For a time, God allows the enemies of God to have power over His faithful, to afflict them, but in the end He will bring them to eternal life with Him. It is our guarantee.

 

Psalm 66:13 ¶  I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, 14  Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. 15  I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. 16  Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. 17  I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. 18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 19  But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20  Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

 

In an abundance of praise for God’s mercy and deliverance David promises to offer up his sacrifices and pay his vows. God has greatly blessed David and David has lifted God up in praise and thanksgiving. God has heard David and has not turned His back on him or denied David God’s great mercy.

 

Our sacrifices are of a different nature than the Israelite under the Old Testament Law.

 

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 

1Peter 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

 

We don’t go to a Tabernacle or a Temple because our body is the Temple of God.

 

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?

 

Would it were so that we were as grateful each and every day as King David was and that we shouted God’s praises throughout the day, offering up our prayers of praise and thanksgiving as a living sacrifice to the God who saved us from an eternity of loss and agony and very often delivered us from the dangers we face each and every day.

Bible Study on Matthew 5, verses 17 to 20, Jesus Christ is the fulfilling of God's Law

 

Matthew 5:17 ¶  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

Jesus Christ is the fulfilling of the Law. He is our Law. He completes the Law. Christ fulfilled, completed Scripture and is the ultimate expression of God’s reconciling mankind to Himself. All of the things spoken of about Christ will be fulfilled. 

 

A jot, also jod, as I understand it, was the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and a tittle was an even smaller extension of a letter. Even the smallest consideration of the Law given to Moses is fulfilled in Christ and will be fulfilled in Christ. This should give us direction when interpreting the Law. But here, this is a revealing of what is to come and of who Christ is. It is an introduction so to speak to Christ as the Messiah.

 

Considering how righteous the Pharisees tried to be this is a tall order. The follower of Christ among the Jews must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees to be accepted. There are at least two ways of looking at this and probably more. This passage may be saying that under the Judaism that was current at that time God regarded the Pharisees’ dogma as falling short of His intentions. Paul would make this statement.

 

2Corinthians 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

 

And Jesus will note;

 

Matthew 22:34 ¶  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 

The danger here, that the Pharisees fell into as do many Fundamentalists today, is to miss the point of the Law, to draw us to Christ, and focus on its dogmatic letter to elevate us and to exercise the all too human desire for self-glory and self-worship in self-righteousness.

 

Galatians 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Bible Study on Genesis 32, verses 24 to 32, a wrestling match

 

Genesis 32:24 ¶  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31  And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32  Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

We do not know until later that when God appeared or walked with a person it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word by which all things were created, the second part of God called the Son of God, the physical image of God’s person (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15). He is in other places called the angel of God or the angel of the LORD, the meaning of an angel being an appearance of someone who is also somewhere else, which we have seen (see Genesis, chapter 16, 21, 22, 31).

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

God walked with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). He spoke to Noah (Genesis 6). He appeared to Abraham (Genesis 12, 17, 18). He appeared to Isaac (Genesis 26). God spoke to Jacob in a dream (Genesis 31). Here, God in the form of a man, which would be the preincarnate Jesus Christ, confronts Jacob when he is alone. They have this colossal wrestling contest. Wrestling is perhaps the oldest combat sport known to man.

Wrestling is mentioned in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, in Greek mythology, in Hindu, and Persian writings. It is depicted on very ancient cave art in Mongolia and on Egyptian tombs. Preachers have long played out this scene as an example of contending with God in prayer for something that you want.

Paul says that we contend against spiritual beings that inhabit the spaces above us.

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

While any wrestling we do is spiritual in prayer and fighting our flesh this was a bonafide physical wrestling match in the flesh, at least for Jacob anyway. I would be careful talking about wrestling with God in prayer. We do not get things from God by trying to pin Him down in prayer or forcing something from Him. God’s mercy does not come to us through our force.

Ephesians 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

The promises offered to us are not awards we win in a fight with God.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We receive these things by trusting in Christ’s resurrection.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

And by believing what Jesus said about Himself in John 14, that He is the only way to God and that He is in fact the image of God the Father. In John 3:36 believing on Christ is defined as believing what He said. So, in;

Acts 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

There is no athletic contest with God involved. If there is a wrestling match, it is between you and your flesh. But, what we can say here with certainty is a principle of holding on to God and not letting go, which some of us have done. We need to understand in all ways and at all times that it is God who is in control of our destiny. There is no war with Satan, who can do nothing without God’s permission, and no ransom paid to Satan for our souls, as the ransom is paid to God by God. See Exodus 30:12. But, as the parable of the friend pleading with his friend for food in Luke 11 and the parable of the unrighteous judge in Luke 18, it is expected that we will be persistent in prayer and not give up.

To make this a spiritual principle we have to understand that God often makes Himself apparent to us in reality for nothing happens that is not either caused by God or permitted by God; no cell function, not a beat of your heart, or not even sickness and death. For instance, someone you love is sick, very sick. You pray fervently for their release from the bondage of sickness. It means a lot to you that they get well. Do not, “let go,” but pray fervently, fast if you are led to by the spiritual and emotional urgency of the situation, but understand you may be wounded in the process. It may be God’s will that the one you love must go to Him. But, your persistence and sincerity will result in a blessing and you will be changed by the, “struggle.” This is just one example of possible applications and preachers have come up with many others.

Jacob holds on and refuses to let go until God blesses him. He is given the name Israel which typically is said to mean "God prevails" or "God contends" but here the meaning in context ironically refers to Jacob prevailing with God. Jacob demands that his opponent tell him His name. But, there is no need. Jacob knows with whom his encounter has been. Peniel and Penuel are two spellings of the same word. There may be another reason but one reason for including both spellings is the question among Jewish authorities regarding the spelling, I have read. Both mean ‘to see God face to face.’ Who then has Jacob wrestled with?

John 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

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;

Colossians 1:15a  Who is the image of the invisible God…

Those who trust in Christ’s righteousness and realize they are spiritually bankrupt and destitute on their own shall see God face to face. They are made clean and pure by Christ. (see Job 11:4; Psalm 24:4; and Proverbs 20:9 for pure as clean.)

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven….8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(The preparation of a heart to receive Christ is found in Psalms and Isaiah, among other places.

Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isaiah 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.)

Jacob will carry with him, in his limp, a reminder of a very close encounter with the living God. He has had impressed upon him the unseen power of God in the company of angels he met. He has been impressed with the immediacy of God in his life with the encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ. These are two things that should give us pause as we face uncertain events ahead. There is invisible to us a great host which God can and will use for His purposes and God Himself does not only meet us in close encounters but His very Spirit dwells inside of us by virtue of the faith He gave us when we believed. (i.e.; Romans 3:22; 8:9.)

Bible Study on Matthew 5, verses 13 to 16, glorify your Father which is in heaven

 

Matthew 5:13 ¶  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

We use the expression salt of the earth for good, common ordinary people. But this is much deeper than that colloquial expression. Salt gives food flavor, as the context of this passage says, but also salt was a preservative throughout much of human history, by being rubbed into meat. It was also used as fertilizer.

 

Just as a side thought perhaps we can say the world of men and women is not worthless and is not destroyed outright because of the followers of Jesus, because of their existence. If it were not for those who belong to Christ on this earth there would be no reason for God not to cast it away like a rotten thing. Christians, those who trust in Christ, acknowledge Him as God in the flesh, and who wish to obey Him are the only thing between the world and eternal damnation right now. When they are called out it is all over. Done. We are the preservative and the fertilizer that grows faith, and the flavor that is pleasing to God.

 

When two angels and the preincarnate Christ visited Abraham and it was announced that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed this scene took place.

 

Genesis 18:16 ¶  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

 

    23 ¶  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31  And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for

twenty’s sake. 32  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

 

But there were not even ten good people in Sodom. Not even ten who followed the Lord God who created them. And the one who did was translated, raptured, in a symbolic way by being escorted by angels out of the doomed city.

 

Genesis 19:15 ¶  And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16  And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

 

In the context here in Matthew it is the flavor that salt provides that is stressed. The usefulness of salt to make food palatable, to give it flavor. So, still we can think of how God is pleased with the body of Christ on earth. Remember how the right sacrifice was pleasing to God as a sweet savour?

 

Genesis 8:20 ¶  And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

 

Let your light shine before men is not a reference to Christian “virtue signaling” by placing a scripture verse in your yard or on your car or wearing a dove or a cross lapel pin which are not bad things, of course. It is about your active and daily expression of your Christian faith in trusting God and obeying Christ.

 

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

We must be careful that what we do glorifies God and not ourselves.

Bible Study on Genesis 32, verses 13 to 23, Jacob sends gifts to his brother in his fear

 

Genesis 32:13 ¶  And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14  Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15  Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16  And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17  And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18  Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19  And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20  And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21  So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. 22  And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23  And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

Jacob prepares an offering, a gift, for his brother, to appease what Jacob imagines is his wrath. Jacob assumes that Esau, after this long time, will still seethe with hatred and a desire for revenge. Of course, this is true in many families. Some of you still stew in anger and rage at some slight caused you many years ago by a family member. I’ve been there myself.

The droves, and remember how cowboys driving a herd of cattle in an old Western movie were called “drovers,” are gifts for Esau. One would suppose that Jacob is trying overwhelm Esau with his generosity. Clearly, Jacob is terrified. The servants are to tell Esau that Jacob is behind all of this wealth being offered to Esau.

Bible Study on Matthew 5, verses 3 to 12, part 4, of peacemakers and persecution

 

Peacemakers are not diplomats negotiating peace between warring countries. They are preaching peace between God and man.

 

Isaiah 52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

 

Notice how in this passage following that Christ is our peace, both Jew and Gentile, with God.

 

Ephesians 2:11 ¶  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

 

    14 ¶  For he is our peace, who hath made both one [Jew and Gentile into the Church], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

 

And in Romans, Paul states that this peace is delivered by preaching in a reference to the passage I quoted from Isaiah.

 

Romans 10:12 ¶  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 

Man is at war with His Creator. Peace is attainable but only through God’s mercy through Christ.

 

Persecution in history, for your faith in Christ, was much like it is in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia or Iran or communist countries like Vietnam or China and often resulted in the death of Christians. It was not something so trivial as your neighborhood association objecting to a scripture verse in your front yard or your boss making you take down a verse from your office cubicle. Real persecution involved and involves a threat, implied or obvious, that if you do not renounce Christ you will suffer.

 

2Timothy 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

 

This goes beyond the pharisaical thought, if you don’t do what I think you should do in any given situation you are denying Christ. This is life or death. Persecution for one’s faith is a true badge of honor if God is given the glory.

 

1Peter 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

 

There is a power in being persecuted if one is faithful and gives God the glory. It is, as this verse in Matthew 5 states, a proof that one is a part of the kingdom of God.