Brief comments on 2Kings 8 & 9

 

2Kings 8:1 ¶  Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 2  And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3  And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. 4  And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. 5  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6  And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

You might want to go back and read 2Kings 4, starting in verse 8 about the great lady at Shunem. Elisha warns her to take her household and flee a famine that is coming. During the seven years she is away someone takes her land, perhaps the king himself. She is now returning and God works things out that Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, is asked to speak of the great things Elisha has done and as he relates how Elisha raised her son from the dead she cries out for justice. Her land is restored to her. The king even provides an officer to take on that very task. Not only does she get her land back from the king but all it produced since she left is given to her, as well. Do you see how God influenced the king’s mind by having this story related to him while she yet stood there? Did Gehazi know she would be there beforehand? These are interesting questions. Can you imagine the woman coming to Elisha who then sends her with his servant to the king telling the servant to make sure this incident comes up in conversation? Who knows how it transpired?

2Kings 8:7 ¶  And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. 8  And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 9  So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10  And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die. 11  And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12  And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. 13  And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. 14  So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. 15  And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

Upon Elisha’s visit to Damascus King Benhadad wants to ask him if Benhadad will recover from the illness he suffers. He sends a huge gift to Elisha by way of the captain of his army, Hazael. Elisha tells Hazael that Benhadad will certainly recover from his sickness but Elisha sees Benhadad’s death at the hands of Hazael.

Elisha weeps seeing ahead that Hazael will be a sore enemy of Israel who will do great harm. Hazael denies that this could possibly be but Elisha tells him that God has told Elisha that Hazael will be king over Syria. This must have been in Hazael’s mind all along as he murders his master the day after he told Benhadad that he would recover.

2Kings 8:16 ¶  And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17  Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19  Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. 20  In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21  So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. 22  Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23  And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24  And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

Joram, called Jehoram, Ahab’s son, and Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, also called Joram in the text, reign in their respective countries of Israel and Judah. Commentators point out that although they can be called by the same name they were two distinct kings and the Bible attests to that in spite of our confusion. Jehoram was married to Joram’s sister and the kings of Israel and Judah were allies in not only politics but in idolatry against God.

Edom revolted against Judah and Jehoram, called Joram, crushed their army but was not able to stop their rebellion.

Edom had been conquered by King David.

2Samuel 8:14  And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.

Esau, Jacob’s brother, is the founder of the Edomites.

Genesis 36:1  Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

Isaac predicted that Esau’s people would be under the yoke of Jacob’s people but would break that yoke at some point.

Genesis 27:40  And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

2Kings 8:25 ¶  In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27  And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab. 28  And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29  And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Now here’s an interesting situation. Wicked Ahab’s wicked son, Joram, is wounded in combat with the Syrians. Ahaziah, king of Judah, who is a close relative of King Joram of Israel, goes to Jezreel to visit his injured cousin and ally. Two wicked kings are present together and God is about to do something to settle accounts.

2Kings, chapter 9

2Kings 9:1 ¶  And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: 2  And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; 3  Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. 4  So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. 5  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. 6  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto

him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 9  And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: 10  And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

Here, God, through a young prophet sent by Elisha, gives Jehu, a son of the late king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, not only the authority to take over the kingdom but his marching orders as well as to what he is to do once he assumes power. I think the orders are quite clear. Two wicked kings must pay with their lives. The house, the dynasty of Ahab, must be destroyed.

2Kings 9:11 ¶  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 12  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 13  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. 14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. 15  But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

Jehu confirms what he has been told by the prophet and his companions, soldiers of the reigning king, honor him as king based on the words of the prophet. The wicked kings of Israel and Judah are now in the crosshairs. Jehu wants secrecy until he acts upon the message he received.

2Kings 8:29  And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

1Kings 9:16 ¶  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. 17  And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 18  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. 19  Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 20  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. 21  And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 23  And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 24  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25  Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; 26  Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD. 27  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28  And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 29  And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

Jehu’s violent overthrow of Ahab’s dynasty represented in two wicked kings begins with his killing of those kings. He is not done yet.

Jehu recalls that the LORD God is avenging Naboth who was murdered and his land stolen by King Ahab, although we know there is a lot more to this than revenge for one man.

Read 1 Kings, chapter 21, to review the injustice done to Naboth.

As an important note these dynastic connections can be complicated.

King Omri’s daughter appears at first to be Ahab’s sister. First, understand that Ahab is the son of Omri.

1Kings 16:28  So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

Her name was Athaliah and she was Ahaziah’s mother.

2Kings 8:26  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, also called Joram, married Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter who in Bible parlance is a daughter of Omri in her descent as son of refers to descendants elsewhere.

2Kings 8:18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

Ahaziah is Jehoram aka Joram of Judah’s son, who was Athaliah’s husband.

2Kings 8:24  And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.25  In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.

So regardless of how you sort out these complicated dynastic interbreedings you can see how complicated the lines were and God is now settling accounts on Ahab’s dynasty. I don’t want to get into the countless wranglings I’ve read on Ahab’s descendants and family connections as that would take away from the narrative.

1Kings 9:30 ¶  And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 31  And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 32  And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 33  And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 34  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. 35  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36  Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 37  And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Jezebel tries to show her defiance of Jehu and is so held in contempt servants throw her down from the window at Jehu’s command. Her body is ripped to shreds by a pack of dogs. She will have no honorable resting place for her wickedness. Even in death she will be shown contempt.

Bible Study on Matthew 28, verses 1 to 10, He is not here: for he is risen

 

Matthew 28:1 ¶  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4  And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8  And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 9  And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 10  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

 

The first day of the week, the day of Christ’s resurrection, has always held an important place in the history of the Christian church. Notice here how God uses a natural force, an earthquake, as the method by which His angel, His appearance, which we can be assured is Christ Himself unrecognized by the women, as an angel is an appearance of someone whose actual physical person is somewhere else, removes the stone.

Christ is the appearance of God; the angel of the Lord, His presence, as God the Father is a Spirit.

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.

Galatians 4:14  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Who led the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Judges 2:1 ¶  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

Also notice His appearance.

 

Revelation 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

 

The guards, whether they were Roman soldiers, Temple guards, or a combination of both, quaked in fear and could not act, frozen in their panic. For what could have been battle hardened veterans serving in a very hostile part of the empire this appearance must have been pretty remarkable.

 

The angel of the Lord declares that Christ is risen, that He is not there for them to see, and that they were to go tell the others that He will meet them in Galilee. First, though, Christ shows who He is to the women. Then, He repeats the order to tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee as He had already told them He would meet them there.

 

Matthew 26:32  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

 

As I said before I did not want to make my study of Matthew a harmonization of the Gospels. There are variations in the eyewitness accounts, which there should be if they are genuine. People remember things differently and witness things differently. It is a testimony to the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the preservation of the Bible that scribes and translators did not feel justified in making every account line up with every other. It is also clear that the Gospel writers did not copy each other as skeptics sometimes say. So, there are some differences in the description of what happened. I would say that is due to the difference of whether a writer was there physically or was reporting the event as it was told to them by someone else. If four different people give an account of an event and the accounts are exactly the same then they all got together to create the narratives they present and are not trustworthy but if there are variations in their accounts the situation is more believable.

 

Notice also in verse 8, the great fear and the great joy the women had. Certainly, these two feelings show this to be an overwhelming event.

Bible Study on Exodus 7, verses 8 to 13, and it shall become a serpent

 

Exodus 7:8 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9  When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. 10  And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12  For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Here is the disconcerting evidence that heathen worshippers of false gods and devils are permitted their own minor miracles. Of course, the Lord’s work overcomes anything they have to offer as it was He who gave permission for their little show of power in the first place. This was clearly allowed to create the stage for God’s power to be displayed, even in this small way.

For those lovers of the original languages I’m going to repeat part of my comments that were said on the passage in Exodus 4:1-9 because they bear repeating. If I make any mistakes please let me know.

“The Holy Spirit, through Moses, uses the Hebrew word, naw-khawsh, for serpent, the same word used for the serpent who is Satan in the garden. But, in 7:9 & 10 serpent will be translated from tan-neem, which also is used in other places for a dragon or even a whale. But in 7:15 we come back to naw-khawsh again for serpent. As we have seen in Greek from our study of books in the New Testament it is pointless to look at a Hebrew or a Greek word and state that this or that is its exact meaning when the context determines meaning and while one word can be used for different ideas, more than one word can be used for the same idea. A study of the word, love, in the Greek text of the New Testament will produce little understanding if one runs off on a rabbit trail trying to use those words to delineate different kinds of love. The kind of love the Holy Spirit is explaining will depend on the context, not on the Greek word.

For instance, in the following passage different words for love are used and a great many mental gymnastics with the original Greek will take you off the road of understanding into the mire of the meaning of Greek words. For instance, several different Greek words are used for love in the New Testament but they all, in context, mean what we think of as love, not, though, the erotic or romantic kind.

After the resurrection, in John 21:15-17 Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him, which calls into sharp, painful memory that Peter had denied His Lord three times as Jesus predicted He would. And there are many other great sermons from that passage, I'm sure.

Here, a person who pretends to be a Greek expert is about to burst. He excitedly points out that the first and second time Jesus asks the question He uses the word Agape' for to love someone from esteem or respect and also used for divine love. Each of those times Peter responds with Phileo, the love that comes from friendship or brotherly love. The last time Jesus Himself uses Phileo and once again Peter responds with the same. The pseudo-scholar will say that this lends much more meaning to the conversation because Jesus is asking for a different kind of love, a divine love, which Peter is not capable of and this reflects a fundamental failure in mankind's capacity or willingness to love God in the right way blah, blah, blah.

What the person who likes to think he is more intelligent and knowledgeable than a Christian janitor who can read English has done is to reveal his own ignorance. Agape' and Phileo are words for love that are used interchangeably. No extra insight into these verses is gained by playing ping pong with them. In Matthew 6:5 hypocrites Phileo to pray standing in the synagogues, in Matthew 19:19 you are told to Agape' your neighbor as yourself, John 15:19 says the world won't Phileo the disciples, 1 Corinthians 16:22 says that if any man Phileo not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha, and when we are repeatedly told to love our neighbor as ourselves with Agape' the Scriptures in no way imply that this is superior to our brotherly love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. I doubt anyone would imply that the kind of love Jesus says we are to have for each other, which distinguishes us as His followers, is inferior to the love we are supposed to have for a stranger who is in need.

Titus 3:4 doesn't have the love of God our Saviour toward man as Agape'. Paul's admonition in Titus 3:15 isn't Agape'. 1 Peter 1:22 uses both words for the same thought with Phileo first and then Agape'. Does knowing this change your understanding of the text? Does it help you know what you are to do? Is your lack of access or availability of access to the Greek a determinant of your ability to understand God's words? Finally, in Revelation 3:19 does it matter to you that Jesus Phileos here?

So, trust your English Bible and don’t be concerned about unbelieving preachers choking on nuances of meanings, offering “nuggets” of wisdom from the original languages that simply aren’t there.

Serpent is a serpent whichever Hebrew word for such a creature serpent comes from.”

In verse 11 we see that wise men, sorcerers, and magicians are all references to the same type of person in this context. Jewish tradition, accepted by the Holy Spirit in the following case, named two of the magicians.

2Timothy 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Bible Study on Matthew 27, verses 57 to 66, he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre

 

Matthew 27:57 ¶  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: 58  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 62  Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. 65  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

 

Joseph of Arimathea plays an important part in Western European lore and legend. First, from the Bible, we have the prophecy of the Messiah being buried in a rich man’s tomb.

 

Isaiah 53:9a  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;

 

Then, there is mention made of this man in a non-biblical text, the apocryphal 5^th or 6^th century work called, since the Middle Ages, The Gospel of Nicodemus, but called at first The Acts of Pilate. In this it is recorded how angry the Jews were at Nicodemus, mentioned in John, at providing the burial place for Jesus.

 

Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in the works of several early church fathers like Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Eusebius where they spread traditions that had formed around him. Much later in the Middle Ages writers created legends about Joseph being buried at Glastonbury Abbey, having brought the Holy Grail of King Arthur legend to Britain, and how his miraculous walking stick grew into the tree that still exists from cuttings and is called the Glastonbury Thorn.

 

A great stone is rolled in front of the opening to Christ’s burial place. Women who followed Jesus witnessed his burial, two named here although different commentators I read disagree on the identity of the other Mary. The Jews the next day come to Pilate and repeat what Jesus had said in the face of Scribes of the Pharisees;

 

Matthew 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

 

They are concerned about Jesus’ body being stolen but Pilate seems to be suggesting they use the temple watch to guard the tomb. They set a seal on the stone and placed their watch. A seal could have been something as simple as a piece of string or it could have been the governor’s seal of which it would be under pain of death to break. Later, apocryphal texts such as The Gospel of Peter, The Report of Pilate to the Emperor Claudius, and the aforementioned Gospel of Nicodemus suggest that there was either only Roman guards or a mixture of Roman and Temple guards at the tomb. There are, though, some things in the text that suggest a Roman guard rather than just a Temple watch, arguments which I am not going to go into here as they don’t really matter or change what is about to happen unless you’re making a movie.

Bible Study on Exodus 7, verses 1 to 7, the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD

 

Exodus 7:1 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 3  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6  And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7  And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

Moses is 80 years old when these events take place and Aaron is 83, old men by our measurement in a world where lifespans were decreasing from the hundreds of years before the Flood due to the judgment on mankind, in part, made possible by the change in environment after the Flood.

Pharaoh is already stubborn, obstinate, prideful and a type of not only Satan but the Beast of Revelation, popularly called The Antichrist. God will use that pride and harden his heart for an occasion to perform signs and wonders. The Hebrew people are born in signs and wonders.

Deuteronomy 4:34  Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

The condition of the ancient world was such that each nation, each tribe even, claimed its very own deities and, as we have seen, even individual families had their own gods of familial spirits of ancestors. The understanding that the God of the Hebrews is real and powerful will not save the Egyptians because they will regard Him as only the God of the Hebrews. Mankind has degenerated to the point where he worships national gods he has invented who represent people groups and real devils as layers upon layers of spiritual beings preventing them from seeing the God who created him, as we do today with the theoretical entities of science like the Higgs-Boson particle that have explanatory power but no other reality. Now, the God who created them all is announcing Himself to the world using the people He has prepared as a vehicle.

The question begs itself, has He made Himself known to you?

Bible Study on Matthew 27, verses 50 to 56, Truly this was the Son of God

 

Matthew 27:50 ¶  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 55  And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

 

As the body of Jesus died He cries out and then gives up His human spirit, ghost, lowercase g. For ghost and spirit as synonyms see;

 

Luke 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

 

Luke 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

 

John 1:33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

 

John 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

 

Acts 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 

It is no wonder both English words are typically translated from the same Greek word, pneuma, from which we get pneumonia.

 

The veil of the temple separating the profane from the holy is then torn from top to bottom indicating a work not of man but of God, from Heaven downward to earth. The significance of this action is referred to by Paul in Ephesians, chapter 2.

 

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, 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.

 

 

An earthquake accompanies His death on the Cross according to Matthew. Then some of God’s anointed ones rise up and are seen in Jerusalem after Christ’s resurrection. Are these Old Testament prophets? Would they be recognized? What if they are followers of Christ who died during His ministry? These are questions we ask ourselves when we read this passage like what happened to these people? Like Lazarus we must assume that they would die again as they would need resurrection bodies to live forever and we would have seen or known of them if they were alive today, movies and fantasy books notwithstanding.

 

The centurion in command of the crucifixion acknowledges that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Son of God, and one would presume that saves him and he will be seen by us in eternity. Women who ministered to Jesus witness this single-most important event after creation itself. There are so many good preaching points in this passage but I’ll leave them for another time and move forward.

Bible Study on Exodus, chapter 6, see what I will do to Pharaoh

 

Exodus 6:1 ¶  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2  And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4  And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5  And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6  Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7  And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8  And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. 9  And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

Now, God says He’s going to do a work. He reaffirms to Moses who He is and states His name, and Moses is the first of God’s people to hear that name used so many, many times in the Bible as LORD. He also reaffirms the covenant He made with Abraham. He gave Moses mighty words to repeat to the Hebrews but they were too busy with their own suffering now to pay any attention. It was bad before Moses returned but it is worse now.

Here is a point for the new believer in Christ. First, your plight may seem worse after you were saved than before and second, Satan or your own flesh will keep you down with anguish of spirit and cruel bondage to keep you from doing what you must do and allowing God to do what He wants to do in your life.

Exodus 6:10 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11  Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12  And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

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. 15  And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 16  And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 17  The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18  And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19  And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 20  And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 21  And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22  And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23  And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24  And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25  And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 26  These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 27  These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28  And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29  That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30  And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Moses repeats his self-doubts in this chapter. He uses the phrase uncircumcised lips to describe his condition. He feels totally inadequate for this incredible assignment, to go again before the most powerful man on earth to demand the release of his Hebrew slaves. His lips are not sanctified, set apart for God’s purpose. A type of that phrase is used a number of times in the Bible in different contexts.

A proud heart;

Leviticus 26:41  And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:

An ear that won’t hear and obey;

Jeremiah 6:10  To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

…resisting the guidance and instruction of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

And here, lips that the owner has no confidence in to do God’s will and bidding. But it is true that Moses lips are incapable, on their own, of doing God’s will. However, God uses fallible men and women to achieve His purposes, here to move His ministry of reconciliation forward. He will give them the words to say.

Luke 12:11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

God gives Aaron and Moses a charge, a command, to give to the children of Israel.

Genesis 26:5  Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Through the use of listing the ancestry of Moses and Aaron God prepares us specifically for the events that are about to take place and declares with no uncertainty who He is going to use as His vehicles to announce said events.

This is one of the most momentous occasions in human history, where God is interfering with what He has allowed to happen by His permissive will. Not since the dispersal at Babel have we seen such an event or series of events that is about to happen. Creation, the Flood, Babel, and the Exodus all are events that impact directly the world at large rather than God just singling out individuals and working with them to move His plan forward.