Friday, January 31, 2025
2Samuel, chapter 21, brief comments
2Samuel 21:1 ¶ Then there was a famine in the days of David
three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD
answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he
slew the Gibeonites. 2 And the king
called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not
of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children
of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the
children of Israel and Judah.) 3
Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and
wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the
LORD? 4 And the Gibeonites said unto
him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us
shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that
will I do for you. 5 And they answered
the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we
should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, 6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto
us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the
LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them. 7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of
Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’S oath that was between
them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the
daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the
five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the
son of Barzillai the Meholathite: 9 And
he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the
hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to
death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of
barley harvest.
The cause of this famine is revealed to David
by God to be because of Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites who had been
promised peace by Joshua. See Joshua 9:15 and context.
Joshua 9:15 ¶
And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let
them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
Although it is uncertain when this slaughter
of the Gibeonites by Saul was performed some Jewish authorities, according to
John Gill, say that when he had the priests of Nob slain that the Gibeonites,
who would have been water carriers and hewers of wood for them, would also have
been slain. But we can’t say for sure. See 1Samuel, chapter 22. The wording of
this passage seems to suggest that there was a campaign against the Gibeonites
and perhaps all remaining Canaanites by Saul.
The vengeance the Gibeonites demanded of the
King brings us to a sad turning of events and reveals the faithfulness of a
mother in Israel. Perhaps, God allowed this famine and this act of vengeance by
David to reveal to future generations the loyalty that He honored in a mother
whose exemplary conduct is recorded next for history.
2Samuel 21:10 ¶ And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took
sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest
until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of
the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 And it was told David what Rizpah the
daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and
the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen
them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when
the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa: 13
And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of
Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. 14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son
buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his
father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was
intreated for the land.
Here is the beautiful and poignant testimony
of a mother’s love and devotion. This behavior by Rizpah prompted David to
bring the mortal remains of Saul, Jonathan, and these unfortunate hanged young
men to a proper burial. God was now satisfied that justice was done. It was a
brutal justice but justice can often be very brutal and painful. We sometimes
cannot bear to look at it. I would not want to witness an execution. See
1Samuel 31:11-13 and context for the compassion of the men of Jabeshgilead to
Saul and Jonathan.
2Samuel 21:15 ¶ Moreover the Philistines had yet war again
with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against
the Philistines: and David waxed faint. 16
And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of
whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he
being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him,
and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him,
saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the
light of Israel. 18 And it came to pass
after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then
Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.
19 And there was again a battle in Gob
with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite,
slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was
like a weaver’s beam. 20 And there was yet
a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every
hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he
also was born to the giant. 21 And when
he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
22 These four were born to the giant in
Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
War with the Philistines happens yet again.
David puts himself in mortal peril against a giant but Abishai, Joab’s brother,
saves him and demands that he not expose himself to such risk. He’s not a young
warrior anymore. In this list of combats we see that Goliath’s brother is also
brought down. So this chapter concludes with mighty giants being killed by
David’s men.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Monday, January 27, 2025
Psalm 91 comments
Psalm 91:1 ¶
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under
the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say
of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I
trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and
under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and
buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at
noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh
thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Jewish authorities weren’t in agreement on
who penned this Psalm. Some said that it was a continuation of Moses’ Psalm and
others say it was written by King David.
God is almighty, the Almighty God. He is the
most High God.
Genesis 14:22
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the
LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
Those who have communion with Him are in the secret
of his presence.
Psalm 31:20
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of
man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
In this figurative speech His shadow is
called the shadow of His wings.
Psalm 17:8 ¶
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psalm 36:7
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of
men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Psalm 57:1 ¶
«To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from
Saul in the cave.» Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul
trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until
these calamities be overpast.
Some say this reference in Psalm 91:1 is
pertaining to the shadow of a tree but verse 4 seems to suggest the wings
imagery.
See how God is likened to a fortress strong,
a refuge in time of trouble. He is worthy of trust.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble.
He will deliver the Psalmist from the traps
of his enemy as well as a disease, a plague. Then, we have the reference to
wings and the assuredness of God’s supernatural deliverance from all manner of
dangers. The Psalmist feels certain that God will protect him, even if he is
the only one standing when it is all over. This is superconfidence in one’s
invulnerability, IF God wills it. There have been leaders of men who had over
confidence because they escaped an assassination attempt or an attempted coup
and thought that no harm could come to them. Of course, it could and it did.
But the Psalmists feels this assurance and
this is definitely an expression of faith and confidence in God’s mercy and
special care for him. He feels impervious to disease, destruction, and enemies
of all sorts. He will see the end of the wicked. He is certain of that. It is
written like a promise FROM God.
People in history have claimed this Psalm as
a token of invincibility and much to their chagrin and even mortal peril they
failed to take into account God’s will in the matter. I remember during the
Iraq War as Saddam Hussein’s inaccurate Scud Missiles would miss a target in
Israel that Christian celebrities would quote verse 7 out of context making it
all sound that the current events of the day were related to his Psalm. Be
careful how you apply things like this. Do you think you are Moses or David?
Are you on a divine mission? Are you God’s anointed to lead a kingdom into war?
Most certainly though we can view this passage of this Psalm in regard to those
spiritual forces that oppose us in our walk with Christ.
Psalm 91:9 ¶
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even
the most High, thy habitation; 10 There
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under
feet. 14 Because he hath set his love
upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath
known my name. 15 He shall call upon me,
and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him, and honour him. 16 With long life
will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
See how Satan alluded to Psalm 91:12 in his
temptation of Christ.
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy
city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time
thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
This appears to be a promise from God in
exchange for the Psalmist trusting in Him. It is a promise of safety and
deliverance from mortal dangers. For us we see again how beasts can be symbolic
of spiritual dangers in the unseen entities, disembodied minds, that can attack
and assail us.
We can apply this to us as spiritual warfare.
If we trust in God completely and keep Him foremost in our minds we can be
protected from the evils of sins and the plague of corruption. We are promised
protection from those evil spirits, or if you are of a more modernist mindset
and can only understand the results of actions that you can see of beings you
cannot, those negative emotions that crush us with depression, anxiety, and
guilt over past sins that have been forgiven.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Friday, January 24, 2025
Titus, chapter 3, comments
Titus
3:1 ¶ Put them in mind to be subject to
principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no
brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish,
disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and
envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man
appeared, 5 Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour; 7 That being
justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life. 8 This is a
faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These
things are good and profitable unto men.
In the
Roman world, peace and order was mandatory and disturbing the peace would
receive punishment from the state more than would committing a personal murder,
as I have shown previously from my research.
Titus is
to emphasize being a law-abiding citizen, as an example to all men. As we live
in a revolutionary age where all tradition and authority is questioned or
opposed this is difficult for us. Paul has given these instructions previous to
this. Please read Romans, chapter 13.
Romans
13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are
ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore
resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall
receive to themselves damnation. 3 For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be
afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same: 4 For he is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye
must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for
they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7 ¶
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one
another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 ¶
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of
sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand:
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour
of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in
the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not
in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the
lusts thereof.
Notice
Peter’s remarks on this subject.
1Peter 4:15
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an
evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin
at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel of God?
Christians are not political revolutionaries,
AS Christians. They are peaceful, law-abiding citizens of the country in which
they live, which makes their persecution stand out even more starkly.
Paul has already given these commands in
verse 3 in the letters to Timothy and in Titus here for bishops (pastors) and
deacons and elders and now shows that they apply to all Christians. Paul
acknowledges that we were all guilty of these things, if not in deed then in
thought, in our past lives.
1Corinthians 6:9 ¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God. 11 And such were some of you: but
ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
But God’s
mercy saved us and His continuing mercy, His grace, preserves us.
Roman
2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance?
Verse 5 is
a great memory verse. We are sealed and we cannot be unsaved once saved as then
we could never be saved again without crucifying Christ again, a logical
absurdity.
Ephesians
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Hebrews
6:4 For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put him to an open shame.
Notice how
he likens the Holy Ghost’s renewing in us to a washing, a rebirth, and yet,
there is no mention made of water baptism here.
Being
justified by that grace we have become heirs of eternal life through Christ. And
having said all of that it is incumbent upon us to do right, to live right, to
follow God’ s commands through Christ, Paul, and the other New Testament
writers, to do good things. Paul said previously;
Titus
2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, 12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
Titus
3:9 ¶ But avoid foolish questions, and
genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are
unprofitable and vain. 10 A man that is
an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted,
and sinneth, being condemned of himself. 12
When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come
unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. 13 Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their
journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. 14 And let ours also learn to maintain good
works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. 15 All that are with me salute thee. Greet them
that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. «It was
written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from
Nicopolis of Macedonia.»
Paul
closes his letter to Titus with some practical things that Titus should do. We’ve
already seen in the letters to Timothy the warnings about foolish questions and
arguing just for the sake of arguing. I recommend reviewing what I noted about
his commands to Timothy.
You might
get a couple of chances to put forward some opposition to the gospel Paul has
taught but a heretic is to be rejected after a second attempt to correct him or
her. Paul then talks about sending his helpers to Titus and Titus meeting him
at Nicopolis where he plans on spending the winter bringing a couple of helpers
important to Paul. Finally, Paul reinforces the importance of good works which
he has done repeatedly. This balances Paul’s doctrine. Good works don’t save
you but they are important for the Christian to express or as James says, faith
without good works is a dead thing.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Monday, January 20, 2025
2Samuel, chapter 20, comments
2Samuel 20:1 ¶ And there happened to be there a man of
Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he
blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance
in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. 2 So every man of Israel went up from after
David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave
unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem. 3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and
the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the
house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they
were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
Children of Belial or men of Belial are
wicked, worthless, corrupt, ungodly, and good for nothing from a word that
Strong’s translates as worthless.
Deuteronomy 13:13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone
out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying,
Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
Judges 19:22
Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city,
certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and
spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that
came into thine house, that we may know him.
It is used as a name for Satan in one of
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians.
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?
15 And
what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with
an infidel?
Sheba’s rebellion, while short-lived, is an
example of the precarious situation David is in. Once a rebellion occurs there
will be other opportunists who will think they have a chance. Israel’s
declaration in the last chapter is shown to be rather thin as they join this
rebellion again in unity. Only David’s tribe stands with him.
David takes the measure of locking up those
poor concubines of his whom Absalom had used to show his dominance over his
father.
2Samuel 16:21
And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines,
which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art
abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be
strong. 22 So they spread Absalom a tent
upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in
the sight of all Israel.
Perhaps, though, they had been willing to go
to Absalom, assuming David’s cause was lost, looking out for themselves and
their children. John Gill said they consented to Absalom’s lust.
2Samuel 20:4 ¶ Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the
men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of
Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall
Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy
lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and
escape us. 7 And there went out after
him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty
men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
8 When they were at the great
stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment
that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a
sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it
fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art
thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right
hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa took no
heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in
the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not
again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son
of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab’s men
stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for
David, let him go after Joab. 12
And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the
man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway
into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came
by him stood still. 13 When he was
removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after
Sheba the son of Bichri.
Joab’s murder of his replacement and kinsman,
Amasa, shows that while David may need him to do his bidding he is a threat to
David’s authority. He will be dealt with later but for now he goes on, with
loyalty to him identified by his warriors as being synonymous with loyalty to
David. This is a very dangerous game Joab is playing. Clearly the Israelite
soldiers were not pleased that Joab had been replaced by Amasa as they did not
object to the murder. After all, Amasa had been Absalom’s general. The desire
to replace Joab with him on David’s part was not well-advised. Amasa dies a
horrible death wallowing in his own blood and intestines.
2Samuel 20:14 ¶ And he went through all the tribes of Israel
unto Abel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered
together, and went also after him. 15
And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up
a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were
with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. 16 Then cried a wise woman out of the city,
Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with
thee. 17 And when he was come near unto
her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he.
Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do
hear. 18 Then she spake, saying, They
were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at
Abel: and so they ended the matter. 19
I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in
Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou
swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? 20
And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should
swallow up or destroy. 21 The matter is
not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath
lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him
only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold,
his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. 22 Then the woman went unto all the people in
her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it
out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man
to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.
This potentially dangerous insurrection was
ended decisively by a wise woman who beseeched Joab to allow the people of her
city to deal with the rebel. Joab was wise in not pursuing the typical
punishment of a city of destruction for harboring such a one as Sheba. Joab’s
astute handling of the situation and the actions of this wise woman prevented a
lot of bloodshed of innocent people and again saved David’s reign.
2Samuel 20:23 ¶ Now Joab was over all the host of
Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and
over the Pelethites: 24 And Adoram was
over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:
25 And Sheva was scribe: and
Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: 26
And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.
This chapter concludes with Joab being David’s
main general. Benaiah will be the means by which Solomon will execute Joab
later. He is over whom Strong’s dictionary suggests are probably the Philistine
mercenaries so loyal to David. Adoram will meet a tragic fate later under King
Rehoboam. This chapter ends with a list of prominent men, important to David.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Friday, January 17, 2025
Psalms, chapter 90, comments
Psalm 90:1 ¶
«A Prayer of Moses the man of God.» Lord, thou hast been our dwelling
place in all generations. 2 Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest,
Return, ye children of men. 4 For a
thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as
a watch in the night. 5 Thou carriest
them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they
are like grass which groweth up. 6
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut
down, and withereth.
In this most ancient Psalm, Moses, the man of
God, recites his Psalm.
Deuteronomy 33:1 ¶ And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the
man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
We dwell in God and live in Him, by His power
and with His consent, in His love and life.
Acts 17:28
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your
own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
1John 4:13
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given
us of his Spirit.
God is preexisting, the eternal entity, not
bound by time or space.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of the contrite ones.
God simply is and always has been.
Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
There are those that say for God everything
is now and that He sees all time as if it had already happened.
Before the physical universe was brought into
existence He is. This negates Carl Sagan’s and Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s
declaration in the TV series Cosmos that the physical universe is all
that was, all that is, and all that ever will be.
He lets men and women turn away from Him to
the path of destruction and He pleads with them to repent and turn back to Him.
For God a thousand years is as brief as a day
or a watch in the night. In other words, time is meaningless to an eternal God.
And mankind in his short and fragile
existence is likened to grass that flourishes and dies very quickly.
1Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
I recommend my study on the book of Job for
more detail into our frailty.
Psalm 90:7 ¶
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before
thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 9 For all our days are passed away in thy
wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 10 The days of our years are threescore
years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly
away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine
anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
God’s wrath on the obstinate Israelites is
lamented here. Moses presumes God’s anger on His people. Even the things which
are not easily apparent, those secret things are exposed before the light of
His face. Their lives seems like a story that has a beginning and an ending,
and when finished it is gone. It is like a physicist saying you are a
non-verbal event in space-time and nothing more.
Even if man lives to an average age of 70 or
on to 80 years, it doesn’t matter, because he will be gone. There is nothing
that can stand against God’s wrath, to oppose His anger.
Here, Moses has led the Israelites through
the wilderness and they have suffered, so much so, that the generation of
adults that left Egypt would die there in the barren wastes and never see the
Promised Land.
Numbers 32:10
And the LORD’S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
11
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old
and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite,
and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD. 13 And the LORD’S anger was kindled against
Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the
generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
Deuteronomy 2:14 And the space in which we came from
Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight
years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among
the host, as the LORD sware unto them.
They must have suffered a great deal for
their stubbornness, suffering which Moses is lamenting.
Psalm 90:12 ¶
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom. 13 Return, O LORD,
how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. 14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we
may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted
us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. 16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and
thy glory unto their children. 17 And
let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of
our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Show us, Lord, how short our lives are. Let
us understand that and be wise regarding that brevity of life. And have mercy
on us and turn from your wrath. If we would have your mercy we would be happy
and praise you all of our lives. In this very poetic passage Moses pleads for
mercy and on the people of Israel.
This, too, in a time of suffering we have brought
on ourselves, can be our prayer. We know that in certain situations we have
only our faithlessness to blame and God is correcting us. We need to repent of
our sins and turn from them and then turn back to Christ. We need His mercy
every single day and we should be asking for it, humbling ourselves before God.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Titus, chapter 2, comments
Titus,
chapter 2
Titus
2:1 ¶ But speak thou the things which
become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged
men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be
in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine,
teachers of good things; 4 That they may
teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children, 5 To be discreet,
chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of
God be not blasphemed. 6 Young men
likewise exhort to be sober minded. 7 In
all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing
uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8
Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary
part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto
their own masters, and to please them well in all things;
not answering again; 10 Not purloining,
but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour
in all things.
As he did
in the letters to Timothy Paul has advice for Titus on how to instruct the
elders, as in elder in age, in the church. These admonitions need little
explanation and we have already been over them in great part in Paul’s letters
to Timothy. Two things of note in understanding here. First in Proverbs 7 we
have this referring to the harlot;
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide
not in her house:
In both testaments we have the idea of a “keeper at home”
which some people mistakenly think to mean that a woman’s only proper
employment is to be a housewife. Actually keeping at home is applied to a man
in Habbakuk 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud
man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as
death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth
unto him all people:
We had a saying down South “gadabout” which was
a person of either sex who was always out looking to start trouble either at a
bar or going house to house gossiping and destroying reputations. This person
more fits the context of “keepeth at home” in Habbakuk 2:5 and “keepers at
home” in Titus 2:5. To say that the only employment fit for a woman is a
housewife is to accuse Lydia, the benefactor of Paul in Philippi, of sin. And
yet, there is no condemnation of her in the word of God.
Secondly, not
answer again and purloining refer to talking back to and to stealing
from your employer or, in this case, master.
The idea
here is that the Christian woman or the Christian man or woman who is a servant
should be a witness for Christ, not a carnal person carelessly and casually
doing wrong. Paul’s understanding throughout his letters was that time was
short so these commands, much like Jesus’ commands to His disciples who
accompanied Him on His way to the Cross was that there was no time to concern
one’s self with carnal, selfish things of this life as time was short. Well, it
was short for Christ’s mission on earth but human-centered history did not come
to a conclusion in Paul’s lifetime and may not in ours. Do not mistake Paul’s
letters for justifying or encouraging slavery. Virtually every great movement
against slavery in the last few hundred years was started and pushed forward by
Christians. Paul’s emphasis here is not in supporting the social order but in
making the main the thing the main thing, that Christ was returning soon,
possibly in their lifetimes. Keep that in mind when you read his comments on
servants and read Philemon again understanding that, to a truly Christian
master, his slave was his brother in Christ, and nothing could remain the way
it had been before they were saved.
Slavery
still exists in the world today and some say there are more slaves in the world
today than ever at any given time in history. It is a deplorable condition that
we would do well, like many of our Christian forebears did, to fight it when we
know of it. Still, the point here is not your freedom or bondage but to your
devotion to Christ and representing Him to a fallen world.
Titus
2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
Humankind
has no excuse for rejecting God’s plan of salvation, His free gift. His
abundant grace has entitled them to a lot of room and time in order to give
them every opportunity to come to Christ. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he
explains this very well.
Romans
1:19 ¶ Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
God’s
forbearance is said to have a particular reason.
Romans
2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance?
God’s
grace that brings salvation appeared to the world through Jesus Christ. Salvation
is very inclusive and is open to all men and women. High and low, bond or free,
they are all welcome.
Galatians
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one in Christ Jesus.
We are
called to live right, to good works, as followers of Christ, with His Spirit
inside of us. And we are to look up for His appearing, our God and Saviour, who
in His physical form, is Christ. He will return at His time.
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?
Colossians
1:15a Who is the image of the invisible God,
Hebrews
1:3a Who being the brightness of his
glory, and the express image of his person,
And…
John
14:1 ¶ Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also.
Acts 1:10
And while they looked stedfastly toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
1Corinthians 15:51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Thessalonians
4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.
Christ
died for us to redeem us.
Romans
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
And we are
called to good works.
Ephesians
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them.
Titus
2:15 ¶ These things speak, and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Titus is
to be bold, confident, and authoritative in his speech to the Cretans. He is to
let no one treat him with contempt. He is to be a leader.