Sunday School Lesson at Lake Marburg Baptist Church given on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - Genesis 11:5 to 12:13

Genesis 11:5 ¶  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8  So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9  Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

There are a number of verses that refer to God coming to earth and to watching what is happening from a distance.

Genesis 18:21  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.

Exodus 19:11  And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Psalm 11:4 ¶  The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

Psalm 33:13  The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.

Psalm 33:14  From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

However, the doctrine of the Lord’s immanence or presence everywhere is also a major doctrine of the Bible.

Jeremiah 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? 24  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

This doctrine applies even to seeing the inside of a person, his thoughts and intentions, as the following examples know.

Genesis 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Psalm 94:11  The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

Psalm 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Matthew 9:4  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The common sense application of verse 5 is for God to turn His attention to this activity just as earlier in 8:1 to remember Noah did not mean that he had been forgotten but that God’s attention was now turned to his plight.

Here, God recognizes that man’s intention is to disobey and stand united against His will. This is why a one world government run by man will fail because it will inevitably be founded on opposing God as all of the many facets of current-day globalism have borne out. The powerful nations wish to impose their corrupt modern sexual morality, manipulative banking, business, and finance practices, and a bland, uniform and non-threatening religion around the world focused on materialism and submission to a world-wide plan of a faceless power behind the scenes. The control demanded by the Beast and his henchman, the False Prophet, at the end, as expressed in the Book of Revelation, which is too detailed to go into here, is in direct opposition to God’s authority over mankind.

A mirror of this can be found in God’s statements to Samuel about Israel’s desire for a king like the nations around them in 1Samuel 8.

Here is the beginning of the languages of the world, usually unintelligible to each other, but having a common root in man’s unique ability to form sentences, sentences within sentences, figures of speech, and all of the things that make man’s ability to communicate with words different from the abilities of the beasts of the earth, as far as we know now. Not only this but the people have been scattered across the face of the earth. This may have been done by not only locating certain families everywhere from the jungles of South America to the bush country of Southern Africa but also initiating the beginning of the great migrations from the Near East to the rest of the world, from Siberia to Central Mexico. As the earth is still in the drying out process after the Flood of Noah mankind has constantly been on the move, one family conquering and murdering another family to take their land only to be displaced by another family moving in. Kingdoms, empires, and even modern-nation states like America and its globalist evangelists have been trying to recreate this first great effort to unite all of mankind under one head, under one banner, controlled by one city, and one method of government, one ideal, and one view of the world with one tower or religion reaching to heaven. The final consequences will play out in the book of Revelation.

Babel is the same word that Babylon is translated from, that infamous city in the land of Shinar, the fount of all false religion and rebellion that spread with man across the globe.

Genesis 11:10 ¶  These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11  And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12  And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13  And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14  And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15  And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16  And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17  And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18  And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19  And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20  And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21  And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22  And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23  And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24  And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25  And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26  And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

From this passage, if my math isn’t wrong, Shem, the son of Noah, lived to see Abram’s birth. Genesis 10:25 showed us that it was in Peleg’s time the earth was divided. Assuming this refers to the scattering at Babylon that took place between 101 and 310 years after the Flood. Check my math and let me know if you think I’m wrong. It happened within Peleg’s lifespan. According to 9:28 Noah himself lived 350 years after the Flood so he would have been alive as well.

Genesis 11:27 ¶  Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28  And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29  And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30  But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31  And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32  And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Terah took his family, Abram and Lot, his grandson, Abram’s nephew, and left Ur, an ancient city in the general geographical area of Babylon. It was a coastal city near the mouth of the Euphrates then although it is well inland now due to the coastline shifting over thousands of years. Ur was a metropolis with its patron god as Sin, in Akkadian, the moon god. A bull was one of his symbols. Remember what was said about the alphabet earlier. Some Christian writers have put forth that Sin, who was known to Ur as the god of wisdom pictured as an old man with a long, flowing beard, eventually became Allah, the god of the Muslims. Early archaeologists found in Sin’s temples the crescent moon as a symbol of his presence. I have done an extensive study, for a non-scholar, on the etymology of Allah which, while not politically correct, I think should give one pause about who a great many of the religious adherents of the world actually worship.

The entire family is led by their father Terah to Canaan, to Haran, either named later after Haran, or perhaps Haran was named after the town. The reason for this journey we will find out next.

Genesis, chapter 12

Genesis 12:1 ¶  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What had been brought about in the land of Babel, Babylon, was a religion counterfeit to the true worship of God. It was not long after men and women left the ark of Noah. What I said in my comments on 4:16 bears repeating a little at this point.

From Cain’s time the ancient city had become religious entity, a type of church, started all at once with invited families who would share in the same worship and the same gods as can be seen in Plutarch’s Lives of Illustrious Men, although the individual family would have its own singular worship and gods which represented their lars familiaris or familiar spirits (see Leviticus 20:27), the guiding divinities of ancestors dead.[1] It is likely that Cain’s false religion was carried on through his city and it is possible and likely that Shem, Ham, and Japheth would be worshipped as venerable ancestors in different names under the confusion of languages long after their death.

In addition, each home in the ancient world was to have a sacred flame which was the religious center of the home and must not be permitted to go out.[2] This eternal flame, like the lamp in the tabernacle in Exodus 27:20, must never go out. This was a counterfeit city in the ancient world, a city of man’s creation, man’s poor attempt to replace what God intended. Cain’s false religion, which infected the rest of human history after the Flood, began to be expressed by his brethren in his city, Enoch, and the eventual religion of the city-states of Canaan, Greece, and the worship of Rome and India would have begun there, reinforced by Babylon after the Flood.

The king of an ancient city was also the high priest, who offered up sacrifices, and was the highest religious authority. This is evident in a number of ancient writers such as Aristotle, Euripides, and Demosthenes. Sometimes there were two kings, a most famous example being Sparta of Greece or the two consuls or Rome and, we will see later, perhaps in ancient Canaan.[3]  This is the world that Abram moved and lived in, a world awash in everyday religious ritual, a world that had no problem believing in a distant God the Creator but also a whole pantheon of gods that were much closer to him and had more of a role in his daily home life. Every man or group of men desired to have a personal god, it would seem, to make up for the lost relationship with their Creator, which their ancestors had willfully eliminated in disobedience. Perhaps also this worship of gods represented the power the sons of God who had come to earth, mated with women, and produced giants, the mighty men of renown worshipped in deities whose presence on earth had been remembered and spoken of by Noah and his three sons and their wives.

Some things to note about the ancient world include that from this earliest time human relationships, such as a family, were a religion symbolized by the meal they would take together. Also, in their minds all authority must have some connection with this religion. Law was just another part of religion. In addition, it should be noted that two cities were religious associations that did not share the same gods. When war was made it would be made, not only against the soldiers, men, women, and children of a city but against its crops, its slaves, its gods.

Here is the reason for the family leaving Ur. Abram is commanded to do something very brave, to leave the protective confines of the gods of the hearth, of the family, where the dead were worshipped, where the eldest son had no choice but to inherit his father’s property, and his gods, and the father and the son were joint owners of what the father possessed.

Here, now, God calls Abram to come away, not only from a city, but from an entire worldview, to renew the relationship with the one who created him, something lost to mankind as the darkness spread to every corner where men and women had been scattered. He is called to obey God, to leave this world while living in it.

He promises to make of Abram a great people and that he will be a blessing to the entire world. Those who curse him God will curse and those that bless him God will bless. Now begins a process of God turning mankind back to Himself. He will use Abram as the conduit through which this blessing will pass. Abram’s journey out of Ur does not end in Haran.      

Genesis 12:4 ¶  So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Abram obeyed God and took his nephew with him, the servants and possessions they had acquired in Haran, and entered the land of Ham’s grandson, Canaan. Haran was a village which ruins some believe lie in Southern Turkey. The question might be asked, did Terah found the village and name it after his dead son? Haran is used as a person’s name later as well. Abram, who will eventually be renamed Abraham, left the religious associations of his father as commanded.

Joshua 24:2  And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3  And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

They traveled northwest from Ur several hundred miles and settled in Haran, from whence Abram and company would travel southwest to Canaan. Haran, when translated from the Greek language, rather than the Hebrew here, will be spelled Charran in Acts 7:2,4. The CH is pronounced as a K when you find it in the Bible transliterated from one of the original languages. Think of Nebuchadnezzar or Michael. But when we moderns say Cherubims we use the CHA sound, not the K sound. Words that are directly from English like checker in 1Kings 7:17, of course, would be exceptions to this rule.

Abram, being 75 years old, is not elderly in the way we would think today. Prior to this time, as you read, many people lived hundreds of years. Their natural abilities, their appearance, would have remained far more youthful than we would consider a 75 year old’s body to be today although the upper age limit of men was rapidly falling in the new environment after the Flood and Abram will consider himself old and beyond the age of fathering children fairly soon.

Genesis 17:1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect…17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Terah, Abrahams father, lived to be 205. (Genesis 11:32). When the dispersal at Babel occurred the lifespan dropped dramatically. See also in chapter 11 Peleg’s lifespan of 239 years as opposed to his father, Eber, who lived 464 years.

Regarding the word souls, in the Old Testament, as the operation of God in separating the soul from the sins of the flesh referred to in Colossians, chapter 2, has not taken place yet, soul and souls are used to include the physical presence of the person or beast spoken of as well as the soul, which is tied to the flesh until Christ’s resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those people who believe and are given faith.

Numbers 31:28  And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

For those who do not believe that some beasts have souls and spirit also note;

Job 12:10  In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Ecclesiastes 3:21  Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Genesis 12:6 ¶  And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7  And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8  And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9  And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Sichem is another spelling for Shechem. Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered sacrifices upon leaving the ark in 8:20 acknowledging thanksgiving and God’s mercy. Abram here builds an altar to the Lord confirming his acknowledgment of God’s promise and direction. In between Noah and Abram there was a great deal of counterfeiting of the religious impulse placed in man by God that carried on through the centuries, even today where we don’t necessarily refer to God directly but call our god by the names of Self, Ambition, Science, Entertainment, Sports, Country, etc. etc. But, modern man does build altars quite regularly acknowledging his relationship with his god.

After Noah, perhaps in remembrance of the sons of God who led the pre-Flood earth in rebellion and eventually in veneration of elders who died such as Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, men accepted that there were gods everywhere, little gods, gods that could easily be made angry because they were so irritable and malevolent. This belief, “crushed man with the fear of always having the gods against him, and left him no liberty in his acts.”[4]

For Abram to turn from this powerful social and religious impulse of man, to leave his own responsibilities for the family religion, to turn from the gods to THE God, this return to monotheism, as a scholar might say, was remarkable evidence of God’s interaction with him in choosing this man out of thousands to reveal Himself to a fallen world and APPEARING to him in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God (John 1:14; 14:9; 2Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).

Not having God walking physically with them as Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden in Enos’ time man called upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 4:26  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

And again, in this age of man, which some call “the church age,” we bring into our minds the authority of our Creator over us and He establishes a relationship with us and His Spirit indwells us by our calling upon His name and acknowledging His sovereignty over us and over all that exists.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

But, God, in the form of His physical presence, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word by which all things were created, appeared to Abram. One cannot see the soul of God, the seat of His will and self-identity, God the Father, so an angel, which is an appearance of someone or something which is someplace else actually, or a vision, or the physical presence of the pre-incarnate Christ is what Abram could see. And the Lord appeared unto Abram and made this covenant and promise.

Genesis 12:10 ¶  And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11  And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12  Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13  Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Later, we will get the definition of famine which is a period of little food and a poor return for farmers. We look at a word in context and compare its use against like phrases in the verse or passage.

Genesis 41:27  And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

Grievous is shown later to mean that there will be no surplus during a famine. It will then be a grievous famine.

Genesis 41:31  And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

Grievous is an abundance of calamity in the curses on Egypt in Exodus 9 and it is a very difficult burden to bear in 1Kings 12 and 2Chronicles 10. Grievous causes grief, obviously, but it is important to see how the Bible defines words in context and I want to reinforce that for you to help in your own personal reading.

Abram does what we would consider a cowardly thing rather than trusting in God to deliver him. He tells his wife, who is in her 60’s but still at that time still a fair woman to look upon, to lie and say she is his sister, not concerning himself in this whether she will suffer humiliation but in preserving his own life.

Abram, as Abraham, will do this again in Gerar in chapter 20. His son, Isaac, will also do this with his wife, Rebekah, in chapter 26 in Gerar, as well. Apparently, by this, we know that it would not be uncommon for a man to be murdered so that someone could obtain his attractive wife as a sexual resource.

We know that fair to look upon means that a person is sexually desirable. In our modern world women seek to dress and look like this although if they considered the assortment of characters they would be attracting, most of which do not look like their favorite movie or music stars, they might think better of it. Sarai, like other women, had little choice in the matter and was little better than a commodity or a pack animal under prevalent laws and customs. It is only in Christ that woman’s status rises.

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.

Unless, of course, she is an Independent Fundamental Baptist, in which case she is typically still in Egypt.

In this general time, although you cannot seriously accept the dates put forth without absolute proof of which there is none, Mizraim’s Egypt (see comments on 10:6) was ruled by a Pharaoh, a king, who held absolute power. Later, the Greek historian Herodotus will tell us that there could be as many as 12 rulers leading from various places claiming all to be THE Pharaoh. This makes any attempt to put the Pharaohs and their dynasties in any absolute dating plan difficult. In addition, the commonly accepted method for dating ancient Egypt is not without its detractors and is controversial. So, when reading about Old and New Kingdoms, Intermediate Periods, Dynasty dates, etc. etc. be very skeptical and cautious about accepted conclusions. Egypt’s ancient history is probably much more compressed than current scholarship would be willing to let on.

In any event, depending on the flooding of the Nile River to irrigate crops, rather than an abundance of rainfall, Egypt was the place to go in most famines in Canaan. Egypt was also the superpower that would have held the kings of Canaan as tributaries in those times when other empires were not in control such as the Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians.  Soon, we will see that part of Canaan at this time was held in tribute by several kings from further east; including Elam and Babylon.

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[1] Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges, The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1864, repr. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2006), 134.

               

[2] Ibid., 25.

[3] Ibid., 173.

[4] Ibid., 211.

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 8:1-3 comments: the women who supported Christ's ministry

Luke 8:1 ¶  And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 2  And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3  And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Tidings is news, information, a message. Glad tidings or good tidings is happy or good news. Glad tidings is another phrase for the Gospel. The Gospel that the kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus Christ is the glad tidings.

Isaiah 61:1 ¶  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Luke 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

The kingdom of God, or Heaven, does not come across the border as an army carrying spears and swords led by generals. It comes to the world through the spirit; mind and heart of every believer in whom God has implanted the Spirit of God and Christ.

Luke 17:20 ¶  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

To enter into it one has to be born again by faith in Christ, trusting in His righteousness and not one’s own, that He was God in the flesh and that He rose from the dead. By this faith and belief that Spirit enters into us to live.

John 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

That new birth is a work of God, not of man nor of a priest or pastor.

John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Mary called Magdalene, about whom much myth has been written, much of it deplorable and disgusting like the Broadway show, Jesus Christ Superstar, had been delivered of a terrible torment which we moderns deny is possible today. Of course, much of our thinking has become corrupted and modern people, especially in western countries, are like the person who denies they hear a burglar in their house at night or refuses to accept they have cancer.

A short list of our corrupted thinking that has departed from the Biblical narrative is that moderns think that God is not the author of all reality either by permission or by direct action, that there are laws of physics and natural processes that act independently of God, that there is only the material world and there are no spiritual entities all around us, life-forms of a distinctly different type than our carbon-based flesh, that can have an impact on our lives, etc. etc.

Verse 4 shows us that the apostles and Christ did not just walk around by themselves but that there were influential people, at least women, who helped support them. This is an important point, well, two rather. First, no sane Christian would believe that there was anything untoward or improper about the relationship between Jesus, His disciples, and their supporters. The second and most important thing is a statement about how God works. God works through people, among other things. He did not miraculously leave breakfast and supper somewhere for the “team” to use although He could, as in the case of Elijah’s supernatural feeding by ravens in 1Kings 17. He did not necessarily leave little bags of coins around miraculously for the team to pick up to pay for things although He could have as He provided a coin for taxes to prove a point to Peter in Matthew 17.

He used people and continues to use people to effect His will just as He uses weather, the animal world, and microscopic processes in each cell He directs, and other things.

It is interesting to note that the wicked Herod’s steward’s wife supports Christ out of her own substance, which was probably abundant due to her husband’s position as Mary Magdalene’s was most likely pretty limited. Women on all social levels were extremely important in the spread of Christianity.

Exodus 19:16-20:11 comments: the Ten Commandments, part I

Exodus 19:16 ¶  And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20  And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22  And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 23  And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24  And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. 25  So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

A powerful, frightening event takes place that causes the people to tremble. Moses, the mediator, brings the people to meet God and this mass of humanity stands at the base of this mountain. It must have been an awesome sight to behold. Smoke, thunder, lightning, the sound of a loud trumpet, exceeding loud and growing louder and louder. Moses speaks and God answers him. God called Moses to come to the top of the mountain and Moses obeys. God wants Moses to warn the people from their curiosity. God suggests the priests might come near and Moses recalls that God said no one could come up but Moses. God refines His order so that Moses and Aaron can come up. Moses then warns the people.

Exodus, chapter 20

Exodus 20:1 ¶  And God spake all these words, saying, 2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Notice below, in a parallel to verse 1, God declares that He brought them out of Egypt as  His appearance, His angel, declares the same thing in Judges.

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.

This lends more clarity to the definition of what an angel in the Bible is, not the good angel/bad angel of the Persian religion as a mythological winged creature which the Roman church adopted, but as a presence of something or someone that is somewhere else.

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.

As some examples in regard to children;

Matthew 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Peter, the apostle;

Acts 12:15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

Church assemblies of Christians;

Revelation 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

And God’s messenger, Gabriel;

Daniel 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Luke 1:26  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

It is pure foolishness and confusion to mistake an angel for the cherubim, the living creatures of Ezekiel 1 and 10 or Revelation 4 who are the prototypes for all creatures on earth as representing domestic and wild animals and fowls. More on the cherubim later.

Here we have the giving of the Ten Commandments, an important icon of Christian civilization and culture. In verses 3-6 we have the ban on creating an image or picture for the purpose of worship, which is the context. We then have the ban on taking the Lord’s name in vain, for empty reasons, flippantly without purpose, for instance, as a curse word. Most people even don’t like to be talked about like they aren’t in the room. Such a thing is totally disregarding God’s presence at all times and shows contempt and disdain for our Creator.

Then, we come to the Sabbath Day, a blessing and a privilege that God granted men and women of a guarantee of one day off from work every week. This is to be a day of no work, not Mom cooking a meal for family and friends who visit or Dad mowing the yard, but no work. Period.

This was important enough to God to call for the death penalty if it was disobeyed.

Exodus 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

The Ten Commandments are God’s basic standard. These first three are towards God. Obeying God’s commandments were the external evidence that a Hebrew loved God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 ¶  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Which Jesus reinforced;

Matthew 22:37  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.

The Hebrew, the Israelite, the Jew had proof of their love for their Creator that flowed from their heart to their outward behavior. The Christian has evidence because of something that God Himself puts in his or her heart by the mechanism of the Holy Spirit. This is the proof that the Spirit resides in the Christian.

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. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

God promised the Jews back in the Old Testament that this would happen.

Ezekiel 11:17  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21  But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

And, in that great tribulation at the end of history those who belong to God will be obvious by their faithfulness to God’s commandments.

Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

This is the beginning of the civil and religious standard of laws given to the physical, temporal Hebrew people to live by, manage their affairs by, and to run their government by. God Himself was to be all three branches of government for them; leading, creating laws, and judging.

Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

The Founders of the American government were primarily influenced by The Enlightenment at their very uppermost levels although there were many evangelical Christians in the second tier and below. The Enlightenment was a time of a rejection of political religion and it was a time of  worship of man’s reason, and humanism with so-called great thinkers like Voltaire and Locke and Thomas Paine leading the charge, sometimes religious, sometimes atheists. The Enlightenment political philosopher that Founders like James Madison, the so-called ‘Father of the Constitution,’ leaned on for the three branches of government was Montesquieu. You can look but I doubt you will find, in the debates over the Constitution, any reference to the verse in Isaiah as a reason for our three branches of government. I have read two volumes of those debates and one collection of Madison’s letters and there is no reference to the verse in Isaiah. I will be very happy if you prove me wrong with a primary source like a letter or a transcript of a debate. In any event, substituting the words, “our Republican government,” for the LORD is blasphemy so please don’t do it.

The Ten Commandments are a way to see the mind of God, to understand His efforts to draw mankind, or at least those who will come, to Him. Christian culture reveres these commandments as standards to live by and there is no reason to believe that God’s standards have changed. You and your fellow citizens would do well to follow the Ten Commandments and adopt God’s standard as your own. Your life would be less filled with regret and sorrow at the end if you did. However, WE are not justified by the Law before God but by Christ’s resurrection and our belief and faith in it.

Galatians 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 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. 26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 7:36-50 comments: gratitude and worship

Luke 7:36 ¶  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49  And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

The fact that this woman was called a sinner shows that she was probably one of the class of people that the Pharisee’s viewed with contempt. For instance, they hated publicans, tax collectors, Gentiles, and prostitutes. This woman is adoring Christ, worshipping Him in humility and submission. Jesus then gives a parable about debt expressing that the person who has the most sin that is forgiven will be the most grateful. This plays into the Pharisee’s view of himself as above the woman and, if you think about it, is sort of a backhand accusation. It is actually the self-righteous Pharisee who has much to be forgiven of but doesn’t realize it. The religious person who depends on his own righteousness and not Christ’s for salvation is committing a greater sin than the carnal man or woman who humbly comes to God for mercy. What Jesus does next by stating that the woman’s sins are forgiven shows that He is expressing His right and power to forgive sins, something only God can do. Again and again Jesus declares His deity in this manner, doing things that the Jews acknowledge only God can do.

He forgave others their sins as in chapter 5 with the man with palsy lowered on his bed through the roof. Jesus is asserting authority over forgiveness of sins, which is very disturbing to the Pharisees as it carries implications of His deity.

5:21  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

The woman has been saved from eternal condemnation and the torments of Hell, some of which Luke will describe later. The truly repentant person will worship and adore the Lord who bought them from their bondage. This is why it is so important to make the new believer understand that what they are entering into is not a business deal with God. Salvation and forgiveness are free gifts of God that must be received, and God owes them nothing while they owe Him all their worship and adoration, coming to Him in humility and submission.

Exodus 19:9-15 comments: Moses sanctifies the people to hear from God

Exodus 19:9 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 10  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11  And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. 12  And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 13  There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. 14  And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 15  And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

Jehovah God is going to display some of His majesty in how He appears to the people so as to impress them to whom they are promising obedience. He is going to come down on Mount Sinai in His appearance from the thick cloud.

2Chronicles 6:1  Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Psalm 18:11  He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

No one was to touch the mount of God as Paul reminds us later when he compares the mount of God to the New Jerusalem.

Hebrews 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24a  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant…

A trumpet blast plays an important role at the end of history.

1Corinthians 15:52  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.

The third day is also very significant throughout the Bible representing to us the resurrection of Christ after three days.

Luke 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

This resurrection is a theme mentioned in several places in prophetic verses in the Old Testament. Here in Exodus it has to do with God calling the people to come near to Him.

Hosea 6:2  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

They are to prepare themselves for this appointment with God. Here, it is interesting that Moses added that they were to deny the pleasure of physical union with their wives in that preparation. Here is something that was a gift to man and woman from God from the very beginning. Part of their preparation was to deny themselves that very blessing bestowed uniquely on man and wife.

Genesis 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Christians are not told to do this except under one very special circumstance. In fact, they are warned against it. While Paul extolls the virtue of being celibate like he apparently was (although he seems to suggest that he would be willing to have a wife in 1Corinthians 9:5) he gives this admonition as part of his opinion.

1Corinthians 7:4  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

So, denying your spouse sexual relations is considered as defrauding them, except for a specific purpose for both parties during a specific time by mutual consent.

Moses is acting as the mediator between the people and God. Christians have God Himself in the form of the Word, capital W, of God, the second part of the three parts of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him only, as the mediator between us and God the Father.

1Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 9:15 ¶  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

As the mediator between God and mankind, only God Himself could be the propitiation for sin, only God Himself could pay the ransom to Himself for our souls, and only God Himself could raise His own body from the grave for our justification and the promise of eternal life. You are as helpless to do these things as these Hebrews were helpless in the wilderness.

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 7:24-35 comments: Jesus teaches about John the Baptist

Luke 7:24  And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27  This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31  And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32  They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35  But wisdom is justified of all her children.

In proclaiming who John the Baptist is Jesus quotes Old Testament prophecy in verse 27.

Malachi 3:1 ¶  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me…

Verse 28 leads us to a controversial point. First, though, Christ says that the least person in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist although John the Baptist was the greatest prophet to that time. The logical conclusion and interpretation of that in context is that each Christian has a greater revelation of Christ than John had, based on the previous exchange with John’s disciples. From a prophetic standpoint each Christian has a greater advantage and a greater access to the truth than John did. 

The controversy for us comes from interpreting the meaning of phrases in the New Testament. If we compare 28 with;

Matthew 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

The question then begs itself, what is the relationship between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven, which is mentioned only in Matthew? Let’s compare verse with verse, the most reliable way to interpret scripture.

Matthew 19:23 ¶  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Then, starting with the verses we just mentioned.

Matthew 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

With;

Luke 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

…then…

Matthew 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

With;

Mark 4:10  And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

And…

Matthew 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

With…

Mark 4:30  And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

  

Luke 13:18 ¶  Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

And…

Matthew 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

With…

Luke 13:20  And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

And…

Matthew 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

With…

Mark 10:14  But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Luke 18:16  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 17  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

And…

Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

With…

Mark 1:14 ¶  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

And…

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

With…

Luke 6:20 ¶  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Honestly, without relying on what you’ve been taught outside of the Bible text would you say that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven are synonymous or are they two different things like some evangelicals and fundamentalists insist upon by stating that a difference must exist between them to prove the millennial reign of Christ. I would say that there are plenty of verses to prove that without twisting the text to make distinctions and divisions where there are none.

Verse 29 tells us there were two distinct parties; the common people having submitted to John’s baptism and the elite who had not. One accepts Jesus’ testimony about John the Baptist and one rejects. But wisdom is justified of all her children it says.

Those who are wise in that generation accepted the baptism of John and the testimony of Christ. Jesus states that some will simply not respond to joyful or mournful music and they will either accuse John of being too severe and strict or Christ of being too inclusive and open-armed. Those people will neither dance for joy nor weep for sorrow. They will hear neither John the Baptist nor will they receive the testimony of Christ.  

This reminds me of Old Testament words of Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 5:3  O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

God visits people and chastises them but they will not receive rebuke from God or even act as if they are aware it is from Him. He visits them and blesses them but they will not acknowledge His hand in it. It is so with many Christians today, sadly.