My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 49
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, 6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, 9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
The psalmist starts out with the topic of fear, yet not his fear of death, but of those who trust in their riches. During his description of his fear he introduces the universality of death. All die. Rich and poor alike. Yet in the reflection of the psalmist, he centers in on the difference between the rich and poor in death. This comparison between the rich and poor is carried on throughout the psalm. Our standing in life, whether we are rich or poor, influences us in relation the death. Our standing in life creates an environment that fosters certain attitudes during our life regarding our eventual death.
Verse 5 begins with the poor asking himself why he is experiencing fear in relation to the sins of others. The rich cheat and steal, perform iniquity with abandon and the poor man experiences this abuse, for the rich man has the power! Surprisingly the abuse is not the focus though, for the poor speaks of fear in troubling times. Can you identify with the poor man?
On a personal note, it seems obvious that in our day, fear is not simply a by-product of the rich man abusing the poor, but is actually a vehicle to influence the poor to gain power over them. It seems troubling times are ever present with us, dangers continually nipping at our heals. A continual state of fear is bubbling up in our society. For the believer, how are we to relate to this?
We must understand that for the psalmist, his wisdom brings to us the truth that death is the great equalizer. We all die, and the rich have no advantage.
Verse 7 is central. The psalmist continues the theme of how money (or possessions) impact a mans relation to his death. The passage hearkens back to the law in Exodus 21:30
If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.
This ransom speaks of paying a price that a crime requires in order to make restitution, or to balance the books due to some injustice. We often think of ransom in relation to a kidnapping, yet this is not the intended message.
The context of the Exodus passage above is that some rich man owns an ox that is known for hurting others, yet does not keep it secure, allowing the ox to gore again. If the ox kills the victim, the owner shall suffer a like sentence. He shall be put to death. Justice is harsh!
Yet the law of God allows an opportunity for the victim’s family to accept payment from the ox owner as a ransom, providing an alternate outcome for the owner. He gets to live! This ransom of the owners life is accomplished with money, whatever amount the victim’s family decides. The psalmist hearkens back to this passage with his reference to ransom, and flatly states in verse 7, there is no ransom that may be paid for the life of a man,. You may think that this is a contradiction, but consider.
The passage in Exodus did not rescue him from death, but simply delayed the eventual time of death. He will still die.
That is the very point of Psalm 49. Everyone will die, and the rich have no advantage over the poor. Money is useless when death comes knocking.
The psalmist continues with the theme of cost, and brings together the two types of men in this psalm. Money cannot ransom the rich man, nor redeem the poor man. The currency required to ransom or redeem a man’s life cannot be carnal possessions of an earthly value system. This is the stock of idolatry! To be trusting in earthly goods is not an equally good choice when compared with trusting in God, but but an affront, an insult to the Lord. Earthly goods cannot ransom a rich man, and the poor man cannot be redeemed with things under heaven.
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
This portion of Psalm 49 provides the conclusion that no one shall live forever, that all will see the grave. The author speaks of the desires of the rich man who would live on this earth forever, avoiding the death that is universal.
Some who obviously have no knowledge of this psalm speak of living on earth forever. This desire is becoming mainstream news in our very lives. (Don’t get me going on the trustworthiness of news headlines, but take it for what it is worth!)
The psalm stands. We all die! Face it and prepare. Run to the One who has provided the “currency” that pleases God for the redemption of each man’s soul. His blood is the precious “coin” that provides the ransom/redemption that rich and poor alike need.
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #303
Description
His announcement
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again[a] with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
New Testament Fulfillment
John 12:12-13
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Here again I confused life with rewards. You see, I used to read it as – To the one who conquers, the right to receive rewards is granted. That is the way I read it when I was ensconced in the “once saved always saved” OSAS teaching. I couldn’t read it for what it seems to be saying, that is those who “conquer” (whatever that may mean) will have access to the tree of life.
Now here comes my assumption. Granted, I don’t want to sound like a 3 year old in Sunday school class, where every question is answered by “Jesus”, but the Word is centered on Him, and all prophecy, narrative, laws and poetry of the good book points to Him. If that is a safe general assumption, would it be too far a stretch to consider the tree of life to be the Master Himself, that in the symbolism of the book of Revelation, the tree of life is Jesus. Remember now, He Himself has witnessed that He is a door, bread, light and life. He did not shy away from describing Himself in various ways.
If this “assumption” is correct, that is that Jesus is the tree of life in the paradise of God, we are granted access to Him through conquering. Where am I going wrong here?
So, this is the stumper, for John is writing to a church, the church of Ephesus, and Jesus is speaking of the churches lost love. In this regard, might the conquering (for this church) be the repentance Jesus spoke of, the return to the first love, that realization of a believer getting distracted, of a forsaken love. Of a believer in desperate need of running back to the One who died for us.
Ok, here is my desire. I want my faith to be a simple faith, a faith where I am in connection with Him, where I can actually understand His will for me and I am granted the courage and boldness to follow, simply out of love for Him. A faith where I understand the Spirit’s message, with the Word of God echoing in my mind, and the character of our great Savior always before me.
You know, in these conditional security posts, I sometimes come away thinking of the negative, the “if” in it all. Yet His love is draws me and you and will continue to draw us through the trials and troubles, the doubts and struggles, the fear and pain. We need to keep our eye on Him, for He is good, He wants us home, and He has suffered for us, experiencing the trials and temptations of this old planet, and succumbing to the terrors of the cross in the Father’s will and for our good.
Looking away from Him, and to any other so called savior is the temptation we must resist. We are called to continue in a faith in the Savior, the One we need to follow.
The same apostle wrote
1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
We can honestly say that John was consistent, for he spoke of the victory, (or the conquering?) as being our faith.
So when you hear someone tell you to keep the faith, remember that it is your faith that will conquer the enemies of our lives, for our faith in the Savior is our life, and will give us the victory, and allow us to eat from the tree of life.
For faith grants us to be in fellowship with the Savior.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #302
Description
He would be holy
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 9:24b
to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
After my series on the parables, I found I was drawn to look into the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. I have never studies the mighty works of Jesus as a focused effort before and am looking forward to finding nuggets of truth that we can be encouraged by.
I have provided a general introduction, with an opportunity to download two files for your reference in my initial post Signs and Mighty Works of Jesus – Introduction. I found that the format I used for the parable posts were useful to keep me on track, and will continue to use them for this series, with some minor tweaks. With that said, let’s take a look at
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
General Observations
Ten lepers, standing at a distance. Of course they had to for leprosy required a distance from others, a space that was demanded by the law to protect the non-leper. Leprosy is a horrible disease that brings about the deadening of the nerves, and therefore the inability to feel pain. The progression of this disease results in tissue degeneration, extremities (fingers, toes, noses etc) eroding, and unintentional damage to the body due to the warning system of pain not functioning. Have you ever thought of pain as a gift? A leper may hold a coal of fire in his hand without experiencing pain, further damaging his hand, further crippling him in the process.
This disease was a much feared condition in the ancient world, and the Jewish religion provided many safeguards for the nation to restrict its spread among the population. One of these restrictions was a required space to be maintained when the leper was in the company of the non-leper. The leper also had to declare openly amongst the community his condition, by crying out “Unclean, unclean” (Leviticus 13:45).
The law did provide a process of being declared clean, and this included the leper going to the priest and requesting an examination. This process must have been one of the priests least favored responsibilities, since it may include the examination of a person who still had leprosy, making it possible for the priest to contract the disease himself.
Of course this process of examination by a priest within the nation of Israel is never recorded, and only one person in the Old Testament is ever spoken of as experiencing healing of his condition. Naaman (an enemy and foreigner to Israel) followed Elisha’s counsel and experienced a healing. As for Miriam, Moses sister, as she was dealt a judgement of leprosy for her rebellion against Moses, there is no record of her healing.
So for centuries, to be a leper was to be condemned to a life of isolation, rejection, self deterioration and poverty. Until an itinerant preacher showed up and began to heal lepers. And the blind. Raising even the dead!
The ten lepers, the twelve disciples and possibly some villagers. Yet even as I say that, for the lepers to be in the area would mean the villagers would not be. It is likely that the lepers were all alone with the Master and His disciples.
The lepers requested mercy, and Jesus is a merciful God. Later on in the apostle Paul’s writings, He is described as rich in mercy. And we know our God is One who is good to all, and that His mercy is over all that He has made (Psalm 145:9)
How often has Jesus expressed mercy to those who deserve judgement? I think of the woman caught in adultery, and the Lord not condemning her, though He was the only One who had the right. I think of the times I have missed the mark, and yet the Lord is constantly overseeing my life, guiding, comforting, challenging and directing. He is a merciful God and the lepers were in good standing at this point of the text. They identified Jesus correctly as One who was merciful and able to heal. Astute lepers!
What was the message for the original audience?
The lepers, by heading to the priest, exhibited obedience to Jesus call, received healing. The text does not teach us that upon healing, they began to venture to the priest. No, the text describes the healing to be in response to thier obedience to the command of Jesus.
Ten clean lepers. Ten lepers who had heard the voice of Jesus, acted upon the voice of Jesus, and received a physical healing of leprosy. Ten lepers who were in the process of obeying Jesus, yet one leper “disobeyed” and returned to the Master, expressing thankfulness, praising God with a loud voice, and worshipped the Rabbi.
Imagine the other nine, for they must surely have heard the one who turned to Jesus. Did they intentionally ignore the one who turned to Jesus instead of a priest? Did the group dynamic keep them in lock step to the priest’s home in order to get on with life? Did they consider the one leper to be over zealous, extreme, unbalanced, even radical?
What is the message for us today?
Do you remember when you first met Jesus? Did you experience a sigh of relief, how you escaped the flames of hell, how you found relief from judgement. Did the experience center on you or Him? Did you head to the priest (become religious) or did you turn to Jesus and give thanks.
How about today? Is there a heart of thankfulness for the person of Christ? For His ever present mercy, for the very character of Christ? Have you maintained a thankful spirit throughout your sojourn with Him? Or did a rule keep you from seeing the person of Christ?
A preacher once challenged his congregation to consider God to be the antithesis of Jesus. Non merciful, non gracious, non truthful… It is a frightful thought!
Keep your eye on the One who showed mercy to those in need. Mercy is His first desire. He loves to show mercy.
We often take for granted the nature and character of the One we follow. Let us not be like the nine who obeyed to receive, but like the one who returned to Jesus, the one who praised Him and thanked Him for His mercy, the one who left the nine to be with the One.
Give thanks to God for His abundant mercy, for His holy character, for His truthful nature and continual love towards His creation, for His guidance and direction, for His unending care, for His justice and grace, for being God!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #301
Description
To make reconciliation for iniquity
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 9:24a
and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
New Testament Fulfillment
Rom 5:10
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
2 Cor 5:18-21
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Paul, in describing the humility of a Christian witness, seeks to instruct his friends of their responsibility to their neighbors. He doesn’t separate himself from the real vagaries of life on this earth, where we have to provide for those we love, care for those of our family, and support those we are closest to. These interests we naturally have are not to e ignored in order to give to others, and to be seen as super spiritual, (thereby exposing a pride that is so antithetical to Paul’s direction!)
Our neighbor, in his need, according to the way I understand Paul, is also our need and it is the wise man who can discern a proper response to the neighbor. Is it right to take from our own interest, our own family, our own loved ones, in order to provide for “others”. Yes. Yet I have somewhat of a qualifier, based on life experience, for you to consider. For you see, in my past, I would see someone in need, and simply go to fulfill that need. Without any discussion on the impact towards those I love. Looking back, this action seems to be fueled by some sense of being seen by strangers as a true Christian (?) and ignored those who were witnessing my life closest! (i.e. my fam!)
Since then, unless an emergency forces an instant decision and action, I tend to take a few minutes to discuss with those who will be impacted by the sacrifice/gift/time spent to help my neighbor, just to get buy in, to give them the respect they deserve and to simply honor those around me.
I have come to realize that a unified sacrifice is much more satisfying, much more peaceful, and much more worthwhile, for not only can the Spirit’s direction be verified, but the act of submitting to one another’s act of love towards our “neighbor” brings greater blessing to all involved.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 49
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together! 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
The psalmist begins with calling all to listen. Not only the covenant people of Israel, but people of the nations, that is, all the folks of the world. No exceptions, for this topic is universal, without exception and applicable for all. He is calling his audience to come together, specifically those who naturally separate from one another. The rich seek to be away from the poor. The sons of men find ways to clique off from others.
This call is going out to all, equally to every person in the audience, whether he hears it or not. The call is an offer to understand, to comprehend a topic that both fool and wise experience, both rich and poor, both low and high.
The psalmist has spent time, effort, concentration and a willingness to hear the voice of God, to come to a conclusion on this topic that he is willing to provide for all. He shall speak wisdom and understanding, and supply a knowledge that is not commonly listened to, either in that age or even more so in our age.
The psalmist speaks on the inclination of his ear to a proverb. Of his focus to hear, to be open to the source of truth. He is not declaring his own inherent wisdom and understanding, but only that he is a container, a vessel in which truth and understanding may reside. Better yet, considering that he speaks of opening his mouth, the image is better represented not of a vessel but of a conduit, a pipe that is used to channel wisdom and understanding to others.
The topic that the psalmist breaches in this passage is the fact of death for all, and the repercussions of this truth for the living. How is the living to understand the truth of death? What benefits or warnings are can be found in the universality of death?
Does he describe an after death experience? That is not his focus, for he is not seeking to tickle our ears but to provide wisdom and understanding for those who would listen, for those who want to live in truth, and find the benefit and blessing that listening to truth provides.
One final thought for the day. Verse 4 speaks of solving the riddle with a lyre. The psalmist is seeking to make this truth, which is a difficult truth for some of his audience, that the communication of this truth would be presented with out any unnecessary harshness, that the truth would be garbed in a velvet glove. Truth is precious, yet if presented in it’s naked power, can become a wall as opposed to a bridge for those listening.
The nature of God’s loving character is such that He seeks to provide the truth, harsh as it is at times, in a manner that may have the greatest opportunity to be accepted. In this psalm, the author speaks of music providing that vehicle in which truth arrives.
For us today, a verse that comes to mind in this regard is Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Our speech, our communication to those in our audience, is to always be gracious. Paul speaks of the salt that may be required at times, that in the speech we provide to those around us, if a stinging truth is required, we are to continue to exercise gracious speech. A difficult topic is not justification to allow our speech to be harsh, judgmental or fierce.
Play the lyre in your speech today, and be thankful for truth.
In our next posting, we shall find that the truth the psalmist provides is regarding the very enemy the Lord has provided us rescue from. Although it is a universal truth, the lives we live often obscure, distract or completely hide the impact this truth should have in our lives. The psalmist seeks to rectify this.
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #300
Description
To make an end to sins
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 9:24a
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin,
New Testament Fulfillment
Gal 1:3-5
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. – Gal 6:7-9 ESV
As one who spent most of his life in the Lord under the teaching of once saved always saved (OSAS), when I quickly review the passage above, I automatically think of the theme of rewards in the afterlife. It is a common teaching and given the background of the teaching I was receiving, made sense in many ways. After all, my teachers spoke confidently of the New Testament teaching the OSAS doctrine, sometimes providing a proof text to back up their claim. The few verses that do not fit the OSAS teaching must surely have a simple explanation. “Loss of rewards” is the slot this passage fell into. This response satisfied my curiosity for many years.
But as I read the passage, I want to be careful of not inserting words into the text that are not written down. We all do it, at least unintentionally I am sure, but we so often gloss over the text due to our familiarity, that the text isn’t allowed to communicate it’s actual message.
As an example, I often read verse 8 in the following manner.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruptionloss of rewards, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap rewards in the afterlifeeternal life.
Can you identify with my assumptions of the authors intent? If OSAS is the teaching of the New Testament, we must interpret the passage in a manner such as I have described. We cannot allow the verse to inform us that a continual sowing to the Spirit will result in eternal life, if we are eternally secure at the point of conversion. That just doesn’t fit the overall teaching of the New Testament!
Or does it?
As many also may know who have followed this blog, I have attempted to provide passages that bring the OSAS doctrine into question. If of interest to my reader, search Considering the Bible for “Conditional Security”. The number of posts dealing with this topic have increased greater than I had originally expected, and I still have additional passages waiting to be written and published.
When I began to have my initial doubts on OSAS, it was due to the Hebrews passages that are so often depended on. The I tripped over a passage in 1 Peter. Eventually I stumbled onto a passage in Colossians that caused quite a stir in my thinking, and as I brought the question up in a meeting, I received a reaction from a brother that mirrored my attitude regarding any challenge to the OSAS teaching. Conditional Security – Colossians 1:21-23. Since then, I have reconsidered my attitude regarding a commitment to OSAS, and found a growing number of passages that to varying degrees refute the teaching.
Maybe – just maybe – the New Testament does not provide the general overall (non-specific) OSAS teaching that my former teachers depended on.
My rose colored glasses are slipping off, and as the passages pile up that bring OSAS into question, I will also reconsider passages that OSAS depends on, in order to reconsider their meaning. One of the favorite passages I referred to in my OSAS days was John 10:28-30. That passage surprised me in my study, and allowed for a perspective I hadn’t allowed previously. Conditional Security – John 10:28-29
I suppose I have somewhat drifted from the intent of this study in Galatians to more of a general discussion on the topic of OSAS. For that I do not apologize, since I often hear the claim that general Bible teaching supports OSAS, and that a verse that may indicate otherwise requires to be “brought into line”. Let us seek to carefully reconsider “general” teachings that seem to conflict with specific Bible verses. This is a massive undertaking, and we need His grace to be open to these challenges, even if it is to simply admit blind spots we may have in our thinking.
May God provide us all wisdom and understanding as we seek to grow in our knowledge of Him and His message to us.
For we all know that He is good, and that He is good all the time.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #299
Description
His dominion would be everlasting
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 7:13-14c
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 1:31-33
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
After my series on the parables, I found I was drawn to look into the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. I have never studies the mighty works of Jesus as a focused effort before and am looking forward to finding nuggets of truth that we can be encouraged by.
I have provided a general introduction, with an opportunity to download two files for your reference in my initial post Signs and Mighty Works of Jesus – Introduction. I found that the format I used for the parable posts were useful to keep me on track, and will continue to use them for this series, with some minor tweaks. With that said, let’s take a look at
Jesus Heals a Man With Dropsy on the Sabbath
Luke 14:1-6
One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things.
General Observations
Can you imagine the hospitality of this Pharisee? What a gracious man, that in the midst of tensions between his political/religious party and this new Rabbi, he has the foresight to invite the Master to dinner for a chance to discuss differences. Truly a man seeking the truth!
And can you imagine, that as friction is building between those Pharisees and Jesus, Jesus has the grace to accept an offer for dinner at the Pharisees house and enter into what may become a time of debate.
Let’s check out the passage to see if my initial observations bear the scrutiny of truth.
Questions to Consider
Who were the audience?
As we read the passage, we find that the ruler of the Pharisees had invited Jesus (along with His disciples) to dinner. Verse 3 mentions that lawyers and Pharisees were present. The ruler, it is safe to assume, stacked the room with his friends and influential members of the ruling party, (as it was common for them to associate with their own), those who were of the same thinking and status. You know, none of those unworthy “unwashed”.
But wait, there is one more participant, one more in the house of the ruler of the Pharisees. A man who had dropsy. A disfigured nameless person, who must have simply wandered in off the street to enjoy a feast with the Pharisees!
First lets consider the condition this poor man experienced. Dropsy is an old word for a condition that is commonly called edema, or fluid retention. During my time writing on Jesus’ relationship with the Sabbath, I reviewed the disease quickly. See Jesus on the Sabbath – Part 13 – Swelling Opposition. The man’s condition may appear to be merely swollen legs (acute pulmonary edema) but this symptom indicates a greater threat to his life, for it may indicate congestive heart failure. This poor man may have been a ticking time bomb, with his ticker on the edge of failure. He was not simply experiencing an inconvenient condition of swollen legs and arms.
Secondly, my initial assumption on the motive of the ruler and his buddies may have been somewhat incorrect. For you see, when Luke describes them as “watching him carefully”, it wasn’t innocent curiosity that motivated them. The term is paratēreō, and it carries with it the idea of watching assiduously, a scrupulous observation, to observe diligently and carefully.
I love how Luke provides the setting, and then the disabled man appears (out of nowhere). The stage is set and the watchers are watching! Watching oh so carefully. They know of the Master and his disdain for the law of God, His utter disregard for the Sabbath and His dangerous teaching that completely destroys the nation of Israel’s covenant with God.
Jesus simply asked a question.
I want to stop there and consider the wisdom of questions. Debates and arguments may produce great entertainment, but I have rarely been in a verbal battle and come away knowing a heart has changed. Arguments and debates introduce a “pride” factor that makes at least one of the debaters busy finding a defense as opposed to considering the truth of the statement just heard. Questions allow for a freedom to consider the concept or idea that is presented. A well framed question is powerful, as we see in this passage, for those who were passionate about the Sabbath, remained silent. No response. Two time Luke tells us they were silent. Amazing!
And what was the question? During each of the previous miracles on the Sabbath, this issue was present in some form.
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
Everyone in the room knows where this is going. Jesus may have well said – I’m gonna heal this man – tell me of any restrictions prior to my healing him, because I’m gonna heal him! Jesus warned them of His intent, knowing they were watching Him with intent of judging His actions. In my mind this was a set up that Jesus walked into, and He turned the tables, healed this man, taught truth to those through two questions and left the audience gasping for breath.
He is incredible!
One additional item that I find encouraging is that Jesus took the sick man, healed him and sent him away. Jesus wasn’t going to allow the Pharisees attack the one healed as they did with the man in John 9. See Signs and Mighty Works of Jesus #26 – Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind. They pounced on that man, and though he stood strong, Jesus simply healed the man with dropsy and sent him away.
His final question revealed an added layer to the Pharisees hypocrisy. Let’s consider that next.
What was the message for the original audience?
Jesus second question drove home a personal application, an application that showed the two faced Pharisees (and us) of our confused reasoning for ignoring or not allowing a good work to be done, based on some religious law or commandment.
It truly is simple, that if we find something that is good to do for someone in trouble, someone in need, someone who is suffering, the religious exercise can take a back seat.
I think of a time when on the way to church we saw someone that needed some help along the road. I reasoned that we would disturb people in the service if we were late, and passed right by him. This doesn’t look like Jesus, that I know now, yet the chains that bind us through religion have a strength that is surprising.
On second thought, if a donkey or child did fall in a well on the Sabbath, if the ruling class was consistent, the victim could stay in the well for the remainder of the Sabbath. No harm no foul and the religious man could remain pure. But alas, this is not the assumption that is made and with the silence of the Pharisees to this question, it seems it wasn’t their practice. So what gives?
Their religious practice exposed their covetousness and hypocrisy, and when sin is exposed, two results may occur. Confession and repentance, or a need to silence the Messenger. They decided to maintain their course and silence the Messenger. Let’s be clear. Jesus was showing them their legal inconsistencies and they couldn’t handle it, and instead of learning from truth, they planned on suppressing the truth by crucifixion. Death was the answer the Pharisees who “sought God” came up with and all they needed was an opportunity.
What is the message for us today?
I can’t help but think of an application for us in the simplicity of a single concept, a single message that the Lord, I believe was trying to communicate. He was giving us guidance in relation to our interaction with the law of God and those who are in need.
Paul also had somewhat of a similar audience, an audience that was consumed with rule keeping, and his guidance to those wrapped up in religiosity was simple. The whole law, (that is the law that is from God and not man) is fulfilled in one word, one concept, one thought!
Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Paul continued with his discussion to these poor Galatians, those who were wrapped up in religion, of keeping a law provided by some man, and wrote the following famous text, which if it wasn’t so familiar, would be shocking.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
No law against something? Total freedom to exhibit any of the fruits of the Spirit? No restrictions on love?
Many laws are by their very nature prohibitive, they keep us from doing something. (There are of course those laws that require some action, but the intent of this passage was to release followers from prohibitive laws, so we will stay within the boundaries of the passage!) There are no laws that keep you from providing acts of love or of having a spirit of joy, or acting as a peacemaker with those who are in stress. No laws that would bring you into any condemnation with God.
Of course those in the religious community may give you some trouble, but that may simply indicate you are getting the Jesus thing!
While you are pulling the donkey out of the well, stay focused on the donkey in the well, not the “donkeys” that are complaining!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #298
Description
Highly exalted
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 7:13-14b
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
New Testament Fulfillment
Eph 1:20-22
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
As we are venturing through chapter 2, we have come across Paul’s gentle appeal for unity within the church. This unity, in our last post spoke of the inner mind that the believer was to exercise toward others, and that mind, I suggested was found in the Son of God, for His mind is the only mind that is of any pure intent to attain this unity.
In this verse, Paul brings to the surface the characteristics of a believer that will destroy this unity he seeks to guide us into.
Selfish Ambition
We all know what selfishness is, and when coupled with ambition, we find it begins to describe a believer who is putting oneself forward, describing a believer who wants to be in charge, to lead, to be visible, to gain honor. Paul condemns this attitude, for it is the very heart of pride, seeking to elevate oneself over others – for their sake of course! Justifications may be found for each of us in our efforts to be seen, but Paul speaks against this desire. To exhibit selfish desire is to be contentions, spreading strife and competition.
Conceit
This term also speaks of pride, and carries with it the concept of a groundless self esteem. A self esteem teaching ran rampant through the American church a few decades back, and many still find justification in the Word for this self love. I understand this teaching to be destructive for the Body, and flies in the face of Paul’s admonition to exercise a sacrificial self giving love.
Paul touches the heart of this admonition in Philippians when he speaks of humility. This is Paul’s core intent in all of this teaching, in that he seeks the church to exercise humility towards others.
We are actually to consider others more significant than ourselves! (How does that fit with the self esteem teaching?)
Nevertheless, this is a tall order for the believer, impossible for those who do not connect with the One mind in daily prayer, meditation and searching of the Bible, seeking to know His will in specific areas of our lives. We need to understand these guiding principles, such as rejecting selfish ambition and conceit, and to elevate others in our thoughts for the sake of unity. As soon as we consider someone to be less important that us, we can easily dismiss them, and begin to ride the self conceit train to the next contentious argument or debate.
Such a horrible way to live! Humility of mind and heart towards others is the path to peace and unity. If you are experiencing some strife in your relationships, seek to exercise a humility towards them, asking for forgiveness for any real (or perceived) offences they may be harboring.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psa. 48:12 ¶ Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, Psa. 48:13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation Psa. 48:14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.
Our final three verses in this marvelous psalm encourages the saint to consider the defense of Jerusalem. He begins the passage in speaking of Jerusalem’s towers, ramparts and citadels. He speaks of the citadels early on in our psalm, back in verse 3
Psa. 48:3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
A citadel is a stronghold, sometimes referring to the castle or palace, but in this case, it appears to be referring to the city itself. The psalmist, at least from my understanding, is mixing pictures of the city’s defense, of speaking of the physical defenses, of the city itself, to impress upon the saint of the protection they experience through the city itself. But in verse 14, he makes his intent clear. The city represents the defense that God provides, and is a type or picture of the protection of God, who is the citadel, the ramparts and the towers that provide the actual protection.
Verse 14 is very interesting in that not only does it clear up who (or what) is the actual defense of Jerusalem, but that the protection the city experiences takes the psalmist to a “logical” conclusion.
The protection (or guidance) is from God and since He is forever, the protection is forever. What is interesting to me is an alternate reading for the verse. In the last phrase , the psalmist concludes with
Psalm 48:14 …He will guide us forever
The alternate reading is ..He will guide us beyond death
The psalmist speaks of the result of a great deliverance for the people of Jerusalem, and then speaks of death, that the God who protects, guides and delivers actually will continue His guidance and protection beyond the physical defense of the City and through death, even beyond death.
Does this not speak of the Lord Jesus, who entered into death to be our guide, our forerunner. As a matter of fact, as I read Hebrews 6, I find some uncanny parallels I had never noticed before with psalm 48. Consider.
Hebrews 6:18 – 20
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The refuge of the Lord and His entering into the inner place as a forerunner both remind me of Psalm 48 and the emphasis of His being our protector and guide.
Consider the greatness of the Lord. He provides guidance and protection, much of the time without our knowledge or acknowledgement, and beyond that, continues to move forward in preparing and leading us, even through our most difficult enemy, that is death.
He has conquered death, and we may find a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul in Jesus our Savior.
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #297
Description
He would ascend into heaven
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 7:13-14a
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
New Testament Fulfillment
Acts 1:9-11
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Who was the book of Revelation written to? The unsaved? Jewish proselytes? Roman soldiers? We all know who the recipients of this final book of the Bible was written to. John makes it clear in the very first verse.
Rev 1:1
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
The message was for those who had entered into life, who had trusted in the Messiah, and who were undergoing trials, like all believers. (To be a believer is to undergo trials.)
Although some may consider the following discussion on Rev 12:11 to be based out of a vacuum, I would request your consideration of my thoughts.
The believers in the verse above were described as conquering him – the accuser of the brethren – through the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. This conquering is a common theme in Revelation, and we will see it come up in our studies on conditional security in the Book of Revelation quite often. Nevertheless, for Revelation 12:11, John defines these saints as overcoming the accuser through two actions – the death of Christ (the blood of the lamb) and the word of their testimony. (As a matter of fact, their martyrdom is a third action described in the passage, but the martyrdom is a result of the first two actions and doesn’t relate to the point of todays post.)
This is an amazing claim of John, since he is the apostle who often stated the only requirement for salvation was to believe. (Check the gospel of John and few if any time does he link belief with repentance, works etc.)
The act of faith is not to be ignored or glossed over in this verse, for the object of the saint’s faith is the One who shed His blood, yet John couples that faith with the act of the saint giving testimony, of providing witness of the faith they claimed to own.
Although it may be conjecture on my part, I fear the witness we give in the modern church is somewhat acceptable to the culture we exist in. It is, at the least somewhat palatable for the culture to accept our message of “inviting Jesus into their heart”, of “doing good and going to church”, of being a “nice” Christian that doesn’t rock the boat.
Believe me, I am one who falls into this very thinking far too often, but those in John’s day were speaking of Christ, not as a King, but THE King, a Ruler over the most powerful, jealous and vengeful government the world had ever seen. The message was a dangerous message, and by preaching this message of a loving yet ruling King calling followers out of the nations, the saint would place his life on the line. Out of that commitment to the King, the saint would overcome the accuser. The saint would be strengthened in his security before His God, and confirm his own standing before his Savior.
What thinkest thou? Is the security we so desperately seek a security that is frivolous or costly at times?
What would it mean for a believer to not overcome?
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The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #296
Description
The Stone that shall break the kingdoms
Old Testament Prophecy
Daniel 2:44-45
And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
New Testament Fulfillment
Matt 21:44
And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
After my series on the parables, I found I was drawn to look into the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. I have never studies the mighty works of Jesus as a focused effort before and am looking forward to finding nuggets of truth that we can be encouraged by.
I have provided a general introduction, with an opportunity to download two files for your reference in my initial post Signs and Mighty Works of Jesus – Introduction. I found that the format I used for the parable posts were useful to keep me on track, and will continue to use them for this series, with some minor tweaks. With that said, let’s take a look at
Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman
Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
General Observations
At this point in the Lord’s ministry, things were getting pretty tense, to say the least. The Pharisees were plotting and the Romans had noticed Him. He had become well known in northern galilee and the news had spread. His appearance in Jerusalem on the feast days had only added to the fervor about Him.
And we find Him in synagogue. In the region of Judea. With the ruler of the synagogue inviting Him to teach. Did not the ruler hear of the potential for “divisive teaching” coming from this Rabbi? Surely the congregation had heard of His fame. We aren’t supplied with the teaching He was providing, yet it must have been about the kingdom of God and His person. His identity was on display in the synagogue, since the Word was being taught and the Word speaks of Him.
The conditions were ripe for an incident!
Questions to Consider
Who were the audience?
As mentioned earlier, the audience is a faithful Jewish congregation in a synagogue, with the disciples. Although the disciples are not mentioned in the text, I assume they were with Him. Also present, the ruler of the synagogue and a poor nameless woman who was bent over.
He saw the woman bent over and called her. The text simply states He saw her. He noticed her, and acted. He called her to come to Him, presumably in the middle of His teaching. He interrupted His teaching time to minister to a lone woman. A woman who was bent over, most likely a woman who had little possessions, since she was cripple, who may have had very little influence, for she was bent over, a woman who had little importance, for she was a cripple. She was a nobody, with Luke not even providing her a personal name.
But she is called by Jesus, and He refers to her later as a “daughter of Abraham”. All Jews considered themselves children of Abraham, so this may have been unsurprising, especially since she was in synagogue. But let us consider how Jesus used this term, for He definitely did not relate to the Jewish population with this assumption. He actually debated with some of the leaders of the Pharisees over their lineage, and linked them to the very enemy He released this woman from.
She was a daughter of Abraham in Jesus eyes, yet was bound by Satan. In the Jewish leadership, they considered themselves children of Abraham, yet they were controlled by the enemy, seeking to kill the very Messiah. How upside down!
Things are simply not as they appear when it comes to Jesus and His ways. A discerning heart and a patient spirit is required to understand the situations we find our selves in, and few are the times when I stop to consider. As my wife is so fond of saying – Man looks on the outward appearance, but God judges the heart.
Jesus saw a woman who was a true believer, bound by Satan and determined to release her of her burden. He had, as far as I can tell, no requirement to perform this miracle, other than hearing the voice of His Father. But come on, – to perform it on the Sabbath was like poking the ruler in the eye. But I am getting ahead of myself.
What was the message for the original audience?
The audience in Judea saw a woman bent over for decades, stand up straight. Did the congregation know of this woman’s suffering of 18 years? We do not know if she was a regular attendee of the synagogue, yet I assume she was due to a number of factors. Jesus called her a daughter of Abraham, indicating a faithful Jew. Due to her disability, she most likely resided near this synagogue, since travel would be an onerous task for her. Also, the synagogue ruler did not address her as an intruder or was surprised by her presence. Although this is an argument from silence, once the miracle happened, the ruler sought some way to debunk it. If she was a visitor, he may have simply called on the woman as an imposter, a faker, yet this was never brought up.
What was brought up, by the ruler was that this was the common people’s fault, they were sinning by coming for healing on the Sabbath.
WHAT?
I sometimes feel sorry for those Jewish leaders, committed to their understanding of Sabbath keeping during the days of Jesus. They trusted in writings that extended the purpose of the Word to unsupportable conclusions.
I recently read that during Sabbath, the leaders established that a man could walk no further than a half mile from his home. In order to get around this man made rule, a faithful Jew would take a bit of food and deposit it near a stone or tree a half mile from his home previous to his travels. On the Sabbath, he could then travel to the same spot, retrieve his food and travel another half mile. For you see, the food established that place as his home, temporary as it was, but it supplied a way to ignore even their own rules. What a mess!
Getting back to the ruler, by this time I imagine He knew of the skill and power of the Lord in debate and did not attack Him, but the crowd. Read it again..
But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
Have you ever been in a service, or in discussion with a religious person and come away feeling like everything is your fault, that the religious person is faultless and convincingly shifts the problem onto your shoulders. This congregation was under a ruler that was a blame shifter, a weak man that would would not address his concern directly with the Master, and expressed his frustration (indignation) with the miracle performing Messiah on those to whom he “ministered” to.
This is outrageous, and is such a common occurrence nowadays. But again, I am getting ahead of myself.
His statement to the people leads me to believe he had miraculous healing powers also, for he surely had healing meetings on the other six days of the week. He surely was a mighty man of ministry, that provided relief and restoration on the other six days of the week. Am I reading too much into the text? How could he have said such foolishness? Like I said, I sometimes feel sorry for the religious leaders, for they have boxed themselves into a position that is indefensible.
Yet the Master defended the congregation by addressing the ruler directly, with a harshness that becomes more apparent as we follow Him into Jerusalem for His passion.
Hypocrite! (Sometimes I just wanna cheer Him on, until it settles on my mind that I am more like the ruler than like Him.)
Jesus enters into a logical argument with the ruler. He refers to their own teaching and shows the logical inconsistency of the ruler, of their greed and self centeredness, of the ruler’s unloving spirit towards their own congregation. He hits them hard with truth, based on their own teachings.
But let me ask you something. Do you see Him at this time as a finger pointing, voice raising, red faced brawler, looking to take the ruler out? Is he wearing His feelings on his shirtsleeve, for all to see? I ask for I have always assumed He also is indignant with the ruler, as the ruler is indignant with the situation, but this is not necessarily true. The text simply states “the Lord answered him…”
The Lord answered him. He communicated a logical response to the ruler, based on their own teaching, exposing the rulers inconsistencies. Would yelling at the ruler add to the power of the argument? The truth is powerful, and the addition of rage, anger or frustration may not provide greater effect.
The ruler unbound his animal on the sabbath in order to provide the animal the basics of life. The Ruler (of all) unbound his follower on the sabbath to provide her relief, freedom and deliverance from an ungodly influence.
Where is the problem here? For those who do not need to defend a contrived religious position, and are willing to consider a logical argument based on revealed truth, the message is clear. He is the Ruler, and has the right to perform His mighty works of release and deliverance whenever He chooses!
What is the message for us today?
Blame shifting
The ruler attacked the congregation. He blamed those he was charged with caring for. They needed to come to the Monday healing service to be healed. This is incredible, for it seems obvious that there was no healing service held, for the cripple woman was cripple still. Yet he reverted to this argument, since a fundamental doctrine he loved was slighted. How blind to a miracle can a man be, when his response is voicing his obligation to defend a teaching instead of realizing what happened in front of his very eyes.
How many times have you been in a meeting, and come away thinking you are the problem. The church isn’t growing because you are not doing something right, you are not working hard enough, or at the right ministry, or providing sufficient funds, or praying enough or or or….
We have much to be responsible for, and we need to follow His leading, yet I fear some “rulers” in our churches seek to blame shift problems onto their parishioners. Please don’t hear me that we are free from responsibilities to be faithful to the Master – that is not the issue. The issue is who are you listening to? Are you accepting everything your church leadership is feeding you? Or are you listening for the Spirit, confirming the Word in your circumstances?
Emotional response
In an effort to support religious fallacies and inconsistencies, some “rulers” may resort to an emotionally laden message. You know the type, where the man behind the pulpit raises and lowers his voice, yells at the devil or cries uncontrollably.
How often have you been gripped with the emotion of a preacher, and left your mind behind? Personally, I find this style of preaching to be generally lacking in substance, and I walk away, at least mentally. I raised a bunch of chillun that presented their cases with screaming, crying or yelling. It didn’t impress me then, and it certainly doesn’t impress me now. This style of communication (through intimidation or emotional manipulation) is a common method for salesmen to close a deal, for that mattress salesman to get you to sign on the dotted line. It does not reflect, in my opinion, the gracious nature of the Lord, and the fact that truth in inherently powerful on its own!
This is so very common in todays modern church, emotional appeals to “do better” based on little more than a popular religious theme of the culture. These methods bring no lasting fruit to the church, only providing fodder for those who would mock the church.
Let each of us quietly listen to the Spirit, grapple with the Word (for there are many questions to understand) and peaceably attend to the Christian teachers we allow ourselves to be influenced by. Of course, you control who you are being influenced by – so this may be an appropriate time for you to consider the value of those you attend to.
Be a Berean. They were checking out the teaching of the apostles – We can surely check out mere ministers and pastors, if what they are feeding us complies with the Word.
Act 17 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea,…… 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Don’t let a ruler intimidate or influence you with anything other than the naked hard truth of the Word. Stand up straight when it comes to who you will listen to, and do not bend to those who seek to influence you through intimidation or emotional appeals.
The truth is worth standing for. He is good, all the time!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #295
Description
Descendant of David
Old Testament Prophecy
Ezekiel 37:24-25
“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.
New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 1:31-33
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
In our last post, we saw that Paul appealed to the Philippians by way of positive request to encourage each other, to find strength in the Son, Father and Holy Spirit. The verse cut off prior to providing the end result that Paul desires for the Philippian church. I would go so far as to say Paul wants what is contained in this verse for all bodies of believers.
Unity. Such a small word but so divisive, for everyone seems to have a concept of unity that fits into “their” vision, “their” plans, “their” desires. Leaders speak of unity in order to maintain focus and direction of a bodies efforts, and I am sure there are good intentions in implementing a “vision”.
I have experienced this call for unity in my past with a certain church, using the call for unity in forcing the body to study one topic during class time on Sunday. Of course, if the class isn’t presently studying a topic, this would be of no concern. If the class is in the middle of an extended study, in the spirit of unity, discussion on the direction would be beneficial.
An order from on high is not beneficial. An order from on high, that is from appointed church leadership, providing direction by decree for believers, does not exhibit the type of unity that I believer Paul is seeking amongst church folk. I think of this situation as an effort to create uniformity, in place of unity.
Unity is described in a positive sense as
Having the same mind
Mind in this phrase refers to cherishing the same views, or to be harmonious.
Having the same love
This love is the agape love, a self sacrificing love, resident in the believer, needing to be stirred up and exercised in our daily decisions with those who are following the Lord.
Being in full accord
Full accord. United in Spirit. This phrase is not describing a uniformity of schedules or programs, but of souls being knit together in purpose, like minded in their opinions. To strip this one purpose to a basic understanding, lets consider the one opinion a believer needs in order to even be within the Body.
Jesus Christ is Lord. One opinion, that if we understood the implications in relation to authority within the church, may provide a pathway to the elusive unity Paul seeks for the church’s good.
Of one mind
This “one mind” is the same Greek word Paul used when requesting the “same mind”. Is he requesting something different or is he emphasizing the same desire? Personally, I think Paul is emphasizing the same concept as same mind, but let’s consider. The “same mind” speaks of a likeness or similarity of multiple independent “minds”, whereas, “one mind” speaks of a single entity, a single mind. As mentioned above, this single mind must refer to the Lord Jesus. His commands, opinions, exhortations, guidance, example and actions must be the one mind we are encouraged to emulate, to have when we are relating to our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Each of these descriptions of unity come from a positive perspective, speaking of an inner unity, a spirit of harmony and of peace amongst believers. Paul was seeking a foundational unity for all in the church, in order for various ministries and service that may flow from individuals had a basis in unity, and not a forced uniformity.
Of course Paul will have, in our next verse, negative descriptions of working towards this unity he seeks for the church, but for now, let us seek to find the same mind, that One mind we all need.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psa. 48:9 ¶ We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. Psa. 48:10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Psa. 48:11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!
Steadfast love.
We often think of the Old Testament as depicting a God who is wrathful, full of vengeance and ready to judge. How can we reconcile that general impression with the specific verse we find in our passage this fine day?
For the Old Testament does not refer to the steadfast love of God only in this passage. The Old Testament God is the God of covenantal love, a love that is based on commitments, on promises and on His character. I have heard it said that the wrath of God is spoken of more in the New Testament than in the Old, and after considering it (although I have not studied it) I tend to see that as possible.
Yet I divert from the text, and our considering of the steadfast love of God.
The Old Testament often has prophets or writers speak of God as keeping the covenant, and of His lovingkindness. This was required for the people of God, for they often did not keep the covenant, but continually and instantly broke the marriage covenant they had with the God of all creation. Many times they may have considered God’s reaction to be similar to their faithfulness to the covenant, that all was lost, that He had abandoned them, that His patience wore thin. For the nation, this fear became a reality at the cross, as the old covenant was made obsolete by providing a better covenant.
Hebrews 8:13 ESV – In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
In the midst of our rebellion, it is the only message that will pull us back. Judgement and wrath, though spoken of throughout the Word, most often is provided to wake the listener, and without realizing the love of God, may only produce a self serving response, a short term commitment to Him in order to “get out of trouble”.
Fear of judgement is not a remedy for a broken relationship. Sacrificial love will heal a marriage, and make two one! Let us remember that it is not our sacrifice that is healing relationships with God, but His miraculous love toward His enemies that brings us back to Him.
Two verses from the prophets typify the Old Testament declaration of the love God for His people.
Jeremiah 31:3 the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Is. 54:10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
In the final verses of this portion of Psalm 48, the psalmist speaks to the people of Israel and of their response. Joy, and rejoicing. The natural response of understanding the covenantal love of God is rejoicing. Do we get this?
As we venture through life, and we find the joy somewhat lacking in our life, consider who our God is. Think on the picture we see of the covenantal God who is faithful, expressing love to His people. He is the covenantal promise keeping God who has sacrificed all for your deliverance. Guilt is not a proper response, nor self loathing or fear.
He is a covenant keeping God, He is good, and He is good all the time! Rejoice!
The prophecy of the Lord Jesus for our consideration and edification, written centuries prior to His earthly existence is
Prophecy #294
Description
Descendant of David
Old Testament Prophecy
Ezekiel 34:23-24
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.
New Testament Fulfillment
Matt 1:1
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
If you are just joining this blog, or are a first time visitor, welcome to Considering the Bible. We would like to offer a document that provides over 350 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament for your consideration.
I make no claim to be able to comment on every one of these amazing prophecies in the future, but will occasionally bring one to the readers attention for their edification.
Hopefully you will follow “Considering the Bible” and begin an interaction with us
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Those with Him are described as chosen and faithful.
First off, it is ludicrous that “they” will make war with the Lamb. “They” can’t kill Him again, for He has an indestructible life. “They” are fighting against a Lamb – How crazy is that! A Lamb that has shed His blood for those very ones who are fighting against Him.
Yet, we are all like that are we not? When was the last time you were completely compliant, obedient to His every word and way? He will conquer His enemies, through means and methods He has established, though a sacrificial love that makes the conquering complete, effective and thorough!
It is also good to remember that He is the Lamb (and we are not) and that the Lamb will conquer. All action is described as being His!
The chosen and faithful are simply with Him. Yet those with Him are called faithful. Those with Him are not described as those who had faith, or those who once believed, or that raised their hand at a church service once.
Those with Him during His conquering are faithful. The term faithful is an adjective. For a quick reminder on what an adjective is, I refer you a definition below.
Adjectives describe or modify—that is, they limit or restrict the meaning of—nouns and pronouns.
The noun being described are “the called”, correct? They are described as faithful. To describe someone as faithful, there needs to be evidence!
Let me try to explain it in simple terms so I can understand it. (Yes – I sometimes get lost in my own thoughts!)
I don’t see a red car and declare – “That blue car sure is nice!” The evidence tells me it is a red car, even if my favorite color is blue! If I stand out in the rain, I don’t shout – “The day is sunny and bright” The adjective I naturally use describes the evidence, not my wishes.
Those that were called, that were with Him are described as faithful. The evidence of a faithful life must have been obvious, for the one who was overseeing this writing.
May we as believers, in our faltering and frail faith, exercise a life that will provide evidence of faithfulness. Proof that others may see and naturally describe us as faithful. To achieve this result, we must not look to them to see if they are noticing, but look to Him, to His conquering victories, even to the conquering our our own wills.
For He is good and He is good all the time
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