Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 21-24

Posted on 01/30/2012 by Paul Pavao

This week’s Bible reading is Exodus 21-40, 4 chapters a day. We’ll do Leviticus the following week.

Overall year’s plan is here.

This Week Is Readers Week!

We’ve covered a lot in these first four weeks through the Bible, and I’ve gotten great feedback and input from y’all. Now I need some space to rest. I believe a week will let me get caught up.

You can tell how much I need the rest by the fact I scheduled this post a day early, forgetting today is Sunday! This is Monday’s post, which is okay, it will be there on Monday.

You have two (and many more) answers for yourselves:

  • Ask questions in the comments about today’s reading.</li
  • Answer other people’s questions when you see them

And I will pitch into the discussions as I am able, though I am going to be working on the following week’s blogs already.

Don’t give up on the Bible reading! That is the point, to make the Scriptures comfortable to understand (though once you understand they provide their own discomfort), so that you become practiced at loving all the Words of God, digging deeper into them, and obeying them.

So "pay it forward"; share your thoughts with one another.

I’ll schedule a post with with the right Bible reading each day of the week so you can keep your Q&A among one another separated on the right days.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 17 to 20

Posted on 01/27/2012 by Paul Pavao

The Schedule

If the commentary is too much, read the Bible, not the commentary! The commentaries are well-labeled, so you can always navigate to the parts you have questions about.

Exodus 17:1-7: Massah and Meribah; the Waters of Testing

In Exodus 16, the people were wishing they could return to Egypt and die at the Lord’s hand. Today, they accuse Moses of trying to kill them of thirst.

In response, God provides for them again.

This is not the only time that God will have problems at Meribah with the Israelites, only the next time it is Moses and Aaron who do not handle it well and are rebuked by God (Num. 20:1-13).

Exodus 17:8-16: Amalek attacks the Israelites

When the Amalekites came out and fought against the Israelites, the Israelites fought back. As long as Moses kept his hands raised, the Israelites were winning. If he dropped them, then the Amalekites would prevail.

Why only when his hands were raised?

To the early Christians, the raising of hands made the figure of a cross. Thus, the Israelites were victorious only when the cross was being represented. This was all the more important because it was Joshua leading the battle against the Amalekites.

Nowadays we don’t recognize the link between Joshua’s name and Jesus’ name. However, from the time of the apostles until Latin became common in the western Roman empire in the 3rd century, the Septuagint was by far the most common version of the Tanakh read by Christians. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, is quoted regularly in the apostles writings, and it uses the exact same name, Iesous, that the apostles’ writings use for Jesus.

If you read a King James Version, you can see that Joshua is referred to as "Jesus" in Hebrews 4:8.

Thus, when early Christians read the story of the Amalekites they knew exactly what the passage was telling us. It is only as Jesus leads the way as our general and as we rely upon the cross that we can have victory.

So that he might remind them, when assailed, that it was because of their sins they were delivered to death, the Spirit speaks to the heart of Moses, that he should make a symbol of the cross, and of the one who was about to suffer on it. For unless they put their trust in him, they would be overcome forever. Moses therefore piled weapon upon weapon in the midst of the battle, and standing over [the battle], so as to be higher than all the people, he stretched forth his hands, and thus Israel would acquire the mastery again. (Letter of Barnabas 12, c. A.D. 130)

But now, to bring us to Moses: why, I wonder, was it only at the time when Jesus [i.e., Joshua] was battling against Amalek, that Moses prayed sitting with hands expanded? In circumstances so critical, surely he should have commended his prayer by bent knees, hands beating his breast, and a face prostrate on the ground! That is, unless it was that there, where the name of the Lord Jesus was the main issue … the symbol of the cross was also necessary, through which Jesus was to win the victory? (Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews 10, c. A.D. 210)

Amalek received a strict judgment for attacking Israel like that. The Lord determined to make war upon Amalek from generation to generation.

Exodus 18:1-12

Now this is an interesting conversation, and one for which we have no background! Verse two mentions Moses sending Zipporah away with his two sons. When did this happen? We don’t know!

This leads to all sorts of interesting speculations. Did he send her away after the boys were circumcised and she called him a "husband of blood"? If so, then maybe my earlier speculation (Ex. 4:24-26) was correct, and he had already told Zipporah about circumcision.

In fact, perhaps this is a reconciliation between Jethro and Moses as well. It does sound like that from Jethro’s statement, "Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods" (v.11). Perhaps Zipporah left after the circumcision, went back to Jethro’s, and now Jethro, rather than keeping them, has heard how Moses overthrew the Egyptians and has decided that if Moses’ God asked for circumcision, then circumcision might not be such a bad thing after all.

Like I said, that’s speculation. God has left lots of room in the Scripture for that kind of speculation, which can be very enjoyable if we don’t divide over it. Some of you may have a better explanation for Jethro’s appearance with Zipporah and the two boys.

Because the faith is always one and the same, one who is able to discuss it at great length does not add to it, nor does one who can say but little diminish it. It does not follow that because men are endowed with greater and lesser degrees of intelligence, that they should change the subject matter of the faith itself and conceive of some other God besides the One who is the Framer, Maker, and Preserver of the Universe or of another Christ. It does, however, mean that one may bring out the meaning of those things spoken in parables … explain the operation and dispensation of God connected with human salvation … understand for what reason God, though invisible, revealed himself to the prophets, not in one form, but differently to different individuals … (Irenaeus, Against Heresies I:10:2-3, c. A.D. 185)

Exodus 18:13-37: Jethro Advises Moses

I and others at Rose Creek Village have received advice like Jethro gave to Moses here. It is great advice!

The statistics I’ve seen on pastor burnout are horrendous. I suspect that many of them need this advice. If you’re among that majority of pastors that can say that they have no close friends with which to share their heavy burdens, then you have got to change something. Make your church members carry more of the spiritual burden of the congregation.

Exodus 18:37: Jethro Returns to Midian

And finally we are left with the mystery of Moses’ wife. Did she return with Jethro? Did she stay with Moses?

We never hear about Zipporah again, but both Moses’ sons are mentioned in a short section on his descendants at 1 Chronicles 23:14-23. One of his son Gershom’s descendants was a leader of the treasury during David’s reign (1 Chr. 26:24).

Exodus 19:1-17: The People Prepare to Meet God

God has called us to be his children, and he has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father."

But God is also God. He is Judge of all the earth. He is King of all the earth. It is appropriate to show God respect. The men were to stay away from women (and vice versa) for 3 days. They were all to consecrate themselves and wash their garments so that they would show up at the bottom of the mountain ritually clean.

There’s a passage—in one of the major prophets, I think—where God talks about the honor shown to earthly kings and complains that Israel is not giving him even that kind of honor. I was going to use it here in this section, but I couldn’t find it. Do any of you recognize it with just that description?

Exodus 20:1-26: A List of the Ten Commandments

  1. I am the LORD (YHWH) your God … You will have no other gods before me.
  2. You will not make any engraved image for yourself, nor the likeness of anything in the skies above, the earth below, or the waters under the earth. You shall not bow to them nor serve them.
  3. You shall not say the name of the LORD (YHWH) your God flippantly (in vain).
  4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. You will labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is in your gates
  5. Honor your father and your mother.
  6. You will not murder.
  7. You will not steal.
  8. You will not commit adultery.
  9. You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.
  10. You will not covet your neighbor’s house; you will not covet your neighbor’s house; nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

I have capitalized LORD in some places in that list for reasons I’ve given before. That is where the name YHWH or Yahweh is used in Hebrew. Many Bibles do the same (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, HCSB, etc.). I discuss the the importance of doing this in the Exodus 3:13-16 section of this page.

Exodus 20:1-26: The Ten Commandments Are the Old Covenant

And [Moses] was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Ex. 34:28)

And [God] declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, the ten commandments. And he wrote them upon tablets of stone. (Deut. 4:13)

Exodus 20:1-26: The Ten Commandments Today

The apostles’ writings say over and over that we are not under the Law. So we could simply say that the ten commandments do not apply to Christians today because "we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound" (Rom. 7:6, NASB).

It is not so simple as that, however. We read last week that Jesus had said that he did not come to abolish the Law, but to "bring it to fullness" (Matt. 5:17).

Until the fourth century or so, Christians had a beautiful reconciliation of those two verses.

The link there gives a complete teaching on one of my web sites. Here’s a taste of that beautiful reconciliation from one of the most prominent early Christians, Irenaeus of Lyons, around the year 185:

We learn from the Scripture itself that God gave circumcision, not as the completer of righteousness, but as a sign, that the race of Abraham might continue recognizable. For it declares, "God said to Abraham, ‘Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins as a token of the covenant between me and you’" [Gen. 17:9-11]. Ezekiel the prophet says the same with regard to the Sabbaths: "Also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them" [Ezek. 20:12]. And in Exodus, God says to Moses, "You shall observe my Sabbaths, for it shall be a sign between me and you for all your generations" [Ex. 21:13].
     These things, then, were given for a sign; but the signs were not unsymbolical, that is, they were neither unmeaning nor to no purpose, since they were given by a wise Artist. Instead, the circumcision after the flesh typified the one after the Spirit. For the apostle says, "we have been circumcised with the circumcision made without hands" [Col. 2:11]. And the prophet declares, "Circumcise the hardness of your heart" [Deut. 10:16, LXX]. But the Sabbaths taught that we should continue day by day in God’s service. "For we have been counted," says the Apostle Paul, "all the day long as sheep for the slaughter" [Rom. 8:36]. That is to say, consecrated and ministering continually to our faith, persevering in it, abstaining from all greed, and not acquiring or possessing treasures upon earth.
     Man was not justified by these things … as this fact shows: Abraham himself, without circumcision and without observance of Sabbaths "believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God" [James 2:23]. Then again, Lot, without circumcision, was brought out from Sodom, receiving salvation from God. … Enoch, too, pleased God without circumcision, and discharged the office of God’s legate to the angels even though he was a man [Irenaeus is referencing the Book of Enoch] … In addition, all the rest of the multitude of those righteous men who lived before Abraham, and of those patriarchs who preceded Mose, were justified independently of the things mentioned above and apart from the Law of Moses.
     Why, then, did the Lord not form the covenant for the fathers? [i.e., Abraham, Enoch, and the others mentioned]. Because "the law was not created for righteous men" [1 Tim. 1:9]. The righteous fathers had the meaning of the ten commandments written in their hearts and souls. That is to say that they loved the God who made them and did no injury to their neighbor. There was therefore no reason for them to be cautioned by prohibitory mandates because they had the righteousness of the law in themselves. (Against Heresies IV:16:1-4)

Exodus 20:1-26: The Roman Catholic Ten Commandments (Advanced)

I left this to the end. If you don’t know that the Roman Catholic ten commandments are different than the Protestant ten commandments, then you can just skip this section. A lot of people, however, do know.

If any of you were raised Roman Catholic and paid attention in catechism classes, then you realized immediately that the list of the ten commandments I just gave you is different than the Roman Catholic list.

The Roman Catholic list leaves out the second commandment, though they claim that it is "included" with having no other gods before the LORD.

The RCC breaks the tenth commandment into two. For Roman Catholics the ninth and tenth commmandments read:

9. Thou not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Now the Roman Catholics claim that this is a natural reading of Exodus 20. They say that it has nothing to do with the fact that they were trying to hide the commandment that prohibits ‘making’ engraved images and ‘bowing’ to them. Even though that is what they have been doing with statues of saints, of Mary, and of Jesus for over a thousand years. (I’m not sure when that practice began, but it may have been closer to 1500 years ago.)

I couldn’t find any early Christian writings that actually list the ten commandments. That’s not really strange. There are a lot of reasons that listing the ten commandments would not be a priority to the early Christians.

I do have a page of quotes of second and third century Christians on images and idolatry.

Archeology tells us that Christians of the third century did draw pictures, even of Jesus, on walls. This was especially true of Biblical scenes. It’s the kind of thing that you might see on Christian plaques or the walls of Christian meeting rooms today. The quotes, however, make it clear that to the early Christians, bowing down to the images was entirely inappropriate.

We are expressly prohibited from exercising a deceptive art. "For you shall not make," says the prophet, "the likeness of anything which is in heaven above or on the earth beneath. (Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen 4, c. A.D. 190)

God prohibits an idol as much to be made as to be worshiped. Insofar as making the thing to be worshiped is the prior act, so far is the prohibition to make the prior prohibition. It is for this reason—the eradicating of the material of idolatry—that the divine law proclaims, "You shall make no idol" [Tertullian is quoting the Septuagint]. When it adds, "Nor any likeness of the things which are in the heaven, which are in the earth, and which are in the sea," it has prohibited the servants of God from acts of that kind all the universe over. (Tertullian, On Idolatry 4, c. A.D. 210)

Roman Catholic Ten Commandments: Coveting (Advanced)

Take a look, too, at the way the command about coveting is worded. Does it begin with "wife," then list a lot of "neighbor’s goods"?

No, it begins with house. Then it says wife. After that, it lists the rest of your neighbor’s goods besides his house.

So if they were going to be honest about their division, they would have to make commandments nine and ten to be:

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor any of the rest of your neighbor’s goods.

There is another list of the ten commandments. Moses sums up their entire journey in the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 5 he lists the commandments all over again. There he does list coveting your neighbor’s wife before coveting your neighbor’s house.

During much of medieval European history, the Bible was only available in Latin, so outside of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, almost no one in Europe could read the Bible, and there are countless stories of the persecution and death of those who tried to get the Bible to commoners in their own language. John Huss, John Wycliffe, and William Tyndale come immediately to mind.

In the meantime, the RCC was making countless "engraved images" of saints, Jesus, and Mary and "bowing" to them.

I was raised Roman Catholic. My entire fifth grade class at the Catholic School I attended bowed down and kissed the feet of a statue of Mary at the direction of the school’s priests and nuns.

So what seems more likely? That a thousand years of Roman Catholic Theologians were confused by Deuteronomy 5 and actually thought it was possible to obtain their version of the ten commandments from the Bible? Or is it a lot more likely that the medieval Roman Catholic Church didn’t want their non-Bible-reading members to know that the Bible forbids one of their central practices?

I’m sorry this is so long, but every time I point this out, I get comments and emails about how none of this is true, so I’m telling you enough so that you know there’s nothing doubtful about what I’m saying here. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know why it’s not something everyone would want to know.

Related Topic: "Venerating" Icons (Advanced)

For those that are interested in the topic. There was a "Second" Council of Nicea held over 400 years after the first Council of Nicea. That second council approved the "veneration of icons," and tried to justify their decision Biblically. Icons are two-dimensional representations of saints (though I saw one of the Holy Trinity as three seated old men!!!). Orthodox believers hang on the wall and bow to them, calling them "windows to heaven." I don’t know whether they kneel in front of them the way Roman Catholics kneel in front of statues.

The Orthodox don’t approve the Roman Catholic statues; I have no idea how the Roman Catholic Church feels about icons.

Either way, I wrote a response to the decisions of the second Council of Nicea at the bottom of my Christian History for Everyman page on the Orthodox Church.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 13 through 16

Posted on 01/26/2012 by Paul Pavao

The Schedule

Exodus 13:1-2: Sanctification of the Firstborn

Since God had just spared all the firstborn, human and livestock alike, of the Israelites, he declared that all the firstborn are his. We shall see as we go along that this is done as a very precise business transaction. Eventually, God will trade them for the Levites (Num. 3:41).

The Levites are the descendants of Levi, one of Jacob’s twelve children and thus one of the tribes of Israel. They were entrusted with the care of the tabernacle (later the temple) and its tools.

Exodus 13:4: The Month of Abib

The Jews have a complicated calendar, which they still use for religious holidays. Abib is the first of their months, though it is now called Nisan, ever since the seventy years of captivity in Babylon in the 6th century BC. After the Babylonian captivity, the Jews spoke Aramaic, a language very similar to Hebrew.

Abib occurs around March or April in most years.

According to 1 Kings 6:1, the exodus occurred 480 years before the beginning of the reign of Solomon, which would mean we are reading about events that occurred around 1450 B.C. Solomon’s reign is understood to have begun around 970 B.C.

Exodus 13:14: Training the Next Generation

In this verse, God explains that one of the reasons for the rules of the firstborn is to keep the next generation in mind of the things God has done.

In Deuteronomy 6:1-13 we will see that this is something God wants us to do with great diligence.

One generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your might deeds. … They shall eagerly speak of the memories of your abundant goodness and shall sing of your righteousness. (Ps. 145:4,7)

Exodus 13:17-22: Marching to the Red Sea

The journey to the Red Sea was not a short one. You can see a discussion of what we know about the journey at Bible.ca.

I was unable to find an estimate on how far that march was. I can look on the map and see that’s a big march. If you find an actual distance, please share it with the rest of us!

This is also where we’re told that God was with them in a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night to provide light. How spectacular is that!

Exodus 14:1-10: Pharaoh catches the Israelites

It would be easy to fault the Israelites for their utter lack of faith when Pharaoh’s army shows up. It is right for God to fault them because their lack of faith. After everything they saw during the plagues, their unbelief here is an insult to God.

We, on the other hand, probably have no room to talk. Instead, it would be good for us to look at ourselves and see the areas in which we are practicing unbelief on a daily basis. What are we worried about? What are we frightened of? And what has God said about those things?

Who are you that you should be afraid of a man, who will die, and of a son of man, who shall become like grass, and you forget the LORD your Maker, who has stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth? Why have you feared continually and daily because of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? Where is the fury of the oppressor? … I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea, whose waves roared. Yahweh Sabaoth [The LORD of Armies] is his name. I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand, so that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, "You are my people" (Isaiah 51:12-13,15-16)

Exodus 14:13-30: God Parts the Waters, Delivers Israel, and Destroys the Egyptian Army

At least Moses believed. God told Moses to raise his rod, which had become the rod of God, and split the Red Sea.

When you read the story, do you think that when the pillar of God moved between the Egyptian army and the Israelites, protecting the Israelites all night long, that maybe Pharaoh and his army should have gotten the hint?

Exodus 15:1-20: The Israelites Rejoice

God’s people are always at war. When Christians fight earthly wars, claiming that they are doing it in the name of God, such as the Crusades or modern Islam vs. Christianity gun battles, we have forgotten that we are a spiritual kingdom.

The new covenant is a spiritual kingdom, and it fights spiritual battles (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:11-18).

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight so that I would not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here." (Jn. 18:36)

Once that it’s established that I’m talking about fighting spiritually, it’s important to know that our God takes sides. He is battling, not negotiating. His concern is truth, and only afterwards is he concerned about peace (Matt. 10:32-37).

Exodus 15:21-27: The Waters of Bitterness

Marah means "bitter."

The Israelites were singing, shouting, and dancing the praises of God in v. 20, and they’re grumbling in unbelief in v. 24.

God doesn’t shut down the emotional praises of his people (Luke 19:39-40), but he doesn’t trust them, either.

Exodus 16:1-3: Israel Complains Again

If the people complained at Marah, they fell apart in the Wilderness of Sin (a Hebrew word that means "thorn" or "clay," not "sin"). They were wishing to die!

I can’t imagine they really wished they had died. I don’t believe that they were living in the luxury they described.

The Israelites were complaining, not worrying about whether anything they were saying was true.

How many of us are like that? It is human nature, but we are no longer mere humans (1 Cor. 3:3; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). We are sons of God who have received the Spirit of God, and we must neither complain nor lie.

Do everything without grumbling and complaining so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Php. 2:14-15)

This is not beyond us. I want to give you two examples of choosing to see God’s goodness rather than complaining. I hope you’ll forgive me that one of those is me. My video was done about six months ago, you can stay tuned with my current situation at my "Thrilled to Death" blog. You can be inspired by Nick Vujicic at LifeWithoutLimbs.org.

Exodus 16:4-21: Manna from Heaven

Feeding the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years with a bread that descended from heaven each day is impressive.

Manna got its name from the Hebrew words for "What is it?" (Man hu).

It was an amazing food. Because of the Sabbath laws, the Israelites were only supposed to gather it six days per week. Manna, however, only lasted one day, not two! So God’s miraculous provision was that on the sixth day of the week, what was gathered would last two days.

As amazing as Manna is in and of itself, it is just as amazing as a picture of the bread of God on which we live today, God’s Word.

  • We can’t store up God’s Word for the future. We need it fresh and new every day (Matt. 4:4).
  • Jesus’ body is the manna of the new covenant (Jn. 6:31-36). It was broken for us, his blood was shed for us, and we eat and drink the Lord’s supper to remember that he is our food (Matt. 26:26-30).
  • Manna came from heaven and is not the work of human hands, and Jesus came from heaven as well.

There’s more. Manna is more cud that needs to be chewed repeatedly.

Exodus 16:32-36: Manna, the Testimony, and 40 Years

These verses assume some things that you don’t know yet.

The omer of manna was saved by Aaron by putting it in front of "the Testimony." The Testimony was almost certainly the tablets that God gave to Moses with the ten commandments on them, but those did not exist yet!

This passage also mentions that the Israelites ate manna for 40 years, which is true, but the plan at this point was for the Israelites to get to Canaan much faster than that! The 40 years of wandering didn’t happen until the Israelites were judged for their unbelief when they arrived at Canaan a year and a half down the road.

This isn’t a problem for the text. Who knows where along the line all of this was written? It is certain that Deuteronomy could not have been written until the very end of the 40 years. So the fact that Moses or his scribe wrote these things here isn’t a problem.

For those of you that are new to Exodus, though, there is a reason you don’t already know about the Testimony.

We will reach the Testimony and the ten commandments tomorrow.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 9 through 12

Posted on 01/25/2012 by Paul Pavao

The Schedule

Exodus 9:1-7: The Fifth Plague: Livestock

This is the first plague where God specifically distinguishes between the Israelites and the Egyptians.

Exodus 9:8-12: The Sixth Plague: Boils

In the last couple of years, there was an outbreak of boils in the U.S. associated with staph infection. I don’t know if the outbreak was big enough to make the news, but I do know that medical personnel in our area of Tennessee—and in North Carolina, where my sister lives—both said the boils were pretty widespread.

I managed to avoid getting one, but I knew many people who did, including members of my family.

Boils are remarkably painful, and they can be frightening once they begin swelling and filling with pus.

Exodus 9:13-35: The Seventh Plague: Hail

Exodus 9:16 is quoted by the apostle Paul in Romans 9 as part of his argument that God the Creator is free to do whatever pleases him without complaint from the creation, his handiwork.

Some people use that to argue that God saves people at random based on his own choice and having nothing to do with any action or belief on the person’s part. That is not Paul’s argument, though. Paul is arguing that God is free to transfer the kingdom of God and the new covenant from the Jews to the Gentiles.

On the matter of Pharaoh, though, God takes full credit for this being his plan. Pharaoh may have been evil in and of himself, but God also hardened him for the sake of delivering the Israelites and plundering the Egyptians.

If, therefore, in the present time also, God, knowing the number of those who will not believe—since he foreknows everything—has given them over to unbelief and turned his face away from men of this kind, leaving them in the darkness which they have themselves chosen for themselves, then why would it be amazing if he also, in that time, gave Pharaoh—who would never have believed—along with those who were with him, over to their unbelief? As the Word said to Moses from the bush, “I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go except by a mighty hand" [Ex. ]. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV:29:2, c. A.D. 185)

Exodus 10:1: God Hardens Pharaoh

Here’s another verse where God takes full credit for hardening Pharaoh. I’m sure Pharaoh was already evil, but the goal of Pharaoh’s life on this earth was that God would be glorified through the destruction of Egypt, not that Pharaoh would be saved from his own corruption.

The same is true of Judas.

I am convinced that because God is a good Judge, and not an evil one, that God chose men whom he foreknew would be evil and unrepentant, not people who would potentially repent (Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:2).

To those whose heart he saw would become pure and obedient to him, he gave power to repent with the whole heart. But to those whose deceit and wickedness he perceived, and saw that they intended to repent hypocritically, he did not grant repentance, lest they should again profane His name. (Shepherd of Hermas III:8:6, c. A.D. 160)

Exodus 10:1-20: The Eighth Plague: Locusts

The desert locust is notorious. Found in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, they inhabit some 60 countries and can cover one-fifth of Earth’s land surface. Desert locust plagues may threaten the economic livelihood of one-tenth of the world’s humans.

A desert locust swarm can be 460 square miles (1,200 square kilometers) in size and pack between 40 and 80 million locusts into less than half a square mile (one square kilometer).

Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day, so a swarm of such size would eat 423 million pounds (192 million kilograms) of plants every day. (National Geographic)

The locusts were frightening enough for the Egyptian officials to ask Pharaoh to give in. In their eyes Egypt was "ruined" (v. 7).

Pharaoh relented momentarily, but he didn’t like Moses’ terms, so he got angry and left. God was not negotiating terms, he was making demands, so the plague came.

Exodus 10:21-29: The Ninth Plague: Darkness

Pharaoh makes more demands here, but God is still not negotiating terms. The next plague will end all the negotiations.

Exodus 11:1-12:32: The Tenth Plague: The Death of the Firstborn

Exodus 11:7 tells us that God is making a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. This is the first time, however, that the Israelites had to do something in order to be benefited.

This is the institution of the Passover, the most important feast of the Israelites, and for good reason. This is the birth of Israel as a nation.

They had come to Egypt as a family of 70 people. As we began the book of Exodus, they were living in Egypt as a gigantic, enslaved family. Now, they would leave Egypt as a free nation.

Exodus 12:1-22: The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

When we get to the feasts as we go through the rest of the Torah, I’m going to try to get you as excited about them as I am. The feasts tell us a lot about God, and they are not anything like the somber religious festivals you might expect them to be.

Even the Passover, the most somber of them all, is a joyous feast celebrating the deliverance from Egypt and reminding them of what it was like to live in slavery.

1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that Christ is the true Passover.

I’m not going to interpret the symbolism in the Passover for you. You can research that on the internet and find people who’ve devoted their lives to that. The first thing, though, is for you to get the obvious symbolism on your own.

Some notes:

  • The lamb symbolizes Jesus, our new covenant sacrifice. Because of him, our past sins are forgiven, and the judgment of God passes over us.
  • The lamb had to be an unblemished male, which of course represents Jesus.
  • The blood on the doorposts and lintels makes the shape of a cross. That’s not an accident on God’s part.
  • The Passover meal is eaten in haste, with staff in hand and shoes on foot. Our Passover is delivering us from spiritual Egypt and bringing us into God’s promised land.
  • Our new covenant life is to be lived without the leaven of malice and wickedness (1 Cor. 5:8).

Notice that the lamb lived in the house of those who would kill it from the tenth of the month to the fourteenth! I’m sure you can come up with ways this symbolizes our Lord.

Jesus, by the way, was put to death on the day of Passover (Mark 14).

Exodus 12:33-40: The Israelites Plunder the Egyptians

It is amazing to me that the Egyptians did not only give their riches to the Israelites out of fear. God had actually given them, and Moses himself (11:3), favor with the Egyptians (12:36).

Of course, I suspect that cruel kings like this Pharaoh are not all that popular with their own people, either.

Exodus 12:41: Four Hundred Thirty Years (Advanced)

God told Abraham that the Israelites would be in Egypt for 400 years. Here, we are told that it was 430 years. In Acts 7:6, Stephen quotes the 400 years that were prophesied to Abraham. In Galatians 3:17, Paul says that the Law came 430 years after the promises to Abraham.

What do we do with this? Perhaps God’s prophecy to Abraham, being so far in advance, was rounded off. That sounds awful, but only because I’m using terminology like "rounded off." The Israelites were in Egypt 400 years … and 30 more on top of that.

In Acts 7:6, Stephen’s telling the story from Genesis. He uses 400 because that’s what Genesis says.

Paul’s numbers in Galatians aren’t exact either way. He’s measuring from the promises made to Abraham until the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, which comes up in our reading on Friday. That’s more than 430 years.

Exodus 12:43-49: The Passover Is Just for the Circumcised

God gives some rules about who can eat the Passover meal. It’s not just for anyone.

Rules like these always make me think of the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14. God calls many, but there are qualifications for whom he chooses.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 5 through 8

Posted on 01/24/2012 by Paul Pavao

The Schedule

Exodus 5:2: Who is YHWH?

We must always remember not to read our modern Christian culture back into the Bible. Pharaoh was a polytheist, a worshiper of multiple deities. To him, Yahweh or "I Am" was just one of them. Pharaoh had never heard of him.

Why should Pharaoh pay any attention to him?

God would have to show him why.

Exodus 5:3: Three Days Journey to Sacrifice

If Pharaoh would have agreed to this three days journey, would the Israelites have returned to Egypt rather than continuing to flee?

That question is irrelevant. God knew Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go three days journey into the wilderness. God is concerned about what is, not about what if.

By the time Pharaoh gave in, the Israelites were not just going to sacrifice, they were headed to Canaan, the tribal home of their ancestors, which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants.

Exodus 5:21: No One Believes Anymore

There’s none of us who can blame the Israelites for their reaction. All of us would have reacted the same way. Nonetheless, the Israelites, who all were excited and believed Moses yesterday, don’t believe anymore.

Exodus: 5:22-23: Moses Complains to God

Notice that Moses’ prayers don’t sound like prayers of faith. They sound like complaining. God is not a harsh taskmaster, striking down his people for honestly crying out in despair. God answers Moses’ prayer of complaint!

Exodus 6:2-3: LORD or Yahweh

In this passage, God tells Moses that he never appeared to Abraham as Yahweh (YHWH or LORD in English). Of course, if you read Genesis with us the first two weeks of the year, then you know that God was referred to as Yahweh regularly in the book of Genesis. What’s going on?

Genesis is not retold from Abraham’s journal. Moses, or a scribe appointed by Moses, wrote Genesis. When Genesis was written, Abraham had been dead for over 400 years. Moses was recounting oral stories, using names for God that he and his people had learned. He was not trying to accurately relate the name God used with Abraham in every specific event.

There are, however, some specific events that are related carefully and accurately. For example, Genesis 17:1 has God appearing as El Shaddai, the very same name used in v. 3 here and translated as "God Almighty" in most Bibles.

I also have a podcast on the importance of the names God used in Genesis 14:17-24.

Exodus 6:2-9: God Offers Hope

The Israelites don’t listen to God’s offer of hope through Moses, but the Scriptures don’t blame them. They wanted action, not words.

God, of course, always backs up his words with action (1 Cor. 2:4; 4:20).

Exodus 6:13,30: Moses Still Refuses to Speak

Moses will do all sorts of speaking throughout the rest of his life, but he still remains hardened here. God has promised Aaron will do the speaking, and Moses is going to hold God to his word.


This book title references Isaiah 6:8

Exodus 7:8-13: The First Sign, But Not the First Plague

This is a fascinating story, especially to our modern American minds that want an explanation for everything. What science explains this?

The science that explains this is the one that acknowledges that God is Creator. Whether or not God used evolution or created everything in six literal days, God is Creator! There is nothing he cannot do!

What did the Egyptian magicians do? Magic?

We’re certainly not going to answer that question by reading a couple sentences in a three-thousand-year-old book.

Either way, Aaron’s rod ate all theirs, an interesting end to the story.

This was not one of the plagues! This was just a sign for Pharaoh. The first plague would begin the next morning.

Exodus 7:14-25: The First Plague: The Nile Turns to Blood

Pharaoh was unmoved by this plague, despite the immense hardship to his people. Why? Because his own magicians could turn water to blood, too.

Egypt’s very life was the Nile River. Farmers and cities alike depended on the river for their life.

Now Pharaoh himself, in his palace, surely had a storehouse of water for his own use. It was Pharaoh’s people who suffered most, not Pharaoh. I suspect that most despots would have hardened their heart while their people suffered, as long as the despot himself didn’t suffer.

Pharaoh’s time is coming.

Exodus 7:14-25: Plagues and Egyptian Gods

Each of the plagues was directly associated with an Egyptian god. You can see which gods and their pictures at Ten Plagues for Ten Gods.

Exodus 8:1-15: The Second Plague: Frogs

Once again, Pharaoh’s magicians can raise up frogs as well, thus making the problem worse, but they cannot stop the Lord’s work (of course).

This affected Pharaoh enough for him to ask Moses and Aaron for deliverance, which God provided, but Pharaoh still did not let the Israelites go.

Exodus 8:16-19: The Third Plague: Gnats

Modern translations call these insects gnats. The King James Version refers to them as lice.

Not very nice either way!

This is the first time the Egyptian magicians couldn’t duplicate the "magic." Perhaps they didn’t want to! What good is it for them to add to the Egyptian plagues?

Actually, they knew they were beaten, and they told Pharaoh this was the finger of God.

It didn’t move Pharaoh.

Exodus 8:20-32: The Fourth Plague: Flies

Finally, Pharaoh starts to make a concession. He’s trying to deal with God, but by the end, God will have dealt with him.

Who Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart?

In Exodus 8:19, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. God was not afraid to take responsibility for hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 9:16). On the other hand, in other verses (like 8:32) we read that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

How much was God’s responsibility and how much was Pharaoh’s? If God had not foreknown that Pharaoh was an evil man, would he have hardened Pharaoh’s heart himself?

Paul has a lot to say about this issue in Romans 9. I’m always hesitant to reference that chapter because I believe that it has been abused and misapplied since the Reformation.

"Reformed" and "Calvinist" Christians use the arguments of Romans 9 to teach that God randomly chooses, based on nothing, who will and won’t be saved. The apostle Paul uses the arguments of Romans 9 to defend God’s choice to take the kingdom of God away from the Jews and give it to the Gentiles.

In reference to Pharaoh, Romans 9 argues that God, since he is the Creator, has the right to do whatever he wants without being called into question by his creation. Paul references Exodus 9:16 in his argument, which we will get to tomorrow.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Exodus 1 through 4

Posted on 01/23/2012 by Paul Pavao

The Schedule

Exodus 1:1-8: Continuing from Genesis

As you can see, Exodus takes right up where Genesis left off. We took a week’s break to read Matthew, but there’s not supposed to be a break between the books of the Law. Think of them as parts one through five of one document, not as separate books.

In the German language, and I’m sure in others, the five books of the Law are First through Fifth Moses. They don’t have the names we give to them in English.

Remember, this is not only the story of God’s people—though it is the story of God’s people—it is a book of the Law. Although it is not like the Code of Hammurabi in its content, it is the same type of document. (We’ll talk more about the content of the Law of Moses and compare it just a bit to Hammurabi’s laws next week.)

Exodus 1:8-22: Enslaving the Hebrews

The king who did not know Joseph was not simply the next king after Joseph died. This description of the enslavement of the Israelites is a summation of the 400 years that pass between Jacob’s arrival in Egypt and the "exodus" of his descendants, which we’ll read about this week.

The rest of this chapter doesn’t need commenting from me.

Exodus 2:1-10: Moses Raised by Pharaoh’s Daughter

Again, this story doesn’t need explaining by me, but I do want to encourage you to see God’s intervention and provision in all such stories. "The Lord works in mysterious ways," they say, and it is true. His interventions are many, different from one another, and it’s never good to try to catalog God, as though we could figure him out.

His ways are higher than ours, and they are always good, whether we understand them or not (Is. 55:9; Rom. 8:28).

Moses was raised as Pharaoh’s daughter, but his own mother got to serve as wet nurse. It was miraculous provision for the people of God in every way.

Exodus 2:11-15: Moses Flees Egypt

Apparently Pharaoh’s daughter did not hide from Moses that he was Hebrew. It is also apparent that Moses had a very hot temper.

God’s purposes are not fulfilled by the wrath and effort of men (Jam. 1:20). God was going to have to mold Moses into a new person before he would be able to use him.

The prescription? 40 years of exile in the land of Midian would serve the purpose of humbling and beginning to prepare Moses for the Lord’s work.

One of the most crucial parts of growth for the spiritual child of God is learning to get ourselves out of the way and to trust in the Lord. Sometimes that is a gigantic work. In Moses’ case, it was 40 years of work. A friend of mine likes to say, "We don’t understand the length of the solution because we don’t understand the depth of the problem."

Exodus 2:23-25: God Answers the Israelite Prayers … for a Reason

I think it’s good to point out that in this passage, the Scriptures give the reasons that God heard the cries of the Israelites. I try to take note of all passages like these because I certainly like getting my prayers answered!

Exodus 3:1-22: The Burning Bush and the Deliverance of the Israelites

In chapter 3, God appears to Moses in the burning bush. He calls Moses and describes his plan to him.

Once again the story speaks for itself. My commentary will have to do with Moses’ questions, not God’s plan.

Exodus 3:1-22: A Note on the Appearances of God

It was once a universal belief that all old covenant appearances of God on earth were appearances by the Son of God, called "Christophanies." That is because John 1:18 says no man has seen God at any time. Jesus specifically said he was the one to appear to Abraham (Jn. 8:56-58). (I guess I should have mentioned that in the commentary on Genesis 19!)

That is still a common belief today, though no longer universal.

You must not imagine that the unbegotten God himself came down or went up from any place. For the unnameable Father and Lord of all has neither come to any place, nor walks, nor sleeps, nor rises up, but remains in his own place, wherever that is, quick to see and quick to hear, having neither eyes nor ears, but being of indescribable might. … He is not moved or confined to a spot in the whole world, for he existed before the world was made. … Therefore neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor any other man saw the Father and unnameable Lord of all … but saw him who was … his Son, being God. (Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 127, c. A.D. 155)

Exodus 3:13-16: The Name of God (Advanced)

"I am who I am" is not a name that God is revealing to Moses. God really is saying, "I am who I am."

God uses a lot of names in Scripture. These are useful as titles and as descriptions of God’s attributes, but they are not "God’s name," per se. The only name God is known by in the apostles’ writings is Father, although Jesus uses the term "I am" to hearken back to Exodus 3 at least once and possibly several times (esp. Jn. 8:58, possibly Jn. 8:24; 18:5).

There are a lot of "name of God" movements today which emphasize calling God by Hebrew names. I am strenuously opposed to all of them. They have no historical basis, and their fruit is almost purely condemnation and division.

One historical note to help you with this:

The Jews stopped using the name YHWH centuries ago. YHWH is what the original Hebrew of the Tanakh reads every time that you read LORD or GOD in all caps in your English Bible. It’s used in verses 3:15, 16, and 18 in our reading today.

The third of the ten commandments (which we will get to Friday) says that we are not to use the name of "the LORD" in vain when we read the command in English. In Hebrew the word is YHWH. As a result, in order to prevent using the name YHWH uselessly, the Jews quit using the name at all! Instead, they said "Adonai," the Hebrew word for Lord, even when they were reading the Scriptures publicly.

To this day, you may see Jews and "Messianic" Christians writing things like "G-d," for the same reason.

The reason that I write it as YHWH, rather than spelling it out as Yahweh, is because the original Hebrew manuscripts did not use vowels. YHWH went so long without being used that no one can be certain of its vowels or its pronunciation anymore.

The apostles did not correct this. Every one of the apostles writings, and the writings of everyone associated with the early churches that the apostles started, use "Lord" when they quote the Tanakh.

Obviously, the apostles were not concerned about restoring "the name" of God, and anything that did not concern the apostles should not concern us. It is through the apostles that the Gospel came, and it is their faith which must be defended as "once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

One caveat: I am not speaking against the charismatic (and other) churches that like to focus on and examine various names of God that are given throughout the Tanakh, such as "The Lord our Righteousness" in Jeremiah 23:6, for the purpose of revealing God’s attributes and offering praise. There is certainly nothing wrong with that! It looks to me like they are pursuing a better knowledge of our Father, and that is an excellent thing (9:23-24).

Exodus 4:1-5: The Rod of God

God gives Moses several signs to show the Israelites and Pharaoh. I have to pass on something that was told me once about Moses’ rod.

In the desert, a man’s rod meant a lot. It was his walking stick and his weapon. It could be used to help defend oneself against both human and animal assailants.

Moses’ rod turned into a snake when he threw it down at God’s command, and Moses ran from it, frightened (v. 3). But God told Moses to grab it. Not only did he tell him to grab it, but he told him to grab it by its tail.

Now we all know that it is foolish to grab a snake—especially if this was a poisonous one—by the tail. It’s a sure way to be bitten.

Nonetheless, Moses obeyed God, grabbed the snake by the tail, and it turned back into the staff.

Only now, it was no longer Moses’ rod, but the rod of God.

I actually heard a song about it. It had lines like, "With the rod of God, strike the sea and the waters will part."

It was a youth group that told the story and sang the song, and I’ve never forgotten—nor failed to be inspired by—the story of how the rod of Moses became the rod of God.

Exodus 4:10-14: Humility or Rebellion?

In this passage, Moses begins at humble, but he ends up at rebellious unbelief, and "the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses."

Humility is a good thing. Lack of trust in God is a terrible thing. No one has ever been helped by a Christian who refused to speak or take up some act of service because they were "humble." That is not humility; that is rebellion and unbelief.

Exodus 4:24-26: Circumcision

There’s more to this story than is told in these three verses.

The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham back in Genesis 17. We are not told directly that this had already been an issue between Moses and God, but the story makes it clear that this is not a new incident. When the Lord met Moses and was going to put him to death (by sickness? an angel?), Zipporah knew exactly what to do. This was not the first time she’d heard of circumcision.

My guess is that Zipporah really didn’t like the whole idea of circumcision, and Moses had given in to his wife rather than to God. Now that the stakes are raised and Moses has become God’s prophet, God doesn’t leave the decision up to Moses anymore.

Exodus 4:27-30: Aaron Shows Up

Aaron hadn’t seen his brother in 40 years, but God sends Aaron out to the wilderness to meet him.

We don’t always know how God speaks to people, but we do know God speaks to them. We Christians have fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, and of all people, we should hear him most often (Matt. 4:4).

Exodus 4:31: The Fickle People of God

In Exodus 4:31, the people all believe! That won’t last long, as we shall see tomorrow.

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Through the Bible in a Year: Jan. 23-27 Readings

Posted on 01/22/2012 by Paul Pavao

The week by week readings are on their own page. I hope to have them up for several months in advance soon.

This week’s daily readings are:

Monday, Jan. 23: Exodus 1-4
Tuesday, Jan. 24: Exodus 5-8
Wednesday, Jan. 25: Exodus 9-12
Thursday, Jan. 26: Exodus 13-16
Friday, Jan. 27: Exodus 17-20

It was no problem breaking these up evenly this week.

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A Positive Story in Negative Times

Posted on 01/21/2012 by Paul Pavao

The person in this article is not quite as radical as I am, but I always say to judge by fruit, and this fruit sounds incredible. Note that he has made some radical changes to the purpose of the church he is started compared to the traditional model. One area I specifically want to point out is that he’s changed what the primary use of the money is for, and suddenly people want to give … even in a down economy!

Why I Refuse To Give Up on the Local Church

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Through the Bible in a Year: Matthew 24 to 28

Posted on 01/20/2012 by Paul Pavao

Introduction: Unrelated to Today’s Reading

If you are enjoying this through the Bible series or getting anything out of it, you really need to give thanks to God today. As I write this, two days before you’ll read it, I just got a stem cell transplant yesterday (Jan. 17).

There’s really no reason I should have the energy to be undertaking a task like this. Commentaries like the ones I’ve done the last two days take at least 2 hours. (Last week’s only took about an hour each, maybe a little more.) I’m taking the time to look up and link early Christian quotes for you, rather than just telling you things from memory.

I have the energy to do such things because people are praying for me, and God is carrying me along miraculously. I feel obligated to give him praise and to thank all of you wonderful people who are praying for me.

Matthew 24: End Times; A Story

When I was in my 20’s, I was very excited about carefully putting together all the prophecies of Revelation, Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew 24, Mark 13, etc. I would say that I read books and studied the Scriptures on the subject for two years. I carefully compared the arguments of many people, and carefully built a model that I felt put all the Scriptures together.

I’m good at that sort of thing. I hope it’s not inappropriate to tell you that I’m a member of Mensa, the international high-IQ society. Don’t be fooled. High IQ doesn’t necessarily mean you’re smart in any useful sense, but it does mean that you’re really good at puzzles. Tests say that in an average group of 500 people, I should be in the top one or two at assembling theoretical models like that.

One day, as I was driving and explaining my model of the end times, of which I was so proud, to a 17-year-old who read the Scriptures but didn’t know them very well, he asked me one question about my theory.

I couldn’t answer it. My theory collapsed on itself in a massive cloud of dust.

One question. From a teenager. Two years work undone.

It’s a lot easier to tear apart end time scenarios than to build them.

Like I’ve been saying, Jesus’ teachings about the end times are not to help us build end time scenarios. Not one single Messiah scenario proved to be accurate at Jesus’ first coming. He had to reveal the Scriptures when he came. It should not surprise us that it will be this way the second time.

Matthew 24: What I Can Tell You

  • Lots of Christians have theories on Matthew 24. Some think all of it was fulfilled by A.D. 70, when Jerusalem fell, and some think almost none of it was fulfilled then.
  • At the very least, the temple really was torn down with no stone left upon another in A.D. 70 by the Roman general Tatian.
  • For 1870 years after, no Jew was allowed in Jerusalem.
  • God restored Jerusalem to the Jews in 1948. Whether you believe that’ a fulfillment of prophecy or not, that is an absolutely incredible story!
  • When Tatian marched on Jerusalem in A.D 70, it was Matthew 24 that warned the Christians to flee Jerusalem, saving their lives.
  • The “abomination of desolation” is mentioned in Daniel as well (8:13). He may be referring to the offering of a pig on the altar by Antiochus Epiphanes in A.D. 167. Bible.ca gives some thoughts, as well as quotes from 1 and 2 Maccabees, on the abomination of desolation.

Those sorts of issues are easy. There are actual historical events to point to. Future events are not so easy to discern.

Even in the link I give you above, I feel the writer has way too much confidence. Just because the abomination of desolation was fulfilled in A.D. 70 does not mean that it doesn’t have a future fulfillment as well! Don’t forget Matthew’s quote of Isaiah 7:14. Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled during the days of King Ahaz, several centuries before Jesus’ birth, but it was also fulfilled when Jesus was born.

There are plenty of statements in Matthew 24 which do not make sense in the context of the events of A.D. 70. Do we really want to say that Jesus came in A.D. 70, has already been seen by all the tribes of the earth, and that his angels have already gathered the elect? (vv. 30-31).

I know I don’t.

Let us learn from the past and humbly keep our eyes open for how God fulfills these things in our lives.

Matthew 24: The Point You Must Not Miss

Therefore you must be ready, for it as at an hour that you do not expect that the Son of Man is coming. (v. 44)

A wise teacher once told me that you can judge a teaching by the commands given at the end of it.

Jesus’ teachings have a point, and they typically end in practical guidance. Most other teachings do, too, and it is often easier to compare the instructions at the end of some man or church’s teaching with the instructions at the end of Jesus’ teaching than to try to figure out the entire teaching on your own. Go with the teaching that tells you to do what Jesus tells you to do.

Matthew 24 has a practical instruction at the end. We must be ready because we don’t know when he’s coming.

This instruction by Jesus, by the way, should have allowed you to completely dismiss Harold Camping’s ridiculous prophecies of the rapture made earlier this year (a repeat of his mistakes in 1994). You’ll have to search for that story yourself if you haven’t heard of it. There are dozens of news links I found in my search, and those won’t be permanent if I give you a link them from here. Eventually news links are usually taken down.

Matthew 24:45-48: How To Be Ready for Jesus’ Coming

Jesus gives clear instructions in this passage on what it means to be ready. Matthew 25 will give us even clearer instructions.

Matthew 25:1-29: The Parables of the Virgins and the Talents

I don’t think it will benefit you to get my help in interpreting these two parables.

Matthew 25:31-46: The Judgment

This passage is not difficult to interpret, either … unless you’ve been trained by modern theologians.

The passages on the judgment in Scripture do not contradict. They are not difficult to interpret. They are all consistent, and they all say the same thing. After we die, we will be judged by our works. This passage describes the works more specifically than any other, but passages like Galatians 5:19-21 an Revelation 21:8 list some evil works that apply at the judgment if we have lived in them without repentance.

In modern times, however, we have developed an extreme and inaccurate emphasis on "salvation by faith alone," an emphasis specifically and thoroughly refuted directly in the Bible at James 2:14-26. It even refutes the specific wording. (James 2:24 is the only occurrence of the phrase "faith only" in the entire Bible.)

I am not saying we are saved by our own efforts! I know, emphasize, and constantly proclaim that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

I am saying, however, that our relatively recent historical overemphasis on salvation by faith alone has made us create ridiculous, embarrassing interpretations of Scripture that don’t allow us to simply read passages like Matthew 25:31-46 for what they say.

The judgment is a specifically bad area for this sort of misinterpretation, with over-zealous, confused theologians splitting the judgment into two judgments so that they can have a judgment for Christians that doesn’t involve anyone going to hell (as this passage does).

On the other hand, if these sheep aren’t Christians, then who are they?

You don’t want to know. There are many answers that these confused theologians give. That sort of thing definitely has to be reserved for advanced studies elsewhere.

You will do much better just letting the Scriptures say what they say. You will wind up agreeing exactly with those who actually heard the apostles speak. (And those are people I always recommend you read. As I said yesterday, you can read some of them in modern English here.)

So here’s my advice for you on Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus means exactly what he appears to mean. It’s not confusing.

Matthew 26:1-5: The Plot Begins

Remember that in yesterday’s reading, Jesus took on the Pharisees aggressively. He’s ready to die. This is just the plan unfolding.

Matthew 26:6-13: The Alabaster Vial

This one’s for you to interpret, not for me to interpret for you, but don’t miss that Jesus himself says this scene is important. It will be discussed wherever the Gospel is preached, he says. Let us get whatever lessons the Holy Spirit gives to us from this. Definitely "chew the cud" on this one!

Matthew 26:14-25: Judas

Again, this is part of the plan of God. Don’t think that everything God plans will look good to us. Don’t be like Peter, rebuked by Jesus in Matthew 16, for looking on things from man’s viewpoint. It was good that Judas betrayed Jesus. It was the plan of God.

However, don’t hope for mercy for Judas. Americans love a happy ending, but Jesus makes it clear it would have been better for Judas never to have been born than to have done what he did (v. 24).

From my own opinion, let me say, too, that while Judas’ betrayal is part of the plan of God, it was not something God forced Judas to do. There is a difference between foreknowledge and predetermination. You may know what your spouse would do in response to a certain situation, but that does not mean that you forced them to do it!

Judas was responsible for his own behavior; God just used it to fulfill the plan of our redemption.

Matthew 26:26-29: The Lord’s Supper and the New Covenant

Jesus’ death and blood brought in the New Covenant. Jesus held up the cup of wine at this dinner and said that it was the blood of the New Covenant and that we should continue to do this in memory of him.

The church’s response in the early years was to do this weekly on Sunday mornings. Sunday was chosen because it was the day on which he rose, and every week the church celebrated the resurrection on that day (ref and ref).

Matthew 26:26-29: A Symbolic Supper? (Advanced)

You may know there is a dispute between Catholics, Protestants, and denominations that are somewhat in between, over whether the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic meal or whether there is a "real presence" of Christ.

Obviously, there is something symbolic about the meal. Bread and wine are being eaten and drunk, not the meat and blood of Jesus’ resurrected body.

It is just as obvious, though, that the early Christians saw it as far more than symbolic. One of the earliest Christian writers, a head pastor of the church at Antioch—the apostle Paul’s home church—and possibly appointed by the apostles to that position, calls the bread of the Lord’s Supper "the medicine of immortality; the antidote to keep us from dying" (Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians 20, A.D. 107-116).

I would point out as well that the apostle Paul tells us that eating the Lord’s Supper unworthily can lead to sickness and death (1 Cor. 11:29-30). If eating the Lord’s Supper unworthily can have negative results, why would eating it worthily not bring positive results?

As for determining whether there is a "real presence" of Christ in the communion bread and wine, that is impossible to determine. There is nothing in the Scriptures or the early Christian writings about such a thing, and it is nothing but something to argue about and divide over—and thus an egregious sin—in my opinion.

Matthew 26:26-29: The Lord’s Supper and Grape Juice

Just a note on wine vs. grape juice. Grape juice is a modern invention. Grape juice requires preservatives to last longer than a couple days without becoming wine. There was no way for early Christians to eat the Lord’s Supper with grape juice. They drank wine.

America is the only culture in history with a taboo against alcohol. The Scriptures are only against drunkenness.

I understand concerns about former alcoholics in the church. Churches can deal with that as they need to. I’m just commenting on history and fact here.

Matthew 26:31-55: Jesus Betrayed, Arrested, and Abandoned

Peter directly denied the Lord, but all the apostles abandoned him. Judas directly betrayed him. In the end, only his Father and the angels stood by him.

This was a dark, difficult night for our Savior. It was a temptation so great that even the Son of God asked for the cup to pass from him and sweat drops of blood in preparation.

We have read that our Savior’s yoke is easy and his burden is light (11:28-30), but there will be hard times for us, just as there have been for our Savior.

However, like our Savior, we will find our Father in heaven and his angels there to give us everything we need if we will always remember that "apart from him, we can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5), but in him, we can do everything (Php. 4:13).

Matthew 26:57-68: Jesus Before Caiaphas

The high priest and the Sanhedrin did not really have the power to put people to death. The Romans alone had that power. Caiaphas needed a good accusation, however, in order to ask for the death penalty. Jesus gives it to them in v. 64 by telling them the truth, that he was the Son of Man who would come on the clouds of glory as mentioned in Daniel 7:13.

Should I mention that Jesus does not answer Caiaphas until he commands Jesus to do so by the authority of the living God? Jesus held some regard for the official offices instituted by Moses (Matt. 23:2-3), and God himself seemed to have regard for the office as well (Jn. 11:49-51), even if neither had regard for the persons who held that office.

Matthew 27:1-2: Jesus brought to Pontius Pilate

Pilate was the Roman governor. As I said, the Sanhedrin needed Roman approval to put Jesus to death.

Matthew 27:3-10: Judas Hangs Himself (Advanced)

This passage says Judas hung himself. Acts 1:16-20 has a different version of Judas’ death, though both involve a potter’s field being bought (cf. the prophecy in Zech. 11:12-13).

There are several attempts to reconcile the two. I admit to being one who doesn’t worry about such things. Good eyewitness reports are supposed to differ in details, or police assume there was collaboration on the part of the witnesses. I believe that inspiration from God is spiritual because God is concerned about spiritual things, not about ensuring that exact details match between Matthew’s memory and the memory of whomever Luke interviewed to make his report in Acts.

Matthew 27:11-26: Jesus before Pilate

This speaks for itself, but there is something spiritual going on here, too. It cannot be for no reason that the replacement for Jesus, the one that was released for the day of Passover, was named Barabbas. The name means "Son of Father" in Greek.

God is always putting spiritual significance in front of us in daily events. Keep your eyes wide open for them, as they can provide both encouragement and guidance.

Note, too, that the same crowds that were shouting, "Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!," were now shouting, "Crucify him!"

Jesus didn’t stop the people’s emotion, but he knows not to rely upon it, either. Don’t confuse your own emotion for real zeal for God.

Matthew 27:27-66: The Crucifixion and Death of the Lord of Glory

So many prophecies were fulfilled here that it is impossible to cover them all. Some are mentioned by Matthew, but others are not. There are many books and web sites that cover them.

Surely the very best coverage of the prophecies in the Tanakh ever written was Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho. That’s a long work, and I don’t know anywhere that it’s translated into more modern English, but what an incredible look into the way the early churches understood the prophecies! It is so insightful that you will feel like you, too, have been on the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32).

Almost every early Christian writing contains numerous references to prophecies about the new covenant, however.

Matthew 26:44: Potential Contradictions Again (Advanced)

Matthew says that both the robbers crucified with Jesus insulted him. Luke, however, tells us that one of them was repentant (23:39-43).

This one’s easier to reconcile because it may just be that Matthew didn’t bother to mention that one of them repented later. Jesus did hang on the cross alive with those men for several hours.

On the other hand, Matthew may never even have heard about the repentance of one robber. There’s no reason to assume he stood at the foot of the cross all day long. Both Matthew and Luke wrote their Gospels at least twenty or thirty years after the crucifixion. Expecting every detail to line up is really pretty silly unless you’re expecting God to miraculously inspire their memories on such subjects.

Most Christians seem to think it’s really important that God inspired miraculous memory, but I don’t understand that at all. I think there is a big problem in that modern Christians have forgotten that the new covenant is not written on tablets of stone (2 Cor. 3:7-8). The letter kills. It is the Spirit that gives life (2 Cor. 3:6).

That is why it is just as important to note that Barabbas, "Son of Father," was Jesus’ replacement as it is to note that the event happened. We are a spiritual people. Let us learn from the spiritual inspiration that is in every word of Scripture, and let us use the spiritual inspiration we have as Spirit-filled human beings to do that learning.

Matthew 28:1-15: The Resurrection

The resurrection happened, and without it there would be no Christian faith (1 Cor. 15). Christianity is not a nice way of living based on Jesus’ teaching. It is a brand new life, possible only by Jesus resurrecting himself right inside each one of us (Jn. 15:1ff).

I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet it is not me, but Christ lives in me, and the life I live in the body, I live through faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

Once he had convinced us in the former time [i.e., under the old covenant], before Christ appeared, that our nature was unable to attain to life, and now that he has revealed the Savior, who is able to save even those things which it was impossible to save—by both these facts he wanted to lead us to trust in his kindness and to consider him our Nourisher, Father, Teacher, Counselor, Healer, Wisdom, Light, Honor, Glory, Power and Life. (Anonymous, Letter to Diognetus 9, c. A.D. 100)

There are a lot of people who present powerful historical evidence for the resurrection. (One such book is to the right.) I want to just tell you about one from me.

Eleven men who spent three years with Jesus, every day, seeing him at best and worst, gave their lives to testify that he rose from the dead and that they believed he was God in human flesh. Their testimony took root in human hearts, and despite some of the most awful corruption of any religion anywhere, the name of Jesus continues to bring people into new life every day, some two thousand years later.

That’s overwhelming to me.

Matthew 28:16-20: The New Covenant Arrives!

I have told you that in response to all these awful things that the Jewish leaders did to Jesus, God would take away the kingdom of God from them and give it to a new nation (21:43-45). Where previously, the apostles were told only to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (10:5-6), now they are told to go into all the world.

It is not just the Jews who are responsible for Jesus’ death. We all put Jesus to death with our sins. This was all the plan of God to rescue us from our lost state, and the Jews just happened to be the tools God used to bring us into the plan of redemption.

They, too, endured the plan of being an earthly, fleshly kingdom for the express purpose of showing us all that none of us are capable of attaining to the kingdom of heaven by our own power. It is only as Jesus lives in us by his Spirit that we can do good (Jahn 15:1-5; Rom. 8:5-13; Gal. 5:16-18; 6:7-9).

The goal of God’s plan is to bring all of us, Jew and Gentile alike, into the glorious salvation of the new covenant (Rom. 11:15-36).

Matthew 28:16-20: Is It the Great Commission?

I say all this because I don’t really want you to think of these verses as "The Great Commission" as so many do. Evangelism is a great thing, but if you focus on it too much, you can entirely miss the new covenant! Matthew 28:16-20 is the beginning of the new covenant far more than it is "The Great Commission."

In and of yourself you are a worthless evangelist, capable of only producing false conversions which will confuse people and separate them from God. Even Paul believed this about himself (2 Cor. 3:5).

Evangelism is NOT your purpose. Walking in the Spirit is your purpose.

I know that it is popular to believe that Matthew 28:16-20 is directed at all of us rather than just at the apostles, but really, unless you just refuse to see past tradition, that is obviously terrible Bible interpretation. There is no doubt that it is inaccurate.

There is not a single verse written to the churches that could be construed to tell Christians in general the same thing the apostles are told in Matthew 28:16-20. If this were "the great commission" to all of us, wouldn’t you expect it to be repeated to us at least once?

Instead, there are plenty of verses that can be construed to say the opposite: "Keep your mouth shut and live your life in obedience to God, and you will be a great testimony to outsiders" (e.g., 1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:10-15; 1 Pet. 3:10-17).

There are those who are gifted for evangelism (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5). Scripturally, we see that they tend to be powerfully effective at what they do. Let’s let them operate their gift in obedience to God, and let’s walk in our own gifts, so that their converts (and ours, the result of people seeing our Spirit-filled lives) will be able to grow together with us into the fullness of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-16), producing a testimony to the world (Jn. 17:20-23), rather than a shame as we see so often today.

… many who once were of your way of thinking … have changed their violent and tyrannical disposition, being overcome either by the constancy which they have witnessed in their neighbors’ lives or by the extraordinary forbearance they have observed in their fellow travelers when defrauded, or by the honesty of those with whom they have transacted business. (Justin, First Apology 16)

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Through the Bible in a Year: Matthew 18 to 23

Posted on 01/19/2012 by Paul Pavao

Another large commentary. Give the Bible priority! Just look up on this page what you want to look up.

Matthew 18:1-10: The Little Ones

There’s so much to learn from Jesus’ statements about children here!

If you are going to become committed and holy before God, at some point you will struggle with Pharasaism. In other words, you will be like the Pharisees, and you will be constantly trying to justify yourself so you look good in front of others while being very judgmental for everyone else. Whether you realize it or not, you will want to "bend" the Word of God just enough that you don’t feel like you’re disobeying God, but you won’t have any such mercy on anyone else.

These ideas are all lumped together here. Jesus doesn’t only tell us that we must become like children, he also tells us not to make the ones who have already become like children to stumble. Don’t trip them up. Don’t make it difficult on them. Help them!

The judgments on those who bring stumbling are severe!

Matthew 18:6-10: God’s Judgment

In today’s world, it is good to remember that Jesus never shied away from judgment. Clearly, he believed and taught, over and over again, that following God is worth great effort. As he said back in Matthew 7, a section we did not discuss in the commentary, it is a narrow road that leads to life, and there are few who find it (v. 14).

Matthew 18:12-14: The Lost Sheep (Advanced)

Here’s one for the pastors and leaders and something for us all to think about. If you are the leader of a "flock" of people, and one of them leaves … do you even know? Can you really leave the 99 to go find the one, or do you not even know the one so that he or she can simply slip off unnoticed.

The Good Shepherd knows the name of each of his flock (Jn. 10:27). In fact, at some point, he has a new name for each of them (Rev. 2:17).

Today, we often do not have a flock. We have an outreach meeting that anyone can attend. There’s a membership list, but there is no "feeding" meeting that is just for the members, the flock that is supposed to be fed and watered by the shepherds God has raised up.

I point this out because it wasn’t always this way. Our modern system is a reaction to the influx of people created when hundreds of thousands of Romans followed the emperor into the church in the fourth century. We’ve never revamped it, and we’ve continued to run our churches as though the entire population of our nations is supposed to be part of the Christian meeting.

That’s not how Jesus saw it. He had outreach, and he had a flock whom he knew, and he noticed if one went missing.

We are a body knit together … by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation so that we may offer up prayer to God. With united force, we wrestle with him in our supplications. This violence God delights in. We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, and for the delay of the final consummation.
     We assemble to read our sacred writings if any peculiarity of the times makes either warning or reminder needed. Whether or not such is needed, with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, and we make our confidence more steadfast. We confirm good habits by nothing less than repeatedly instructing ourselves in God’s precepts. In the same place exhortations are also made, and rebukes and sacred censures are administered.
     It is with great gravity that the work of judging is carried out among us, which is appropriate to those who feel assured that they are in the sight of God. You have the most notable example of judgment to come when anyone has sinned so grievously as to require his severance from us in prayer, in the congregation, and in all sacred intercourse.
     The tried men of our elders preside over us, obtaining that honor not by purchase, but by established character. (Tertullian, Apology 39, c. A.D. 200; wording updated by me)

Matthew 18:15-19: Maintaining Relationships in the Church

Everyone knows this passage. How many really use it?

At Rose Creek Village, we made a determination to actually follow this advice of Jesus. To say it was life-changing would be an understatement.

Just as a shepherd should go seek the one if he wanders away from the one hundred, so we should make the shepherd’s job easier and stay together! Every time our relationships fall apart, we are wandering!

When we struggle with relationships, we usually want to separate or to resort to private counseling with a church leader. That is not Jesus’ advice. "Have it out, just between the two of you alone" (v. 15, Kingdom New Testament). If you need help, get it from one or two others, and only after you have safely determined with the help of an unbiased brother or sister or two, then you can safely take it to the church and its leadership.

Matthew 18:15-19: "Binding and Loosing" (Advanced)

Much is made of "binding and loosing," especially in charismatic and "Word of Faith" denominations. I’m going to step out on a limb here and flat out disagree with what they do.

I suspect most Bibles include verses 18-19 right in the same section as verses 15-17. They should.

There is a link between the idea of binding and loosing and the idea of the forgiveness of sins, and it is tied to the church. John 20:22-23 carries the same idea, using slightly different words.

"Binding and loosing" can best be understood as "God will back the church up when it makes a decision together as discussed in Matthew 18:15-19." He gives the same promise to the apostles as builders of the church in John 20:22-23. Something similar is being practiced in 1 Corinthians 5 when judgment is made on the rebellious, they are turned over to satan, and later when they are restored.

There is just no Biblical precedent or example for binding and loosing demons or binding and loosing anything else. There are no examples of people praying and making binding or loosing proclamations. There are plenty of examples of demons being cast out in the Scriptures, and no one ever binds or looses anything when they do so.

You can safely ignore the binding and loosing path and quit being confused by it.

If this isn’t all clear enough, then notice Matthew 18:21. Obviously, Peter thinks that Jesus is still on the subject of sins being forgiven. He was not distracted by binding and loosing, nor distracted by the promise that God would back up what any two of us on earth agree on. He knew the subject remained the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 18:21-22: Abundant Mercy

You will need this for the future. If Jesus asks us to be willing to forgive our brother 70×7 every day, then how merciful do you suppose he will be with us if we repent? Surely God is more merciful than we are, not less!

Lamentations 3:23 says that God’s mercies are new every morning. Isaiah 55:7 says he will "abundantly" pardon if we will forsake our way. Let us believe that and rise in joy to serve him anew each day.

Matthew 18:23-35: We Must Forgive Others

God does not forgive those who do not forgive others. You will find Jesus emphasizing this throughout the Gospels, and he’s already said it once in our reading, at Matthew 6:14-15.

Matthew 19:1-9: Divorce

God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16), and Jesus explains why here.

Divorce happens, but it should happen very rarely in the church. That is especially true because of what we read today! If your marriage has problems, get help! Call for a brother, a sister, or even better, another couple that knows how to work through difficulties.

For you that are not married, practice that now with your friends, just as Jesus commanded. You will learn to save relationships with your single friends, and later, you will learn to save your most important earthly relationship of all.

Let me boast here. Through obeying Jesus’ command about getting help at Rose Creek Village, our children have learned both the importance of relationships and methods for saving them. I would argue that the majority of our teenagers could sit down and counsel a married couple on saving their marriage better than most trained professionals.

I’m sticking to that boast, confident it’s true.

Obedience to Jesus provides a wisdom that can be obtained nowhere else, not even in the greatest schools of our land.

Matthew 19:9: Divorce and Remarriage Today (Advanced)

Jesus says that a person that divorces and remarries has committed adultery. All of us need to take a stronger look at how quickly we feel free to divorce. We need to be followers of Jesus in this area, too.

However, on the other side, there are some who teach that if a person is divorced and remarried, they must split up their current marriage (and possible family), and either return to their first spouse or remain unmarried.

One can imagine the awful mess this would cause! Not to mention the emotional destruction!

Jesus’ teachings are for the church and the kingdom of God. When a person comes to Jesus, their entire past is wiped out. They are new creatures, buried and raised again from the dead (Rom. 6:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:17-18). Paul even ties this idea of our death to being divorced from the Law of Moses (Rom. 7:1-6).

"But if you have married a wife, you have not sinned" [1 Cor. 7:28]. That is because to one who, before believing, had been "loosed from a wife," she will not be considered a second wife who, subsequent to believing, is the first. For it is at believing that our life begins. (Tertullian, On Monogamy 11, c. A.D. 200)

Paul delves much further into this in 1 Corinthians 7, and we will talk more about that there.

God is not an inflexible God, looking to strike down marriages and families because of bad decisions in the past. There is nothing in the Gospels, in the apostles’ letters, or in the writings of the early church that ever even discusses breaking up marriages because of this passage of Scripture. Because divorce was common in ancient Rome, the fact that breaking up marriages is never mentioned is a powerful—in fact, irrefutable—argument from silence.

Matthew 19:1-9: Why the Pharisees Asked

It’s probably good to know that the issue of whether divorce was just okay or whether it should be strongly avoided was a conflict between two major rabbinical schools. This was not just a random question.

Jesus, in a sense, took a side. He did not choose one side over the other, he simply gave the truthful answer from God.

Matthew 19:10-11: Eunuchs (Advanced and Mature)

The disciples suggest that if divorce is so difficult, it might be better not to get married. Jesus doesn’t object to this, but he does say it’s "only for those to whom it has been given." 1 Corinthians 7:7-9 says exactly the same thing.

You probably know that there is mandatory celibacy in the main branches of Roman Catholic leadership, and it’s held in honor in other ancient churches. The tradition of encouraging celibacy among leaders is very ancient. It certainly dates back to the third century. I would say that my own readings of the writings of the second century church indicate that celibacy, except for the purpose of having children, was encouraged among all Christians, leaders and non-leaders alike! (e.g, Justin, First Apology 29, c. A.D. 155).

However, I am also convinced from history and Scripture that this was the influence of Greek philosophy, not apostolic teaching. We have just seen Jesus saying that only some people are so gifted, and only they should avoiding marrying. We referenced Paul saying the same thing.

Marriage is a deterrent to impurity, and there is nothing impure about it (1 Cor. 7:2-9; Heb. 13:4).

Matthew 19:16-22: The Rich, Young Ruler

I won’t comment on the rich, young ruler. The story speaks for itself.

We should comment on Jesus asking why the ruler called him good. There is really no doubt that the point he is making, hoping the young man will pick up on it, is that the rich, young ruler is not as good as he thinks he is!

The man does not know that Jesus is the Son of God, the living Word of God come to earth, so Jesus did not bother explaining that he himself really was good. That would have just made the young man miss the lesson he needed to learn.

Jesus is good and perfect. This was not a momentary flash of low self-esteem on the part of our Savior.

Matthew 19:23-26: Rich Men and Heaven

You’ve already read that storing up treasure on earth is a danger to your heart (6:20ff). Jesus drives this home. It’s a miracle to save a rich man.

Most of us who are western lavish in wealth, and we are becoming, I fear, less and less aware that it is so. You are not impoverished until you have not enough food, not enough clothes, and not enough shelter. And I may be exaggerating on the shelter.

Get a different view of riches! Most of the world already has that different view.

In case you’re interested, Clement of Alexandria wrote a tract called "Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved", which you can read online for free. I’ve also put an Amazon link to the right for another set of early writings that describe early Christianity in general from a firsthand perspective. I have produced my own modern English versions of early Christian writings as well. Mine can be read online free.

Rich Men (Advanced)

Let me take one more shot at modern preachers, in this case, the prosperity movement, which should be heavily opposed by every true Christian.

Under the old covenant, God had an earthly, fleshly kingdom. Riches and long life were a sign of blessing under the old covenant.

The new covenant is a spiritual covenant with better promises and a spiritual, everlasting kingdom. Every fleshly blessing of the old covenant finds its fulfillment in a spiritual blessing in the new covenant. Our riches are heavenly, our long life is eternal, and it has nothing to do with whether we are in this body or on this earth.

Prosperity preachers use old covenant teachings to con people into giving them money, promising them that by giving they, too, can be rich. If it actually worked (which it does not), the result would be that this would tie their hearts to earth and make it impossible for them to enter the kingdom of heaven until God miraculously delivered them from their love for money.

We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can bring nothing out. Therefore, let us be content with food and clothing. Those that want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which drown people in destruction and punishment. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. When people have longed for it, they have erred from the faith and skewered themselves with many sorrows. But you, o man of God, flee these things! (1 Tim. 6:7-11)

Matthew 19:27-30: The Disciples’ Reward

The reward speaks for itself. Note, though, that though Matthew doesn’t specifically emphasize it, Luke specifies that the that the "many times as much" (v. 29, NASB) is in this present time, not just in heaven (Luke 18:30).

Entering the church, the gathering of the disciples together, is entering a family of people whose regard is for eternal things. They share, not because it is commanded but because that is what families do.

The family possessions, which generally destroy brotherhood among you [Romans], create fraternal bonds among us. One in heart and soul, we do not hesitate to share our earthly goods with one another. (Tertullian, Apology 39, c. A.D. 200)

We who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock and share with every one in need (Justin, First Apology 14, c. A.D. 155).

Matthew 20:17-19: Jesus’ Prophesies His Death and Resurrection

Remember when you read Jesus’ statements about his death that his apostles really didn’t understand how that could happen. Peter had rebuked Matthew, only to be called "satan" in return, the last time Jesus said these things.

We are used to the idea of Jesus dying on the cross to save us. The apostles were not. No one had ever prophesied a Messiah who would die, rise from the dead, then raise up a worldwide, spiritual kingdom composed of Jews and Gentiles together.

Jesus statements puzzled them (Luke 18:34).

Matthew 20:20-28: James and John Ask for Special Status

The story speaks for itself, but we should hear Jesus’ words about how authority works in the kingdom of God. Jesus carefully points out that it is contrary to the way the nations do things. Therefore it will be contrary to our human nature, and we need to walk with the Spirit of God so that we can learn how to carry authority spiritually.

The starting lesson is easy: serve and never stop serving. Have the best interest of others in mind, and not your ease of leadership!

Matthew 21:12-16: Cleansing the Temple

I skipped the triumphal entry, thinking it speaks for itself. But notice the difference between the way Jesus treats the excited crowd and the way he treats the spiritual businessmen.

Often, we want to quiet the crowds that have gotten "emotional." Jesus thinks that’s impossible, and that even the rocks will cry out if you don’t let people have their zeal for God.

But spiritual businessmen? Be very careful how you attempt to traffic the things of God for your own benefit.

Matthew 21:18-22

Be very careful here that you don’t stumble by fretting over the future of a fig tree. There are spiritual lessons in this passage. Jesus gives one of them, but we should also learn lessons about the importance of bearing fruit and not putting on a show.

Matthew 21:23-46

This passage could sound like a question and two parables. It is not. Together, they are a showdown between the Pharisees and Jesus, and Jesus not only stands up to them boldly, but he makes clear what the end of the battle will be. The kingdom of God once belonged to the Israelite nation, but after the destruction of the prophets first, then the Son, which was soon to come, the kingdom would be taken from them and given to a new nation.

The new covenant is on its way. Jesus has been teaching about it the entire Gospel, but it will soon go into effect for all the world.

Both parables are an answer to the Pharisees’ attack.

Notice, too, that Jesus’ method of answering the Pharisees will change regularly, depending on the situation. This is near the end of his ministry. It is time for him to die, and he is confronting them with the truth, knowing that they will kill him.

At other times, he would say, "My time has not yet come," and he would wait. At times he confounded the Pharisees and lawyers who questioned him, and at other times he didn’t even answer, leaving them apparently thinking they were right. (We see this especially in the Gospel of John.)

There is not a "right" way to speak for God.

Remember, we are a spiritual people, in whom the Spirit of God dwells. The Word of God is planted like a seed and growing within us. We must be like Jesus, and we must answer as the Spirit leads. Remember the martyr Stephen, and the way he spoke (Acts 6:8-10).

Matthew 22:1-11: The Wedding Feast

As I have said, we must be careful about constructing endtime scenarios in which we trust. On the other hand, we must not ignore Jesus’ statements about the end times. We must be those who can read the end times, and parables like this teach us how to be prepared.

Parables like this can teach us for years and decades. Let’s get them inside of ourselves, and be like the clean animals of the old covenant (Lev. 11:2-3). Let us "ruminate" on them, not just chewing them once, but bringing them back over and over again, until they become part of us and God can constantly be teaching us from them.

The other part of the clean animals, by the way—splitting the hoof—has to do with walking in the things we’ve ruminated on. Animals with split hoofs have a better grip on the ground, and it symbolizes both separating from the world and walking carefully in the things we have learned.

Matthew 22:15-45: Jesus Questioned

As I pointed out above, Jesus, the living Word of God, is of course superb at answering his detractors perfectly every time. He confounds the questioner, and he teaches the listeners, all at the same time.

Matthew 22:41-45: Jesus Asks His Own Question

Jesus’ question should not be as hard for us as it was for the Pharisees. We know who Jesus is! He is both man and God, and thus he is both son of David and Lord of David.

This was not, however, a question any Jew would have been able to answer until Jesus revealed the answer.

Matthew 23:1-12: Spiritual Authority

Jesus’ words in this passage are not much different than his words in Matthew 20:20-28. A person walking in God’s authority ought to know all this without having to be directly told.

Matthew 23:9: Call No Man Father (Advanced)

This passage is so abused by Protestants that there is no way to avoid commenting on this. (Of course, the abuse by the Protestants has not stopped Roman Catholics from ignoring this verse and continuing to use the title "Father" on a widespread basis.)

The problem is that Protestants seem to have one narrow focus on the word "father." Exactly how is the title "Reverend Jones" any better than "Father Jones" in the context of this passage?

Both are wrong, and in both situations God’s Word is being ignored for the traditions of men. There’s no dancing around that; no one can miss that this passage is addressing both situations. Both Reverend Jones and Father Jones have something to learn about authority in the kingdom of God versus authority among the nations. They’re both missing it.

Don’t follow in the footsteps of those who heed tradition. Follow in the footsteps of those who obey the Word of God. Don’t be called father, reverend, teacher, etc. as a title.

The issue is the love of honor (23:5-7). Paul was a father to Timothy, and Timothy was a son to Paul (1 Tim. 1:2). Paul was a father to all the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:15). But Paul was not addressed as "Father Paul," nor even addressed as "Apostle Paul," though in the third person we refer to him as "the apostle Paul" in order to distinguish him from other Pauls.

It is okay for people to say you are a teacher, or a gifted healer, or even a father in the church. Wearing a title in the church as though it makes you superior to others is the issue Jesus is addressing in this passage, whatever that title may be.

Matthew 23:13-37

Everything leading up to this chapter has given the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders a chance to avoid this tongue-lashing from God himself.

They didn’t, and here it comes.

The rest of the Gospel, which we will cover tomorrow, covers the response of the Jewish leaders and the setting up of the new spiritual kingdom based on a new covenant with better promises.

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