Comments for April 1

v. 15 - Even right back here there is the suggestion that the stranger might have the right to God's mercy as well, as long as he is in the camp, and has performed the rites required to be part of the camp in circumcision and the acceptance of God's laws. [Gen.17:12, Ex 12:48]. This law (v.29) extended right through. The stranger, in order to be accepted within the flock of God, had to abide by every rule and ordinance of God - just as it is now. We live among so many well-meaning people who throw away their chance to be part of God's flock by ignoring parts of his message and substituting their own theories. Ex.12:49, Lev.24:22, Num.9:14, Gal.3:28, Eph.2:11-22, Col.3:11.

v. 34 That they put this man in ward shows that the law of Moses did not legislate for every action. We saw the same in Leviticus 24:12. This marks a shortcoming in the law of Moses when compared with the law of the spirit of life in Christ - Romans 8. Also this realisation should cause us to appreciate that we must have this word 'in our hearts ...' so that we have at our immediate disposal the word to answer the trials of life.

v.38-41 - God here shows his awareness of human weakness and our need for constant reminder. They had to sew fringes to their garments that they might remember what God had done for them, and so that they did not go astray. There may well be ways we too could do this for ourselves, to make an association with some physical aspect of our lives which we see many times a day, and use that to remind us, so that each time we see it we think of the wonderful redemption wrought in Jesus. The fact that this blue was on the hem of their garments has interesting implications for the following - Matt.9:20, 23:5.

15:30 The law concerning the presumptuous sinner is given specifically because of the way that some (14:44) 'presumed' to go up in contradiction of the instruction of God through Moses.

:2 Notice that immediately after Israel were told that they could not enter the land God talks about the future when they will eventually enter the land. Against the background of the despair that must have been Israel's there is a glimmer of hope.

15:31 Israel refused to go up to take the land because of their lack of faith Heb 3:19  However we learn that God's assessment was that they 'despised' His word. When we lack faith in specific promises that God has made do we realise that in so doing we are despising His word?

V.38  Blue is not mentioned in the New Testament. It is used here in the priest's garment to serve as a remembrance of God. We have been provided with many ways to remember God; the sky is blue, it is also a sign of healing of a wound.

Vs.33-36 Treatment under the Law could be harsh and immediate.  We live under the law of liberty in Christ (Gal 5:1,13). We have flexibility to operate but are still governed by the Laws of Christ.  Our actions will be judged as surely as they were under the Law, but at a later time (2Cor 5:10, Heb 10:28,29, James 2:12).

15:39   The fringe on the garment was to be a perpetual reminder that Israel should not use their own reasoning to decide what was possible or not. It was their own reasoning which had barred them from the land. Where do we stand on this one?  Will our Father give us the kingdom or not?

V.15,16,25,26,29 - Jews and Gentiles living under a sacrificial umbrella that foreshadows the oneness in Christ.

V.30-31 - "'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes [Heb. "gadaph" (1442) means "blaspheme, reproach"] the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him." So we have the concept of defiant sinning echoing Heb 10:26 and the Lord blasphemed with His word despised echoing Matt 12:31.

The Israelites had to wear blue fringes on the hems of their garments (vs.38,39). Blue represents the heavenly colour and the power that emanates from thence. Jesus would have had a fringe of blue on the hem of His garment. It was this that the woman having the issue of blood for twelve years touched and was healed (Matt 9:20). The Hebrew word for borders (hem) is kanaph. It is the same word that is translated wings by Malachi in his prophecy about Jesus and His healing power (Mal 4:2).

15:18  Notice "when ye come into the land …" even though many of them who received this instruction would not enter the land – they would die I the wilderness for their rebellion – God’s purpose has not changed. He emphasises the plan that he has and will fulfil.

V.41 I am the Lord your God. Even though God was displeased with the Children of Israel for their frequent rebellions, for which they would be doomed to forty year's wandering. He would not abandon them, but continue His care and protection of them until they were brought into the land of promise.

Num 15:31 We might have thought that Israel simply did not believe what God had said about entering the land. However their unbelief is styled by god as that they ‘despised the word of the Lord’. Quite a different complexion is it not?

Vs.6,7,9,10 A hin was a liquid measure which , probably, originated in Egypt. It consisted of 12 logs (Lev 14:10). In today’s measurement, a hin is equivalent to two imperial gallons (eight quarts).

15:39 The warning not to seek after their own heart is picked up by Solomon – Ecc 11:9 – as a warning to the one who would be the faithful son.

V.3-11 - this has some similarity to the bread and wine memorial emblems.

15:39 These words were spoke at the beginning of the wandering. Similar words are spoken to Israel. Just before they enter the land Deut 12:8

15:13 Those who were to take part in these meals were to be Israelites.; The inhabitants of the land were excluded.  ‘born of the country’ could well be translated ‘home born’.

Punishment under the law of Moses

v34 is the only mention of imprisonment in the law. Note that it is only a temporary measure while sentencing takes place. The big story is that Imprisonment is not a punishment advocated in the Bible. We might find that odd, since prison is one of the main forms of punishment of crime in our society.

Q: What forms of punishment can you find in the law of Moses that God recommends instead? How many different types are there? Do you think the punishment always fits the crime?

Q: Why do you think prison is used in this specific instance? How is the prison system in your country different?

15:38  In Num 15:32we learn about the man gathering sticks on the Sabbath. IN this verse we learn about the putting fringes and a ribband of blue on the hem of garments. It may seem that the two events are unrelated. However there is a link. The man gathering sticks, if he had a fringe on his garment, would have seen it when he stooped down to pick up the sticks and would have been reminded of the need to keep the law – in this case the law of the Sabbath.

15:19-20         So, foreseeing a time when the manna would cease and the fruits of the land would be eaten, God required the people to think about that time even though it was 38 years away. They needed to realise that when in the land their service to God was not over. He still required Israel to recognise his hand at work in their lives. Likewise baptism is not the end of our service to God. It marks the beginning.

Num 15:37-41.

15:31 Despising God’s name might seem such an awful thing to do that no one would do it. However there is a connection between actions and what those actions indicate about one’s way of thinking. Mal 1:6-7 speaks of priests who offered unacceptable sacrifices and God saw that as despising His word. Our behaviour demonstrates our attitude to His word.

15:32-36    The man gathering sticks is an example of a presumptuous sin – Num 15:30.

15:14-16       It was, I suppose, inevitable that non-Jews would want to live with Israel.  However any non-Jew who did join himself to Israel had to live by their laws, not their own. So here we see that compromise with the nations round about Israel was unacceptable.

15:18-21        Entry into the land would provide an abundance of different types of food compared to the Manna which they would have eaten right through the wilderness journey. Lest the people forget that everything comes from God they were, first, to make an offering of the fruit of the land to God. Do we always remember that all the good things we have come from God?

Num 15:32-36

A reader writes: “My question is about intentional and unintentional sin. The people who went to pick manna on a Sabbath were left unpunished, yet the man who went to pick up sticks on the sabbath was stoned to death. Why?”

My reply: The offense of the man picking sticks was extremely serious because it was done in defiance of God’s law concerning the sabbath. Since the Israelites brought him to Moses, they knew what he did was wrong, and if they knew and Moses knew, you can be sure he knew, as their behaviour on the sabbaths was witness to this - and he was also witness to God’s miracles (cf. Num 14:11,22,23). The fact that God gave him the death sentence tells us it wasn’t simply an oversight. He ran counter to the conduct of the whole camp. He actually put the entire camp at risk, as Achan did in Josh 7! There were consequences for the entire nation when an individual was defiant and broke God’s laws (cf. Josh 22:18-20). This violator, by his actions, renounced his unity with the covenanted people. It was akin to mutiny, if you will. It was a presumptuous sin (Num 15:30,31). He despised God’s law given to Moses, and, therefore, received no mercy.

Before this incidence, God had shown mercy while at the same time warning the Israelites to obey His sabbath, but they repeatedly disobeyed (Exo 16:28). After His repeated warnings, the Israelites knew they needed to obey (Exo 16:16-30). Up until this incident with the defiant man, there was no punishment issued by God, which explains why no punishment was executed for them prior (cf. Num 15:33,34). Since in this case only one man broke the sabbath, we know that the rest of the Israelites maintained their obedience.

15:31  In Num 14:31 God informed Israel that they had despised the land He had promised to them. The presumptuous sinner despises God’s word. The two are synonymous for it was God’s word that had promised the land.

15:40   Twice in one verse Yahweh says He is their God, once stating that he had brought them out of Egypt – less than two years earlier. It is as if they had forgotten the great deliverance they had seen only a couple of years earlier. Do we remember as vividly today as we did on the occasion of our baptism the magnificent deliverance we have experienced?

15:3 Notice that when an animal is burnt in service to God it is a “sweet savour”. Now the burning of flesh does not smell “sweet” at all. What it represents is “sweet” to God because it represents destroying the thinking and practice of human nature.

Numbers 15 – Our Daily Bible reading chapter for today gives instructions to the children of Israel on what they should do when they enter the promised land. 

Num 15:3 - They were to make offerings, sacrifices and vows, (that is free-will offerings) in the time of their solemn feasts.

This is the first reference to ‘Solemn feasts’. ‘Solemn feasts’ were special times appointed by the LORD when Israel were required to assemble before Him. For example, feast of unleavened bread, feast of weeks and feast of Tabernacles (please read, 2Chron 8:13).

Notice that all the offerings listed were voluntary. Therefore they were the personal choice of the individual.  None of these offerings were for sin, trespass or transgressions. The LORD set the standard, it was a high and holy calling.

Burnt offerings were a statement of dedication to the service of the LORD (Lev 1:3-9). The offering was voluntary (v.3) and the whole animal was to be burnt on the altar. This act was a sweet savour to the LORD (v.9). 

Vows or freewill offerings were personal choice to make voluntary contributions to the LORD’s service. 

Num 15:4 – Israelites were to offer meat offering (KJV) made with flour and oil.

So the offering was a type of bread.

Numbers 15:5 – The Israelites were to offer a drink offering, that is wine.

So on entry to the promised land the children of Israel were to offer bread and wine with their burnt offerings (that is their dedication).  When our Lord Jesus returns to invite us by grace into the Kingdom of God, he will share bread and wine all those who have committed themselves to his service (Luke 22:15-18).

Numbers 15 - Seven times in this chapter the LORD makes reference to provision for the “sojourner” (stranger) that live among the Israelites, to worship the LORD God of Israel. So entry to God’s land was and is for both the seed of Abraham and Gentiles.

Lesson for Us

When the time comes for the faithful to enter the Kingdom of God, there will be memorial feast of bread and wine at the table of our Lord.

“And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

“For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.”  (Luke 22:15-18).

Our freewill offering to the LORD, “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.” (1Thess 4:1).

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10).

15:14 the Law of Moses was very clear about how a Jew should worship. All children would be brought up with a clear knowledge of what was required of rheum. However when a “stranger” decided to worship Yahweh – the God of Israel – they would be an adult with no background in the detail of the Law of Moses. However no concessions were to be made for them. They had to worship in exactly the same way as the Jew. We should be careful neither to presume that those brought up in a Christian family have a clear grasp of what is required, nor think that the requirements of understanding for those who have no biblical background need not be as demanding.

15:30 All sins, except blasphemy against the holy spirit – Matt 12:31, can be forgiven the repentant sinner. However the consequences of those sins cannot be undone. So the nation added sin unto sin in seeking to go up despite being told not to –Num 14:44. We should accept the consequences of our actions even when the sin has been forgiven.

15:2,18 Notice how God’s plan still remains. Despite the rebelliousness the message is the same “When ye be come into the land”

A simple point but the unchanging mercy of God is seen here.

15:19  to “eat the bread of the land” would require that Israel had conquered the land – which is exactly what they said they were unable to do – 13:31 – So God’s plan continues despite the faithlessness of the nation.

VISUAL AIDS

One of the interesting laws the Israelites were given was an instruction to put tassels on their garments. The LORD said, “Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.” (Num 15:38-40).

The tassels, each with a blue cord in them, were there as a visual reminder to everyone of God’s laws. Whether you noticed them as you wore your own clothing, or noticed them on what someone else was wearing, the effect was supposed to be the same. They were to remind you to obey the laws of the LORD.

Putting tassels on my tee-shirts, shorts, jeans, shirts or jacket is not fashionable or practical in my life today. But there are some other ways we can have similar reminders. Many of my tee-shirts have biblical messages on them. Sweatshirts and ties can also be printed. A star of David, a cross or a fish symbol on their jewellery helps others. Fridge magnets are a good reminder at home, and bumper stickers on our cars help spread the message, while at the same time reminding us that we are God’s people.

Let’s set up reminders in our every-day lives, and even in the clothes that we wear, so that we can remember the commands of the LORD our God and do them.

15:15 Notice, in relation to sacrifices, there was no difference between the Jew and gentile with respect to specified offerings. This sets the scene for what would apply after the resurrection of Jesus and the gentiles were called ot the gospel – Acts 15:9

v. 4 - A very important lesson for us in 20th century prosperous times. Every aspect of life is geared towards telling us that money and possessions are everything. Many of us need to learn this lesson. It is not surprising that Job records words on this subject [36:18-19]. See also Ps.49:6-8, Zeph.1:18, Matt.16:26, Luke 12:20.

v. 13 Proverbs has much to say about the 'talebearer' Proverbs 25:9 26:20,21,22 None of it is flattering. We see an example in the days of Nehemiah of the impact that a partisan spirit has on a nation Nehemiah 6:17,18,19  to lie in wait for blood is condemned in the Proverbs However it is an element of the Godless behaviour of Israel in the time of Hezekiah. Hosea 7:6 Micah 7:2 This was because, in Hezekiah's day, even though he was a good king the majority of the people did not heed his call to spiritual renewal. Consequently, even though Hezekiah's faith delivered the people from the Assyrian they were taken captive by the Babylonians some time later.

v.6 - We need to be among the righteous for our hope to be valid. Righteousness is of God. Let us therefore throw ourselves wholly on His mercy and grace, which is the only way to salvation. Without this there is no hope of being righteous.

:4 and 11:27 provide an interesting pair of verses. In both the writer, by the Spirit, demonstrates that serving God has benefits. Of course the final reward will be at the time of the return of Jesus to the earth.

:22 'Jewel' 05141 is the same word as 'ring' Genesis 24:22 - which the first occurrence of the word in Scripture. Rather like casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)

Prov 11:18 This is the first time in Proverbs that 'sowing' is seen in a positive way. This is the antidote to the way of the wicked Prov 6:14,19 Prov 16:28, Prov 22:8) See also Gal 6:7-8

V.21 The combined or united power of the wicked cannot free them from just punishment, while the righteous and their children will find deliverance through the mercy and grace of our Heavenly Father. (Psa 37:25-26)

Advice is good, but sometimes it just doesn't go in! The proverbs roll off the tongue very well, but do they stick in between our ears? God has provided a way for us to remember their message more readily, and also learn how we might apply them in day to day life. It is through examples.

In verses 24-26 we are told that the more we give, the more we will receive. If we withhold, then we will be withholden from. We have some excellent examples of this in action. In 1Sam 25:2-3,10-11,36-38 we read of Nabal. He was a very rich man, yet withheld good from David even though it was easily in his means to help him. This man's riches came to nothing because of it. Compare this to Job. (29:11-17, 42:12). Again, the widow who had just one meal left, gave all she had to Elisha, and ate of it for months! (1Kin 17:12-16).

In v26 "he who waters will also be watered himself" can be demonstrated in Rebekah's watering of a stranger's camels leading to her acquiring a husband and many gifts (Gen 24:14-22). Jesus picked up on these things, and made a spiritual point to follow on from them. If we give a cup of water to a brother or sister in the name of Jesus, we will gain an eternal reward. It is the acts of kindness and love, motivated by our faith, that will build us up treasure in heaven. God will not be mocked; He doesn't give inadequate recompense as human masters often do. His reward will be "pressed down and overflowing..." (Luke 6:38).

Jesus ultimately demonstrated this principle by giving everything, and gaining everything by it. That which he gained was actually worth many many times what he gave away. He gave thirty three years of his life, and he gained eternity. He gave all he had, and he gained all God had. He gave one life, and he gained all our lives. This ridiculously high ratio of giving to receiving is always the case with God. In our lives it will be the same, but it requires faith.

I am going to try to comment on the first verse of the remaining chapters of Proverbs, God Willing. Prov 11:1 tells us that God hates it when we cheat, and conversely, is pleased when we are honest. I suppose it was relatively easy to add an extra weight underneath the loose weights, or under the scale pan. In a similar way it’s very easy for us to cheat in all sorts of little ways.  We must not. Remember God is watching.

11:27,30 There are a number of quotations from Genesis 2 and 3 in these verses

Prov 11:2 - "Pride" can come from being deceitful (including self deception) and thus is related to v1. "Pride" comes from the Heb. "zadown" (2087) meaning "arrogance, presumptuously, pride, proud", etc. and comes from the Heb. "ziyd" (2102) meaning "to seethe, to be insolent, be proud, deal proudly, presume, (come) presumptuously", etc. People who are proud tend to want everything done their own way. Pride is one of the three basic sins (1John 2:16). Pride was the essential part of the fall (Gen 3:5) and is a rule of fallen man (Mark 7:22). Haughty eyes are detestable to God (Prov 6:17).

Prov 11:7,8,9,19,30,31 - When the wicked dies, his hope perishes and ditto for those without understanding (Psa 49:20). Thus the righteous have hope of life after death on earth through the knowledge (John 4:24; Rom 10:2-4) of the good news including Christ's sacrifice on the tree.

Prov 11:12-13 - the wisdom of holding one's tongue vs the harmful foolishness of talebearing/gossip.

v 27  is picked up by Paul in Rom 2:7,8  where he talks about those who persist in doing good vs those who are self seeking.

11:22  Looks are not everything. IN fact physical beauty without wisdom is seen to be incongruous. It is so easy to make ourselves physically attractive but in reality we should be seeking to develop the ‘hidden man of the heart’ – 1Pet 3:4

11:28 This Proverbs about trusting in riches is drawn upon by Jesus in Mark 10:24.

V.1 echoes the appeal to deal fairly with people found in Lev 19:35,36. The phrase just weight is translated from the Hebrew eben shelemah meaning perfect (complete) stone. The deeper connotation is that of Christ, who, originally rejected by His people, became the perfect stone on which to found the household of faith (Psa 118:22; Acts 4:11). After completed their journey, the chosen faithful will receive a personalised stone representing righteousness and acceptance. They will spend eternity with the Lord (Rev 2:17).

11:14 How often, when we have a difficult decision to make, do we see the advice of others? Or do we just seek the advice of those who we know will agree with us? Solomon’s spirit guided counsel is to seek advice, by implication, of those who might not agree with our planned course of action. It what we plan is right or wrong seeking the advice of many will only be helpful.

Prov 11:31;1Pet 4:18.

11:18 The way in which Solomon speaks of ‘sowing righteousness’ is picked up – Hos 10:12

11:2  The word translated ‘lowly’ is elsewhere – Mic 6:8 – translated  as ‘humble’.

11:1 God has already – Lev 19:36 – given His comment on false balances and mixed weights which the trader uses to his own advantage.

1. Prov 11:5 - "The righteousness 'of the perfect'<8549> 'shall direct'<3474> his way..." - who exemplified this more than the unblemished Jesus?

2. Prov 11:6 - "The righteousness 'of the upright'<3477> 'shall deliver'<5337> them..." - does this have application to Christ delivering his followers? 

3. Prov 11:8 - (NIV) "The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead" (reminds of Est 5:12-14;7:10 "gallows"<6086> where Mordecai perhaps echoes Christ and Haman perhaps echoes sin/fleshly nature).

4. Prov 11:9 (2Pet 3:16-17;Hos 4:6) - the righteous escape through knowledge.

5. Prov 11:10-11 - consider the fate of Sodom, of Shushan when Mordecai was exalted (Est 8:15-16), of Jerusalem (the changes from Ahaz to Hezekiah, the low of 70 AD, the future joy when Christ returns).

6. Prov 11:12 - Christ held his peace Matt 26:63. 

7. Prov 11:15 - in contrast to risky usury with strangers, Christ gave his life for his friends.

8. Prov 11:16 - Esther was a gracious woman of honor who perhaps represented spiritual Israel in contrast to the "'strong'<6184> men" who hoard riches for themselves perhaps reminding of oppressive non spiritual attitudes.

9. Prov 11:17-19 - "The Merciful(<2617> - Matt 5:7) man<376>" who exhibits godly righteous behavior, as exemplified by Christ, is rewarded with life while the behavior of the wicked leads to death (the wages of sin Rom 6:23).

10. Prov 11:22 - two examples of incongruity God views as revolting.

11. Prov 11:28 (1Tim 6:10).

12. Prov 11:28 - "...the righteous shall flourish as a 'branch'(<5929> can mean a "leaf")" - leaves perhaps represent the redeemed in glory (Psa 1:3;92:12;Jer 17:7-8;Eze 47:12;Rev 22:2) - a reference to Christ is a different "branch<5342>" (Isa 11:1).

13. Prov 11:29 - (the cancer of domestic strife - Adonijah troubled his father's house by attempting to proclaim himself king but became a servant then was killed and ultimately inherited the wind 1Kin 1:5,51-53;2:10,22-25 - first born Reuben defiled Jacob's bed by laying with Bilhah and was cursed thus inheriting the wind and becoming servant to Judah Gen 49:3,4,10).

14. Prov 11:30 - God directs that the fruit of the wise righteous is used to winning others to the way of life in Christ (crucified on the tree offering hope of eternal life) - 1Cor 9:19-27.

15. Prov 11:31;Matt 5:5 (on earth is the reward).

11:18   The righteousness that is sown has to be sown in a particular way. James 3:18 shows that it is to be sown in “peace”.

11:20 The abominable froward heart  reflects David’s attitude as seen in Psa 110:4

11:24-26       We are not being given general advice about benefit coming to those who give. Rather as spiritual lesson is being made. The giver recognises that nothing he owns is his own, but that it belongs to God. So his giving is not necessarily according to what he has. Rather it is a consequence of a realisation that what he owns belongs to God.

Prov 11:24-25 - Christ gave freely and gained even more, he liberally refreshed others and was himself refreshed; Christ was generous; a man who is stingy and witholds (spiritually) will come to (spiritual) poverty.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (Matt 9:35-38). God tells us to spread the good news, as opposed to thinking "hooray for me I've got the Truth" too bad my neighbors (do I love them as myself?) never heard of it.

11:1  False balances are a mark of deceit. One is actually robbing God as everything belongs to Him and the one using false balances if lying about what he is doing.  An example of condemnation for this is seen in Amos 8:5 where the practical day to day example is given a spiritual meaning as Amos is moved by inspiration to relate it to worship of God.

11:5     The righteousness of the perfect man was seen in his total obedience to the Law of Moses – Deut 6:25.

11:4    The “righteousness” that delivers from death is the righteousness imputed by God – it is not our own just as Abraham was counted righteous Gen 15:6 – because of his faith.

Prov 11:2: When I read this verse recently, it almost made me jump back! Because the verse is clearly saying that wisdom is found with the lowly and not with the proud.

Here's how the Amplified Version renders verse 2:

"When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiselled by trial, and renounce self) are skilful in godly Wisdom and soundness."

Perhaps in light of these God-stated facts, we should a) treat our humble and lowly brothers & sisters with a little more respect and honour, and take a little more notice of what they have to say: and b) try to emulate their Christ-like example - as Matt 11:29 records of our Lord "for I am meek and lowly in heart."

Surely how much more loving and peaceful our ecclesias would be if we all bore this vital lesson in mind.

STAY HUMBLE

God's message to me today is to stay humble. I will always remember the song I heard when I was a child, "O Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way." I am certainly not perfect in every way, in fact, I fall over in just about everything. But occasionally, when I have been praying for wisdom and someone comes specifically asking me for advice, it is hard to stay humble. My pride levels click up a notch, or maybe two.

This is what God said to me as I read his word today. The words may as well have been in glowing letters, bold and ten times the size of the print on the rest of the page."When pride comes, then comes disgrace. But with the humble there is wisdom." (Prov 11:2).

I need to remember that any wisdom I have, comes from God. The reason I ask him for wisdom is because I don't have much (or any) of my own. I can't go and claim some great feat of counselling when it was actually God's wisdom that gave me what I needed at the time.

O God, help me to stay humble so that the wisdom you give me will be a blessing, and I won't cause disgrace by leaning on my own pride.

 

11:31  The inspired wise man is teaching us that God’s chastening hand works on our lives now. It is in this life that we learn how to serve Him. By the time of our death it is too late to make any changes which will impact on the outcome of the judgment.

11:4  Society teaches us to place confidence in possessions – maybe in our savings and pension provision. Whilst it is clearly not wrong to plan for the future its value is limited. If we are going to strive after anything it should be God’s righteousness.

11:3 How does integrity guide a person? It is that the consistent application of Divine principles that will be the guide. Once the principles are understood then following them will be almost a matter of habit.

11:12-14 Some have double standards (:1) treating some people differently to others. When it suits their purposes they will spread malicious gossip without checking its validity. Not out of careless actions. But rather as a deliberate action.  The one who has “understanding” does not spread disinformation (:12). He takes active action by deciding not to spread the information heard (:13). Instead he “soweth righteousness” (:18)

What do we do when we hear falsehoods or unverified communications?

11:5-6  We might shy away from any idea that we are righteous or that we show righteousness in our lives. However we must realise that we are counted righteous because of our faith, like Abram – Gen 15:6. Because God counts us righteous we must behave as if we are and His teaching must instruct the way we behave towards others.

11:1-4 Whilst each of these proverbs seem to stand alone as truths they are, in fact, related. Deceit and pride go together and undermine truth and integrity,. Once one deceives others into thinking well then the next step is that the deceit is then believed by the perpetrator of the deceit.

v.44 - 46 - These men that had been specially chosen, not just to be Jesus' followers but to proclaim the gospel with the direct help of God's Holy Spirit after Christ's ascension, finally understood what it was all about. Their joy, at last, was full - but look at the suffering and heartache that they had gone through - seeing their Lord and Master crucified and not understanding - to get to this position of final perfection of thought. There is a lifetime's work available to us here. Each of us needs to dedicate our lives to this acquisition of God's wisdom. Ex.4:11, Job 33:16, Ps.119:18, Isa.29:10-19 Acts 26:18.

v.33 The phrase 'the eleven' should not be taken to mean all the disciples except Judas because Thomas was not there [John 20:24]. So we must conclude that the phrase 'the eleven' replaces the phrase 'the twelve' seen in the following passages Matthew 10:2 20:17 26:14,20,47 Mark 4:10 6:7 9:35 10:32 11:11 14:10,17,20,43 Luke 8:1 9:12 18:31 22:3,14,30,47 John 6:67,71 20:24

Isaiah 35 gives a wonderful picture of the redemptive work in Christ. The narrative about the two on the road to Emmaus echoes that passage - and the wonderful ideas it contains.
24:25 fools Isaiah 35:8
24:33 returned to Jerusalem Isaiah 35:10
The two were the first to experience the joys of 'sorrow and sighing' fleeing away (Isaiah 35:10). They were the first but we can join with them at the resurrection. Do we really believe these things?

:50 Whilst the leading of the disciples to Bethany for the ascension is recorded immediately after the promise of the holy Spirit we should realise that the ascension took place 40 days after the resurrection

Were the two disciples going to Emmaus husband and wife? We know one of them was Cleopas (v18), and John tells us that his wife Mary went to the foot of the cross during the crucifixion (John 19.25). With both of them in Jerusalem for the Passover, it seems probable that Cleopas would travel home to Emmaus with his wife. Luke 24.28-29 supports this, where it appears to say that they live in the same house.

24:14 The way that the two talked 'of all these things which had happened' echoes the situation with the shepherds when the birth of Jesus was announced (Luke 2:20)

V.8  "and they remembered His words" Luke earlier said "They understood none of these things" (18:34) Among those things were Christ's words. "The third day He shall rise again" (Luke 18:33) Now by remembering What Christ had said to them, "Their faith has been strengthened." (John 16:4) 

The word spirit comes from the Gr. pneuma and has been used to describe unseen conditions such as:
-divine entity (Matt 3:16)
-mental illness (Luke 8:29)
-physical infirmity (Luke 13:11)
-mental desire (Matt 26:41)
-mind, mental disposition, inner self (Mark 8:12)
-life force (John 6:63)
-attitude (1Cor 4:21)
But in v.37 when Jesus appeared to the disciples, they thought that they had seen a spirit (pneuma).  This is not proof that ghosts, poltergeists or other popular superhuman apparitions exist.  This is a reference to angels who, although they can appear in human form, are nevertheless spirits (Heb 1:13,14).

V.27 is a handy verse to show that Jesus is grounded in the Old Testament (see also Luke 16:31, John 5:46).

V.46 It is an interesting exercise to examine what may have been some of the scriptures from which Jesus unfolded this particular detail of truth concerning himself.

There are of course many other references that we could consider.

V.53 Luke began his record with a temple scene. (1:5-23). He ends it similarly. He began with songs, of Elizabeth and of Mary. So he ends most appropriately, with praises to God, for of Him and through Him, and to Him are all things.

24:27-29  Notice that Jesus, whilst expounding Scripture about himself did not force himself on the two. The inference is that if they had not ‘constrained’ Jesus to lodge with them he would not have revealed himself to them. This is a powerful lesson to us.

Jesus' ascension took place around Bethany (vs.50,51).  This dispels the misunderstanding of some that Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives.  Bethany lies about two miles S.E. of Jerusalem (John 11:18).  Jerusalem could not be seen from Bethany as the Mount of Olives blocked the view.  Jesus probably chose this location for His ascension as a private affair for His faithful to witness, and not for the host of unbelievers in Jerusalem.  He will return in like manner, i.e. stealthily and to a few (His household).  Later, he will be revealed to the world. That will be a grand public spectacle as His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4; Rev 1:7).

I am always amazed at these two disciples, who, after an agonising wait of 3 days while they were trying to come to terms with the fact that their Saviour was dead, and the news that morning that somehow His grave was empty, and then that 3 or 4 mile walk to Emmaus – how ever did they find the strength to walk or run all the way back with the news that He really HAD risen from the dead? When the news is really worth carrying, then we do it!  That’s preaching! 

This chapter is all about what is said.  We have the words of the angels to the women; the words of the women to the disciples, which seem like nonsense; the confused words to each other of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then the words of Jesus to them which cause their hearts to burn within them; the words "Peace be with you" with which Jesus reassures the disciples, and then his last words of teaching to them, which helped to open their minds to understand the Scriptures, as he had done for the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

v 28 reminds us of the incident when Jesus walked on the lake and would have passed them by if Peter had not called out to him Mark 6:48

24:4 That the women were ‘much perplexed’ add to the understanding that no one expected that Jesus would rise from the dead. This perplexity is seen in all those disciples who were involved in the events of this day

24:6    That the angels said that Jesus had spoken ‘unto you’ about the resurrection implies that when Jesus spoke these words to the disciples the women were also present or that he spoke separately to the women about the resurrection. Either way we have to conclude that Jesus spoke of his resurrection on more occasions than are recorded in the gospel narratives

Cleopas and his companion did not recognize Jesus until He was revealed to them.  Do we recognize Jesus in our brothers and sisters?  If we do, then our treatment of them will be exactly how we would treat the Lord (Matt 18:5). 

24:9 Notice ‘the twelve’ have now become ‘the eleven’ Judas is no longer with the disciples.

A second redemption

In v21 are some curious words. Jesus' followers expected him to "redeem Israel", but from what? It is clear from scripture that Israel had already been redeemed (see Exo 6:6, Deut 21:8, 2Sam 7:23). God had taken them from slavery in Egypt and made them His special nation. So what more did they want? Both Psa 25:18-22 and Psa 130 speak of a further redemption; a redemption from sin itself. I wonder whether the disciples understood this after all?

24:18 Cleopas’ wife was called ‘Mary’ – John 19:25. It would be most likely that the two were Cleopas and Mary who were walking along the road discussing the events of the day.

24:32 ‘Did not our hearts burn’ echoes Isa 35:10 which speaks of Joy and gladness so we can add this to our list of links with Isaiah  35 in this area of Jesus life.

Luke 24:50-53

"And he led them out until they were over against Bethany...And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy..."

Acts 1:6-12

"...Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey off."

These two passages are often cited as contradicting each other. Was it Bethany, or was it Jerusalem? Actually, both are correct! Mount Olivet was 7.5 furlongs (l.5km, or 0.9375 miles) from Jerusalem while Bethany was 15 furlongs (3km, or 1.875 miles). But, the eastern declivity of the Mount, the tract of country of considerable space, was called the region of Bethany - the Mount of Olives being in-between Bethany and Jerusalem.

Consider also that their journey was called a Sabbath's day journey. Jewish teachers fixed the Sabbath day's journey as 2000 paces, or 7.5 furlongs, not quite a mile. This would rule out Bethany proper! They based this on Numbers 35:5 where we learn that no part of the Israelites' camp was more than 2000 cubits apart. Thus, they could travel to the Tabernacle to worship on the Sabbath days.

Ancient Historians place the ancient village of Bethany higher up on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, not far from Bethphage, and that the ancient site of Bethany may not precisely coincide with the present one, though in the general location.

24:16  We speculate as to what is meant by ‘eyes were holden’ however anther record -  Mark 16:12 – explains that Jesus was  in ‘another form’. He did not look like the Jesus that they knew – and of course they were not expecting to see him either.

Luke 24:2-5

“... Now upon the first day of the week...they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared... And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus... two men stood by them... said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

In an age devoid of active miracles, people often wonder if such a claim is true.  When starting with the presupposition that miracles are impossible, skeptics are limited by their worldview and are thus required to look for a naturalistic cause of miracles.

Both the Old and New Testaments contain predictions of Jesus’ death and resurrection. All the four Gospel records explicitly declare that the Lord was dead prior to entering the tomb (Matt 27:50; Mark 15:44-45; Luke 23:46; John 19:32-34 cf. 1Pet 1:21); that the tomb was cut out of solid rock (Matt 27:58-60) (without a back door!); the cave opening was blocked by a huge stone (Matt 27:60), then affixed with a seal, and watched by Roman guards (Matt 27:66). This huge stone was not just nudged apart for one man to come out, but was rolled completely away from the sepulchre (John 20:1). Apart from the Resurrection miracle, it was impossible for Jesus to leave that tomb!

When an empty tomb stares back at skeptics, they are forced to concoct the most unbelievable theories to explain away what really happened. We had these antagonistic Jews who in disbelief attempted to explain why the tomb was empty, bribed the guards to change their story, that Jesus’ disciples lied about the resurrection and stole the body - a story commonly reported among the Jews (Matt 28:12-15). This report to this day is taught by Orthodox Rabbis who claim Jesus is a false Messiah!

From the body snatcher’s theory, aka, conspiracy theory (contradicts Matt 27:62-66), we have the swoon theory that Jesus merely passed out and later revived (contradicts John 19:31-40), the wrong tomb theory, that the women got lost on their way to the tomb and accidentally stumbled upon the caretaker of an empty tomb  – women were not considered reliable witnesses in first century Jewish culture (contradicts Matt 27:57-61; Luke 23:53-56), the legend theory, that claims the Resurrection a legend that developed over time and then recorded as fact in the Bible (contradicts 1Cor 15:3-23; 2Pet 1:16), the hallucination theory, that the disciples allowed their imagination to control reason (contradicts Luke 23:53-56) and  the gardener theory of which Tertullian, a third-century Christian writer, wrote that the gardener of the cemetery moved his body because he feared crowds would visit the tomb and trample his vegetables (cf. John 20:15, and contradicts John 19:38)! All these theories fail the test, and are nothing more than unproved assertions!

If Christ had not risen from the dead, the bands of death would not have been broken, the grave would be victorious, and the sting of death would not be swallowed up in Christ (cf. 1Cor 15:53-57). Jesus’ resurrection shows there is a power that transcends the physical universe - the power of God. The apostle Paul states in 1Cor 15:14 that, “...if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

Summary Of Luke

24:1-8       First day of the week – Some women visited Jesus’ tomb – angels told them Jesus was risen from the dead

24:9         These women return to the disciples and others with them

24:10        Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary and other women who told the disciples what they had seen

24:11-12   Disciples perplexed and Peter ran to the tomb and saw it was empty

24:13-32   Later in the day Jesus appeared to two returning home to Emmaus

24:33        The two return to Jerusalem and meet with the disciples

24:34-49   The disciples confirm what the two tell them. Jesus then appears amongst them and teaches them

24:50-51   Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives

24:52-53   The disciples returned to Jerusalem and continued praising God

24:7-8 The first – and seems only – time that Jesus told the disciples that he was going to be crucified (he told them on a number of other occasions that he was going to die) is found in Matt 20:19. Given that the angels tell the women that Jesus told them this we can conclude that the events in Matthew took place in Galilee and that the women were present also, even though they are not mentioned in the record.

24:44 when Jesus said I must be about my Father’s business – Luke 2:49 - we see the beginning of a series of times when Jesus speaks of the essential requirement “must” that things were to happen. Here is a list of all occasions Luke 2:49, 4:12, 9:22, 13:33, 17:25, 22:37, 24:44

24:3  This the first and only time in the gospels that Jesus is called “lord Jesus”. This title for the risen Jesus is used repeatedly in Acts and then the letters.

24:13  From what the two say they know we can conclude that they left Jerusalem before anyone reported that they had seen the risen Jesus. So we can conclude that they left Jerusalem quite early, doubtless before lunch time. Given that they arrived at Emmaus by the time it was getting dark we can conclude that they walked the relatively short distance to Emmaus quite slowly. Doubtless at the first discussing the things that they know and then listening to Jesus. One does not walk fast when discussing intently.

Luke 24:1

“NOW upon the first day of the week…”

Yahweh, under the Old Covenant, selected the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as a day of worship and rest known as the Sabbath (Exo 20:8-11). However, after the death of His son, the newly formed ecclesia of Christ under the New Covenant began to worship and rest on the first day of the week, Sunday. The seventh day of the week represented the “shadow,” but the first or eighth day of the week represents the “substance.” (cf. Gal 3:24).

The Law of Moses was given by God to Israel at Mt. Sinai (Exo 19-Exo 20:11, and this Law was in force during Christ’s lifetime. Christ was an Israelite of the tribe of Judah (Yahudah) and it was incumbent on him to keep the Law of Moses and taught others to do so (cf. Matt 5:17,18; Luke 4:16. Nothing would pass from the Law till all things be accomplished by his death (Luke 24:44-47).

While the Ten Commandments, which included the Sabbath, was given under the Law of Moses and abolished by Christ’s death (Eph 2:15), its moral law was repeated throughout the New Testament, but the keeping of the Sabbath was not. The Sabbath was a ceremonial law kept on the seventh day, and this was done away with in Christ. Please read my April 28^th notes on Deut 5:15. Unlike under the Old Covenant, there is no commandment under the New Covenant to keep the Sabbath. The legal requirements of the Sabbath law are not binding on us.

“On the day called Sunday the primitive Christians met for worship” – Justin Martyr (A.D. 140). The ecclesia of Christ was established on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). Pentecost always fell on “the morrow after the sabbath” (Lev 23:9-16). It was the morrow after the Sabbath that Christ was raised from the dead (Matt 28:1 Mark 16:2-6;John 20:1; Acts 20:7). The morrow after the Sabbath was the first day of the week, or eighth day. The first day of the week, or as we call it, Sunday, has its roots in the disciples practice for their day of gathering to worship the Lord in remembrance of his resurrection on that day.

24:16  Whilst we do not know exactly what it was about the two that prevented them recognising Jesus we should appreciate that they did not expect to see him. As far as they were concerned he was dead.  We know how often we struggle to recognise people we know when we see them in a context in which we do not normally see them.

24:47Jesus’ charge to the disciples about what they should preach matches what John the Baptist preached – Luke 3:3

24:53The resurrection of Jesus changed everything – but not quite. The disciples continued meeting and worshipping God in the temple. This was to continue until the temple was destroyed in AD 70, though as we read through Acts of the Apostles we see how it became more and more difficult as the community of believers increased and the opposition of the Jewish leaders impacted on those believers.

Christ is foreshadowed by Jonathan in this chapter. Christ was given a piece of “an honeycomb” (Lk. 24:42) and Jonathan dipped his hand in “an honeycomb” (1 Sam. 14:27). When Jonathan attacked the Philistines he “climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet” (1 Sam. 14:13) and Christ bore the scars of his victory over sin in “his hands and his feet” (Lk. 24:40). Christ was “mighty in deed” (Lk. 24:19) and David referred to Jonathan as “mighty” (2 Sam. 1:19,27).

24:53 The resurrection of Jesus changed everything – but not quite. The disciples continued meeting and worshipping God in the temple. This was to continue until the temple was destroyed in AD 70, though as we read through Acts of the Apostles we see how it became more and more difficult as the community of believers increased and the opposition of the Jewish leaders impacted on those believers.

24:51   The way in which Jesus’ departure is described matches in a very similar way, the end of the recorded life of Elijah – 2Kin 2:11

24:19  The way that the couple describe Jesus as “mighty in deed and word” is the way in which Stephen describes Moses in Acts 7:22.

24:49-50 Luke’s gospel reads as it the disciples remained in Jerusalem from the resurrection right up to the time that he was taken up into heave. However this cannot be true as he had commanded them to go to Galilee where he would meet with them Matt 28:10, which they actually did do – John 21:1. There is no contradiction between the gospel records. It is that each writer has his own inspired focus and so, whilst we might be able to compile a complete account of all that took place we should appreciate that each inspired writer records what God told them to write.

24:2-3 the fact that the stone was moved away is presented in a matter of fact way but the stone over the tomb actually had been a problem to the women who even mentioned it – Mark 16:3