Comments for October 19

10 v.15 - The suggestion here is that this was not an act of Rehoboam's own will, but one placed there by God in order to further His purpose. There are many arguments revolving round whether God intervenes in this way, but this verse suggests that He does.

10:15 Whilst there is no record of the prophecy of Ahijah in the Chronicles account it can be found in 1 Kings 11:29-30. Further we know that Ahijah wrote down his words which he spoke to Jeroboam 1 Kings 12:15 even though the record is no longer available to us.

11:1-4 So Rehoboam's kingdom was a poor reflection of that which his father handed down to him. However it was 'of the LORD so the decision to attack Israel had to be abandoned. Thus the sorry state of the kingdom of Judah was confirmed. Rehoboam must have returned to Jerusalem with a heavy heart.

11:14 - together with the pronouncements made by Rehoboam about how he would treat the people in the earlier of today's chapters, this make us realise just how bad the situation was. Things were wrong from the start in both Israel and Judah.

10 - And so we pass on to the next king - but we have been told very little, really, about the reign of Solomon. The focus has been upon the building of the temple.

11:18 And so it seems that Rehoboam sought to reinforce his position on the throne of David by marrying into David's family.

10:4 So whilst the kingdom was described as a time of peace (1 Kings 4:25) and the queen of Sheba was impressed by how things went in the kingdom (2 Chronicles 9:6) by the end of his reign Solomon had really spoiled things. The wonderful heritage that David had left him was spoilt and so God's glory, whilst still in the temple, was not seen in the way that Solomon reigned in the latter part of his reign.

11:13 So Jeroboam was really into false worship. This doubtless explains why the Levites migrated to Judah (11:14)

"LET US NOT GIVE UP MEETING TOGETHER"
When Jeroboam became king of Israel and he had abandoned the LORD God of Israel by making and worshipping idols, the Priests and Levites and everyone who wanted to serve the LORD came to Jerusalem because the LORD was still worshipped there. There was an exodus of all the godly people of Israel to Judah. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam during the time that he walked with God. There is a lesson for us here. The people in Judah could all strengthen each other in the LORD, but the people in Israel began a rapid downhill slide to their destruction. The lesson for us is to stick together with people of the same faith so that we can strengthen each other and stay strong for the LORD our God. If we stay in isolation, the attitudes and philosophies of the people around us will rub off on us and we can easily be dragged into their downward spiral.
So, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10 v 25)

10:1 David and Solomon had been crowned in Jerusalem so why does Rehoboam go to Shechem to be crowned? Maybe he was aware of the beginnings of the division between the north and the south and so went to Shechem in the north in order to try to retain the whole of the nation - after all it was the place where Joshua had called the people before sending them into their inheritance (Josh 24:1)

11:23 In telling us that Rehoboam 'desired many wives' we realise that he violated the warning of Deut 17:17.

11:17 For three years all went well. The temple services were well supported, the feasts and the service of praise continued. Worshippers continued to come to Jerusalem from all the tribes of Israel, and they, together with the Levites who flocked to him from the north. 

The use of the word "devils" in 2Chron 11:15 is most unusual. It's normally translated as goats or kids. So I presume it means that Jeroboam made idols in the shape of goats and calves, as in fact the NIV says. There are only 4 uses of the word "devils" in the Old Testament, and they all refer to idols.

11:15 Animals had been a source of worship by pagan nations since Babel. Israel worshipped a golden calf in the wilderness during Moses absence on Mount Sinai (Exo 32:4). Here we see Jeroboam repeating the practice in his rebellion.

The word devils (KJV) goat idols (ESV) in Hebrew, is sair which means hairy. The same word is used to describe the appearance of Esau (Gen 27:11). The word became associated with goats as hairy creatures (especially the hairy Syrian or Mamber goat which is prevalent in the Near East).

Isaiah foretold that the destroyed Babylon would be a place where shaggy goats (satyrs) would dwell (Isa 13:21).

One of the objects of goat worship in mythology was the satyr, a woodland god. The appearance of the satyr was that of a human form with the head, horns, thighs and tail of a goat. This pagan form has been adopted in world cultures as representing the popular idea of the devil.

There is one factor in the life of Rehoboam and his family which must not be overlooked. We are told that his mother was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 1Kin 14:21 His parentage therefore was a result of one of the foreign alliances made by Solomon.

2Chron 10:4,5,12,13,14; Matt 11:28-30 - Christ makes our burden light and offers us rest. Rehoboam rejected being Christlike. When sin is our master we have no freedom from death nor do we have a day of rest to hope for.

10:1  The focus of Solomon’s reign is it’s majesty and glory and Solomon’s wisdom. A wonderful foretaste of the kingdom of God – but it was not the fulfilment of all that God had promised to David, it was but a shadow. SO we move swiftly on to the break up of that kingdom. The way that the record moves on so quickly marks that point.

11:16  There was a steady trickle of Godly people moving from the north to the south. First the faithful priests left to go to Judah and that was followed by the people. There is evidence, therefore, that not all in the northern kingdom of Israel were party to the idolatrous worship of Jeroboam.

11:4 The words of Shemaiah were heeded by the people. We see here that the people were more disposed to accept the direction of the prophet, than the king was. Rehoboam could see that without the support of the people, nothing would be served by going ahead with his military ambition, hence he concentrated on the consolidation of his kingdom.

11:8 Gath means winepress.  There were many cities throughout the land that were called Gath. To distinguish one from another, they had names attached, such as Gath-Rimmon or Gath-Hepher.  We do not know the precise Gath described here, but we do know that it refers to a city in Judah and not the celebrated Philistine city of the same name.

10:6-8 When we see that Rehoboam took counsel with the old men and then the young men we might be tempted to think that he should have listened to the old men. In fact he should not have been asking either group. He should have been asking God what he should do.

11:5,23 During these three years of peace, Rehoboam kept the people busy with many defensive undertakings. During this time some fifteen cities were fortified and provisioned, and given over to some of his twenty eight sons. Tomorrow we start reading with great sadness the sad comment on what we call human nature. 2Chron 12:1  

LISTEN

DEFENCE

10:19 The rebellion against ‘the house of David’ was not simply a rejection of the line of David. It is a rejection of God for He had chosen David

10:11 scorpions in the KJV, does not mean the desert creatures with stings in their tails. Here, scorpions refer to whips which have knots in them. These inflict more hurt and damage than ordinary whips without knots.

The Romans used whips with fragments of metal or bone tied into their strands. These would cut open the flesh and inflict great pain. This was the kind of whip that scourged the Lord Jesus (Matt 27:26).

11:14 The reason that Jeroboam kicked out the Levites is that he did not want the people of Israel to join with Judah. He feared the Levites would influence the people to do this (1Kin 12:26).

10:1 So after what seems – in the record – to be a very short time – the glory of the kingdom is beginning to wane. Such is the way of man. Left to his own devices he will destroy the wonderful things that God has instituted.

ch10:16,17 First Principles>Kingdom of God>Was overturned>History of fulfilment
3. During the reign of Rehoboam, the kingdom was divided into a Southern, two tribe kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem 2Chron 12:13 and a Northern ten tribe kingdom with its capital in Samaria 1Kin 12:15.
Rehoboam remained king of Judah 1Kin 12:16,18, 2Chron 10:16,17. Jeroboam became king of Israel 1Kin 12:20.
Go to Deut 28:49 to see more details of the history of Israel and its overturning.

10:8 Rehoboam showed no respect to the old men and refused their counsel (Lev 19:32; Prov 16:31). Instead, he hearkened to the counsel of young men who were impetuous and foolhardy (Ecc 11:9,10).

10:15 See 1Kin 11:29-31.

11:16 Although Jeroboam took control of the 10 northern tribes, there were some in Israel who could not be separated from Jerusalem for worship. While most remained in Israel, these defectors came over to Judah.

10:19 The account of Solomon’s kingdom has only occupied 10 chapters in the second book of Chronicles – though it lasted 40 years. Maybe an indication that wonderful as it was it did not last and therefore required little comment from God.

2Chron 10:5,12,14 - a return in three days resulting in bad news not good and making the yoke heavy emphasizes how Rehoboam was almost an opposite of Christ.

2Chron 10:16;1Tim 2:5;Rom 8:34;Heb 7:24-25 - King Rehoboam refused to listen to his subjects and they failed to see what share they had in David while, in contrast, Christ is the mediator between God and man and intercedes for his followers. 

2Chron 11:16-17 - for three years the priests and Levites followed the ways of David and Solomon and supported Rehoboam - this contrasts with how the religious leaders were against Christ for three years.

2Chron 11:21;1Kin 15:13 - Rehoboam's favorite bride "Maacah" [(4601) means "she has bruised" and perhaps reminds us of the wound in Gen 3:15] turned to idolatry as opposed to the favorite bride of Christ who faithfully turns to God and His Son. 

11:5   The cities for defence were to protect him, primarily, from Jeroboam in the north. That the nation is divided and the two parts at war with each other is a sad reflection on the people of God.

11:12   Israel’s first human king was Saul from Benjamin. Now Solomon is the second king of Judah. There had been attempts by men of Benjamin to overthrow the line of David. The comment that Benjamin and Judah together were “on his side” should be seen against that background.

11:22 That Rehoboam “thought to make Abijah king” indicates that he did not see kingship as being a Divine privilege where God made the choice of King as he had done with his father and grandfather.

Q: What is the heavy yoke Solomon put on the people of Israel in 2Chron 10:4?

A: Rehoboam obviously understood what it was, because he threatened to make that yoke heavier in v14. The result of this was the tax in v18. So the "yoke" in v4 was tax. What Solomon had been doing was taxing the people beyond their means in order to keep his own position of wealth and luxury.

11:4    The warning “for this thing is done of Me” by God stands as an example of how we should respond to circumstances. It is “if the Lord will” – James 4:15 – that should be in our minds.  We cannot fight against God and win.

11:5-12      The sad thing is the Rehoboam strengthened the cities for defence against Israel in the north – the defence was against the nations’ own relatives!

2 Chronicles 11

"And the priests and the Levites that [were] in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers." v13-16

This is a key Bible passage to remember when reading about anything later than Solomon. All the teachers of God's law, all the Priests, and many of the devout men and women moved out of the Northern Kingdom and came to the Southern Kingdom. It explains why the North descended into idolatry and the South remained faithful for so much longer.

10:2-3The division of the kingdom was at God’s decree – 1Kin 1:11 – and so the political moves start. The “they” who sent to Egypt for Jeroboam doubtless were amongst those who were dissatisfied with life in Solomon’s kingdom.

10:15 In advising us that “the cause was of God” we are being instructed that the way in which the record is constructed and the information we are given is God given. The historical account is God’s, not man’s, view of History.

10:4  It is difficult to imagine how, against the background of the glory and wealth of Solomon’s kingdom, there would be a revolt against the rulership of his son. However, as is always the case, human pride and greed get in the way of common sense.

10:11 the glory of Solomon’s kingdom had come at a high price to the people. Called here “heavy yoke”. This is a marked contrast to what Jesus’ kingdom will be like when his yoke would be easy – Matt 11:30

11:1 The kingdom had been rent from the house of David according to God’s word – 1Kin 11:29-32 – Whilst we might not know whether Rehoboam had heard those words we can safely conclude that no matter how big his army he would not prevail in his attempt to bring the kingdom – all the tribes - back to him. We should always be alert to the possibility that our plans might be fighting against God. A pause and some reflection may help us realise what is the best way forward rather than continue down the route we had planned but which seems to be thwarted at the moment.

11:3 In saying “Israel in Judah and Benjamin” we must conclude that at this time there were people from the north living in the south and probably vica versa.

10:18  In sending Hadoram to the northern kingdom Rehoboam was trying to exert control of the kingdom base din Samaria even though he had been told that the ten tribes in the north were actually separated from him.

11:3-4 God could not have been clearer in His instructions and it seems that he actually heeded what he had been told for the record now speaks about him doing building work in the land. Also we see that Judah under Rehoboam became a magnet for the faithful in the north -:13

10:4 The charge is made against Solomon that he burdened the people. Subsequent comments in the chapter lead one to conclude that there was some truth in the accusation. However on readings the limited amount of detail given about Solomon’s reign we might think that the accusations were false. Maybe the resolution to the apparent contradiction is to be found in the fact that Solomon’s kingdom is presented as a pattern of the kingdom of God that will be re-established on the earth and we only know about the first 20 years of so because the Holy Spirit did not record the excesses of Solomon’s reign lest the image of peace and plenty be destroyed.

That is the excesses happened but are not recorded so that the image of the future kingdom is not marred.

v.2 - If the reed was (as suggested) approx 3 yards, we are looking at a square of around 50 miles each way here - a large geographical area that is, being square, the holy of holies (v.3)

45:10 ye shall have ... a just bath Leviticus 19:35
45:10-12 The details contained here echo the requirements of the law. The details about the shekel and it's value match Exodus 30:13. These similarities demonstrate that Millennium temple worship will have many similarities with the Mosaic order.

v.2 - If the reed was (as suggested) approx 3 yards, we are looking at a square of around 50 miles each way here - a large geographical area that is, being square, the holy of holies (v.3)

45:25 The re introduction of the feast of tabernacles is seen to be a requirement in the kingdom for Zechariah (14:16)

45:21-22 The Passover will be re instituted. It will be offered by a mortal priest because he will 'offer for himself'. So again a detail which highlights the truth of the traditional Christadelphian belief that in the kingdom there will be mortal Jews.

HOLY GOD, HOLY LIVES

The thing that struck me from these chapters in Ezekiel was the holiness of God and our duty to be holy to him.

Sometimes we think that the rigidity of life under the Law of Moses has been done away with under Christ. But Christ said that he had not come to abolish the law, but to fulfil it. During his life Jesus did not break the law, in fact, the only way he was cursed by the law was by being hung on a tree at his crucifixion. The way Jesus fulfilled the law was by looking beyond it – not outside it – but to its roots and the things that the law stood for. He fulfilled it by practising love, mercy justice and all the qualities the law encompassed instead of focusing on all the actions and technicalities of the law.

So while we are not bound by the technicalities of the law, we are still bound by its principles and by our God who underwrites it. He is still holy. He is still the same God as he was then and the same God as he will be when these chapters come to pass. He is a holy God and we must treat him as holy and live holy and godly lives before him.

45:25 The "fifteenth day of the seventh month" marks the beginning of the feast of tabernacles (Lev 23:34) marking another feast that will be observed in the kingdom - but we have passed the time of the day of atonement so does this indicate that there will not be a day of atonement in the kingdom calendar?

V.1 Only the Lord's portion is subdivided

 Just as the Levites camped around the tabernacle in the wilderness, so in the Kingdom reign of Christ the Levites are to live around the sanctuary and the most holy place, Eze 45:4,5. 

Christ the Prince- see comments for tomorrow as well.

Why would Christ prepare a sin offering for himself(45:22)?
The short answer to this question is that in the Kingdom age, Messiah the Prince takes part in certain “rituals” as a memorial, not as a requirement to accomplish what he has already accomplished (ie. Heb 7:27).

We are told that the Law shall go forth from Zion...(Isa 2:3. Mic 4:2). This incorporates the fact that sacrificial offerings are reinstituted, but this does not negate the “once for all” sacrifice of Christ. Remember what the Law of Moses was for, that is, a shadow of what was to come: it merely pointed FORWARD to the sacrifice that would make an atonement for sin. In a similar fashion, the sacrificial offerings in the Kingdom Age will point BACKWARD as a memorial of the great offering made for sin. Especially for the mortals of that age, who will need to be shown that Christ was not given his appointed status by coming in, say, an angelic body(as some suppose), but rather, that he came “in the flesh”, bore our nature- yet overcame- and was given this privilege because of that fact. So, while it is true that Christ as the Prince will offer a sin offering for himself, and this involves partaking of the offering (Lev 6:26, 10:17), we should remember that this isn't something strange. He has already done this in the past when he partook of his “new memorial” (Lk 22:15-16;Exo 12:14-17), prior to his death, and he stated HE WOULD DO SO AGAIN IN THE KINGDOM(Lk 22:15-18). So, these things, along with his baptism, were done to “fulfil all righteousness”(Matt3:15).

One might have problems with why he would do this in the future, having already obtained the divine nature...but as mentioned, it will be a memorial, to teach the principles of the atonement to the contemporary generation of nations. Interestingly, David himself shall also “go to the altar”(Psa 43:4)- but that’s a different story. :) Ask yourself this question. Why do we break bread now? A Memorial right? There is no power in the sacrifice itself now. Christ has already accomplished the work needed- yet we do it as a reminder of his atoning work. So memorials are no different in the Kingdom. They will be reminders. 

Since we have a memorial to remember Christ's death in the bread and wine, some may wonder why that just couldn't be done in the kingdom instead of the sacrifices?
Since the people of the Millennial age will not be as familiar with death as we are (having life extended greatly), they need a more poignant reminder.

45:4  Here we see a departure from how it was in the past. Whereas in the past the priests had cities scattered throughout the land as detailed in Josh 21 and there was no provision for them around the tabernacle in the kingdom age the priests will have specific territory close by the temple for their house. This is not to say that they will not be throughout the land as well. Just to make the point that the provision of land round the sanctuary is a new thing.

45:18 Here and throughout the remainder of this chapter there is mention of feasts that were kept under the Law of Moses. This indicates that there is to be a reinstating of at least something like the law of Moses, if not the Law of Moses in all its details. This will be for the mortal population living in the millennium reign of Jesus.

45:9 The warning to ‘remove violence’ seems not to have been heeded by the returning Jews for in the days of Nehemiah they had to be reproved for taking usury of their brethren – Neh 5:10 Now that was not physical violence but it violated the laws of God. We should remember that we can harm our brethren without actually touching them. We do this by not implementing the principles of the gospel in our dealings with them.

V.1 The holy portion (KJV); holy district (ESV) will measure approximately 6.2 miles (10 km) x 5.7 miles (9.2 km).

V.2 The sanctuary will measure 750 feet (229 m) x 750 feet (229 m). The open space (KJV) around the sanctuary will measure 75 feet (22.8 m).

V.5 The section for the Levites will measure 6.2 miles (10 km) x 2.8 miles (4.5 km). This is as long as the holy district but half as wide.

V.6 A portion of the city will be set aside for people of all tribes to dwell. It will measure 6.2 miles (10 km) x 1.4 miles (2.25 km). The city portion will be as long as the Levites section but half as wide; and one-quarter as wide as the holy district.

Probably a selection of candidates from all tribes will live in the city portion. Perhaps the selection will be made in somewhat a similar manner as it was in Nehemiah’s time (Neh 11:1,2).

V.11 An ephah is a dry measure while the bath is a liquid measure.

V.12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs aligns with Lev 27:25. Mina comes from the Hebrew word maneh which means fixed weight.

V.15 Every two-hundredth of the best and fattest sheep will be offered for sacrifices.

V.18 There is no equivalent sacrifice in the Law of Moses.

V.25 This is the Feast of Tabernacles.

45:10 The ‘just balances’ contrasts Israel’s behaviour in the days of the kings when they falsified their trading – Amos 8:5– but such behaviour reflected a totally wrong attitude. In defrauding their customers they were actually robbing God. We can do likewise through saying one thing sand doing another.

45:16   The mention of a ‘prince’ here who is acceptable to be in the temple of God contrasts markedly with the previous ‘prince’ that Ezekiel has mentioned in Eze 21:25 – Zedekiah.

Eze 45:12

And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh (mina).”

A gerah is an ancient Hebrew unit of weight and currency. One gerah is 1/20^th of a shekel, or 500 grams divided by 60 divided by 20. In other words, 1 gerah (500/60)/20 = 0.416666667 grams = 6.43014932 grains. It is a very small weight. There are 50 shekels to a mina (from WIKI).

45:17 In saying that the ‘prince’ is to take part in the animals sacrifices when the temple is built is an indication that the prince is a mortal person.

1. Eze 45:1-8 - the holy district of land would be 25,000 cubits or reeds by 20,000 cubits or reeds, if in reeds the approx measurements would be 262,000 feet (49.7 miles) by 210,000 feet (39.8 miles), if in cubits the approx measurements would be 43,750 feet (8.3 miles) by 35,000 feet (6.6 miles); one part of the holy district of land would be 25,000 cubits or reeds by 10,000 cubits or reeds and within that land would be allotted land for the sanctuary measured in reeds or cubits 500 by 500 with 50 reeds or cubits open space around it, also in that one part of the holy district of land would be for the priests to minister and for their houses; the second part of the holy district land would be 25,000 cubits or reeds by 10,000 cubits or reeds and within that land would for Levites to minister and live in; alongside the holy district of land would be land of 25,000 cubits or reeds by 5,000 cubits or reeds that would be property of the city belonging to the whole house of Israel; belonging to the prince would be land running east to west on the side of the holy district and on the side of the city.

2. who is the prince? The prince is not a high priest and can enter the sanctuary no further than the court of the priests (Heb 9:12;Eze 46:2-3;45:7-9,16,22;46:18); the prince offers sacrifices for himself and his sins (Eze 45:22;46:10-12); the prince appears to be warned against exercising oppression and a succession of princes seems to be implied (Eze 45:8;46:18); the princes seem to be warned against fraud (Eze 45:9-12); the prince seems to have sons and presumably a wife (Eze 46:16-17); the mention of an inheritance suggests the prince might die (Eze 46:16-18).

3. Eze 45:5 - Septuagint - "the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth twenty thousand: and the Levites that attend the house, they shall have cities to dwell in for a possession" - will the Levitical ministers have cities/villages to dwell in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem (Neh 12:29;7:4)?

4. would most be living in Jerusalem in Ezekiel's temple, or with the guards of Nehmiah's temple where the walls were consecrated with sacrifices, but will many live in the Messianic millennial kingdom of Jerusalem to come (Eze 45:5;48:13;Neh 12:27-29;11:18-36;4:22;7:4;12:27-43;Zech 8:4)?

5. Eze 45:8 - land allotted to the 12 tribes, what about the Gentile inheritance (Gen 12:7;Gal 3:8,16,26-29)?

6. Eze 45:17,22 - these sacrifices would seem to be expiatory not commemorative; excluded from the annual festivals of the past were the feast of weeks (pentecost) and the day of atonement, included were the feasts of Passover in the 1st month and Tabernacles (Harvest) in the 7th month (Eze 45:21-25); in light of what we read in Heb 7:18-28 and other places, will there be sin offerings (Eze 45:19,22,23,25;Lev 4:1-10)in the Messianic millennial kingdom age?

45:1   This future division of the land will be a fulfilment of God’s promise to give Israel the land. Hence the “oblation” – offering to Him. The oblation will mark their thankfulness that he has kept His promise to them. 

No tax for Israel

"And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion... In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes." v7-8

Unlike in the reign of David, Solomon and the other Kings where the people were taxed from the produce of their own land in order to finance the King, here we have an area of land set aside which is farmed for the rulers. The result is that there is no way for the people to be oppressed with high taxes because the princes and their retinue are self sufficient.
 

45:1    The whole of the earth is God’s. However Ezekiel is to offer a portion of the land to God. We can learn from this. Everything we possess is God’s. But do we think like that and are we willing to give back to Him part of that which we consider as our own? We may give money but how willing are we to give up our time to God in service to Him? Not just by going to meetings but in devoting time to the needs of others.

45:1      The giving of “an oblation” to the Lord when the land is divided is akin to giving the shekel for the sanctuary Exo 38:26 when the people were numbered.

45:4  The provision of land for the priests around the building is like the way that villages in Israel were to have like we see in Num 35:2-5

45 This chapter divides into two parts.

:1-5     speaks of the holy district around the buildings.

:6-20   speaks of the portion for the prince.

45:21 The passover was introduced to remind Israel of their deliverance from Egypt. This represented deliverance from sin and death. So its re-introduction for the mortal population in the kingdom of God makes supreme sense. The mortal population will still need to learn about deliverance.

45:8 Israel’s long history was of men in authority abusing the position they were in. This is contrasted with the “prince” showing a very different age is going to be ushered in.

45:6-25 Whilst speaking about the portion of land for the “prince” there is emphasis on correct behaviour. For example no violence is to be seen (:9) and there had to be integrity in trading (:10-11). It is not possible to separate the way we live from the inheritance that God has promised us. Unless we can live honestly now we will not take part in the kingdom of God in the future.

45:17  Whilst we might debate who the price will be we can know for certain that aspects of the law of Moses will be re-instated for the record speaks of various details that we find in the law of Moses.

45:9 The partly contemporary prophet Jeremiah, in Jerusalem, was highlighting just this sort of behaviour – JJer 6:7, Jer 20:8. Doubtless those who heard Ezekiel describe the future temple would recognise the excesses committed in Jerusalem and maybe even by those listening to Ezekiel when they were in the land of Israel.

45:12 twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

What is this strange addition all about: 20 + 25+15 = 60 = 1 mina?

Could it be that in the Kingdom there will be coinage like we have today and that coins will be denominated as a 1 shekel coin, a 20 shekel coin, a 25 shekel coin and a 15 shekel coin as well as possibly a 1 mina coin (similar to, in Australia, we have a 5 cent coin, 10 cent coin, 20 cent coin and a 50 cent coin as well as a 1 dollar coin and a 2 dollar coin)?  So in the kingdom there will be a base 60 coinage (mina) rather than the base 100 ("cents") system (dollar) used today in some countries. 

But why the strange coinage denominations? Are there better denominations that could have been chosen?

Equipped with only these five different coins (excepting the lower level transactions involving the gerah being 1/20th of a shekel) all transactions, base 60, can be achieved with a minimal amount of coins compared to the (Australian) base 100 system. For example, a 5 shekel transaction can be achieved two different ways involving just two coins: Pay 25 shekel coin receive 20 shekel coin back, pay 20 shekel coin receive 15 shekel coin back.

So, many transactions are achievable without huge numbers of coins being carried around compared to our modern systems.

What is the significance of this more versatile coinage system?

Answer: The kingdom will have lots of trading where money will change hands all the time (no electronic banking in the Kingdom). Efficiency of transactions is possible with these unusual coin  denominations. This suggests a period of peace and prosperity where trading is common for everyone's mutual benefit.

45:4 Many of us live in environments where it is common for people travelling to work to spend an hour or more travelling to and home for work. Sadly this seems to have become the normal experience for various reasons including the price of property. But notice provision is made so that the priests who were to work in the temple were given, at God’s instruction, houses within a short distance of their place of work

v.26 is a response to v. 20 and the disciples' questioning. It is in the context of the inclusion of the gentiles. Here Jesus is preparing them for the work in the future, when he, rejected by his own people, becomes the saviour of the whole world.

12:3 Whilst John says that Jesus' feet were anointed Matthew 26:7 says his head was anointed Mark 14:3 also says that his head was anointed
We may think that these is a contradiction between John and the other two records. However John is picking on the 'fact' because he wishes to link this event with the washing of the disciples feet John 13:5. John is the only one to mention the washing of the disciples feet and so the focus is on 'feet' in chapter 12.
When we notice differences between different gospel records we must look for the reason for the difference rather than just assume that one of the records is inaccurate.

12:20 Whilst it is not possible to be certain which day the Greeks came to see Jesus it seems reasonable to conclude that they - who would have been barred from going to the temple on temple mount - sought Jesus after he had cast out the money changers and declared, as did Isaiah (56:7) . They saw in Jesus a man who understood their plight.

:38-40 So, as we saw in April. even though among the common people there was an expectation the leaders did not believe. This is shown by two more quotations from the Old Testament.

'Lord ... revealed' Isaiah 53:1
'He hath ... heal them' Isaiah 6:10

so we see a tension between the expectations of the common people and the leaders.

12:19  The chanting of Psa 118 may well have been sufficient to cause the Pharisees to think that 'the world is gone after him' but given that the next thing mentioned is the Greeks coming to Jesus which we suggest was after the cleaning of the temple (2002 comment) maybe their impotence on that occasion fuelled their dismay.

V.22 As fellow townsmen of Bethsaida (John 1:44), these two men seem to have been drawn to each other.

V.13 The people took palm branches when meeting Jesus.  Palm trees are a symbol of righteousness, which were displayed in Solomon's temple and will be displayed in the new temple in the Kingdom (1Kin 6:29; Psa 92:12; Eze 41:25,26).

V. 32 draws on the bronze serpent in the wilderness which represented Christ as the healer of humanity (bronze) in overcoming sin and death (the snake) (Num 21:8,9; John 3:14,15).

Vs.42.43 It is not good enough just to admit that Jesus is the Christ.  A commitment to follow and obey at the expense of worldly things is necessary for salvation.  Some Pharisees were not willing to do this.  We ought to remind ourselves of our commitment (Matt 6:24;10:32,33;John 15:14).

12:32  In speaking of being 'lifted up’ Jesus is making reference to John 3:14 and , 8:28

Vs. 44,45 Jesus showed the Father because He was the image (representation) of God (Col 1:15).  Belief in Jesus meant belief in the Father also.  Clearly, this indicates a belief in two separate persons, not the confused Trinitarian notion of two parts of a tripartite God.

v 27,28  Just as Lazarus' death & resurrection had been for the glory of God John 11:4,40, how much more Jesus'.

12:20 The fact that ‘certain Greeks wanted to speak with Jesus must have been a comfort to him. He had just cast out the money changers and had for all of his ministry suffered persecution and rejection from the leaders. But now he sees evidence that his teaching was having an effect even further than the borders of the land of Israel. There are a number of events in the last week of the mortal life of Jesus which must have comforted him. Were they part of God’s care for His son? Did He engineer these comforts to help His son through the ordeal which ended in his death?

12:26 ‘If any man serve me him will my father honour’ catches the sentiments of Prov 27:18  where Hezekiah who copied out this section of the Proverbs – Prov 25:1 - is teaching those who would be kings how they should behave.

12:8 Jesus’ comment ‘the poor always ye have with you’ is not a heartless comment but a reminder of what God had already taught Israel – Deut 15:11. The point that the law taught Israel was that no matter how much they gave they would not solve the problem of poverty. The giving was for the benefit of the giver. The giver would learn about God’s generosity through his giving.

V.14 Jesus asked his disciples to bring the ass with its colt (Matt 21:2).

V.15 This verse fulfils the prophecy of Zech 9:9. But why did the Lord need both the donkey and her foal? Notice, from Matt 21:2, that the donkey was tied but the foal was not. (There is no need to tie a foal as it will not wander away from its mother).

In the selection of the two animals, the Lord was showing Judaism and Christianity. The older animal represented Israel. Like the donkey, which was tethered, Israel was also limited, being constrained by the Law. The foal represented the new way in Christ. The limited older donkey gave birth to the unconstrained younger foal. And so the Law gave birth to the freedom in Christ.

V.38 See Isa 53:1.

12:16 ‘these things understood not ...’ is an inspired comment added by John. Right through his gospel John provides explanations as to the details he writes – he expounds his own gospel as he writes it. If we wish to understand his gospel we do well to take note of his own explanations and comments embedded in it.

12:2   Continuing the comment made in April the phrase ‘Martha served’ is echoed in  Luke 22:27 where Jesus told the disciples that he was among them as ‘one that served’.

John 12:47

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”

We read in John 9:39: “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”

So which is it? Context is extremely important when dealing with isolated passages, which otherwise would seem contradictory. In John 12, the context is about Jesus coming to save those who would believe on him as the Son of God (verse 48). It was not his time to judge the nations of the world, which would occur at his second coming. In John 9, the context deals with Jesus being judged. “Judgment” is the Greek word, krima, # <2917>, and has to do with “a decision.” It is not a judicial word like krino, # <2919>. In essence, Jesus is saying here that he is the one being judged by those who will make the decision of either accepting or rejecting him.

John 8:15 “Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man.” That is, Jesus judged no one according to human standards as the Pharisees. Jesus judged by the Spirit Word (John 12:48-49).

Matt 7:1-2: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged…” We are not to judge according to appearances, judge one another's motives, or pass judgment on whether we are saved or not. That is the Lord’s prerogative (Rom 14:10-13).  We are to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24). As we continue reading, we learn that Jesus is not saying not to judge, but rather not to be hypocritical judges! We need to work out our own faults first before we can see clearly to remove the speck out of our brother’s eye. Matt 7:5 clearly shows that we are to judge. “Judge not” is actually the hypocrites’ rule that never gets past verse 1! Jesus warned against judging falsely, or with hypocrisy (Rom 2:1-10; Eze 16:52). The chapter goes on showing us how to judge correctly.

We also see from the following passages: Prov 24:25; Luke 7:43; Luke 12:56-57; Rom 7:51-53; 1Cor 2:15; 1Cor 6:2-5,15; Gal 2:11-14, that we are to judge! Jesus judged; the apostles judged; and his disciples judged; the present day disciples must also do likewise. In fact, those who tell us we are not to judge have already passed a value judgment in saying that judging people is wrong, having made the decision of what is right or wrong, thus doing exactly what they say we should not do! To claim that we are not to judge one another, and use the example that Jesus did not judge Judas, but kept him in fellowship is wrong and the subject matter taken out of context. To claim the Bible is a veritable miasma of contradictory assertions is, likewise, totally wrong.

“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them” – E. Paul Hovey, Author and Historian.

12:6   The comment ‘not that he cared for the poor’ explains Judas’ behaviour, However at the time the other disciples did not have a clue about his evil intentions as can be seen when in the upper room, the next evening, they do not suspect Judas’ motive John 13:29

12:43  We see here that the Jewish leaders loved the praise of men.  In fact their concern was that if Jesus were believed then they would lose the following of the people. Acts 2:47 shows that this fear was justified!

12:27   We should not think that Jesus only struggled with what was before him with the crucifixion when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying that the cup might pass – Mark 14:35 – the struggle was a constant one during his life. 

Doing a multi word Bible search

Here the chapter rotates around an old testament passage that is fulfilled by Jesus:

"And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt." John 12:14-15

This quote relates somehow to the the fact that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, because in this chapter he's at Lazarus's house and several verses in this chapter mention the event (e.g. v17). So how do we go about finding what scripture Jesus is quoting from? Yesterday we looked at how to do a Greek word search, but that technique wouldn't work here because the quote we need is in the old testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.

How to find the quoted Old Testament verse

This is where a multi word text search will come to our aid. If we searched for the word "ass" we'd get too many results to work through, although we'd get there eventually. If we try ass and king we'll get there much quicker. Try this now at http://www.blueletterbible.org

In the text box at the top or side of the screen, simply type in king ass. The search lists only three verses, two of which are in the Old Testament. As you can see the Zech 9:9 verse is the one we're looking for:

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Zech 9:9

We've found the right chapter that John is referring to, so now comes the interesting part. Why does John refer to this prophecy, and why did the people link it to the raising of Lazarus?

OPEN EYES AND HEARTS

Even though Jesus had done many miracles, had raised Lazarus from the dead, and taught truths that could not be argued against, many of the Jews still did not believe in him. John quoted Isaiah for the reasons they did not believe, saying,"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so that they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn - and I would heal them." (John 12:40.

Preconceived ideas can blind our eyes. One day Sharon thought I had taken the car to work, but I had actually ridden my bicycle. Because of that preconceived idea, her eyes were blinded to the car in the driveway all day while she waited for me to come home so that she could use it.

Our hearts can be deadened to the truth and love of God by past actions of people toward us - especially those we love. An abusive father can make believing in a loving Father God almost impossible. Then if we don't feel anything, how can we turn and be healed from what we didn't know exists?

We all have partial blindness and partly deadened hearts to some extent. But if these are the reasons not to believe in Jesus, let's pray that our eyes will be opened and our hearts made alive so that we can turn and be healed. With open eyes and hearts let us see him and love him for who he is.

12:23  In speaking of being “glorified” Jesus is looking beyond the suffering of the cross to the resurrection. It was this vision of the future that enabled Jesus to endure what was to happen – Heb 12:2. Do we have a firm vision of the glory of the kingdom to help us with the trials of this life?

12:11     There are a number of occasions in John’s gospel when we learn that some of the Jewish leaders believed on Jesus. We see this in 12:42 and later in 19:39 and possibly even a hint in  7:50-51 and  3:2

John 12:48

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

There are controversial teachings going around concern Christ’s attitude towards the Law of God recorded in the Old Testament. The common view is that the teachings of Christ in the New Testament annulled and replaced the teachings of the Old Testament. It is further taught that the sanction given by Christ to the writings of Moses is to be understood in a limited sense is, likewise, dangerously untrue. Those who allow themselves to be beguiled by it are neither faithful to Christ nor to Moses (cf. John 5:46,47).

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures that spoke of him: Matt 22:42-45; John 5:39,46; John 8:58

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures that disclosed the plan and purpose of his life and death: Matt 8:17; Luke 4:18-21.

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures the fulfillment of what was written of him, in type and prophecy: Luke 18:31.

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures as being led and sustained by the Word of God: John 7:15-29.

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures showing the way he must walk in the accomplishment of the Divine purpose for man’s redemption: Luke 22:37.

Christ referred to Old Testament Scriptures showing the weapon by which he could overcome the enemy: Matt 4:4,7.

Christ’s testimonies forming the Old Testament Scriptures were constant and emphatic: Matt 11:13-15; 12:5; 21:42; Luke 10:26; 16:29,31; Luke 24:27,44.

Christ asserted Old Testament’s uniqueness in authority and character: Matt 4:4,7,10; 12:3; 19:4; 21:16.

Christ declared the Old Testament to be absolute and inviolable: Matt 5:17,18; Luke 22:37; John 10:35

Christ pointed to the Old Testament Scriptures proving the certainty and necessity of his death and resurrection: Luke 24:46; cf. Acts 2; Acts 3. Events narrated by Christ were treated as historical facts and made frequent and unmistakable quotations from the Old Testament books: Matt 19:4,5; 23:35-40; 24:37-39; Mark 2:27; Luke 17:28-37; John 3:14.

Christ set the seal of his Divine authority on what he said and did: Luke 24:27,44.

These examples are far from exhaustive! Christ did not depart from the Law; he did not abrogate the Moral aspects of the Law. The Civil aspects of the Law were accomplished in him. Because Christ’s statements given in the Sermon on the Mount differed so much from the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, some interpret this to be a subversion of God’s Word and a substitute for Christ’s own! Christ’s intention was to show how far along they had gone from the true original teachings of the Torah!

“Fulfilled the law” is twisted to mean that the Law has no further obligation on Christ’s followers. What Christ did was to show the spiritual intent and application of God’s Law, which they had lost sight of. It was actually more difficult to keep, not that it was annulled, or no longer necessary. For example, the sixth Commandment was not restricted to the act of murder, its intent was also to curb every evil thoughts of heart and mind that led to the murder, including unjust anger and contemptuous words (Matt 5:21-26). God’s intent of His Law was for the people to obey Him from the heart (cf. Deut 5:29; Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8).

“Fulfilled the law” (Matt 5:17) has come to mean for some that Christ did come to destroy the Law, but ended it by fulfilling it. To believe this is to contradict Christ’s teachings! “All” will not be fulfilled (Matt 5:18) till the end of the Millennium. Until such time, the Law’s requirements must be obeyed.

“Fulfilled” is ginomai, # <1096>, and means “to become, to come into existence, or “to come to pass.” That is, until the completion of God’s plan to glorify humanity - that as long as there are still fleshly human beings, the physical codification of God’s Law in Scripture is necessary (cf. Matt 5:19; 1John 2:2-6).

“… But I say to you…” (Matt 5:21-28) has erroneously been interpreted to contrast Christ’s teaching with that of Moses', thereby, declaring himself as the true authority. They assume that Jesus either opposed the Mosaic Law or modified it in some way. This, too, is a false teaching! It is to undermine God’s Law! Our righteousness must exceed Pharisaical righteousness.

12:45 Jesus re-states this  truth to Philip in the upper room – John 14:9. We need to appreciate that even though we do not know what Jesus looked like we know what his way of living was. If we can reflect that in our life we are showing God to those who see us.

12:2-11 this record of the feast in Bethany is placed immediately after the account of the resurrection of Lazarus because it is linked thematically with that event. The specific mention that Lazarus was one who was at the meal is part of the evidence of the two events being linked.

12:10 We read this and because we are so familiar with it maybe the magnitude of what is being said is not perceived. Countless people were aware that Lazarus had been raised form the dead. So the leader, in an attempt to undermine Jesus’ teaching are plotting a murder of an innocent man! But they were “religious” men. How easy it seem to be to forget one’s principles and to use underhand tactics when our position and status is seen to be under threat!

12:9 When the records says “much people of the Jews” came we should appreciate that the “Jews” in John’s gospel are members of the ruling class. They have a problem. On the one hand a notable miracle has been performed which they could not explain whilst on the other hand they wanted Jesus dead. They had to make a choice. We can imagine that many there eventually became followers of Jesus like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

12:10  We read this and because we are so familiar with it maybe the magnitude of what is being said is not perceived. Countless people were aware that Lazarus had been raised form the dead. So the leader, in an attempt to undermine Jesus’ teaching are plotting a murder of an innocent man! But they were “religious” men. How easy it seem to be to forget one’s principles and to use underhand tactics when our position and status is seen to be under threat!

12:45  could we say the same as Jesus? Can people around us see the character of Go din the way we speak and behave?

12:20  The contrast between the “people” and the “chief priests” is so marked! But it reflected what they wanted to do with Jesus also.

12:9 The “people” – not the Jewish leaders -  are motivated to see Lazarus because what had happened was something unique. Seeing Lazarus who they had last seen put into the tomb, would be a real confirmation of what most of them had not seen. That is Lazarus being raised form the dead.