Comments for April 28

v.5 - Deuteronomy is full of these reminders to stay on track in order to receive the blessings promised. This so obviously applies to us in our situation under the New Covenant too. If they needed such constant reminders, surely we do too. ch.4:9, 11:13-15, 28:1-15, Lev.26:3-13, Josh.1:7, Phil.1:27.

v.3 shows us that the release - the jubilee - the consequent rest in Jesus - is just for those who are part of the body. There are quite a number of laws of this sort which have one rule for the people and another for the stranger. In a picture this is showing us the freedom we have in Christ. Consider Jesus' question to Peter in Matt.17:25-26 and the deeper contrast made in John 8:35

15:4 Whilst provision was made for the time when there were no 'poor' among Israel they would always have 'the poor' because of the fact that they could not keep the law. Jesus knew that this was so. (Matthew 26:11 Mark 14:7 John 12:8)

:8 Whilst the law made specific provision as to how the Israelite was to behave it could not legislate for attitude of mind. So there is the warning 'beware …' (:9). Our service to our God must not be grudging (2 Corinthians 9:7)

15:9 'and it be sin unto you' shows that refraining from helping when a need is seen is wrong. This forms the basis for James 4:17. The way Israel were to treat their brothers is a basis for life in Christ.
 

V.7  Moses exhorts the Children of Israel to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness; This we are told from Paul's writings that God loves a cheerful giver. Rom 12:8; 2 Cor 9:7

A Hebrew man or woman became a servant voluntarily (v.12).  After serving six years there was freedom and much blessing (vs.13,14). 

We too have become voluntary servants of the Lord and look forward to the seventh year, the Sabbath rest, when we will be abundantly blessed. 

Notice that this blessing applied only to covenanted servants of Yahweh.  And so too, the blessings that Jesus will bring will only be given to His brethren and not to strangers (even if those strangers claim to be followers of His).

One of the laws from God was that the firstborn males of the animals must not be used for farm work, but must be eaten by its owners in the place that God would choose  (Deut 15:19-23). This would ensure that everyone would be reminded that the firstborn was God's.

15:9       This law which commanded generosity did not command the degree to which generosity has to be shown. The degree to which generosity was to be shown was determined, not by the giver but by the need of the recipient.

V.10-11 - though many of us are surrounded by materialistic me first climates, we are to give generously and without a grudging heart; there will always be poor people in the land but we are to be openhanded to our brethren and others; Some people quote Matt 26:11 with the suggestion that generously giving to the poor is almost like throwing money away because the poor are always going to be around and we can't realistically solve all their problems but the intent of Matt as seen by the expansion in Deut is not to be stingy, in fact, quite the opposite. An additional application/interpretation is there are the spiritually poor who need help and we all should be openhanded and generous with our time/teaching/encouragement in helping them and by doing so we all become stronger spiritually.

15:9 The requirement that the Israelite should show generosity ‘for the poor shall never cease …’ demonstrates that Israel’s generosity was not so that poverty could be removed from the nation. Rather the point is being made that no matter how generous they were towards their poor brethren they would not be able to solve the problem of poverty. In like manner today we should realise that the solution to world poverty is not to be found through individual or national giving – as good and generous as that is. Poverty will only be removed when Christ returns.

TIME TO CANCEL DEBTS
 
When Jesus was asked about the meaning of forgiveness, he told a parable about two men who owed money. One was a rich man who was owed an amount impossible for his debtor to repay. He cancelled the debt and his debtor was forgiven. The other, (who was also the forgiven debtor) refused to forgive the man who owed him a small amount of money and threw him into prison. When the rich man heard of this, he cancelled the cancellation of the debt owed and threw the man into prison to be tortured until he had paid all he owed. Jesus concluded, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart." (Matt 18:35)
 
With this connection between forgiveness and cancelling debts, we can see a wonderful principle by which we should live. God told Israel, "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts." (Deut 15:1) He then proceeds to explain how it should be done. We need to put this principle into practice and ensure we regularly forgive any grudges we might be holding against anybody. If it is over than seven years old, forget it! Better still if we clean our grudge slate each year, each month, each week or every day. However often we do it, let's make sure we do not hold on to old debts or sins that need forgiving.

15:11   Clearly the generous spirit of the Jews towards their brethren was not designed to relieve poverty in totality for ‘the poor shall never cease out of the land’ So the giving was, primarily, for the benefit of the spiritual development of the giver.  This point is developed by Paul in 2Cor 9:6-7

Yahweh cautions His people against the natural human tendencies to be greedy, resentful and manipulative. At all times, fellow Hebrews must be helped, and not just when it is convenient. Gratitude for the grace that Yahweh had shown His people must be the underlying motivation. Therefore, joyous giving is required. Also, as an expression of love and respect, the best products were to be presented to Yahweh (v.21). Unfortunately, negative human inclinations subsequently won out and the Jews forgot their God (Jer 34:13-16; Mal 1:7,8).

True followers of Jesus must also have the right attitude towards God and their fellow man. The best should always be presented before Yahweh, and concern for the welfare of brethren and strangers should always be shown (Phil 2:4).

15:10 It was not simply a matter of relieving the poor. The provision of the details of the year of release were for the benefit of the giver. That his mind might become like that of his God. He was not to be grieved in his giving. He was to be a ’cheerful giver’ –2Cor 9:7 – not even expecting repayment of the debt – Luke 6:30-34

V.15 bondman (KJV) is translated from the Hebrew ebed which means servant (slave).  You might recall Ebed-melech who helped Jeremiah (Jer 38:7-9).  Although his name sounds like a proper name it was probably just descriptive of his station because his name means servant of the king.

V.21 Israel would later forget to honour Yahweh with the best of the flock. They thought: Why should we bring the best to be sacrificed, they are only going to be destroyed. Let’s keep the best for ourselves and bring the inferior animals to be burned in sacrifice. They considered sacrifice to Yahweh a weary exercise, but Yahweh was not amused (Mal 1:13,14).

15:1 The year of release had already been described and its provision laid out in Lev 25:4-7 but can hardly imagine there being year of release every seven years in the wilderness and if there had been it would only have dealt with people and not land. Now Israel are about to cross Jordan into their inheritance it is important that the whole extent of the provision be laid out again.

15:11 The ‘poor  shall never cease’ so that the servants of God can develop His generous spirit. Without there being a need that we have to meet we cannot develop that spirit. It is not good enough just speaking words, we must show His character in actions.

TIME TO CANCEL DEBTS

When Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer, he used an unusual turn of phrase that often gets changed by others who recite or teach this prayer. He said, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matt 6:12) More often this phrase is quoted from Luke, where we read, "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:4)

When Jesus spoke about debts like this, I wonder if he was thinking about the laws for cancelling debts given to Israel? God said, "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed." (Deut 15:1-2)

Israel had to cancel debts, particularly financial debts, every seven years. Our time for cancelling debts, particularly debts of forgiveness is any time we pray.

The time for cancelling debts has come. Are we ready to cancel debts and sins against us in our lives? Are we ready to do it now?

15:6    The promise that Israel would “lend unto many nations” becomes one of the blessings that will flow unto Israel if they are faithful in Deut 28:12

Deut 15:16-17 - perhaps this is an echo of Christ as we have a servant for life, metal piercing and shedding blood, into a door (perhaps wood like the cross, also we know Christ is the door John 10:7,9) and in the NIV we have ears being pierced or in the KJV a body being prepared (Psa 40:6), we have Christ as a humble servant and a body prepared (Phil 2:3-8;Heb 10:5-7). Could this also refer to one who hears of the door (which is Christ) and of his own freewill chooses to be a servant of Christ (a true believer, hearer of the word, and follower of Christ) for life?

15:9  Jesus – Matt 20:15– warns against having an ‘evil eye’ – Prov 28:22 teaches that such an one has no regard for others.

A story of two paths

The seven year law of release sounds really great, except for if you're the one doing the lending. Let's imagine you had a cottage at the bottom of your garden you weren't using for the moment, so you lend it to your friend, who has a grown up child with a young family in need of a "starter" home. This family stays in your home, free of charge, and despite you dropping hints that they ought to build a home of their own, remain there year after year. It is difficult to evict them, because they are your friend's family, and besides, you wouldn't want their young children to be homeless. In fact, the tenant reminds you of this each time you speak with him! Now the year of release draws near and as the 6th year draws to a close you become increasingly desperate. In just a month's time you will have to hand over your cottage to your friend's lazy son, who has had several years to build himself a small home in this pleasant Mediterranean climate, but has not done so. This doesn't sound like such a great law now does it?

Let's flip it round and think about your needs, rather than the needs of the lazy man. What have you been thinking about as the year of release approaches? You have been spending every waking hour plotting how to get rid of him off your land. You're getting consumed by angst. You're becoming stressed. Email me if you think you're different, because I'd like to meet you! Yes, we're almost all the same aren't we? When it comes to the crunch we're really in love with our goods. We can't stand to see it "taken" from us. We feel we're entitled to them, and it's no wonder, because you built that house, it's on your land, and you have good memories of living in that place when you were just married.

But that attitude will turn you into a stressed, depressed person, and the Bible is trying to tell us here that we actually have a choice in this situation. It is saying that the normal course is to hold on to the goods, to our own detriment. It is saying that the sensible course is instead to let go.

What might the story sound like of we had let go?

Having moved from the home of your youth and built a bigger place, you lend your empty property to a young family, and spend a wonderful few years in the company of young children whose playful sounds continually drift across on the breeze. When you work outside the children run up and try to join in, and you show them how to dig the soil and plant seeds. Their father seems disinterested in work but his wife and children turn out to be a huge help on the farm. Whenever you speak with the tenant you reassure him he can have it as long as he needs it. The year of release comes and goes in the time the family is still weaning children, but you feel no anxiety about that. You enjoy your own home all the more knowing that your second home is being used to the full. Your friendship with the man's dad grows from strength to strength. On feast days you all travel together to Jerusalem, and you are exceedingly glad of the safety in numbers of your group, and to know that the wife and children of your former tenant are back home keeping an eye on the place. One night disaster strikes. You are at home in bed when fire takes hold in the barn, adjoining the house. One of the children sees smoke and runs to alert you, getting you out of bed and out of the house. Nevertheless, the fire takes hold and completely burns down your house and kills your livestock. You sleep for the first time in forty years in the old cottage, in the bed of the man and woman you lent the house to, while they insist on sleeping on the floor downstairs. In the morning you wake up late and wander over to the shell of your house. To your astonishment, rather than a scene of devastation, you are greeted by your friend, his son, and seemingly the whole neighbourhood who have set about rebuilding it for you. A few weeks later you move back in, wondering what would have been if you had never forgiven you neighbour his debt.

15:5    “Carefully hearken” is a recurring sentiment of God’s instructions to His people. Attention to His words is not something to be taken casually. Great care should be taken to ensure that His instructions are clearly understood.  In this busy world it is all too easy to “speed read” things – including Scripture. Such an approach to the things of God will spell disaster, eventually. 

15:7    The idea found in this verse is the basis for the Proverb – Prov 28:27

Deut 15:1 - debts canceled at the end of seven years which reminds me of the 7th millennial day of rest when Christ returns to earth and there will be resurrection, judgment, eternal life with the debt of sin (i.e. death) cancelled for the saints.

Deut 15:1,2
“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release… it is called LORD’s release.”
What is the year of the LORD’s release? Since every seventh day was a Sabbath day, so every seventh year was a Sabbath year (Exo 23:10-12; Lev 25:1-4,20,21). It was during the Sabbath year that the land and the people were to rest, not for a day, but for the entire year! The last day of the Sabbath year in the Hebrew Civil calendar is Elul 29 and on this day all debts were wiped clean. It took a lot of faith for the Israelites to be obedient in all this. The whole purpose of the year of rest and release was to put God first. Obedience was their act of submission to the will of God, acknowledging that all things come from Him.  
In time, the Israelites began to corrupt the Sabbath year, and they began to devise ways and means by which they could get around God’s explicit commands. The rich were reluctant to lend to the poor be it for agriculture, commerce, or any kind of small businesses, and this posed a grave difficulty for those who needed the money (cf. Deut 15:9).
The situation became so critical, that Hillel the Elder took radical steps to abrogate the cancellation of debts doing it legally by what is known as a prosbul. Under the prosbul, the creditor did not have to cancel any debts because it was transferred to the court, which being a corporate body, was not bound by God’s command to release debts on the last day of the Sabbath year.
A God-centered nation became a self-centered nation. They went from convictions to compromise and back-tracked and back peddled anyway they could. Judgments for their disobedience fell on Israel with the Babylonian invasion in 586 B.C. This event was a pivotal event directly related to their failing to keep the Sabbath year. Consider, for the land to rest, God had to remove the people from the land (only the poor remained, 2Kin 25:12). National blessings for obedience also meant national judgments for disobedience. Jer 25:4-11 records the extent of their disobedience and in reading 2Chron 36:15-19,20,21, we further learn that they did not keep the Sabbath year for 70 years (cf. Lev 26:31-35)! Once the 70 years were complete, God overthrew the Babylonians by the hand of Cyrus who then issued a proclamation for the Israelites to return to their land. Once the land rested for the set period of time they failed to keep the Sabbath year, the exiles were permitted to return to the land.

15:6    The promise that Israel would “reign” over many nations is developed again – Deut 28:13 – as a blessing that will only follow upon an obedient Israel.

15:8     The generous opening of the hand should be seen as contrasted by the open mouth of Prov 13:3.  The generous spirit encouraged by God here is replaced by words only. A bit like “be ye warmed and filled” James 2:16.

15:8       The faithful Israelite should seek to meet the needs of his poor brother. However Prov 22:26-27 counsels the poor brother not to enter into arrangements to clear his debts if the Law of Moses is not upheld.

15:12-14       The requirement to provide for the freed slave gives us more information than we are given in Exo 21:3. The Exodus  record is focussing on the willingness of the servant to remain with his master. Here we are being instructed about generosity

15:7 the presence of fellow believers who have needs, whatever they are, provides us with the opportunity to show the character of our Father who is generous. If we cannot see any need that needs to be met then we cannot develop the character of our Father.

15:14 We were in bondage to sin and have been freed from that bondage. This should help us to be understanding of those who from time to time fall short of the ideal set by Jesus

15:2 As hard as it must have felt debts had to be forgiven every seven years. So every Israelite would have experienced the year of release a number of times in their lives.

As they followed the  commandment they were being reminded that they had been forgiven a debt that they could never repay – their deliverance from Egypt under the hand of God and Moses.

15:6 James in his epistle focuses on liberty and generosity. So we maybe are not surprised when he writes of being bless in his generosity – James 1:25– like we see here in Deuteronomy. The laws given here are based on principles that still are relevant today.

15:4-5 The need for lending would only cease if the whole of the nation were faithful. God appreciated that the nation would not live up to His high ideals so, rather sadly, told the nation - :11 – that there would always be those in need of a loan.

v.2,3 - Usually it is easy to see the wisdom of Solomon's words, even if it is not easy to keep it! but here we need to investigate what is really meant. The word sorrow is elsewhere termed affliction, and this starts to make more sense of it. Some passages in Psalms make this clear for us - 119:67,71, 126:5,6.

v. 5 'Rebuke' is the correct way to deal with error. Leviticus 19:17 But there is no point rebuking one who has no respect for the Word of God Proverbs 9:8 The rebuke of the wise is to be heeded. Therefore we must asses the wisdom of the one who speaks to us. Ecclesiastes 7:5 This instruction from the Old Testament forms the basis for the warnings and exhortations in the New Testament. 1 Timothy 5:20 2 Timothy 4:2 Titus 1:13 2:15

v.4 - continuing the theme from v.2,3 discussed above - we see that the way of the godless is to enjoy this life, as he has nothing else. We mourn of this life because of its imperfections and look forward instead to that to come, where all will be peace and righteousness.

Notice the repeated refrain that certain things are 'better'

7:1 2 3 [twice] 5 8 and finally a warning that we should not view the 'former days as 'better' - this is the basis of man's depression. Human nature is such that it always thinks of the things it no longer has as more appealing than what is currently available. Israel were like this in the wilderness - we remember … (Numbers 11:5)

:28 Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) - and they turned him away from God so his comment here is a comment Solomon made about his own actual experience. The problem was in the choice that he made. In Scripture women stand for teaching - either 'wisdom' or 'error' - we must be aware that there are more 'strange women' than there is 'wisdom'!

7:4 Whilst this counsel seems at variance with how we might feel life should be it is doubtless correct. It is 'those who mourn' that will be 'comforted' (Matt 5:4) which is a mourning for the abominations done in Zion Isa 61:3

V.29  It appears that Solomon had the Genesis record of creation in mind as he penned these words. The fault for man's corruption is not God's. Man was made "very good," but have sought out many inventions. (or devices of their own heart.) 

Solomon's problem with women

Solomon had a thousand wives and concubines, and he knew all of these intimately. Yet in all of these women he could not find one who was "upright" (v28-29). In v26 he explains that the most bitter thing in life, even worse than death itself, is a woman whose heart is "snares and nets". He of all people knew this to be true, because he was the one who had wisdom and glory from God, yet fell from grace through the influence of the women he loved (1Kin 11:1-6).

The best motives

The word "snares" is the same words as "Rebekah". It is with her that we see the character trait he is referring to.

In Gen 27:1-17 Rebekah devises a plan in order to deceive her husband. Having done that, she then deceives him again in vs 45-46 by concocting a story based on half truth in order to undo the damage she has done with the first deceit. Even though we can say that she had the best motives, we can categorically say that deceit is always wrong, and always displeases God. His very character testifies to truth, and nothing but the truth. The same character trait is found in Eve, who for the best motives, so it seems, persuaded Adam to sin.

Women are of course very persuasive to men. Even the great Solomon in all his wisdom and authority was unable to stop himself being swayed to do wrong. The correct word for it is subtilty, and is opposite to uprightness. Solomon is stating in Ecclesiastes that he has found in every single woman he knows, a propensity to this character trait. When we think of the specific women he is referring to, we realise why this is. His thousand wives were largely from idol worshipping nations. It seems from v26 that these wives had deliberately set out to indoctrinate him into their form of worship. Had Solomon chosen his wives more carefully, he would not have had to write these verses at all. Had he chosen more wisely, his wives instead might have used all their subtilty in keeping him in God's ways (Prov 31:10-12).

V.10 There are people who long for the good old days as they nostalgically reminisce.  There is nothing good about any of the days we have lived or are living.  We should be future-oriented (Phil 3:14) and take one day at a time (Matt 6:34).  It is not where we have been but where we end up that is important.

V.20 Being just or righteous does not mean being sinless.  A righteous person is one who falls, realizes his error, corrects it, and moves on (Prov 24:16).

V.18 "he that feareth God shall come forth of them all"  shall escape all such extremes Prov 3:7

Anger, says Solomon, remains with you for a long time (Ecc 7:9). Dare I suggest that for much of our life there is no need to “get angry”?  Of-course situations sometimes demand it, and even Jesus Himself showed anger a few times.  If we ignore insults, and walk away from people who are making us cross, and really try to love our enemies  -  then “anger” can be reduced to a minimum. See Prov 15:1.

7:9 ‘Be not hasty to be angry’ is the basis of the exhortation and warning found in James 1:19

V.12 - wisdom is contrasted with money with a major difference being that wisdom gives life to those who possess it. Note how 'knowledge' is just before the second mention of  'wisdom' in this verse. We have to have knowledge (Prov 1:7; Hos 4:6) of God's word and then wisely (2Tim 3:15) apply it to have a hope of eternal life.

7:12 Today’s materialistic society would have us believe that the possession of money solves all problems, as if one can buy one’s way out of problems. However money cannot give eternal life.

7:7 The two features described here both relate to the way in which a man many be prevailed upon to give a judgement that differs from what he knows to be right. ‘oppression’ is a threat of some action. The ‘gift’ is a bribe. Exo 23:8

The preacher seems morbid in his view of life and death. But life is a serious business. Without the ability and willingness of the LORD to change humankind’s miserable situation, all are headed for oblivion. Fortunately, in His mercy, the LORD has provided a way of salvation, through the Lord Jesus (Acts 4:12). Without Him, there is no hope (Eph 2:12; Titus 1:2). The prospect of life or death should, therefore, lend gravity to the thinking, caring person. James expresses this (James 4:8-10). Fools will follow every path of frivolity in search of present enjoyment. Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die is their mantra. But those who trust in the LORD will see a better day (Psa 37:34).

7:13-15 The book of Ecclesiastes is making the point that God is at work in the lives of those who are ‘wise’ rather than trying to resist the Hand of God in our lives we should be willing to recognise His hand at work and take His correction. The whole objective in our lives is to submerge our will that it might become the will of the Father.

Vs.2-4 Too much merriment can prevent a person from reflecting the serious things surrounding life. Facing death brings sobriety.  That experience allows one to reflect about his/her life in order to bring changes for the better.

V.9 is echoed in James 1:19.

V.14 God is the creator of both good and evil (Isa 45:7). The phrase find nothing after him means that man can find nothing to blame after he has considered God’s work.

V.28 Solomon speaks from experience.  He had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1Kin 11:3).  His wives turned him to idolatry (1Kin 11:4,5).

Ecc 7:20;Rom 3:10-12.

7:10 Selective memory is a fault we all share. We tend to forget the evil things of the past and only remember the good – it was always hot and sunny in the school holiday when I was young – we tend to think. Rather the thinking of Jacob at the end of his life is more appropriate – Gen 47:9

7:1       Do we think the statement that the day of death is better than the day of birth as a general truth?  I suspect not.  Rather this is a true statement about the life of Jesus. It is his death and resurrection that is ‘better’ than his birth. Scripture focuses on his death rather than his birth

7:13    In Ecc 1:15 we learnt that crooked things cannot be made straight which superficially, is not correct. Here we learn why . Solomon is talking about things that God has done.

7:2        The wise man’s counsel is not that we should be miserable all the time rather than enjoy ourselves. The contrast is drawn that we may appreciate that we need to give much thought to the frailty of human life that we might appreciate what God is offering – eternal life.

 Ecc 7:1-6.

1. Ecc 7:1 - (NIV) "...and the day of death better than the day of birth" (incorrectly translated by the KJV to refer to "one's" death or birth, it should be understood to refer to someone else's death or birth) - Christ's death enables believers to have hope of a new birth and a new life (Phil 1:21-23;3:10-11).

2. Ecc 7:4 - (NIV) "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning (could this have an application to the memorial service of an ecclesia? 1Cor 11:23-26)...but the heart of fools is in thre house of pleasure".

3. Ecc 7:15-16 - we must be careful not to be proud self-righteous hypocrites (Prov 16:18;29:23;Luke 18:9-14;15:28-30).

4. Ecc 7:18 - (NIV) "It is good to grasp one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes" (Bro Gene Turner once told me to avoid extremes and that the right course is usually somewhere in the middle).

5. Ecc 7:20 - (NIV) "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" (1Pet 2:21-22 - except Jesus).
6. Ecc 7:26-28 - Solomon likely had difficulties among his 1000 faithless wives and concubines (1Kin 11:1-11) - how faithful will the bride of Christ be (Luke 18:8).

7. Ecc 7:28 - (NIV) "one upright man among a thousand" (Matt 22:14;7:13-14 - of course Jesus was the only fully upright man).

8. Ecc 7:29 - (NIV) "God made man upright but men have gone in search of many schemes" (beginning with Adam).

7:3       We might think that sorrow cannot be better than laughter. However Godly sorrow is better than a careless application of God’s principles as Paul told the Corinthians – 2Cor 7:10

7:8         Is this statement always true - It certainly was with the life of Jesus. His resurrection was of more value than his birth.

7:6     As we are not used to cooking over an open fire the wise man’s comment may seem strange, even meaningless. However once we realise that to cook over an open fire one needs a steady heat which is produced by slow burning wood we realise that the thorns spoken of which give an uneven and sporadic heat are useless – just like the fool’s laughter.

Ecc 7:2

“It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting…”

Grief is an emotion common to human experience. It is a feeling of deep mental anguish caused by loss. Loss is one of the hardest things to face, whether it is the loss of parents, a child, a spouse, friend, or home. These losses cause us to sorrow and to grieve, deeply affecting our emotions. Often it changes us, but let us pray it changes us for the better.

We must have a right perspective on grief. It is not wrong to grieve, a natural response to pain and loss. It is important to realize that grieving is a normal process of life, and it is unhealthy to block our emotions to protect ourselves from the pain. Grief can be good because it can refresh our perspective on life. While grief has its purpose, it also has its limitations (cf. Psa 30:5), a limitation of time no one can define because we are all so different. On the other hand, we need to keep our grief in check and not be so overcome by it that nothing else matters.

An important step to overcoming grief is to talk to God about it. This does not mean that through the years feelings of grief will not manifest itself because it does. When we open our hearts and minds to God, it reminds us all is not lost, that He loves us, cares for us, He is our refuge, and will work all things out in the end for us for good just as He did for Job and Naomi.

Bad can be better: the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth (Ecc 7:1). Unless preceded by Christ’s Second Coming, we are all going to die. No amount of exercise, organic foods, and all the brown rice in China will keep us forever young.

There are benefits to sorrow and mourning. Difficulties have the potential to awaken a spiritual dimension in us. For this reason, adversity is better than prosperity because it cultivates godly character (vv. 5-14). Job lived out Murphy’s Law, yet held fast to his integrity (Job 2:9,10). We just need to have a right sense of God’s presence and purpose in our lives.

7:9     One often hears the suggestion that one “counts to 10” before responding to a comment, especially if the comment causes us to be angry. It is wise counsel spawned by what the preacher says here.

Summary of Ecclesiastes 7

7:1-6      mourning is better than mirth

7:7-10    patient waiting  and working towards an end point is to be preferred to rashness

7:11-22  God’s wisdom is better than material possessions

             And accept your lot in life, whether wealthy or poor

             Because you will eventually die and have nothing

             So seek after wisdom

7:23-29  Finding wisdom is hard

             And cannot be found from men or women

             Because man has perverted his high calling

GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES

Life seems to be a cycle of good and bad things happening to us. Sometimes there is more good than bad, and at other times life seems like it just keeps getting darker. Listen to what the wise man had to say about it. "In the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." (Ecc 7:14).

Many people ask why bad things happen to good people. The answer is this: It is totally normal. Good things and bad things happen to us all. They are all from God. If life was a series of cycles of good to bad and bad to good, we could predict the future. But we don't know what God has in store for us. If the good times are from Him, then we need to rely on God in the bad times as well.

Here is one last thought to add to the mix. When God is in control, bad things are usually good things in disguise. Listen: "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28). It's up to us to see beyond the disguise to the blessings God is pouring out on us.
 

7:12   It certainly is true that being comfortably off so that one is not wondering where the next meal is coming from frees the mind. However it is not the complete answer to our needs. It is wisdom of God that gives life ultimately.

7:2-4 the wise man is not counselling us to be sorrowful all the time. Rather, like 2Cor 7:10 he is speaking about Godly sorrow is to be chosen rather than trying to pretend the error has not been committed.

7:15 The Hebrew for the recurring word ‘vanity’ in Ecclesiastes, hbl <1892>, is spelt the same as the Hebrew for 'Abel', hbl <1893>. This verse is an occasion where Abel is specifically echoed for he was a “just”, that is, a righteous, man, (see Matthew 23:35), and he perished “in his righteousness”. But Cain was a “wicked” one whose life was nevertheless prolonged “in his wickedness”. 

7:29 when we reflect on this verse we should not just think of the ways in which others have abused that which God has given to them. We might consider our own lives and the foolish things that we might have done.

7:12 A shadow – the word translated “defence” - can be a place of shelter on a hot day. A shadow also can be something very transient – providing comfort for a very short while before vanishing and leaving the one trying to shade in the open.

Both “wisdom” and “money” can be seen similarly. Money, however, is transient. It is “wisdom” that is not transient in the benefits it offers.

7:1  A good name is hard to gain. Through constant and reliable commitment to the things we are required to do a good name is “earned”. Sadly, but realistically, the good name is easier to lose than to gain. All the good that has been done is easily forgotten by those watching us when discretions are seen in our lifestyle.

7:5 We all like to hear others speaking good of us or of our loved ones. However we do well to reflect on whether the one speaking is actually reflecting truth in their comments. Whilst “rebuke” is not pleasant if it is necessary it is better than fools speaking well of us.

7:1-10 A rather bleak picture is painted, encouraging sobriety in the face of calamities.  The man who does not have a relationship with God may well just despair – but not the faithful servant of God.

5 v. 29 - We do not often find ourselves in a position of conflict like this where there is a choice between obedience to men or to God, but when we do, there should be no doubt of our actions. To stand up, as these folk did, blatantly denying the power of the law of the land in favour of the ways of God, requires a great deal of courage and conviction. Would we be ready if faced with this? Acts 4:19, Gen.3:17, 1Sam.15:24, Mark 7:7-9, Rev.14:8-12.

5 v.2 The word 3557 keep back Acts 5:2,3 is translated 'purloin' Titus 2:10 which shows that we can behave in a way similar to Ananias and Sapphira.

5 v.32 The disciples are told that they are witnesses to God's work with Jesus Luke 24:48 Which point they are not slow to point out in their preaching. Acts 1:8 22 2:32 3:15 4:33 5:32 10:39 41 13:31 22:15 26:16

6 v.3 The word 'appoint' 2525 can be seen, from its use in the New Testament, to encompass rulership and judgment. Matthew 24:45,47 25:21,23 (made) ruler Luke 12:14,42,44 (made) judge / rule Acts 6:3 7:10,27,35 appoint / made Acts 17:15 conducted Romans 5:19 made Titus 1:5 ordain Hebrews 2:7 5:1 7:28 8:3 set / ordained / maketh James 3:6 4:4 is 2 Peter 1:8 make The use in the epistles indicates that, when appointment was made, it was at the father's instigation, not man's.

5:41 Would we rejoice if we were persecuted and beaten? I suspect that many of us would try to hide our faith. The gospel and the certainty of the resurrection of Jesus had certainly changed these men.

6:3 The counsel to the ecclesia in Jerusalem echoes what Jethro told Moses (Deuteronomy 1:13). Indeed it is a good principle to use in Ecclesial life today. Brethren should not try to control things by holding on to power. Rather brethren and sisters must be involved in decision making. We will return to this point when we come to this chapter again later in the year.

ch 5 - The behaviour of Ananias and Sapphira shows a complete lack of understanding of Proverbs 21:27

6:7 In telling us that 'a great number of priests believed' a potential problem would raise itself. They had just been discussing matters of welfare and having resolved it they were faced with a great multitude who were now out of work.

 5:28 "in this name" Note that the Sanhedrin does not name the  "name" He does not say "the name of Jesus of Nazareth". This is not reverence as is usually the case in Hebrew usage, but a desire not to refer to the Lord, either out of hatred for Him, or a fear that they be taking the name of God in vain, not that they thought Jesus might be God, but that God's Works had been manifested by and through Him.

6:9 The disputing of these against Stephen matched the 'murmuring' of the Grecians against the Hebrews for those who disputed with Stephen were also Grecians.

Holding back service from the LORD does not seem to have the immediate and severe consequences that it did for Ananias and Sapphira. Their judgement was momentous and dramatic. Nevertheless, the LORD is taking stock of our progress which will be revealed in the day of judgement. He has no pleasure in those who do not keep their promises (Ecc 5:4,5).

5:1 The mention of the deceit and greed of Ananias and Sapphira immediately after the actions of Barnabus (4:37) is designed to force us to see the contrast. The chapter division is unhelpful here.

6:1 The first problem the ecclesia had to deal with was related to the care of widows. This was a major concern in the wilderness Deut 24:17,4:19-21. So it is not surprising that James (1:27) addresses this issue in his letter

5:34-39 It must not be thought that Gamaliel in his speech excused the Sanhedrin. What he achieved was, to supply for them a way to escape from a dilemma which threatened to engulf them. They saw an easy way out and took it. The incident is a lesson in the vanity of human beings who will not yield a point even when they know they are wrong. Even when they were shown that they were wrong before God, they did not yield.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
 
The apostles had been put into jail by the Sadducees, a group of people that included the high priest. "But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out." (Acts 5:19) As they were released from the prison they were given a specific commandment: "Go, stand in the temple courts ... and tell the people the full message of this new life." (v.20) We need to take note that this is exactly what the apostles did. "At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people." (v.21)
 
Daybreak was the time of the morning sacrifice. It should have been, then, that the paths of the apostles and of the high priest should have crossed, both being in the same place at the same time. In fact, the events that were to follow could have been extremely embarrassing for the high priest.
 
The high priest and his associates sent to the jail to get the apostles, but were surprised when the apostles were not found locked up where they should have been. They were told, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." (v.25) Surely, if the apostles had been in the temple the whole morning, they should have been seen by the priest or at least one of his associates. But unlike the apostles, the priests were not where they were supposed to be, nor doing what they were supposed to be doing..
 
Are we serving God as we should or are we too involved pursuing our own agendas? Let us make sure we are always in the right place at the right time for our Lord.

6:4  When we read of the apostles giving themselves ‘continually to prayer’ we should not assume that they did nothing but pray. We know that they preached and did miracles. The ‘continual’ prayer was prayer that was regularly offered. In like manner we can continually pray even though we do other things. It is an attitude which sees prayer as a regular part of daily life which the apostles manifested.

We read of the new “Welfare Committee” in Acts 6:5,6. But we do not read of what the committee did. Rather, we read of two of its members being super preachers. This is a good lesson to tell us that we do not specialise in one part of the truth’s work to the detriment of others. The Welfare Committee were also preachers.

 5:32 "The Holy Spirit; whom God hath given to them." If God gave the Holy Spirit, then surely it is beyond all limits of logic to argue that the Holy Spirit is a third person within the Godhead. If God gave the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit must have been something that could be given to a Human being. God gave the Holy Spirit not as a free gift, but as a method of control over His witnesses who spoke His Word. 

5:13-14           Notice the contrast – ‘durst no man join’ with ‘believers were the more added …’. Clearly we are seeing two totally different views. The first being the group of Jewish leaders who were trying to subvert the gospel. The second being faithful men and women wanting salvation.

Stephen is considered the first Christian martyr. Stephen was appointed with six others to deal with disputes between Hebrew and Greek-speaking Jewish members of the ecclesia. The name Stephen is Hellenistic and underscores his Greek-Jewish roots. Stephen was brought before the Jewish Council on trumped-up charges (6:12). The Supreme Council was the Sanhedrin, but there were two lesser courts in Jerusalem and also one court in each town of the country. It is not clear which court, in Jerusalem, charged him. The authority of the courts also extended to Jews living in foreign countries. They were allowed to operate, of course, under the aegis of the Romans.

Acts 5:12  Strongs says the word accord is "A unique Greek word, used 10 of its 12 New Testament occurrences in the Book of Acts, helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison". The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonise in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ's church."

Now we know that in the dedication of the temple by Solomon 2Chron 5:12 how there was a unison of faithful (Heman) brethren, gathered together (Asaph) to praise (Jeduthun) the Lord. And these brethren "stood at the east end of the altar". It is interesting to note that the brethren in Acts were in Solomon's Porch Now Strongs tells us that, " the portico built by Solomon in the eastern part of the temple " . There is such a wonderful harmony between these two events.

5:11 Doubtless Ananias and Sapphira were not the only people who were dishonest in their dealings with the church and God. The record is there to show the way in which the event impacted on the church and non believers who heard about it. We learn that our actions can impact upon others

bearing arms / war - Acts 5:29;Matt 5:44;John 18:36;Matt 26:52;Rom 12:19,21;John 8:23;Mark 10:19;Deut 32:35;2Tim 2:24;Deut 5:17;Ecc 3:1,3,8; (when God directs war) 1Chron 5:22;Psa 149:1-9.

5:2 Keeping back part of the price is akin to Israel keeping back their best cattle from sacrifice (see my note today’s Deuteronomy reading).

5:19 This episode is an example of Psa 34:7.

5:34 Gamaliel was the son of Simeon.  Some wonder if this was the same Simeon as described in Luke 2:25-35.  Gamaliel was Paul’s teacher (Acts 22:3).  With all these events that came into Gamaliel’s life he must have reflected upon Jesus’ teachings.  However, Jewish history has him continuing to be a Pharisee until his death in 50 AD.

6:1 Hebrew speaking Jews born in the Land felt superior to the Greek speaking Jews from the provinces and treated them poorly.

6:5 All the names in this verse are Greek and it is probable that they were Jews of the troubled Grecian group.

5:34 Gamaliel was not simply stating a rational point. Being a Pharisee he doubtless was sympathetic to the way in which the apostles were preaching the resurrection. The very conflict between Pharisee and Sadducee provided a disunited front on the part of the religious leaders which assisted the work of the apostles.

TEAMWORK

When the complaints about the care of the widows in the early church started to come to the fore, the twelve apostles came to a decision to help in the situation. They said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:2-4)

What the apostles had started was teamwork. They realised that they could not do everything by themselves and that they were going to be of more use praying and preaching than they were going to be serving meals or giving out welfare.

Once the decision had been made, the people selected, and the work begun, the comment was made "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." (v.7) It was once the teamwork was in place that the growth began to happen. So let us follow their example and allow each person to play their part in our gatherings. In doing so we will encourage more effective work and growth in our churches.

5:15    The idea of Peter’s shadow providing healing is matched in the way that handkerchiefs were taken in Acts 19:12from Paul to the sick.

Acts 5:1-11

“… Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God… Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord…?”

The name, Ananias means Yahweh is gracious, and Sapphira means Beautiful - both Greek names, which indicate they were part of the Hellenistic Jews of the ecclesia (Acts 6:1). Neither one, lived up to the meaning of their names. Their lie cost them their lives, and our lying will cost us ours (Rev 21:8).

What if this couple had been able to get away with lying to Peter and the other apostles? Would that not have cast a reflection on the knowledge and authority of the Holy Spirit filled apostles? For the sake of the ecclesia, it was important to send a strong message, not only that the Lord will not tolerate sin, but that his apostles and authority must be respected as well. The Lord expects the ecclesia to deal appropriately with those who walk in a disorderly manner (2Thess 3:6,14).

Wouldn’t the Internal Revenue Service love to have Peter’s discernment! Living honest and transparent lives may be difficult, but it sure beats the alternative.

5:42  We may well shy away from preaching if we received the punishment from the authorities as Peter and John did. However it is clear that the words of the leaders had no effect at all on them or their activities. Not only did they visit people but met and preached where the leaders would feel that they had authority – even in the temple.

NEVER STOP PREACHING

According to a statistic I heard the other day, only five percent of Christians are happy to share their faith. Many more are happy do do good things, help out with charities, be good citizens, feed the poor, and so on, but when it comes to telling others about our faith, we fail miserably. And apparently the problem goes even further because one of the reasons our children may not accept God's way is because they have never heard from their parents how important their faith is, or what it was that brought mum and dad to the place of faith they are at now.

What is the worst that can happen if we share our faith? Maybe someone will get grumpy and say, "I don't want to talk about that." Maybe we will lose a friend. Maybe they will hit us, take us off to prison, or kill us. What I have found, and what others before me have found, is that usually people are quite happy to listen, and are often quite interested. It still takes courage and faith, but rarely (particularly in the western world) is there a bad response at all.

Early in the book of Acts, the apostles preached Jesus to all who would listen. They were beaten for it, and some people even wanted to put them to death. (Acts 5:33,40) But they rejoiced that they had been "counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name." (v.4)

Let us, like them, never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. (v.42)

5:6       In the Western world it is common for a burial to take place days after a person dies. In the Middle East that does not happen. It is normal that a person is buried the same day that they die. Therefore the description of the burial of Ananias is typical of burials in Israel.

5:13     We see one who had been an opponent of the Gospel trying to join with the disciples – Acts 9:26 – in the person of Saul of Tarsus.  Of course he was a faithful disciple, though his attempts were viewed with suspicion. 

The man they had killed and hanged on a tree had followers, and they knew exactly who they were. They'd met his followers when they went to see him preach in Judea and even as far as Galilee. These followers were now animated as if by some hidden force, joined together with the single purpose of exposing their wrong:
 

"Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!" (Acts 5:28)

They brought Peter, their leader, before them, and rather than calm their fears he confirmed them, speaking in unmistakable words:

"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree."

5:33  The desire to kill someone having ‘been cut to the heart’ by what was heard is exactly the situation with Stephen – Acts 7:54.

Acts 6:1

“AND in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.”

Ecclesias are given the responsibility to care for widows whose families will not assume responsibility for them, or who do not have a family to make the provisions for them. Ecclesias are given specific instructions regarding the eligibility of widows whom they become responsible for (1Tim 5:3-16).

The problem which arose between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebrews originated because of the growth of the Hellenistic ecclesia and the resulting failure of the ecclesia to minister to a particular segment of its members. While it may appear in these verses that the Hebrew Jews were neglectful of the Hellenistic Jewish widows, verse 1 tells us that neglect occurred due to the rapid growth of their ecclesia. Scripture does not indicate that the Jerusalem ecclesia was directly responsible for the failure in feeding the Hellenistic widows, but when brought to their attention, they took immediate responsibility in taking charge of the matter in order to rectify this wrong.

As the ecclesia grew (v. 1), it required structural adjustments and seven (the Biblical number of perfection) brethren from among the Hellenistic ecclesia were appointed over seers (v. 3), so this would not happen again. Why just Hellenistic? Because, the Jerusalem ecclesia and the Hellenistic ecclesia(s) were very far apart; the Hellenistic Jews living in Greek cities (v. 9) and speaking the Greek language.
It was unintentional, and as we would say, they "fell through a crack," in the ecclesial program, as evidenced by the apostles' immediate response to the problem when it surfaced. This neglect was not one of commission, a deliberate act, but one of omission, an accidental, unintentional act. There is no indication that these widows, (and I might add, the poor and orphans, as well), were purposely neglected. It was in a sense, a "de facto" oversight, and the end result was a wonderful spirit of unity and harmony between them, as the multitude continued to grow in all obedience.

To solve any problem in the ecclesia, both leaders and people must be spiritual people in submission to God’s Word and in dependence on Him in prayer. The Greek word, wisdom (v. 3), is # <4678>, sophia, from # <4680>, sophos, (cp. # <5429>) carries the idea that these men had to be attested by others to be men of integrity. Reputations take time to build, and so it is implied that these men were not new believers. An understanding of the principles and processes by which this problem was solved could save us a great deal of heartache and division (cf. Prov 3).

6:8     Stephen was one selected to ‘serve tables’ but here we see him doing ‘great wonders’. The scene is being set for his arraignment before the religious leaders in the next chapter.

6:12-13 The way in which Stephen was “caught” and “false witnesses” were brought against him echoes Jesus’ experience as can be seen fromMatt 26:47 and 26:60

5:15   The thought that if the shadow of Peter passing over the sick would heal them was not just superstition.Isa 32:2speaks of salvation in similar terms.

6:14 this is one of the number of occasions that Acts advises us of the significant growth of the Christian community. So far only in Jerusalem.

6:7 we learn two things here

1 a large number of believers, many of whom were priest, were baptised and

2 the body of written scriptures increased – probably so early with the production of at least one inspired gospel record.

5:38-39 Gamaliel’s pragmatic counsel whilst legally true and wise possibly indicated that he had some sympathy with the teaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Remember he had been instrumental in educating Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) – Acts 22:3.

5:13the suggestion that Ananias and Sapphira were not true disciples but rather had been “planted” in the ecclesia to spy out what was happening is something which is alluded to elsewhere – Gal 2:4, Jude 1:4 where it is clear that there were amongst the believers individuals who were not genuine.

6:7  we learn two things here

1 a large number of believers, many of whom were priest, were baptised and

2 the body of written scriptures increased – probably so early with the production of at least one inspired gospel record.

5:29 Peter’s statement that he should obey God rather than man may have triggered in Gamaliel’s mind the counsel he was to give –  5:39

5:1There came challenges both from within and without the community in the first century. This is the first of a number of challenges of the apostles authority. Two individuals, typical of human nature, thought that they could lie to God and deceive Him. Maybe it will be worth looking for other challenges from within the community as we read through Acts.

It should not surprise us if there are problems amongst us given that there were even when the apostles who had the holy spirit had such issues to deal with.