Comments for January 20

35v.4 - the 'oak' tree here is the Hebrew 'elah, which is a terebinth tree. No less than 4 different Hebrew words are translated 'oak', but the other occasion that an oak is mentioned at Shechem (Jos.24:26), it is a direct derivative of the same word as is used here. The context in Joshua is just the same too (24:22-27). [Notice also it is the passage we referred to a day or two ago about the stones being a witness too]. The oak under which Deborah was buried in v. 8 of Gen 35 is different. This word just means 'a big tree'.

34 v.15 - This was deception, and yet it followed a principle of truth. It was necessary for the person Dinah married to be circumcised, as that was a requirement of being part of the family of Israel. And yet, this truth was used in deceiving them. The same thing seems to happen in the speeches of Job's three friends - the things they say are in correct, as far as they go. I think there must be a lesson here for us. We have a tendency, being human, to get the emphasis wrong. Let us pray today that we might truly discern those things which God would have us do with His word in our lives.

ch 34 - The whole incident of Dinah and Shechem is most unpleasant. It highlights the dangers of investigating what the world has to offer. The behaviour of Simeon and Levi is appalling also.. It seems that Shechem had, by the world's standards, high principles. Of course this would not justify Dinah marrying him. From the way that the men of the land speak it is clear to see how the 'world' thinks - it is self seeking.

ch 35 - Jacob owned a parcel of ground at Shechem - Abraham had bought it. So the gold was buried on his own land.

ch 34 - The behaviour of Simeon and Levi is as deceitful as their father had been often in his life - so the way that we behave is learnt by our children.

35:21 The 'tower of Edar' at Bethlehem is the 'tower of the flock' of Micah 4:8

Genesis 34, Genesis 35 - These two chapters contain, among many other things, an insight into the dynamics of Jacob's family. Dinah, Jacob's only [recorded] daughter, whose name means "Justice or Right" appears to have sought the company of friends in the world to [perhaps] alleviate the loneliness she felt within the compound, where there was most likely a dearth of girls around her age. Her adventures led her to Shechem, a [honourable?] young man of the world it seems [in his willingness to redress his wrongdoing with Dinah, by submitting to circumcision] and for Shechem it seems as though he has found his "Miss Right." Simeon and Levi are revealed as scheming and as treacherous as any "Syrian," and their readiness to "cheat" to gain their revenge becomes a reflection on Jacob ["The Cheat"] himself. Jacob is revealed as being ready to wait on God in the matter of Dinah v5, whereas earlier in life his reactions would have been redress the situation in his own strength, just as Simeon and Levi now do. Rachel dies tragically in childbirth, bringing forth young Benjamin into the world. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, who should have been the "priest in waiting" for the family, reveals his passion for the "here and now," by sleeping immorally with Bilhah, his mothers handmaiden. What great comfort we derive once again from the fact that though this patriarchal family is so dysfunctional, God continues to work with it to forward His purpose and fulfil His plans.

34:19 Notice that God’s assessment of Hamor is that he was ‘more honourable’ than the rest of the men of Shechem. Thus we learn that one who does not share an understanding of God’s promises can still have a degree of ‘honour’.

35:11 In describing Himself as ‘God Almighty’ Jacob is being reminded of the promises (Gen 17:1, 28:3)

v 1.Dinah went window shopping. She went to see what the local girls were doing. But it was probably her naivety which led to her being raped by the prince. What a lesson for us parents, and Sunday School teachers. We must always prepare our youngsters for facing the world. Perhaps her parents had been too involved with the boys’ upbringing, and had not forewarned Dinah.  The dreadful consequences of this unhappy event led to many lives being lost, and to the harsh sentence of Jacob inGen 49:5-7.

Simeon and Levi administered retribution to Hamor and his clan over Shechem's rape of Dinah.  This action unnerved Jacob as he considered his position vis-à-vis his neighbours (34:30).  His faith needed bolstering and so Yahweh brought him back to Bethel (35:1).  There Yahweh re-confirmed his role and destiny in His plan (35:9-13), and Jacob praised and recognized the Lord's blessing (35:14,15).  Similarly, do we not come each week to the altar of Yahweh to have our faith renewed?
Note that before going to the altar of Yahweh at Bethel, Jacob insisted that his household relinquish their idols (35:2,3).  Likewise, before we come to the altar of the Lord, we should be sure to divest ourselves of any worldly influences.

34:23 - Once again we see that the main attraction was money and wealth.  We are all so taken in by the possession of money, and will do almost anything to attain it.  Scripture contains many lessons about money and about our desires.  Not all possession of money is bad - many of the good men of old were also very rich, but the attitude towards it is very important.  Let us give God the glory in all that we do and all that we possess.

35:29 Feeble and blind, Isaac lived to an advanced age. It would have been a pleasing thing for him if he was aware of the reconciliation between Esau and Jacob as they met at Mamre to bury their father. The reconciliation was a temporary thing, as we still witness today.

35:1-7 - "Bethel" means "house of God". In v.2 we have them getting rid of their idols and old clothes of unrighteousness , and in v.4 burying their "sin" under a tree somewhat akin to Christ's sacrifice on the cross burying our sins. V.6 - "Luz" probably means "almond tree" which was the first tree to blossom in the Spring and thus combined with the altar where God appeared perhaps a symbol of sacrifice and resurrection.

34:9 Continuing on the last comment on this verse even though Shechem was ‘more honourable’ he was in darkness and as such was an unsuitable husband for Dinah. We need to understand that good standing or ‘honour’ in a man or woman of the world is not sufficient reason to compromise the principles of the truth.

35:4 One wonders what Jacob thought when Rachel gave him the god she has stolen from her father’s house – Gen 31:19

Gen 35:21 Jacob is not called Israel until this point.  Now that the last vestige of Syria is dead and buried, with Rebekah's nurse, and now Rachel behind him, he can now go forward fully dependent on God.

Jacob and his family had long since left Padanaram.  It appears, however, that Rachel had kept possession of the teraphim she stole from her father (35:2).  But now the time was right for Jacob to make a complete commitment to Yahweh.  And so, he swept house.  His vow to worship only Yahweh would later be a command via the mouth of Moses (Exo 20:3,4).  Jacob's directive to clean and change garments (Gen 35:2) was a pledge to be pure in front of Yahweh.  This too would be reflected in the Law of Moses (see Lev.15).    

34:13 Jacob was a ‘deceiver’ – using guile at times in his life. His sons learnt this skill from him. When they spoke to Shechem and his father they spoke ‘with guile’ – RV. We do well to remember that our children learn by watching us.

v8  It is strange that we have Rebekah's nurse mentioned here, within the context of Jacob's household's travels. The only other time we read of her (if it is the same nurse), is in Gen 24:59  when she travels with Rebekah from her childhood home to join her new husband. So we would presume that she continued to live in Isaac's household, not Jacob's. Perhaps she had previously died & been buried in that spot, & that it was a site that Jacob would have stopped at on his way, perhaps having fond memories of Deborah, & not having seen her since he had left to live with Laban. Jacob, after entering the land, stops at Shechem, & then travels south to Bethel, through the Bethlehem area, & ends up at his father Isaac's Camp at Hebron.

35:10  This is the second time that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. See Gen 32:28 So the name conferred by the angel after the struggle is confirmed by God Himself.

Dinah has the same root as Dan.  Dan means judge and Dinah means justice.  Dinah would have been 14 or 15 years old at this time.  Curiosity of life overcame her and she had to see what was out there.  We know what happened, of course, but it would be interesting to wonder what went wrong.  Was it a case of immaturity, naïveté, lack of values or guidance, or a combination?  We don't know, but the incident should prompt us to street proof our youngsters against the present evil world.

34:1 Doubtless Dinah’s motives were ‘pure’. After all she had a lot of brothers and little female company. However the ‘daughters of the land’ had their own interests – the boys of the land. Dinah was drawn into their interests with catastrophic consequences, even though Shechem was ‘honourable – Gen 34:18-19

35:2-4 The foreign servants of Jacob had been allowed to retain their idols. But now, Jacob insisted that all members of his household be pure in the sight of Yahweh. And so, he told his servants to accompany him with their gods for the purpose of burying them. He also told them to change their clothes. This was a common practice in the Ancient Near East when engaged in worship. It was understood as an outward sign of inner purity. Jacob's servants had been handling idolatrous gods; therefore, their clothes had become defiled. Later, the Moses would incorporate the idea of clean clothes with sanctification (e.g. Exo 19:14; Lev 11:25;14:8). The idea of clean clothes for worship also entered the modern western world, where one would wear their Sunday best to attend church. Some folks would call them their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. There also arose such sayings as: Cleanliness is next to godliness.

Jacob buried the foreign gods and accoutrements under an oak (Heb. elah). Actually, this was a terebinth tree (pistacia terebinthus). The terebinth grows throughout this region. In less fertile places, the tree is small and scrubby. But, in fertile place, the terebinth can grow to a height of 40 feet and sport lush, dark green leaves along broad branches. It also has red berries. This tree is related to one that produces pistachio nuts.

35:8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse was buried under an oak (Heb. allon). However, this tree was a true oak.

First Principles>Kingdom of God>Existed in the past
4. Israel has 12 sons Gen 35:21-26
Go to Gen 12:1-5 for more about First Principles>Kingdom of God>Existed in the past

35:19 We noticed in 30:24 how Rachel, as soon as Joseph was born, wanted another son – the name she gave Joseph highlighted this desire. However she never enjoyed this second son. Her desires of chapter 30 were of no avail. How often do we have desires which highlight dissatisfaction with what we have?

FOREIGN GODS

One would have thought that with a man like Jacob who seems to have been faithful to the LORD, there would not have been a problem with idols or with idol worship. Yet before Jacob went to Bethel to worship the LORD he gave this instruction to his family and all who were with him. "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God." (Gen 35:2-3) It seems that there were foreign gods among Jacob's family because "they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears; and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem." (v.4)

Apart from Rachel, I don't suppose the people of Jacob's family went out especially to collect idols or their accessories, or went out to deliberately worship idols. But gradually their store of idols grew until there were enough to bury them under the oak at Shechem.

There are two lessons for us. Firstly we men, as leaders of our households like Jacob, need to purge idols and idol worship from our households on a regular basis. And secondly, we need to watch ourselves for the gradual growth of the things in our lives that take us away from God.

Let us worship the LORD alone.

35:2 The exhortation to ‘put away the strange gods ...’  serves as an example which Joshua later imitates – Josh 24:2,23

Bible echo

If I asked you to name a heavily pregnant woman travelling to Bethlehem, you'd probably say "Mary". But Rachel took this journey long before Mary, and died in childbirth along the way. I wonder whether Mary worried about her own journey once she had heard the story of her ancestor?

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One people

Notice in Gen 34:10 Hamor puts a positive slant on the marriage of Shechem and Dinah. When the brothers reply, they add one important thing, showing they understand the implication of the marriage full well: "we will become one people" (34:16)

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The beginning of idolatry

Notice in 35:2 that the children of Israel already had foreign Gods among them. These were probably there because of the women and children which the men had taken from the Shechemites, along with all their possessions.

34:2-4         Doubtless we see Shechem’s behaviour as reprehensible. However he did have a moral code and wanted to marry Dinah and treat her well.  Unfortunately his moral code was not the same as God’s. So often we come across ‘good’ people who seem to spread good wherever they go. But have a lifestyle which is at variance to the things of God.  It is all too easy to focus on the 'good’ and overlook the fact that the person’s life does not please God. God is looking for Godliness in His creation. So should we.

35:11  The promise that “kings shall come out of thy loins” is associated chronologically in the record with the birth of Benjamin. Interestingly the first king of Israel was a Benjamite – Saul.

 Gen 35:10.

According to what God tells Jacob here, his name was not to be called Jacob any more, but Israel instead. Why then is he many times referred to by the name Jacob after this account and is even called Jacob by God Himself (Gen 46:2)?

This is not an easy question considering the precedent set with Jacob's grandfather and grandmother, Abram and Sarai. For when their names were changed by God to Abraham and Sarah (Gen 17:5,15), they stayed that way. Here are a couple of possible explanations.

First, the meaning of "Jacob" is "heel catcher" or "one who supplants". The meaning of "Israel" is "God will be prince". When God said that Jacob's name would be changed, He might have meant that from that point on, his character would be more similar to that of a prince with God than that of a supplanter. But in saying that and changing his literal name, it could have been that God was more concerned with the spiritual import of the name change than the literalness of it. Note that this is the 2nd time that he is told that his name would be changed to Israel - the other being just after his wrestling with the angel (Gen 32:28). And in that interim period when he has his encounter with Esau, his princely character is not all that evident! Therefore then the need for this repetition??

Second possibility. There is an idiom sometimes used in Scripture which might be described as "not only, but also". The "only" part and the "also" part, though, are not stated but assumed. For example, the words of Jesus - "whosoever shall receive me, receives not (only) me, but (also) him that sent me" - Mk. 9:37. Other examples of this kind are found in these passages: Hos 6:6; Luke 10:20; John 6:27; Acts 5:4; 1Cor 15:10. So if this were an idiom that God was using here in Gen. 35, the meaning would be: Your name will not (only) be Jacob now, but (also) you will be called Israel."

35:23-26        We have read of the birth of the children of Jacob in different places in the life of Jacob. However now we have a summary. This is set in contrast to the sons of Esau who we will meet in the next chapter. 

35:17    The “midwife” assisting Rachel in the birth of her second child assured her that she would have a “son”. Now she could not have known that the unborn child was a son. Maybe she is basing her assurance on Gen 30:24 where Rachel, when Joseph was born, spoke of having another son.

 Comment based on a suggestion by Marilyn Horvath

YOUR OWN BETHEL  

"Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked to him, and he poured out a drink offering on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." (Gen 35:14).

Where is your Bethel place? Bethel means "House of God." It is a place where we can come into the presence of God, where God is free to talk to us, and we are free to listen. Bethel wasn't just any old place to Jacob, it was his special place, a place of significance and meaning. And so Jacob set up a stone pillar there to remind him - and anyone else who saw it, that is is Bethel, the house of God, the place where God spoke with Jacob.

It was a stone pillar. It was not necessarily glamorous or expensive, but it was going to last for a very long time. Once the pillar had been set up, Jacob poured out a drink offering on it - an act of sacrifice, fellowship and reverence.

Let us also find a Bethel place of our own. It needs to be a place where we can stop a while to hear God's voice, a place we can remember for a long time, and where we can have fellowship with God as we worship him.

34:9-10           So we see that Hamor’s motivation was self seeking. In saying “the land shall be before you …” he is disregarding the fact that God had already promised the land to the patriarchs – for example Gen 17:8

Gen 35:2 Change your garments.

Associated with worship. And we see in teh verse to worship correctly and before we change raiment we must

1/ put away idols.

2/ cleanse ourselves (by the word)

3/ cover sin

4/ Arise and go (serve)

34:30  After Simeon and Levi had killed the men of Shechem Jacob worries for his safety.  So again, as a consequence of rash behaviour, Jacob has to deal with the consequences of foolish behaviour. The first related to by deceit obtaining the blessing from Isaac and the second being the way in which he fled form Laban.

35:29   The burial of Isaac seems to be the first time that Jacob and Esau meet after their meeting recorded in Gen 33:1-20 and then it seems they never met again.

34:1   Simeon and Levi were Dinah’s natural brothers – they shared the same mother – Gen 35:23

Gen 34:30:

It was this cruel and sadistic action by Simeon & Levi that Jacob decries in their 'blessing' in Gen 49:5-7

"Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."

There is a great lesson for us: both in this narrative and in Genesis 49.

35:23  Simeon and Levi were Dinah’s brothers – they shared the same mother – Gen 34:1, 35:2

Gen 35:28 The record states that Isaac died at the age of 180yrs of age.  When Isaac was 60yrs old Jacob and Esau were born to him and Rebekah (Gen 25:26).  So for the remaining 120 years of Isaac’s life (180-60=120) Isaac was aware of the birth of the 12 sons to Jacob. So Jacob was 120 years old then his father Isaac died.  Therefore there were only 10 years between the death of Isaac and Jacob’s 130^thyear when he met Pharaoh (Gen 47:9). 

It appears therefore that the events in life of Joseph in the court of Pharaoh (Gen 41:46 to Gen 47:9) took place within a period of 10 years? 

35:5 There is a principle which is spoken of in Prov 16:7 which explains why there was terror of God in the minds of the cities in the land so that they did not harm Jacob.

35:11 Up to this point God had promised Abraham and his seed descendants, land and an eternal inheritance. Now God adds the concept of a sovereign nation to those promises. It was to be the kingdom of Israel. Whilst Abraham and the patriarchs learnt of the extent of the promises that God was making over a long period of time we have the wonderful blessing of learning all aspects of those promises which are extended to us in a relatively short time as we learn the wonder of the gospel message.

34:31 Jacob was afraid of the Canaanites. Simeon and Levi’s factual response seems to indicate that they had not any fear. As it happens God took care of Jacob, though one wonders whether the sons were as spiritually minded as their father.

34:25 Two wrongs do not make a right. Hamor behaved abominably – but he was not in covenant relationship with Yahweh. Simeon and Levi, likewise behave abominably – and they were in covenant relationship with God. They should have known better,

God would have dealt with the matter in His own good time if prayer rather than deceitful violence had been employed by Dinah’s brothers.

35:1 Bethel had great significance in God’s dealing with the patriarchs – It started with Abram –12:8– when he first entered the land of promise.

v.7 - 'rest' - Heb damam - has the overtone of the power of God to overrule man's thinking and desires. Look at these other occurrences of damam - Ex.15:16(still), Jos.10:12,13(still), 1Sam 2:9(silent), Ps.31:17(silent) This 'rest' is one imposed by God, but we submit to it willingly, with reverent awe. Ps.4:4(still).

v.6 is a picture of the part of the saints in the kingdom - Matt:13:43

Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5:5 'blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth' has Old Testament support :11, 22 34

Psalm 37 -  Just as we are about to launch into the record of Joseph in our first reading, we find here a Psalm, the sentiments of which, though not yet formally composed as we have it here, must have greatly strengthened that godly man whilst he was isolated in Egypt, which was then the richest dynasty in the world. 21 times this Psalm states the surety and the certainty of the destinies of two classes of people described at length in 40 short verses. For example, v2 "the workers of iniquity, shall soon be cut down," but v11 "the meek shall inherit the earth." The principles discussed and revealed in this Psalm, are as universal and as timeless as the Father Himself. The struggles of mind revealed by the Psalmist surrounding the apparent contradiction between wrong doing and present wealth and ease, are also universal and timeless. The true Sons of God will find themselves struggling, especially in this materialistic day and age, with all the issues contained within this Psalm. Don't just read Psalm 37 today - bookmark it, and read it often - for its counsels are timeless and ever needful.

Right through the Psalm David speaks of ‘The wicked’ mark each occurrence in your Bible – and then reflect on what the ‘wicked’ do – how often we tend to the way of the wicked – but ‘the wicked shall perish’ (Psa 37:20)

Psalm 37  This Psalm describes the character and reward of God's righteous servants. The reward of inheriting the earth is mentioned five times. V.9, 11, 22, 29, 34.

This psalm calls for patience - the fourth component of the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22).  Let's not concern ourselves with the ungodly or their ways, even though they might prosper in this life (Psa 73:12).  We set our sights on the Kingdom whence is our prize (Matt 6:21, Phil 3:14).

v.4 - Here we see that God will reward those that delight in him with everything they desire, but we need to recognise that the man who delights in God will have very different desires from the man who delights in riches. This principle applies throughout - an obvious example is Matt 6:33

When I was young the Christadelphian Isolation League gave our family a yearly calendar. One year the text said Psa 37:23. The verse has stayed with me. I pray it will help you, too.

V.3 - Here we have the concept of faith and works required James 2:14 .

Psa 37:25 - David never saw the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. I don't think this means the righteous will never starve but perhaps that it is a rare occurrence as God is merciful and David had never seen it. Some perhaps feel it relates to spiritual food or ultimate care when Christ returns. The word used for "begging" [Heb. "baqash" <1245> has various meanings including "begging"]. When David and his men were hungry they ate the "shewbread" and the words used in 1Sam 21:3,6 were "give" and "gave" [both words are the Heb. "nathan" <5414> which has various meanings but not including "beg" or "begging" according to Strongs and Brown-Driver-Briggs].

Psa 37:37 - we can encourage each other by being good examples with a future reward being the peace of Jerusalem when Christ returns to rule.

Psa 37:40 - God wants us to turn to Him and trust Him for deliverance 1Cor 10:13 . A lady who had seen her share of difficulties once told me "we won't be tested beyond what we can bear but we might be tested beyond what we think we can bear."

37:7    Humanly speaking the strong inherit - or more correctly take by force - what they want. The ‘meek’ on the other hand leave things in God’s hands knowing that He is mightier than all the wicked put together!

v11  "the meek will inherit the land" is quoted by Jesus in Matt 5:5  but in this psalm we get further definitions of what it means to be "meek" & who the meek "who will inherit the land" are. v9 says that it is "those who hope in the LORD";  v22 says "those the LORD blesses";  v27  says it is those who "turn from evil & do good";   those who are "just" & "faithful" v 28 ;   v29 says they are "the righteous", & v31 says the righteous man has "the law of his God in his heart; his feet do not slip"; &  v34 says it is those who "wait for the LORD & keep his way". So this psalm expands on Jesus' words, & is an exhortation & an encouragement to those who are "meek".

37:4 How does one ‘delight’ in the Lord? The answer. This delight is seen in the fact that one who does ‘delight’ in God loves to do His will.

DO NOT FRET

If anyone had a lot on their mind, it would have been David. Attacked on two different occasions by a lion and a bear; facing Goliath with no armour, sword or bow; facing the wrath and jealousy of an angry king Saul; forced to flee into enemy territory in order to save his life; having all his possessions and wives stolen by an invading army; facing mutiny and stoning from those who were most loyal to him; having the responsibility of the kingship of all Israel; bearing up under the disquiet of rebellious children; running from his own son who was leading a coup against his father; and trying to keep a dividing nation together - if anyone had worries, it was David.

Yet three times throughout Psalm 37, David reminds us not to worry. In fact one of those occasions makes up the first few words of the psalm. "Do not fret because of evil men." (Psa 37:1) "Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (v.7) And, "Do not fret - it only leads to evil." (v.8)

If someone such as David refused to fret or worry about all the problems he had, then we should follow his example. The reason David didn't worry was because he put his trust in the LORD. Let us put our trust in the LORD and free our minds from worry, fretting and stress. "Do not fret - it only leads to evil."

37:3-7‘Trust’ ‘delight’ ‘commit’ ‘rest’ marks a progression in the life of a man or woman of God who starts to place reliance upon God. The end point is one of total trust. That of placing all reliance on God.

V.11 The wicked seems to prosper in this life. They oppress the poor and become rich. The word meek (Heb. anavim) means those who are depressed, afflicted, or suffering (physically and/or in spirit). These are the very people who are exploited by the wicked (v.12). Instead of becoming angry and taking vengeance (v.8), the meek are directed to trust in Yahweh (v.7). Eventually, the wicked shall cease (v.10). But, those who trust in Yahweh, do His will, and wait patiently for Him, will eventually be liberated and inherit the land (vs.11,22,30).

v7 At the beginning of this Psalm David talks three times of fretting because of the wicked, in this verse we are rather as David says to rest in the LORD. This word 'rest' lit means to be still/dumb founded and takes our minds to Jesus' disciples who were fretting because of the storm which was overwhelming the boat in which they were in with Jesus Mark 4:37-41.  Jesus' words to the stormy sea were 'be still', we are in the boat (ecclesia) also with our master, the sea (sea of nations/the world) can sometimes roar and we can feel alone and overwhelmed.  Like the disciples we also have our Master in whom we can have rest. 

37:1,7,8 'fret' means to become hot, jealous, angry (not fruits of the spirit Gal 5:22-23, Eph 5:9), fretting is also very de-energising.  The first occurrence of the Hebrew charah here translated 'fret' is in Gen 4:5-6 translated 'wroth' twice and shows to where this can lead as it did with Cain Gen 4:8.

37:10-11It is all too easy to think that the ‘wicked’ prosper. However once one thinks sensibly about that it becomes clear that they do not. Their prosperity perishes with their death. This contrasts with the reward of the righteous. Eternal inheritance on the earth.

Those who trust God don't just swim through life never falling. But the promise is when they do they will not fall headlong because God is holding their hand (v24). It's a parent and child picture. And this is how Jesus led his life (Isa 42:6)

37:15    Whilst it may appear that the wicked always prosper it is evident, and the Psalmist knew this, that their destruction will come. Jesus suffered the greatest injustice any man ever endured. So why should we expect, in this life, to avoid injustice?

37:27    In Psalm 34 David is instructing the men who joined themselves to him when Saul was chasing David.  In that Psalm David was counselling them as to how to respond to persecution.  This Psalm is similar. The specific echo of Psa 34:14 highlights this point

Psalm 37 has similarities to Psalm 73.

Psalm 37 is an acrostic of 22 stanzas (usually of 2 verses) each introduced by th eappropriate letter of the Hebrew alphabet though the letter "ain" is missing at verse 29.

Psa 37:1,2,9,10,38 - the wicked destroyed (Psa 145:20).

Psa 37:12 - the wicked gnashing their teeth (Acts 7:54;Luke 13:28).

Psa 37:13 - his (i.e. the wicked's) day is coming (i.e. judgment day - Matt 12:36;Rom 2:16).

37:37-38             The Psalm speaks of the blessings of serving God. Here we now have the contrast with the man who transgresses His judgements.

WISE WORDS

"The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of God is in his heart; and his feet do not slip."(Psa 37:30)

If we want to be God's people, people God is happy to call righteous, then this is a good place to start. Our words and the thoughts of our heart that go into making the words that we speak, show us and God the type of person we are. If we are righteous, we will speak wise words and the judgements we make will be just. But the words we speak come from our heart, and it is for that reason that we need to get the law of God into our heart so that it results in God's wisdom being the wisdom that we speak.

Sure, we can say wise things from our own observations, but I have heard many "wise sayings" that are not in line with the wisdom of God. Many of them even sound like they have Christian origins, but in comparing them with God's word, we find that they may sound nice but are not necessarily true or wise.

So let us fill our hearts with the word of God through reading the Bible and praying. Let's allow God to guide the things that we say. In doing so we will utter wisdom and our feet will not slip.

37:39    Israel thought it was their own righteousness which counted before God – Rom 10:3 – but here the Psalmist shows it is God’s righteousness which brings salvation. Paul explains that this is so in Rom 3:25-26

Was Pslam 37 a message from David to Solomon? It was written in Davids old age it seems Psa 37:25?

The warnings along with Psalm 73 are very similar about admiring the wicked, i remember the saying "the devil takes care of his own". Psa 37:1 tells us not to "fret"or burn with jealousy over the fact the wicked prosper, Psa 37:35 here we see the wicked are like the bay or laurel tree which flourishes but produces no fruit, instead we are to mark or observe the perfect man Psa 37:37 for living like him will bring us peace. But how does he bring us peace? Isa 57:19-20 by living our lives in him we find peace whereas the world with its wealth and self glory is as troubled waters. see also v17.

Psa 37:2 do we have a link here with the grass and Isa 40:6?

Psa 37:3 stay in the ecclesia and the sanctuary of God and we shall be fed (shephered) thats all we need!

Psa 37:7 Inherit occurs 5 times  and cut off occurs 5 times, therefore a fine balance between inheriting the kingdom or being cut off from the promise so admire not the wicked!

Wicked used 13 times, 13= rebellion

Psa 37:25 I find Davids faith remarkable, after suffering as he did he still declares that he never went without! The key to this positive thinking was he ALWAYS declared God as right and himself as wrong and he never turned his back on God in times of trouble and sought the help of the wicked, even though he commited sin in Davids repentance he declared Yahwehs righteousness!

Let us follow Davids example and never turn to the world for help or admire their possesions instead declare the righteousness of God by marking that perfect man for that will will inherit peace and a place in his kingdom!

37:25     David’s experience is taken up both by Solomon –Prov 10:3 and Jesus – Matt 6:33– to show God’s continuing care of His children.

Psa 37:29 The psalm in Hebrew starts every verse with a letter except this verse. Why? Perhaps to draw our attention to it?

The whole chapter is a conrtrast between the proud and meek, the reward for the meek is shown to us in v29. The reward for the proud or rebelious is seen in Num 16:35

The word righteous occurs 9 times. 9= finallity of judgmant the final judgemant will see the righteous inherit the land and dwell therein forever!

Meek is not weak however, we should be strong enough to stay on the path to the kingdom

37:1      The sentiments of David here are echoed by Solomon – Prov 24:19.

37:2    That the wicked are like grass that is soon destroyed is seen in a number of Psalms. Here are some PPsa 37:2, 90:5-6, 102:4, 129:6

37:11   The use of the phrase “abundance of peace” is seen also in Psa 72:7 which is clearly speaking of the kingdom when Jesus returns. The only other use is in Jeremiah 33:6 so we might safely conclude that Jeremiah is speaking of the tie of the re-establishment of the kingdom of God also.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

"I haven't seen you for ages! How have you been and what have you been up to?" The instant response of most people I ask, has been, "I'm good and busy as always." I used to be like that too. I felt like the busier I was - especially in the Lord's service - the better person I was being. But that is not necessarily the case.

Over the last few years God has given me a lot of time to think about this while suffering from burnout and chronic fatigue.  God didn't build us to go, go, go without rest. Instead he wants us to take quiet times to rest, to be still, and to recharge.

Here are two examples that came up in the psalm I read today."Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him." (Psa 37:7). The Amplified Version brings this out a little more, saying, "Be still and rest in the LORD; wait for him and patiently stay yourself upon him." This instruction is far from the busy, busy, busy lifestyle that most of us choose.

The other example says, "Wait for the LORD and keep his way." (v.34). Waiting isn't about rushing around either!

Let's stop being so busy and take time to do what God wants us to do: to be still, to rest, to wait, and to spend time in his presence.

37:8  anger and wrath come naturally to us. We should remember that God will judge and so anger and wrath should never be part of our way of speaking to others.

37:40 God’s salvation is conditional. We know this is true ultimately but it was true also during David’s life. He experienced God’s deliverance a number of times. This is despite the fact that he did sin. We should take great comfort in that.

37:1-2 When difficulties arise in life it is helpful to consider that they will not last forever. This is the point that we might take from these words of David. Especially when we reflect on the benefits that will come –2Cor 4:17

37 The contrast between instant gratification and future reward

There is a tendency to envy those who have secured material things for themselves, even if that gain has been through evil means. Their end will come soon (:2) rather look to the future, trusting in God. Five times (:9,11,22,29,34)the righteous are assured of an inheritance – something to be given to them.

This is always the struggle – to grasp for the here and now, or wait patiently for God’s plan to unfurl.

37:3 Food and raiment should be all we need and be content with what we have.. This is something that it seems David was content with and something Paul encouraged –1Tim 6:8  How do we measure up to the challenge?

37:4 If one delights in God does He always grant our desires?

Clearly the answer is that the only desires that he will grant relate to His purpose, not ours.

The ultimate “desire” is that the earth be filled with His glory.

Is this what we repeatedly are asking Him for?

37:11 But the meek shall inherit the land

Moses was the meekest person on the earth at that time (Numbers 12:3).  Moses meekness lay in his putting the wellbeing of others ahead of his own wellbeing, even to proposing to God that he (Moses) lose the Kingdom if Israel could be spared God's judgment (Exodus 31:32). God, of course, would have none of this, but was impressed with Moses selflessness.

Thus meek people often give more than they receive, in this life.

BUT the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). They have a rich reward - in the Kingdom.

v.31,32. This is such a simple thing that Jesus chooses to use to prove the resurrection. Why should God continue to mention dead people in this way if there were no hope of resurrection. The actual event referred to here is the burning bush Mark 12:26,27 Exo.3:6,15,16. In that list of famous faithful, Hebrews 11 says .. v.16

22:16 In the gospels there are from time to time 'unholy' alliances. These are the occasions when we find a tie up between the Pharisees and Herodians. The Pharisees and Herodians had diametrically opposing views about the state. The Pharisees [from Hebrew Perez / divided] were separate from the state as they viewed it as corrupt. The Herodians, on the other hand, supported the current political situation with the Herod family as rulers. Matthew 22:16, Mark 3:6 8:15 12:13

22:12 The absence of the wedding garment quotes Zephaniah 1:8 where the prophet reproves those who are not prepared. We should be clothed with the garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10) That is the wedding garment.

Matthew 22 - A record of Christ shutting the mouths of His opposition - see v12 "and he was speechless," v22 "they marvelled, and left Him and went their way" [by implication - He shut down their argument], v33 "they were astonished at His Doctrine" [by implication - they were "knocked flat" by His reasoning], v34 "He had put the Sadducees to silence," v46 "And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither did any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions." We have in this chapter an illustrious specimen of the wisdom of Jesus. He successfully met the snares of His mighty and crafty foes, and with infinite ease confounded them all - Scribes, Chief Priests, Sadducees, Herodians, Pharisees, and the multitude alike.  No art of man could confound Him. Never was teaching more clear, never was wisdom more triumphant. The lesson of this chapter? - Do not reject the "stone" of God's providing, the head or key stone of the building. For in rejecting what Jesus Christ stands for, is to invite Him to grind us to powder v44, like the chaff of the summer threshing floors Daniel 2:35, and to be removed forever, along with the entire system that makes up the present "Kingdom of Men."

22:12,15 Notice the interesting relationship. The man without the wedding garment was ‘speechless’ the leaders tried to entangle Jesus in his words.

:12 Jesus refers to very few people as 'Friend' but this man with no wedding garment gets this fairly intimate greeting. How should we be clothed? The clothing is clearly from God. 2Cor 5:1-11

Matt 22:19-22  What a wonderful lesson for all of us. The Greek word for image is EIKON 1504 "a likeness". There was stamped on the coin a likeness of Caesar, hence it was Caesars. When we go back to the record of creation we remember what was said at the time that man was  created. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness Gen 1:26  We are made after the likeness of God, hence we are all a  resemblance of  God. We all belong to God. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's

This chapter concludes with an answer to the challenge which the elders had originally put to him in chapter ch. 21:23... by what authority are you doing these things? i.e. teaching in the temple. The ultimate answer was given as the implications of his final question, what think ye of Messiah, whose son is he... why does David in spirit call him 'my Lord'? came home to them. His authority to teach in God's house came from the fact that Messiah was not only son of David, but ALSO Son of GOD. No wonder they dare not ask him any more questions!

v.5 - Here we see those who, having put their hand to the plough (and how else would they had obtained an invitation) have looked back.  Looking back is probably the hardest thing to resist.  Let us pray today that we might be kept from evil. Gen 19:26

WEDDING GARMENTS
 
Have you been invited to the wedding banquet?  The time will soon come when we will all sit down together in the kingdom of God and share in this wonderful banquet. But in the parable one man was thrown out. Why?
 
"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing his wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matt 22:11-13)
 
The man was thrown out because he was not wearing a wedding garment. In those days people at a wedding were given garments to wear and were expected to wear them. We, as followers of Christ, have also been given garments to wear, without which we will not be able to enter the kingdom of God.
 
Revelation tells us about the garments that we must wear. It reads, "For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)." (Rev 19:7-8)
 
So let us ensure that we are properly dressed for the wedding banquet. Get dressed now with righteous acts, faith, (which is counted as righteousness) and in the grace of God.

22:33 The astonishment of those who heard Jesus demonstrates that the leaders never explained Scripture in this careful way.

V.36 The question asked by this expert in the law, was one that could be expected from him, and the men he represented. The Pharisees who were devoted to hair splitting legalism, carried on lengthy debates about the commandments, arguing whether any particular one was great or small, heavy or light. Christ leaves no doubt in his answer (V.37-40) as to what is the greatest commandment. 1John 4:18

I wonder if the Pharisees would make the connection between Christ quoting from Psa 110, and the Melchizedek verse in that Psalm, (Psa 110:1,4)?  The Lord directed them to v1 with His question about David calling Him “Lord”, but then comes the prophecy that Christ would not be a priest after Aaron’s line, but after Melchizedek. If they did make the connection, then perhaps that explains the people’s fear of Him in Matt 22:46.

22:5 An invitation to the marriage of the King’s son is an important event. In ‘making light of it’ the Jewish leaders were showing their disdain for things which challenged their perception of how they should worship God.

14 The gospel message goes out far and wide, to all four corners of the world. It reaches many, as it did in the first century, but, the majority are like the man in the parable, they hear, but they do not listen. This will continue to happen until the Lord shall return to fulfil the promises of old. We must still make every effort to deliver the message of the good news to come. We have no idea who will stop and listen. 

22:1    That Jesus ‘answered’ tells us that the parable which follows is a response to the events at the end of chapter 21

V.16 The Herodians were members of the Jewish aristocracy who followed the principles of Herod Antipas.  This group supported the Roman government.  Their question Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (v.17) was designed to trap Jesus into revealing Himself as seditious against Rome.  He did not fall for their ruse but showed that by obeying the laws of the land one was serving Yahweh (see Titus 3:1).

V.41-45 - 'The Lord<2962><3068>[i.e. God] said to my Lord<2962><113>[i.e. Christ] "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet"'. This quotes Psalm 110:1 where there are two different Hebrew names used for Lord that help clarify this passage. Christ was descended from David Luke 3:23-37 - Heli was perhaps the father of Mary. 

22:12 This the second ‘friend’ in Jesus’ parables in this last week of Jesus’ life. The first was in Matt 20:13. Possibly an appeal to Judas who is the only person Jesus actually calls ‘friend’ – Matt 26:50

Vs.2-7 Jesus came, initially, to save His people Israel (Matt 15:24).  However, the Jews rejected Jesus' invitation to join Him in His marriage feast.  They would be punished and their city burned (Jerusalem 70 AD). 

Vs.9,10 And so, Jesus opened His invitation to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).  They would be gathered from all over.  As guests to the wedding they would have been given a wedding garment.  It was up to them to put it on. 

Vs.11-13 One person, who was invited, decided not to put his garment on and was unfit to remain at the marriage feast.  He was promptly ejected. 

We all have an invitation to attend Jesus' marriage feast (eternal life).  But we must put on the acceptable clothing (covering).  That garment is Jesus (Gal 3:27).  To ensure that we are properly dressed at all times, we must check to make sure not to soil our garment (Jude 1:23). 

When the king comes in He will inspect His guests (judgement).  Only those who are wearing the correct garment, which has been kept clean (Rev 3:4), will be allowed to stay.  All others will be ejected.  Out of the many who have received a wedding invitation, some will fail to put on the wedding garment; others will put it on but fail to keep it clean.  After inspection, only a comparative few will be allowed to stay (Matt 22:14).  Let's make sure of where we stand (2Pet 1:10).

treating our neighbour - Matt 22:34-40;Matt 5:43-48;Matt 5:16;Matt 10:32-33;Phil 2:16.

obeying laws of the land - Matt 22:17-21;Rom 13:1-7;1Pet 2:13.

22:40-41The events of Mark 12:28-34 fit in between these verses. It seems that after the lawyer had asked his question the scribe, in a different frame of mind, asked the same question.

22:2-14    Jesus was inviting the Jewish leaders to the wedding and they rejected the invitation.

22:10 That both ‘bad and good’ were at the wedding is rather like the fish of the parable – Matt 13:48

v.15-22. Towards the end of Jesus' ministry his adversaries are running up against him in ever more insistant waves doing everything possible to bring him down. In Matthew 22 we have one of these attempts: the Jewish religious group called the Pharisees allies itself with the despised Herodians, representatives of the resident Roman overlords. The question: Should taxes be paid to Caesar?

The duplicity was not difficult to tease out. Were Jesus to respond with 'yes' the Jewish people would call him a traitor. Should he respond with 'no' the Romans would label him a rebel.

Jesus famously responds by requesting a coin and asking them whose likeness and inscription it bore.  Unlike previous occasions in which they had chosen to remain silent and walk away, and most likely believing that this time there was no escape for him, they provide the inevitable answer: "Caesar's". Jesus delivers the punch line: "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's".

This statement is powerful in many ways. Here are two: 

• He refuses the role of being our conscience and puts the onus for the decision squarely on the person holding the coin. In other words, each and every one of us.
• And to the person literate in the scriptures it would take them back to the account of the creation of man & woman, made "in God's image".

Again, this has more than one layer. The immediate implication is that if we are made in God's image, should we not then be giving ourselves to God? But the underlying assumption for this relationship depends on on whether or not we believe ourselves to be made in the image of God. In the biblical model, this is the 'root cause' directing our behaviors: If we are made in the image of God, then perhaps we should be acting like him too. Believing this, we become attentive to God's communication with us, his sharing about who he is and why he does things.

This is an example drawn from the Bible, and those who believe in the Bible would trace their rootsSo what is your root cause for your ethical principles and beliefs? If you keep scratching further and further below the surface, where do you get to?

22:13  The ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ is a phrase that Jesus uses four times – Matt 8:12, 22:13 , 24:51, 25:30  in Matthew’s gospel and once – Luke 13:28– outside Matthew’s gospel.  Always associated with rejection at the time of the kingdom.

22:14 In speaking of few and many Jesus is returning to what he told the disciples in Matt 20:16

Incomprehensible stupidity

Notice in the parable of the wedding feast that Jesus chooses the subject of his parable carefully. He is trying to get the Jews to realise that their "calling" was free of charge, that they were privileged because of the goodness of God, not because of their merits. So he chooses a wedding invite. One needs only to attend. What is so hard about that? In v4 Jesus hammers home the point: everything's ready; a feast is prepared; nothing needs to be paid; you already have the invite; all you have to do is turn up in order to benefit. Looking at it this way it seems incomprehensibly stupid to us that the Jews didn't take up the invite. For us the lesson is in the excuses given in v5. Are any of those kinds of things likely to keep us from accepting God's invitation? Will we look back on ourselves when it is too late and regret how incomprehensibly stupid we have been?

PUT IT ON

We have a safety policy at work where anyone going into the workshop or the stores needs to be wearing high visibility clothing. It is not that we have to provide the visual adornment, it is supplied by the company to keep us safe. All we have to do is wear it. The company is legally entitled to dismiss an employee or kick out a visitor if they refuse to comply and wear the regulation clothing.

At the wedding Jesus spoke of, the guests were all given wedding garments to wear. They didn't have to supply it, but they were expected to wear it in honour of their Lord. One person refused. Let's see what happened: "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matt 22:11-13).

Our wedding garment is God's righteousness. We are given it when we are forgiven and accept Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. If we refuse to believe in God's forgiveness, we refuse to put on the wedding garment. It's ours for the wearing. Let's put it on and share the love of the great feast we have been invited to. The alternative is not worth thinking about.

Matt 22:36 Pharisees had 613 laws, they didnt know which law was most important.

Matt 22:37

"All" takes us back to Psa 103:1 all that is in me, in other words with every fibre.

Heart = CARDIA relates to the mind/ emotions. When the mind is excited the heart pumps faster.

Mind = Diandia relates to understanding.

Soul = life/life we are leaving

22:4   The bidding of guests is like the prophet –Zeph 1:7 – speaks of the guests being bidden to the feast

22:10   The “wedding garment” answers to that –Isa 61:10– that is to be worn by those who have been clothed with salvation. Those, in the parable, who came to the wedding did not recognise their need for salvation provided by God.

Matt 22:29,30

“… Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

Who were the “sons of God” who married the “daughters of men” producing children who were “giants?” This has puzzled and perplexed a great number of scholars and Bible students for centuries. Many assume the “sons of God” were the fallen angels.

This belief began with the record of Gen 6:1-8, with fallen angels having its roots in antiquity. “Sons of God” in the language of the Ancient Near East revealed that there were rulers identified as the sons of a particular god. In Egypt, the king was called the son of Ra, the sun god. The Hittite king was called the “son of the storm god, Hattic. Using this approach, it is believed the sons of god were aristocrats, kings, and nobles who married commoners.

Another belief is that fallen angels married human beings, whose offspring were the Nephilim, sons of Anak, men of superiority and renown (cf. Num 13:33). 2Pet 2:4; Jude 6 are cited as proof of this. These "half humans" were wiped out with the rest of humanity during Noah’s flood, but existed again after the flood. How then did this practice continue if not through fallen angels? Even ancient Hebrew interpreters were unanimous in upholding this view!

A third and correct interpretation is the sons of God, a Godly race from the line of Seth, intermarried with the surrounding ungodly pagan nations from the line of Cain. Judgment was pronounced against “man” – not half human half divine (Gen 6:1-5; cf. 2Cor 6:14-18).

Christ taught not only do angels not marry, but reveals in Luke 20:34-36, that it is not possible for angels to reproduce. They are holy beings not subject to gender – they are not sexual beings.

Throughout the history of this world, we find Yahweh’s people erred mixing with the “daughters of men,” and we observe its outcome through the Bible and in present day real life too.

22:8    The concept of being “ready” for the marriage is a running theme through the rest of Matthew’s gospel starting in 22:4. We see readiness emphasised again Matt 24:44, 25:10, On each occasion there was a need for preparedness. These words speak very powerfully to us about our need to make ourselves ready now for the lord’s return

Matt 22:11,12

“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest in thou hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.”

How vivid and expressive this brings home to us what characterizes the unworthy at the Judgment Seat of Christ! If we have not on this wedding garment, we will be speechless and self-condemned. We will be wearing “filthy rags” instead! It can only be the one or the other.

The wedding garment is within the reach of every one of us and only negligence will stand in our way in procuring it. The wedding garment, or “fine linen” is “the righteous acts of the saints (Rev 19:8, RV). The attire that will commend us to Christ is a scripturally enlightened mind accompanied by a record of good deeds performed in the service of the Truth done for God and Christ and not for self-righteousness (cf. Matt 7:22,23; Rom 10:3). Blindness to this difference is very dangerous!

What an awful feeling it is to contemplate being rejected before Christ! Imagine the anguish of Cain (Gen 4:13); the remorse of Esau (Heb 12:17); the doom of Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:2), and the fear of Saul when he was rejected (1Sam 28:18-20). And, Christ described it as “… there shall be wailing, and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 13:42,50; Luke 13:28).

That day is coming and how watchful we must be in regards to our conduct being in line with the Word! Now is a time of long drawn out sufferings -- a continual contending with nebulous, cloudy, disingenuous, and acrimonious adversaries within and without. Untruths, half-truths, gossip and rash charges are flung about, false impressions nurtured. We have been called to preach the Truth and exemplify it in our lives. If we fall short and manifest these works of flesh, then we shall be like this man, spiritually naked, speechless and self-condemned (cf. Rev 16:15 cp. Rev 3:4,5). It leaves us a lot to seriously ponder, as we strive to defend and do the right and bring to naught the wrong. We need to be serious seekers in order to become serious doers (James 1:22-27).

Matt 22:37-40

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all my mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

When Jesus gave these commandments, they were not “new” commandments (cf. John 13:34), but rather laid down two great laws of love as a summary of all the Law (Lev 19:18; Deut 6:5,6; cf. Rom 3:21). These penetrating spiritual principles had been forgotten by the legalists of Christ’s day. Love fulfills the law and so repeated by Paul in Rom 13:10. If we agape love, we will obey the first three Commandments as it relates to our relationship with God; the last six Commandments relate to our relationship toward fellow man, which if we obey, we will walk in agape love toward them.

Every one of God’s moral precepts is just as timely and needful today as they were when God first gave them. Nothing has ever made them less binding. Jesus came to magnify the law, not to abolish it, but to open up its spiritual application, making it more comprehensive than the legalistic Pharisees ever imagined. Under the influence of Christ’s perfect life of obedience, we can see the spiritual details of law-keeping which are neither recognized nor made possible apart from him.

It is a dangerous concept leading to Pharisaical legalism to separate God’s Old Testament laws from Christ’s laws, which are not “new” laws. Yet, time and again, there are those who instead of looking at the Bible as a cohesive unit, separate the Old from the New Testaments saying, “That was under the Old Testament.” The only thing that changed was the law of ritual works and the judicial laws of the Old Testament because Christ fulfilled them under the New. Under the ritual works, or “deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight…” (Rom 3:20,27,28). Paul is not saying, nor implying that the “Law does not justify,” but the works, or deeds of the Law, as it relates to the sacrificial rituals will not justify anyone. We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ and saved through grace (Eph 2:8,9), and not by works of the law (Gal 2:16; Heb 10:4-10).

22:44   Jesus’ question about what David meant in Psa 110:1 is not a random question. It relates to the question that Jesus was asked about the resurrection –Matt 22:23-32 After dealing with the question about which is the greatest commandment in the law Jesus returned to the issue of the resurrection to highlight his point that they did not know the scriptures – 22:29 - . What David said could only apply to one of his sons if that son was raised from the dead. That son would become David’s “lord” after the resurrection

22:18 their hypocrisy was seen in the way that they spoke well of Jesus - :16 – which did not reflect what they thought at all.

Matt 22:1 - marriage feast refers to the messianic banquet when Christ returns though the invites go out quite early; "parables<3850>".

Matt 22:2 - "a king" refers to God; "his son" refers to Christ (the Son of God); notice there is no mention of the bride; "marriage<1062>".

Matt 22:2-3 - the wedding where Jesus will return to figuratively marry "his bride" i.e. the perfected ecclesia is properly clothed (Rev 19:7-9), the invitation is well before the second advent but  but the actual feast is the millennial 7th day.

Matt 22:3 - "his servants" refers to the Jews who did God's will and the prophets; "those invited to the wedding" refers to the Jews under the law; "wedding<1062>".

Matt 22:4 - "more servants" refers to the apostles and disciples; the dinner/banquet reminds me of a memorial feast (Prov 9:1-5) with Christ when he will drink anew with the saints (Matt 26:29).

Matt 22:5 - affairs of the world getting in the way of serving the Lord and His inspired word.

Matt 22:6 - God's servants were abused and killed.

Matt 22:7 - "burned their city" refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

Matt 22:8 - "those I invited did not deserve to come" refers to many of the Jews.

Matt 22:9-10 - servants invited all the people they could find which would include Gentiles both good and bad with a knowledge of Christ and his teachings (Acts 13:46); these will be judged when Christ returns as they are responsible.

Matt 22:11-13 - at the judgment there will be some accepted and rejected (Matt 13:27-30,37-43),to be accepted at judgment one must have the proper wedding clothes as noted in verses provided by others (Rev 19:7-9;Rev 3:4Rev 16:15;Zeph 1:8;Isa 61:10).

Matt 22:15-17 - Two diametrically opposed peoples joined forces to trap Jesus, if Jesus said don't pay taxes to Caesar the "Herodians<2265>" would report Jesus to the Roman authorities and execute him for treason, but if Jesus said yes to paying taxes to Caesar the nationalistic "Pharisees<5330>" would denounce Jesus as a Roman puppet disloyal to the Jewish people. 

Matt 22:18 - "hypocrites<5273>".

Matt 22:19 - "Penny<1220>"

Matt 22:20-21 - This daily wage penny or denarius was produced during the rule of the Roman Emperor Tiberius 14 AD to 37 AD; on one side of the coin was a picture of Tiberius and it said "Ti Caesar Divi Agu F Agustus" which loosely translated means "Tiberius Caesar son of the Divine Augustus". In fact, Caesar Augustus was the previous Roman Emperor though not the father of Tiberius. The coin was essentially saying Tiberius was the son of the divine, how ironic that must have been to Christ, the true Son of God; on the other side of the coin was a woman sitting on a chair (perhaps this woman was Lydia, the true mother of Tiberius and also the wife of Augustus) with the inscription "Pontif. Maxim" which means high priest, another irony. Christ was pointing out the idolatrous claims of the coin yet at the same time said Caesar could have his taxes while God should have our love and hearts (Matt 22:36-40;Deut 6:5;Lev 19:18).

Matt 22:22 - "marvelled<2296>".

Matt 22:23,28 - the "Sadducees<4523>" didn't believe in the resurrection yet are asking Jesus about a resurrection scenario.

Matt 22:25,26,28 - note the three mentions of seven and seventh. The resurrection will occur on the millennial seventh day of rest.

Matt 22:29-32 - teaching the Sadducees from the Scriptures that there will be a resurrection of the dead to life as God IS a God of the living including three specifically named patriarchs already buried (Exo 3:6;Heb 11:13-16,39-40).

Matt 22:39 - "love<25>" and who is our neighbor that we are to have such a deep love for (Luke 10:29-37)?

Matt 22:44 - "right hand<1188>".

22:2 we repeatedly read of Jesus saying that the kingdom is “like”. In fact God says that this is one of the way in which He teaches – Hos 12:10 – where Hosea speaks of Similitudes – that is likenesses

22:16 The trap was set, or so they thought. In speaking of their opinion of Jesus’ integrity (something they did not actually believe) there is an attempt to lull Jesus into a feeling of friendliness in order that he might stumble at their questioning.

This form of questioning is something we often see when politicians are interviewed. We call them “loaded questions”. Of course we are never like that are we?

22:5accepting an invitation to the “wedding feast” brings responsibilities. We would not turn up at a wedding to which had been invited in a slipshod and casual way. In the same way we should see the seriousness of the call of the gospel message.

22:23-28 The Pharisees would never ask this question. They believed in the resurrection However the Sadducees did not, -  Acts 23:8 -.  hence the question designed to highlight a problem with believing in the resurrection.