Comments for January 29

ch.48 - We have another example of the 'passing of the birthright'. It was passed from Esau to Jacob, as we know. It was passed from Reuben to Joseph (1Chron.5:1,2) - from the oldest son of the first wife to the oldest son of the second. Now all this is about to happen again. In this chapter, for the third generation running, the younger is chosen over the elder. Here we have one of the reasons for Israel being kept alive this long - that God's wisdom might show through him in today's chapters - in establishing the basis and direction for God's people to go. 49:1,2 and what follows, is inspired prophecy.

ch.49 v.1,2 - These blessings were given publically, it seems - at a specially convened family gathering. It is significant as it means that each faced the blessing, which was related quite specifically to some degree to their performance in life so far, in front of the others, which must have made quite an emotional scene. We have here a picture of God's judgement upon his children.

ch 48 - Men of God are not always positive about life. Whereas Israel could say :15 'God which led me …' he had said to Pharaoh 47:9 'few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage'. We should be encouraged that faithful men have their off days.

49:24 'the stone' of Israel passes into Biblical use as a marker for the redeemer. Consider Isaiah 28:16 Psalm 118:22 and many New Testament references also. Maybe you would like to look them out for yourselves?

50:24 In telling his brethren that they would be brought to 'the land which he sware to Abraham, Isaac and to Jacob' Joseph introduces a phrase which is picked up again. However it is only used in the books of the wilderness journey! Here is a complete list
Exodus 33:1 Numbers 32:11 Deuteronomy 1:8 6:10 9:5 30:20 34:4. It is a highly specific phrase. It's use in the wilderness should remind the nation of the faith of Joseph - whose coffin they were carrying with them to Canaan.

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

As the man in the "Footsteps" poem turned around at the end of his life, he saw two sets of footprints in the sand. One set of footprints was his, and the other set was the Lord's. The Lord had walked beside him all the way - from the beginning of his life to the end of it - his whole life long.

The footsteps poem does not come from the Bible, it comes from someone's imagination as they wrote a poem about how they saw the Lord deal with us. As I read through Jacob's blessing of Joseph I was reminded of the footsteps poem because of the way Jacob spoke about God working in his life. He said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm - may he bless these boys."

Jacob had seen God working in his life all the way through. No matter where Jacob had been and no matter what he had done, God had been there with him, protecting and guiding him.

Just as God was with Jacob all his life from the beginning to the end, so we are told that God will never leave us or forsake us. Eventually we will be able to look back over our lives and see how God has been with us every step of the way. Until then, let us put our faith in our faithful God.

ch 48 - Last year when looking at Chapter 46 we noted the way in which Jacob and Israel were used. The same point could be made about this chapter.
Israel :2 8 10 13 14
Jacob :2 3

49:5 In calling Simeon and Levi 'instruments of cruelty' Jacob is referring to their behaviour in Shechem (Genesis 34:25)

50:16-18 It is 17 years since Joseph made himself known to his brethren but now their father is dead they still are concerned that Joseph will treat them roughly. They did not understand what full forgiveness after repentance really means. We run the risk of being like the brothers. Our God is willing to forgive us if we are repentant - however we still wonder …

BEARING GRUDGES

If anyone had a good excuse to bear a grudge and had the opportunity to pay his brothers out for causing his grudges, it was Joseph. He had been thrown into the pit, had his life threatened, been chained, sold as a slave, spent years in prison and been separated from his father and family for half his life.

So now that Jacob was dead and Joseph was the most powerful man in Egypt, he had every opportunity to get back at his brothers for all the misery they had put him through. Joseph's brothers thought that way, so they sent an urgent message to Joseph pleading for forgiveness. But bearing a grudge and getting revenge had not even crossed Joseph's mind and when he received their message he wept. He had already forgiven them. He had realised that all that had happened was for God to accomplish his plan and so Joseph held no grudge at all - only love.

Most of us have less reason to bear a grudge or to pay someone back for our grievances than Joseph did. Joseph learnt to forgive, accept and love. We must follow his example. Accept what has happened in the past, forgive any grievances we might have and turn our hatred into love.

Genesis 48:5 - "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh" - Ephraim was the youngest, but is mentioned first, as he afterwards was preferred in the blessing of him: "which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt" - and therefore must here be twenty years of age, or upwards: for Jacob had been in Egypt seventeen years, and he came there when there had been two years of famine, and Joseph's sons were born to him before the years of famine began - Genesis 41:50. Of these Jacob says, they"are mine: as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine" that is, by adoption; they would be reckoned not as his grandchildren, but as his children, even as his two eldest sons, Reuben and Simeon; and so should be distinct tribes or heads of them, as his sons would be, and have a distinct part and portion in the land of Canaan; and thus the birthright was transferred from Reuben, because of his incest, to Joseph, who in his posterity had a double portion assigned him.

When we consider the 12 tribes of Jacob who later dwelt in the land, we do well to consider:- (A) there were actually 13 tribes - for the Levites owned no land but had their inheritance in things spiritual, & (B) two of the tribes [Ephraim & Manasseh] are included through the principle of adoption - which principle opens the way for we Gentiles to also be reckoned with Israel. There is no tribe of Joseph mentioned in scripture.... until we get to Revelation 7:8 - and obviously Joseph is here reckoned, showing the principle of adoption once more for Spiritual Israel.

49:10,24 - The Pentateuch contains 6 "image" titles for Messiah. Four are mentioned in these two verses. Christ is here described as "the sceptre," "shiloh," "shepherd," and "stone." And elsewhere He is described as "the seed" - Genesis 3:15 - and "the star" - Numbers 24:17.

The Seed [Genesis 22:17] of promise, who shall be King [the sceptre], will bring tranquility, security and prosperity [shiloh].  He will nourish [shepherd]  His people and increase [stone - to build] the family name, raising men up to be heavenly [star] rulers - Daniel 12:3.

Genesis 50:26 - "So Joseph ['the Increaser'] died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt" - The book of Genesis which started with so much promise and life, now ends with a coffin in Egypt.

Joshua, who like Joseph, has no sin recorded against his name, and who led the children of Israel into the land of promise, also died at the age of 110yrs. Joseph's faith was such that he knew that his brethren's sojourn in Egypt would come to an end, at which time, he requested, his body then be interred in the Land of Promise. Joseph perhaps typifies Jesus in His mortality, whilst Joshua typifies Jesus in His triumphal immortality.

48:17-19 That Jacob chose Ephraim before the firstborn Manasseh is one of many occasions where the firstborn is refused and the younger preferred.  God’s promises are not according to birth.

49:29 Jacob’s desire to be buried in the land of Canaan shows his firm conviction that the promises to him and his fathers will be fulfilled. He identified with the land of Canaan rather than the land of Egypt.

Gen 50 - In a similar way to his father Joseph wished to be buried in the land promised to the fathers – but he could wait to be taken there. His allegiance, nevertheless, was with the land of promise, not Egypt.

Egypt wasn't the Promised land.  Ch 49 shows Jacob's complete faith in God's promises, in speaking
of the 12 tribes settling into Canaan. Joseph too shared the same hope Gen 50:24

Gen 49:27  This prophesy certainly describes Saul of Tarsus, and later the Apostle Paul. Acts 9:1 provides us with a description of his early years, (The morning of his life) when his purpose in life was to persecute the followers of Christ. On the other hand we see him in his latter years proclaiming the gospel news and strengthening the believers. (the night of his life) In what was likely his last letter, we see him in prison at Rome confidently awaiting the judgement day, when he would appear before the Lord. 2Tim 4:6-8 Paul's life has to be a partial fulfilment of this verse. 

Both Israel (Jacob) and Joseph were embalmed when they died (Gen 50:2,3,26).  The practice of embalming was Egyptian and not Hebrew.  It was the showing of great respect, by the Egyptians, to a community leader.  Perhaps Joseph ordered his father to be embalmed to preserve him on his journey to Canaan.  Embalming took forty days to complete.  After that, it lay in natron for thirty days, making a total of seventy days.  During this time, mourning took place (50:3).  The seventy days of mourning came from the Egyptians.  Israel's practice was usually seven days (the practice remains with Jews to this day) (e.g. 50:10; 1Sam 31:13). Israel's mourning was extended on occasion to thirty days (but never more) (e.g. Num 20:29). 

48:13 This is the third consecutive generation where we see the passing of the birthright. From Esau to Jacob (Gen 25:33) from Reuben to Joseph (1Chron 5:1-2), and now from Manasseh to Ephraim. 

50:3 - This discrepancy of time is explained by the fact that the Egyptians took 40 days initially to prepare the body for embalming, which then took place during the next 30 days of mourning, and took the form of anointing with gums and spices for preservation.  So, surprisingly, especially in a hot country, we have 70 days from death to burial.

Bro Peter Cresswell's comment on the length of time, 70 days, in which Jacob's body lay in Egypt being prepared for burial, reminded me that 'the worms would destroy the flesh' and the flesh would be left in Egypt, but the bones, representing perhaps the solid structure of his life, were to be preserved and carried back to the promised land to await with his parents and  grandparents, the resurrection.

Lesson for me.  Our Thursday night Bible Class was on the Believer's life in what he/she does with their 'leisure' time.

I like Bro Robert's comments about the footsteps poem.  It's been a while since I've read it and I'm not sure if this part is in the original or in an added version.

It is about a person looking at the footprints and some are missing and God says that is when He carried the person.

It caught my attention because doing the readings in Gen 46:5 Jacob was carried into Egypt.
and in Gen 50:25, his bones were to be carried out of Egypt.

I also like the emphasis in Gen 46:6, all Jacob had went into Egypt. and in Exo 10:26 not
even a 'hoof'' was left in Egypt.

Reminder to me that not even a footprint in my life should be left in 'Egypt'.

50:25 - Just as we can carry Christ within us on our wilderness journey to the promised land so Israel carried Joseph's bones with them.

48:3Jacob’s use of ‘God Almighty’ reflect the way that God had spoken when he appeared to Abraham – Gen 17:1 . This way of speaking of God is rare – here are all the other occurrences  Gen 28:3 35:11 43:14

49:24‘Mighty God of Jacob’ is only found on two other occasions Psa 132:2,5 Given that both other occurrences are to be found in the Psalm we should be looking for links between this promise to Joseph and Psalm 132.

50:20-21  Israel murdered Jesus, yet he will return to be their saviour, and they will recognise him at long last. God meant that for good also. The death of Jesus was determined by God Acts 2:23. Joseph shows us how concerned God is to preserve His people.

GOD AT WORK
 
Jacob's blessing of Joseph and his sons has some wonderful descriptions of the way God worked in his life. Jacob said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who delivered me from all harm - may he bless these boys." (Gen 48:15-16) I wonder if we have ever thought of God in the same ways that Jacob did.
 
He described God as his shepherd throughout his whole life. Jacob, as a shepherd himself, knew just what a shepherd was. God, as his shepherd, led him in safe pastures, provided his needs, disciplined him, made sure he grew healthy and strong, and gave him healing when he needed it. God was a good shepherd, a thought reflected by David in Psalm 23. Have we seen God guiding, providing, disciplining and healing in our lives?
 
Jacob also saw God's Angel "who delivered me from all harm." How often have we seen God's Angel at work in our lives to deliver us from harm? The many times of near accidents, in places of trouble, or in situations when we have made career, relationship or financial mistakes, are all times God's Angel may be seen working to save us from harm.
 
Like Jacob, let's notice the ways God works in our lives and be thankful for what he has done.

IN BAD TIMES
 
Joseph had an amazing attitude. At the time after his father had died and he could have had revenge on his brothers for all the ways they had mistreated him, he gave glory to God and forgave them yet again. Joseph's brothers themselves were terrified that he might seek revenge. "But Joseph said to them, 'Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.' And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." (Gen 50:19-21)
 
Joseph's attitude is one we should try and develop in our own lives. Not many of us have been sold as a slave, ridiculed and put in prison because of our brothers, but sometimes people treat us wrongly. In situations where we are treated unfairly or badly it is important to remember two things:
God is working for our good in the situation he has put us in, just as he worked for good in the life of Joseph. (Rom 8:28)
We must not consider the people who treated us wrongly to be too bad to forgive or to be incapable of starting again. Joseph's brothers had a bad start but they turned out OK in the end.
Let's be like Joseph and give glory to God even for the bad things that happen in our lives.

49:9 In speaking of Judah as a ‘lion’s whelp’ we have the origin of the idea that Jesus uses in Rev 5:5

48:13   The way in which the narrative is careful to make the point that the blessing of the sons of Joseph was not as Joseph expected – the younger receiving the blessing for the first born – is designed to force us to recognise that the promises and blessings are by grace, not right.

49:10 is clearly referring to the messiah.  The fulfilment of this verse began with the kingship of David.  It will be finally accomplished when Jesus returns to rule the world (Psa 9:8; Acts 17:31).  A picture of the abundance that the kingdom will bring is shown in 49:11,12  It will be so lush that animals (which eat greenery) could be tied to even the choicest plants or trees without fear of overall loss; wine will be as plentiful as water; and the health of individuals will be outstanding.

48:14-20 We read of ‘Ephraim’ often in the historical and prophetic books and possibly think nothing of a large element of the nation being named in this way. However this repeated use of ‘Ephraim’ shows that what God had said of Ephraim in the blessing actually came true.

48:19 Ephraim was to become greater than his older brother Manasseh.

Ephraim means double fruit. His name would become synonymous with Israel (e.g. Zech 10:7).

49:5 The behaviour of the brothers Simeon and Levi over the murders of the Hamorites is recalled (Gen 34:35). The consequence of their actions was seen in the tribal distributions. Simeon had no separate territory but was absorbed into the territory of Judah. Simeon is not mentioned at all in Moses’ blessing of Israel (Deut 33). Levi would be scattered throughout the other tribes and have no tribal territory of its own (Deut 18:1; Josh 13:14).

This episode is a reminder to us that actions have consequences.

Christ was prophesied to be from the tribe of Judah Gen 49:10;Isa 11:1-4;Mic 5:2;Luke 3:33;Heb 7:14;Rev 5:5

Gen 49:11 - does this refer to Christ entering Jerusalem and then being sacrificed or does it refer to the kingdom age or perhaps both?

Gen 49:22 - does the well or fountain refer to the cleansing baptism/burial in Christ or does it refer to refreshment from the word of life (John 4:1-13)? Branches going over the wall is that a reference to overcoming the wall of sin or does it refer to salvation going beyond the borders of natural Israel?

Gen 49:26 - Joseph was a crowned prince separate from his brethren but ultimately this would foreshadow Christ.

48:16‘The angel which redeemed me ...’ contrasts interestingly with what Jacob said to Pharaoh –Gen 47:9

GOD AT WORK

I wonder if we will be able to look back on our lives like Jacob did at the end of his and see God at work from beginning to end? As Jacob blessed Joseph, he said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm - may he bless these boys." (Gen 48:5-16)

Jacob saw God's influence in his life from before he was born in the lives of his father and grandfather. Abraham and Isaac were the examples Jacob had before him as he also walked with God over the course of his life.

Jacob was a shepherd. He knew what it was to care for his sheep, to protect them from wild animals and bandits and to sacrifice his own comfort for the good of the sheep. As he looked back over his life, Jacob could see the ways God had led him like a lamb, guiding, caring and providing for Jacob's own good. And he could also see the way God's angel had been watching over him, protecting him from the harm he could have faced.

Whether we are aware of God's hand in our lives or not, we can be sure that he is just as caring and just as interested in our lives as he was for Jacob. It just may take a little time before we, like Jacob, can look back and see what God was doing in our lives.

50:2  Notice that whilst in Gen 49:33 we are told ‘Jacob’ died it is ‘Israel’ was to be embalmed. The deceiver is truly the prince with God.

The mystery of the extra portion

Jacob took Joseph and gave him an extra inheritance, which he split between his two sons. Because of this there are thirteen tribes in Israel, with Levi not counted because the Levites became the priesthood (Josh 14:4). But why this extra portion all of a sudden? Jacob tells Joseph this reason: "I took it out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow" (Gen 48:22). What does he mean? The answer lies in Josh 24:32 which recounts Josephs burial, much after, in the land of Israel: "The bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem... which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph". This is part of the land that Simeon and Levi took by force, presumably with their sword and bow (Gen 34).

48:4     The use of ‘everlasting possession’ quotes Gen 17:8 showing yet again Jacob’s focus is, even though he is in Egypt, is on the land of Canaan – the land of promise. Do we have the same focus? We are strangers in a foreign land. We look to the fulfilment of the promises. Are those promises firmly in the front of our minds?

Gen 48:15

“And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day.”

The word, fed is # <7462>, ra’ah, and is translated “keeper” (Gen 4:2), “feed” (Gen 29:7), “shepherds” (Exo 2:17), and in one form or other they convey the idea of shepherding. Israel is saying how God took care of him all of his life as a shepherd does his flock.

It is the shepherd who decides where to pasture his sheep, when and where to shelter them, and treat their ailments. It is the shepherd’s right to determine these things as he sees fit and the sheep do not complain. They are utterly dependent upon the shepherd for almost everything pertaining to their well-being and safety.

The shepherd imagery was often used as shepherding was a common occupation, and the word came to denote leadership. The beautiful phrase Jacob is depicting for us reads: “the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.”

God’s people are figuratively referred to as sheep, and as such sheep need a shepherd. “…Thou shalt feed (shepherd) my people Israel…”(1Chron 11:2; John 10:11). Just as natural sheep obediently follow their shepherd, so we believers in Christ should obediently follow Christ, our Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20), that all our physical and spiritual needs may be supplied all our days.

50:21The way that Joseph spake “kindly” – Heb “to the heart” is echoed in the prophet – Isa 40:2– where the same word is translated “comfortably”

The Angel which redeemed me from all evil (v.16)

This lovely verse ties in with the proclamation Jacob made before Pharaoh in Gen 47:9 - "few and evil have the days of the years of my life been" ... but here in Gen 48:16, we learn that God brought Jacob through it all. Just because God was was Jacob, didn't ensure that life would be easy. Our journey to the Kingdom is not one of ease and no pain.

We likewise may go through many trials in our life, but if we believe with all our heart that God will see us through, then He surely will. Christ will redeem us from all evil, if we but lean upon Him.

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Heb 13:5

"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry." Psa 34:15

Gen 50:10 - "Atad"<329> - perhaps an echo of Christ's crucifixion.

50:6 The willingness of this Pharaoh to allow Joseph and his brother to leave Egypt to bury Israel contrasts markedly with the Pharaoh about 200 years later who would not let Israel go into the wilderness to worship God. Exo 8:27,32

Gen 50:22-26

“... And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob... and ye shall carry up my bones from hence...”

The book of Genesis begins with creation, the beginning of all life, and ends in death - “in a coffin in Egypt.”  God had pronounced, "thou shalt surely die" (Gen 2:17, i.e. "dying thou shalt die"), contrary to what the serpent said, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen 3:4). But, these last verses in Genesis also epitomize the faith of Joseph (cf. Heb 11:22). He said in Gen 50:25: "... God will surely visit you" - no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He knew the future because he knew the past (cf. Gen 15:13-14). Joseph was a man with a vision, a vision that would tarry, but would surely come to pass (cf. Prov 29:18; Hab 2:3).

Joseph was a man of faith, a man of honour, a man who persevered in his calling, a man who trusted in God no matter what,  a man who experienced God`s blessings.  Joseph knew the word of God and he believed God (cf. Rom 10:17).  Biblical faith is not positive thinking, following hunches, hoping for the best, self-confidence, or even a feeling of optimism. It is reading, studying, believing and trusting in God`s word. Faith is substance because it is rooted in the word of God and not in our feelings. Faith is evidence because evidence can only be evidence concerning a fact (Heb 11:1). Believing does not make it so, it is so.

The bones of Joseph are referenced three times:  Exo 13:19; Josh 24:32; Heb 11:22. Hundreds of years after Joseph`s death, Moses took Joseph`s coffin as he led the people of Israel out of Egypt and carefully guarded by Moses throughout their entire 40 year wilderness journey. Then the transition of the bones went to Joshua who, likewise, guarded them through his turbulent conquest of Canaan, and brought them to the land of Shechem, its ultimate and final resting place, and so ended the book of Joshua. The promises were kept; Joseph`s faith was rewarded (cf. Matt 9:29). What a testimonial of the faith of Joseph! Because we hear the word of God, we can rely on the word, rest on the word, and we will be rewarded by the word just as Joseph was.

Joseph`s heart was with his people, the people of God, and he wanted to be identified with them, and not with Egypt. His bones will rise again (cf. Dan 12:2; John 5:28-29). We have an empty grave as proof, the grave of our Saviour, and because he lives, we shall live also (John 14:19).

48:22  When Israel told Joseph that God would bring him back to the land of Canaan he was basing his comments on Gen 15:14.

Gen 48:7 - "Ephrath"(<672> means "ash heap" or "place of fruitfulness" and perhaps suggests the burnt offering of Christ), "Bethlehem"(<1035> means "house of bread" - this is where the bread of life was born Matt 2:1;John 6:35;1Cor 11:23-26).

49:23  In saying that Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the fourth generation we have to conclude that the affliction of Israel and their subsequent exodus from Egypt could not have been very long after the death of Joseph for – Gen 15:16 – shows that Israel were to come out of Egypt in the fourth generation after they went down there.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

It was David who penned the psalm that so famously describes the Lord as his shepherd. But the idea of God as a shepherd came long before David. Jacob used it when he reviewed his life as he was blessing Joseph's sons. Jacob said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has delivered me from all harm - may he bless these boys." (Gen 48:15-16).

God was Jacob's shepherd. Jacob trusted God in the same way that a sheep trusts it's shepherd. Sheep don't survive without someone to look after them. They are not equipped for fighting off lions, bears or dogs. They don't know where the best places to feed are, they have a tendency to wander off and get lost if they are not being watched, or to follow the crowd to disaster. Sheep need a shepherd.

Jacob realised that he needed his God in the same way. Even though God had led him in places he didn't want to go, it had all turned out for the best. There were times he never thought he would survive, but God was fighting for him.

If we follow Him, God will be our shepherd too. At times we might question where He leads us, but if we keep trusting and following, we, like Jacob, will get to the end of our lives and realise that it was certainly worth following our shepherd.

50:24  Joseph understood the promise of Genesis 15:16. Hebrews 11:22 says it was “by faith” that Joseph believed. He had seen evidence in his life that God worked and kept His word. So Joseph had confidence about things “not seen”

48:5     Even though Manasseh was the firstborn Jacob speaks of Ephraim first. This sets the scene for the way the two boys and then tribes are listed in the rest of Scripture. The second born is treated as the firstborn

48:15  Jacob’s positive words to his sons is in stark contrast to what he said to Pharaoh –47:9. We can often allow immediate circumstances to colour our views. What Jacob said to his sons here was also true when he was before Pharaoh. Though things did look rather more bleak at that time.  We must be careful to recognise God in our lives both in the good and bad time.

Gen 49:22-26 Why would Jacob speak of El Shaddai blessing his sons?

Many commentators claim EL Shaddai speaks of destruction (strength of the destroyers) But Jacob through his life slowly learned to destroy his thinking in flesh and acting upon his own strength got him nowhere, in fact it led to his small problems becoming large ones! 

When Jacob learned to seek his stength from God (like Abraham belived IN God Gen 15:6) was he blessed. And what blessing he recieved!

El Shaddai then was to Jacob aslo Stength of the nourishers, one who would comfort and nourish but only when Jacob sought strength from God instead of flesh.

When we read the god of Jacob it means the ABIYR of Jacob. The Abiyr means lofty one or one that sees over our problems.

Whenever the ABIYR of JAcob is used in scripture it speaks of someone who was suffering but was delivered out of their troubles by God.

No wonder then Jacob sought El Shaddai to bless his sons.

Gen 48:19-20 Against the expectation of Joseph, Jacob gave the Joseph’s younger son Ephraim the blessing of the firstborn Manasseh.

“… his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”. We see this prophecy of Jacob working out in the numbers in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Ephraim numbered 40,500 when Manasseh was numbered 32,200 (Num 1:33-34). Moses in his blessing on Israel just before his death spoke of Joseph’s sons, “they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”(Deut 33:17).

So Ephraim was chosen to lead what was later to become the Northern kingdom of a divided house in the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam.

A similar divinely appointed pattern emerges for the Southern portion of the house of Israel.  Reuben the eldest son of Jacob forfeited his firstborn heritage which was given then to Judah. So the Israel was to be divided. 

“…the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.”(Judg 10:9). The seed of Abraham are for us, a witness to the existence of “Almighty God.” working out His purpose in the earth (Gen 17:1-21).

48:11 whilst it might read as if Ephraim and Manasseh were little boys when they were before Jacob clearly they were young men – at least 20 years old.

They were born during the years of plenty Gen 41:50

They were at least 2 years old when Jacob came to Egypt Gen 45:6

Jacob was 130 when he came to Egypt Genesis 47:9

Jacob was 147 when he died Genesis 49:128

3+17=20

50:11-13 Notice that whilst it is Jacob who is being buried. A man who had lived in Canaan with his sons and his father and Grandfather before him that the Canaanites call it a “mourning to the Egyptians”. Possibly an indication, given that over 200 years had passed since Jacob left Canaan, that all memories of him and his dwelling in the land had been forgotten. That is not passed down through the generations. Possibly an indication as to how insignificant they were in the minds of the Canaanites. However God had remembered them. The same may well be true of ourselves – forgotten by those around us but still remembered by our God.

50:5-6the way that this Pharaoh allowed the Israel to go to Canaan and return is markedly different from the alter Pharaoh who would not let Israel go out of the land of Egypt. – Exo 3:19 -  As God explained to Moses.

48:3,8 Notice the shift from “Jacob” to “Israel”.

There are a number of occasions when we find both names close together when speaking of Jacob. In them we see a shift from the man who was struggling to gain the promises to the man who had become the “prince with God”.

May we learn what Jacob learnt Submission to God’s will rather than trying to sort things out ourselves is the best approach to following His promises.

49:8 Given Judah’s rather mixed past we might think it surprising that Jacob gave him such a blessing.

But that is true of all of us. We all have a chequered past. However God, in His mercy, will overlook the past if we remain faithful and repent of the unacceptable things in our lives.

51v.4 - This whole Psalm is salutary. It shows us our state and particularly the attitude which brings forgiveness, but v. 4 shows why we go to God for our forgiveness. It is against God that we sin - not against man. This view is echoed by various passages. Gen.39:9, Lev.5:19. Under the law, the sacrifices were made to obtain atonement from God, not man. Lev.6:2-7. Surely the key OT verse is the one from the incident to which this Psalm refers - 2Sam.12:13.

52 v.8 - Compare this verse with other references to the olive tree - Jer.11:16, Hos.14:6-8, Rom.11:24

Psalm 51 - David had wronged both Bathsheba and Uriah when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. However, in the Psalm :4, David recognised who really had been wronged. He had wronged God. True repentance comes when we truly recognise this ourselves.

Psalm 52 - This Psalm which relates to Doeg killing all the priests at Nob reads more like a personal letter sent to Doeg - notice the pronouns :1 thyself :2 thy :3 thou :4 Thou :5 thee. One wonders if it was ever read by Doeg.

Psalm 51 - This Psalm properly begins with the inspired words "A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba" - David was a dead man! No sacrifice or restitution under Moses Law could be offered to God for the crimes of adultery, pre-meditated murder, lying, deceit, hypocrisy. But as the last words of the Psalm previous declare, "to him that orders his way of life aright will I show the Salvation of God [Jesus]."

51:4 - "Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done evil in they sight" - Sure, David had taken privileges with Bathsheba, caused Uriah to become drunk, murdered Uriah, given cause to greatly upset Bathsheba's family, caused Joab to become complicit with his designs, denied sinning, lied to cover up, went on with life as if all was normal, hypocritically deceiving others - in so many ways, David's transgressions involved other people - yet he rightly states that all his crimes are against heaven itself.

51:10 - "Create in me a new heart" - David's request for a "heart transplant" gets right to the "heart" of the problem. David realises that to become right with God, he must adopt a totally new way of thinking. No sacrificial code under the Law of Moses can put things right - only God in Heaven can. David needed to develop Faith that God can forgive our sins, and remove them as far from us "as far as the east is from the west" - Psalm 103:12 - "casting all our sins into the depths of the sea" - Micah 7:19 - "remembering them no more" - Jeremiah 31:34. Do we believe that? Or do we think that there are some things that God just cannot forgive in our lives?

51:16-17 There was no animal sacrifice that David could have offered for his sins – murder and adultery demanded the death penalty. So David realised that all he could give to God was himself, just as he said in Psa 40:6-8

52:6 There are a number of places in Scripture where the righteous are described as laughing at the calamity of the wicked. Now this clearly cannot be the laugh of ridicule. It is the laugh of joy that the righteous have been delivered.

Psalm 51  David in this Psalm both acknowledges his sin and also seeks God's mercy. In V.4 he acknowledges his sin against God and by doing so he is saying that God is righteous. In V.1 While seeking mercy, David was aware that God was willing to forgive his transgressions and his sins. May each one of us, like David, seek to be made clean through the mercy of our Heavenly Father.

David, conscious of his sin against God was full of self-loathing (51:5).  His statement is reminiscent of the Pharisees' declaration to the man, blind from birth, whom Jesus had cured (John 9:34).  David was reflecting the wretchedness he found within himself and was willing to repent; whereas the hypocritical Pharisees were only interested in pointing judgemental fingers at another without recognizing the need for their own repentance.  Jesus enlightens his disciples, regarding the blind man, to show that his status was not the result of any particular sin (John 9:2,3). 

Psa 51:18-19 - These verses are an indication that animal sacrifices will be reinstituted in the Kingdom Age. A little research into  the latter chapters of Ezekiel indicate that the mortal Israelites (Levites) are "keepers of the charge of the house" ; whilst the immortalised "Sons of Zadok" will be "keepers of the charge of the altar". Eze 40:45-46, Eze 44:10
An understanding of our future roles in that age is helpful to the necessary "vision" required. Prov 29:18

Psa.52 - PRAISE FOR BAD TIMES
 
It must have been one of the most distressing pieces of news David had ever heard.  Not only had Doeg the Edomite told Saul where David was hiding, he had also killed 85 priests and the whole priestly town of Nob with its men, women, children and animals.  The reason?  Because David had been given supplies by one of the priests that was there.
 
It is easy to imagine how bitter David would have felt toward this enemy of the LORD.  But it also would have made him depressed as he considered the circumstances that had been placed on his life.
 
In the midst of this dreadful circumstance David was still able to praise the LORD.  He said, "I will praise you for ever for what you have done, in your name I will hope, for your name is good.  I will praise you in the presence of your saints." (Psa 52:9)  David was aware that God was working for the best in his life, and even in disaster he could still trust that even the bad things would turn out for the best.
 
David's faith is the faith we need to be able to praise God - even when things look black.  With that sort of faith we will be able to give thanks and praise for the good things as well as the bad.

51:2 - Where we might wonder whether this sin was so bad that God would not be willing (or maybe we doubt He would be able) to forgive, David had no such fear, and we should lift up our heads and learn from this statement of his faith.

In the midst of David's sorrow and repentance, when he understood how evil he had been in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba, he says in Psa 51:3 "I acknowledge my transgression: and my sin is ever before me." How easy it would be to substitute "Thee" for the last word "me".  But how wrong!  When God forgives a sin, the deed is gone, taken away, forgiven.  With God it's not a matter of "I'll forgive you, but I'll never forget."  That's our human way.  God forgives, and the deed is taken out of history.

51:4   The language of this verse forms the basis for the repentant language of the prodigal son in Luke 15:18,21

52:8   The idea of a faithful man being like an olive tree is seen elsewhere, for example Psa 128:3, 

51:7‘purge’ ‘hyssop’ ‘wash’ are words drawn from the details of the Red Heifer – Num 19:16. David saw himself in need of forgiveness in a way that the Red Heifer speaks of cleaning – that animal is a pattern of the one off sacrifice of Jesus.

52:3 David says that Doeg loves lying more than righteousness, though when Doeg told Saul that David had been with the priests he was telling the truth. So why did David say what he did? The reason has to be that Doeg, knowing what Saul would do, still told Saul and then actually fulfilled the evil request of Saul.

Leprosy, a disease of the flesh, is equated with sin.  To be put right with Yahweh, one has to be cleansed. David, in his desire to be cleansed of his sin, refers to the cleansing of leprosy under the Law (51:7).  Here, hyssop was used as part of the ritual (Lev 14:1-7).

51:4 David’s specific comment upon God’s righteousness being seen in his life is quoted in Rom 3:4 in a general way showing that the way that God specifically dealt with David is not unique but the way in which He will deal with the whole of mankind. He will forgive the repentant sinner.

52:1 O mighty man is surely meant to be ironic.  Doeg, the Edomite, was the chief herdsman of Saul.  He saw David with the priest Ahimelech.  Then he went and denounced them to Saul (1Sam 22:9).  Saul wanted revenge but everybody declined to carry out the act except Doeg.  He went to Nob and killed all the priests and their families (1Sam 22:18).  This was hardly the act of a mighty man.

Psa 51:4;Rom 3:3-4.

51:8,17 Notice the twofold use of ‘broken’ David’s ‘bones’ are his ‘’spirit’ That is how David explains what has happened with the chastening hand of God.

If you have read Psalm 51 already, try reading it again, but with the following in mind.

The heading of the Psalm says "when Nathan the Prophet went to him", so when David wrote the psalm, God had already pronounced forgiveness for his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (see 2Sam 12:13). So if the Psalm is not a request for forgiveness of sin, what is it about? And what can we learn about our own prayers from this? (Clue: List all David's specific requests in this Psalm)

51:1      The idea of sins being blotted out is taken up by Paul in Col 2:14

52:3   The way in which the wicked ‘loved evil’ contrasts markedly with the ‘son’ – Psa 45:7

Psa 51:7

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

The background of this Psalm is recorded in 2Sam 11:15 after David committed adultery with Bathsheba. It was written shortly after Nathan the Prophet told him the parable of the little ewe lamb and then identifying David as the man (2Sam 12:1-15).

To be purged with hyssop and made clean denotes external cleansing (Lev 14:4-7,49-53; Num 19:6,18). To be made whiter than snow denotes internal cleansing. David prayed to be made clean without and within. But, it goes even deeper than that…

The nature of the nuclei of snow crystals has long been a question among Meteorologists and Physicists. Snow nuclei observed with an electron microscope and identified by means of electron diffraction-patterns found that at the center of each snow crystal a dark spot composed primarily of clay particles and other minute mineral particles captured by the snow crystals in the course of their fall! This clay particle, or our propensity to sin, we inherited when Adam and Eve fell (see verse 5). While David was praying for forgiveness in being cleansed outside (act) and inside (lust), David was also praying for the hope of immortality (verses 11-12), when there would no longer be any dark spots in him – no more temptations to sin. Then he will be whiter than snow.

Psa 51:4

“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight… That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.”

In this phase of David’s confession, in the final analysis, all sin is against God. We may sin against our neighbour, against a friend, but without exception, all sin no matter against who it is committed is, in the highest and most real sense, a sin against God. Joseph recognized this when he refused to yield to Potiphar’s wife’s seductions (Gen 39:9).

David, with a contrite and penitent heart, prays that God wash, clean, and purge him from all his sins, so that in the final Judgment, God may be known as a just Judge. These last two verses are an important confession and quoted by the apostle Paul in Rom 3:4.

Psa 51:1-3

“…blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me."

In Exo 34:7 we read that the LORD forgives “iniquity and transgression and sin.”

In Dan 9:24 we read, likewise, that 70 weeks are determined “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity…” This indicates that these words differ, and represent increasing levels of falling, “short of the glory of God.”

The following definitions are from the ILLUSTRATED OXFORD DICTIONARY, 1998:

Sin: This English word comes from archery. The archer would shoot at the target, and if he missed the mark, the official would yell, ‘Sin.’ By definition sin is, “a breaking of divine or moral law, esp. by a conscious act.” We are not achieving the standard God set for us, but erring from the path. We have missed the mark (Rom 3:23).

Transgression: This is rebellion, a full violation of the law, and by definition is to, “go beyond the bounds or limits set by (a commandment, law, etc.); violate; infringe.” It is a breach of command (Isa 24:5; James 2:9,11).

Iniquity: By definition is, “wickedness; unrighteousness, a gross injustice.” When sin is repeated against the knowledge of God it becomes transgression, and if the transgression is repeatedly continued it becomes iniquity (Exo 20:8; 2Sam 24:10 Psa 5:5; Isa 53:5-6; 57:17; Dan 9:5; Hos 9:9; James 3:6). It is self-serving, stubbornness, and gross immorality.

This Psalm is not just about David; it is also about us. It is about who we are and how we are as individuals, families, and ecclesia. Sin pervades our lives, but the good news is that, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Repentance lives as long as faith for as long as we live. The stain of sin may only be removed by the grace of God if we acknowledge it, and are truly repentant.

Psalm 51 is one of the seven penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 & 143).

Psa 51:1-2 - Vs1 "transgressions" [<6588> can mean "a revolt, rebellion, transgression, sin, etc."], Vs2 "iniquity" [<5771> can mean "man's perversity, (moral) evil, etc."], Vs2 "sin" [<2403> can mean "an offense, sin, etc."].

Psa 51:2,3,5,7,9 - appears to be direct confessions of David's sin and perhaps has an echo to Christ in the sense of Christ's having the temptations and desires of human nature (Heb 4:15;Heb 5:2,8) plus his having bore the burden of human sin (Isa 53:4,5,12).

Psa 51:4 - "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned..." - Uriah was already dead when this was written and sexual sins are especially emphasized as sins against God (Gen 20:6;39:9;1Cor 6:15-20).

Psa 51:7 - perhaps this verse has an application to Christ - "purge me with hyssop" (John 19:29)..."I shall be whiter than snow" (Matt 17:2;Mark 9:3;Luke 9:29).

Psa 51:12 - "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" - perhaps this has an application to Christ.

Psa 51:13,16 - "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee...thou desirest not sacrifice" (Matt 9:10-13).

Psa 51:14 - "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness" - this would seem to have application to David's murdering and perhaps is an echo of Christ being murdered.

Psa 52:5 - "destroy thee for ever" - Doeg and others who do not trust in God and are wicked will not be given eternal life but if they have sufficient knowledge will be deemed responsible and judged when Christ returns (Dan 12:2;John 5:21-22).

Psa 52:7-8 - "this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness...I trust in the mercy of God" - the attitude of Doeg and of others who trust in riches contrasts with the attitude of David, Jesus and others who trust in the mercy of God - (Luke 12:15-21;16:13-15).

Psa 52:9 - "I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it" - could this have a dual application to David in the kingdom age and Christ? 

51:18  Whilst David is praying about the wonderful thing that God has done for him he does not forget the bigger picture. God will favour Zion by establishing the kingdom. David recognises this. We need to be careful that we see the bigger picture also. God has offered salvation to us in order that His name might be glorified – not ours.

A NEW ONE

He was a man after God's own heart, yet he couldn't fix his own heart. David had the wisdom not to ask God to help him get his heart right. Had God fixed up David's heart to free him from sin, he would have done a patch up job. It still would have been David's heart, with David's sinful tendencies, and it still would have disappointed both David and God.

David knew not to ask for a repair job on a sick and sinful heart, so instead he said, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psa 51:10) David needed a replacement heart. He needed a new heart, created by God to be pure. He needed a heart that was going to stay pure and was going to remain in the presence of God.

We so often try to do it all ourselves. Maybe we sometimes ask God for a helping hand when it comes to living his way, but most of the time we think we can stay sinless and pure by our own effort, in the strength of our own hearts. David couldn't. And neither can we. Let's not play around with repairs to a deceitful heart, but ask God for a new one. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

51:5   David is not saying he was an illegitimate child or the that there was anything wrong with  his mother. Rather he is saying that he was born of a woman who herself was a sinner and so consequently he was a sinner also. 

51:16-17             The idea of a broken spirit and contrite heart being pleasing to God is seen in Isaiah 66:2. This is the man who has subjected his will to the will of God.

Psalm 52: The price of fighting against God

Doeg the Edomite used his lies to cause the death of God's priests (See 1Sam 21-22). David here prophecies that God would visit punishment on him:

"God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living." (v5)

Did this come to pass when David became King and fought against the Edomites? It says that he cut off every male from Edom (1Kin 11:17-18). This would certainly fit, as the verse talks about the complete rooting out of his family line forever. God picks up the cause in Jer 49 where He prophecies of the total overthrow of Edom's dwelling place like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Psa 51:2,7,10 - "'Wash<3526>' me throughly from mine 'iniquity<5771>', and 'cleanse<2891>'me from my 'sin<2403>' ... 'Purge<2398>' me with 'hyssop<231>', and I shall be 'clean<2891>': 'wash<3526>', and I shall be 'whiter<3835>' than snow ... 'Create<1254>' in me a 'clean<2889>' 'heart<3820>'; O God; and 'renew<2318>' a 'right<3559>' 'spirit<7307>' 'within<7130>' me."

51:4    We might think that David had sinned against Uriah or Bathsheba and that he might have acknowledged that. Whilst it is true he wronged both of those individuals it was God he had wronged as he had violated the laws of God which he claimed he observed.

Psa 51:10 Assimilating the spirit word into the heart (not just the intellect) continually, is the process of washing the heart clean Eph 5:26.

51:5     “That … judgest” is quoted in Rom 3:4 as part of Paul’s inspired proof that we are all sinners.

The Christ-Deity veiled himself in the Adamic nature defiled by sin,‭ ‬in order that he might condemn sin to death in the nature which,‭ ‬though created‭ “‬very good,‭” ‬had legally defiled itself by transgression of the Eden law.‭ ‬This purpose would have been defeated if he had veiled himself in a clean nature.‭ ‬

To say that the Man,‭ ‬Jesus,‭ ‬was‭ ‬corporeally clean,‭ ‬or pure,‭ ‬holy,‭ ‬spotless,‭ ‬and undefiled,‭ ‬is in effect to say that he was not‭ “‬made of a woman‭;” ‬for Scripture teaches,‭ ‬that nothing born of woman can possibly be clean:‭ ‬but it is credibly testified that he was‭ “‬born of a woman‭;” ‬he must therefore necessarily have been born‭ ‬corporeally unclean.‭ ‬Hence,‭ ‬it is written of him in‭ Psa 51:5,‭

‭“‬I was shapen in iniquity‭; ‬and in sin did my mother conceive me.‭”

He therefore prays,

‭“‬Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean‭; ‬wash me,‭ ‬and I shall be whiter than snow.‭”

This prayer has been answered,‭ ‬and he has been‭ “‬Washed thoroughly from his‭ (‬corporeal‭) ‬iniquity,‭ ‬and cleansed from his sin‭;” ‬so that‭ ‬now he has a‭ ‬clean nature,‭ ‬which is spirit and divine‭—“‬the Lord the Spirit‭”—‬once dead as to flesh,‭ ‬but now alive as Spirit for evermore Rev 1:18.

Brother Thomas – Ambassador 1869

51:19  Israel were commanded to offer sacrifices regularly. The details are spelt out in the Law of Moses. However there is more to sacrifice than just going through the motions. The sacrifice that is offered in righteousness is the one that is offered because the offerer wants to sacrifice. Herein is the lesson for us. Just going through the motions of serving God is not sufficient. That service must come from a willing heart.

Psa 52:8

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”

Olive trees have the ability to survive droughts, diseases, and fires. When cut down, the olive tree will spring up again. They can live for 2,000 years, produce fruit, and do not shed their green leaves. They also produce oil in abundance, and the beaten oil was used to light the Menorah in the Tabernacle (Exo 27:20). Olive trees have an extensive root system, and are able to endure harsh climates. What a beautiful picture of Yahweh’s people!

David, likened himself to a green olive tree and by it tells us much about him! It is also significant and vital to see the olive tree was in the house of God.  The metaphor is unmistakable! This is what gave David his confidence through all his trials and tribulations to endure and feelings of safety from his enemies.

The apostle Paul used this imagery of the olive tree to describe the Gentiles being grafted in as wild olive branches into the natural olive tree (Rom 11:17-21). Followers of Christ in God’s house are full of spiritual vim and vigor, bring forth their leaves and fruits. They are planted in good soil, have an abundance of oil, and deep roots.  As the olive tree is always green, so shall we flourish in God’s mercy forever and ever.  We may stumble and fall, as did David, but knowing this is what helps us survive all the storms of life.

51:1     the way David asks that his transgressions be “blotted out” actually has happened for us if we have repented through the work of Jesus as Paul explains in Col 3:19

Psa 51:6

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” (Future tense). Older translations read: “Thou desirest truth in the inward part, and in the hidden part thou hast made me to know wisdom.” (Past tense). 

It wasn’t until David reached his lowest depths of remorse over the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah, that he learned that “deep calleth unto deep,” meaning to experience a deeper dimension of God through prayer deep within the heart, or mind of man. It wasn’t until David reached the depth of his weakness and worthlessness, that he cried out to God (Psa 130:1) and learned the profound importance of knowing that God is after truth in the inward parts, that is, the Truth being in the very depth of our being. It wasn’t enough to observe the outward conformity to the Law, but that God evaluates all our outward actions by what springs from the inside the heart. God measures our hearts by our motives. He searches the hearts, tries the reins (Jer 17:10), and asks us to give Him our heart (cf. Prov 23:26).

God’s desire first and foremost is not outward actions, which is easy enough, but the heart. The heart, our innermost self, reveals who we really are. Real truth, real faith, does not begin outside and then works inside, but begins inside and then works outward. God is a God of Truth (Psa 31:5; Isa 65:16), Jesus is Truth (John 14:6), and his disciples walk in Truth (3John 1:3,4). Anything else is hypocrisy.

Hypocrites claim to have certain beliefs, but behave in a way that disagree with those beliefs; they are full of deception and are self-deceived (Prov 6:12-19; Matt 23:13,15,23,25,27,29; Mark 7:6). Hypocrites have an outward show of piety, an outward expression of remorse over sins, but deep inside they never change (cf. 2Cor 7:10). David was a man after God’s own heart (1Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22), and God spoke to his heart, and gave him the kind of wisdom he needed - the kind of wisdom we need.

It is God’s prerogative, His sole prerogative to speak to the heart to make us wise. Unrepented hearts filled with anger and all sorts of wickedness and evil speaking, do not have the wisdom that comes from God, and, therefore, cannot discern spiritual matters (1Cor 2:14).  They become hostile, argumentative, and sow discord among the brethren, one of the very things that God hates (Prov 6:12-19)!

The truth is that the nearer a man is to God’s heart, the more detestable sin is, especially in ourselves. This became very evident in David. God desires and has set His heart on those who seek ever more deeply to be partakers of His Divine nature; true children begotten of Him (1John 5:1-4; 1Pet 1:3,13-23).

52:9 Waiting on God’s name is to be understood as serving God – a similar idea is found in Psa 27:14.

51:10 When David asks God to create a clean heart “within me” he is using the same word that is translated “inwards” in Lev 1:9. In this David saw that there was an application in his own life of the seemingly trivial requirements when making the sacrifice of the burnt sacrifice.

51:4 From time to time we offend / wrong others either by word, thought or action. David offended others when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah. Maybe David did not think of the impact his behaviour had on his God. Maybe we don’t think about how our father feels when we offend others. David came to realise that his actions, though against individuals actually impacted on God (51:4). Jesus uses the same idea when speaking of our actions (Matt 25:40)

52:7   the man spoken of is Doeg the Edomite who was not afraid to kill the priests – the Lord’s anointed ones. This is confirmed with the words of the title of the Psalm.

52:5 This Psalm reads like a personal letter to someone. A person who has behaved wickedly. Notice the repeated personal pronouns, “thy” and “thou”. The person to whom it was written, it seems, is Doeg the Edomite who killed the priests at Nob. 1Sam 22:18-19.

5v.5 - Christ is the object of the believer's hope, and the reference here to the Holy Spirit which is given to us surely points to our involvement in the Kingdom. This hope is based entirely on gain from God - Job27:8 shows how other gain is vain, hence the provision of the foundation laid in Zion - Isa.28:15-18, that our covenant with death might be disannulled. Consider also in this context Isa.45:16,17, Jer.17:5-8, Phil.1:20, Heb.6:18,19.

5:5 'Hope maketh not ashamed' echoes Gen.2:25. The theme of a return to the garden of Eden is built into the pattern of redemption in Scripture. Those who are 'justified by faith' are, in status, like Adam and Eve before the fall. Other examples of the return to Eden are 'live for ever' John 6:51 quoting Gen.3:22 and Rev.2:7 echoing Gen.3:22.
5:6-11 Paul, by the spirit, emphasises the magnitude of God's forgiveness as a basis for encouraging believers to recognise the ongoing forgiveness available after baptism.
6:1-23 Romans 6 is not saying that we should be baptised. The thrust of the argument is that baptised believers should change their lifestyle to be comformable to that led by Jesus.

REJOICE IN SUFFERING

Paul is amazing, the way he can take, what for us is a very negative experience, and turn it into something that is even more positive than our usual day to day living. Would we normally think of suffering as a positive experience? Not normally! Having been through a time of testing, I would not wish it on anyone. It was one of the most miserable periods of my life. However, from the other side of suffering, I have been able to see how I have grown closer to God and been able to re-order my life with godly priorities.

Paul emphasises that our sufferings are something to rejoice in, because they develop in our lives to give us hope. "...we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us." (Romans 5 v 3 - 5)

So while we may suffer, and we certainly won't enjoy it, we can still rejoice in the fact that it will develop our characters to become more like God, and that in the end, our suffering will produce hope, one of the most positive qualities we could wish for.

5:1 That we have 'peace with God' is such a powerful point. Of course this does not mean that we will have no problems. 'Peace' is to be seen as a contrast with :10 'enemies'. Those 'in Christ' are no longer God's enemies - that is they are no longer at war with Him, they are at peace with Him. We might not think that we are at war with Him just because we are not baptised but that is the clear implication of what Paul is saying.

6:16 This is the crucial point. The way that we behave and think shows truly where our heart is. Either we hate sin or we do not.

Romans 5:6 - "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" - At a time when the Jewish world was at its worst, God acted - and He sent the very best man - SoS 5:6 - to die for the worst, and that was the right time! How different to the way we often do things! Imagine if God had waited until we were "good enough" to save, before He acted toward us in love!

Romans 5:21 - The Grace of God shines all the brighter because of the gross darkness of our sinful natures.

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death"  - Sin is represented as a king, a mighty monarch, a tyrannical prince; sinners are his subjects and vassals, his servants and soldiers, who fight under him, and for him, and all the wages they must expect from him is death. The word "wages" means "the hire of armies", or the wages of soldiers for a whole year, so that it denotes wages the due, and paid after a campaign is ended, and the service is over; and suggests, that when men have been all their days in the service of sin, and have fought under the banners of it, the wages they will earn, and the just reward, and correct payment that will be given them, will be death. King Sin has never been known to default on a payment yet. On the other hand, the "free gift" of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Both the wages and the gift are eternal - but the "gift" of God is just that - it cannot be earned - it can only be accepted by living through the very one who entered into the 'jaws of the lion' - and who killed the lion!

The Golden Thread:- Though no sin is recorded against Joseph, yet he died, even as we all do, because of his relationship to sin through Adam. When Joseph is raised to immortality it will because he has received the "free gift" of God, even eternal life, because of his trust in a [then future] Saviour of the World. David opened his heart to God, and acknowledged that he had indeed worked for King Sin in the matter of Bathsheba, and was therefore rightly related to death. But salvation through Jesus Christ was offered to him, not because of who he was, but because he developed faith and trust in his God, such as is described by Paul in Romans.

5:19 We doubtless agree with the certainty and truth of the first part of this verse. It is through Adam’s transgression that we die. We see the evidence every day so there is no doubt in our minds on this point. Are we as certain about the second part of the verse?

Rom 6 has a parallel passage in the New Testament – Col 3 compare the two chapters for similar language and ideas.

Rom 5:12  Sin and Evil. ( cause and effect ) God is the author of evil. (Isa 45:7)  God is not the author of sin. (Rom 5:12) Evil is the punishment of sin. Sin only brings death. (Rom 6:23)

Rom 5:20  When we consider this verse we soon see the purpose of the law.   "Without law there can be no sin.:

Rom 6:1-7 Here we see a succinct and impenetrable definition of the gateway to grace.  I receive many emails from the websites that I administer (or help to administer) from those who believe that baptism is not necessary for the believer - who argue that because we are saved by grace by the spirit of God, that water is no longer part of that.  It is impossible to sustain this argument against the words of God in this chapter as it is clearly telling us that baptism is the means by which we pass from death into life.  Baptism kills sin forever.  It is not up to us to question the Father in having given us this simple symbol to use - it is up to us to accept it.

The power of ch. 5:7,8 is very humbling.  Here Paul points out that we might, just possibly, under extreme circumstances of love, be prepared to lay down our lives for someone if we felt them to be particularly good, but God's love is such that Jesus died for us, even though we are bad.  Let us be truly humbled by that thought as we read today.

5:9        If we first recognize that unless we are baptised we are God’s enemies then we might see the real need for baptism.  Scripture is at pains to show us that man is separated from God. Once that is seen then the need for baptism becomes clear.

6:1       ‘Shall we continue in sin …’ is a reply to the wonderful fact that God’s grace is manifest where sin is seen – Rom 5:20

6:22 What a contrast

Paul’s argument in Rom 6:11-23 is based on being servants or slaves. We used to serve sin, but now we have willingly yielded our lives to be “servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Rom 6:19). We made the decision ourselves, when we were baptised. Now we are committed. We must never return to our old master.

5:8 The apostle is amazed as he reflects on such love. As we reflect on it, and think about it, God loves the unlovable! Why, even for a righteous man would one be willing to die. But, that is exactly what happened, Christ willingly died for each one of us. Why? As parents or grandparents we would literally do anything to assist our children, so it is with our Heavenly Father, this is the length that he was willing to go to provide a means for us to have our sins covered

5:1 ‘Therefore being justified by faith’ shows that Paul has reached a conclusion along his reasoning in the letter. We now move on to other issues.

6:11    ‘ye also  likewise’ emphasises our commitment in the same way that Jesus was committed as recorded in Heb 2:14. It was this commitment on Jesus’ part which qualifies him to be a faithful and merciful high priest – Heb 5:2. This is the only route that we can take in order to be kings and priests in the age to come Rev 5:10.

Everybody dies: for all have sinned (5:12).  Some might argue that babies have not sinned.  But, all humans have been handed a decaying nature because of the sin of Adam.  Part of that nature is its proneness to sin, and so innocent babies will grow and, at some point, will sin of their own accord: every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood (Gen 8:21).

In modern societies: Ignorance is no defence of the (civil and criminal) law.  But the LORD states the opposite for His part.  He says that not knowing His law does not make a person responsible (5:13).  On the other hand, knowing what Yahweh requires does make one responsible to act and, therefore, makes one subject to His judgement.  The principle is that knowledge brings responsibility.

6:23 - the wages of sin is death and all people (except Christ) have sinned Rom 3:23; 5:12 - thus all souls are mortal Eze 18:4,20. Salvation is a process and we must battle against sin Rom 6:1-2; 7:15-24; 1Cor 9:24-27. Fortunately there is hope. For there will be a resurrection of many and some will receive eternal life Acts 3:19,20,21,25; Rom 6:3-9; Dan 12:2; Matt 25:31-34. The wicked are not tormented forever or given immortality, they will be destroyed Psa 145:20.

5:1 ‘Therefore’ marks a conclusion that follows from what has gone before. So chapter 5:1-11 is that conclusion

5:18 Some folks take verses like this and conclude that all people are covered by Christ's sacrifice because he died as a substitute for them.  It is true that all people have the opportunity for salvation because of Christ's sacrifice if they choose to take the scripturally appropriate ways to do so.  Salvation is not automatic.  That is the reason 5:19 says that many sinners will be made righteous by Christ's sacrifice.  These are the ones who chose to take the necessary steps and changed their behaviour. One of the steps is baptism (6:1-4).

Romans 6 is often read at baptisms. But have you ever noticed that the chapter speaks of going into slavery? Maybe we should think twice about having it read at baptisms then?

From the age of around 50 until 65 men dream of retiring from work. At age 63 the excitement reaches a peak, and you will hear them speaking constantly of everything they're going to do with their time. At age 64 they're less vocal, more worried. At 65 and 66, if you were to visit them at home, you would see a sadness and emptiness. Many retirees take up work again - most of it for free.

This might be a generalisation, but presenting ourselves for work when we don't have to is characteristic of mankind, isn't it? We don't like to be forced to work, but we do like to work! We need the satisfaction of activity in order to feel whole. And this is what Paul is talking about. If we have been (completely) freed from slavery to sin, we ought to feel compelled now to enrol once again for work - not because we have to - but because we want to. This is why he uses the word "present", a willing act, in v13,16,19 and in 12:1. Our new master is not demanding (Matt 11:29-30) but supportive (Matt 28:20, John 14:13-14) and hopeful (John 15:5,15-16). So maybe slavery is a good theme for a baptism after all.

5:10 In saying we shall be saved ‘by his life’ we see a fundamental aspect of the sacrifice of Jesus – his willingness to be obedient – Heb 10:10

REALITY CHECK

We usually read Romans 6 in relation to baptism, but the principles that come out of it need to be reviewed for ourselves on a regular basis.

When we start our lives as newly baptised brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is easy to start out with a hiss and a roar. But over time the spark that we once had can grow dim and we need a refresher to put us back on the right track. Romans 6 can be that refresher if we choose to listen and obey.

We don't wake up on any particular morning of our lives and decide we are going to become a dreadful sinner. Sin takes over our lives little by little because of the small compromises we have made, the influence of the people and the media around us, a lack of attention to the way we should be living, and the erosion of our consciences. Looking back we can see how far away from what we wanted to be we really are. So let's get back on track by listening to Paul's words to the Romans.

"We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"(Rom 6:2)

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."(v.4)

"Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with."(v.6)

"Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey it's evil desires."(v.11-12)

5:19    The contrast is interesting because it contains a challenge. All are made sinners through Adam’s behaviour. However being made ‘righteous’ is not automatic. It requires a choice on the part of the one who has been made a ‘sinner’

6:8     ‘If we be dead … live with him’ is a phrase which Paul uses – 2Tim 2:111 showing that Paul appeals to his own inspired words to make practical points.

5:6      We cannot over emphasise that our salvation came when we could not save ourselves. We were “without strength”. We are no different when baptized. We cannot save ourselves and need the mercy of God even if we are in covenant relationship with Him.

5:8    The way in which Paul speaks of Christ dying for sinners is picked up again when he wrote to Timothy – 1Tim 1:15

5:5   The KJV has “which” whereas the NIV, ESV and NKJV all have variations on “who”. Is it accurate to speak of the holy spirit as a personality (as indicated by the use of “who”)?

REASONS TO REJOICE!

We all need a little lift now and again, so Paul gives us three good reasons to rejoice.

1. "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Rom 5:2). He had just been telling us how we can have access into God's grace by faith. God's glory is shown in that grace, and it is accessible to all of us!

2. "Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings."(v.3). It might seem a strange thing to say, but Paul goes on to explain that  suffering eventually develops our characters, and our character develops hope, and our hope will not be disappointed because God pours out His love on us. Our suffering is an opportunity for us to experience God's love!

3. "Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."(v.11). This is our third reason to rejoice. We are no longer enemies of God, but friends because of the death of Jesus Christ. We can rejoice because now we are under His love and grace, rather than His punishment.

These are three good reasons to rejoice. Put a spring in your step today, lift yourself up, smile and rejoice with singing and praise!

5:2     Notice we rejoice “in hope”. Whilst we have a high calling and a wonderful hope it is just that a “hope”. We have not yet attained to that which is on offer. So it is so important that we live up to our high calling. This is no time for complacency in our service to our Father.

Rom 5:1,2

“THEREFORE being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand…”

Therefore, connects to that which is to follow with that which has been said in the Rom 4 wherein we read of the faith of Abraham. So, what was so special about his faith?

The apostle Paul wrote in Rom 4:3, “… Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Paul was quoting from Gen 15:6. This verse deals directly with Abraham believing that though he was commanded to slay his son, God would raise him from the dead because of the promise He made to him in Gen 15:4,5 (cf. Gen 21:12; Gen 22:1-18). Abraham stayed focused not on his present circumstance, but on God. He lived this faith up until his death. This is the key, for it is only this kind of faith by which we too will be justified and obtain grace through Christ (Rom 4:16). To this we must grow in and attain to.

Abraham agape loved God, trusted God, served God, and was obedient to God even if it meant as a great personal sacrifice. What conflicting emotions must have raged through his mind! Isaac was his long-promised heir. On the other hand, Abraham reasoned that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead. After all, the promises were to be fulfilled through Isaac. Abraham trusted and believed God (Heb 11:17-19).

In living the life of faith, we may not always understand or know where our circumstances lead us, but it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of understanding and reason – it is a life of knowing Him who has called us to go. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. It is a faith that ends in a changed character.

Fiery tests of faith occurring early in life sometimes climax in much greater tests of faith in a time of spiritual maturity. So it was with Abraham. Abram, an idolatrous moon-worshipping Iraqi (cf. Josh 24:2), submitted to Yahweh and grew in faith to the absolute degree. How did he do it? He learned to stay focused on God, not on his circumstances, and so must we.

5:5   The hope which we have which makes us “not ashamed” is like the hope of Israel that the prophet speaks of – Zeph 3:11

Rom 6:3 Now this sacrifice of Jesus becomes sin-destroying in every one who believes the gospel of the kingdom preached in his name; and is sprinkled with his blood in being baptised into him. All the past sins of such a believer are cancelled, or forgiven; and there is engrafted in him a principle, even the word believed, called “the law of the Spirit of life,” which in the remission has “made him free from the law of sin and death;” so that sin no longer reigns in his mortal body that he should obey it in the lusts thereof. He is “made free from sin” as the sovereign of his mind and actions; and has become the servant of God, whose will it is his study to learn and obey in all things; thus bringing forth fruit unto holiness, the end of which is everlasting life, when he shall be planted in the likeness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 -- Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Aug 1852

5:6,8 We were “ungodly” and were “sinners”. We should relies that this is true of ourselves. If we think we were not that bad before baptism then we cannot really appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus and also we are deceiving ourselves about how God viewed us when we were not “in Christ”.

Rom 6:6

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”