Comments for February 21

33:2 We understand that God sent His angel with Israel through the wilderness. We doubtless are aware that David recognised that God’s angel delivered him – Psa 34:7. We see angels at work amongst the first century believers. But do we recognise that unseen angels are always at work in our lives for our eternal wellbeing.

34:6,7 Notice that love and forgiveness go together – you cannot have one without the other in an age where sin exists.  “Yahweh … a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …”.

Thus forgiveness of others by us is an act of love to them; just as God's forgiveness of us is an act of love to us. 

Exo 34:7

“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty…”

“It is not in the sense of having committed an offence merely, but in the sense of having done it with guile and without acceptable repentance towards God, which is the basis of forgiveness and which secured the pardon of David in the most heinous of offences… But for those who are not presumptuous, but who on the contrary are broken and contrite in heart, and tremble at Yahweh’s word, there is forgiveness… For all classes of offence (except offences of presumption), forgiveness was stipulated on confession and sacrifice.”

Robert Roberts, FURTHER SEASONS OF COMFORT, God and the Bible, p. 138

Our God is a loving, merciful, gracious and loving Father. He will forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. In other words, He forgives everything that needs forgiveness, but only to those who come to Him in faith, confess, repent, and forsake their transgressions. It is presumptuous to think otherwise. From the very beginning to the very end of the Bible, we read of God’s love and forgiveness, except toward the guilty, and the guilty are those who did not do what was necessary to be forgiven. Forgiveness is not to be taken for granted; it is conditional.

33:2 We should not think that the angel’s only task was to take Israel to the land. The same angel, it seems, was at work in the days of the Judg 2:1 to give Israel. The land of Canaan.

34:13 Given that Israel had to destroy all artefacts associated with worship of the gods of the land I wonder what will happen to the buildings and shrines venerated by those who do not recognise Yahweh as the one true God.

And also maybe we should reflect on our attitude to those places now.

Exo 34:5,6

“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD… The LORD, the LORD, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and truth.”

“He [Moses] heard the LORD’s proclamation which established Israel’s God as the Merciful One (El rachum). Hebrew word (rachamim) means ‘mercy’ or ‘compassion’ and the verb (lerachem) means to ‘have mercy’ or sometimes ‘pity.’ In Hebrew (rachim) means something like ‘darling or ‘beloved.’

What is most intriguing is that the root that conveys mercy (rachamim) also connects to the idea of pregnancy. In Hebrew, a mother’s womb is called (rechem). There too, the miracle of conception and protection of the child is defined in terms of mercy and compassion.”

40 DAYS OF HEbrEW DEVOTIONS, E Jaime Purcell, p. 18

During the Middle Ages, the concept of God as Mother, was introduced by Lady Julian of Norwich, though numerous other male religious writers had already presented this idea. By the 12^th Century, Anselm, a Roman Catholic theologian and declared a saint, wrote: “Christ, mother, who gathers under your wings your little ones… But you, Jesus, good lord, are you not also a mother?” This was before Mary took on her official role in Roman Catholicism!

The LORD we serve is compassionate and merciful. The connection between His characteristic of mercy, compassion, and womb are unmistakable (Job 31:15; Isa 44:24; Jer 1:5).  Scripture makes no distinction on the value of life between an unborn “child” and a fully formed born child. It is human life (Exo 21:22-25)! The metaphor used by various religious teachers has nothing to do with gender or the differentiation of life within and without the womb. The womb is meant to be a safe, compassionate, and merciful place, a characteristic of a true mother, for her child to develop and grow. She is a woman with “child” (Exo 21:22). God chose children for his service, sanctified and consecrated them before they were even born (Psa 139:1-16; Isa 49:1-6; Jer 1:4,5; Luke 1:11-17)!

A mother’s love toward her unborn child is sacrificial love, and though birth pains are painful and scary, she is, at the same time, prepared for the possibility of her dying in the process, and some have, while others faced the option of choosing to die to save their child. We learn that to

emulate God’s characteristic of compassion and mercy, is to lay aside our comforts and conveniences in the service of sacrificial love. This is more, though, than life for a life; it is the willingness to expend ourselves for the betterment of each other (1Pet 2:21-24; 1John 3:16-24). God sacrifices His son, and His son sacrificed himself for us (John 3:16; 1John 3:16), leaving us an example to walk in his steps (1Pet 2:13-21).

Ps. 90 (title) is a prayer attributed to Moses - the man who saw God. A small point here - notice (and this is typical of recorded prayers in scripture) how the emphasis for the start of the prayer is of praise (v.1-6). It is only later (v.7-11) that he sets out before God the problem, and then (v.12-17) requests the solution. I suggest this is a very good scriptural model for our prayers.

91:4 - The concept of the wings - based on the description in Deut.32:11 of the behaviour of the eagle - comes quite often, and has with it a good degree of comfort for us. Psa.17:8, 57:1, 61:4, Ruth 2:12. Consider also the words of Jesus in Matt.23:37 in this context.

These two Psalms are Psalms of Moses.

Psalm 90 is a reminder to those in the wilderness who were going to enter the land to look at the wilderness journey as a process of instruction 'so teach us to number our days and apply our hearts unto wisdom' (verse 12). Those who did not die in the wilderness would only benefit from the wilderness experience if they thought about what had happened. We likewise will only benefit from our wilderness experience if we look to see God working in our lives.

Psalm 91 was given for the benefit of Joshua and Caleb. All of the promises relate to what they could expect in the wilderness. Because they had been faithful spies they would not die in the wilderness. However they would see their contemporaries all die off one by one in the wilderness. So read the Psalm and think of it being spoken to Joshua and Caleb. The language will then come alive. Then think about the promise that we have 'It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom' (Luke 12:32)

90:4 'A thousand years … as yesterday' is quoted by Peter (2 Peter 3:8) to show that God is not slack with respect to His promises. He had told those who refused to enter the land that they would perish in the wilderness - but almost 40 years had passed and some were still alive. Why? Because He is looking for repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

91:14 This Psalm, written firstly for Joshua and Caleb, speaks of their deliverance. They are the first people of whom the words of Deuteronomy 28:1 were to be fulfilled when they were told 'I will set him on high'

91v.4 - His Truth becomes our Shield and Buckler
God's Truth is that He is the Supreme power in all the earth, There is no opposing power such as "The Devil". It is simply a term for any theory that is or can be against God's Truth.
One of the ways a man can protect himself against false theory is to take a breastplate of righteousness, made of faith and love. Personal righteousness is based upon faith in God, and love expressed in loyalty to God's commandments. The heart is protected, when it remembers the Law of God.
A man who puts on his feet the gospel of peace has them protected, because they are enclosed within God's Truth; they are ready to run.
It is necessary to take the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation means the head is protected by salvation,. or hope of salvation. The hope of the gospel gives the spirit of a sound mind and does not allow destructive thoughts to enter. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, attacks the devil with God's Truth, the sword of the Spirit is the only weapon of attack.. The head holds the sword very well against false theories. It is sharper than a natural sword and divides things natural from things spiritual. It cuts open the heart of man and shows the evil within.
There is doubtless truth in the belief that the sword of the Spirit protects a man, but it is not the whole truth. Due to false theories, men sin - which causes separation from God. Therefore salvation is far from man. God sent a Redeemer who came from Zion, and righteousness upheld him. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak. The Redeemer showed that there was a time of suffering and a time of glory.
Christ is the Redeemer and he knew that faith is trust in God: he believed God's Word when it stated that arrows of fire produced panic and terror among ancient armies. However, panic and terror pass by the soldier of Christ, who does not allow destructive thoughts to find entrance. Christ was equipped in this way. For the joy set before him he despised the shame, and endured the cross. He gave up his life in the confidence that his flesh would rest in hope, and that on the third day he would rise again.
The arrows of fire are threatening false theories, which nullify the Word of God. The defence is the shield. The buckler strapped onto the arm is the Word of God, With such a defence the sceptic shafts of the devil fall harmless to the ground.
The Word is effective in the exposure and destruction of false doctrine and all thoughts that are contrary to the mind of God. It must be known to be used. It can only be known with careful reading and meditation. In time and with practice, the mind recalls statements of the Word which are suitable to the occasion, which in turn puts away false theories.

90:13 In saying ‘repent thee concerning thy servants’ Moses is re presenting the words of God (Deut 32:36) and applying the promise to Joshua and Caleb.

91:4-6 Joshua and Caleb were certain that they would not die from any plague or battle in the wilderness – God had given his angel charge over them (91:11-12) In the same way Jesus was assured his Father’s care but it did not give him license to take risks and tempt God.

Psalm 90  A Psalm of Moses which is a beautiful prayer that reviews God's Goodness and Mercy, it also appeals for Divine Guidance.

Psalm 91  This Psalm was probably also written by Moses. It outlines God's care for His people.   V.11-12 are quoted in Matt 4:6 during our Master's temptation to sin.

BIRTHDAY CANDLES
 
Year by year as we grow older the number of candles on our birthday cake grows.  It begins with one and may end up with 70, 80 or even over 100 candles, each counting off a year of our life.  An interesting suggestion was made a while ago concerning this tradition.  The idea was to begin life with lots of candles and reduce the number at each birthday until we get down to one at the end of our life.  Someone suggested we could begin with 70 candles and when we pass 70 years of age we could start adding them to our cake again showing that we are now on borrowed time.  The aim of that suggestion was to help make us aware that life is short and we must make the most of whatever is left.
 
The Psalmist said, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psa 90:12)
 
Time is short and the older we get, the more we realise that we need to make the most of each day.  If we could only understand this earlier in our lives we would not waste so much precious time.  Our life has been given to us now to prepare for eternity.  Have we used it to do that?  If we knew we were down to two candles on our next birthday cake, how would that change our lives?
 
Being able to number our days aright will give us a heart of wisdom.  Wise people use their days, hours and minutes well.  How do we use ours?  How many candles do we have left?

TRUST IN GOD
 
What do we do when we are in trouble or when we find our circumstances are out of control? 
 
One of the best things about being a father is learning from our children.  In a child's life things often go wrong and events happen that leave them feeling out of control.  Until a child is grown they are not equipped to face everything the world throws at them.  They lack strength, confidence and skill.  This is where mum and dad come in.  At those out of control moments the first thing a child does is to cry, "Mum!" or "Dad!"  It is the first thing they think of.  It is a totally natural response to difficulty and fear.  To a small child a parent is an inexhaustible supply of strength, wisdom and skill, so it is only logical that their mum or dad should be their first port of call.  It comes from a total trust in their parents who care for them.
 
The Psalmist wrote the following: "I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'"  (Psa 91:2) The LORD should also be our refuge in the same way that we are a refuge for our children.  We must have the same sort of faith in God as our young children have in us, and with that, put all our trust in him.
 
Let's make God our first port of call, relying on his wisdom and strength to help us in our times of need.

We cannot think of any sin as being secret.  Psa 90:8 says that our secret sins are brought into the light of God's countenance.

90:4-6 - By the power of God, the Psalmist is able to show his understanding of God's eternity and put it into words for us also to have the chance to grab hold of that concept.

90:8     The ‘iniquities’ which God had set before His face, in the context of this Psalm, is Israel’s refusal to enter the land when the 12 spies came back the first time.

91:11-12            Of course even though Joshua and Caleb were assured that they would live to enter the land of Canaan that did not give them license to disregard caring for themselves. If they had done so they would have been tempting God as Jesus pointed out – Luke 4:10-12

91:14-16 This Psalm addresses Joshua, Caleb, and the generation that was about to enter the promised land. They are preserved from the curse and destruction given to their fathers. The Psalm closes with a seven fold promise; note the series of "I will" and finally "Shew him". We think back to the promises made to Abraham as he left the Ur of the Chaldees; they likewise were a series of seven promises.

90 & 91  Notice the contrast between these two Psalms of Moses. Psa 90 focuses on the sins of the people and the judgement that God would bring. Psa 91 focuses on the reward for the faithful. In the immediate context Joshua and Caleb.

90:5-6 Life is like the grass, which changes as the seasons, also changes under the influence of the night's dew, or the early morning rain, but after the heat of the day, is soon cut down and withereth. (Psa 103:15)

90:9 the life which is a told tale is really a comment that life is not some haphazard event. Rather it is in His control through chastening. When the tale is told the answer will be either ‘enter thou into the joy of the Lord’ or ‘depart from me ...’

LIFE IS SHORT

Life is short. As we get older the days and the years seem to fly faster and faster. How fast has this last year gone for you? It seems almost like the day before yesterday to me. There are still things I planned on doing a year ago that I still haven't got around to doing. The year has been too short, the weeks have gone too fast, and each day has been full of things to do.

We are only given seventy or eighty years to use. If we subtract what we have already lived from those seventy or eighty, it can be quite a scary thought to see how little we have left. How are we going to use the time that we have left, if it is as long as we think it might be? The advice we have in God's word in this, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psa 90:12) At the end of our days what we want to have gained is a heart of wisdom.

The big overseas adventures, the possessions we have accumulated, the height of achievement we have worked up to and the pleasure we have had will count for nothing in the end. God looks on our hearts. If our heart is wise we will have looked to God in faith, because it is only from God that we have the hope of everlasting life.

Life is short but it is just a trial period. Are we developing a heart of wisdom that will take us into eternity?

90:2 The comment that God was there before the mountain were made might simply seem to be a comment about God and creation however the same words are found - Prov 8:25– where the writer is speaking of the way in which God had worked out His plan from the time of creation, speaking of Jesus in Prov 8:23

The contrast between Yahweh and humankind is stark. Yahweh is eternal (90:2); humankind has a short life span (90:10). And yet, there is a desire within humanity not to die. Yahweh has provided a way for humankind to live forever. The way is through Jesus, the messiah (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

91:11 the righteous person has the protection and guidance of Yahweh (Heb 1:14).

90:9  ‘a tale that is told’ – the Hebrew carries the sense of ‘as a meditation’ indicating that life is not some event just happening to us but something to be thought about and learnt from. Paul actually makes this point, indicating God’s involvement – Heb 12:10-11 - encouraging us to reflect on God’s involvement in our lives.

90:10   The mention of 70 and 80 years is not some general comment upon life expectancy. Rather it is a comment upon life expectancy in the wilderness when Israel were on their way from Egypt to the land of promise after they had been told that they would die in the wilderness for refusing to go into the land the first time.

90:12   numbering our days is like the being exercised by God’s chastening – Heb 12:11.

Psalm 90 is perhaps the oldest Psalm.

Psa 90:1 - "dwelling place" (<4583> can mean "dwelling, dwelling place, habitation, refuge, an abode of God such as the tabernacle or temple).

Psa 90:4 - "a watch in the night" - the ancient Hebrews had three watches in the night: sunset to 10pm (Lam 2:19), 10pm to 2am (Judg 7:19), 2am to sunrise (1Sam 11:11); the New Testament had four watches in the night after the manner of the Romans (Mark 13:35). 

Psa 90:11-17 - intercession by perhaps Moses.

Psa 91:2 - perhaps this is the Messiah's response - "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge <4268> and my fortress <4686>: my God; in him will I trust".

Psa 91:4 - "...his truth shall be thy shield <6793> and buckler (<5507> only used once in the Bible)".

Psa 91:10-11 - Psalm 91 with vs 10-11 in particular is known as "the air raid Psalm" by British believers during World War II - faithful believers can be protected from spiritual but not natural disaster (1Pet 1:5;Luke 12:32).

Psa 91:11-12 - quoted in Matt 4:6;Luke 4:10-11 - this would appear to have a Messianic application.

Psa 91:13 (Gen 3:15) - this would appear to have a Messianic application.

Psa 91:14-16 - perhaps this has a Messianic application.

Psa 91:16 - "...shew him my salvation" (Jesus needed salvation and a change in his nature away from the desire to sin - Heb 4:15).

91:1     The one who did ‘abide’ with God was Joshua – Exo 33:11. Remember this and the previous Psalm were spoken by Moses at the end of the wilderness journey.

GOD BLESS THE WORK

We often ask God to bless the work that we do. It might be preaching, helping people, serving other believers, or even just in our daily tasks. As Moses wrote down one of his prayers, the last thing he said was, "Establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psa 90:17)

Moses, one of the hardest workers and greatest men that ever lived, knew he needed the blessing of God on the things that he did. He knew that, even though the Children of Israel were already God's people, they needed the blessing of God on the things that they did. God was with Moses and Israel as they travelled through the wilderness. They were successful in the tasks they put their hands to because God established their work. They made the Tabernacle, they travelled to the Promised Land, they routed kings and armies because God was with them.

But there were times when their work was not giving glory to God, and at those times God withdrew from them and they fell before their enemies, plagues and their own cowardice.

Let us be those who work hard in doing the work of God and are blessed in our work by him. But let us also make sure that the work we do and ask God to bless is his work, not work that is self seeking. Let's make sure that we are doing work that God is blessing.

NOT A ROSE GARDEN

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."(Psa 91:1)

Reading this verse out of the context of the whole psalm can leave us imagining someone of a swing seat in a beautiful rose garden with manicured lawns, under the shade of an old oak tree. But it was not like that at all. As the psalmist spoke about the rest he had in the shadow of the Almighty, he appears to have been on a battle field in the midst of a war. Snares, arrows, plague, pestilence, terror and darkness are all words he uses to describe the environment he was living in. Yet in these dreadful circumstances, he found rest and shelter in the LORD his God.

Of course, it may not have been a battlefield. It may have been the poisoned arrows of people's tongues, traps leading to sin, a plague of broken down appliances, rats in the roof, sleepless nights and bad hair days. But even on the exhausting treadmill of life, he, and we, should be able to find rest and shelter in our God. When the battlefield of life begins to overwhelm us, let us find shelter and rest in the LORD our God.

91:7-8    This was the experience of Joshua and Caleb as they saw their contemporaries dying in the wilderness when they had received the assurance that they would enter the land of Israel – Num 14:23-24

Before the flood, men lived for approximately 1000 years, as we can see from the genealogy in Gen 5. This may be what's being referred to in Psa 90:4. After the destruction of the flood (v5), this age gradually reduced to around 70 years, as mentioned in Psa 90:10.

90:12   We are not being encouraged to simply talk about how old we are here. Rather, and the context of the Psalm  shows this, we should be exercised in the things of our lives – Ecc 1:13 – that we might realise that God is at work in our lives and expects us to respond to that.

Psalm 91

Verse 11-12 are quoted of Jesus in Luke 4:10-11, but the Psalm doesn't only look forward to Jesus, it also looks back at the example of others. Verse 4 refers to Ruth 2:12 and also to David himself in Psa 17:8.

Can you find any other places where the phrase "shelter under His wings" is used?

Can you think of anyone else in the Bible who might be mentioned in this Psalm, for example:

- v10: No plague coming near their dwelling

- v13: Overcoming the lion or the adder

90:5-6    We see the idea of the futility of life elsewhere in terms of grass growing and withering, for example in Isa 40:5

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

91:14-15         Isn’t it amazing? The creator of the universe is willing to honour someone who is willing to trust Him? This Psalm, written by Moses against the background of the wilderness journey and the rebellion of the majority is a great encouragement to those of us who are willing to place our trust in the Creator.

91:3      By contrast to the one who will be delivered from the snare the foolish son –Prov 7:23– cannot see the error of his ways.

91:16 The “long life” that the Psalmist speaks about is a consequence of keeping God’s commandments and observing His laws - Prov 3:2.

91 notice how often the Psalm speaks in a personal way with the use of the words “thee” “thou” “thy” “thine”. God is concerned with individuals. Initially the Psalm spoke to Joshua and Caleb and then to Jesus but also it speaks to you and I about a Father who is concerned with individuals.

91:4-12 Whilst we cannot take the promises made here to Joshua and Caleb directly to ourselves – we cannot assume we will not experience difficulties in this life – we can take comfort that the principles laid out are true for the believer. God’s angels are at work in our lives for our eternal well-being. We should not assume that as we cannot see the angels at work in our lives that God does not care about what is happening to us.

SAY IT LOUD!

“I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Psa 91:2).

I am sure we have all had difficult times during which we have considered how much God cares for us, and we have thought about the fact that he protects us and will always be with us. But there is something different going on here. The psalmist not only thought about how God was his refuge and fortress, he said it. “I will say to the LORD, …” he said. This was an Out Loud moment. He opened his mouth and spoke, saying, “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

 The psalmist was a man who knew the power of the spoken word. When he spoke those words aloud, he would have increased his faith many times more than just thinking them or reading them on a page. And it is faith that God wants from us. It’s faith that allows miracles to happen. It is faith that will bring us into God’s kingdom.

 So like the psalmist, let’s learn these words and recite them aloud, so that our faith grows and becomes pleasing to God.
 

91:2 Moses who it appears is the author of this Psalm speaks of his experience of God’s care and then goes on to speak to others :3-13 where he uses the words “thee” “thou” “thy”. This Psalm seemingly spoken to Joshua and Caleb, encourages them to reflect on God’s care for Moses in order that they could have confidence in the wilderness even though all of their contemporaries would die around them.

91:10 This Psalm of Moses spoke specifically to Joshua and Caleb who, of their generation, did not die in the wilderness but entered the land of promise because of their faithfulness. It is in this context they were assured in this Psalm that the common punishments that brought death on their contemporaries would not befall them.

v. 12 - What is being referred to here? The chapter so far is about preaching - spreading the word, and the way in which God gives the increase to the seed that we plant and water. This sets the context as one of converting others, so it is those who we convert to the truth that are being referred to by these different materials, some of which will withstand the fire of judgement, some of which will not. We have a responsibility to nurture them so that they reach the gold, silver and precious stones level, by our watering (and God's consequent increase) that they might not be burned in the fire - hence the significance of the statement made in v.15. See also Isa.60:17, 2Tim.2:20, 1Pet.1:7, Rev.3:18

:18 And again, as we saw yesterday, the Corinthians boasted in their own worldly wisdom - which was foolishness.

3:2 Paul would rather that the Corinthians had progressed beyond 'milk' to 'meat'. In saying 'milk' he is quoting Isa 28:9  where Israel are advised that those who want to learn 'knowledge' need to be weaned off the milk.

1Cor 3:8  We must be extremely careful in realizing that increase only comes from God. When involved with proclamation work, we can plant the seed, we can water it, but only if it is the will of our Heavenly Father will there be a harvest, or increase. With this in mind, we still must follow the direction of Christ to the disciples.Mark 16:15

Vs.3,4 The envying, strife, and division had to do with the cult followings of Paul or Apollos.  There is only one foundation and only one to be followed, and that is Jesus Christ (v.11).  Let us not make the same mistake in hitching our wagons to certain brethren in a cult-like fashion.  This can be divisive and not acceptable to the Lord (1Cor 1:10).

v.3 - Here we see a continuation of Paul's admonition against contention - the envyings and the strife are here again as they were in the previous chapters.  Human pride is a terrible thing and causes awful contention if not kept in check.

3:4 A ‘party spirit’ is divisive – it shows a carnal mind. However how often do we base our decisions on what someone else says? How often is our decision about an issue in ecclesial life based upon how someone else reacts? We need to be careful that ensure that Scripture, rather than personality, determines how we react to situations.

Paul exhorts the ecclesia to note that in New Testament times there is no temple. The Brothers and Sisters in Christ have taken the place of the Old Testament temple. It is therefore vital that they, and we, therefore treat our bodies with respect (1Cor 3:16,17). We should not punch too many holes for ear-rings, or draw indelible tattoo marks, or inject drugs, or eat or drink too much …etc. 

3:1‘Spiritual’ catches the same word in 1Cor 2:13,15

3:3     Wouldn’t it make life a lot easier for us if we realised that whenever there was strife amongst us that we were being fleshly rather than spiritual?

Paul is concerned with the state of the ecclesia at Corinth. Corinth was a licentious city, given to the worship of Venus, whose temple supplied 1000 cult prostitutes to service its worshippers. Members of the ecclesia not only faced a morally lax environment, but had the added problem of Judaizers amongst them. They were insistent that the Law should be followed as an appropriate component to following Jesus. Paul stressed that the ecclesia is based on one certain foundation, Jesus alone (Mark 12:10). Jesus had fulfilled the Law (Matt 5:17). And so, the ecclesia at Corinth was confronted by two negative forces: the world outside; and the pressure of error from within. The same problems exist today.

3:2 The comment that they were only able to take ‘milk’ is hardly a neutral comment. Milk is for those who use milk are unskilful in their understanding and use of Scripture – Heb 5:12

Non exclusive favourites

In 1:12 and 3:4 Paul mentions Apollos. We can see from Acts 18:1 and 19:1 that Apollos arrived at Corinth just after Paul had left there, and appears to have taken up where Paul left off. So Paul's statement in v6 I planted and Apollos watered shows us how Apollos built on the foundation Paul had laid. But rather than seeing it in this light, some of the Corinthians began disputing with one another (Apollos had left by this time) and, in the process, hiding behind the name one or other of these notable teachers. Paul rebukes them by saying in v7-9 that he and Apollos were both part of the same process instigated by God who nourishes and waters His people. We should take note here. We might all have a favourite teacher, or a favoured angle of looking at life, or we might base our hopes most of all on a particular scripture or example. But that doesn't make anyone else's favourites any less important.

NO HEROS IN A TEAM

As a young teenager I was a coxswain for the local rowing club. To be out on the river in a rowing eight in the still of an early morning is an awesome experience. One thing we learn from rowing is that all the team members need to pull together. Unlike soccer or rugby where one team member often tends to get all the glory, in rowing, there are no heroes. Each team member depends on all the rest to win the race. If one person pulls harder or softer than the others, the boat will go in circles.

We tend to look at our service to Christ more like a game of rugby or soccer. Those who speak, preach or write are held up as heroes and as the winners for God's team. But it is not that way at all. We are all needed equally as much in the same team.

Speaking to the Corinthians, Paul goes to great lengths to show that neither he, nor Apollos, nor Cephas should be held in high regard for who they were. We are all God's servants. "What, after all is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task." (1Cor 3:5) They were just doing their part of the job. "For we are God's fellow workers and you are God's field, God's building." (v.9)

If we are fellow workers, rowers in a boat, let's put aside any hero worship and get on more diligently as God's servants, each with his assigned tasks.

3:7 Paul’s comment that it is ‘God that giveth the increase’ should cause us all to realise that whilst our Father is willing to use us in the work of building the body of Christ the work is really of Him. Pride is ruled out by this clear principle.

3:16-17       It is clear that Paul sees the strife that existed in Corinth as defiling the temple of God. How do we view strife amongst us? Is it just something that we should avoid or do we actually see it as destructive?

3:22-23       One of the problems in Corinth was that some were seeking a following. Here Paul emphasises that those who are Jesus’ disciples actually belong to God and Christ. So they could, one supposes, say ‘I am of Christ’.

God Gives the Increase

We all should have a burning desire to win souls to the Lord, but if you are like me, we sometimes get frustrated and wonder why people can't see the truth in God's word. Here in this verse Paul helps us understand that it is our job to plant, to water, to nourish, yet it is God which gives the increase. We of ourselves, we can do nothing, it's all a work of God ... God gives the increase. Only God draws unbelievers to Himself. It is our responsibility to do our job no matter what the results, for God will reward us for our efforts and the quality of our work. 1Cor 9:24-27

"Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it" Psa 127:1

3:8-10  In emphasising the unity between the one who preaches and the one who continues the work Paul is both opposing the party spirit attitude in Corinth and emphasising that any work is usually completed by a number of people working together than a lone individual.  He make this point in verse 6 when speaking of himself and Apollos.

1Cor 3:12-15.

3:13  Paul is here warning those who led factions that in due time their factious behaviour would bring its own results. Division and disagreement only breeds more division and discontent. So those who have a following will soon find that their followers will start to argue amongst themselves. 

3:20   The quotation from Psa 94:11 teaches a fundamental truth that we should never forget. We might think that we can devise some clever way to avoid a requirement of the gospel. However such thinking if “foolish”. God’s ways are not our ways – Isa 55:8

3:1,3,4     Notice the repeated use of the word “carnal”. Paul is wishing to emphasise that there were some in the ecclesia in Corinth who lacked spirituality.

3:7      In saying that God is the one who provides the results to the preaching we are reminded of what we read in 1Cor 1:24 – that God calls but uses us to provide the invitation.

3:17   Continuing the point made in verses :13-15 Paul is making the point that the individual must take care to maintain their own holiness. Such holiness is not seen in the party spirit shown by some in Corinth.

1Cor 3:12

“Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble…”

Gold and silver are products created by God, and not man (Hag 2:8). Gold is intrinsically valuable and beautiful for pure gold does not tarnish nor corrode. One gram of pure gold (28.35 grams is one ounce) may be hammered so thin to cover an area of 9.29 square meters, or 100 square feet! This gold is not just any gold, but pure gold tried and purified in the fire as a test from the LORD (Zech 13:9; Rev 3:18; cf. 1Pet 1:7).

Silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity. It reflects light better than any other metal and when fully refined looks like a mirror! Going through the refining process of silver tries us and proves us (Psa 66:10,11). This process is not complete until our reflection of the Word becomes manifest. God is the Refiner (Psa 66:10; Mal 3:3). His words are Truth and likened to pure silver (Psa 12:6; Prov 30:5).

Precious stones are not gemstones that adorn, but costly stones like marble, porphyry, the hardest known rock in antiquity, and granite. They are known for their strength, durability, and beauty. It represents the Saints whose house is built on the Rock (Matt 7:24,25). Their faith and trust in God is what strengthens them to endure in all obedience whatever fiery trials come their way knowing they are for the purpose of testing and refining (cf. Job 23:10-12).

In contrast, wood, hay, stubble, represent those who built their house on sand (Matt 7:26,27). They will not endure the testing and refining of trials and tribulations. They do not adhere to God’s Word, but follow what they believe to be truths (cf. 1Cor 2:5-7), customs, practices and traditions, because they put their faith and trust in men, not God (Psa 118:8; Jer 17:5,6; Acts 5:29).

The gold, silver, and costly stones are the only kind of foundation on which the temple of God may be built in Christ, (1Cor 3:11). Therefore, let us lay up for ourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life (1Tim 6:19), as measured by our faith, trust and obedience to the Father and Messiah (Jer 17:7,8; Col 2:8).

3:4      the party spirit seen in the Corinthian believers is an evidence that they had not moved on from “milk” to the meat of the scriptures. Of course “meat” is not to be seen as a complex presentation of Bible details. Rather it was those things which scripture would teach them as to how they should live together in unity.

3:12-13 The gospel has been preached and has had an effect. The person spoken to has been baptised but is still a “babe”. Others help the “babe” to grow. That growth is dependent on at least two things. The teaching of the teacher and the ability of the “babe” to absorb what is being taught.

3:1 Paul’s words are quite a challenge. He is saying that the way the Corinthians thought meant it was impossible to speak spiritual things to them. Their minds were so corrupted by carnal thinking that their minds were closed to godly things. Here is quite a challenge for us. We are exposed to so many “carnal” things in the world in which we live be it on television, films, social media etc.: that we become so damaged that we do not even see our problems and then scripture will have little effect on us.

3:9 We can only be “workers together” when we regard those with whom we are working as having the same status and understanding as we have. As soon as we start to think of ourselves as “better” than others we are no longer working together.

3:10  By contrast to the claims of some in Corinth Paul was really happy to have shared the work of bringing others to Christ with fellow believers. We do well to reflect on this. A number of believers being involved in instructing another be they baptised of growing in Christ a greater depth of understanding is more likely when more than one is involved in the teaching.

3:9 To those who trusted in being “Of …” the statement “ye are God’s building” might have come as a stark announcement. It is God’s ecclesia, not that of any man. We do well to think about that in our groups, recognising that Jesus is the head and all are subject to him above anyone else.