Comments for May 6

v.2 - It is hard to believe that this law could be kept even then, it surely could not be kept now. Very few people on earth nowadays surely, would be able to claim this particular purity back for 10 generations. In the forgiveness of God through Jesus under the new covenant, we have much to be thankful for.

v.8 Whilst Israel were not to make marriages with the nations provision is made here for the children of such unions to be accepted into the congregation. We do well to reflect on this when we are thinking of the children of 'mixed' marriages in the community.

v.4,5 - There is much reference in scripture to the incident with Balaam. It is itself given 3 chapters in Numbers, and the references elsewhere are significant. There is much to learn about God's love for his people in this incident, as we see here. Let us learn that.

23:1 - 2 'wounded ... shall not enter' It is evident that his law was not meant to exclude such Israelites either from the common benefits of civil society, or any essential religious advantages; but merely to make a point about holiness.

REFUGE FOR SINNERS

"If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him." (Deuteronomy 23 v 15 - 16)

Israel were slaves in Egypt. They could remember what it was like to be slaves and so were able to have mercy on other slaves just as God had had mercy on them. And like Israel, we have all been slaves too. Paul describes us as having been slaves to sin, whose only reward was to look forward to death. But God has freed us from our slavery to sin through Jesus Christ and we are no longer oppressed by it. Instead we can look forward to the gift of God - eternal life.

Now, when a sinner comes to us for refuge, we, having already been freed from sin, should give them shelter. No slave is too bound to be free and neither is a sinner too sinful to be forgiven. So let us make sure that we, and our churches, are a refuge for the sinner, a place where they will find support - not oppression, freedom - not bondage, as they change their way of life to serve a new master, Jesus Christ.

:23 A fundamental principle relating to integrity is laid down here. Even if one has sworn to one's own damage (Psalm 15:4, Ecclesiastes 5:2)

23:4 The mention of Balaam is further confirmation that the words of Deuteronomy were spoken after the events of .Num 22, - 24

V.7  The Edomites likewise, should not have any hatred, or done any harm to the Children of Israel.

Deut 23:14 Youngs Concordance says that God "walketh" in the camp means to habitually walk, to go up and down.  Israel's camp was a most holy place.

V.15 A servant of any of the neighbouring people, who had either been driven out by oppression, or who had heard or seen of the events that had happened to Israel and desired to join the camp of Israel, was to be allowed to take refuge in Israel.

For the Lord Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice, He had to be perfect in character but also physically perfect according to the Law (vs.1,2).

23:6     In teaching Israel that they should not ‘seek the peace’ of the Ammonite and Moabite we do not see a merciless God but rather a caring God who knew of the dangers that would befall Israel if they fraternised with those nations.  Israel were being advised to keep away from those nations rather than get involved in forming treaties with them.

V.3 Two questions re this verse. A Moabite could not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ten generations: Ruth was accepted and honoured of God.  Had ten generations lapsed since Moses?, or did this only apply to males?

23:3 That an Ammonite or Moabite should not enter into the congregation of the Lord is used by Neh 13:1-2 – to require Israel to put away their strange wives. The words also would challenge Eliashib who had provided accommodation for Tobiah in the temple. So we have to conclude either that they were completely unaware of what God had said or that they had chosen to ignore the instruction.

23:19-20 The Children of Israel lived in a non pressure state of society, and they were instructed to lend to each other in a friendly way, without any hope of gain. But, the case was different with foreigners, who engaged in trade and commerce, and borrowed to enlarge their wealth, and might reasonably be expected to pay interest on their loans. Besides, the distinction was admirably conductive to keeping the Israelites separate from the rest of the world.

We would think v24 was a bizarre rule if it were in place today. I guess the city equivalent of this is to go into the office of the company next door and walk out with a ream of paper from their stationery cupboard! We wouldn't dream of doing that, would we? But what if we all did? What would the result be? Maybe we would all get along much better; depend on one another more; and start to think of our "things" as being there to share. And after all, no business is going to go bust for one ream of paper!

23:3     Israel had been told not to ‘distress the Moabite’ – Deut 2:9 – this did not mean that they could mix with them. In like manner we, though not reproving those whose views are at variance with Scripture, are not to associate with them.

V.15 is talking about Canaanite slaves who ran to Israel. They should not be sent back to idolatry but accommodated and shown the ways of the true God of Israel.

Contrast this practice with that of the slave Onesimus who ran away to Paul and became a believer. He was returned to his master Philemon, who was also a believer (see Philem 1). Here, idolatry was not an issue, and so there was no reason for Onesimus not to be returned to his master.

23:3 Whilst we may think that the prohibition here is about meeting for worship Jeremiah explains that the prohibition extends to material possession of the temple – Lam 1:10 – where the prophet appeals to God because of the Babylonian captivity. Thus we see that the command here in Deuteronomy required that Israel be faithful to God to prevent such activity.

V.18 Cult prostitutes would give a part of their earnings to support the temple in which they operated.  Such was the case in the temples dedicated to Venus (Ashteroth; Ishtar; Astarte; Aphrodite).  Yahweh was not interested in accepting any such donation to His house from anyone associated with this goddess.

What was the congregation?

The word "assembly" or "congregation" in v1-8 means a multitude of people, such as in 31:30. So if this is true, and it refers to all Israel, none of this group of people could ever hope to be part of Israel in their lifetime. This seems at odds with other things we know of the mercy of God, such as v15-16 "he (a runaway slave) may dwell in your midst".

But looking more closely at the passage we see it is not just "the congregation", but "of the LORD". Num 15:14-15 tells us that there was a separate congregation for the Israelite even if the stranger lived amongst them. In Num 16:3 and 20:4 the dissidents used this phrase to mean the whole of the camp of Israel, but were they correct? In 1Chron 28:1,8 King David assembles the people from around Israel, which group are called "the assembly of the LORD". In Judg 21:5 it is the gathering together before God of all the tribes.

So it appears that the congregation of the LORD was whenever the people of Israel gathered together as one before God, either to pray to Him or keep His feasts. Thus those listed in v1-8 would be able to live amongst Israel and partake in all the good things God provided, but not take part in organised assemblies. This could explain how during the feasts when everyone went up to Jerusalem there were still those left behind to tend the animals.

23:6 The prohibition that God gives here about seeking the peace or prosperity of these nations is taken up – Ezra 9:12 – as an exhortation to the people returning from Babylon.

23:12-14         The requirement that Israel were to keep the camp free of human waste was not simply a practical health issue. It was one of fellowship.  God was with them. In that which Israel could see they were being taught a fundamental principle abut fellowship with God.

23:6  The warning about not seeking after how others worship who are in error seems to be echoed – 2John 1:10– by the apostle John when he warns us about our association with those preaching wrong doctrine.

23:4       The practice of hiring people to try and lead God’s people astray is seen in a seemingly casual comment in Titus 1:11 where such people are spoken of as preaching a message “for filthy lucre’s sake”

22:3    Whilst the law is here speaking of how to treat animals the principles go further and encompass how we treat others. Paul says as much 1Cor 9:7-10. So when – Isa 53:3 – we learn that men would hide their faces from the suffering Jesus we see that the principles of the law of Moses were ignored. 

23:15-16     This loving provision of the law that a servant was not required to be returned to his master allowed for a miss treated servant to be freed. However we see Paul does sent Onesimus back to Philemon. So we must conclude that Paul knew that Philemon would treat Onesimus fairly.

23:3-6 It might seem rather harsh to exclude people because of what their ancestors did. However the incident of Balaam was one when a nation sought to curse the people that God had blessed. However Gen 12:3 teaches that those who curse Israel will be punished by God.

23:24-25             It teaching that one can take of the fruit of the neighbour we see that God expects that the neighbour to be generous. However also the one taking the fruit should not be greedy.

23:3   The injunction about not allowing a “Moabite” into the congregation till the 10^th generation either was not applied to David – the descendant of Ruth – or there were at least 10 generations from Ruth to David the king.

Deut 23:2 A curse of an illegimate child could not enter congregation of Yahweh. From Judah (Tamar) - David was 10 generations from Judah yet the people begged for a king and got Saul yet in Gods plan was David.

23:10     thus Israel are reminded of a law given at Sinai in Lev 15:16

23:4 In Gen 12:3 we learnt that those who curse Israel will be cursed. Here is an example of that. The Moabite, though “family” are barred from fellowship in the congregation because they cursed the children of Abraham.

23:4 Notice the word “because”. God always has a reason for His actions and His commands. We might not understand the “why” but it should be sufficient that there is a command. We need to understand that our understanding is limited and that limited understanding should not prevent us doing His commands.

23:4 Superficially God’s choice of those who would not be acceptable to him seems arbitrary. But notice the word “because”.

God always has His reasons even if we cannot see, or understand them at the time.

23:4-5 God would not curse Israel – not listening to Balaam. However this did not mean that the nation could live as they wished. Even though they were blessed they still had to behave in a morally acceptable way. So when they committed fornication with the Midianitish women – Num 25:4-5 -they received the judgment of God.

v.6 - This connects with a verse we were looking at yesterday, with regard to the apple tree - ch.8:5. The idea of the Wilderness surely represents the temptations that Jesus 'came out of' first, but which we, as followers on from the firstfruits, have 'come out of' by his blood. Deut.8:2, Col.3:1,2

The whole of the book of the Song of Solomon contains comments from the bride about the bridegroom and the bridegroom about the bride. Not once do either speak ill of the other. A pattern we should adopt in our relationship with our wife / husband and also the brethren and sisters in the ecclesia.

v.11 - Here we have so many aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ all in one verse - having here reference to his dwelling (and ours) in Zion, his unique parentage, our relationship with him and the glories of his kingdom.

Consider these three links with Psalm 45. [taken from the list on Study papers Site]

The bridegroom is seeking for his bride And has done battle to purchase her. Christ has battled with sin and overcome - he is now waiting for the marriage supper of the lamb.

Song Of Songs 3,4,5 brING ME FLOWERS
Barbara Strizand sings a song entitled, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." The first few lines of the song go like this,
"You don't bring me flowers,
You don't sing me love songs,
You don't talk to me any more..."
When did we last bring our husband or wife flowers? When did we last sing them a love song? Or tell them how much we love them? Or write a note describing what we love about our husband or wife? The words we read in the Song of Songs that exchange between the lover and his beloved are not just flattery. They are the product of a heart felt love and joy for their spouse, a deep genuine commitment and appreciation for their character and beauty.
To those of us brought up in western culture the words we read can almost seem embarrassing, but God does not call us to always sit in our comfort zones. So let us be radical today, step out of our comfort zone to give our husband or wife the love they need so badly from us.
Strengthen your marriage today. Show your genuine love and appreciation in flowers, in song, in words.
"May you rejoice in the wife of your youth, ...may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love." (Proverbs 5 v 19)

:3 'Watchmen' is the same word as is found in Genesis 3:24, 4:9 etc: 'keep' <08104> So they were protecting the maid.

In chapter 1 we saw the man describe the woman in terms of the tabernacle. Now the woman describes the man similarly.

This is the relationship between Christ and his bride. Christ is seen in the tabernacle. The question is: do we reflect the glory of God? as seen  in the tabernacle?

V.1-5  In this song we have the Bride arising from her bed, she goes forth to seek the Bridegroom. ( not unlike the virgins Matt 25) Like them, she was taken by surprise when he made his sudden appearance, even though she was seeking for him.

Have you ever wondered how Solomon managed to acquire so many wives and concubines? If my calculations are correct, assuming he only married during his reign of forty years; he must have acquired 25 women every single year! That's one every two weeks!

I think we find the answer in this chapter. In v6-11 we have a description of Solomon's love train. It seems that Solomon spent a lot of his time going out to seek beautiful women. In v6 we have a description of the smell all his perfume and potions created, like a pillar of smoke! In v7, a description of his caravan in which he languished on a couch. In v7-8 a description of the 60 elite guards which surrounded him. In v8 a clue that he travelled far, and often at night. In v9-10 a further description of his portable chambers and what they were used for, "its interior paved with love".

This man was completely engrossed in his own lust. He neglected the running of the country so that he could go on his trips to find women for himself far and wide. He pillaged his own people, taking away their daughters for a life of solitude in his palaces, taking away their earnings by extortionate taxes (1Kin 12:4), and even putting them to forced labour (1Kin 5:14). How far he had strayed from the example of his father David. Sometimes we underestimate the extent to which Solomon had regressed. It seems to me unlikely that he turned back to God, as some believe. Yet all this was a fulfilment of what God had prophesied would happen, recorded in 1Sam 8:10-18.

Song 3:1-5 tells either of the bride’s dream, or of an actual happening. This 4th Song is Song 3:1-5. The bride tells of her searching for her Bridegroom.  She at last found Him, and took Him home to her mother’s house.   I have put capital letters when referring to the Bridegroom, as no doubt He represents Christ, and the Bride stands for the saints – that’s us, God Willing.

3:4 Just as the bride groom wanted the bride to be with him in his activities the faithful bride wishes for the groom to be with her in the things she does.

3:4 In taking ‘him’ to her ‘mother’s house’ the bride mimics Isaac – Gen 24:67

3:9-10  Whilst Solomon’s ‘chariot is described here it could easily be the temple which he built with cedar from Lebanon – 1Kin 5:6 and silver and gold as was used in the building of the temple.

The bride diligently sought the bridegroom during the night and eventually found him. They would see the light of day together. Those who would diligently seek the Lord Jesus in these times of darkness will eventually be with him on the resurrection morning. He is the Morningstar (Acts 17:27; Rev 22:16).

3:6 The one ‘that cometh out of the wilderness’ is like a bridegroom and whilst similar language is used in Isa 63:1 in that place he is coming to judge, So we see two aspects of the work of Jesus at his return.

V.7 David had valiant men.  One of them was Benaiah whom David made commander of his body guard (1Chron 11:24,25).  Benaiah was with Solomon at his anointing (1Kin 1:38,39). Later, Solomon appointed Benaiah to commander-in-chief in the place of Joab (1Kin 2:35).  Would Benaiah be one of the sixty valiant men mentioned here?

3:1 The seeking by night is used – Isa 26:9 – of how a faithful Jew should seek after God in a time of trouble.

3:2        Finding ‘him’ in the streets contrasts with the way that the foolish youth ‘found’ the strange woman – Prov 7:12,15. It is all too easy for us to mistake the ‘strange woman’ – worldly affections – for the true love we should show towards God.

DESIRE

How much do we desire Jesus? Is he the one we long for every moment when our minds are free to wander? Do we long to hear his voice when we read his words through the Bible? Do we feel that we cannot wait one more moment to be with him in his kingdom?

It was this desire that the beloved had for her man in the Song of Songs. Listen to what she says: "All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him." (Song 3:1) When she discovered she couldn't find him, she searched harder and further. "I will get up now and go about the city, through it's streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves." (v.2) When she finally found him, her reaction is worthy of note: "... I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go." (v.4)

While this song is about a man and his bride, it is also about Christ and us. We should be just as in love with Christ, as the bride was with her man. We should desire him, long for him, look for him and love him with all our heart. What is holding us back?

3:8    The description of the valiant men with their swords on their sides echoes Psa 45:3 which speaks of the resurrected Jesus adorning himself after his resurrection to protect his bride – the church.

3:6      The blending together of “myrrh” and “frankincense” here draws together one element from the incense – Exo 30:23 and anointing oil – Exo 30:34. So we see an anointed (king) who is given to prayer. An apt image of Jesus

1. Song 3:6 - an excited group of the daughters of Zion (Israel after the flesh) is speaking.

2. Song 3:7 - it appears another group of the daughters of Zion (Israel after the flesh) is speaking.

3. Song 3:11 - the daughters of Zion are invited by someone other than the bridegroom to behold the bridegroom/king/Solomon/Christ.

1. Song 3:4 - "my mother's house" - this refers to the ecclesia (Gal 4:26;Heb 3:6).

2. Song 3:5 - "daughters of Jerusalem" - is thought by H.P. Mansfield to refer to the Israel that followed the spirit not the flesh.

3. Song 3:5 - "till he please" is probably better rendered "till it please" (see notes on Song 2:7).

4. Song 3:6 - "Who is this" - as the daughters of Zion view the approach of the bridal party (the marriage takes place before the supper Rev 19:7-9).

5. Song 3:7 - "Behold his bed, which is Solomon's" - the daughters of Zion view the bridegroom as Solomon but it is one greater than Solomon (Matt 12:42;Zech 12:10).

6. Song 3:7 - "threescore valient men are about it" - perhaps this suggests the Most Holy of the Tabernacle manifesting the glory of God and moving up from the wilderness into the resting place, as the Tabernacle was surrounded by 60 pillars so Christ in glory is surrounded by 60 heroes of Israel (Exo 27:10-16;Rev 3:12).

7. Song 3:8;Eph 6:13-17 - Christ's soldiers must sharpen and be skillful in using the Word of God sword.

8. Song 3:10 - "silver" is the metal of redemption, "gold" is the metal of a tried faith (1Pet 1:7), "purple" refers to royalty and perhaps God manifestation.

9. Song 3:10 - "for the daughters of Jerusalem" is perhaps better rendered "by or from the daughters of Jerusalem".

10. Song 3:11 - in contrast to the daughters of Jerusalem who are thought by some to represent the Israel that follows the spirit, the "daughters of Zion" are thought by some to refer to the Israel following after the flesh (Isa 3:16-17;4:4).
11. Song 3:11 - "his mother crowned him" - Bathsheba(<1339> "daughter of the oath") sought the crown for her son (1Kin 1:16-17) and on the basis of the Divine oath the crown will be given to Jesus Christ; the spiritual "mother" of the king here is the New Jerusalem, the spiritual mother of all saints including the king Jesus Christ (Gal 4:28,30;Heb 12:22-23).

3:10   In speaking of pillars of silver as part of this stylised chariot we see the same  language has been used to speak of the tabernacle – Exo 26:32 – which God commanded Moses to build. 

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU

"All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves. I looked for him, but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city, through it's streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves." (Song 3:1-2).

They say that the best person to marry is not the person you can live with, but the person you can't live without!  It was that "I can't do without him" feeling that the bride in the song was experiencing as she lay on her bed. She was desperate to see him. Her love cast aside her need for sleep, and even safety in her desperation to find him.

One day soon, the greatest wedding ever will take place. It will be the wedding of Jesus, the marriage of the Lamb, as described in Revelation 19. The question is; will we be part of that marriage celebration? Are we just happy to live with him, or do we find that we can't live without him? How desperate are we to seek him out and find him, to hold on to what we know of him, to listen to his voice, and to live to honour him?

Let's live our lives in a way that shows that we cannot live without him.

3:11     Here is the only place where the phrase “the daughters of Zion” is used in the Song of Solomon whereas the phrase “daughters of Jerusalem” is used 7 times in the book.

3:11   The day of “gladness” is the day when the “oil of gladness” – Psa 45:7 is used to anoint Jesus – at the time of his resurrection – Heb 1:9

3:8   The protection from “fear in the night” is like protection from the curses that would come upon faithless Israel – Deut 28:66

3:6       Here we see the groom coming out of the wilderness. In 8:5 we see his bride on his arm.          

3:11    Solomon has been crowned. This is the background to what we are being presented with her. So it is interesting to notice the idea of “gladness” which echoes Psa 45:7 which is a Psalm for Solomon, specifically his coronation.

3:1 David wanted the night watches to continue so he could meditate more on God during his night watches – Psa 119:148 – likewise at night – Psa 63:6. When we are unable to sleep is our focus on Him and His word or are we frustrated that we are unable to sleep?

3:9-10 This description of Solomon’s “bed” is not a fanciful description of a mythical “bed”. The constituent parts of it are found in the temple that he built which God planned through His servant David. As such it represents the family of believers. The “living temple”. It is for “the daughters of Jerusalem” – that is those whose focus is on the restoration of Zion as the centre of the kingdom of God.

3:6,11 We should not assume that the one who asks “who is this” is unaware of whom she speaks of for later she gives him a name. The “who is this” is an exclamation of wonderment.

5:1 Elsewhere in Scripture – Joel 3:18 – wine and milk are associated with blessings. In Isa 55:1 we are encouraged to take wine and milk freely. A reference to the blessings of God in Jesus. The bride here has associated herself with the risen Jesus and taken the offer of God. So she is like one of the five wise virgins who sleeps but awakes when he arrives and is prepared to meet him – Matt 25:2-10. Is this how we are? Are we prepared for his return whenever it might be?

3:6 The “fear in the night” is not some abstract anxiety. Quoting Psalm 91:5 the assurance given to Joshua and Caleb who are the subjects in the Psalm is the same assurance to those who hold fast to the promises of eternal inheritance in the kingdom of God – being married to the bride groom.

v5 and 8v4: "do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases". This is good advice for anyone contemplating marriage - let love work at its own pace and in its own way. Let courtship be an enjoyable time for discovering whether God has chosen you to be with this person for the rest of your life. Don't rush it but at the same time be intentional. Courtship is not a recreational activity, nor is it a fast-paced and short-lived prelude to marriage.

3:7 Whilst the number of mighty men here does not match the number of mighty men that David had there is a similarity between David and Solomon. One place where David’s mighty men are named is 2Chron 23:8. On both occasions they are protecting the king – David and Solomon.

16 v. 3 - Here Paul demonstrates the irrelevance of circumcision to the new covenant. 1Cor.7:19, Gal.2:3,8, 5:1-6.

16 v.17 Consider the use of the phrase ‘most high God’ in the rest of Scripture Genesis 14:18,19,20,22 Psalm 78:56 Daniel 3:26 5:18,21 Mark 5:7 Acts 16:17 Hebrews 7:1 A review of these passages will help us to understand why the phrase is used here in Acts.

17 v.6 The phrase 'rulers of the city' - 4173 only occurs here but archaeological finds at Thessalonica show that the right word is used to describe the rulers. As the disciples were at Thessalonica at this time we have an ‘undesigned’ coincidence which helps to prove the authenticity of the Acts of the Apostles.

Chapter 16 begins what is traditionally called the second missionary journey. I suppose it is taken that missionaries start out from Jerusalem and that is why this is the second journey as Paul has just been in Jerusalem but in reality Paul did not take a break from the work. From his conversion to his imprisonment was one long preaching mission. When he was imprisoned he turned to the only tool available to him - letter writing.

17:7 The charge made by the Jews - that {Paul preached another king - is just like the charge levelled against Jesus by the Jews. So these Jews, like the ones in Jerusalem, were compromised. They thought of themselves as citizens of this world rather than strangers and pilgrims.

IN PRISON

What do you do when you find yourself in prison? The story of Paul and Silas in prison never ceases to amaze me. In the dark, dingy, smelly prison, with their backs bleeding and in pain from their beating, their feet fastened in stocks, in the darkest part of the night, they sat praying and singing hymns to God. They were songs sung loud so that the other prisoners and even the jailer could hear. Normally if we found ourselves in that sort of situation we would get depressed, think angry thoughts, or yell and scream. But Paul and Silas chose to praise God instead, and, as a result of their praise, God released them from their bonds.

We may never have been in prison like Paul and Silas and we may never end up in one, but we all have things in our lives that imprison us - worry, sin, habits, rules or circumstances. Do we get depressed about them, grumble and criticise or complain? No! Let us follow the example of Paul and Silas and choose to pray and sing praise. Maybe God will release your bonds too.

16 - Whilst Paul and Silas may well have wondered why they had heeded the 'man from Macedonia' (:9) when they were in prison at Philippi (:23) but these events were the way in which a whole house obeyed the faith.

17:1-2 'they' indicates that Luke, the writer of Acts, was not with Paul and Silas at this time.

 17:34  We are not told a lot about those who believed, but the two who are mentioned by name show an interesting mix of believers, not, we would suggest, necessarily different from many ecclesias today. We have Dionysus the Areopagite; being an Areopagite would, give him a position of great importance, and rank him as one of the more intelligent of the city. On the other hand we have Damaris, we certainly are not told much about her, but, she would not have heard Paul in the synagogue, she would not have been admitted to Areopagus as a visitor. She must have been a consort of men and , while walking the streets heard the message expounded by Paul. This shows that God's Word can be accepted by all people irrespective of one's station in life, or education.  

16:25 When Paul and Silas prayed 'at midnight' they were like David (Psa 119:62)

17 Whilst Paul was preaching to Greek philosophers he still uses the Old Testament to prove his points.
 

We should not modify the basis of our message just because our audience are unfamiliar with Scripture.

16:20,21 - Is this not an all too familiar cry?  We all as human beings have our customs which we adhere to rigidly and expel those that do not comply.  It is not always a healthy way, I feel.

16:36-39 Paul made a point of asserting himself against the magistrates.  One wonders why he did this seeing that Christ advocates peace, forgiveness, and non-retaliation of those who have wronged you (Matt 5:39-41; Heb 12:14; 1Pet 2:21-23).  Perhaps he did it to protect the local ecclesia that after Paul had left; brothers and sisters would not be bothered by the authorities.

16:2 Lystra to Derbe is about 20 miles. So here we have an indication of inter ecclesial cooperation in the first century.

17:5 The Jew’s ‘envy’ is a recurring theme in Acts and is a fulfilment of what Moses said Deut 32:21

ENVIRONMENT PLANNING
 
It is an amazing thought that God's plan for us extends to all the details such as when and where we would be born. Paul told the people of Athens just that when he said, "From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27) His plan that we should seek him has caused him to create just the right environment for us so that we will have all the opportunities we need to get to know and respond to God.
 
What are we going to do with this knowledge?
 
If we have heard God's call then let's realise that he will not give up if he has already sorted circumstances in order for us to respond to him. So let us respond to God's call.
 
And if we have already responded to the call of God, we need to remember that part of God's environment planning for others includes us as part of their environment. We are there to encourage, preach, teach and to lead by example. Let's not let him down when he has done so much to plan for his people to seek him.

Paul made a speciality of going to find an appropriate place where he could preach to people. In Acts 16:13 he headed to a river side, where women went to pray. As a result of this Lydia came into the truth. This is an interesting example for us to take our preaching to the people, and not just to hope they come to us.

17:18 It is not surprising that the resurrection was seen as ‘strange gods’. The message of the resurrection is unique to the gospel.

16:2-3 We see that Timothy had been actively involved for some time in the area. We may well, therefore, understand why Paul had to beseech – 1Tim 1:3 – to go to and stay in Ephesus. He moved from an environment where he was well respected to one where his authority was questioned and his youth despised.

Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Mixed marriages sometimes occurred in areas away from Israel, but were frowned upon by those living in the land.

His mother was a believer whilst apparently his father was not. His father certainly was not a proselyte to Judaism otherwise Timothy would have already been circumcised. Timothy’s religious education was given by his mother's side of the family (2Tim 1:5).

Paul found it expedient to circumcise Timothy to avoid unnecessary opposition from the Jews (although the experience was different with Titus (Gal 2:3)). He did not want the message of the Gospel to be stymied by legality. Technically, Timothy was Jewish (because his mother was Jewish), but not being circumcised would have disqualified his acceptance from Jewish circles.

16:6-7 The prohibition of the spirit – doubtless by the words of a first century prophet was part of God’s plan. He wanted Paul to go to Macedonia when He was ready.

16:15,31,33 Lydia and her family were baptized; and so too the jailer and his family. These were the first baptisms recorded which were connected to Paul’s work.  In both cases, the principal parties and their families were baptized.

There are some misinformed ideas about these baptisms.

Some have argued that there must have been small children in those families.  This assumption has given rise to the idea that a parent’s acceptance of the gospel can allow all his/her small children to benefit from salvation. 

Then, there are churches which have taken that one step further and have deemed infant baptism (sprinkling) as sufficient for salvation (in their case, going to heaven at death).

Then, there is another religious group who thinks that people can be baptized for dead people to ensure their salvation. This idea is based on a misunderstanding of 1Cor 15:29. (For an explanation of this, see my note on 1 Cor 15 for March 2).

Baptism symbolizes the death and resurrection of Jesus that a candidate for salvation re-enacts to become a new spiritual creature.  This allows him/her to come into covenant relationship with the Lord and to be a member of His household, thus being eligible for salvation. 

But, baptism comes after a personal confession of faith based on understanding the gospel (the things concerning the kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ) (1Pet 3:21).  

If that is the case, how could infants or small children be eligible for baptism? Nobody can be baptized for another (either living or dead) by proxy.

There might have been small children in the families of Lydia and the jailer.  But, whoever in their families was baptized must have been of an age of understanding; understood the gospel; and made a good personal confession before being baptized.

Acts 17:31 First Principles>Sure mercies of David>King
Jesus will be the future King.
For more about the King, go to 2Sam 7:12-16.

16:10-13  Notice how the author says ‘we’ so this indicates that at this time Luke was with Paul. We should be careful to note this sort of detail as it helps us to fill out the picture.

PREACHING AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Comparing the message Paul preached to the people at Thessalonica with the message he preached just a short time later at Athens, we notice some interesting points. The way Paul preached in Thessalonica was this: "As his custom was, Paul went into the Synagogue and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,' he said." (Acts 17:2-3)

Later, when Paul arrived at Athens, he not only preached to the Jews in the synagogue, but he also preached in the market place and at a meeting of the Areopagus where his speech was recorded for us. Compared to his teaching in Thessalonica, there was a huge change in preaching style. At the Areopagus in Athens he was speaking to Gentiles who didn't know the Jewish Scriptures. So instead of proving Jesus from the word of God, Paul spoke about creation, life and idol worship which the people of Athens could relate to as he led up to Jesus and the resurrection from the dead.

As we share the gospel with people we meet, let us, like Paul, share God's word with a consideration of the background of those we share it with. It is no use trying to convince others of Scriptural arguments if they don't believe the Scriptures. Let us preach in a way that meets people right where they are and draws them in toward a relationship with God and Jesus.

REASONING

I have often thought of Paul as a very public person and my impression of him has been that he would go into synagogues, public places or anywhere he happened to be and stand up to proclaim the gospel in front of a crowd. But while Paul did this some of the time, his main method of preaching was quite different. Luke records, "As his custom was, Paul went into the Synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead." (Acts 17:2-3)

After he had preached this way in Thessalonica, he did the same at Athens. "So he reasoned in the Synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market place day by day with those who happened to be there." (Acts 17:17) His method of preaching was to reason with people, to discuss with them. It was a two way conversation, something that we are all able to do on a one to one basis.

Not all of us are cut out to be public speakers, but we can all discuss the words of God with someone else and get them to think about the logic and love of the gospel message. So let's follow Paul's example of reasoning and discussing the message of Christ with anyone who happens to be around.

Divine activity on Behalf of the Philippians

It's remarkable how the providence of God works at times. Seven times the spirit of God intervenes to bring about salvation and the spreading of the gospel to the Philippians and beyond:

1. The spirit intervenes to stop the Asian visit Acts 16:6

2. "Spirit of Jesus" intervenes to bar the way to Bithynia Acts 16:7

3. The vision at Troas of the "Man of Macedonia" is given Acts 16:9

4. A 2 day journey with fair winds Acts 16:11, this same journey in reverse later on takes Paul 5 days to complete Acts 20:6

5. Lydia ... "The Lord opened her heart" Acts 16:14

6. The girl with the Pythian spirit is cured in the name of the Lord Acts 16:18

7. The earth quake looses the prisoners and converts the jailer Acts 16:26-30

17:5-9   The behaviour of the Jews here may well be what Paul is referring to when he wrote to the Thessalonians and spoke of ‘affliction’ – 1Thess 1:6

17:2      The gospel is something that is logical. It can be reasoned from Scripture.  This is a significant element of the way that the preaching of the gospel is presented in Acts.

<1256>

Acts 17:2     reasoned            

Acts 17:17   disputed 

Acts 18:4     reasoned

Acts 18:19   reasoned

Acts 19:8     disputing  

Acts 19:9     disputing  

Acts 20:7     preached  

Acts 20:9     preaching 

Acts 24:12   disputing  

Acts 24:25   reasoned

16:2       That Timothy was well reported’ is echoed in 1Tim 3:7 as a quality of a bishop.

Acts 16:37 -

Acts 17:23

“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

There were many such inscriptions on the altars throughout the pagan Greco-Roman world at that time. The idea was that these altars to the “unknown god" ensured that no god was omitted from their worship, since they worshipped every conceivable god.

Acts 17:18

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to be a setter for of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.”

The Epicureans, named after their founder Epicurus (341-270 B.C.), laid the foundations for science and secularism.  Their philosophy combines physics and hedonistic pleasures.  They believed everything evolved from the perpetual motion of atoms, and that the purpose for living was for pleasure. They also embraced numerous gods and did not believe in the immortality of the soul, emphasizing that their views liberate from fears of death. Aristotle held, “that the world was from eternity, and every thing always was from eternity, and every thing always was what now is.”

The Stoics, founded by Zeno of Citium circa 300 B.C. had very high moral principles, and for their main doctrine taught that everything around us is controlled by reason and logos as it is identified with God. They believed that through reason and self-control we could deal with any situation that the problem is not with the world, but with us. This philosophy passed from Greece to Rome and was very popular among the Roman ruling class of which Marcus Aurelius Antoninus is well noted and the author of his famous work called The Meditations.  On page 193, he writes: “... every man is worth just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself.” Today, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is based on the philosophy of Stoicism.

Here we had two very different classes of Greek philosophers to whom Paul evangelized. Paul began by first challenging their belief system; that friendships with them were not necessary for him to speak the Gospel message and neither was it to Peter (Acts 2:14-47). Telling people only the good news of Jesus, and not what is wrong with their religion, or belief system rarely works. The apostles did not do this, and this was not what Paul did at Mars’ hill, situated between the Areopagus and the Acropolis, despite the fact that many use this as an example of building bridges with the pagan and worldly minded. Today we have the reverse of Mars’ hill.

16:34 It would appear that all the things in the prison happened during the night. In taking Paul and Silas to his own house the jailor was clearly identifying himself with Paul and Silas.  He could easily, one supposes, have felt it would be better just to get baptised and then let Paul and Silas go rather than run the risk of compromising his position with the Philippian authorities by associating with them. We can take a lesson from this. Fellowship with fellow believers is more important than association with the people around us, no matter how influential they may appear in our lives. 

For in him we live, and move, and have our being - Acts 17:28

"We make a living by what we get - we make a life by what we give"

16:15 Lydia’s desire to show Paul and his companions hospitality echoes that of the “great woman” and her desire to show hospitality to Elisha – 2Kin 4:8. And this should be how we respond when we see a need.

16:30     The jailor must have been aware of why Paul and Silas were in prison. Maybe he had even heard them speaking of the risen Jesus. And now he sees a sign – the earthquake, the prisoners still in the prison – and Paul telling him to do no harm to himself. Mark 16:20 comes to mind if the jailor had hard which is most likely as he wanted to know how he could be “saved”.

17:26  In speaking of God appointed the bounds of man’s habitations Paul is drawing on what Moses said – Deut 32:8. An idea which is also reflected in Psa 74:17

16:23   In verse :22 the accusation was that Paul was a Jew. Something which he did not seek to clarify, even though he was also a Roman citizen. Genesis was silent on this point even allowing himself to be beaten, though later – verse:37 – he uses his Roman citizenship. The appeal to Roman citizenship here would serve to make life a little easier for the new believers in Philippi. Their new faith would not be seen simply as Jewish but rather one preached by a Roman citizen. This may well be why Paul, when offered freedom mentioned that he was a Roman citizen.

17:3  to us the fact that the Jewish Messiah had to suffer and die is so clear now but to the Jews throughout the ages it was a totally foreign idea. They thought of the Messiah as a warring warrior. There were two parts to the reasoning. The first that Messiah would suffer and secondly that Jesus was that one spoken of in the Old Testament.

17:7 one wonders whether those around us appreciate that we recognise Jesus as a coming king who will rule the world.

16:14 Lydia was “of the city of Thyatira” and presumably she and “her household” (Acts 16:15) were founding members of the Thyatira ecclesia. To that ecclesia Christ wrote many years later: “I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts” (Rev. 2:23) and this had been true from the beginning of the ecclesia for of Lydia it was said: “whose heart the Lord opened”.

17:7 one wonders whether those around us appreciate that we recognise Jesus as a coming king who will rule the world.

16:21 Do we think that the gospel teaches us to do things which are contrary to the law of the and in which we live? Of course the accusation was a trumped up false accusation. However it should make us think about the fact that we should be law abiding members of society.

16:26 It is evident that Luke was with Paul and Silas in Philippi - :13 and earlier in the chapter. But notice it is not “we” who were singing at midnight. From this we might conclude that Luke, for some reason, had not been apprehended by the authorities and cast into prison.

17:2  Paul was going to the gentiles however he sought for potential believers in the synagogue – just like we read in  14:1-2. However, as previously, there is little response form the Jews but gentiles wanted to hear more from him.