Comments for May 8

v.4 - It is really surprising to me that this apparently trivial verse is picked up twice by Paul in his letters - 1Cor 9:9-10, 1Tim.5:17-18. It is to teach us that we have hope - that we plough in hope, and that we should also be partaker of his hope.

v.13-15 The repetition about 'divers' weights and measures demonstrates that whilst God requires integrity man is more likely to show partiality. The book of Proverbs expounds the laws given here in Deuteronomy. Proverbs 11:1 16:11 20:10

v.3 - To appear vile was to be like the beasts - Job 18:3.

25:19 The concept of being given rest - often from enemies passes into Biblical use here are some examples. Notice how strongly it is linked with David and his kingdom. (Exo 33:14, Deut 3:20, 12:10, 25:19, Josh 1:13,15, 22:4, 23:1, 2Sam 7:1, 1Kin 5:8, 1Chron 22:9, :18, 23:25, 2Chron 14:6,7, Isa 14:3, Matt 11:28, Heb 4:8)

:13-15 The requirement regarding honest weights highlights that God requires integrity. It is one of the many times that the law required integrity and honesty - The requirement to keep one's word Deut 23:21 is another example.

25:19 The rest and the blotting out of the name of Amalek was fulfilled, typically, (Est 9:17,18,22) - Haman was the Agagite (Est 3:1)

V.17 "Remember what Amalek did" We are told in Exo 17 that Amalek fought with Israel, but we are provided with no details of the battle. But, it must have been a wicked battle from what the LORD told Moses. Exo 17:14 and from the direction given to Saul through Samuel. 1Sam 15:2; 7-8. when he went to war against the Amalekites.

Loosing the shoe became the sign of the man who refused to take his late brother's wife (Deut 25:7-10).
Do notice how this law had changed even in the time of the Judges.  God had said the woman must loose
the man's shoe, but in Ruth 4:7-8 the man himself took off his shoe.  Why can't we keep the whole of
God's law?

Vs.5-10 The refusal to act as a near-kinsman to raise a family to a dead brother was met by two public actions.  First the widow would take off the sandal of the one who refused and then spit in his face. The act of removing sandals reflected either poverty, reproach, or mourning in the Near East.  Isaiah demonstrated this (Isa 20:2,3).  And so, the one who refused to be a near-kinsman would be forever seen as one in a state of poverty, reproach and mourning - a sad state indeed.  Spitting in another's face was an act of contempt.  The Lord Jesus suffered the same treatment (Matt 26:67; Matt 27:30), but the irony here is that He was the redeemer (of Israel).

It should be noted that taking off one's own sandal was a sign of agreement for legal transactions in the Near East (Ruth 4:7 ). Thus, in the case of the near-kinsman who asked Boaz to take over his duty with regard to Ruth, the agreement was made (Ruth 4:8). This action does not conflict with the law of Deuteronomy as the act of redemption was not frustrated but passed to another.  Furthermore, we can see Boaz as a type of Christ in this transaction.  Man is unable to redeem his brother (Psa 49:7).  That duty has been passed on to the only redeemer capable, which is the Lord Jesus (Isa 59:20).

25:4       The instruction about muzzling the ox seems out of place in the list of injunctions about how men should treat men.  However Paul –1Cor 9:9 – teaches us that whilst the law does speak about animals it relates information about how men should behave towards men. So it’s very position in Deuteronomy 25 provides the evidence that Paul adduces from the passage.

25:17-19 The destruction of the Amalekites was something which Saul neglected to do - 1Sam 15 – implying that the either had not read this part of the law or thought that his own ideas were better than God’s.

Vs.17-19 The demise of Amalekites featured prominently with Saul and Samuel (1Sam 15:20,32,33); and Haman (Est 3:10; 7:10). (Agag was a common appellation for the kings of the Amalekites).

In the law of Moses the ruling class, Levites, obtained their living through the work they did. In exchange for their services, of ministering to the people through prayer, temple service, teaching, policing, and administration, they received a tenth of the people's income. This was a just law, since they numbered roughly a tenth of the ordinary people. In this provision we can see the parallels with what v4 is telling us and the application Paul makes of it in the New Testament Church (see comments above). Just as an ox, working with his nose near the corn, should not be stopped from eating of it, so a preacher should eat from the gospel he preached. But how can one eat of the Gospel?

In Matthew 10:9-13 Jesus established that the preacher should lodge in the houses of whoever accepted them, and accept their food. This was in fact what Jesus practised throughout his ministry. So to live from the Gospel was to be provided for by those who heard it. More than this, in 1Tim 5:17-19 Paul tells us that the elders of the Church who "rule" should be given extra honour. How does he come to that conclusion from a little verse about cattle? Surely cattle aren't honourable? I think the answer lies in the substance they were working with. Just as the oxen were able to eat of the grain which was destined for human consumption, and the Levites were able to eat of the offerings destined for God, so a man working with the substance which would bring eternal glory to those who received it, should be able to partake of a little of that glory.

But there is a warning which must be made. There is a difference between eating a little, and gorging ones self. The Pharisees are an example of those who took this too far. They were bloated oxen, reclining in the grain with their un-muzzled mouths too full to speak the words they were being paid to speak.

25:5-6  The provision that God makes for the widow who is childless was designed to preserve His allocation of the land.

25:7 An example of this situation is seen in the way in which the ‘near kinsman’ did not want to take Ruth to be his wife - Ruth 4:2-8 – where it seems an idea not provided for in the law of Moses had been developed, that of refusing because of some issue to do with inheritance.

V.3 Forty is a number of completeness , e.g. Noah-flood, forty days and nights (Gen 7:4; 8:6; the number of days the spies were in the Land (Num 13:25); the number of years the Children of Israel were in the wilderness (Num 32:13); Jesus-temptation, forty days of fasting (Matt 4:2). Also, the number of lashes (with a leather whip) was not excessive.  It would not cause damage or enough humiliation that could not be repaired. 

Paul was lashed five times (2Cor 11:24).  Notice that those who administered the lashings only did thirty-nine.  This was either to make sure that they did not exceed forty lashes or to give the impression of leniency.

Contrast the Jewish application of this sort of punishment with other nations.  The Egyptians, Turkish, or Chinese, for example, would beat a person with a stick until he was either rendered lame or dead.  Yahweh was careful to avoid either.

Parables in the law - God hates favouritism

Paul says in 1Cor 9:8-10 that the verse about oxen was written for people, not oxen. So we gain a clue about how to read the law. We are meant, by God, to see a principle in the law about animals, and then apply that principle to people. It's the same principle with parables.

So it is easy to see the lesson in the parable of the ox and the grain (v4), and how it applies to us (1Cor 9:8-10). But how about the differing weights and measures in v13-15? And why does God treat it so seriously (v16) "all who do such things are an abomination to the LORD your God"?

Isn't the answer in the context? In v5-10 we have the law for a man taking his brother's widow to wife. Can you imagine the enmity between the new wife and the man's original wife? Can you imagine as both sets of children grew up, the tendency to treat the one group slightly better than the other? After all, the son of his brothers wife would grow up to take part of his inheritance away (v6). So we can see that God meant us to apply the laws of weights and measures to this situation, thus avoiding favouritism. "You shall not have in your house different weights and measures". God is always most concerned about family life.

25:9 The instruction to ‘spit is his face’ is a sign that the brother is not willing to accept the widow as a wife. So when the opponents of Jesus Matt 26:67 – spat in Jesus face they are, in a strange way behaving as the man who would not take the woman.

25:15 This injunction was not always heeded. So the prophet – Amos 8:5 – had to remind Israel of this ordinance.

25:1    The instruction here may appear so obvious that it needn’t even be stated. However human nature is so perverse that not infrequently we are respecters of person and this clouds our judgement. Prov 17:15 shows that such behaviour affects one’s relationship with God.

Deut 25:9;Matt 26:67 is it possible the opponents of Jesus by spitting in his face would not be redeemed brides of Christ and would not get a (future) inheritance? 

Deut 25:13-16 - the idea of differing weights demonstrates that we are to treat all fairly and honestly. God is no respector of persons and does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34).

Deut 25:19;1Sam 15:3,7,8,9,10,11 - God gave them rest from enemies in the land they were to possess as an inheritance, but Saul didn'tcompletely destroy the Amalekites (perhaps an echo of sin). It took Christ to conquer sin and death so believers will enjoy a millenial rest from the enemies (sin and death) and a future inheritance in the land.

25:9      The shame of not raising up seed to the dead to “build up his brother’s house” is contrasted with Boaz’ behaviour as comment by the people who witness his taking Ruth to wife – Ruth 4:11

Deut 25:5-10.

Deut 25:5-10.

25:2-3 The requirement that no more than 40 stripes be given is the reason why Paul speaks of being beaten forty stripes less one – 2Cor 11:24 – because, fearing they might miss count the number of stripes and exceed the forty specified in the law they administered thirty nine stripes. 

25:16  We might think that it is not really so much of a problem if we “short change” someone. However from God’s point of view it is “an abomination”. In reality such behaviour spoken of in the previous verses is simply dishonesty and shows a lack of integrity. As such God’s character, which we should reflect, is dishonoured.

25:3     Whilst the law required that “stripes” be administered to some reproof is more effective – Prov 17:10. Of course the reproof is only valuable if the one reproved listens!

25:5     At the end of the wilderness journey the reality of brothers dying would be clearly understood. By this time that Deuteronomy was spoken all the men of war over the age of twenty had died leaving a community which had a lot of widows.

25:1     The way in which the nation was to behave towards the wicked is something which Solomon requests that God does also – 1Kin 8:32

25:19   Moses here quotes from that which was written down – Exo 17:14 – to remind Israel of what had been said because of Amalek’s behaviour shortly after Israel left Egypt.

25:13-14 we might think that this rule hardly applies to us as we are not shop keepers. However it does apply to us. It is all about double standards. We must be even handed in the way that we deal with individuals. We should not show preference to one above another.

25:5-7 As the “men of war” died out in the wilderness the prospect of there being women who would have no one to inherit the land that was given to her on entering the land was a serious matter. So this law given in the wilderness was looking forward to the time that the nation would enter the land of Canaan. Also by implication we might conclude that a significant number of males died childless.

25:5,7 Whilst the requirement to raise seed to the dead brother seems a clear command there was also provision for circumstances when further problems would come as a consequence of following this law. An example seems to be found in Ruth 4:6.  There were times in Israel when there were conflicts between two related laws. In His wisdom God had prepared for such circumstances. This should lead us to appreciate that he is well aware of all things that are happening in our lives.

25:9  That spitting in the face of another is a sign of shame is clearly seen when we consider  Num 12:14-15 where it is clear that Miriam was unclean for seven days.  So the impact of the man’s refusal was that, it seems, he also became unclean for seven days.

25:5-6 This generous provision by God so that the inheritance of one tribe would not pass to another was miss used by the Jews in order to, in their own minds, undermine belief in the resurrection of the dead – Matt 22:24-28

v. 6 - surely here is a picture of the death of Jesus, the smiting and wounding of v.7, and the veil of v.7 confirm this context, but tied with all this is the rejection of Christ by the Jews. There are a number of references to God being lost to the people - here are some - Ps.30:7, Isa.8:17, 50:2. Isa 54 reminds us that Israel still has a part to play in God's purpose (v.6-8).

v.2 The beloved standing and knocking to come in is alluded to by the Lord Jesus [Revelation 3:20]. Would we be reluctant to open the door to our beloved? Are we so keen to look for the return of our Lord from heaven?

v.2 - As Bro Peter said below, this is picked up in Rev.3:20. What a wonderful picture of God's love for us is painted here. This is far more than just standing at the door knocking - there is a real desire that the occupant (us) might answer. How can we not respond to such grace.

These are only two of the echoes of language from the description of the tabernacle.

From this use of tabernacle description we can conclude that the bride has to be a place suitable for the dwelling of God.

:1 The language which is quoted in Isaiah 55 shows that here we are speaking, not about natural food, but about the things of the promises to David.

Eaten Isaiah 55:1
Wine milk Isaiah 55:1

5:14 We are back with a description of the bride groom in language drawn from the tabernacle - see the study papers site.

V.15  Jesus's "legs" were not broken on the cross; on them rests the weight of our salvation.

The betrothed (Israel) had not accepted (not opened the door) her Lord when the opportunity arose. She subsequently had her veil removed (shamed) and was beaten by the watchmen.

Could it be that the watchmen who beat the bride (Israel) represented the Romans in AD 70? Or, perhaps, they represent the angels administering punishment, at the judgement, to the rejected of spiritual Israel.

Solomon's 6th Song is in Song 4:8-ch5:1.  The Bridegroom speaks for most of ch 4, with the bride answering in ch4:16. Then He concludes the passage in Song 5:1.  It's in this verse that we see Christ inviting His"friends" , or saints, to drink new wine with Him in the kingdom (as Matt 26:29).
The 7th Song runs from Song 5:2-ch6:1. Where has my Beloved gone? she asks. I opened the door to Him, but He had gone. In Song 5:7she recounts how she was abused by the city watchmen, but then in Song 5:8,9 (and Song 6:1) she talks to her friends and asks for help in finding Him.  She then tells of the beauty of the One she loves.

5:1 The groom has taken his fill of food from his garden. However he wishes to share it so he invites his ‘sister / spouse’ to share in his garden along with his ‘friends’. Another picture of the fellowship Christ wishes to have with his ‘children’

5:12 ‘Rivers of water’ may seem like a poetical way of describing her beloved. However it catches the sentiment of Psa 1:3 where the faithful are seen by rivers of water.

5:1      The ‘garden’ which has ‘milk’ and ‘honey’ is the luscious land of Israel. That was spied by the 12 spies – Num 13:27 – which they and the people rejected. We must take care not to despise that which God is offering us through His son.

5:3 The woman seems to show some reluctance here to go out to the beloved. The ‘coat’ is the same word as ‘covering’ in Gen 3:21 and the washing is echoed in Eph 5:26. The woman has been washed by the word of God and covered by the sacrifice of Christ but is still reluctant to open to him Christ

5:7 The watchmen here and 3:3 are the religious leaders who despise God’s faithful bride. Hence they abuse her. Just like the religious leaders did of Jesus and his followers.

5:15     Whilst we may think of marble as simply a precious material we should remember that Solomon used marble in the building of the temple – 1Chron 29:2 – so here we have another example of the bridegroom being described like a building of God.

Song 5:1;Isa 7:14-15 - Christ ate honey, and curds/milk as a child and ultimately he took the cup of wine.

Song 5:2;Rev 3:20 - Christ knocking on the door.

5:6 The way in which the woman’s ‘soul fainted’ is like the way that David describes his reaction to understanding God’s salvation inPsa 119:81. Our betrothal to Christ is the route to our salvation because we are cleansed by Jesus’ words – John 15:3

5:2-6    Are we ready for the return of the lord? When he “knocks” will  we be instantly ready, so to speak, to go with him? Or, as Lot’s wife, will we linger?  The lesson here is that the return of the lord will solve all our problems. There should be no reason to hesitate.

Myrrh is mentioned several times in this chapter, and you will be familiar with Myrrh because it was one of the precious gifts given to Jesus at his birth. Not only did Myrrh appear at his birth, but also while he was on the cross (Mark 15:23) and after his death (John 19:23).

1. Song 5:1 - bridegroom is speaking.

2. Song 5:2 - bride is speaking.

3. Song 5:2 - "Open to me, my sister, my love" - bridegroom is speaking.

4. Song 5:3 - bride is speaking.

5. Song 5:9 - daughters of Jerusalem are speaking.

6. Song 5:10 - bride is speaking.

1. Song 5:1 - "I have drunk my wine with my milk" (Isa 55:1).

2. Song 5:1 - "eat, O friends...drink abundantly, O beloved" - Christ encouraging individual believers and the collective ecclesia to partake in spiritual food including the memorial bread and wine (Ecc 9:7) and also to look ahead to the wedding feast ("I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" Matt 26:29).

3. Song 5:2 - this seems to be almost a deja vous part two with perhaps a Gentile ecclesial bride (John 10:16); the future Gentile bride had a sleepy attitude/expectation at Christ's first coming.

4. Song 5:6 - "I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone" - by the time the bride realized it was Christ at the door he had gone to heaven.

5. Song 5:7 - "they smote me, they wounded me" - the bride/ecclesia faces persecution.

6. Song 5:8 - the daughters of Jerusalem were likewise seeking Christ /the beloved /the bridegroom.

7. Song 5:10 - "My beloved is 'white'<6703> and 'ruddy'(<122> adom is very similar to 'Adam'<121> and thus reinforces the bridegroom's human origins in being born of Mary)" - 'David'<1732> was ruddy too (1Sam 17:42) and echoes Christ.

8. Song 5:10 - "the chiefest among ten thousand" - the figurative number of saints (Deut 33:2) with Christ as chief among them.

9. Song 5:16 - "mouth"(<2441> perhaps better rendered "taste" or "palate" or "speach") - Psa 119:103;Prov 24:13;Song 2:3;Psa 19:7-11,14.

5:11    In saying that his head is as fine gold we see a contrast between the Bridegroom (Jesus) and the kingdom of men headed up un Nebuchadnezzar – Dan 2:38

5:16   This is one of a number of times in the Song of Solomon that the woman speaks highly of her beloved. The woman does not see association with her beloved as bringing any problems or constraints into her life. Is this how we view our relationship with Jesus? Or do we feel that our choices are constrained by our association with Jesus?

5:15   We might think comparing the man’s countenance with Lebanon is not very meaningful. However on the two other occasions where such a comparison is made – Hos 14:5,6 – we see aspects of Lebanon which are associated with bringing forth fruit.

5:3-6   The reluctance of the woman to open quickly to the man caused him to “withdraw himself”. Israel suffered the same from God – Hos 5:6 – because they did not seek Him early. The warning is clear for us. We must be ready to welcome him at any time. No delay.

5:2      The call to “drink” is echoed in Isa 55:1 where the call is to feed “without price” – an invitation to the offer of salvation through the gospel.

5:2       As well as Revelation 5:20 Jesus – Luke 12:36 – speaks in a parable about being ready to open immediately when he “knocks”. Do we ever find ourselves doing things that would make Jesus’ request for an immediate response difficult to obey?

5:15      The way that the bridegroom’s legs are likened to “pillars of marble” is similar language found in Est 1:6 – the only other place in scripture where we met pillars of marble.

5:4 maybe we can remember the feeling when someone who we had very strong feelings for – be it a fiancé or new love – but do we ever have the same feelings for our “husband” the lord Jesus Christ? It is difficult to have feelings for someone we have never seen. However we can get to know him from reading about him and reflecting on how we love his thoughts and actions.

5:1 We doubtless all enjoy a good meal. But here the groom is, by implication, encouraging the bride to eat in a particular way. The focus is not on physical food but on the free “food” of the gospel message – see Isa 55:1-2

5:11  The lovely description of “his head” contrasts markedly with the way that Jerusalem is described after being destroyed by the Chaldeans – Lam 4:2.

5:1-2  Here we have one of the many conversations between the bride and groom in the Song of Solomon. It is really valuable, as we read the song to mark the conversations and, maybe in our bibles, indicate in the margin who is speaking and to whom.

This can be quite difficult in some places but well worth the effort. It might be safer to note who the speakers are on a sheet of paper and only transfer our conclusions to our bible when we have worked through the book a few times.

v.22 - Paul's apprehension about going to Jerusalem did not stop him. He plans his life beyond that point (ch.19:21). He listens to the warnings (ch.21:11-14). He shares this way with Jesus (Luke 9:51). There are lots of lessons for us here. 2Cor.5:14, Jas.4:14, 2Pet.1:14.

20:8 At this point in the Acts we are with the elders from Ephesus. Paul, when writing to Timothy when he was at Ephesus, draws on the language of the sea shore and the elders from Ephesus.

Acts 20:29 Presenting religious leaders as wolves is seen in the Old Testament. Ezekiel 22:27 Zephaniah 3:3 And is utilised by Jesus Matthew 7:15 10:16 Luke 10:3

This chapter deals with the work at Ephesus. It is not surprising, therefore, to find language from this chapter used by Paul when writing to the ecclesia at Ephesus.

In the letter Paul was trying to reinforce the message he had preached when he was with the brethren and sisters in Ephesus.

BE ON YOUR GUARD

Paul's warning to the members of the Church in Ephesus was urgent and compelling. "I know," he said, "that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears."

Paul's warning was to the leading Christians in Ephesus, but it is no less applicable to us today. We all need to be on our guard against people who come in to distort the truth and to play power games, leading people away after personalities rather than helping them to stand firm for the Lord God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

The way we can guard ourselves against this is by prayer and by making God's word so familiar to us that it becomes part of us. Read the word of God., think about it, study it, discuss it, question it and be so familiar with it that we recognise anything false instantly. We must pray for God's help and always be alert and on guard against anything that tries to take us from the truth.

Whilst we saw that Paul spent 2 years at Ephesus we now find him passing through a number of cities with nothing being said about the preaching. We should not assume either, that there was little response, or that little was said. Acts is not a comprehensive diary of the work of the apostles, or even of Paul. Like the gospels it focuses on specific events to help to develop our understanding of the gospel.

V.9  "was taken up dead" This is Luke's account. Being a medical man, he would certify that the young man was dead. This is added to prevent any argument that he not subsequently raised from the dead.

20:29 In saying 'I know this that after my departing' Paul quotes Deut 31:29 - part of Moses' last charge to Israel just before he died. The lesson is obvious.

v.16 - Maybe we feel that racing around to try to be at the right place at the right time is a modern phenomenon.  Seems not!

V.7 Sunday has become the day of meeting to break bread based on this verse.  We have ordered our lives around it and it has become convenient.  However, it is not a divine law and we are free to break bread on as many days or occasions as we wish.

Vs. 22,24,26,27 Show the faith and confidence of Paul.  Although he did not know what was in store for him at Jerusalem, he was prepared to lose his life knowing that he had given a good account of himself.  This is an excellent attitude for us to emulate.

V.29 "grievous wolves shall enter in among you"  Jesus also warned of the same when he gave his parable of the shepherd. (John 10:12) We can also note Matt 7:15, Matt 10:16, Luke 10:3 Paul had already had experience of the Judaisers. In later years Peter was to warn of the same influence. note (2Pet 2:2)            

20:1-6 The detail of the travels here indicates that for a time Paul and his companions went on their way separate from Luke and his companions.

V.28 The ecclesia at Ephesus received a final warning from Jesus recorded in Rev 2:1-7. It is recorded that they had left their first love, and were warned that, unless they returned to their former beliefs, their candlestick would be removed out of its place. That their light stand no longer exists is proof of the truth of Paul's prophesy concerning the growth of apostasy. It was inevitable. The Truth died out in Ephesus and was replaced by Roman Catholicism. It is now given over to the faith of Islam.

TIPS FOR PREACHING
 
Paul stayed in Ephesus for some time while he established and strengthened the church that was there. But it is only here in Acts 20 that we learn more of his preaching methods and message during his time in Ephesus. He said, "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared both to Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." (Acts 20:18-21)
 
1. Let's take note of a few things that will be beneficial to us as we spread the word of God.
2. We must live our lives consistently with our teaching - practice what we preach.
3. Be humble, loving and compassionate, even under severe testing.
4. Get on with it. Don't hesitate.
5. If there is any way to be helpful or encouraging, do it or say it.
6. Teach publicly so that the word can spread rapidly.
7. Teach from house to house so that with individual attention each seeker has opportunity to grow.

Allow our preaching to go past the boundaries of race, gender and any other barriers, because all need repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus.
Paul's preaching was effective. Let us follow his example.

It seems sad that the comment in Acts 20:38 which made the Ephesians most sad, was the fact that they wouldn’t see Paul again. If they had taken more heed to his message about them not remaining firm in the Truth (Acts 20:29,30), they might have escaped the rebuke from Jesus in Rev 2:1-7.

20:7 The seeming casual mention of breaking bread on the first day of the week gives an insight into what must have been common practice amongst the early brethren.

20:25 It appears that brethren from all over Asia were here to hear Paul. This would have been necessary that they come to Paul, rather than Paul going to them and being delayed in his journey to Jerusalem. It would be unlike Paul to summon only the nearest brethren, because he was so thorough in all that he did. There is little doubt that the brethren were summoned from the Asian ecclesias and that Paul waited until they were all there before addressing them. 

20:7    It would appear that the departure the next day was the trigger for the evening of fellowship. How often do we use an early start, or future arrangement, as an excuse for not going to the meeting or spending time with our brethren and sisters?

FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE

Here is a challenge. Paul told us to follow his example just as he followed the example of Christ. (1Cor 11:1) So what sort of example should we be following?

Paul described his life to the Ephesian elders. His description puts the challenge to us as we try to follow his example. He said, "I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. ... Therefore I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." (Acts 20:19-21,26-27)

Paul certainly left us an amazing example.  How do we go at following him?

Is our service done with humility and tears? Do we serve the Lord even when we are tested, when others mock us, or we think they might mock us? Do we preach without hesitation to both friends and those we do not class as friends? Do we explain that people need to turn to God in repentance and faith? And finally, will we be able to stand before the judgement seat of Christ innocent of the lives of those who have not been given life, confident that they have already heard the good news from us?

20:1 This is the time when Paul left Timothy in Ephesus – 1Tim 1:3

v 25 First Principles>Kingdom of God>Gospel concerns God's Kingdom
The Gospel preached by Jesus and the Apostles concerns the Kingdom of God.
1. Examples of teaching concerning the Kingdom of God
Matt 4:23, Mark 1:14, Luke 8:1, Acts 8:12, Acts 19:8, Acts 20:25, Acts 28:31
For more about the Gospel concerning God's Kingdom, go to Matt 4:23

Vs.29,30 We look back through history and can see the development of false doctrines. The great false system of worship which we see in Christendom today grew out of the errors that Paul warns about here.  

Those who wish to serve God must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  In order to do that, they must search the scriptures to determine what is truth and what is error, like the faithful of Thessalonica (Acts 17:11).  If they do search the scriptures, those who wish to serve the Lord will soon see that Christendom is false.  Yahweh appeals to those who would be His to disassociate themselves from this false system of worship (Rev 18:4).  This false system will be destroyed when Jesus returns to earth (Rev 17:5; 18:2).

20:17-35 In laying out his position with respect to the brethren at Ephesus in such a personal way maybe Paul is already aware of problems there to do with his status and that of Timothy and so he warns them, giving the evidence that he is qualified to comment as he does.

ENCOURAGEMENT

It was because of Paul that a huge riot had started in Ephesus. If they could have had him, the rioters would have killed Paul. This must have shaken him because there had been riots in the not too distant past that had left Paul almost dead. In this case Paul's friends would not let him go anywhere near where the trouble was.

If I had been Paul, I would have been relatively unnerved by this series of events and it would have taken quite some encouragement to get me back on track again. But not Paul. "When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia." (Acts 20:1) It should have been the other way around! It should have read, "The disciples sent for Paul, and after encouraging him, they said good-by and sent him on his way to Macedonia." But no, Paul sent for them and encouraged them!

There is a positive lesson in this. We may not always get the encouragement we think we might need, but we are always in a position to be able to encourage others. So let's follow Paul's example and no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, be a strength of encouragement to everyone around us.

What was Pentecost?

In v16 we read that Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost. We would assume this was a feast set up to commemorate the Holy Spirit descending in the Apostles in Acts 2:1-5. But looking carefully in Acts 2 we see that Pentecost was being observed before this incident happened. In other words, Pentecost was an old feast, not a new one.

Q: But where does the day of Pentecost come from? Acts 2:1 is the first ever mention of it, and it can't be found mentioned anywhere in the old testament.

A: Looking in the concordance you can see Pentecost means "fiftieth". In Leviticus 23:16 the Jews were to count fifty days after leaving Egypt (the Passover) and then take a day off work to make offerings to God.

So this was a Jewish day which now had special significance for the followers of Christ too. The question now remains: Why did Paul especially need to be in Jerusalem for this day?

20:4      Timothy went to Ephesus and worked there. Maybe he was sent to Ephesus at this time in the ministry of Paul.

20

Table produced from connections shown by John Owen

Acts 20:6,7,8,9,10,16,28,31,32,34 - V6 - "five" (perhaps hinting at mercy and grace), "seven" (perhaps hinting at spiritual perfection, God's seal or covenant number, or the millenial rest); V7- the first day of the week which would be the resurrection day; V8 - many lamps in an upstairs room reminds me of the saints at Christ's last supper; V9 - Eutychus <2161> meaning "fortunate" falls and is dead/asleep and there is the mention of third or three (V31) which reminds me of Christ's being dead/asleep for three days before being resurrected to life (V10); V16 - we have the mention of Pentecost which perhaps reminds one of the Jubilee (#50) when debts are paid in full and people are freed; V32 - as Christ was committed to God and God's Word he was built up, sanctified and receives an inheritance; V34 - both Paul and Christ paid for themselves and others.

Acts 20:7        That Paul talked ‘until midnight’ at the meeting where the brethren broke bread on the first day of the week indicates that the breaking of bread took place in the evening. Given that the Jewish day started at 6.00 pm we might conclude that the ‘first day of the week’ breaking of bread took place on what we would call Saturday evening.

20:7       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.

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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 

20:27   In saying that he had not shunned the whole counsel of God Paul is appealing to the way that the prophet – Eze 33:7– was to warn the people.

20:37-38       It seems that the impact of Paul’s words did not sink into the minds of those who he was saying farewell to. Or maybe they were more aware of the immediate events than thinking about the future. We should not criticise them. However we should be careful to think about the future when sorrowing about some human loss that we might be experiencing.

20:16   There are times when good things cannot be done because of more pressing plans. On this occasion Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem.  However he does make plans to see the elders from Ephesus. It is all about taking opportunities.

Acts 20:20

“And now I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house.”

Going from house to house distributing leaflets on the Truth is foreign to Scripture. The apostle Paul did not go house to house preaching to strangers, but went to the elders of the ecclesia (cf. Acts 20:17).

Acts 2:46 clearly reads that the disciples went from house to house to break bread.

Christ said, “Go not from house to house” (Luke 10:7). “Peace be to this house” (Luke 10:5) was a common Israelite salutation (1Sam 25:6; Psa 122:7,8). Christ sent 70 disciples to preach to their brethren, the Israelites. Christ’s mission was to preach to the House of Israel. God’s Word is too valuable to flaunt carelessly (Matt 7:6).

Today, we witness the modern custom of certain religious groups going door-to-door peddling their false doctrines. This is contrary to Scriptural command. Scripture tells us to let our lights shine (Matt 5:16). Light does not make noise! Light travels at 300,000,000 m/s more than the speed of sound! We are to teach first and foremost by example and when we do, we will be a lot further ahead than just peddling out literature. Going door-to-door as strangers to strangers hardly meets Biblical criterion.

20:7-8 If we are planning a trip we might well feel it important to have an “early night”. Not the apostle Paul. Knowing he would be leaving the ecclesia in the morning he spent the evening with the ecclesia. What about us? Have we ever missed an opportunity to meet with our fellow believers because we have a holiday planned and feel the need to get ready for it?

20:36  In the west we are quite restrained in our actions. I do not recall seeing believers I know in the west kneeling down to say prayers but clearly it was a feature in New Testament times.

Acts 20:29

“For I know this, that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”