Comments for July 24

v.15 - Here is a warning. Even our enemies that we overcome may well rally round and come back for more. We can never afford to be complacent in our war against sin. But God will see us through if we commit ourselves wholly into His hand. There is no record of a prayer here, but the attitude of Joab is there in v.12. This should be our attitude too. Josh.1:9, 1Sam.14:6, Heb.13:6.

v.6 - The Ammonites totally misjudge David's motive in abusing the servants that David sent. However, to make matters worse when they realised what they had done they did not seek to be reconciled to David. rather they made matters worse by seeking to defend themselves. How often do we offend someone and then try to defend and justify our actions rather than apologise and be reconciled to our brother?

v.1-5 - We have evidence here that our good intentions may be misunderstood by those to whom they were directed. This is human nature and it should not stop us from showing good intentions.

That Hanun hired such a large army of mercenaries to add to his own forces (:6) indicates the prowess of David and the army of Israel.

:11 Joab did not seem to consider the possibility that the Syrians would be too strong for him and the Ammonites would also be too strong for Abishai! Did he trust God or his and his brothers own strength?

10:1 Notice that David is still showing 'kindness' following on from 2Sam 9:1,3,7

V.2 It is probable that this was the Nahash against whom Saul waged war at Jabesh-gilead. 1Sam 11:11 David, on leaving Gath, where his life was exposed to danger, found an asylum with the king of Moab; and as Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was his nearest neighbour, it may be that during the feud between Saul and David, he, through enmity to the former, was kind and hospitable to David.

Peace came to Israel under David's reign because God blessed him. Great battles were fought, and David's soldiers acquitted themselves well, as in today's chapter.  Others made peace with him (2Sam 10:19). But still David had some very unsavoury moments, as in tomorrow's chapter...

V.3 Their suspicion was not warranted either by any act, or cherished design of David; it must have originated in their knowledge of the denunciations of God's law against them (Deut 23:3-6), and of David's practice at this point of time following God's direction. 

V.4 Unlike the people around them, the Hebrews sported full beards.  To have them cut off was not only considered an insult and a cause of shame, but it was against the Law (Lev 19:27).

10:7  David’s reaction might be thought to be rather extreme. However it is a pattern of how Jesus will react to those who are not willing to abide by, and implement, the law of God. Hanun did not ‘love his neighbour’.

V.18 The numbers differ from the parallel account in 1Chron 19:18.  The Chronicles number is considered correct while the Samuel number is thought to be a probable copyist's error. 

Notice also that the KJV describes David's enemies as Syrians.  That is technically incorrect as Syria only came into political being sometime after 332 BC.  Before that time, the state was known as Aram, and so David fought the Arameans.

10:6 We learn from the consequences of David’s ‘kindness’ that being Christlike does not always bring an easy life. David was involved in battles simply because he showed ‘kindness’. In like manner there will be times when our Godly behaviour will be miss-interpreted with unpleasant consequences.

10:2 We have already seen – 2Sam 9:1,3,7 – the calibre of the man David. He seemed to go out of his way to show ‘kindness’ to others. Where do we fit in on this point? Remember that some of those to whom David showed ‘kindness’ might have been perceived as his enemies.

V.6 In the Near East, it was not uncommon for a nation to hire mercenaries from the armies of other nations in the area.  Kings had absolute rule, and so their fighting men were obliged to follow orders.  If a king saw an opportunity to gain revenue, he had no compunction in hiring out his troops. 

10:3 As many before the servants of Hanun did not know the calibre of David. Hanun should have, though. However he completely miss reads David’s motives and thus brings judgement upon himself and his people.

V.2 Nahash was probably the king who was defeated by Saul  (1Sam 11:1,2,11). Likely, after David took power from Saul,  Nahash showed him support.  Perhaps it was a case of: the friend of my enemy is my friend.

10:13-14 It appears that Joab and Abishai, on David’s behalf, simply defended themselves against the children of Ammon and Syria because when they fled they seem to have just returned home rather than spoiling the children of Ammon.

10:3   The princes with Hanun lacks the sort of insight that one might have expected from men who had seen the way that David had behaved in the past. We should judge people on the things we know about them rather than make assumptions about their motives.

2Sam 10:18

“And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians…”

We read in 1Chron 19:18 that David slew seven thousand Syrians who fought in chariots. Is it 700 or 7000 men?

Here in 2 Samuel, 700 chariots are referred to, while 1 Chronicles refers to 7,000 men. From this it is easy to deduce that there were 10 men to a chariot. Both accounts are correct.

10:4-5  The warrior who had no regard for the commandments of God would have immediately gone to battle because of this slight against him. However not David. Unlike his response to Nabal’s snub – 1Sam 25:13 David does nothing. Here we see something of David’s spiritual growth. Can we see development in ourselves?

10:2  Surely Hanun knew of the relationship between David and his father. Surely he would have understood David’s motives. However he listened to those who did not know rather than reflect on how his father viewed David.  Another case of rash behaviour being instigated as a consequence of listening to others.

Joab had taken all the best fighters for himself and given the less able to his brother (v9-10). The reason was that he would be fighting against the professional armies of Syria, hired from there by the people of Ammon (see v6). Joab had taken the most difficult job upon himself, showing his strength of character. Also here we see his faith in God as the ultimate decider of his fate (v12).

(Comment revised Oct 2014)

10:6-19   Is David’s reaction rather an over reaction to what happened to the servants who had their beards shaved? Could David have handled this matter better? 

10:8  Whilst David’s argument was with the men of Ammon we see that they enlisted the help of the Syrians. As the battle ensues we see that the Syrians decide that helping the Ammonites is something that they will not engage in again.

10:1  The phrase 'and it came to pass after this' is a recurring phrase in 2 Samuel. [2Sam 2:1, 8:1, 13:1, 15:1, 21:18] It marks the introduction of a new topic which is related to the previously mentioned event. There may be years between the events but they are thematically linked.

10:3    The way in which Hanun is encouraged to think evil of David, despite what he must have known of David’s previous behaviour is a lesson for us. It is all too easy to form bad judgments of our fellow believers even when we know of their previous lovely behaviour. Rumours can destroy real friendships.

10:6  Error of judgment produces consequences. However at any point after Hanun has humiliated David’s servants and doubted David’s motives he would have sent ambassadors, or gone himself, to David and humbled himself before David, asking for forgiveness for his rash behaviour. However rather than do that he made matters worse by his actions. How often could we minimise the damage of our actions by apologizing rather than by seeking to justify ourselves?

10:19   the outcome of the battle which reduced the opposition to David is a marker of the extent of the growth and peace of David’s kingdom

10:12  notice that whilst Joab had a strategy he realised that the battle was God’s and He would do as pleased him.

10:12  notice that whilst Joab had a strategy he realised that the battle was God’s and He would do as pleased him.

10:1-19 Whilst the gruesome battles in this chapter may be unpleasant to read they mark a detail of the way in which God’s kingdom was established. David’s righteous, kind, rule was misunderstood by the nations who had to learn godliness to live in the kingdom of God. This will be true in the re-established kingdom of God. Nations will not understand and rebel – Psa 2:1-3–but will be brought into subjection and eventually learn of Him.

10:13-14 Rather than lose face the Syrians rather than attempting to be reconciled to David, sought further assistance in fighting David. There is always time to say “sorry” rather than to continue to pursue a foolish course of action because of an earlier misjudgement.

10:4 So it seems that Hanun simply accepted what his “princes” said. He did not think for himself about what he knew about David. How often do we jump to false conclusions on the basis of what others might say?

v.14 - The prophets that prophecy lies are a feature of Jeremiah [here, 23:25-26, 27:10,14, 29:21, 37:19]. We have them too. Let us beware of them.

v.21 - On two occasions Jesus speaks of the throne of his glory. [Matthew 19:28 25:31] He is drawing on Old Testament language to speak of the throne of David. [1 Samuel 2:8 Jeremiah 14:21]

v.15,16 - We see the desire of the godless to look for good news in the prediction of the future - hence the great effectiveness of horoscopes today. Let us realise that such are false prophets and a pursuit of the flesh and should be avoided.

14:16 We saw (in chapter 10) a use of Psalm 79. Here we have another quotation form the same Psalm. The prophet returns to the dire circumstances of Israel and how they would be overthrown and completely removed.

:12 The threat that Israel would be consumed by the 'sword' 'famine' and 'pestilence' as well as being repeated in Jeremiah 21:7 is the message of a contemporary prophet (Ezekiel 5:12).

14:1 There is no indication in the historical records of a drought (dearth) in the time of Jeremiah. So here we learn a little more of the circumstances of Jeremiah's day. God had said that he would cause it not to rain (Deut 28:24) if Israel were unfaithful so this would be a fulfilment of that curse.

V.8 The reference is, not to the faith of Israel which had almost ceased, but to the promise and everlasting covenant. None but the true Israel make God their "hope" Jer 17:13, Acts 28:20

V.11 Again, Jeremiah is told by Yahweh not to make intercession for this people.  Yahweh had made up His mind to punish the people, and He would not change His mind (Jer 4:28).  What an awful situation to be in as a sinner when Yahweh refuses to help (Heb 10:31)!

The false prophets were a real thorn in Judah’s side. They were speaking of peace, when God was speaking through Jeremiah of punishment. God’s punishment on the false prophets was to be the very things they lied about (Jer 14:15). “By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.”

14:7-9 Despite being told to speak words of Judgment against Judah the prophet pleads for the people. He has already prayed for the people – Jer 7:16, 11:14. Thus we see a compassionate prophet seeking the deliverance of the people he is prophesying judgment to.

14:13 Jeremiah’s response ‘ah Lord God …’ is one of the many times that Jeremiah shows his feelings about the forthcoming captivity, showing, as we have seen in previous years, the compassion that the prophet had for God’s people despite their wickedness.

14:5 We see in this dearth or drought how serious it was. Creation is reduced to the utmost extremity for the want of food. The hind which is known for its affection to her young finds it necessary to abandon them. Even the laws of nature (mother caring for young) is a banded.

14 There are a number of times in Jeremiah where we see the prophet in a dialogue with God. This chapter is one of them. The division is like this:-

:1-6 A description of the situation

:7-9 Jeremiah pleads with God

:10-18 God responds again to Jeremiah

:19-22The prophet speaks again.

V.3 Crops cannot grow without rain.  In a drought, people die from starvation.  In the situation described here, not even drinking water was available. 

In affluent nations, we take food and drink for granted.  We are used to, and expect, abundance of these things.  However, we must remember that it is Yahweh who controls all things, including rain (Psa 147:8). 

He uses the forces of nature to compel His will.  If He decided to withhold rain in our region, our lives would be radically altered.  Therefore, we should always be grateful to Yahweh for His bounty towards us. 

When Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, He will expect all nations to obey Him.  Those nations that decide not to comply will experience drought until they do obey (Zech 14:17). 

14:11 Jeremiah has pleaded for the people (:7-9) but this is the third time God has told him not to pray for the people. The first being in Jer 7:16 and the second in Jer 11:14.

V.1 There is no parallel historical record of this drought. 

Other notable droughts in the Bible would include the three-and-one-half year one in Elijah’s time (1Kin 18:1; James 5:17).  And because Elisha’s measure doubled that of Elijah (2Kin 2:9), the drought in his time was seven years (twice as long as Elijah's) (2Kin 8:1).

Vs.14,15,18 See 2Kin 25:3.

V.22 See Psa 135:7.

Crocodile tears and the postman

It is most unlike the LORD to not accept prayer. But on this occasion, not only does He close His ears to prayer, He also disregards fasting, crying and burnt offerings (v11-12). Furthermore in the next chapter He explains not even a mediator such as Jeremiah would be accepted, no, not even if he were Moses or Samuel (15:1).

There comes a time, I'm sure we're all aware, when immediate mercy is no longer the best course of action. This can happen when a child comes to expect the parent to forgive, and therefore does what it likes. This is what Israel were doing. We can see this in v8 where God is called the "hope of Israel, his Saviour in time of trouble". In other words "we've sinned before and you forgave and delivered us. Why not now?" They called on Him only as a last resort. And this attitude bred a hypocritical attitude of lip-service (12:2).

But the underlying problem, namely that they had replaced God with Baal, was still there (2:11) even though they disavowed it (2:35). In this case swift forgiveness was no longer an option because though they called to Him, they hadn't changed.

If your son or daughter went around telling the whole neighbourhood that they were in fact the child of the postman, would you be pleased? And then when you threatened to punish them, they broke down in tears, so you would forgive it. But if each day you heard them telling the same story, and each day they would repent just before you punished them, what would that do for your good name in the community? And would the child ever really understand that what they did was wrong? Though you loved that child you would have to punish them despite their fake tears and protestations, because it would be the only way to address the underlying lie. This is the situation God was in, and maybe helps to explain why He couldn't delay their punishment any longer (v10). He had listened to their crocodile tears since the time of Manasseh (15:4).

14:2 God hearing the ‘cry of the Jerusalem’ because it had ‘gone up’ catches the idea in 1Sam 5:12 of how the Philistines responded to the punishment of God. However whereas the Philistines responded by sending back the ark Israel in the days of Jeremiah refused to respond.

14:17   The words that God told Jeremiah  to say about the tears running down actually are found on the lips of Jeremiah in Lamentations of Lam 1:16

14:3-6  In graphic details Jeremiah describes the effects of drought on the land, the people and the animals. Scenes we see of drought and famine in places like Africa should help us to visualise what the prophet is describing.

14:8    This is one of the three occasions – Jer 17:13, Acts 28:20 where we find the phrase “The hope of Israel”. Here it is linked with salvation. In the next use those who do not have that “hope” are hopeless.  Paul, in Acts, therefore is reminding his audience that his hope is not some new idea. Rather it is built upon the Old Testament prophets.

14:10   All of us, from time to time, stray from keeping God’s law. It is inevitable as we are Adam’s children. Israel’s problem was that they “loved to wander”. It is the heart that matters to God. 

WHEN BAD TIMES COME

You can guarantee that if you are one of God's people, one of his children, then bad times will come. They could come in any form, from persecution to ill health, to financial stress or problems that affect you from within your group of believers, to relationship issues. Bad times will come.

It seems to me that many of us are not prepared for or expecting that anything bad will happen to us, yet the Bible tells us that it will. But even worse than not being prepared is the fact that when they come, too many people throw up their hands in despair and give up on the God that allowed the trials to come into their lives.

Most of the people in Jerusalem had given up on God when the famine came in the days of Jeremiah. But Jeremiah recognised that God had allowed the famine to come on them. So instead of turning away from God, he turned his face toward Him and prayed, "Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this." (Jer 14:22).

So let's not give up in bad times or trials, but turn to God, recognising that He alone has the power to give us relief and to change our circumstances.

OUTLINE OF JEREMIAH

PART -- THE PROPHECIES TO JUDAH (JEREMIAH 2:1 to 45:5)

I. The Condemnation of Judah (Jeremiah 2:1 to 25:38)

   F. Sixth Sermon - The Drought in Judah (Jeremiah 14:1 to 15:21):

      1. Jer 14:1-6 - the drought would effect the whole population including animals and vegetation; V1 (KJV) "the dearth<1226>"; V1 (NIV) "concerning the drought"; V1 the curses for disobedience (Lev 26:19;Deut 28:23-24); V1 during the drought Pharaoh Neco also demanded a heavy tribute which Jehoiakim raised by a tax (2Kin 23:35); VS 2-6 the miseries of the drought; V3 "no water" (Deut 28:47-48); V5 "grass<1877>"; V6 (NIV) "their eyesight fails for lack of pasture" (we need to digest spiritual food to avoid spiritual blindness); V6 "like dragons<8577>", "grass<6212>".

      2. Jer 14:7-9 - Jeremiah confessed the sins of the people, and asked for God's mercy almost suggesting that the threatened chastisement was too severe (Jer 4:10,19,20;Jer 10:23-25); V7 the drought was an expression of God's displeasure due to their sins, prayer is made to God as the nation is still 'God's people' and His name's sake; V7 Jeremiah, like Christ, interceded and bore the burdens/sins of others; V8 "hope of Israel" (Exo 19:5-6;Psa 147:19-20;John 4:22;Jer 17:13;Jer 50:6-7); V8 Jeremiah praying to God and noting sadly that God is a stranger in the land and had apparently forsaken the land (Eze 8:12;Eze 9:9-10) - "why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?" Israel were strangers and were to be kind to other strangers (Gen 15:13;Exo 2:21-22 "Gershom<1648>"; Exo 22:21;Lev 25:6,23); VS 8-9 the feeling that God is acting as an unconcerned stranger to those who bear His name

   F. Sixth Sermon - The Drought in Judah (Jeremiah 14:1 to 15:21):

      3. Jer 14:10-12 - VS 10-12 the response of God; V10 God saying the people love to wander (away from the straight and narrow path) so their iniquity will will be remembered and they will be punished; V10 they spiritually wandered and thus were as strangers to God (Hos 8:11-14;Hos 9:9;2Chron 15:2;Rom 1:28 - Christendom has wandered like Israel 2Thess 2:10-12); VS 11-12 Israel and Judah had pushed God's patience too far; V11 God tells Jeremiah not to pray/intercede for the people (also Jer 7:16;Jer 11:14); V12 God used the sword, famine, and "pestilence<1698>" (Deut 28:47-48) to punish though David had the option to choose one (2Sam 24:13) and in Jeremiah and Ezekiel's day God would not listen to the cry of the people and all three were used (Jer 24:10;Eze 14:21).

      4. Jer 14:13-18 - VS 13-18 the false prophets and priests misled the people; V13 Jeremiah pleaded with God that the people were misled by the false prophets; VS 13;Jer 23:7 Jeremiah maintained the only way of safety was in accepting the supremacy of the Babylonians which resulted in him being accused of treachery by the false prophets who were saying the drought would soon break; VS 14-16 the first three verses of God's reply; V14 false godly prophets in Jeremiah's day declared as such by God; V14 false "vision<2377>" and "divination<7081>" declared as such by God; V15 God declares the sword and famine would consume the false prophets; V16 (NIV) "I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve"; V17 a calamity so severe as to cause nonstop weeping; V18 those who survive taken into exile.

   F. Sixth Sermon - The Drought in Judah (Jeremiah 14:1 to 15:21):

      5. Jer 14:19-22 - VS 19-22 Jeremiah pleads with God for the people of Judah; V19 Jeremiah begins the plea for Judah; V20 (KJV)"WE acknowledge...OUR wickedness...for WE have sinned against thee" so we have Jeremiah, somewhat like Christ, bearing the burdens of others; V20 also acknowledging "the iniquity of our fathers"; V21 (NIV) "For the sake of your name do not despise us" ("Israel<3478>" and "Judah<3063>" reflecting God's name); V21 (NIV) "do not dishonor your glorious throne" (i.e. the throne of David which will become Christ's throne 1Sam 2:8;2Sam 7:12-17;1Chron 29:23;Matt 19:28;Matt 25:31); V21 pleading that the covenant not be broken (though it was the Jews who actually broke it), (NIV) "Remember your covenant with us and do not break it" (Exo 2:24); V22 acknowledging the almightiness of the Lord, (NIV) "Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?...No it is you, O Lord...our hope is in you".

14:12-13      God comments that He will bring judgments against the people. Jeremiah responds by saying that the false prophets say otherwise. Namely that the judgments spoken will not come. Jeremiah does not believe the false prophets. It is that he is frustrated that the true words from God that he speaks are contradicted by the false prophets.

14:4       The word translated “chapt” <2865> is used often and translated with words such as “dismayed” as in Deut 31:8 thus giving, in a metaphorical way, the land feelings.

14:9   Israel were called by God’s name but that did not guarantee that they would have a trouble free life. Responsibilities flowed from being God’s people. The same is true of those who have accepted Christ.

14:8   God is spoken of as “the hope of Israel” whilst Jeremiah speaks of the desolation that he can see all around him. It is only through seeing beyond the turmoil of today into the kingdom that we can take courage.

DROUGHT

There was a drought in Judah. Without rain both her people and her animals became desperate. "Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads." (Jer 14:3-4).

We need water. We find ourselves in a desperate life or death situation if we don't have any water. The people of Judah were not only facing invading armies, God had sent them a drought too. If they didn't die from violence, they would die from thirst and starvation.

I live in a place where it rains so often that I can barely imagine what it might be like to live in a drought. But even in a land of plenty it is easy to live as though we have a drought of the word of God - but without even noticing it. I might drink a couple of litres of water a day, but do I drink in as much of the Bible? I might shower and wash every day, but do I wash myself in God's word?

No, we are not in drought conditions for want of the word of God, so let's drink it in deeply and make the most of it while we still have it.
 

14:14 the use of the word “divination” by God tells us that the false prophets did not just say they were speaking God’s words. They also used what we might call “black magic” or other methods to add drama to their words.

Jer 14:1  Rain was fundamental to a nation’s economic success in the middle east, which is why for a long time Egypt was such a successful nation. Egypt didn’t need to buy food it could trade and sell it to nations around them. But Israel here had nothing to trade which is why Jer 14:2 speaks of the gates that languish. The word gates relate to market or trading places which had ceased to exist, the word languish speaks of drooping and exhaustion. The economy had crumbled.

The gates not only languished but were also black unto the ground and the word black can relate to squalid and dirty garments or even streams that are foul. Rivers and streams would quickly become stagnant pools. A lack of personal hygiene due to a lack of washing meant diseases would quickly spread.

Lack of rain led to what should have been cultivated soil in Jer 14:4 to becoming chapt or broken being too hard to plough in turn we read that the plowman were ashamed at the fact they had no work, and the word ashamed means not just to blush or be embarrassed but rather relates to terror and becoming troubled of the mind. The husbandmen in Israel were suffering depression so here was Israel in absolute poverty all because in v4 Israel lacked something we take very much for granted in this country, rain.

 So, we see it is easy to forget just how important rain is. We take for granted that we have water so easily accessible.  The word dearth or drought would be rendered better as restraint, this restraining of rain was a deliberate act, Yahweh had deliberately bought this drought upon Israel

Jer 14:22 Here we see Israel finally realising they needed God for rain, he was the one who provided Rain. And this was important they had been warned Jer 5:23 Deut 11:13 that serving God was a requirment for rain.

In 1Kin 18:1 we see another drought 1Kin 18:18 tells us why, Israel forgetting that vital commandment worshipped Baal instead and Baal was a God worshipped by the Caananites as a provider of rain.

But it wasnt just physical rain God provided and that Israel needed, it was spiritual rain, Deut 32:2.

Incidently Israel were not always rewarded with drought for their disobedience, have a look at 1Sam 12:17-19

14:7-9 Despite the rebelliousness of the nation of Israel and God punishing them for their sins He still remained as “the hope of Israel”.  Hey certainly needed to be saved – from themselves. Yahweh was the only one who could do that. Therefore, despite their sinfulness He should be pleaded with – or maybe because He was the only saviour they needed to speak with Him. We should realise that despite our disobedient behaviour at times our Father is our only hope.

14:5-6 the description of the effects of drought on animals is relevant because it means that the evil behaviour of God’s people was impacting on God’s creation.  This is not a plea that we should join organisations that promote care for the environment. Rather it is an appeal to think about the way Israel’s behaviour impacted on God’s feelings about His creation. True harmony will be achieved when sin is eradicated form the earth.

14:11-12  There is little point in praying for a nation that God will not listen to. In fact if Jeremiah had continued to pray for the people he would  have been not praying according to God’s will.

Whilst we would never not pray for others we must be careful to try and work out what God’s will is regarding what we are going to pray for.

14:17-18  The children of Israel are suffering punishment. They are being killed in the field and city. But notice how Yahweh feels. His eyes run down with tears. The destruction of His people was not his desire. We repeatedly see His care for His sinful people. We should be encouraged by the way that our Father speaks of His emotions when His people are suffering.

v.1-4 - The concept of a virgin is one of purity - unsullied by man, as it were, but purity is not enough. It must be accompanied by wisdom, and the desire to amass more wisdom than would appear necessary. The exhortation to us is to immerse ourselves in the word and in prayer, that we might be ready and watchful at all times. ch.24:42-51 is the pre-runner to this parable.

The parables Jesus told focus attention on preparation. Fascinating when we realise that he has just given a detailed prophecy of the events of AD 70 and the 'end of the age'. Whilst we would be concerned to know the finest details Jesus is concerned that his disciples are prepared at a personal level for the events. The lesson is clear. When the greatest prophet focuses on personal preparation when speaking of future events we should do the same.

25:12 The response of Jesus to the foolish virgins is the same as how he described (Matthew 7:23) his reaction to those who professed to serve him but did not.

:25 The man who hid his talent in the earth is given the words of Adam when he hid in the garden of Eden after his sin 'I was afraid and I hid' (Genesis 3:10)

I have found the parable of the talents immensely useful in daily life, ever since someone pointed me to verse 24. The excuse of the slothful servant was "I knew you to be a hard man". He had based his life on this fact, and the surety that if he lost the talent he had been given, then there would be "hell to pay"! In contrast, there was hell to pay for not risking losing it (v30). So what was that shrewd servant doing wrong?

The question is, was the master in fact a "hard man", as the servant believed? The same can be said for the proverb "The lazy man says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!"" (Prov 26v13). Was there in fact a lion in the road? We know from the recorded ministry of Jesus that he was far from a "hard man". He was a caring, loving, gentle, compassionate man, even though he had "all power and authority" given to him by God. Jesus exercises that power and authority now with the same compassion and love as he did then. He is the absent master in the parable, and when he returns he will ask me what I did with what he gave me. Knowing of his un-qualified forgiveness makes me far less likely to bury that talent. I will more readily risk losing it, by investing it so that it will bear fruit, through him. (John 15v5)

25:32 Separating the sheep from the goats is the work of the true shepherd (Eze 34:17)

V.6  "At midnight" that is, the time when the Bridegroom will be least expected; for "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" 1Thess 5:2

V.1 etc. The only way to please Yahweh is to know what He requires.  We obtain the necessary wisdom and knowledge to understand the requirements by reading the Scriptures.  The Scriptures are the Word of God written for our learning (Rom 15:4; 2Tim 3:15,16). 

The Word of God can be equated with the oil in the virgins' lamps.  The virgins needed oil for their lamps in order to light their way.  Without light, they would stumble in the darkness.  We need the Word of God (spiritual oil) to guide us and light our way (Psa 119:105). 

If we are full of the Word, we will be prepared for the Lord's return; if not we won't.  When He comes, we won't be able to take a crash course in scriptural learning if we are not already prepared.

 25:21,23 We should never forget that faithfulness in the 'little' things is what we just strive to achieve. It is the little daily repetitive activities that we have the greatest difficulty doing but it is these little things that determine what our heart is really like..

25:40 The way in which doing things for brethren is like doing things for God is used by Paul – Eph 6:6 – to encourage the brethren to realise that they were not doing things to men but rather to God.

25:21 The ‘faithful servant’ is the same man as was described in Matt 24:45. This chapter was spoken to the disciples at the same time as the Olivet prophecy.

25:13 The exhortation to watch not knowing the time repeats Jesus’ words earlier in this discourse – Matt 24:42

SIMPLY SELFLESS

When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment in the law, his reply was, "'Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second one is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt 25:37-40)

Having said this, it should come as no surprise that when he spoke of judgement, the criteria for good and bad depends on putting these commandments into selfless action.

In the parable of the sheep and goats the decision as to whether people will be accepted or rejected came down to how selfless they had been. Speaking to those he welcomes into his kingdom, he says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matt 25:34-36) Six simple actions. We don't need to be trained as to how to do them, we just need to give up our selfishness and love our neighbour as ourselves.

At the judgement there will not be an exam about how well we understand the Bible or what we have believed, just the simple question, "What have you done for the least of my brothers?"

V.14 etc. The Lord has given us different abilities and opportunities (talents).  We should not compare our talents with others', or make any judgment about them.  Rather we ought to add value to Christ by doing the best with what we have been given.  Each will be judged individually: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required (Luke 12:48).

In sum, the parables in this chapter are telling us to, constantly:

Be prepared for the Lord's return to earth (v.25).

Be busy in doing His Will (Matt 7:21).

If those two areas are covered, we can expect to be with the sheep and not the goats at the Judgment.

25:32,34 Notice whilst the ‘shepherd’ gathers the flock the ‘king’ makes the judgment. So we see the twofold work of Jesus. He came as a shepherd and will come again as a king.

Do you think this chapter might still be in answer to the question "when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming?" (Matt 24:3). Notice the emphasis on time: "delayed" (v5), "you know neither the day or the hour" (v13), "after a long time" (v19). Was he trying to prepare them gently for the shock they would have when they realised he wouldn't return in their lifetime?

25:31 Jesus here reminds his hearers of what he has already said – Matt 16:27

KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU

It is awesome to think that God had us in mind right from the beginning. Not only did he have us in mind but his plan for us was that we should be part of his kingdom.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus says that in the time of the judgement, when the king rewards those who have done his will, "the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matt 25:34) If it is the case that Gods kingdom has been prepared for us since the beginning, and that our place in it has been prepared, then it follows that we should be so overcome with thankfulness, love and excitement, that we should have the attitude of Paul when he said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining on toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:13-14)

Because of the certainty of our hope, the temptations to sin and to turn away from God will be much less, while the motivation to do his will, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving the thirsty drink, visiting those in prison and caring for the sick should be so much greater.

Praise God for his amazing love poured out on us!

25:7   The word ‘trimmed’ is the word translated ‘adorned’ in 1Pet 3:3, 5

25:31

Note the list was produced by Brother John Owen

25:29 Whilst in this age of equality Jesus’ words might seem very harsh in reality this is how God will work when the kingdom is established. There is no middle way. Either one is faithful or one is not and that will determine the outcome of the judgement. 

25:5    Notice all the virgins in the parable slept. It was not just the foolish who slept. Jesus is teaching us that no matter how well prepared we are for his return we will all be taken by surprise. So the importance of being prepared to meet him at any time is clearly seen. There will be no time for last minute preparation when he returns.

25:8-9  The mention of “oil” and “wise” reminds us of Prov 21:20 where the wise have oil.

V6:

It seems likely that our Lord took the idea for this parable from the usual customs of a Jewish wedding.

In contrast to the usual two stages of Western marriage customs (1. engagement, 2. wedding ceremony)  there are three distinct stages to a typical Jewish marriage:

1) Betrothal. Once the groom and bride's father both sign the ketubah (the legal marriage contract), the man & woman are legally married but do not consummate the marriage for usually at least a year. This is to a) ensure the woman is not pregnant by fornication committed before she was betrothed and b)to allow the groom time to prepare the couple's new dwelling and c) to acquire the mandatory Mohar & optional Mattan dowry funds as laid down in the ketubah.

2) Consummation. (chuppah) The bride's father and the groom arrange a date for the consummation of the marriage but do not inform the bride of this date. The bride is expected to be in a state of readiness for some considerable time as she awaits his sudden appearance. At the appointed time, the groom arrives at the bride's house and takes his bride to the house he has prepared in order to consummate the marriage.

3) The marriage feast. Very shortly after the marriage is consummated, the bride & groom join their friends & families waiting elsewhere in the house for the marriage feast.

Discovering this information on Jewish marriage customs opened up not only this verse in a whole new way but it also opened up Deut 22:13-21, Matt 1:18-20 and John 8:39-43

25:26     Of course Jesus and God are not like the description in this verse. However it was the view of the unfaithful servant and so it was the basis of the judgement on that servant. We must be careful to avoid devising a picture of God’s character which does not reflect what He is really like lest we find we are judged, not according to His standards but according to the ones we ascribe to Him.

25:10  The concept of being “ready” for the marriage is a running theme through the rest of Matthew’s gospel starting in 22:4. We see readiness emphasised again 22:8, 24:48, On each occasion there was a need for preparedness. These words speak very powerfully to us about our need to make ourselves ready now for the lord’s return

Matt 25:6-10

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him… and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”

The Preparation of the Bride

“Before the nuptials of princes and their betrothed there is preparation for the festivities. In the matrimonial arrangements and customs of the Orientals, there was the betrothal by marriage contract, an entering into covenant; and the festive ceremony by which the actual union of the parties was affirmed. The last was the wedding. Between the betrothal and the wedding years often intervened, during which many incidents might occur to frustrate the union. But, things being favourable, the time at length arrived to fulfil the covenant. This being understood, there was a general movement among the friends of the Bridegroom.

The following from Ward’s View of the History of the Hindoos will be found beautifully illustrative of the customs connected with the expectation of the bridegroom. ‘At a marriage, the procession of which I saw some years ago,’ says Mr. Ward, ‘the bridegroom came from a distance, and the bride lived at Serampore, to which place the bridegroom was to come by water. After waiting two or three hours, at length, near midnight, it was announced, ‘Behold! The bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’ All the persons employed now lighted their lamps and ran with them on their heads, to fill up their stations in the procession; some of them had lost their lights, and were unprepared, but it was then too late to seek them, and the cavalcade moved forward to the house of the bride, at which place the company entered a large and splendidly illuminated area before the house, covered with an awning, where a great multitude of friends, dressed in their best apparel, were seated upon mats. The bridegroom was carried in the arms of a friend, and placed in a superb seat in the midst of the company, where he sat a short time, and then went into the house, the door of which was immediately shut, and guarded by Sepoys. I and others expostulated with the door-keepers, but in vain. Never was I so struck with our Lord’s beautiful parable of the Ten Virgins, as at this moment:--‘and the door was shut.’”

Dr. John Thomas

The marriage contract, dowries, betrothal, marriage and penalty for divorce, as recorded by ancient Historians, may be read at: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ancient-jewish-marriage/

25:32  There are a number of occasions when sheep and goats and shepherds are spoken of. The separation of the goats, presumably for judgment, seems to echo the words of Zech 10:2

25:40,45 not only do we have to be on the “giving” side of the issue. We may well be on the receiving end also. So when someone offers to help in some wat we should not be so proud as to spurn the offer of help. In being so proud we are preventing another to show the spirit of Jesus.

THE UNKNOWN DAY

Wouldn't it be good if we knew the day that Jesus was going to come back? We could count off the days, plan our lives and make sure we get everything we want to achieve done before that day. But we don't know when he will return. We don't know when we might die. We have no idea what tomorrow might bring.

Here is a lesson from the parable of the Talents. When the Master gave his three servants their allotted portions of money, take note of what the first servant did. "The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more." (Matt 25:16). The ESV says he did it "immediately." There was no time to waste. If there was a job to be done, it was worthy of being done straight away. He had no more idea than us what tomorrow might bring, and so he made sure that while it was still today, he had made the most of it.

What talents, possessions, abilities, resources or skills has God given you? How are you using them to grow the blessings he has showered on you? Don't sit around and let them go to waste. Get on with investing our Lord's resources and grow good returns. The time to do it is now.
 

25:25 He had come with nothing more than he had been given. The command of the Law, “and none shall appear before Me empty” (Ex. 23:15) is surely relevant here (see also Deuteronomy 16:16).

25:6 the way Jesus talks of the virgins went out to meet the groom is one of the many times that Paul in 1 Thessalonians draws on the language of Matthew’s gospel. On this occasions we see it in 1Thess 4:17

25:10 there is a certain finality of the door being shut. Access now barred, the door shut by the host. This is similar to the way in which God shut Noah in the ark before he brought the flood upon the earth – Gen 7:16. There comes a point after which no amount of remorse on the part of man can change God’s plans.

25:13  we have all seen the child, anticipating the return of a parent, watch intently even though they do not know exactly when the parent will return. Uncertainty about the time of the lord’s return is no justification for complacency.

FILL UP WITH OIL

In the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, the ones that were wise took extra oil with them, but the one that were foolish did not. It's the oil that keeps our lamps burning - something that is essential to do in the dark of midnight. So what is it that keeps our lamps burning as the world grows darker around us?

Many have said that the oil represents the word of God and that we need to get it into our lives. Others say that oil represents joy, and without a tank full of joy, we won't be all that pleasing to God. Others have suggested that the oil represents the Spirit of God. Comparing it to the parable of the Sheep and Goats, we could say that it represents our love and care for others. But whatever it is, the oil is the fuel that keeps our spiritual light shining brightly.

What is it for you? Whatever the oil represents might be different for all of us, or maybe we need a little bit of everything.

Whatever the oil is for you personally, let's make sure we fill up on it while there is time. It won't be long before the Bridegroom arrives. Do do we have the oil to stay burning for him until he comes?

25:28 The way that Jesus speaks of the man who misused the talent he had been entrusted with is a bit like the man – Prov 12:24 – who because of slothfulness ends u no longer free but answerable to others.

Matt 25

A JUST MASTER

“IN the final day of judgment, we shall not be able to excuse sterility in these essentials by reference to our strenuous labours to produce fruit for which Christ never asked. If any such excuses came to mind, we should surely think of the unfaithful servant in the parable and become dumb [speechless]. We have not a hard master who will demand fruit where he has never planted, who will require a personal rectitude of super-refined separation which he never commanded; but we have a just Master who will require the performance of those essential duties that he so patiently explained. If we give bread and water, either natural or spiritual, to servants of Christ who hunger and thirst, we give to the Lord himself. If we neglect our opportunities to give, we neglect Christ. If we sin against Christ, and assuredly if we cut off those whom he approves, we cut off Christ.”

Islip Collyer, Principles and Proverbs, p. 21

(Parathesis and underlines added).

Matt 25:40 seems to be some indirect commentary of the events of yesterdays readings in 2Sam 9 where we see a lame Mephibosheth, unable to repay David's kindness for his condition. This is obviously likened to our state of being unable to repay God for the un-numerable blessings He gives us. But Christ here, gives some insight that what we do to to "...the least of these My brethren..." we are really doing to Him, for we know we are all called to Christ 1Cor 2:9, 2Thess 2:14, 1Pet 5:10 Perhaps this was Peters error during the breakfast at sea. He saw Christ on the shore and abandoned his Brothers and fellow Apostles to reel in the fish by themselves John 21:7,8

We can take comfort in this. That although we will never be able to repay God or earn His Kingdom, we can pay it forward and show the love, mercy, and compassion to others, much to the delight of Christ: 'And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.' (46)