Comments for July 27

v.38 - Absalom quotes the advice of God to his servants out of context here - to further his own ends (although under the law this rapist was worthy of death). We must be careful that our courage is channelled towards the right things. The servants of Absalom feared their master more than they feared God. Contrast this with the Hebrew midwives when receiving similar instructions. Exo.1:16,17, and with the incidents in 1Sam.22:17,18. We do well to heed the general warning of Peter in Acts 5:29 too.

v.1 - This is the first mention of Absalom and introduces the next nine chapters which deal with Absalom's uprising. It is linked with David's sin with Bathsheba even though it is separated by some 20 years, because it is the outworking of Nathan's words [2 Samuel 12:7-12].

We see here the extreme selfishness that can be brought about by human lust and desire. We are all aware of how we will manipulate circumstances and justify wrong thoughts and actions just to get what we want. We need stories like this which expose the results of such thinking to help us stay righteous by God's grace.

We learn in this chapter of the scheming nature of Absalom
Notice the passage of time from when he killed Amnon until he was back in Jerusalem.

13:23 2 years
13:38 3 years
14:28 2 years

:37 Absalom fled to Talmai because his maternal grandmother lived there (2 Samuel 3:3)

13:3 Amnon, as well as being an evil person, made a poor choice of friends.  For whilst the word 'subtil' 02450 is often translated 'wise' the only wisdom that Jonadab has was the wisdom of this world.

V.30-31 At this point David's mind went back to the horror of the death of Uriah "As the Lord liveth" he had indignantly declared to Nathan, "the man that hath done this thing.....shall restore fourfold" 2Sam 13:5-6 He, David was that man, He has now paid twofold.

Sexual sins have always been high on humans' list of iniquities. God's restrictions on marriage, and His
counsel against incest, did not I'm afraid stop these actions even within David's family.

V.37 After the murder of Amnon, Absalom fled to Geshur.  Geshur was a small buffer state between Israel and Aram.  Absalom fled there because he knew he would be welcomed due to family ties.  His mother Maacah was the daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur (2Sam 3:3). Therefore, Absalom fled to his grandfather. 

13:21  We might think that David should have done something about the matter. However he left things in God’s hand because he was compromised on the very matter that he needed to judge as he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

Rape aside, any sexual act of Amnon with Tamar was contrary to the Law (Lev 18:11).   The punishment for this act, under the Law, was death  (Lev 20:17).  Why did David not administer the appropriate penalty?  Was he concerned about kingly inheritance, seeing that Amnon was his firstborn?  Or did he recall his own formula for restitution (2Sam 12:6) and try to thwart it?  No matter, the restitution formula was sealed with Yahweh, and David had to pay.  Amnon avoided death by his father, but died at the hand of his brother Absalom.  Yahweh's will was done.

13:25  Why was David reluctant to go to Absalom’s feast? David clearly loved Absalom. Also it is improbable that David and family would have really been a burden to Absalom. Maybe David was suspicious of Absalom’s intentions.

13:24 There can be no doubt that Absalom was David's favorite son, and we would suggest that this had been the case for some time. Absalom appears to have had David's physique, and like his father had personal charm, also he was good looking. David would have seen in him, himself reincarnated. This, it appears is why David was able to ignore the lack of anything that resembled a sense of a God fearing man. David was able to see his son on the surface, but could not see Absalom's heart.

SEX
Sex. It can be one of the most exciting, endearing and positive acts two people can share. But it can also be the most destructive, disastrous and harmful thing two people can do. The act of sex itself may only take a matter of minutes but the effects of it may last a lifetime.
 
The difference between whether it is good or bad boils down to commitment and marriage. Outside the commitment and love of two people, the guilt of having sex and the consequences of it can ruin a lifetime of relationships and beautiful sexual experiences. On the physical side, it can end up in unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and even mental problems. But within the commitment of marriage, sex is the glorious union of two bodies, lovers, who are committed to the absolute best for each other. In a committed marriage relationship there is no guilt or shame, just the ecstasy, unity and love God created it to be.
 
Both the stories of David and Bathsheba, and Amnon and Tamar tell us sad tales of two couples who had sex outside marriage. David's action led to murder, guilt, and had far reaching consequences that eventually tore his family apart. Amnon's action led from love to hatred, murder and rebellion.
 
Sex might seem like no big deal, but no other physical act has been designed to interlink so strongly with the emotions as the way God designed sex. The lesson for us is to save it and keep it within the beauty of a committed and loving marriage as God intended it to be.

13:23  That Absalom harboured his grudge against Amon for two whole years highlights the character of this man. Whilst David loved him he was hardly a Godly man.

It is ironic that Amnon means faithful.  He raped his sister Tamar which belies his name. 

13:3 Jonadab though being David’s nephew, did not share David’s character and it is clear that he was involved in the plot to kill Amnon - 2Sam 13:32 – because of his certainty that all the kings sons were not dead.

V.1 Tamar means palm.  As a princess, Tamar would have worn a long-sleeved, highly decorative garment (v.18).  Joseph was a recipient of a similar garment (Gen 37:3).

V.20 After the rape, Tamar remained a desolate woman in Absalom’s house.  The term desolate (Heb. shamem) means laid waste in a stupefied condition.  Tamar’s life as a respected person had been ruined, and she had no hope of becoming a wife and mother.  Her whole existence had been numbed by the callous act of a selfish opportunist.

13:4-5 It seems that Amnon was not as evil as his friend who was his cousin but was easily led. Thus we see that simply because someone is a family member it is not always wise to follow their advice!

Who are the Chosen Ones? 

Gen 12:3;Gen 13:15;Gal 3:8,16,27,28 - through Abraham and his seed (Christ) all nations of the world will be blessed. Gen 10:1-32;Exo 15:27 - the 70 nations and then 70 palm trees (Gentile nations?) along with 12 wells (12 tribes of Israel?).  Gen 38:1-2,6-18,24-30 - an illicit relationship between Judah and "Tamar" [(8559) means "Palm-tree"] who was very possibly Gentile but in any event was shamefully treated and initially denied her rights/inheritance which she later received. 2Sam 11:26-27 - similarly, years later we have the Gentile Uriah the Hittite treated shamefully when that which he was entitled was taken from him by David. 2Sam 3:3 - Absalom and seemingly Tamar (a second Tamar) were the children of David and the daughter of a Gentile king of "Geshur" [(1650) means "bridge" which perhaps echoes Christ being the true bridge for Jew and Gentile to the promised Abrahamic inheritance when Christ will reign on the throne of David (2Sam 7:16)] as she is referred to as Absalom's sister by David and Ahinoam's (1Chron 3:1) child Amnon (2Sam 13:1-4); In a painful echo to King David of Uriah, Amnon disrespects this second Tamar (2Sam 13:11-22) much like the first with an illicit relationship, shameful treatment and sends her away unbetrothed as a devastated woman deprived of inheritance. There are two mentions of Tamar as a boundary of the promised land (Eze 47:19;Eze 48:28). The first Tamar along with Gentiles Rahab, Ruth and Uriah is mentioned in the account of Christ's genealogy (Matt 1:1-5). While the chosen ones are the Jews, Gentiles are allowed the right to be adopted heirs to the promises made to Abraham (Gen 17:8,18-21;22:18;Deut 7:6;Acts 13:46;Rom 1:16;9:24-27) and thus all God's children (Jew and Gentile) have, in Christ, hope of an inheritance.

13:9 The fact that Amnon sent the men out of the room gives a little insight into how a king’s son was protected in  the days of David.  Doubtless the men that were in the room were some sort of body guard to protect Amnon’s life.

v37. Talmai is Absalom's Grandfather. See 2Sam 3:3.

Questions: Absalom was from a royal line on both sides of his family. How do you think that knowledge affected him as he grew up? Do you think it may have made him a little proud? Given that he had family in Geshur, do you think he may have planned his escape to Geshur long before he fled there?

13:8 So it is now 5 years since Amon forced Tamar.

13:1    Notice the words “It came to pass after this ...”. Quite a number of years must have elapsed since the incident with Bathsheba. However the inspired record places the two events adjacent to each other.  We, therefore, should be looking for the reason why this is so.

When the Bible in v1 tells us Tamar was "lovely", what does it mean? We all find some people beautiful, but this wouldn't compel us to take the action Amnon took. Are we therefore to conclude Amnon was evil, because we wouldn't have done what he did? Let's look at what the Bible leads us to learn about it.

Firstly, we start with the specific details God chooses to give us about Tamar:

"Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister" (v1)

She is not introduced in her own right, no, she's introduced as Absalom's sister. Ordinarily she would have been introduced as "Tamar the daughter of David (or of her mother Maacah)". Mentioning Absalom specifically is therefore important. What do we know about Absalom?

Looking at a list of verses mentioning Absalom, first of all Absalom is the son of royalty, being "the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur"

This means Tamar too was the daughter of Maacah, and a princess both of Israel and of Geshur. She had royal blood.

The next thing about Absalom is that "in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him." (14:25)

This bears repeating. No-one in the entire kingdom was as good looking as Absalom. Think about that. Was Tamar as good looking as that? Can you even imagine beauty like that?

The next detail is that later, Absalom had a daughter whom he called Tamar, and the one detail given of her is: "She was a woman of beautiful appearance". Are we getting the main family trait yet?

Tamar also had another parent, David, who again we are told was "good looking" (1Sam 17:42)

It doesn't stop there either. We find mention of Absalom's granddaughter in 2Chron 11:21

"Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters."

So, out of eighteen wives and sixteen concubines, all of which were presumably the most beautiful women in the kingdom, Absalom's granddaughter distinguished herself above them all. Here we have overwhelming scriptural evidence to say that this family produced some of the most lovely women the nation of Israel had ever seen.

The question being raised by the scripture is this: If I were in close proximity to that woman for so long, what would I have done? Perhaps rather than casting the first stone, we should realise the predicament Amnon was in, and presumably his other brothers too, who were compelled to live with their half sisters yet not allowed to date or marry them. The lesson we could draw from this is not to put continual temptation in our path, or the path of our young people. Amnon was physically ill because of his forbidden desire for this young woman, and we shouldn't underestimate the depth of distress he was in (v2). His actions were evil and he suffered the consequences by losing his life. Tamar had her life devastated too. David, Tamar's mother and Amnon's mother suffered immeasurably. Let's try not to bring that kind of distress on ourselves or others.

13:16-20         David’s behaviour could simply be summarised as “thy will be done”. As such we see a man seeking for an answer to prayer, but on learning that his request has not been granted, simply accepted God’s will.

13:39   It seems that David’s emotions overruled his rational mind. How often do we find this in our own lives. Matters of family can easily sway us to avoid making right decisions.

13:1     The phrase 'and it came to pass after this' is a recurring phrase in 2 Samuel. [2Sam 2:1, 8:1, 10:1, 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.

13:38 Reinforcing the point that Absalom was a scheming individual who was willing to wait to seek retribution we see he was three whole years in Geshur.

13:6-7 Amnon’s evil behaviour was not an opportunistic sin. It was carefully planned. In a way it copies the pattern of David’s behaviour towards Bathsheba and Uriah. Presenting this narrative so close after the matter of David and Bathsheba is designed to clearly teach the lesson that this behaviour is the way that the flesh reasons but that it clearly violates God’s expectations.

13:30 The assertion that Absalom had killed all his brothers, whilst a terrible thing, was clearly something that David thought Absalom might have done. So we see an aspect of David’s view of  Absalom, even though he loved him more than his other sons.

13:2  Ammon was a strange mixture. Whilst he wanted to take his sister he knew it was not acceptable and so he found it “hard” indicating some degree of conscience. However he still pursued his sinful desire, encouraged by his “friend”. Don’t we see the dangers of the influence for evil from those we might seek to spend time with?

13:2 Ammon was a strange mixture. Whilst he wanted to take his sister he knew it was not acceptable and so he found it “hard” indicating some degree of conscience. However he still pursued his sinful desire, encouraged by his “friend”. Don’t we see the dangers of the influence for evil from those we might seek to spend time with?

13:7-14 David had been forgiven by God because he repented after his two sins – adultery and murder. His sending Tamer to minister to her cousin would have seemed to most natural thing to do. David, doubtless, had no idea of the consequences of that simple request he made to her. However God is working out the consequences of David’s sin. Whilst he had been forgiven his actions had consequences. Amnon raping Tamar was one of them. We suffer the consequences of our actions, even though forgiven. We should accept that this will be the case in our lives.

brOKEN RELATIONSHIPS

Things had turned bad among David's family. Amnon had raped his sister Tamar, and Absalom had killed Amnon. Now Absalom had fled from the rest of his family and was living in exile. Reading between the lines, we could easily believe that Absalom was David's favorite son. So the whole time Absalom was in self imposed exile, we read this about David: "And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead." (2Sam 13:39).

Like David, many families even today suffer when one person makes a bad decision causing the family to fracture and splinter. Relationships are broken and family members refuse to see or speak with each other. Sometimes these broken relationships and hearts can go on for years.

If we feel like a relationship is broken, then maybe it's time to fix it. The opportunity will not always be there, and the longer we leave it, the harder it will get. When our hearts long to go out to our spouse, children, parents or siblings, let's not do nothing, but do all we can to restore the relationship.

13:12-14 Notice Tamar’s first concern. It was for the consequences of Amnon’s actions on him. Only after speaking those things about him did she comment on how it would impact on her. When in a difficult situation who do we put first?

13:5  Whilst Jonadab’s recorded advice just involved Tamar taking food to Amnon it is learn that there was far more to his advice than recorded. Either that or Amnon used the advice as a basis for his own evil, godless, thoughts and actions.

v.5,6 - It is so sad that Israel should have to be used to present this obviously truthful point. They should have been the example for v.7,8. Where are we in all this? Let us consider v.9,10 carefully and look to our own salvation. Gen.8:21, Job 15:14-16, Psa.51:5, Jer.16:12.

Links Between Jeremiah 17 & John 8

So it may be that Jesus had this area of Jeremiah in mind when the woman taken in adultery was brought to him.

v.4 - predicts the Babylonian captivity because of their sinfulness which was a pattern of what happened in AD 70 for the same reason. Jesus may well have been drawing their attention to the consequences of following legalism and ignoring the spirit of the law of Moses.

v.1 - Sin is written where the law should sit - in the hearts of the people - and written there indelibly it would seem, with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond.

17:9 Whilst we are probably well aware of the fact that the heart is deceitful we should notice the progression through the chapter.

:1 Judah's sin was graven on their heart.
:7 But the man that trusts God will be blessed
:9 The heart is deceitful.
:10 God searches and knows the hearts of men.

:21-26 Even though Israel violated the laws of God there was hope. God, through Jeremiah, called for repentance. If Israel had repented - even at this late time - He would have forgiven them and blessed them. Such is the mercy of our Father.

17:19  'Go and stand in the gate' Jeremiah was not giving his message in secret or in a corner. This would have heightened the pressure on Jeremiah  but would leave the people without excuse when the judgment came.

V.21 TAKE  HEED This is certainly a watch word for everyone of us as we read the Word. The Hebrew is SHAMAR (8104) Which means to know, be seeing, recognize, understand. It is translated; beware, keep, observe, preserve.  

V.8 The symbol of the righteous flourishing as well-watered trees is a theme throughout the Scriptures (Psa 92:12,13). 

An early encounter with well-watered trees in the Bible came at Elim (strong trees) (Exo 15:27).  The twelve wells (springs) represent the twelve tribes, while the seventy palm trees symbolise the seventy elders of Israel (Exo 24:9).

Palms, which symbolise the righteous, were part of the decoration of Solomon's temple (1Kin 6:35).  They will also be part of the fourth temple which shall be built in the Kingdom (Eze 41:18).

In the Kingdom, health and healing will come via trees.  The Redeemed are represented by these trees (Eze 47:12; Rev 22:2).

V.13 It is Yahweh who is the source of living water.  Jesus, the Son of God, is the embodiment of living waters (John 4:14; 7:38).

God made man, and enabled his heart to think and reason, (that’s 1611 language, of-course. We would say “brain”.) 1,600 years went by, and to Noah God described man’s thoughts in his heart as “only evil continually” (Gen 6:5).  Then, a further 2,000 years later, to Jeremiah, God says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9).  How terribly sad!  God had watched his creation, and generally speaking they were rotten to the core – even His specially chosen people.  There were exceptions. Noah and Jeremiah were two godly men. But how it must have hurt the Lord to see what His creation were doing with the heart He had given them.

17:6-7  The contrast between those who trusted in man and those who trusted in God is quoted by Paul – 2Cor 1:9

Verses 7-8 are almost taken verbatim from Psa 1:1-3.  However, notice the change between the two characteristics of "the man". Here in Jeremiah it is the man who trusts in the LORD.  In Psalm 1 it is the man whose delight is in the law of the LORD.  Is Jeremiah telling us that our lack of faith simply comes from our lack of delight in God's word? (Rom 10:17)

17:9-10 Notice the God who searches the heart is aware that man’s heart is wicked.

17:8 The man who trusts God being like a tree planted by water picks up the language of Psa 1:3

Vs.19,20  Jeremiah was told to make sure that everybody heard the message of Yahweh.  He was to proclaim God's Word in all the gates of Jerusalem.  He was to begin at the King's gate (Gate of David) and then proceed to the other eleven gates.  All bases should be covered in preaching.

17:10 In speaking of God searching the heart Jeremiah echoes the sentiments of Psa 139:23. However that God searched the hearts had no effect on Judah so they were taken into captivity. Jeremiah then laments – Lamentations of Lam 3:40, – with the same words as he uses here as an appeal after Jerusalem has been taken.

V.8 See Psa 1:3.

V.9 The heart is the center of all human thoughts and emotions.  From the heart come actions. It is from the heart that all ungodly deeds arise (Mark 7:21-23)  And so, the human heart is full of deceit and cannot be trusted for honesty (Prov 28:26).

The heart is desperately wicked (KJV); desperately sick (ESV). Wicked (sick) comes from the Hebrew awnash.  In other passages, this word is translated incurable (e.g. Jer 30:12). This shows the hopeless situation of the heart in terms of godliness.  

V.10 Heart and reins (kidneys) are often mentioned together as the seat of all desires and affections.

V.14 Being all alone, Jeremiah appeals to Yahweh for protection against the hostility from all sides (Psa 109:3).

V.21 The Sabbath Day observance was fundamental to the Jewish worship of Yahweh.  From the breach of the Sabbath came all the other breakdowns in worship.

17:1 Whereas the law was to be written upon the ‘heart’ – Prov 3:1– it was Israel’s sin that was written there. What an indictment of Israel. But what is written in our hearts?

17:9  The word translated ‘deceitful’ here is translated ‘crooked’ in Isa 40:4 thus we see that the heart is astray from God.

Jer 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

“Deceitful” is <6121> aqob, and comes from the same root as the name “Jacob.” Jacob deceived his brother Esau and his father, Isaac, so we get a pretty good idea of the practical meaning of this word. However, the record also shows how God transformed Jacob, the deceiver, into a man of faith, the Prince of Israel, and father of many nations from which our Messiah descended.

Aqob is used only three times in the Bible, and though it has a variety of meanings, but in relation to human traits the heart is also crooked, aqob, (Isa 40:4), and polluted, aqob, (Hos 6:8) – it is intensely self-serving, puffed up, and impervious to truth. Our hearts being naturally crooked will lead us on crooked paths, but we also read in Isa 40:4 that “the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.” Here is what God says about the heart of His children: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you…” (Eze 36:26-27). That deceitful and incurable heart is that stony heart that was taken away by the power of the Spirit Word and become a heart of flesh. If we are in Christ, we are a new creation and old things are passed away, “behold all things are become new” (2Cor 5:17).

17:9   The word translated Desperately (wicked) <605> is found – Job 34:6 –where it is translated ‘incurable’ giving an insight into the desperate state of Israel in the days of Jeremiah.

17:27 The Sabbath had been given so that Israel could praise God – Psa 92:1-15 was a Psalm for the Sabbath day (see the Psalm title) the content of the Psalm describes what the Sabbath was for. Israel would rather trade and serve their own desires rather than worship God. This is equally a challenge for us today. Whilst we are not commanded to keep the Sabbath there are things that we are inclined to do rather than be involved in matters to do with worship from time to time.

17:1     Deut 6:6 required God’s laws to be in their heart. Israel, in Jeremiah’s day perverted that law and wrote in their hearts the things that pleased their sinful desires. 

CONFIDENCE

There are a lot of things that are hard for me to do. There are some things that I know I cannot do. And as I get older, I realise more and more that I need help to be able to do certain things. But one of the hardest things I have ever found to do is to overcome sin. I keep thinking that I can do it all by myself. With a little bit of effort and self discipline, I think I can overcome and be perfect, but for some reason I almost always fail. Even though I know I need God's help, I still try to do it all myself, thinking that maybe I don't need his help.

God said this through Jeremiah: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." (Jer 17:5). Depending on my fleshly strength to overcome my fleshly desires doesn't work. I know. I have tried it. I also know that when God works in our lives, he can remove it, not just control it.

God continues saying, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." (v.7). Yes, we need to have full confidence in God's ability to help us live holy lives and to forgive us when we fall. So let's give up trusting in ourselves, and start developing a real trust and confidence in God for the strength we need each day.

17:10 Jeremiah recognised that God searches men’s hearts. After the fall of Jerusalem he – Lam 3:42 – encourages His people to search their own heart and ways.

OUTLINE OF JEREMIAH

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

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

   G. Seventh Sermon - Jeremiah's Unmarried State (Jeremiah 16:1 to 17:27):

      8. Jer 17:1-4 - indelible sin leads to inevitable loss: V1 the iron stylus is used to cut inscriptions on hard surfaces like rock or stone (Job 19:24), the nation of Judah is similarly hard and sin is inscribed permanently upon its heart, its altars, and no sacrifice can remove it (Heb 10:26); V1 "pen<5842>", "of iron<1270>", "diamond<8068>"; V2 children remember their altars might be an allusion to children sacrificed to Molech; V2 "groves(<842> perhaps the plural wooden symbol of a goddess which might be associated with licentious worship of "the queen of heaven" Jer 44:3,15-19)", "green<7488>"; V3 because of VS 1-2 the mountain of the Lord's house was given over to destruction; V4 a fire of anger that burns forever is not the "hell fire" of apostate theological tradition, rather, this expression refers to the end of the chapter in reference to the gates of Jerusalem (Jer 17:27) - the "fire of Gehenna" consumed the rubbish of Jerusalem (Mark 9:43-48) but the valley itself will at last be made "holy unto the Lord (Jer 31:40).

   G. Seventh Sermon - Jeremiah's Unmarried State (Jeremiah 16:1 to 17:27):

      9. Jer 17:5-8 - contrasting faiths yield contrasting fruits: VS 5-8 an example of a cursed man would be king Zedekiah who trusted in man and departed from the Lord (2Chron 36:11-17) in contrast to a blessed man such as Jeremiah who trusted in the Lord and echoed the ultimate blessed man to come (Psa 1:1-3;Psa 2:2-7,12); V6 "like the heath<6176>", "a salt<4420>"; VS 7-8 (NIV) "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends outits roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (faithful believers want to be like an upright tree rooted in the living water, the word of God, following Jesus, and bearing the fruit of the spirit Eph 5:26;John 4:9-15;John 7:37-39;Gal 5:22-26); V8 but the people manifested spiritual famine.

      10. Jer 17:9-11 - VS 9-11 the all-knowing Lord searches the quality of the heart and the life: V9 others don't understand our hearts and we don't even understand our own heart; V9 the Heb. word "labe<3820>" literally means heart but figuratively can mean feeling, will, or the logical intellect, etc. Sometimes we know full well when we do things that are wrong (though we may fool others) and other times we may even fool ourselves with wrong thinking / rationalization, etc.; V9 "deceitful<6121>; V9 "and desperately wicked<605>" (the Heb. word "anash" is translated incurable in Jer 15:18 and Jer 30:12); V9 "can know<3045>"; V10 only God can fathom a person's heart, the hearts of the Christian community will be searched also (Rev 2:18,23); V10 "the reigns<3629>" or kidneys are referring more to the seat of emotions and how we perceive the heart or intellect; V11 perhaps this refers to a covetous man sure to reap disappointment as a partridge which piles up eggs not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them (they are not true riches Prov 13:7;Heb 11:24-26;Luke 16:11;Ecc 5:10-17;1Tim 6:7-10;Matt 6:19-21;1Tim 6:17-19;Rev 3:17-18); V11 "a fool<5036>".

   G. Seventh Sermon - Jeremiah's Unmarried State (Jeremiah 16:1 to 17:27):

      11. Jer 17:12-13 - V12 "from the beginning<7223>", "of our sanctuary<4720>"; VS 12-13 (KJV) "A glorious high throne...O Lord, the hope of Israel...the fountain of living waters" (V13 see Michael Parry's 2005 comments - Yahweh is the source of living water and Jesus is the embodiment of living waters - Isa 2:1-4;John 4:7-14;John 7:37-39); V13 those who forsake the Lord, who is the hope of Israel, will be ashamed (Dan 12:1-2) and temporarily written in earth as opposed to the book of life (Job 19:23-26).

      12. Jer 17:14-18 - Jeremiah hastens to identify himself with those who do not forsake the Lord and who seek refuge/protection in Him: VS 14-15 Jeremiah looks for deliverance (ultimately millennial); V15 "now<4994>"; V16 Jeremiah did not shirk his responsibilities in being a "pastor(<7462> or shepherd)" echoing the greater shepherd Christ; V16 (NIV) "you know I have not desired the day of despair" (Jeremiah did his best to warn and turn Jerusalem back to God, he didn't desire Jerusalem's destruction); V17 "my hope<4268>"; V18 Jeremiah wanted destruction on those who persecuted him; V18 "Let them be confounded<954>", "that persecute<7291>".

   G. Seventh Sermon - Jeremiah's Unmarried State (Jeremiah 16:1 to 17:27):

      13. Jer 17:19-27 - appendix about the Sabbath: VS 19-27 God commanded Jeremiah to proclaim the law of the Sabbath which was the oldest ordinance of God having been instituted in Eden before sin entered into the world (Gen 2:2;Eze 20:11-16,21,24;Exo 20:8-11;Num 15:30-36;Isa 58:13;Isa 56:4-5; to the apostate the Sabbath was a weariness Amos 8:4-5; believers look to the millennial Sabbath when Christ returns Heb 4:11); VS 19-27 Jeremiah rebukes the king (Jehoiakim or Zedekiah?) and the Sabbath also commemorated the time when Yahweh broke the bonds of Egypt, and freed his people (Deut 5:12-15); V19 the Benjamin Gate (Jer 20:2;Jer 37:13;Jer 38:7) is perhaps substituted for 'gate of the people'; VS 19-20 as Michael Parry noted in his 2008 comments, Jeremiah proclaimed God's Word in all the gates of Jerusalem so that all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem entering/exiting the gates would hear (we too should do our best to reach out to our neighbors so all (everyone is our neighbor) might know of God's message and have hope); V27 additional mention of Jerusalems gates; V21 (KJV) "'to yourselves'(<5315> the Heb. word for 'soul' refering to living breathing mortal people)"; V23 (KJV) "their neck<6203>" "stiff<7185>" seems to imply proud arrogant stubborn and possibly dense, (NIV) "Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline"; VS 24-26 Judah's sin is indelible and their downfall inevitable as previously noted, but if they would turn to God there would still be hope, Jerusalem would remain inhabited and protected forever; V27 if they did not turn to God a fire would devour the palaces of Jerusalem (this happened in 586 BC and later in 70 AD).     

17:9   That God tries the heart is an idea which is developed in Heb 4:12

17:13  This is one of the three occasions – Jer 14:8, Acts 28:20 where we find the phrase “The hope of Israel”. Here those who do not have that “hope” are hopeless. In the next use it is linked with salvation. 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

17:15-16      Here we see the prophet saying that he has remained faithful to God despite the opposition he has experienced.

Similarly we see Jesus reflecting the words of Jeremiah

Word of the Lord                                         John 8:5

I have not hastened from being a pastor       John 8:46

That which came out of my lips was right      John 8:46

17:15    The questions “where is the word of the Lord” was a taunt that was made to Jeremiah. Those who were asking were not at all interested in what God had to say.

17:5  the “man” that the people were trusting in was not a general comment about the unreliability of other men and women. We should see it as a warning about trusting the words of the false prophets.

17:3 the Chaldeans were coming to take Judah captive. All their possessions would be taken from

them. Everything in which they trusted would be gone.  This should have caused them to place their trust and confidence in their God. How would we react if we were left deprived of all that we find makes our lives comfortable?

17:1,9,10 The description of the sin of Judah is macabre, to say the least. However  Judah’s heart was like stone, not flesh. So engraving on it was fitting – like the tables of stone that God wrote on at Sinai. They were produced for all to see. Judah’s heart, by contrast, was concealed, though the actions promoted by their heart was clear for all to see.

It is against this background that there is the warning that whilst man’s heart is deceitful God can see right into it. Consequently His response will be according to the intents of the heart, not outward appearance.

17:7 The choice is always simple. A binary choice. That is between one thing or another. That is exactly how it was in the Garden of Eden. Do I listen to God who I cannot see or the serpent that I can see was the stark choice for Eve.

The same was true in the days of Jeremiah. The threat of the Chaldeans was quite visible. The faithfulness of Yahweh was not visible, though it was testified of often in scripture.

The choice is just the same for us. Visible “experts” or the promises made by Him we cannot see but whose certain ability we know through the resurrection of Jesus.

17:10-11 We know that God searches the heart. It is worth noticing specifically what he finds.

He sees greed overruling any willing to do what was right and honest.

v.4 - Here is where love casts off fear. The keepers were petrified with fear and yet 'Mary Magdalene and the other Mary' were able to listen coherently, it would seem. The record of these women actually seeing Jesus is not mentioned specifically in Paul's list in 1Cor.15:1-8, and yet they did (v.9). This suggests that maybe Paul's list was not exclusive.

v.11-15 - The fact that the chief priests were Sadducees, and therefore specially interested in guarding against what would appear as a contradiction of their main dogma - that there is no resurrection - must not be forgotten, as in part determining their action. Their own guard became the clearest, most unwitting and least suspected witness of the resurrection. It became more than unbelief now; it was a deliberate, wilful lie. Their enmity leads them on now to reject what they knew was the truth, even if they perished everlastingly.

Where had Jesus been after his resurrection?

In v2-4 we get a description of the angel that descended from heaven. In Daniel 10v5-8 we find a heavenly being described in exactly the same way, and having the same effect on those who saw him. Well, almost exactly... The one thing that's missing is the "clothing white as snow" (v3). This description appears in Dan 7v9, describing the ancient of days. So in the description of the angel in Matthew, we have links to two chapters in Daniel.

After his disciples had assembled in Galilee, Jesus appeared to them and said "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth". In Daniel 7v9-14 we find a vision of one "like the son of man" coming to the ancient of days, and being given all dominion and glory,... and the reason? "That all peoples and nations and languages should serve Him" (Dan 7v14). What was the first thing Jesus said to the disciples in our Matthew reading? "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations."

28:11 So the guards report to the leaders and their reaction demonstrates that they knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead, but they did not want to believe it.

:3 'his raiment white as snow' quotes Daniel 7:9 thus presenting Jesus as the one who will open the books (Daniel 7:10) at the time of the end.

28:20 ‘I am with you’ is the final fulfilment of Isa 7:14 ‘God with us’.

V.20 Matthew's gospel record provides us with many comforting words, beginning, middle, and the end. 

V.5 Luke and John both speak of two angels, while Mark and Matthew here, of only one. Why the difference? The reason for the difference has not been revealed to us. There is, of course, no contradiction, for neither Matthew nor Mark state that there was only one angel.

V.19 Trinitarians use this verse as one of their pet quotes.  For this reason, some are uncomfortable having this verse read at baptisms.  Correctly understood there should be no problem. This verse, in no way, agrees with the Trinity. 

Baptising in is better understood as baptising into (See 1Cor 10:2).  Jesus was given all authority in heaven and earth (v.18).  Jesus is now manifest with His Father, and so all things that apply to the Father apply to Him, in the Deity.   

It is clear that all brothers and sisters of Jesus are baptised into Jesus (Gal 3:27).  But, by extension, Jesus' brothers and sisters come into covenant relationship with Yahweh.  In the Kingdom, and beyond, the Yahweh, Jesus, and the Redeemed will be truly manifest (1Cor 15:27,28).

28:17 We should realise that the 'some' which doubted were not the eleven. We have now moved on in time after the meetings that Jesus had with the disciples in the upper room. Thomas has already made his declaration of belief. This comment must be about some of the '500' who Paul speaks about in 1Cor 15:6

V.9 We have often wondered why Jesus appeared to the women before he appeared to the eleven disciples? We can go back to V.5 and also ask why did the angel appear unto the women, rather than to the likes of Peter and John? Does anyone have any thoughts?

28:6 in being invited to ‘come and see’ the women are being invited to be eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus.

28:9 The worshipping of Jesus is a fulfilment of Isa 27:13. Salvation has been achieved and so the women – representative of the ecclesia – honour the son.

28:6‘as he said’ reminded the women that the resurrection of Jesus should not have been a surprise to them. He had spoken of it often in his life.

V.19  This verse does not admit a triune God.  Name (Gr. onoma) is synonymous with authority.  Authority is the domain of Yahweh, the creator and sustainer of all things.  Yet, He has placed it in the hands of His Son (v.18). 

Therefore, humankind is obligated to listen to and to obey the commandments of Jesus (Psa 2:12; Matt 17:5).  Obedience will bring salvation while disobedience will bring destruction (Heb 5:9; 2Thess 1:8). 

Jesus is the only means of salvation (Acts 4:10,12).  Baptism is essential for salvation (Mark 16:16).  Baptism represents a symbolic burial with Jesus of the old carnal man, so that the new spiritual man might emerge (Rom 6:3-5). 

Hence, we can see the necessity of being baptized into Jesus (Gal 3:27).  That is how the apostles baptized.  However, it should be understood that Jesus is the express image of His Father (Heb 1:3) and was given the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34). 

Thus the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are expressions of God manifestation and not three elements of a triune god.

28:12-14 The haste with which the religious leaders were willing to bribe the guards highlights that they actually believed that Jesus had been raised form the dead. They did not think that the disciples had stolen the body.

As Jesus leaves them he tells them: "I am with you always" (v20). Yet we know he did leave them (Acts 1). Can you find any other recent words of Jesus that explain what he meant here?

28:16  Matthew consistently has been talking about the disciples going to Galilee in response to Jesus’ command before his death – Matt 26:32 – however we must remember that between the resurrection of Jesus and the disciples seeing him in Galilee must have been over a week and they had seen him in Jerusalem before they went to Galilee.

Matt 28:1

“In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week…”

The “first day of the week” also appears in Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7, and 1Cor 16:2. Those found in the four gospels refer specifically to the day Christ rose from the dead. In all these instances “week” is sabbaton, # <4521>, and comes from the Hebrew Sabbath, # <7676>. The correct translation is “First of the Sabbaths,” but in Mark 16:9, it reads “the foremost Sabbath.” The Sabbath is sometimes referred to a week as seen in Luke 18:12 where “week” is sabbaton, or Sabbat, hence its plurality!

In Deut 16:9 we read: “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.” The Feast of Weeks followed the seven-week period (Deut 16:10) in recognition of the passing of the 7 weeks. It is called Pentecost in the New Testament, being held on the day following the completion of the 7 weeks, or 50^thday. The wave and heave offerings began the counting of the 7 weeks (Lev 23:15). The Wave and heave offerings were presented on the first day of the Sabbaths. This was the beginning of the spring grain harvest. No one was to eat any of the grain of the harvest until the first fruits of the sheaf of the harvest was brought to the priest, who in turn waved it before God (Lev 23:10-14).

Jesus is referred to as the first fruits in 1Cor 15:20; Col 1:15; Acts 16:23. Since the wave-sheaf day was the first day of the harvest season, it was appropriate that Christ was raised then, followed by Pentecost on the 50^thday. It foreshadowed salvation.

The text, therefore, is referencing to the first day of the period of the Sabbaths, the first day of a specific period in the Old Testament calendar, and was never intended to be a reference to Sunday!

28:20   Notice the contrast between Jesus and the religious leaders. They commanded but did not –Matt 23:4 – Jesus left an example by doing first what he expected his followers to imitate.

28:19  The command here given in Galilee is repeated in Acts 1:8 on the mount of Olives just prior to Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

28:14  The inference that the religious leaders could pacify the governor – Pilate – indicates the extent to which Pilate was compromised and controlled by the religious leaders. 

28:6   The incredulous women were not reproved for their incredulity. Rather, graciously, the angels invite the women to join them so that they can have eye witness evidence. God does not expect blind faith in Him. Our faith is based on tangible evidence. 

28:5  “Fear not” is a regular opening comment from angels right through Scripture. The first recorded account of an angel saying those words is to Hagar – Gen 21:17. Maybe you would like to look for more. It is a great comfort that the first thing God wants to do is reassure us.

28:9      The women who believed that Jesus had been raised form the dead before they had seen hi are now rewarded with a personal meeting with the risen Jesus. What a wonderful privilege!

Matt 28:19,20

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them… Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”

The Truth is not just about making converts through baptism after a satisfactory confession of the First Principles, it is also about being a disciple or follower of Chris, which encompasses many things.

1. Putting Christ first (Mark 8:34-38).
2. Continue in his word (John 8:31).
3. Bear fruit (John 15:5-8; cf. Gal 5:22-26).
4. Love for his disciples (John 13:34,35). Love is the sign of whether we are truly disciples of Christ.
5. Continue teaching his word (Matt 28:18-20).

Discipleship is characterized by the testimony of our lips and the testimony of our lives. If our lives contradict the testimony of our lips, we bring shame on the Name. Our lips and our lives must be in sync; otherwise we are none of his.

Matt 28:19

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost [Spirit].”

THE MIND REQUISITE AT BAPTISM

“A KNOWLEDGE of the gospel is not enough. There must be that love of all things to which it pertains, which will cause it to germinate like good seed in the mind, to the production of abundant fruit. If the knowledge of Truth fail to beget the new man in the heart of the sinner, the baptism following his knowledge is not a birth. It is a mere performance of no benefit to him, but rather to his condemnation. It ought, therefore, to be seriously considered by all who contemplate that step, and by all who are called upon to assist them, whether there is evidence of death to sin before arrangements are made for burial. The burial of a living man is cruelty. It were better for the sinner to leave God’s covenant alone than to make a mockery of it. Let him ponder well his state and his way. – Robert Roberts

Comment: To come to a knowledge of the right from the wrong, the true from the false and choose the right and resist the wrong, requires a lot of self-discipline (cf. Deut 30:15-19; Rom 12:2). Developing character is every bit as essential! If we are today the same we were after years and years of being in the Truth, then we are in serious trouble! The talk without the walk is worthless. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1John 2:4).

“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.” Einstein

(cf. 2Pet 1:8).

Matt 28:19,20

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations… Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”

One of the most widespread controversies and common view about Christ’s teachings is that he brought a new teaching that differs considerably from the instructions of the Old Covenant. This is a serious mistake. While Christ disagreed with the Pharisaical leaders who wrested the Scriptures, he did not disagree with Old Covenant Scriptures.

Christ’s fulfilling the Law (cf. Matt 5:17,18) has been twisted by those who claim they know Christ, yet do not understand what he really taught. They claim by Christ’s fulfilling the Law, we no longer need to keep it; that the Law was for the Israelites only and not for us today, therefore stating that the Old Covenant is obsolete!

What Christ actually did was show the spiritual intent and application of specific Laws, which was altogether missed by the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. In Matt 5:18, Christ, by comparing the Law to the continued existence of the Universe, was saying that the Law is immutable, unchangeable, and that it can only be fulfilled, not abrogated. “Fulfilled” is the Greek word, ginomai, # <1096>, and also means, “to become, to come to be.” This is in line with what Christ taught; he didn’t end it, he began its fulfillment. What do I mean by this? Well, until the completion of Yahweh’s plan to glorify humanity, i.e., that as long as fleshly human beings still exist, the physical codification of Yahweh’s moral Laws are necessary and must be kept (Matt 5:19). This is what Christ taught and those who teach, otherwise, will not be in the Kingdom (Matt 5:20; John 12:48)!

If we properly understand what Christ taught, we could never conclude that the Law was only for the Israelites! This is also made clear by his statement, “teach all nations… teach them” – not just the Israelites, but also the Gentiles. Christ taught out of the Torah and made so many references to Old Covenant Scriptures, that it is impossible to cite them all here. https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/jesus-references-to-old-testament-scriptures/

John 14:26 also precludes the idea that his teaching, or New Covenant teaching was only for the Israelites because Christ promised the Comforter to revive all his teachings in the apostle’s minds. Therefore, whatever the apostles taught, including the apostle Paul, who alone used around 183 Old Covenant passages, is of Divine origin, and was meant for all.

https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/the-new-covenant-does-it-abolish-gods-law/paul-regularly-used-the-old/

28:10  “be not afraid” is a repeated word from both the risen Jesus and angels. We understand, therefore, that because of the uniqueness of Jesus’ resurrection the first reaction was fear – fear of the unknown.

28:9 “all hail” means “all rejoice” for it is translated “rejoice” 42 times and “glad” 14 times and “joy” 5 times.

Matt 28:19,20

“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations… Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”

In Deut 18:15, God speaks of raising up a Prophet unto whom we are to listen. Then, in v. 19, we read: “And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of them.” This Prophet is identified as Yahweh's son, the Christ. “This is my beloved Son… hear ye him” (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). Christ’s teaching was what the Father taught him (John 7:16; John 12:49).

What Christ taught was extant in Paul’s day and was proclaimed by all the apostles, as may be read in John 14:26. They all preached the same things. This includes Christ’s teaching on marriage, which was not a teaching of a temporary character restricted to the Judahites. Christ’s command was that his teaching go to “all nations.”

To use Paul’s teaching in 1Cor 6:1-8 as proof-text that what Christ proclaimed in Matt 5:32  may not be enforced is not just totally out of context, it negates what Christ said, thus contradicted by Paul!  If we are to take 1Cor 6 in context of marriage, then Paul is advocating that those who suffer in bad marriages are to put up with it and continue suffering - “suffer yourselves to be defrauded” (v. 7)! In cases of physical and mental abuses – just take it! This is unscriptural and insane; Paul would even be contradicting himself (1Cor 7:15)!  Some rationalize that, “they can separate,” which also contradicts what Paul said. “Defraud ye not one the other,” in addressing a married couple, separated solely for the purpose of prayer and fasting, and that restricted to a short period of time (1Cor 7:5)! So, what's left? (Cf. Matt 19:9-12).

What ground is there for associating Paul’s counsel respecting alien judges with Christ’s teaching concerning divorce, seeing that the apostle says nothing about divorce, and manifestly refers to something quite different? What ground is there for associating Christ’s teaching in Matt 5:32 with Matt 5:39,40, which is in reply to v. 38, something quite different?

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day… I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” (John 12:48-50).

28:14 it would appear that those who were deputed to guard the tomb were temple guards rather than Roman soldiers. Pilate had said “ye have a guard” – Matt 27:65

28:1 “the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn” highlights the constraints the women were under. No work could be done on the Sabbath – not even anointing a dead body.

28:4-5 Consider the irony. The soldiers – probably used to battle, flee on seeing the angel. The women, on the other hand stay and talk with the angel and were told “fear not”. The narrative contrasts those who were taught to be self-sufficient and those who were willing to, despite their fear, listen to the Divine words.

28:18     The way in which “all power” was given to Jesus is something that Peter picks up in his first letter – 1Pet 3:22 – in the phrase “angels and authorities … being made subject to him”

28:6 The magnitude of the words of the angel probably did not sink in to the minds of the women for quite some time and they were perplexed and not expecting anything like that. By contrast we have known that the resurrection of Jesus is the key to God’s forgiveness of sin. But is the magnitude and vibrancy of those words still very much alive in our minds? Does it motivate us in our day to day life?

Matt 28:10

“Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

“FELLOWSHIP is a wonderful means of communion, partnership and sharing with the members of a family whose Head is God, the Father, and whose Son is the Lord Jesus. Several times during his ministry he identified his followers as his brethren, and after his resurrection he said to the women who were on their way to tell the disciples of the empty tomb: ‘Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.’

By reason of this fact that we belong to a divine family we ought to be the more careful what we say and do in relation to our brethren (or sisters) who should come first in our responsibilities. And if what we have to say in writing an essay for a Bible class, or in speaking from a platform is likely to offend, then we ought not to write or say it, and if our message is one of a critical, yet exhortative nature, then it ought to come from the Scripture and not from personal feelings.”

John Marshall, The New Life, pp. 163,164

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. (Matt 28:2)

This is a very interesting detail given to us and its not by mistake either. Think of any instance of the Angels of the LORD doing something. Were they sitting? No, the Angels are always moving, active, and whatever verb you can think of. But the image of an Angel kinda just chilling there is certainly a new one. The only other time an Angel is recorded to be sitting is in Judg 6:11, so this is clearly an obscure incident. 

So what's the Angel doing? His act of sitting on the stone which blocked the entrance is his (but mostly Gods) way of showing how little power the mortal men had. They put all their faith in a couple of fearful men (v.4) and a stone that was pushed aside completely from the Angel simply rolling it. 

Truly a great symbolism for us to never put faith in the possessions of this world, or our own ability

No human ever saw the resurrection of Christ. But no human will be able to escape its effect

This idea and idea above are taken from Bro. Dennis Gillett's classes - Matthew's Messiah