Comments for September 12

v.4 - Nehushtan = 'of copper; a brazen thing' It was a name of contempt given to the actual serpent Moses had made in the wilderness Nu 21:8 and which Hezekiah now destroyed because the children of Israel began to regard it as an idol and "burn incense to it." The lapse of nearly one thousand years had invested the "brazen serpent" with a mysterious sanctity; and in order to impress upon the people its worthlessness, Hezekiah called it, in contempt, "Nehushtan," a brazen thing, a mere piece of brass. There is a big lesson for us here. As human being we also have this desire to invest actual objects with sanctity. Would you throw away something as precious as that in order to stop it from being a temptation to you?I'm sure I would say 'You can't throw that away, it is part of our heritage ... etc. etc.", but Hezekiah here was a man of purpose for God.

v.21 The concept of Egypt as a bruised or broken reed also occurs in Isa.36:6, Eze.29:6,7. How, if at all, does this relate to the work of Jesus as described prophetically in Isa.42:3, where the same Hebrew words (07533, 07070) are used?

18:14-16 Hezekiah, though he was a 'good' king (18:3) he buckled temporarily under the threat of the Assyrian. We can take courage that even Hezekiah faltered in his faith. Nevertheless, as we will learn in future chapters, he recovered from his lack of faith.

:4 Mention of the 'brazen serpent' which Moses had made in the wilderness (Numbers 21:8) is the only indication in time that Israel had kept the serpent. But by now it had become an item of adoration - but in reality it was a relic which should have reminded Israel that their fathers had sinned in the wilderness and had it not been for God's compassion there would have been no deliverance. So they were not remembering the sins nor the God that had delivered them!

18:6 'clave' to the Lord <01692> is the same word found in Gen 2:24 when speaking of the commitment a man must make to his wife.

V.15 To meet the demands of Sennacherib the temple was again raided. Silver was taken from the treasuries and gold stripped from the doors and pillars (V.16) to be given to the king of Assyria.

Samaria was taken by the Assyrians in Hezekiah's 7th year (2Kin 18:9,10). Just 7 years later the Assyrians came against Jerusalem (2Kin 18:13), so Hezekiah must have been terribly afraid. Was Jerusalem and his kingdom going to be deported next?   It's a sad reflection that he thought money could buy his release. In 2Chron 29:3 Hezekiah had opened and repaired the temple doors, in his first year. Then, in his 14th year, he cut off the gold from the temple doors, and even from the pillars which he himself had given to the Lord, and gave that to the king of Assyria (2Kin 18:16).

As we read this section of scripture, we can only marvel at the longsuffering of God in permitting Israel to remain for so long, throughout their history shines out the mercy of their Heavenly Father towards His wayward children. How richly blessed we are to have such a merciful God; who has provided a means for us to become heirs of the promises made to Abraham.  

In 721 BC Samaria fell and Israel was scattered.  That same year, Shalmaneser died and was succeeded by Sargon II (722-705 BC).  He campaigned in Gaza in 720 BC and Ashdod in 712 BC.  Sargon died in battle and was succeeded by Sennacherib (704-681 BC). 

Vs.2,7,8 Hezekiah (726-697 BC) began his reign at twenty-five years old.  He refused to knuckle under Shalmaneser or Sargon and even boldly campaigned against the Philistines himself, but not in alliance with Sargon. 

Hezekiah anticipated a future confrontation with the Assyrians and fortified Jerusalem.  He also constructed a tunnel from the Gihon spring to the Pool of Siloam to ensure an adequate water supply.  

Vs.14-16 However, when Sennacherib started to threaten, Hezekiah did not show the same faith or boldness that he did against the previous Assyrian rulers and tried to buy his way out of trouble.  Sennacherib was not buying it, and sent his lieutenant Rabshekeh to taunt, to threaten, and to persuade Hezekiah to yield.  And so, the test of faith was underway.

18:13 The way in which the Assyrians took the fenced cities of Judah but not Jerusalem matches what had happened in the days of Rehoboam – 2Chron 12:4-6 . Maybe the way Rehoboam humbled himself acted as a stimulus to the people in the days of Hezekiah.

V.17 The king of Assyria sent three individuals to meet Hezekiah.  In the KJV these three are named Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh.  They are not proper names but titles. 

Tartan was the title for the highest ranking officer in the Assyrian army - the commander-in-chief.  Rabsaris was the right-hand spokesman for the king (ambassador).  By the way, saris means eunuch in Akkadian, but that is not necessarily meant literally. However, subservience is implied.  Rabshakeh literally means cup-bearer, but the original duty had expanded to that of a commander in the field.

18:19-24 The Assyrian truly highlighted the issue with his repeated use of ‘trust’ in his speech. But this was also the challenge against the God of Israel. Hezekiah, of course, trusted the God of Israel who was the only God. That God was the only god was the point that the king of Assyria did not grasp.

Vs.22,25 In Assyrian eyes, the God of Israel was just another national god.  National gods of other lands had not deterred the Assyrians from invading and conquering those lands.  So why should the invasion and the conquering Israel be any different? 

So arrogantly confident was Rabshakeh about Assyrian success that he derided the power of Israel's God.  He claimed that Hezekiah had made God impotent by removing His high places and altars.  Moreover, he presumptuously claimed that God, himself, had told him to attack Judah.  Yahweh, the living God of Israel, was not amused. Later, the Assyrians would understand that: It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).

V.4 Nehustan is a derogatory Hebrew term meaning an insignificant piece of bronze. About 700 years previous, Moses was commanded to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole.  This was done to save the Israelites from snakebite (Num 21:8,9).  It portended the saving power of the Lord Jesus, over death, when He was lifted up on the cross.  However, since the time of Moses, Israel had used the relic of the bronze snake as an idolatrous object of worship.

A BAD YEAR

18:1 When Hezekiah came to the throne we are six years away from the beginning of the siege of Samaria. The Assyrian threat loomed large in the early years of Hezekiah’s reign. He saw trusting in God as the solution to the Assyrian threat and began his preparations very early in his life.

V.25 Samaria had fallen; Israel had been taken captive and scattered by the Assyrians.  Judah and Jerusalem were now being menaced.  However, this threat would be averted.  

The people of Judah would have the experience of Israel, and their own near tragedy to consider.  Moreover, they knew that the prophets of Israel had been warning the northern kingdom for years about their impending doom. 

However, the lesson of Israel, and Hezekiah's close call, ultimately had no lasting impact on Judah.  Despite the warnings of the prophets, Judah would be overrun and Jerusalem would fall, 136 years after the fall of Samaria, in 586 BC.

18:33 the disdainful ‘Where are the gods’ echoes the vile question of Pharaoh – Exo 5:2 – the same fate awaited the king of Assyria as that the king of Egypt suffered – humiliation before the king of the whole earth.

V.1 Hezekiah (726-697BC) means Yah has strengthened or strength of Yah.

V.4 The copper serpent had seen functional service in the wilderness.  But, since that time it had become an idolatrous object of worship (Num 21:5-10). 

We must be careful not let traditional things of Christadelphia become larger than life, or take on meanings that were not originally meant.

V.7 Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, had become subject to an annual tribute to Assyria.  It must have taken a great deal of faith and trust in Yahweh to make so bold a move.

V.8 The expression: from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city (KJV) seems to be proverbial and not indicative of geographical points, because the same expression is found elsewhere (2Kin 17:3).

V.9 Shalmaneser IV succeeded Tiglath-pileser to the throne in 727 BC.  He began the three-year siege of Samaria, but did not see it completed.  The siege was finished by Sargon. During the interim, Shalmaneser retired to Nineveh where he died.

V.10 This occurred in 721 BC.

V.13 Sennacherib (704-682 BC) was the son of Sargon.  Sennacherib came up against Judah in his third year, 701 BC.  This could not have been in Hezekiah’s fourteenth year.  Hezekiah’s fourteenth year was 712 BC, and Sennacherib came to power only in 704 BC.  And so, the fourteenth year must be a copyist’s error.  The text should read: ... the twenty-seventh year of Hezekiah’s reign.

V.14 The Assyrian account of the same event contains an greater amount of gold and silver.  But, the chronicles of Ancient Near East kingdoms often exaggerated such things to boost national pride.

18:13 The taking of the fenced cities of Judah is the background to Isa 8:7-8

2Kin 18:3-6 - Hezekiah is considered by some a type of Christ; Hezekiah's sweeping reforms perhaps echo the work of Christ at his first advent (Col 2:13-15). 

2Kin 18:4 - "brazen serpent" - in Moses' day it was on a pole (Num 21:8-9;John 3:14-15) and thus was a type of the flesh crucified but in this instance there is no reference to the pole so perhaps it is symbolic of the flesh uncrucified that was being wrongly worshipped.

2Kin 18:9 - "Shalmaneser" [(8022) means "fire-worshipper"].

2Kin 18:13,17,29,36 - Hezekiah is considered by some a type of Christ; the invasion of Sennacherib and the threats perhaps echo the opposition Christ received though he didn't answer back (Acts 4:26-27;Mark 15:5).

2Kin 18:17 - "fullers" [Heb. "kabas" (3526) means "to wash, to trample, to wash by treading, to be washed"]. A tunnel diverted water from the Spring of Gihon into a pool within the city walls (2Chron 32:1-4). 

2Kin 18:18 - "Eliakim" [(471) means "God raises, God sets up, God establishes, God of raising"]; Eliakim is thought by some to be a type of Christ (Isa 22:20-25); [2Kin 18:37 - (Eliakim was) "...over the household..."].

2Kin 18:31 - having one's own vine and fig tree is perhaps an echo of a return to the land and the millenial day of rest (Mic 4:4).

2Kin 18:32 - "...The LORD will deliver us"; "bread"; "wine" [Heb. "tiyrosh" (8492) means "new wine, freshly pressed wine"].

2Kin 18:27-35 The King of Assyria sent Rabshakeh to act as spokesman to deliver the blasphemous message to Hezekiah.  Rabshakeh is a title.  “Rab “ being chief of master as in “Rabbi” and “shakeh” meaning “butler”.  Rabshakeh was the chief butler to Sennacherib King of Assyria.  He was constantly in the Kings court and therefore privy to the Kings business and could be a significant influence for good or for bad.  He brought a message of destruction for inhabitants of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was also a cupbearer but to King Artaxerxes.  We are therefore reminded of the important position Nehemiah held in the court of the king (Neh 2:1-6).  By contrast, his influence under the hand of God led to rebuilding of the wall and gates of Jerusalem.

18:7     Hezekiah came to the throne with a history of events to undo. His father had sought to form an alliance with Assyria rather than trust God.  So Hezekiah had to break that agreement. It would have been better for Hezekiah if his father had not compromised the nation. Likewise the way we behave can impact upon those who come after us. We should try and think in the long term, not simply be concerned with our own perceived needs.

2Kin 18:5

“He (Hezekiah) trusted in the LORD (Yahweh) God (Elohim) of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.” 2Kin 23:25: “And like unto him (Josiah) was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”

Two kings cannot be like no other king before or after in the same respect. Hezekiah is commended because he “trusted,” and Josiah is commended because he “turned,” to the LORD. It is also worth noting that David is the rule by which the later kings were evaluated (1Kin 11:33,38; 1Kin 14:8).

A SPECIAL PERSON

It wasn't that Hezekiah was especially strong, good looking, or intellectual that made him stand out in the sight of God. Hezekiah was probably a lot like us. He had troubles, insecurities, times of crisis, responsibility, and a very demanding job. But what made him stand out was his trust in the LORD.

If it was his intellect, most of us could legitimately say that we could not compete with him. If it was his strength, most of us would fall short of the LORD's ideal. But because God noticed Hezekiah because of his trust in the LORD, we can take confidence in the fact that we have the ability to trust the LORD just as much as Hezekiah did.

Trust just requires belief and humility - things that are possible for us all. Listen to God's summary of Hezekiah: "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given to Moses." (2Kin 18:5-6) We don't need to be anything special to trust in the LORD, but if we trust in him and obey him, we will be special in the eyes of the LORD.

18:14   The way in which Hezekiah was beholden to the king of Assyria was, to a large extent, a consequence of his father’s going to Assyria for help – 2Kin 16:7-9

18:31   When Rabshakeh tells the people that they would eat every one of their own vine and fig tree he is actually telling them that if they go to Assyria it would be like it had been in the days of Solomon –1Kin 4:25. However God inspires Micah to rebuff Rabshakeh’s words – Mic 4:4. There are contrasts with Micah and Rabshakeh. When Rabshakeh spoke the people were afraid. Mic 4:4 says none would make the people afraid when his words were fulfilled.  Also Rabshakeh based his word on the authority of the king of Assyria. Micah based his words on the fact that “the Lord of hosts hath spoken”. The people who were on the walls had to decide whether to listen to the Assyrians who they could see or God who they could not see.  

19:10-13           Of course all that the Assyrians could do was to recount their victories. However they had not come up against the creator of the universe yet! Hezekiah placed his trust in Yahweh – not in a “no god”.

18:10  By relating the end of Hoshea’s kingdom with a point in Hezekiah’s reign we have a clear point against which we can compare other areas in Scripture. For example the comment here helps us to date Isa 10:10 as being spoken in the reign of Hezekiah at least 6 years into his reign. 

A mother's influence

Ahaz had been a wicked king, turning away from God, yet his son Hezekiah knew God and worshipped Him. How could this be? We're given a clue in 2Kin 18:2 "his mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zechariah". There are several Zechariah's mentioned in the Bible but two stand out as possibly being this man. The righteous king Jehoshaphat had a son (2Chron 21:2) and also there was a prophet of the LORD (2Chron 26:5), both named Zechariah. I haven't checked, but possibly they could be the same man, except that Athaliah killed all Jehoshaphat's sons (see 2Chron 21:4).

The point is that, as a parent, and as a mother particularly, we have an amazing opportunity to influence our children to follow the Lord. Both Zechariah and Abi had done this. Abi is specifically mentioned for this reason, because the very next phrase says: "and [her son] did what was right in the sight of the LORD". Hezekiah in turn influenced the whole of Judah to follow God, and it was his mother and grandfather that set this course in motion.

18:31   The offer of the Assyrian to give peace when “a present” was given to them is contrasted with God’s offer “without price” of salvation –Isa 55:1

18:8   This historical event seems to be spoken of by the contemporary prophet – Isa 14:18

18:10     The taking of Hoshea and Israel captive may well be the basis for the comment “we have not king” that we read in the contemporary prophet - Hos 10:3

18:36  It is often quite difficult not to respond to hurtful comments that are made. The men on the walls, in response to Hezekiah’s command, remained silent. We are not to render railing for railing 1Pet 3:9. In reality silence is the most powerful testimony to such abuse.

18:37   Eliakim’s reaction is the reaction of a faithful man. He was distressed by words which reproached the God of Israel. How do we feel when God’s name is taken vainly in casual conversation? Have we become so used to it that we barely notice when it happens?

18:21 Hezekiah had sought to Egypt for help. Things were different now,. Hezekiah trusted Yahweh. The king of Assyria’s information was out of date as subsequent events showed. We learn it is possible to repent and live in a way which pleases God.

18:16-17 It is hardly surprising that the Assyrians came against Jerusalem after Hezekiah had taken the gold off the temple and given it to them. Trying to buy off the Assyrians was evidence that Hezekiah was afraid of them.

18:10 It was Joshua who took the nation into the land and it was Hoshea who was taken out of the land. A striking contrast given their names are, basically the same. It is as if the name we bear is no guarantee – unless it is the name written by the Father – Isa 62:2, Rev 3:3,12.

18:21 Whilst the Assyrians said that trusting in Egypt was folly it was far more important to listen to what God said. In fact through the Prophet Isaiah God made the same point and reproved Israel for such behaviour – Isa 30:2,7

2 Kings 18
COMPLETE TRUST

The big credit to Hezekiah in his amazing and godly reign was this: "He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses." (2Kin 18:5-6).

Hezekiah was such a great man, that even among the kings of Israel and Judah, from start to finish, there was none like him. If you have ever aspired to greatness, then Hezekiah is a man to look up to.

It wasn't anything big that resulted in Hezekiah's power or riches or that made him pleasing to God. It was something any of us can do - and we can do it as well as Hezekiah did. He trusted in the LORD. It was as simple as that. He trusted in the LORD so much that he obeyed God in everything, whether it seemed right, or logical, or not.

Is obedience a product of our trust in God? Do we trust enough to obey God even when no one else is doing it? Let's be like Hezekiah and trust God all the way.

18:7 Notice the relationship. Hezekiah was a good king and faithful to the word of Moses, so “the Lord was with him”. It is a case of two walking together in agreement – Amos 3:3.

2Kin 18:4 From a parallel account of Hezekiah's work of cleaning the temple we learn:

Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. So they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. (2Chron 29:17) 

Amazing to think Ahaz did all his damage in his 16 year reign, but it took Hezekiah just 16 days to undo it! 

v.14 You CANNOT pay king sin to go away, he will always come back! 

v.1 - It would seem that (like in ch.20:1), these elders had come to enquire of the Lord. I must admit to a personal assumption that the prophets were alone with God when they received their revelations, but this makes it clear that that was not the case, at least not always.

v.12 - Let us be sure not to fall into this thinking. God sees all that we do.

This chapter contains part of a vision that Ezekiel received. The vision runs from 8:1-11:24. But consider the circumstances. The elders of Israel, who were captive in Babylon, have to come to see what God has to say to them - but their hearts are far from God. So Ezekiel is given a powerful condemnation of those in Jerusalem.

8:15 There is a beautiful contrast between 'hast thou seen this' here and the wonderful vision that Ezekiel was called to see (47:6) later.

8:18 When Ezekiel was told that God would not hear the prayers of the people this echoes what God had told Jeremiah (7:16)

V.4 The Shekinah cloud of God's glory, at this point still remains in the temple, like that which Ezekiel saw "in the plain" (Eze 3:22-23); not until Eze 10:4 ;18 did it leave the temple at Jerusalem. The glory then left Jerusalem and stood on the Mount of Olives. Eze 11:23

V.14 One of the abominations that Ezekiel saw was women weeping for Tammuz. 

According to the pagan beliefs of fertility cults, Tammuz was betrayed by his lover Ishtar (the same as Astarte, the Queen of Heaven), and thus died each fall.  The decaying vegetation at the fall of the year was testimony to this event, and thus a cause of mourning. 

 Interestingly, during their stay in Babylon, the Jews adopted some Babylonian months into their calendar which remained after the exile. One month was Tammuz (June/July), a time of lush vegetation and summer fruit.  This is in keeping with the annual revival of Tammuz, only to suffer death once more in the fall.

V.16 - with their backs turned toward the temple of the Lord they had symbolically turned away from God (Joel 2:17;2Chron 29:6;Jer 2:27;32:33).

Today’s prophecy was given to Ezekiel a year and a month after the previous ones (see Eze 1:1,2 and Eze 8:8). It’s interesting to note that the elders of Judah were in Ezekiel’s presence, probably hoping he would have a message for them. He did. God brought him in vision to Jerusalem, and showed him four different horrors which were done in Jerusalem, all recorded in today’s chapter.  These series of visions then go on until Eze 11:24,25. 

8:1  The ‘elders’ who went to listen to Ezekiel might well have been the same elders who were spoken to by Jeremiah – Jer 19:1  - If so they had heard about the judgment that would come and yet they were still rebelling against God.

8:4 There are a number of times that Ezekiel sees the ‘glory of God’ throughout his prophecy. Thus it was important that he had the detailed revelation in chapter 1. The vision in chapter 1 was not to provide us with an area of Scripture that we can debate. Rather it was to prepare Ezekiel for the visions that were to follow.

In this chapter we begin a new section of Ezekiel's prophecies, up to this point we have read of the visions that Ezekiel received dealing with both Judah and Israel. The visions in this chapter and the next three refer to Jerusalem and the remnant of Judah under Zedekiah, as distinguished from the Babylonian exiles.

V.3 The image (idol) that provokes to jealousy is not defined, but is probably Asherah (Astarte). Manasseh had set one up in the temple (2Kin 21:7). Subsequently, Josiah destroyed it (2Kin 23:6). This present idol could be a replacement for the one Josiah destroyed.

8:11The word ‘ancients’ is the same word translated ‘elders’ in verse 1. Whilst the ‘elders’ are sitting before Ezekiel in Babylon he sees what their counterparts are actually doing in Jerusalem.

V.3 Ahaz had removed Yahweh's altar and placed it north of the Syrian altar that he had made (2Kin 16:14).  The idol, an Asherah pole, had been placed close by. This pole was, in all likelihood, a successor to the one that Josiah had destroyed. 

V.11 Shaphan was the priest who read the newly-discovered book of the Law to Josiah.  It is ironic, then, that Shaphan's son, Jaazaniah, was one of the idolaters. 

8:12 The myth that ‘the Lord seeth not’, echoed again in Eze 9:9 we may never actually say those words but from time to time our behaviour indicates that it is what we think.

V.1 Here, Ezekiel begins a prophecy that continues into the next four chapters.

V.2 This is the same man that Ezekiel describes in Eze 1:27.

V.3 We are not told what exactly the image (idol) of jealousy was.

V.10 The phrase creeping things refers to the gods that the Egyptians worshipped.  Yahweh’s plagues in Egypt countered some of those gods.

V.11 Seventy men (elders), as a pattern of leadership, started with Moses (Num 11:16).

Shaphan had been the scribe who brought and read the Book of the Law to Josiah (2Kin 22:10-14).  Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan had shown total disregard for the Book of the Law.  He had become the leader of a group of spiritual rebels.

V.16 Sun worship originated in Persia. This event was particularly abominable because it took place in the inner court of the temple.

If you were trying to describe to a child the depths of the heart of an adult, where love was kept, and hatred nurtured, where ideas sprang forth and the deepest secrets guarded; how would you begin to put it into words? And if not words, what picture would you use?

God rose to this challenge by giving Solomon the pattern of the temple, so that men and women could visualise how one ought to keep God set apart, holy, in each ones heart and mind. So when God had to explain to Ezekiel what was wrong with Israel and Judah, he used that same temple image. This was an image, or reflection, of what went on in the heart of the nation of Israel. It was the fact that God had been replaced in the hearts and minds of the people that made God so angry and hurt.

For us gentiles who have no temple this is easy to understand. But to them it was almost impossible to separate the image (temple) from the true (the heart and mind). So Jesus proposed pulling down that temple so that finally people would understand how to worship his Father in spirit and in truth (John 2:13-21, 4:22-24, Isa 56:7, Heb 13:10-15)

8:3 Imagine the scene. The elders are sitting before Ezekiel and all of a sudden he goes into a trance. They sit amazed as he does not communicate anything to them. Then, eventually, he speaks – Eze 11:25

8:16   Jeremiah had warned that Israel had turned their backs on Him – Jer 32:33 and now in spirit Ezekiel sees what happened.

Eze 8:13-16

“He said also unto me, turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do… and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz…Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these…and behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD (Yahweh)… were five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD (Yahweh), and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.”

Tammuz was the sun god celebrated by a great annual spring festival with alternate weeping and rejoicing in commemoration of his death and (supposed) resurrection. Nimrod, called Tammuz by the Babylonians, was the grandson of Ham, and great grandson of Noah. He was the founder of the Babylonian system of worship. It is said he was so wicked he married his mother, Semiramis. After Nimrod was killed, his mother-wife propagated the doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a resurrected spirit being. This commemoration of a false god’s death and resurrection is still in existence today and embraced by the world. We call it Easter! The festivity is the same, only the names have changed.

The “greater abominations” has to do with the fact that the Israelites turned their backs on Yahweh’s Temple to worship the sun as it rose in the east! This is exactly what people today are doing when they participate in the East(er) Sunrise Services! Easter, or Ishtar celebration had its roots in worshipping the sun god and moon goddess, so the Easter celebration commenced as the sun came up and its light obliterated the moon. While Christians think they are worshipping and honouring Messiah, they are, in fact, dishonouring him. What an example just how far paganism, or as the apostle Peter calls it, “cunningly devised fables” (2Pet 1:16; 2:1-2) has penetrated Christianity, making it Pagan Christianity!

8:5    This is the first of a number of invitations to Ezekiel to look at different locations around the city where Israel had turned their back on God to worship the work of their own hands.

8:8    Here and verse :3 we are reading a record of a vision which Ezekiel had whilst the elders sitting before him. This vision, which continues to chapter  11:24, taught these elders that God's judgements were right. This vision must have been quite a shock to them as they and come to sit before Ezekiel to hear the word of God but doubtless did not expect condemnation. Their view that the judgements came because the Chaldeans were stronger than God and that He had not the strength or inclination to deliver them.

1. Eze 8:1 - the series of visions Ezek 8:1 to Exek 11:24 were given 13 months later than those of Ezek chapters 1 through 7; this series of visions was given to Ezekiel while the elders of Judah were sitting down with him in his house by Chebar (compare to Eze 14:1).

2. Eze 8:2-4 - Ezekiel goes in his vision to Jerusalem where there are abominations of idolatry and unfaithfulness which would bring a righteous punishment:

3. Eze 8:2 - "brightness"<2096>, "amber"<2830>; same manifested being in Eze 1:27. 

4. Eze 8:5-6 - first abomination - the idolatrous image which evoked the jealousy of God (Exo 20:4-5;34:13-14;1Kin 14:22-23).

5. Eze 8:7-12 - second abomination - sins of the elders in secretly offering incense to the idols of Israel:

6. Eze 8:11 - the 70 of the house of Israel  perhaps represented the entirety of Israel in that 70 of the house of Jacob went into Egypt (Gen 46:27); perhaps the 70 is an echo of the later Sanhedrin.

7. Eze 8:11 - Shaphan loyally served the righteous king Josiah (2Kin 22:1-20) but his son Jaazaniah was apostate.

8. Eze 8:13-14 - third abomination - weeping for Tammuz<8542>.

9. Eze 8:15-16 - fourth abomination - sun worship by the 25 men who turned their backs on God to worship the rising sun of the East:

10. Eze 8:15 - the number twenty-five suggests the priesthood as there were 24 orders of service (1Chron 24:1-4) plus one high priest.

11. Eze 8:17 - the land was filled with violence (similar to Gen 6:13); the branch to the nose is thought by some to be a revolting pagan ritual.

8:6    Notice it is the behaviour of people that caused God to forsake His temple. Rather like the way in which Isaiah says sins separate us from God – Isa 59:2

DRIVING HIM AWAY

Ezekiel was shown some visions that must have been quite shocking to him. Even as I read them, I wonder at the gall of these people who could openly worship idols in the house of the LORD. Just who did they think God was anyway? Did they really believe that their idols could give more than what God was able to give?

The verse that really got my attention today, was this: The LORD said, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing - the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my Sanctuary?"

The actions of Israel were driving God out of His own house. He couldn't bear to stay there any longer, because their actions, language and negative responses toward Him were too insulting for Him to want to stay.

Perhaps we should look at ourselves in the same light. We like to think our house is a 'house of God'. We have a plaque beside our front door that says 'Bethel' - the house of God. But what idols does He have to compete with at home? Could worldly music with God dishonouring lyrics, dedication to the TV, gossip magazines, slavery to technology, alcohol or porn etc, be idols that drive God from our houses?

8:14    The god Tammuz in Babylon answers to the queen of heaven that Jeremiah spoke of – for example in Jer 7:18. The evil practices in the land of Israel are still being done in Babylon.

8:2    The beginning of Ezekiel’s vision has him seeing the same thing as he had seen at the beginning of his prophetic ministry as can be seen by looking at Eze 1:26-27.

8:16       The vision of the glory of God is to prepare him for his task of going to speak to those of the captivity words which are sweet to the taste but leave a bitter aftertaste. That is, he has absorb the word of God which is like honey to one who loves it but present the same words to rebellious Israel who have not got the same love for the word. To them it is rather like 'wormwood' to use the language of Deut 29:18  which speaks of the curse of God.

8:5     The altar which Ezekiel saw in vision was probably the altar that wicked king Ahaz had made on his return from Damascus. 2Kin 16:10

8:1        this is the first of a number of occasions when, in captivity, the “elders” came to listen to Ezekiel. One presumes that they had made an appointment. The others are  14:1, 20:1

8:3 the “image of jealousy” is what, in general terms, Ezekiel spoke about earlier – 5:5. So now we know exactly what Ezekiel had been inspired to speak about.

8:3 When we read “image of jealousy” we should not imagine that the inhabitants of Jerusalem had made an image to “jealousy”. Rather it is the Ahaz’s altar provoked God to jealousy because rather than using the altar He commanded Solomon to make the people were using the one that Ahaz had copied form the Syrians.

8:1,18 Those who came to sit before Ezekiel to see if there was any word from their God were the same men who had been reproved in the previous chapter. They had not learnt the lesson. God had forsaken them because they had forsaken Him. They went through the motions of worshipping and seeking after Yahweh. But their hearts were astray from Him.  So God would not even listen to their prayers – just like God had told the earlier prophet Jer 7:14.As the wise man had said –Prov 28:9 – Yahweh does not listen to His children when they have turned away from His word.

8:5 there is a sad irony in God’s instruction to lift up his eyes. When he did he saw the idol worship of the people in Jerusalem. Israel were commanded not to lift up their eyes to see things to worship them – Deut 4:19

8:3  Whilst Ezekiel and these elders were in Babylon there were still Jews in Jerusalem as the final overthrow had ot happened yet. So those in Jerusalem would be well aware that some had gone into captivity, taken by the Chaldeans because of their sin. Nevertheless that had, it seems no impact on those remaining in Jerusalem.

v.9-10 Obviously these temptations are recorded that we might use them example of Jesus when answering to our own lusts and desires, as he was tempted in all points like as we are. Here is by far the most serious type of temptation - the one where we seem to be scripturally justified in what we do and therefore go forward with great enthusiasm straight into danger, because we have not first stepped back to consider whether we have discerned scripture aright. The result, if we listen to the voice of sin, it that in all sincerity, we believe we are doing right and yet are living contrary to God's will. We must remove these kind of blinkers, but before we can, we must see them there in the first place. It is a very hard thing and calls for much prayer. Jesus overcame. There are many rewards, beyond our wildest thoughts offered to those who overcome. Let us be among them. Let us pray that God will help us to see our 'secret faults'. 2Cor.11:14, Psa.19:12

4:1 Being 'led by the spirit' is echoed in Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18. Jesus was instructed by the Word and so was able to resist the temptations. In this he is our example. Our walking in the spirit matches his, or it should. This is how we overcome.

:9 The temptation to cast himself down, which he resisted, raises its head again (4:29) when the leaders wanted to cast him off the brow of the hill. Jesus could have allowed this to show his position but did not.

After Jesus spoke "gracious" words unto the people of Nazareth, so that they marvelled at him, they said "is not this Joseph's son?". They couldn't have been more wrong. This mistaken identity caused them to try to kill him. Somehow they didn't recognise him for what he was. Why was this, when it was so plain to the demons? (v34, 41). Is it possible, that we also do not recognise the "gracious words" of Jesus, when spoken to us by our brothers and sisters?

4:22 The 'gracious words'  from Jesus' 'mouth' echoes the language of Psa 45:2 where the king is spoken of.

V.13  Not for a moment did Jesus leave the path of trust and obedience. He persevered in carrying out the work which the Father had given him to do. For us also, the lesson is "Trust and obey"..

V.43 It is important to note that the public preaching proclamation of Jesus was that of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).  The Kingdom is the hope of all true Christians, promised to those who love and obey the Lord (James 2:5). 

This kingdom, which will be a real kingdom on earth, has been promised of old (Dan 2:44).  The faithful throughout the ages shall inherit it (Luke 13:28,29).  Jesus will return to earth to take possession of His kingdom (Luke 1:32,33; Acts 1:11). 

The Gospel contains two parts: the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12).  One must believe both parts to be a true follower of Christ. 

4:33  The healing of the man with the unclean spirit' is the first miracle that Luke records that Jesus performed. The man typifies Israel in their sinful state. Just as the man was healed Jesus will heal the nation.

What was Jesus doing during this 40 day period? He had no daily work to perform, we are told that he did not eat, hence he would not have had to look for, or prepare any food; he was no longer a carpenter of Nazareth; he would not have had others with him. He was in the wilderness without any companions. For almost six weeks he was free to wonder in the wilderness, or free to rest. It is not unreasonable to suggest that his only activity would have been reflection on the Word of God, and to be in prayer to his Father. The Word would not have been in book form as we have it, but only in his heart and mind. Both his Heart and mind were filled with the Word of God.

4:10  The use of Psa 91:11 by the tempter – a Psalm which spoke of God’s care for Joshua and Caleb in the wilderness journey – shows the deceitfulness of sin. We can often find Scripture to support wrong actions. The antidote is to seek the whole counsel of God.

V.2 After being physically and mentally weakened by forty days of fasting, Jesus was ready to be tested.  He became embroiled in a great internal conflict.  Like any human being, He struggled with obeying God while, at the same time, being tempted by His own desires (Heb 4:15).  Jesus refuted every temptation by countermanding it with the Word of God.  Thus, He successfully overcame His trial. 

The lesson for us is to let the Word of God guide us in our lives.  But, that cannot be done if we do not know what the Word says.  And so, let's make its reading a habit.  Remember, Jesus did not have a Bible in His hand when He was tempted - He knew the Word by heart.

4:23  In saying “whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country” we learn that whilst Luke presents this event as following on immediately after the temptations in the wilderness it was not the next event in Jesus’ life. He had been preaching in Capernaum and healing.

Vs.5,9 We have just read how Ezekiel was transported, in the spirit, to Jerusalem (Eze 8:3).  As part of His temptation, Jesus was similarly transported, in vision, to see the kingdoms of the world; and the temple in Jerusalem.  Jesus knew He had unlimited power, and could indulge any whim (John 3:34).  However, He chose to resist any temptation with the use of scripture (He used Deuteronomy).

4:25-27 Here, so early on in the ministry of Jesus, we see an indication that the gospel was to be taken to the gentiles.

Vs.18,19 See Isa 61:1,2.

V.21 This verse proves that Jesus, and His activities, were prophesied in the Old Testament. And so, any follower of Jesus must understand the Old Testament (Luke 24:44).

V.28 Although true according to scripture, any allusion to the Gentiles was not welcomed by the Jews.

V.30 A miracle was performed whereby Jesus could pass through the hostile crowd.

V.31 Capernaum became the residence, and center of operations, of Jesus.

V.32 the word power (KJV) is better translated authority (ESV).

V.43 It should be clearly noted that Jesus preached the kingdom of God.  One cannot be a true follower of Jesus without understanding and believing the kingdom of God (on earth).

4:44 In saying that Jesus ‘preached in the synagogues of Galilee’ we learn something of the way that Jesus became known. Everyone would go to the synagogue every Sabbath and so he would get a high exposure providing a speedy basis for making himself known to the people.

Matthew tells us that Jesus moved away from Nazareth to Capernaum, but not why. Moving city 2000 years ago simply wasn't done - unless you were forced for some reason. All your extended family, land, and livelihood were in your home city. This chapter shows us that, no sooner had Jesus come through his temptations and returned home, the people of his home town wanted to kill him (v24-31). So we conclude Jesus moved because he was forced to. Do you think it became dangerous for his whole family too? Did they move with him? In Mark we're told John was arrested around about this time, and John was a close relative. Was the whole family tarred with the same brush? All these things worked together to compel Jesus to get started with his ministry. Have you ever had difficult events in one place that have caused you to move to another? Maybe a job, or school, or home town? And did it actually work out for the best?

4:3    The challenge ‘if thou be the son of God’ picks up on the genealogical information at the end of the genealogy – Luke 3:38

Luke 4:1-13

Temptation and sin is a subject not taken very seriously anymore. Oscar Wilde said that the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it! The Farmers’ Almanac made light of temptation when it wrote, “Don’t worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it starts avoiding you.” Then we have Flip Wilson’s classic line, “The devil made me do it.” Scripture, however, paints a very different picture about temptation leading to sin, and reveals how very serious it really is. The temptations Jesus experienced were all too real, and by its very definition temptation is for something that really appeals to us.

Temptation 1 (verse 3) deals with the physical plane: “If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.” This temptation came when Jesus had already fasted for 40 days! There is an old Suffolk proverb that says: “Hunger will break through stone walls.” Jesus, steadfast in faith, resisted the temptation with Scripture: “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (see Deut 8:3).

Temptation 2 (verses 6-7) deals with the mental plane: “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them… if thou wilt worship me.” This temptation was to elicit from Jesus the desire for power and wealth, replacing God as the center of his life, thus constituting idolatry. Again, Jesus quoted from Scripture to fight the temptation. “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (see Deut 6:13).

Temptation 3 (verses 9-11) deals with the spiritual plane: “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written…” (see Psa 91:11-12). What a clever ploy! Jesus’ adversary now uses Scripture to tempt him as the Son of God and to test God! However, this Psalm has to do with protection from evil beyond control, and not from evil rashly and presumptuously incurred. But, Jesus knew his Scriptures, and fought off the temptation by replying, “It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (see Deut 6:16).

Why was Jesus tempted at all? Well, an untried faith is not a strong faith, Adam and Eve being a case in point. If Jesus needed to draw on the Scriptures for strength to successfully ward off his temptations to sin, can we succeed with anything less?

4:22   Jesus’ ‘gracious words’, as well as being spoken of in Psa 45:2 can be seen in contrast to the words of the ‘scorner’ in Prov 22:10-11. Are our words ‘gracious’ or are we ‘scorners’?

Luke 4:19-30.

4:15   Clearly Jesus was a popular person in the synagogues among the common people – doubtless because of the way in which he explained and read Scripture. However this popularity was to, very shortly, bring him to the notice of the religious leaders from Jerusalem who became jealous of him.

4:36   Notice that whilst Jesus used the holy spirit – the power of God – to cast out devils it was his words which impressed the people. 

4:1   Whilst Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness Legion – Luke 8:29 – was driven by the devil into the wilderness. Both had to deal with temptation. Jesus overcame, Legion did not.

  4:43 when Jesus said I must be about my Father’s business we see the beginning of a series of times when Jesus speaks of the essential requirement “must” that things were to happen.

Here is a list of all occasions Luke 2:49, 4:43, 9:22, 13:33, 17:25, 22:37, 24:44

4:24       Jesus speaks a fundamental truth. In the same way in which Jesus’ words were discounted in Nazareth we are inclined to dismiss the words of fellow believers whom we have met with regularly, especially when we do not like what they are saying. This is a powerful warning for us. We should measure the words spoken with no regard to our familiarity with the person speaking.

Luke 4:13

“And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.”

A reader of Christendom Astray by Robert Roberts asked the following from Bro. Roberts, January 1884:

“… You say concerning the temptation of Christ, that the harmony that existed between the Father’s mind and Christ’s shows that the diabolos in the case was not Christ’s nature. Would not your deduction, if correct, nullify the statement that Christ was tempted in all points like his brethren? Luke iv. 13 should present no difficulty in view of what James says—‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ If these words are applicable to us and our evil inclinations, surely they would be to Christ and his, who, in regard to temptation, was in no way different from us. When the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life had been combated and overcome by Christ, it could be said fitly, “the devil departed from him for a season…”

Bro. Robert Roberts reply, January 21, 1884:

“… I can only take time to say that while I believe Jesus, in the days of his flesh, possessed an identical physical nature with our own, I do not believe his mental state was the same. I think there was just the difference on this point that there is between the cultivated European and the brutalized aborigine of Terra del Fuega—who are both the same nature, but of totally different mentalities. The paternity of Jesus made the difference—a difference so great that Jesus only of Adam’s race was without sin…”

4:5      The promise of all the kingdoms of the world contrasts with God’s promise of inheriting – Psa 2:8 – the heathen simply by asking his Father

4:8  Jesus’ response to the temptation “get thee behind me satan” is exactly what he said to Peter – Matt 16:23 – when Peter made a similar suggestion, by implication, to Jesus.

4:12 Jesus’ use of Deut 6:16 is most appropriate as Moses is speaking about no having other Gods – Deut 6:14. The alternative Jesus was considering was the same as replacing God in his life with his own ambitions.

4:1  the phrase “led by the spirit” is actually quoted in Rom 8:14 and Gal 5:18 indicating that Luke’s gospel record was already available early in the first century – before the letter to the Romans and Galatians was written.

4:12 Jesus’ use of Deuteronomy 6:16 is most appropriate as Moses is speaking about no having other Gods – Deut 6:14. The alternative Jesus was considering was the same as replacing God in his life with his own ambitions.

The devil (diabolos) wanted to get Jesus on side with them. Priests and Levites had been sent to identify who John the Baptist was (John 1:19-24) according to Deut 18:22. They had witnessed the Spirit descending upon Jesus at his baptism. Someone followed the Lord, to make him an offer to work in with them. The diabolos said rulership over the kingdoms of the world is theirs (v5,7). The Jewish rulers saw themselves as righteous and having management of the Kingdom of God (v 6 "for it is delivered into me"). The final test in Luke 4 was taking him to the Temple, the pinnacle, where the priests stood to sound the shofar for feasts etc. Only priests had access to this area. However, the Lord saw them as self-focused wanting rulership (Matt 23:2) and he had already told them their primary role would be removed (Matt 21:43).

The temptation over the diabolos left him " for a season" v 13 says. For a season? Yes, later the Pharisees... came to him tempting him, saying.... (eg Matt 19:3)  

4:15  this is the first time that we read of Jesus teaching in the synagogues in Luke’s gospel. The last time recorded in Luke is in  13:10.

4:13  The forty days being tempted is like Israel in the wilderness being tried for forty years. Whilst they failed miserably Jesus withstood all the temptations. The difference between the people in Moses’ days and Jesus was that whilst they would not listen to God’s words and instructions Jesus always did. In that there is a lesson for us.