Comments for September 17

24 v. 8 - The mother of Jehoiachin has the same name that was the word that Hezekiah used contemptuously of the serpent that Moses had raised in the wilderness before he destroyed it to stop the people from worshipping it. It means Copper - see note on 2Kings 8 on September 12.

24:3 Whilst all the troubles in the days of Jehoiakim seem to be quite natural events they were 'of the Lord'. This was the problem Jeremiah, who was prophesying at this time had. His words seemed like treason for example Jeremiah 29:28.
The nation had arrived at a time when there was 'no remedy' 2 Chronicles 36:16 and so the destruction of the temple was inevitable.

25:7 The blinding of Zedekiah in this way fulfilled the words of Both Jeremiah 34:3 and Eze 19:9 His eyes saw the king of Babylon, but Babylon he should not see, though he should die there.

25:13-17 What a great and terrible and complete destruction - going to the very heart of the worship of those who were faithful in Israel (it seems there is always a remnant). What sorrow this would bring about for them.

24:18 Whilst we are told that Zedekiah 'reigned in Jerusalem' clearly his rulership was different from the kings before him. He was a puppet king and was not, therefore, ruling the kingdom of God. It was all a sham. He was controlled by Babylon and could only do what they gave him power to do. It was all an outward show.

25:8 The mention of the fifth month indicates the reason why Israel remembered the fifth month (Zechariah 8:19) all the time they were in captivity. They were commemorating the burning of the house of God - so all through the captivity Israel were commemorating their sinfulness!
We do well to be careful what we remember.

24:7 Egypt had been a regular threat to Judah during the reign of the kings - but now she is no longer a threat to Judah. Wouldn't that have been wonderful if Israel had achieved this deliverance through their trust in God. But it was not for that reason. Rather it was because they did not trust God.

Israel had left Egypt under Moses but the Egyptians had been a threat all the time after that until now - so there had not been a full deliverance until now - when Israel were dominated by Babylon. This all marks that the law of Moses could not deliver from sin and death.

25:3-17 Whilst the historical book here describes the physical elements that were removed from the temple Ezekiel (10) describes what had truly happened . God's glory had departed. The furniture of the temple as but a shadow of the true glory.

24:4 Like Manasseh (2Kin 21:16) Jehoiakim shed innocent blood. This indicates that he was not content with just doing evil. He ensured that those who opposed him were killed.

25:4-5 Zedekiah's flight marked his final rebellion against the word of God for Jeremiah (34:3) had told him that he would go to Babylon. He clearly thought he was able to outwit the God of Israel

 24:4 The eleven years of Jehoiakim's reign were marked by a return to idolatry and a persecution of the servants of the Lord of a severity equal to that which obtained in the reign of Manasseh. 

 The final years of Judah and its kings are very well recorded by Bro Michael Ashton in the final 2 chapters of his book "Chronicles of the Kings".  Suffice it here to say that Josiah was the last good king, and his 3 sons and one grandson who reigned fully deserved the punishment and shame of deportation.
Solomon's beautiful temple was stripped of all its beauty, and finally "they burnt the house of the Lord"
(2Kgs 25:9).  How it must have hurt the Lord God!

V.2 Once again we see that the only true source of help comes from the hand of the God of Israel. For three years Jehoiakim served the king of Babylon and then, perhaps still counting on help from Egypt, he rebelled, In reply Nebuchadnezzar sent his troops, with those of surrounding nations who had submitted to him, against Jehoiakim.

24:1 Jehoiakim was the servant of God – or at least he should have been. Now he is the servant of the king of Babylon – he has manifestly become the servant of sin.

25:2  When Zedekiah was taken to Babylon this was the third wave of captives that had been taken. After the first and the second it would appear that the people had carried on as if the words of the prophets were irrelevant. Jeremiah had repeatedly spoken about them going to Babylon. One might have thought after the first wave were taken that the people would wise up to the words of the prophets – but no, they continued in their rebelliousness. Is there a lesson for us in this?

25:1-7 Zedekiah and his army tried to break out of Jerusalem but were, subsequently, caught and punished. This was the fulfilment of Ezekiel's prophecy that we read about yesterday (Eze 12:7-13).

24:7  In saying ‘from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates’ we see a quotation from Gen 15:18. So the land which was promised to Abraham was now in the total control of Babylon signifying a temporary end to the dominion of Israel in the land.

25:9 Ezekiel had been shown, by vision, that the wicked leaders in Jerusalem continued to promote the permanence of the city in face of prophecy against it (Eze 11:2,3).

The building of houses is a concrete (pardon the pun) demonstration of ongoing existence. However, we see that these symbols of permanence were destroyed by the Babylonians.

SAFE STORAGE

25:7 By this point in history we are 26 years past the destruction of the temple – so we are 44 yrs from the return from Babylon

24:1 When reading historical accounts, it is helpful to keep time lines in mind.  There is a danger in reading consecutive verses as if the events described therein happened at (or close to) the same time.  For example, the events of 24:10 happened when Nebuchadnezzar was less than three months in office, in 604 BC; while the events of 24:11,12 took place in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, in 597 BC.

24:12 The captivity of Jehoiakim is spoken of poetically by the contemporary prophet Eze 17:3

2Kin 24:2 First Principles>Kingdom of God>Was overturned>History of fulfilment
5. Judah (the Southern Kingdom) continued for another 200 years after Israel, the Northern Kingdom and the last king was Zedekiah. It was overturned three times (prophesied Eze 21:25-27), then to remain desolate for many years Hos 3:4.
 - The first overturning was in BC 606 in Jehoiakim's reign. (Prophesied Jer 27:6) 2Kin 24:2, Dan 1:1, 2Chron 36:6.
 - The second overturning was in BC 597 in Jehoiachin's reign 2Kin 4:10, 2Chron 36:10.
 - The third overturning was in BC 587 in Zedekiah's reign. (Prophesied Jer 21:7, Jer 34:2) Jer 38:28, Jer 39:1,2, Jer 52:4-5, Eze 24:1-2, 2Kin 25:2, 2Chron 36:7.
6. The Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon 2Kin 24, 2Kin 25 to last for 70 years. (Prophesied Jer 25:8,12) 2Chron 36:20-21. Jerusalem was desolate. Neh 2:12-15.
Go to Deut 28:49 to see more details of the history of Israel and its overturning.

24:12 Just to clarify this verse: Jehoiachin reigned only three months before he was taken captive.  This took place in the 8^th. year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, in 597 BC.

24:17 Mattaniah means Gift of Yah; while Zedekiah means Yah my righteousness.  Zedekiah was the son of Josiah and the brother of Jehoiakim.  Pharaoh-necho had changed the name of Zedekiah’s brother Eliakim to Jehoiakim (2Kin 23:34). Eliakim means God will raise up; while Jehoiakim means Yahweh sets up.  Changing the names of one’s captives was an expression dominance and power by the captor.

24:18 Zedekiah was put on the throne in the 8^th.year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, in 597 BC. Zedekiah reigned 11 years until he rebelled, which brought about the sacking of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

25:1,2 Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 596 BC and slowly starved the city for ten years, until Zedekiah rebelled and tried to break through the city wall in the fourth month of the year 586 BC.  One month after Zedekiah’s rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem and broke down its walls.

25:3 This was the ninth day of the fourth month (ESV), in 586 BC.

25:4-7 This event was predicted by Ezekiel, as we read in yesterday’s reading (Eze 12:4-13).

25:8-10 Nebuzaradan destroyed Jerusalem in the fifth month of the year 586 BC.

25:11 Jeremiah was still confined in prison at this time.  But, by the command of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah was released (Jer 39:11-14).

25:19 Jeremiah’s account has seven men rather than the five men that are recorded here (Jer 52:25). Perhaps, Jeremiah is adding the eunuch and the scribe to the five men to make a total of seven men.

25:20 Riblah was located in upper Syria.  The city made an ideal army base for Babylonian military operations in the region.

25:27 Jehoiachin began his short reign in 599 BC at aged 18.  He was now 55 years old, and the year was 562 BC - the year of Nebuchadnezzar’s death.

25:27-30 This part of the historical narrative is found in Jer 52:31-34

2Kin 24:1 - "Babylon" [(894) means "confusion (by mixing)"].

2Kin 24:1,2,10;25:1 - four invasions of Judah by Babylon.

2Kin 24:8 - as previously touched on by Peter Cresswell, the mother of Jehoiachin was "Nehushta" [(5179) meaning "copper, brass"] and her name is thought by some to figuratively echo the impure base fleshly sinful nature; similarly, "Nehushtan" [(5180) means "something made from copper, brass"] refers to the serpent raised (sinful nature crucified and an echo of Christ?) by Moses in the wilderness but later used (seemingly without the raising pole) as an idol of worship perhaps echoing the sinful nature of flesh. 

2Kin 24:14 - "...none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land." - the words "poorest sort" [Heb. "dallah" (1803) means "poor, poorest, sickness, lowest"] - perhaps they were spiritually poor also (Jer 24:1-10).

2Kin 25:4-5 - the nation's history ended where it begun - at Jericho.

2Kin 25:6-7 - Zedekiah was figuratively blind and bound to the flesh - now he was literally blind and bound by symbols of the flesh in a prophetic fulfilment (Jer 34:2-3;Eze 12:13).

2Kin 24:17-18 - "Mattaniah" [(4983) means "gift of Jah"] and "Zedekiah" [(6667) means "Jah is righteous, right of Jah"]; Zedekiah comes again to Jerusalem having been away - perhaps this reminds us of Christ's impending return to Jerusalem to establish his throne.

2Kin 25:27-30 - "Jehoiachin" [(3078) means "Jah will establish, Jah establishes"] was released from bondage, given a seat of honour, given new raiment which perhaps reminds us of Christ having risen.

25:12 This statement that ‘the poor of the land’ were left in Jerusalem is the end point of a process that the Chaldeans employed. With each wave of captives that were taken it was just the elite – intellectually and by birth – who were taken.  The ‘poor of the land’ were of little use to the Chaldeans in Babylon.

25:13    The fact that the Chaldeans simply broke up the metal and took the metal away to Babylon indicates that they were not at all interested in icons of worship from Jerusalem. The furniture of the temple was seen simply as a metal that they could use for their own purposes.

2Kin 24:18 - the number 11 is thought by some to refer to disorder, disorganisation and disintegration.

25:1       This event is spoken of in Eze 24:1 when the prophet was in Babylon. The terrible news of the fall of the city being given to the prophet.

24:10   This attack by the Babylonians marks the second of the three waves of captives that were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. 

It's important to see 2 Kings 25 alongside the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel which tell us of God's last messages to Judah before this terrible judgement overtakes them. Specifically Jeremiah is speaking with Zedekiah, telling him that he must give up to Nebuchadnezzar, because Nebuchadnezzar is actually carrying out God's will:

"I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live." Jer 27:12

Sometimes for us too, it is not God's will for us to prosper in a particular place, or in a specific thing. Perhaps like the people of Judah we may have sinned and God sees fit to punish us. It is better when this happens to submit. God will always be merciful to those who submit to His chastening, and the example of this is Zedekiah's predecessor, Jehoiachin, who gave up to Nebuchadnezzar and yet prospered (see 2Kin 24:10-15, 25:27-30). In contrast Zedekiah , who fought against God's will, met a dreadful end.

25:16 The mention here that the brass was without weight matches the way that it is described in the days of Solomon – 1Kin 7:47. However the focus is different. In Solomon’s day the fact that it was not weighed is an indication of the vast amount that was given to the service of God in the temple whereas here it is not weighed because the items of the temple were not valued by the Chaldeans.

2 Kings 24

"he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said" v13.

Notice the phrase here, "as the LORD had said", which reminds us that all this calamity came upon Judah with plenty of warning. One prophecy it is clearly referring to is that given by Isaiah to Hezekiah in Isaiah 39. Notice how detailed and accurate this is:

"Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." (Isa 39:6-7)

24:1    The taking of Jehoiakim is the first of the three separate captivities that took place at the end of the kingdom of Judah. Hence the promise of God through Ezekiel that he would overturn, overturn, overturn the kingdom – Eze 21:27

25:23    Johanan the son of Kareah had been with Ishmael when Gedaliah was killed Jeremiah 41:2 but after that he seemed to dissociated himself from Ishmael and, amongst others, asked Jeremiah to pray for him – Jer 42:1-2

SUBMIT AND LIVE

The prophets had all said to the people that if they surrendered to the king of Babylon, they would be spared the worst. Of the last four kings of Judah who came face to face with the Babylonian threat, only one king submitted to the Babylonians as he had been urged to do.

Jehoiachin must have realised that that the end was nigh. "Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him (Nebuchadnezzar)." (2Kin 24:12). It is interesting to see that Jehoiachin was the king whose family line survived the exile, returned to Jerusalem, and became ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the one that submitted to God's instruction.

The king of Babylon might not be knocking at the door, but the principle remains the same. Submit to God and live. It may be a difficult choice sometimes, when we need to go against our natures or our best instinct. But submission to God gives life.

24:2   From a human point of view one could easily have thought that the Chaldeans, being a more powerful nation, were simply able to invade Jerusalem. However the inspired record is quite clear. They were only able to invade Jerusalem because God had seen them. A clear example of the principle that Daniel was to give. Namely that God rules in the kingdom of Men – Dan 4:17

24:7       Little comfort really. The removal of the threat from Egypt was a consequence of the Chaldeans being the current threat. Jerusalem was in the middle of a power struggle and, because of their disobedience to God, could do nothing about it!

25:27 When Jehoiachin was taken captive it looked as if there would no longer be a son of David to sit on the throne of the Lord. In captivity all seemed lost. But then a change of heart in the king of Babylon. Jehoiachin is elevated and allowed to live normally. It is during this time that his son was born – Matt 1:12 – which preserved the line of David as God had promised.

25:1 this time answers to Eze 24:1.

24:3 Whilst Jehoiakim deserved punishment form God for his own behaviour we notice that the record speaks of the “sins of Manasseh”. We learn that actions of others have long term consequences. Whilst Manasseh did repent – 2Chron 32:19 – his actions had repercussions in the days of Jehoiakim.  This is not the only time that sins which were repented of had consequences. The same had been true of David who lost four sons because he committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed Uriah. We do well to reflect on the possible long term consequences of our actions before doing anything foolish. A realisation that there will be consequences may help us to act unwisely.

24:4   Is the writer exaggerating the evil acts of Jehoiakim saying he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood?

By “innocent” we should not assume that those who were killed were righteous. In fact, it seems that the king killed, rather than instructed, men and women who could have been taught faithful worship.

NO SERVICE MEDALS

Over the final years of the kings in Judah, as recorded in the book of Kings, there are some notable people missing from the record.

Isaiah was given a brief mention during the reign of Hezekiah, but Jeremiah, who played a major role with all the last kings, is not mentioned at all. Neither is Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah, Habakkuk or Zephaniah, who were all God's prophets over that period of time. Who knows, it is very likely that there were other prophets and God fearing people who made their mark on history at that time who were not recorded in the Scriptures at all. But the fact that they did not get their names in print, or receive a king's service medal, or a star on the walk of fame, did not deter them from doing their job - and doing it well.

It may well be the same for us today. Maybe the tireless work and the sacrifices we make will not get noticed by anyone. But like these great men of faith, let's not give up. Instead let's keep actively doing our part in the service of the Lord. He is watching. He knows. And we know that our labour in the Lord will not be in vain.

25:13-17  The way that the temple was destroyed and then looted would have been a great trial of faith for those remaining in the land of Israel. The temple that God had ordained to be built was destroyed. Should Yahweh still be trusted? The attitude and the faith of the people depended on whether they believed His word through the prophets or not.

We need to be careful not to equate out own ideas about what is going to happen with what scripture says.

Scripture is always right – we are often wrong!

v.2,3 - The false prophets were convincing, hence the need to be warned of them by those who are the true prophets. We must beware, as the false prophets are still equally convincing. 2Pet.2:1-3

13:3 foolish prophet Matthew 7:15
13:4 foxes Nehemiah 4:3
13:11 overflowing ... wind Matthew 7:27 etc
13:14 foundation, discover Matthew 7:24 25 etc

The message of this chapter is that foolish prophets in Israel are attempting to build God's house - Israel - but not using the correct methods. In fact their approach was to be involved in false worship - see verses 17 - 23. Jesus uses this area of Ezekiel a number of times in the 'Sermon on the Mount' in Matthew.
The 'foolish prophet' of Ezekiel 13 becomes the 'false prophet' of Matthew 7:15.
The parable of the men who built houses has part of its language taken from the wall built with 'untempered mortar' in Ezekiel 13.

v.6 - It is easy to look around the whole Christian movement in the earth and see where there are false prophets, teaching for doctrines those things which the people want to hear, and in our hearts perhaps judge them for it. It is important to be absolutely sure we are not doing this ourselves. All beliefs and practices must be looked at again and again in the light of the requirements which God puts forward, that we might find ourselves in tune with His will and purpose in all ways.

13:16 The 'visions of peace' that the false prophets were presenting to the people would be appealing to human nature and therefore the false prophets would be esteemed by the people. The desire to be popular should never detract from the message of the gospel. In fact we ought to expect that the message that we preach will be unpalatable - it was in Jesus' and the apostles days.

:10 The way that the false prophets worked - seduction - highlighted to Israel their real problem. It was following false gods. The Old Testament is full of seduction language when speaking of the following of false gods. Proverbs 5 & 7 are classic examples. So just the use of the word 'seduced' should alert Israel to their position. In like manner our familiarity with Scriptural language would cause us to appreciate our actions clearly.

13:22 In Ezekiel's day the righteous were 'sad' when they heard false teaching. I wonder how we feel when we hear error leading men and women away from an understanding of the gospel message.

V.3 Peter may well have had in mind these prophets who "follow their own spirit" when, in contrast he wrote, "We did not follow cunningly devised fables". He then refers to the prophets who testified of the coming of the Son of God and declares, "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man".(2Pet 1:16;21 RV) 

V.10 Building up a wall meant establishing a falsehood, and daubing it with untempered (mortar) (whitewash) was finishing it with an attractive exterior to cover that falsehood. 

There is an old plasterer's saying which supports this idea: A good finish hides a multitude of sins. 

The term whitewash is used in modern parlance, and refers to glossing over mistakes.  Jesus used the figure to describe the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Matt 23:27); while Paul used it against the high priest (Acts 23:3).

False prophets have brought Israel down. Eze 13:1-10 is God’s warning against these false teachers; Eze 13:10-16 demonstrates how destructive their preaching is; and then Eze 13:17-23 is directed against the female false prophets.  The lesson for us is to be very aware of all who are professional teachers of religion, but who do not have the truth.

13:3  The ‘foolish prophets’ were fools because they taught false words, as if by saying words those things would come to pass. False would describe their words, foolish would describe the way that they thought.

Vs.18-23 Women were engaged in occult practices with which they held power over people. These practices were strictly forbidden under the Law (Deut 18:10-12).  Throughout history women have played predominant roles in such practices.  Today, most clairvoyants, mediums etc. are women. 

13:20 The ‘pillows’ <03704> seems to relate to false phylacteries used by false prophets to support their divinations. Their behaviour, therefore, was a direct attack on the, albeit misguided, wearing of phylacteries in keeping with Deut 6:8.

V.4 Israel's prophets were likened to jackals among ruins (ESV). 

Jackals were fox-like animals with yellowish fur that hunted in packs.  These carnivores, as a pack, could bring down a larger animal such as an antelope.  They also ate smaller animals (live or dead) as well as non-meat food sources.  They were noted for their nocturnal howling (like wolves baying at the moon).  They were often seen roaming around the ruins of cities. 

Thus, destruction became associated with the lair of jackals. Hence, the figure of Israel's (false) prophets who were doomed to destruction.

13:11 the ‘overflowing shower’ and ‘stormy wind’ seem to be used by Jesus in Matt 7:27

13:3 The prophets were ‘foolish’ because they followed their own ‘spirit’ rather than the spirit of God. In this they were like the false prophets in the day of Jesus – Matt 7:15

Ezekiel is thought to have been deported to Babylon in 597 BC and the word of the Lord came to him 5 years later and he prophesied for at least 22 years Eze 1:1-3;Eze 29:17.

Eze 13:9-14 - Sometimes things can be figurative, literal or both. Sometimes there are multiple applications or echoes in prophesy. Of course we don't want to see some similarity as necessarily indicating multiple applications or echoes, etc. In vs 9 we read of prophets seeing false visions, etc. and that they will not belong to the council of my people or enter the land of Israel. Could this have a multiple applications referring to Cyrus letting the Jews return as well as a future application with some not making it to the land then and/or future? In vs 10 we read sayings of "peace", when there is no peace and mention of a "wall" Heb. chayits (2434) meaning "a wall" but is derived from chuts (2351) meaning separate by a wall, outdoors, highway, etc. The "wall" in vs 12,14 is the Heb. qiyrah (7023) meaning mason, side, wall, town and is derived from quwr (6979) meaning to trench, to throw forth, to wall up (literal) or (figuratively) to break down, cast out, destroy. We read of "untempered mortar" (KJV) or "whitewash" (NIV) in vs 10,11,14 as well as in Eze 22:28 where it would seem to have a figurative application and the Heb. word is taphel (8602) from a root which (literally) means to smear, plaster, slime or (figuratively) means foolish things, unsavoury, untempered.

The word for "great hailstones" in Heb. is elgabiysh (417) and is used in only 3 places in the Bible - Eze 13:11,13;Eze 38:22. In Eze 38:11 we read "unwalled" and the Heb. word used is perazoth (6519) and it means unwalled villages or open villages. In Eze 38:20 we read of a "wall" and the Heb. word used is chowmah (2346) meaning a wall of protection. We have in Eze 13:10 mention of "peace" and the Heb. word used is shalom (7965) meaning peace, rest, safe, well, happy, prosperity, etc. In Eze 38:8,11,14 we have  mention of "safely" and the Heb. word used is betach (983) meaning place of refuge, confidence, hope, assurance, safety, security in the sense of feeling safe, etc. In Eze 38:11 we have mention of "rest" and the Heb. word is shaqat (8252) meaning repose, idleness, quiet, settle, be still, etc.

Is there a subtle echo between  Eze 13:9-14 and Eze 38:8,10-13,18,20,22? The hailstones would seem to connect but other words, even when the same or similar in English are different in the Hebrew.

V.14 Yahweh pledged to bring down the wall which had been erected by the false prophets.

By contrast, Jesus, the true prophet, supports walls that will stand forever.

Jesus represents the cornerstone which was placed at the junction of two walls. Being at the base, it supported the building of two adjacent walls, making them true and stable. As one wall ended, the other began (Isa 28:16; 1Pet 2:6,7).

The two walls embody the old and new covenants.  Both covenants have Jesus as their foundation - the new continues where the old finished.

Vs.20,21,23 Yahweh will eradicate the magical practices which are abhorrent to Him (Deut 18:10,11).

Untempered words are like mortar that washes away

Mortar is the grey stuff that sits between the bricks or stones. It holds the wall together. It's made up of sand and a little cement (or Lime) mixed together with water. The cement gives it the ability to set and hold the wall together once the water has evaporated. If this element is left out, you might have a wall that looks ok, but there's just compacted sand between the bricks.

The problem with sand is not that it can't hold things up. It can. We often build houses on sand and it makes for a great base because once compacted it stays compacted. Think about the beach - jump up and down on the dry sand and you have a very hard surface with little give. The problem is purely when water comes. Just as in the parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matt 7:26-27) it is water that weakens the sand allowing the wind to bring the structure down (v11-13). Water simply takes sand away and turns it into a liquid which flows out from between the bricks. Think of the feeling of the sand between your toes when you paddle in the sea. The plaster daubed on the stones would allow it to withstand the rain, but it too was un-tempered and would wash away with the driving rain and hailstones (v11).

So the picture Ezekiel is building up here is of a wall seemingly as strong as any other, but unable to withstand future events. The foolish prophecies were seemingly as good as any other words, but unable to do any good long term (v22). What are we like in the words of comfort or instruction we give? All words appear equal in the short term. But what about the lasting benefit? From v22 we learn that if we mix our words correctly from scripture, we will help the sinner to turn around, and the righteous to rejoice. Let's think carefully the next time we are about to say "I think..." rather than "It says here..."

13:4-5 In speaking of Israel’s (false) prophets as being like ‘foxes in the desert’ we realise that they are destroying, rather than caring for, the flock. A point developed in greater detail in Eze 34

13:10   ‘untempered mortar’ stands for the false teaching and immorality of the religious leaders.

13:14 In earlier comments in previous years I have highlighted links with Matthew 7. The discovering of the foundations is another such link being alluded to in Matt 7:27. The foolish prophets of Ezekiel’s day equate to the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day who built upon unstable foundations – their own ideas rather than God’s revelation.

1. Ezekiel 13:1-16 - God is against the false prophets (Eze 13:5,10-15 - a false wall of protection the Babylonian storm knocked down):

2. Eze 13:1-7 - the sins of the false prophets:

3. Eze 13:1-3 - they falsely prophesied out of their own heart (Jer 28:1-4,15;5:30-31;Lam 2:14;2Pet 2:1-2;2Tim 4:3-4).

4. Eze 13:2 - Jer 23:9-32.

5. Eze 13:4-5 - we need to build effective spiritual walls rooted in the firm foundation of Christ rather than depend on a misleading appearance of righteousness which is destructive like foxes in the wilderness (Song 2:15).

6. Eze 13:6 - they believed in their false prophecies (2Thess 2:10-12).

7. Eze 13:6 "divination"<7081>; Eze 13:7 "divination"<4738>.

8. Eze 13:8-16 - judgment of the false prophets:

9. Eze 13:10  - "seduced"<2937>.     

10. Eze 13:14 - "foundation" (Matt 7:15-16,22-27).

11. Eze 13:11 - this reminds of a future day of judgment (Eze 38:18-23).   

12. Eze 13:16 - there is no peace to the wicked (Isa 57:21).

13. Eze 13:9 - "shall not be in the 'assembly'<5475>" - the assembly refers to the restoration of Jerusalem under Zerubbabel when the purified remnant of Israel returned to the land and also echos a future restoration when Christ returns to establish his Father's kingdom on earth (Matt 6:10;5:5) - the assembly is the true ecclesia and faithful bride of Christ.   

14. Eze 13:9,14,23 - "ye shall know that I am the Lord".   

15. Eze 13:17-23 - God is against the false prophetesses:

16. Eze 13:18 - (NIV) "Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?"

17. Eze 13:19 - (KJV) "to slay the 'souls'<5315> that should not die. and to save the souls alive that should not live" - (NIV) "By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live" - a soul is a living breathing creature human or animal, in some cases soul means life, souls are not immortal (Eze 18:4), and souls are the person as opposed to an entity inside of the person (Gen 2:7).

18. Eze 13:22 - "strengthened the hand of the wicked...promising him life" - the first lie was man won't die (Gen 3:3-4) - we can only attain eternal life by following God's instructions.

19. Eze 13:23 - God will more fully deliver his people when His son Christ soon returns to earth.

13:17  Ezekiel did not like to speak the words which God gave him to speak. However he spoke. This contrasts with the false prophets who delighted to speak their own thoughts.

Eze 13:10-12 - could this be a reference to the fence/wall that former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon ordered built thus dividing the land (2Chron 13:5;Joel 3:2;Isa 29:1,2,10;Eze 38:10,11,20)? Is Israel in a metaphoric sleep (Sharon a literal sleep) regarding the implications of dividing the land, building a wall that will not last, and not recognizing Jesus as the true Messiah (Zech 12:10)?

ENCOURAGE OR DISCOURAGE

It is always interesting to see the reasons certain people, or groups of people, are judged through the Bible. Not so we can gloat, of course, but so that we can learn lessons from them and avoid the same mistakes ourselves. One such group had this said about them: "Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and to save their lives ... I will save my people from your hands." (Eze 13:22-23).

In this case it was all about encouraging and discouraging other people. We all do it to some extent, and if we don't, we should, because other people need us to help them along or to stop them doing wrong. The question is, what do we encourage and what do we discourage?

Next time you find yourself saying something positive or negative to another person, ask yourself this: What am I encouraging or discouraging? Is this going to be a help to me or to them? Where does my comment fit in with God's plan to fill the earth with his glory?

Let's make sure our words are pleasing to God first of all.

13:6  The danger of the false prophets was that they gave the people false hope. However such hope was baseless. Likewise those who, today, believe error might think that they have a hope but in reality they are as lost as those who have not considered what God has said.

13:3  We should not think that it is only false prophets who follow their own spirits. What God is condemning is those who come to His word and instruction with their own pre-conceived ideas. Rather than being interested in what he has said they seek to impose their own (unscriptural) views on others.

13:10    We might wonder how the people could be seduced by false prophets. However all we need to do is reflect on how easy it is for ourselves to devise plans which suit our own objectives even though, in the cold light of day, we realise they are foolish.

13:9,14,21,23       The recurring assertion that Israel would know that God was their lord is set against the background of the idols and false prophets being removed from the land.

13:2 In prophesying “out of their own hearts” we are seeing that the false prophets’ whole focus is on themselves – Prov 23:7

13:1 right throughout the time of the prophets – and before during the time of Moses, Joshua and the Judges God’s faithful prophets had to contend with others spreading lies and falsehood about God and his plan. Things are not significantly different today. We need to be alert to true from false teaching.

13:3 the margin translation here is “and things which they have not seen” which is more forceful than the way that the KJ reads “seen nothing”

13:2-3 There were teachers in Israel who claimed to have messages from God. However those “messages” came from their own heart.

All servants of God potentially can be false prophets. We should be very careful whenever we use the phrase “I think”, when presenting what the bible says, to be careful that we are not simply presenting what we would like scripture to day.

13:5 Ezekiel here in vision sees the absence of a faithful leader who would teach. This is what is being spoken of with the words “hedge” and “gap”.  When the elders are before him again  - 20:1 –we find the same thing said again –  22:10 (Eze 22 is at the same time as Ezekiel 20.)

13:7-8  We clearly understand the distaste God has for false prophets saying that they are speaking God’s word. In fact Isaiah has already said such speaking is a consequence of there being no “light” in the prophet – Isaiah 8:20.

Whilst there may not be a direct correspondence between our words and the false prophets there is certainly the obligation not to miss-represent our Father in the way we speak of His word. We may be guilty if we try to fit what scripture says into our own ideas, maybe even suggesting that the words are not expressed as well as they could be.

Eze 13:10,11

A STORMY WIND SHALL REND IT

“DISOBEDIENCE after the flood brought ‘confusion of tongues as a punishment. So long as groups of men speaking a common tongue could live out their own life without much contact with other groups, the full effect of this calamity was not felt. But in these last days, when there has been a comparative annihilation of distance, and when an event in any part of the world may have immediate devastating consequences for all the world, we are experiencing in full measure the effects of that which happened at Babel. If God compared the peace efforts of Israel’s leaders at the time of the overthrow of the kingdom to a ramshackle wall, daubed with untampered mortar, to what can the efforts of the leaders today be compared when they try to construct a world out of the discordant elements of every nation? ‘Because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untampered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it’ (Eze 13:10,11).”

John Carter, Letter to the Hebrews, p. 68

A wall of untempered mortar is not able to withstand “overflowing showers,” “great hailstones,” and strong winds. It will fall! This was a metaphor Ezekiel used of impending judgment against Israel. They denied, and thus failed to heed the warning and fell.

The nations of the world that joined themselves to the United Nations (Turkey will leave the UN) are all talking of “peace.” Much like the leaders of Israel in ancient times, our political and religious preachers speak of peace and deny their sins. They speak of “smooth things’ (cf. Isa 30:10); they speak of things what the people want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Judgement came for Israel, and it will come for us too.

The Great Tribulation is not synonymous with the Tribulation. The only thing we are assured of is, if accepted, we will escape the “wrath of God” - earth’s final battle being with Christ, his saints, to which we aspire (1Thess 5:9; cf. Eph 5:6; Col 3:6).

v.3 - We are given so many reminders that God will provide for us, and yet we still worry and panic so much that we possibly even prevent His provision by our attitude of anxiety. The simple and childlike faith of these disciples who were with Jesus, should be reflected in believers today, even though we have not seen with our eyes and handled with our hands. Psa.37:3

9:54 fire from heaven as Elijah 2 Kings 1:10
9:56 to save them Elijah - God is saviour
9:61 Lord ... at my house 1 Kings 19:20
9:62 hand to the plough 1 Kings 19:19

v.7 - 9 Notice John the Baptist is now dead - Luke does not record the events associated with his death.
v.8 'some that Elias had appeared'. Clearly there was a great expectation at this time that Messiah would come. Matt 16:14 17:10 Mark 6:15 8:28 9:11 Luke 9:19 John 1:21 are all occasions - some parallels of course - where it is clear that Elias was expected. Additionally there were those 'looking for the consolation of Israel' Luke 2:25.
v.19 - 22 This is the first time that Jesus has clearly stated that he is to die. That this is so is made more clear in Matthew's account of the same incident. Matthew 16:21 'from that time Jesus began to show his disciples how that he must... suffer ...'

9:51 has Jesus beginning his journey to Jerusalem. Whilst this is a spiritual journey the focus is now on the cross. We can trace the journey thus. 9:51 9:53 9:57 10:38 13:22 13:33 17:11 18:31 19:11 19:28 That this is a spiritual journey rather than a direct route that Jesus took will be seen by noting where Jesus is on each occasion. He was at Bethany on one occasion and left before returning to Jerusalem via Bethany for the final Passover.

:1 And so, as we noted yesterday, the disciples learnt by watching Jesus, they are sent out to do the same things that Jesus did.

What did Jesus mean when he said "whoever seeks to save his life will lose it"?

In the verse previous Jesus had put forward an offer "if anyone desires to come after me, let him take up his cross... and follow me". He was saying that if anyone wanted to follow with him to glory, they would have to do everything he was doing. This meant following him to the cross, and dying with him on it. As we read later on in the gospel, the disciples attempted to follow Jesus to the cross, but couldn't. Instead they denied him. The next words of Jesus are "whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory"(v26).

So we have a paradox. Jesus seems to be condemning his own disciples. Is it true that he will deny them all when he comes in his glory? If this was so for them, then what hope do we have? The answer is simple. We must be drawing the wrong conclusion! Lets look at it again!

If we look at the state of mind of the disciples in the chapter, we find that they are becoming increasingly full of their own importance. In v46 there is the dispute over who will be the greatest. In v49 we find that the disciples had taken Jesus literally, and were being antagonistic towards anyone NOT following him. In v54 they offer to call down fire from heaven in judgment on those who were "ashamed of the gospel".

Jesus had read their thoughts completely. They were getting carried away with their sense of achievement. They were feeling up to the task. They were feeling powerful, righteous, leaders of men, judges, kings. They were basking in the glory of Jesus, and didn't realise it was his glory alone, and that they were nothing without him. They were dangerously close to becoming like eve, who considered equality with God something to be attained. They were a few steps away from making themselves equal with Jesus.

So Jesus asks them a question, echoing the desire in their heart... "if anyone desires to come after me". This is the same phrase as John used of Jesus "he who comes after me is preferred before me" (John 1v27). They desired to be after Jesus. Up to his standard. Part of his greatness.... or even equal to him. Jesus, realising this tries to explain that this requires something that none of them can give. This is an honour that they shouldn't be grasping at. He tells them that it will mean the cross for them. Later in Mark 10v38 he again tries to show them the same thing "are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with?". The answer was a plain and simple "no, we're not able", but they didn't realise it. By not realising this, they were being ashamed of him and his words (v26). They were not accepting him as their saviour.

So what does Jesus mean in our opening statement? Maybe it it this: "whoever seeks to save his life by grasping at equality with me, will never manage it. I'm the only one who will ever do it. I'm the only one who will ever be perfect. You will fail, and will lose your life trying. Better for you is just to admit defeat, trust in me, forget your illusions of grandeur, and humble yourself. If you do this, you will gain your life." And this is what they did, eventually, after they had all denied him. After they had all failed. And after they all wept bitter tears of repentance. From that time on they never squabbled about greatness again.

9:40 Following on from my comment for March 18th we must appreciate the concern that would beset the disciples. They had been given the commission to preach and heal and so short a time after they have been given the task they are unable to perform.

V.23 To deny oneself, means to substitute the discipline of Christ for the cravings of one's own sinful nature. This can be done only by the grace and power of God. We must also take note of the word "DAILY". This is something which has to be done on a daily basis. To follow Christ we must  be in the same way as him.

V.1 Having been given divine power did not mean that the disciples could automatically use it.  The use of this power depended upon the faith of the user.  This is demonstrated in the inability of the disciples to help the child in vs.38-40.  Jesus chides them for their lack of faith (v.41). 

Although we are not given the kind of power that the disciples received, nevertheless, faith remains a pillar in our life in Christ.  It is worthwhile, from time to time, to re-read Hebrews 11 to see what effect faith can have on the lives of believers.

9:52-54 Whereas John wanted to bring judgment upon the Samaritans here it was John – Acts 8:14 – who was sent to verify the response of the Samaritans.

Luke 9:54

What is fire from heaven, if it is not lightning... and these where the Sons of Thunder making the request. Notice Jesus compassion for the Samaritans. He had to remind James and John that He had come to save men's lives... not fry them!!

Luke 9:62

I was born on the land and did my apprenticeship as a farmer - not with horse or bullock and plow, but with tractors, and what Brother Collyer says in Chapter 9 of Principles and Proverbs of crooked plow lines is true. Only by focusing on a distant object (not a cloud!!) can one hope to plow a straight furrow.

Now there is no particular reason for plowing straight lines (that I know of) except that the results look neat and tidy. Perhaps in ancient days, where there were no fence lines to mark out the boundaries between properties, a straight line was a good idea when marking the first turning of the soil between your corner markers. Running off course could well put your plow line into the neighbours property.

A quick backward glance will not throw the line, but a backward focus will.

For me, this is what the verse means. Jesus is not forbidding a backward glance to reassure oneself that the effort of forward focus has been worth while. But He is warning that a backward focus may negate the good work already done. The forward focus will produce 'straight' results, but the focus must be in faith. I guess the backward focus takes my mind back to legalism, the great nemesis of the faithful in every age.

Looking forward, one cannot see the results behind, but one must work on in faith, that that which is being produced behind our back, out of sight as it were, is 'straight' - whereas looking back can be 'comforting' because the results can be seen instantly - which is the like the comfort of legalism - no waiting for results in faith.

Legalism creates instant results.... but not the best outcomes.

So, just like legalism, a backward focus produces results that are 'crooked'.

Only by focusing on an immovable object some distance away, can one hope to create what the Bible calls 'straight' works in faith. The real secret to a straight furrow, is a forward focus which lines up two objects, one behind the other, such as a fence post or a rock on the far border of the field, and a tree even further in the distance.

In our spiritual figure, we do that by lining up Jesus with His Father, and the result will be those 'straight' works in faith.

FIRE FROM HEAVEN
 
As Jesus and his disciples were about to go on their way through Samaria, the Samaritans would not welcome them. This provoked a response from James and John, and they asked Jesus, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" (Luke 9:54) Jesus rebuked them for their suggestion.
 
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from heaven after the residents there gave the angels a very un-welcome. And Elijah, who had prophesied about the king in Samaria, had called fire down from heaven to consume two captains and their fifty men, thanks to he king's hostility. But just because people are hostile to or anti the truth of Jesus Christ does not demand instant judgement.
 
God is patient with people and gives them every opportunity to come to him - even if they reject him at first. Later on John would have been glad that fire had not been called down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans, because when Philip had preached in Samaria, there was a great harvest of people for the Lord. When Peter and John went to Samaria with Philip they met many new believers - people who may have been destroyed if James and John had had their way.
 
We can never write people off. They may be anti or even hostile toward the message of God, but given time God may change their hearts and they will become his people. May the fire we call from heaven be prayers for the saving of their souls.

9:10 Doubtless when the twelve returned they would have been jubilant at what they had achieved. Therefore Jesus took them aside to calm their enthusiasm and give them a more balanced view of their mission .

9:23-25 Let us never grumble or complain about the demands that being a follower of Christ make upon both our energy and our time; or when we are tired or weary, then let us remember that the Master understands. He experienced it too, and in greater measure than we will ever know

9:25 Jesus had been tempted to throw away everything in exchange for the ‘whole world’ in the wilderness- Matt 4:8, Luke 4:5 so Jesus’ words to his disciples was not simply a theoretical teaching. He had already made the choice.

9:12 The disciples have returned from an exhausting healing and preaching effort. It is, I suppose, only natural that they thought sending the people away was the best solution to their needs. However Jesus wanted them to understand that as long as there were people around to hear the word they had a responsibility to meet their needs.

V.1 The disciples were given divine power before it was generally dispensed on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

V.2 Look at the task Jesus set for His disciples:

1) to proclaim the kingdom of God (ESV)

 2) to heal (ESV)

The healing was to show the power of God and to add credence to the message about the kingdom of God.  Jesus preached the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14).

The kingdom of God is an essential component of the Gospel.  Without understanding it, one has no purpose or hope.  Salvation depends upon the understanding of, and the belief in the kingdom of God (Acts 8:12).

9:28 Luke says ‘about an eight days’ whereas Matt 17:1 and , Mark 9:1-2 say ‘six’ days. Rather than trying to reconcile clearly different periods of time maybe there is some value in noting that it is only Luke who specifies the circumcision of Jesus on the ‘eighth day’ – Luke 2:21

Do you think Jesus received all power and authority from his Father before, or after, he was raised from the dead? It's natural to think this occurred after, when he sat down at the right hand of God (as it says in 1Pet 3:22). But here we already have Jesus passing on power and authority to his disciples(v1). Where did he get it from? Likewise in 4:36 he displays this same power himself. The only difference, before and after the resurrection, appears to be authority over angels, which are mentioned only in the 1Pet 3:22 passage. Hebrews concurs with this, saying "he was made a little lower than the angels [but] for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour" as if to say, complete authority over the angels only came when he had risen from the dead. The implications of this for us are many. In effect we are being told that authority like Jesus had can be ours too, even before resurrection to immortality. The practical application of this discovery is that we pray to God at every opportunity for healing and help for others. See John 15:16-17, where Jesus puts us in charge of each other's welfare.

9:2    Notice the order of the charge that Jesus gave to his disciples. First it was to preach the kingdom of God. Second it was to heal. The first priority was the gospel message.  Likewise we should realise for ourselves that the message is prominent above charitable works.

Luke 9:28-36

Please read my notes on Matt 17:1-13, July 16th, on the Transfiguration to which the reader replied. Thank you.

A reader writes concerning the events of the Transfiguration:

“The Transfiguration was not a vision. Moses and Elijah were present in body.  Jesus was transfigured before the 3 disciples while fully awake and Peter carried on a conversation with Jesus believing the event was real.”

My reply:

According to Christ, the Transfiguration was a vision (Matt 17:9), and that of his future glorification, and of the future of the coming Kingdom of God. What the apostles saw was real, but not something that actually happened right there and then in their time.  Jesus was not yet glorified, but received a vision of his glorification. Christ’s glorification was to actually happen after his death and resurrection, Christ being the first-fruits of the brethren that died to be raised and after glorified, or made immortal (Rom 8:29-30; 1Cor 15:20,23,43-44). It is impossible then, that Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) actually appeared in their literal glorified bodies (Luke 9:31cf. Heb 11:39-40) before Christ, but they will be glorified in due time sharing in the last great Old Testament prophecy of the Second Coming of Christ (Mal 4:4-5). How appropriate then that they appear with Christ at the Transfiguration! Scripture does not contradict itself, nor will God ever go against His own decrees.

It would seem to me that your general understanding is that to be able to have a vision we have to be fast asleep, and since the apostles were fully awake and conversations took place, the vision was not a vision. God spoke to His people in many different ways, including by dreams, trances, and visions. Dreams occur when one is asleep; a trance is not a dream, but is a state of altered mental disposition while awake; a vision occurs while one is awake, which may include being in a trance, but does not have to be. In a similar fashion we have the apostle John who being in the Spirit heard, saw and talked concerning the visions given him of the future by our Messiah, and wrote them down (Rev 1:10-11). In a similar fashion, the apostle Peter being in a trance, heard, saw, and talked while he was having his vision (Acts 10:9-19).They were active participants in their visions. Likewise, we read in Num 24:4, “…Which saw the visionof the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open”! The apostles’ spiritual eyes and senses were opened even if just for a few moments, enabling them to glimpse into the future. This vision strengthened them for the days ahead, for “without a vision, the people perish” (Prov 29:18)! The apostles did not yet fully understand that Christ had to suffer many things and be crucified (Matt 16:21-23).

It was necessary that they be awake to see the Transfiguration, just as it is for us to stay awake, and not sleep as do others (1Thess 5:6). Later, Peter, himself, described this event as a revelation of Christ’s future coming kingdom, and testified of his full understanding of it (2Pet 1:16-19; cf. 1Pet 1:9-12). John could go on to say, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we knowthat, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1John 3:2) in his Shekinah glory as shown to him in the Transfiguration.

 Luke 9:61,62 -

9:28-31     The disciples were eyewitnesses the transfiguration. However Peter  - 2Pet 1:16-19 –says that the testimony of the Scripture is even more reliable than that which he saw with his own eyes.

9:50  In Luke 11:23 Jesus seems to be saying exactly the opposite to what he is saying here. However  a consideration of the context in the two places will show the difference between those who are being spoken to.  In 9:50 there were people being positive about Jesus work whereas in Luke 11:23 Jesus’ words are a response to the leaders who were opposing his work. 

9:9     Herod might well have asked “who is his?” an earlier Herod had attempted to kill the boys born in Bethlehem during a certain period. One wonders whether Herod ever gave any thought to the prophecy of Mic 5:2 explained to his predecessor.

9:32   Being ‘heavy with sleep’ was seen in the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane also –Luke 22:45 -. How often do we miss valuable things simply because we see rest as more valuable than that which we are missing!

9:1     Sending out the twelve, probably for the first time, marks an increase in Jesus’ activity. This is increased further – Luke 10:1 – when, in addition to the twelve, the seventy are also sent out.

9:28  Whilst  we might think the evidence of an eye witness was the most powerful testimony we could have Peter tells us that there is something even more reliable than an eye witness account. It is the testimony of Scripture – 2Pet 1:19

LISTEN, ASK, OBEY

We might not have been up the mountain or have seen Jesus transfigured and shining with glory. We might not have seen Moses and Elijah or heard their discussion with Jesus. We were not with them when the cloud overshadowed them and neither did we hear the voice of God coming from the cloud. But even though we weren't there, the words spoken by God to the disciples still ring out loud and clear for us today. Listen: "And a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him.'" (Luke 9:35).

God's words spoken from the cloud are just as important for us today as they were for the disciples who actually heard them. Listen to Jesus, we are told. Listening to Jesus is what God wants from us. More than that, listen properly. Understand.

What does it mean to be humble? How can I take up my cross? What if people don't accept the message when I preach it? When the disciples didn't understand "they were afraid to ask him." (v.15). Let's not be like them. Let's ask when we don't understand.

Listen to Jesus. Ask him what he means if we don't understand. And then obey.
 

9:6notice that the disciples follow Jesus’ word exactly. Preaching came first. It is important to notice this when today so many evangelicals focus on the healing rather than the teaching.

9:11 the feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four gospel. The preaching beforehand is significant. However it is only here in Luke that we read of the healing. The other records mention the preaching but not the healing.

9:11 the feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four gospel. The preaching beforehand is significant. However it is only here in Luke that we read of the healing. The other records mention the preaching but not the healing.

TRANSFORMATION

Have you ever wanted an amazing experience of godly transformation? Wouldn't it be great if we could feel the Spirit of God around us, experience his glory and have our heart so in tune with God that nothing else matters?

Experiences like that don't happen by accident. They don't happen when we are so busy living our own lives that we leave very little time to spend with God. They don't happen when we are preoccupied with our own thoughts, worries and desires that there is barely a thought left for God. It all begins with us moving into the presence of God - not God coming into our presence.

Take the transfiguration, for example. This was no random event that just happened. Look at what Jesus was doing at the time: "[Jesus] took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white." (Luke 9:28-29).

Jesus had put himself into the right place by seeking out peace and quietness and praying to God. He had moved into God's presence and prayed before the transformation took place.

So let us also dedicate our time, thoughts and energy to God, and pray to be in the right place for our transformation.
 

v58 Jesus didn't always have "nowhere to lay his head". For example, he stayed with Martha, Mary and Lazarus at Bethany. But he and his disciples were dependent on the hospitality of others (v4) and sometimes that hospitality was denied them (vv5, 53) and they had nowhere to lay their heads.

v59 The father may not have been dead or even unwell. In those times you could not act independently until your father had died. Meaning: I will follow you when my father dies.

Additionally, once dead, the father was dead for 12 months and, in some cases,  then reburied in a family tomb. So, the person could have extended the time by many years and even if the father were dead could have extended it for another year.

v61 Farewells were elaborate  drawn-out events and involved lots of celebration and meetings – potential for a person to change his mind and stay home.

This person was only half committed and may have been saying I will follow you BUT on my terms with flex leave, rostered days off, overtime pay, no weekend work and so on. By contrast, when Elisha said farewell to his family, it was quick and unequivocal - he burned the tools of his trade (the oxen and their yoke: 1 Kings 19:21) symbolising his determination to follow Elijah. 

9:1 Any who is strong enough with power can overcome his adversary. Victory then is due to strength. However Jesus also gave his disciples “authority” which is far more powerful that just having “power”. The disciples were given the right to heal.