Comments for September 26

v.20 Phinehas rules over - as the adopted father - of the sons of Korah who died trying to usurp Phinehas Aaron's son.
v.22 David and Samuel! Samuel died during the reign of Saul 1 Samuel 25:1 David met Samuel, according to the record, once. 1 Samuel 19:18 When he was fleeing from Saul. Was this the occasion when David and Samuel ordained the porters?

:1 So the nation is numbered right up to the captivity to Babylon
:2-34 Those who dwelt at Jerusalem
:20 An historical comment about Phinehas who lived at the time of the entering into the land of Israel.
:27-34 The responsibilities of some of the sons of Levi who dwelt at Jerusalem
:35-44 The sons of Gibeon

Verse 1 shows that this part of the book was written after the captivity had taken place.
The Gibeonites are catalogued being those who Joshua had made hewers of wood and drawers of water (Joshua 9:27). As some of the original inhabitants of the land the men of Gibeon would be almost unique in the land.

9:22 That David and Samuel 'ordained' workers in Solomon's temple is amazing! Samuel died whilst Saul was still alive. This work, therefore, must have been conducted before David was on the throne long before he had brought the ark to Zion (2Sam 6) and desired to build a house for God (2Sam 7).

9:39-44 This section of the genealogy of Benjamin is a repetition of 1Chron 8:33-38 and it is repeated because it is the line of the first king. The scene is here set for the kingdom ruled by men.

V.18 The king had a gate from the palace into the temple (1Kin 16:18), which doubtless was kept constantly closed except for the monarch's use. Although there was no king in Israel on the return from the captivity, yet the old ceremonial was kept up, in the hope that the sceptre would be restored to the house of David. There being no king then in Israel, this gate would have been always shut. 

The first verse of today's chapter (1Chron 9:1) tells us that Chronicles must have been written after, or during, the captivity in Babylon.

V.19 The sons of Korah had been spared death for their father's sin (Num 16:27, 26:10,11).  And yet, Achan's family died with him for his transgression (Josh 7:24,25).  Could it be that Korah's family stood aside and disowned the act of Korah, while the family of Achan stood with him in complicity?

V.22 Gatekeepers were guards to the temple entrances.  Some had specific duties to guard the ark.  The aim was to keep out those who were not permitted to worship at certain places (unclean in terms of the Law). 

Originally, they were appointed by David and Samuel.  Samuel was familiar with the job as it was his childhood responsibility (1Sam 3:15). 

When the Israelites first returned from Babylon, there were 212 gatekeepers appointed.  Compare that with the 4000 gatekeepers originally appointed for the temple alone (1Chron 23:5). 

9:3  Whilst we might not be surprised to read of Judah and Benjamin dwelling in Jerusalem as Jerusalem was a city on the border between Judah and Benjamin we may well be surprised to read of Ephraim and Manasseh dwelling there also.

9:22 The last time we see David and Samuel together is when David fled to Samuel – 1Sam 19:18– fearing for his life and wondering how Samuel’s words at his anointing would come true. Samuel, unable to answer David’s concerns, takes an opportunity to focus David’s mind on the larger picture - the kingdom and the temple. Something that had been in David’s mind since childhood – Psa 132:3-6

V.1 etc. The names listed in this chapter are those who were the first returnees from exile. Nehemiah lists most of the names shown here (Neh 1:11-36).

V.11 the ruler of the house of God (KJV) refers to the high priest, who was Jeshua at that time (Ezra 3:2; Neh 12:1).

V.20 Just to be clear: the reference to Phinehas is an historical one. Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron, and lived in the 1400’s BC (Num 25:7).

V.22 etc. Porters (KJV); gatekeepers (ESV) were not the top jobs in the temple service. But, they were very important for keeping order with those visiting the temple. If one tried to enter where he did not belong, the porters would bar him from entrance. Porters also kept people moving in an orderly pace.

With regard to the position of porter (gatekeeper, doorkeeper), David words put things into perspective: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness (Psa 84:10) (ESV).

V.30 Only priests were allowed to make ointment. But, they were forbidden to make any ointment for themselves. Anyone other than priests trying to make the ointment, faced the death penalty (Exo 30:37,38).

9:22    I have commented previously on David being instructed by Samuel. But we should remember that at this time David was fleeing form Saul for his life.  However even despite the dire situation David could have his mind focussed on the important things of the kingdom. In that there is an example for us.

9:27     It might seem so natural for the porters to lodge near the temple so that they could perform their duties which started early in the day. But does this detail cause us to reflect on the way in which we plan our lives? Are the things of God, company with other believers, where we live in relation to our place of worship uppermost in our minds when we decide where to live OR do we use less edifying reasons?

Below the snowy blanket of time

If you were to find a list of people, written on a scrap of paper, and hidden in a richly ornate chest within a tomb, how would you feel? As you opened the chest for the first time, perhaps expecting gold or some bejeweled crown of a long dead king, would you be disappointed? I know I would.

The comments for today's chapter are fewer than usual. It indicates to me that this chapter is usually passed over and forgotten. If we have a choice of readings to do, we choose the others instead, or we perhaps skim read and don't pause to take in the message. Just like the paper in the treasure chest - perhaps it gets set aside while you look for other artefacts in the tomb. An assistant gathers it up later and files it away, giving it no further thought.

When I looked at this chapter today I thought "I've never read this before". Those of you who read your Bibles year in year out know the feeling! How is it that we could have missed this all these years? But I suspect I haven't missed it. I've read it, but never looked at it.

Every year we have snow - or at least in the UK we do. This year the snow was deep and lasted for several days, even a week. Everything was covered in a blanket of two or three inches, out of sight, and out of mind. Garden ornaments were gone. The lawn was perhaps just an outline. Plants showed up only as raised mounds of snow. If that snow were to remain for a year, would we remember what was under there? Would we care? Would "out of sight" mean "out of mind"? Would our memories of summer garden playtime and sitting out on the lawn be gone too; whitewashed?

People long ago lived lives of extraordinary faithfulness and then passed away. Their names, the names of their loved ones, their homes, their deeds, all gone and covered over by the snowy blanket of time. Does "out of sight" mean "out of mind" for them? In chapters such as this one the lives of people who mattered to God are recorded, and we see just the outline of them, or just a raised mound to show they're there. Do we care to find out who they are? Do we care enough to wipe away the snow and take a look?

9:13    In chapter 7 (9 etc.) speaks of men as “mighty men of valour”. Here we learn that the priests were “very able for the work of … God”. How would you like to be described by God? 

It is interesting that Samuel had a part in organising the offices, taken largely by the descendents of Korah, from the Kohathite family, since he himself was one of that line (1Chron 6.28). So the well known words of Psalm 84.10 apply so aptly here: "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness".  Korah had rejected the work of looking after the furniture delegated to him (Numbers 4.4), but his sons did not follow their father's example and became subject to Phinehas (IChron 9.19) and presumably undertook the work, having carefully kept away from the tents of the wicked when God's judgment fell. Later, Samuel adopted a similar role, and part of this was to open the doors of the house of the Lord (1 Sam 3.15) and outside to see day by day the tents of the wicked. Now we learn that Samuel has helped to establish a similar role for other family members. 

9:19   clearly the record here is speaking of the time when the temple had been erected.

9:2     Is this comment about the priest an indication that when Joshua conquered the land that the priest received their cities before any of the rest of the tribes?

9:19   the way in which the Korites were “keepers of the entry” is seen again in one of the Psalms of Korah – Psa 84:10

9:4    The “Pharez” is the son of Judah by Tamar –Ruth 4:12

9:32   We know that Korah died in his rebellion. However his sons distanced themselves from him and did not die in his sin. So now we see in the historical record that they continued their work in the Tabernacle and then the temple.

9:41 We might conclude that the sons of Michael were fathered by Phaltiel during the time that Saul was a fugitive running form Saul for she was given to Phaltiel at that time.

1 Chronicles 1-9 can seem to be difficult chapters to read and understand.

Brother Tony Benson’s book – Family Trees of the Tribes of Israel, by using family trees and explanations highlights much that is in the genealogies in this section of the book.

Copies can be ordered from Peterlforbes@tiscali.co.uk. Cost £5.50 plus postage.

1 Chronicles 1-9 can seem to be difficult chapters to read and understand.

Brother Tony Benson’s book – Family Trees of the Tribes of Israel published by The Testimony, by using family trees and explanations highlights much that is in the genealogies in this section of the book.

Copies can be ordered from Peterlforbes@tiscali.co.uk. Cost £5.50 plus postage.

9:1-2 So the meticulous recording of the families of the nation of Israel is complete. It was the careful recording of the families and their descendants that formed the basis for knowing who would receive what part of the land as their inheritance – but they were “carried away to Babylon”. There is a stark irony in the way that this is recorded.

We may be written in the book of life (Phil 4:9) but it could be removed (Rev 3:5) which is a sombre thought.  What is recorded is “for our admonition” (1Cor 10:11) Prayerfully our readings and digesting these examples will keep us faithful.

9:35The mention of Gibeon in the context of David setting porters etc. – 9:22 – is an incidental indication that the tabernacle was there even when David’s initial system of worship was established in Jerusalem. A point we see later  116:37,39

9:3 Inevitably there were a number of villages that were on the border between two tribes and, therefore, were shared by the two tribes that point is not made. However it is here with regard to Jerusalem. This sets the scene for what we learn of Jerusalem in the days of the Judges that the Benjamites did not conquer Jerusalem –Judg 1:21 – though no mention is made specifically of Judah and Jerusalem. Maybe at that time Judah was not that interested in Jerusalem.

v.10-11 - Israel's sin was quite clearly associated with the baser aspects of her thinking, as all idolatry was. We must be so careful in the age in which we live not to let the influence of those around us cause us to be attracted to go down the same route. The law made this quite clear for Israel (see Bro. Peter's comments below). Our law of love makes it quite clear for us too.

22:4 reproach unto the heathen Deuteronomy 28:37
22:7 set light by father and mother Deuteronomy 27:16
22:7 dealt ... with the stranger Exodus 22:21
22:7 vexed the fatherless and the widow Exodus 22:22
22:8 profaned my sabbaths Leviticus 19:30
22:10 discovered thy fathers nakedness Leviticus 18:7
22:10 humbled ... apart for pollution Leviticus 18:18
22:11 committed abomination ... wife Leviticus 18:20
22:11 lewdly defiled his daughter in law Leviticus 18:17
22:11 humbled his ... fathers daughter Leviticus 18:9
22:12 in thee ... shed blood Deuteronomy 27:25
22:12 thou hast taken usury and increase Exodus 22:25
22:12 hast forgotten me Deuteronomy 32:18
22:15 I will scatter ... heathen Deuteronomy 28:25
22:25 like a roaring lion 1 Peter 5:8
22:25 devoured many widows Matthew 23:14
22:29 oppressed the stranger wrongfully Exodus 22:21
22:30 stand in the gap before me Psalm 106:23

The extensive use of the Law of Moses is interesting. Ezekiel, the priest, is quoting the details of the law - see the list above - but he is saying that Israel have committed all the things that they should not have done. Notice that the details from the law all have the 'thou shalt not' removed in Ezekiel. As the final overthrow of the temple approaches the message of the prophet becomes more urgent and direct.

v.4 - This has been a theme of the book, sadly. 5:14,15, 16:57, here, 24:7,8

22:25 In speaking of a conspiracy 'like a roaring' lion which devours 'widows' we have a description of the Jewish leaders in Ezekiel's day. However the use of the language from this passage by Jesus (Matthew 23:14) and Peter 1 Peter 5:8) shows that the passage has multiple applications. In Jesus' days it was the leaders who opposed his teaching. In Peter's letter he is warning against false brethren. So the words could apply to us today.

:12 In saying 'hast forgotten me' Ezekiel, by the Spirit, is highlighting the root cause of the problem. Israel had ceased to take any notice of the Law of Moses. Doubtless it was no longer read. There is an old saying 'Familiarity breeds contempt'. Actually as far as the Word is concerned we would do better to say 'familiarity breeds righteousness'. Israel had forgotten that.

22:2 Having spoken of the evil in the city regularly Ezekiel is now going to pronounce judgement on it. But it is not his own judgement. The extensive use of the law spoken of in 2001 would judge Israel.

V.20 We see a similar figure is used, with the silver and heat or fire in Zech 13:9,  Mal 3:2-3, but there the emphasis is on the final product; the purified remnant. Here the emphasis is on the fact that there was very little silver in the midst of the impure dross, and that more intense heat than normal would be required to extract it.

V.20 Following on from yesterday's 1 Chron. 8 note, we see the array of metals (excluding gold) worked at this time.

Vs.30,31 Yahweh sought a priest to stand in the gap between Himself and the people.  Moses did exactly that and turned away the wrath of Yahweh (Exo 32:10-14).  The Lord Jesus bridged the gap between Yahweh and man, acting as a mediator (bringing God to man) (1Tim 2:5).

Being the cornerstone, Jesus truly stood in the gap and built up the wall (Isa 28:16; Eph 2:20; 1Pet 2:6). The cornerstone, in construction, was the foundation stone which supported the junction of two walls. The two walls which Jesus brought together were the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.  As one wall came to an end, the other wall would begin, the cornerstone being the pivot.

What a catalogue of sins! Ezekiel lists the crimes of Jerusalem throughout this chapter. Then, at the end of the chapter, what a sad verse is Eze 22:30. God looked for just one person who would request God’s mercy, and who could give Him reason not to destroy the city – but there was no man. So the Jews were taken captive.

22:9  Those to whom Ezekiel was speaking were not actually murderers. They were those who like to tell tales and as such were like those that Isaiah spoke of - Isa 59:7

V.24 The people and the land relied upon both the early and latter rains, for it was upon them that the productiveness of the land depended. Joel promises the return of the former and later rain, with the restoration of God's favour (Joel 2:23)

V.22 For their wickedness, Yahweh vows to melt His people like one would melt silver.  The melting point of silver is 960.87 degrees C, or 1,861.7 degrees F.  The example Yahweh uses is ample for us to understand the heat of His fury. 

22:4 The idols had ‘defiled’ Israel. That is their thoughts and actions had put them out of fellowship with their God.

22:7-12 This section contains a litany of cases where Israel had violated the law of the Moses. You can see the list in an earlier posting for this chapter. The prophet is making the point that the law of Moses was a witness against them. He has been quoting the curses that will come upon them as have the earlier prophets. Now he is indicting them with the details of the commandments of the law of Moses – those details which relate to the way in which one man had to treat another. They may well have tried to reason that they offered all the sacrifices at the appointed time. Ezekiel is making the point that there is more to worshipping God than observing ritual. We do well to remember that in our Christian lives.

22:15 In saying ‘I will scatter thee among the heathen’ the prophet is again quoting from the curses, this time Deut 28:25

Vs.10,11 The prohibitions concerning these actions are listed in Lev 8:6-19.

V.12 See Lev 25:37; Deut 16:19.

V.28 To daub with untempered (mortar) (whitewash) was to present an attractive exterior to cover a falsehood. In this case, the priests had assured the people with complimentary words, that everything would be alright, and that they should not worry about the Babylonians.

Direct consequences

God's focus until now in the book of Ezekiel has been Israel's idolatry and shunning of His laws. And I'll warrant that this doesn't mean much to us in reality. It's like when we hear about a neighbour or friend at work fiddling their tax return - it's just a broken law to us - and doesn't affect us. Yet when we hear on the news about a violent crime or abuse, the pain of it reaches into our hearts. But with God there isn't this distinction. His law was designed to protect the widow, weak, fatherless, poor, slave and stranger. And when rulers and the general population started to ignore that law (tied in with worship) casualties multiplied. So in effect it was turning away from worshipping God that caused murders, crime and the collapse of the welfare system that protected widows and orphans from starvation. We can see a similar thing today in countries where rule of law is non-existent.

So when Ezekiel lists Israel's sins in this chapter, it is a list of effects, not causes. It is however all part of the Godlessness which led to lawlessness which led to these effects. So the list of crimes in this chapter may not have been perpetrated directly by the rulers, but their miss-rule,  inaction brought on by ignorance of God's principles led to starvation, crime and injustice - in other words the bloodshed of the innocent in v13, which is exactly the point that Jesus makes about the rulers of his time "who devour widows households" (Matt 23:14).

22:12 The condemnation that they had taken money to shed blood is one of the violations of the Law – Deut 27:25– which Ezekiel is charging the people with.

22:30   In saying that God ‘sought for a man’ but ‘found none’ Ezekiel is echoing the lament of God through the earlier prophet Jer 30:13 who was talking to the same people before they went into captivity.

22:7  Ezekiel reproves those in captivity for not keeping the law with respect to how to treat others -  Exo 22:21-22 – but it seems that Ezekiel’s warning was not heeded because Zechariah, speaking to the same individuals when they had returned to the land of Israel, reproves them for the same thing – Zech 7:10

22:31 This is the second time  in this chapter – the first is in Eze 22:22– that God speaks of pouring out His fury on Israel. He has already – Eze 20:8,21– said the same thing to Israel. They should have been in no doubt as to why they were being taken into captivity. However they chose to ignore what God repeatedly said to them. Are we any better?

1. Eze 22:1-16 - Jerusalem is the city of blood (blood being shed in a wide variety of applications):

2. Eze 22:2 - the son of man to "judge"(<8199> also see "judge" in Eze 20:4) the city of blood and show Jerusalem her abominations (a later day Son of man who paid with his own blood will also judge John 5:22,27).

3. Eze 22:4-5 - shedding blood with idolatrous worship ("idolatry" Gal 5:20; "nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" Eph 5:5; "covetous" 2Tim 3:2).

4. Eze 22:6-8 - the princes shed blood by:

treating the father and mother with contempt ("Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment" Eph 6:2; "disobedient to parents" 2Tim 3:2);

oppressing the alien/stranger ("For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" Gal 5:14; "who is my neighbour?...Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?" Luke 10:29,36); 

mistreating the fatherless and the widow ("Pure religion...visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" James 1:27);

despising holy things ("unholy" 2Tim 3:2);

profaned("profaned"<2490> can mean to pierce) the sabbath [the Pharisees profaned the Lord of the future millenial sabbath; "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day...the Pharisees went out, and held council against him, how they might destroy him" Matt 12:8,14; "His blood be on us and on our children" Matt 27:25;  "there shall come in the last days scoffers...Where is the promise of his coming?...willingly are ignorant...The Lord is not slack concerning his promise" 2Pet 3:3,4,5,9].

5. Eze 22:9-11 - slanderous men shed blood by:

eating on the mountains committing lewdness ("lasciviousness" Gal 5:19; "no whoremonger, nor unclean person...hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" Eph 5:5; "whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily...eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" 1Cor 11:27,29; how Jesus behaved on mountains Matt 14:23;5:1-2;17:1-2);

discovering their father's nakedness ("Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment" Eph 6:2; "crucified Jesus, took his garments" John 19:23; "Naked, and ye clothed me" Matt 25:36-40);

humbling the unclean woman (John 8:3-11;Matt 15:22-28;Luke 8:43-48);

committing adultery (Gal 5:19,21;Eph 5:3,5;Matt 16:4;John 8:3-11);

defiling the daughter in law (Mark 6:22-26);

committing incest (Mark 6:17-18;1Cor 5:1).

6. Eze 22:12-13 - they shed blood by:

taking bribes (Matt 26:14-15;Acts 24:26);

taking usury and increase (1Cor 6:20;Matt 6:12).

gaining from neighbours by extortion/oppression (Matt 21:12-13;Acts 5:1-10;Matt 18:21-35).

7. Eze 22:12 - the underlying cause of Israel's sin was they had forgotten God (Deut 32:18,16).

8. Eze 22:15-16 - the anger of God revealed; scattering among the nations.

9. Eze 22:17-22 - Israel in the furnace:

10. the priests are apostate (1Tim 2:5;Matt 23:9); princes oppress; prophets speak falsely (Matt 7:15); the people are evil (Luke 18:8;2Tim 3:1-9); none are righteous.

11. Eze 22:18 - Israel is unrefined ore; God smelts it but dross is the only result - believers have to be refined from the fruit of the natural flesh to the spiritual fruit (Gal 5:17-25).

12. Eze 22:23-31 - no rain on the land:

13. Eze 22:24 - (Lev 26:3-5;Deut 11:13-17).

22:6  When Ezekiel is moved to say that it was the “princes” that shed blood we realised that the religious leaders were the instigators of the waywardness from God.  Those who should have been teaching righteousness to the people were killing them with the teaching of error. 

22:18    Ezekiel repeats the condemnation of the earlier prophet – Jer 6:28. Ezekiel is reminding those taken captive that they were in Babylon because they had not heeded the words of Jeremiah.

22:6-12         The things Israel are accused by the prophet of doing are contrasted with the actions of the faithful man spoken of in Eze 18:5-9

22:8    The “untempere3d mortar” is the false teaching of the prophets. The priests and prophets were charged with building up God’s house – His people. The “mortar” (teaching) was to hold the elements of the house together. This is the analogy that Ezekiel is presenting.

22:2    The way in which Ezekiel judged the city of Jerusalem was to show them their sinfulness. The objective was to get the people of the city to see their sins and thus repent.

22:14  Do we think about the consequence of our actions? God is challenging Israel to consider whether they were able to withstand His judgments. The clear implication is that if they had considered what God might do to them they might have changed their behaviour towards Him.

22:19 God sees the faith of His children as tried gold – 1Pet 1:7 – the people in Ezekiel’s day were like “dross” that is the waste when gold is tried in the fire. The dross is skimmed off so that the gold is pure.

22:3 in saying “her time may come” we see the same idea as we saw in  21:28 – but there is a contrast. Here the people are to be destroyed. In 22:29 lives will be saved from sin and death.

22:6-12 Ezekiel has repeatedly told the elders that had come to see him and had prophesied also that the nation were disregarding what God had said in the Law of Moses. He now makes it really clear, quoting Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy some 12 times.

Hopefully we will never sink to such a low level that we will have to have scriptures quoted to us about our life style in order for us to see the error of our ways.

22:7-12 The elders who were listening to Ezekiel condemning them by specifying what they had done would doubtless remembered that the Law of Moses had spoken against those action. If we do not recognise the way that the Law of Moses was being spoken of we can see the fact that the law was being quoted by following up the cress references in our bible. Many of those cross references will take us back to the book of Leviticus in particular. I have noticed 5 quotations from Leviticus, 3 from Deuteronomy and 2 from Exodus.

22:8 In saying that they had profaned God’s sabbaths we see that the people were doing exactly the opposite of what they had been called to do –Lev 19:30

v.7 - The human need to despise those of our own kind is really obvious in the attitude of the Pharisees isn't it. We despise those that we see as sinners, forgetting, for the purpose of the exercise, that we too are sinners. Forgetting this fact is dangerous. This lesson comes to us from the Pharisees on several occasions. Let us be sure to heed it. ch.5:30, 7:34,39, 15:2, 18:9-14.

19:37 descent of the mount of Olives 2 Samuel 15:30
19:38 blessed ... Lord Psalm 118:26
19:46 My house ... prayer Isaiah 56:7
19:46 ye have made it a den of thieves Jeremiah 7:11

The use of 2 Samuel 15 - the flight of David from Absalom is the beginning of this theme in the last week of Jesus' life. The last one is to be seen in John 18:1 where Jesus crossed the brook Kidron. Commented on in the notes on John.
The use of Psalm 118 in the last week of Jesus' life is instructive. The Pharisees requested that the people be stopped from crying out the Psalm. Later - Matthew 21:42 - Jesus silences his opponent by using the Psalm and finally tells those same critics that they will not see him again until they speak the words of the very Psalm that they wished the people to stop saying - Matthew 23:39.

19:29 The entry into Jerusalem was on the 5th day before the Passover when Jesus was crucified. This is established from John 12:1 which has Jesus arriving in Bethany 6 days before the Passover and going up to Jerusalem on the next day (John 12:12) Thus we see that by comparing different accounts of the same event we can fill out our understanding.

:44 'visitation' quotes Micah 7:4. Notice the context in Micah. It is one of judgement because the fruit was missing (Micah 7:1) On the next day (Mark 11:12-13) Jesus curses the fig tree because it did not have any fruit.

How bitter the weeping was of Jesus, and how hopeless the situation. Three years the son of God had been walking amongst them, preaching peace and forgiveness, and they didn't want to know. "your enemies will close you in on every side...because you did not know the time of your visitation." (v43-44). They had been the evil servants, who in v14 had said "we will not have this man to reign over us". In turn, Jesus was forced to do what the ruler in the story would do... "slay them before me" (v27). The jubilant king's entrance into Jerusalem had ended in rather an unexpected way.

But there's always hope. Jesus had demonstrated that his kingship was not to be an immediate one, or an earthly one. He now went on to preach all the more that the gospel was their way out of these judgements. (v48). To those people who were converted to the gospel, even the terrors of AD70 would hold no fear, because their treasure would be in heaven.

19:38 The narrative of the birth and last week of Jesus'' life contain similar language. 'glory in the highest' echoes the language of Luke 2:14

V47-48 In spite of the fact that by means of the temple cleansing Jesus had made the temple authorities very unhappy, in fact, so thoroughly upset that they were trying to kill him, he calmly continued his day by day teaching in those very precincts. So eagerly did the people listen to Jesus that for the time being, in spite of the fact that the decision to do away with him had already been reached (John 11:53), the authorities did not dare lay hands on him. 

V.14 When one chooses to become a disciple of Christ, they must recognise Jesus as his Lord and King. He must ardently desire that all his aspirations, thoughts, words, and deeds, shall be under the control of Christ's will.

Vs.4-6 The sycamore tree is not the same as the sycamore tree found in the western world. Actually it is a fig tree (ficus sycomorus). It is different to the ficus carica which is the short, summer fruit-bearing fig tree that is normally associated as a symbol of Israel.

The ficus sycomorus is a large tree which grows in warmer climates of the Near East. Jericho has a warm climate and is suited to the growth of this tree. The ficus sycomoros has leaves like the western mulberry tree, and is ideally suited as a shade tree. It does bear fruit several times a year, but the fruit is more difficult to extract than that of the ficus carica, and decidedly more inferior. Thus, it was a food tree for the poor. Its wood was also used by the poor instead of the more expensive cedar.

And so, this was the setting for Zacchaeus' encounter with the Lord.  Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and very wealthy.  And yet, he was sitting in the fig tree of the poor.  How ironic, that this very rich man was surrounded by (spiritual) poverty.  But the Lord bid him out of (spiritual) poverty to become rich in faith.  Zacchaeus' actions backed up his faith (v.8;James 2:20); and he became found of Christ (vs.9,10; James 2:21).

19:10  The people who are ‘lost’ are the ones who realise their need – Jesus has spoken about priorities already – Luke 9:27, 18:43. Do we realise that we are lost without Jesus and that we cannot save our own lives?

19:41 Jesus’ behaviour in weeping over the city is in stark contrast to Jonah who sat looking at Nineveh waiting for its destruction. Jon 4:5

19:5 It is significant to note as we read through this account that although Zacchaeus was very eager to see Jesus, it was Jesus, not the chief tax collector, who took the initiative in arranging a personal contact between the two. As we read in verse 10, it was Jesus who was seeking and saving those that were lost. 

Vs.45,46 This is the second temple cleansing, which occurred near the end of Jesus' ministry. The first temple cleansing took place at the beginning of His ministry and is recorded in John 2:13-17.

These two cleansings relate to the cleansing of a house for leprosy under the Law (Lev 14:33-57). Then, the priest inspected the leprous house and commanded that it be cleansed by removing the affected stones, scraping clean the rest of the house, and replastering. The priest would come a second time to inspect the house, and if leprosy had appeared again, then the whole house had to be destroyed.

The Lord Jesus inspected His Father's house and found leprosy (spiritual rot). After cleansing it, He came back a second time and found it still leprous. The house had to be destroyed, which occurred in 70 AD. This is a clear example of how the Lord fulfilled the Law (Matt 5:17).

19:42 Jesus weeping over the city must have been a stark contrast to the rejoicing as he travelled towards the city. It must have brought a sombre mood to the whole events.

Luke ch 19 outlines for us the disciples life:
v1-10 Zacchaeus (the call of the gospel to repentance).
v11-27 Parable of the servants and the pounds (life of servants/disciples of Christ and judgement at Christ's return).
v29 Christ on the Mount of Olives (his return Zech 14:4).
v47-48 Christ teaching (the Law goes out from Zion to the nations Mic 4:2)

Also in v47 the scribes seek to destroy Jesus and in v48 and could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him this is exhortation to us as the world seeks to destroy us and Christ; we must be very attentive to hear the word of God that is able to keep us from being destroyed by the world James 1:21-25

Vs.12-27 The parable of the pounds is similar to, but not the same as, the parable of the talents found in Matt 25:14-30.  The parables were spoken in different places to different people; and the monetary amounts were different (same number of pounds to each person; differing number of talents to each person). 

The parable of the pounds displayed that, given the same amount of faith, each participant showed the increase in assets he could produce.  The parable of the talents showed that, given differing amounts, the participants demonstrated that they could all achieve the same amount of fidelity (talents doubled in each case). 

Of course, making no gains, in either circumstance, was not acceptable.

19:8 In saying that he restored ‘fourfold’ anyone he might have defrauded or wronged Zacchaeus is showing that he was a faithful observer of the law of Moses – Exo 22:1

V.2 Zacchaeus was appointed by the Romans as the chief tax collector. He would have hired other people to do the collecting. Tax collectors levied a percentage of money over and above that which the Romans required, for themselves.

They would be stationed at strategic spots along the highways. There they would stop people who were hauling goods. They would assess the value of the goods and charge a tax accordingly.

As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus would have received handsome kickbacks from his tax collectors, which would have made him very rich. Ironically, Zacchaeus means pure.

It is not surprising, then, that fellow Jews hated tax collectors.

19:14 In putting words into the citizens mouths ‘we will not have this man to reign over us’ Jesus is likening the ‘citizens’ who are representative of the Jewish leaders to the people in the days of Samuel when they rejected God from being their king, choosing Saul instead. 1Sam 8:5

Have you noticed that Zacchaeus is one of only a handful of people who came to Jesus for salvation, not healing or because of the miracles? If we approach Jesus as Zacchaeus did, truly wanting to meet him and confess to him, then he will call to us like he did with Zacheus (v5). Notice the lesson in v10 "for the son of man has come to seek and save that which was lost". And think about all the other people he just passed by without a word. How did he know Zacchaeus name?

He's enacting the parable of the lost sheep, isn't he?

Luke 19:12Jesus gave this parable of the nobleman to show his followers that the Kingdom of God was not imminent.  He had to go away to receive the kingdom and then return to take power and rule.  

There is irony in what happened to Antipas (“that fox” Luke 13:32) Herod Antipas was the ruler at the time of Jesus death.  However, he was not recognised by the Roman Senate as a King as was his father Herod the Great.  He travelled to Rome (a far country) seeking recognition as a King. The request was rejected instead he was arrested, put in chains and banished to Lyon in Gaul.   His brother-in-law, Herod Agrippa had furnished the Emperor with incriminating evidence of a conspiracy.  Antipas was not recognised as a King and did not return to rule a kingdom.   Yet, Pilate wrote the superscription in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, over the crucified Lord “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38).

Jesus has gone away and will return as King of the Jews.  See also,John 14:3,28.

Luke 19:13-27 The word for “pound” (Strong’s G3414 ‘a certain weight’) means “weight”, each servant was given the same weight.
 

19:9  Zacchaeus was a ‘publican’ and thus despised by the leaders. Jesus highlights the relevant characteristic of him. He was ‘a son of Abraham’.

PRAISE GOD

"When he came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' 'I tell you,' he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'"(Luke 19:37-40)

The praise that the disciples joyfully began to sing and shout in the presence of Jesus was not an organised session of praise - it was spontaneous. There were no worship leaders involved because they should have all been at the temple doing their thing there; there was no programme of events, song sheets or large screen projections to tell all the people what to do.

What made this time of joyful praise all the more special, was because it came from the hearts of all the people involved. They praised God, not only because they wanted to praise him, and were thankful to him for their promised Messiah, but because they had the urge to praise him and they felt the need to give him praise.

How do we praise God? When we praise him, do we praise him joyfully? Do we praise him in places other than our churches? Do we do it with a loud voice so that others can hear us? There are a lot of ways we can praise God. Let us do it with the enthusiasm of the disciples surrounding Jesus.

19:37  The descent of the Mount of Olives echoes and yet contrasts with 2Sam 15:30. Jesus was entering the city. David was leaving the city because of the uprising of Absalom.

 Luke 19:11-27 -

19:44 Along with an earlier comment that “visitation” catches the sentiments of the prophets we might add Hos 9:7 where very particularly the prophet is foretelling the overthrow of a faithless and rebellious Israel.

Luke 19:20-21

“And another came {servant}, saying Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man...”

Feared is the Greek word, phobeo, # <5399> and means to be” frightened, alarmed.” Our English word, phobia comes from this word. The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, defines phobia as: “An intense, abnormal, or illogical fear of a specified thing.” In other words, it is an irrational fear. This kind of fear was used to justify inactivity and augmented, in this case, by the master’s austerity.  Austere # <840> means “severe.”  Joseph, experienced this fear, the apostles, Paul, and disciples of Jesus also experienced this fear, -phobeo (Matt 2:22; 14:27,30; 17:6; Luke 18:9.

The Old Testament provides many different Hebrew words for “fear.” We have morah (Gen 9:2); meguwrah (Psa 34:4); pachad  (Prov 1:27,33); yir’ah (Prov 1:7; Prov 9:10). The latter speaks of a “reverential fear.”  Reverential fear is a different kind of fear, one that ought to compel all of God’s children to strive in obedience to Him because they know the consequences if they do not. “Behold the goodness and severity of God” (Rom 11:22). We do not use God’s severity as an excuse not to be obedient as the servant in this parable did, nor do we fear God in such a way that our fear turns into a phobia and avoid doing His will altogether!  This is totally irrational behaviour. Rather, it ought to be just the opposite.

“Fear” in the same dictionary is defined as: “An emotion of alarm and agitation caused by the expectation or the realization of danger.” In other words, it is a rational fear. This kind of fear is a natural and valuable instinct that can help us survive dangerous and threatening situations (cf. 1Sam 21:10). It can prevent us from taking unnecessary risks. However, we must never let any kind of fear become an excuse, an overriding, paralyzing, destructive force that prevents us from being obedient to God. Fear is a God-given instinct. It is a chemical and instinctive reaction within the body termed as, “fight or flight” instinct. It is connected to our strongest instinct, the will to survive. It is the adrenaline in our blood stream that gives us the drive and ability and heightened senses to deal with the fight (threat) and flight (escape). 

In Matt 8:26; Mark 4:40; Rev 21:8 “fearful” is deilos # <1169>, and is in connection with “faithlessness.”  We read in 2Tim 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear...” and in John 14:27, “neither let it (heart) be afraid.”  Fear is # <1167>, deilia, “timidity,” and afraid is # <1168>, delileo, “to be timid.”  Heart and spirit are used synonymously (cf. Rom 2:29). Our conscience is our instinctive moral compass, our “inner voice,” the absence of which creates a vacuum for selfishness, lovelessness, and fear.

We see that both in the Old and New Testament we have different words and meanings used for “fear.”  Without the God-given instinct of fear, we would not be complete. All of us have some forms of fear, but not all fear is a sin. If I have a fear of heights, am I sinning? No, it is a protective mechanism for me to be careful not to go too high up on a ladder. If I fail to heed the warning, I risk becoming dizzy and fall. God would not give us this protective mechanism and then declare all fears to be sin! There are positive and negative uses of fear. We cannot use faith to deny or conceal our fears. the issue is not whether we have fears, but what kind of fears we are dealing with and whether we are willing to move through them. The apostle John in 1John 4:18 tells us how we can overcome. He writes: “There is no fear (phobos) in love; but perfect love casteth out fear (phobos): because fear (phobos)hath torment. He that feareth (phobeo– from phobos) is not made perfect in love.” The servant in this parable was unbelieving and love-less (cf. 2Thess 2:10)!

Jesus tells us in Matt 17:20 “... Because of your unbelief... If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  It is “by faith,” or “through faith” (Heb 11) that we can overcome. We are without excuse (Rom 1:20; cf. Rom 9:14-21). We can overcome just like Christ’s apostles and disciples did, and we have been given the Divine assurance that we are not powerless to do so, but the choice is ours; it is up to us.

The consequences whether they are good or bad will be of our own doing, and no one else’s. What good does it do to read the expository messages of the Bible if we do not apply those messages, but choose to hide our one talent under a bushel for safe-keeping (cf. Matt 5:15)? Please read my note on Rev 21:8, thank you.

19:43  Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem, which he will later expand. However in his use of “cast a trench about you” he is reminding his hearers of the prophet’s warning about the Babylonians –Eze 4:2 – which was a pattern of what the Romans were to do. 

19      There is a theme in this chapter relating to Abraham and the destruction of Sodom.

An earlier comment showed links between Zacchaeus’ behaviour and Abraham’s when the angels met Abraham on their way to destroy Sodom.

Jesus meets Zacchaeus on his way to Jerusalem. Like the angels with Abraham he spends time having a meal with Zacchaeus before going on to pronounce judgment on Jerusalem.

19:22     Do we want God to judge us according to our estimation of how we feel about entry into the kingdom? If we are negative about His promises do we think He will give us the kingdom? This is not to suggest we should just presume that God will give us the kingdom. Rather it should cause us to reflect on His character and mercy rather than on His condemnation.

19:14   The way that Jesus has the citizens hating the nobleman is like the way in which Joseph’s brother hated him – Gen 37:4

19:45 Jesus draws two Old Testament passages together – Isaiah 56:7 and JIsa 17:11. God’s wonderful plan was thwarted in Jeremiah’s days by the sinfulness of the religious leaders wo did not teach the people faithfully. This is exactly what it was like in Jesus’ day.

19:30-33 It is reasonable to assume that Jesus had already made arrangements to borrow the animal and instructed the animal’s owner that two of the disciples would come with this request. 

19:22 On reading the way the man who had received one talent viewed his “lord” should make us think carefully about how we think of our “lord”. Is he a hard lord reaping where He did not sow? Do we see our Father as an overbearing disciplinarian or a loving Father?

19:45 This is the second time in his ministry that Jesus does this in the temple. The first was near the beginning of his ministry – John 2:14-17

19:41-44 We might think of Jesus pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem in Luke 21and in the parallel accounts in Mathew and Mark. But there is more to Jesus’ words that simply condemnation. Here when Jesus speaks of the judgment on Jerusalem we see he is full of sorrow.

Is Jesus’ sorrow about the state of the lives of those in Jerusalem matched in our feelings about the current state of the world in which we live?

19:8 Zacchaeus was “rich” and gave away his possessions willingly. The “ruler” – 18:18 – was rich and could not give away his possessions. The one was despised by the “ruler” but was welcomed by the lord. These two men are set in opposition to one another in Luke’s inspired record as contrasts that we should think about. Hopefully we identify with the publican.