Comments for April 12

v. 8 - This was an amazing victory - to go with just 12000 men and slay all the males of this nation that was big enough to support 5 kings (elsewhere called princes). Also we are told that Balaam was slain there. One of the women folk associated with one of these princes had been killed earlier - ch.25:15-18.

v. 11 - 16 Whereas the taking of the women captives was an allowable behaviour in this case there was an overriding principle relating to causing to sin. These women had been involved in the fall of many in Israel. Normally the women would not be involved in the battle and so would have been guiltless in this case the women were as culpable as the men. Therefore all the women who had known a man - precisely those who were culpable - were to die. That Moses was angry would imply that the people should have understand that as well.

v.23 - Consider these other places where fire (and sometimes water as well) are mentioned - Isa.43:2, Zech.13:9, Matt.3:11, 1Cor.3:13, 1Pet.1:7, 4:12, Rev.3:18

31:2 Moses was to avenge the Midianites because of the matters relating to Balaam.

31:8 'Zur' was the father of the woman slain by Phinehas.(25:15)

SPIRITUAL BATTLES

12,000 men of Israel marched out in battle to take vengeance on the Midianites. "Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signalling." At the end of the day Israel came back victorious, not having lost one man in the battles they had fought.

This was not a battle between men, but it was God's battle and God cannot loose. We are left wondering, though, what articles from the sanctuary that Phinehas took into battle with him. It may have been the ark, incense or censors. Perhaps it was the water of cleansing or the Urim and the Thummim, but whatever he took, the fact that he took articles from the sanctuary leaves us in no doubt that it was not a physical battle they were to fight, but a spiritual battle, and because they treated it as a spiritual battle - God's battle, they won decisively!

We all face battles. They may be decisions we need to make, problems we face, people we have to deal with or a multitude of other things, but as we face these battles we need to take with us articles from the sanctuary. For us they are prayer, the word of the Living God within us, and faith. Make every battle a spiritual battle and we can't loose!

31:15 In sparing the women it would appear that even the officers of the people had forgotten the way in which Israel were caused to sin by these very same women at the instigation of Balaam. Their memories were short and they did not think through the implications of their actions. So like us at times.

31:13-15 Sparing people in battle - a problem here - was also seen in Saul 1Sam 15:9 who spared Agag.  Obeying the word of God precisely rather than allowing human feelings to get in the way is difficult. We are no different.

V.6  Although it is not expressly mentioned, it is possible that Joshua was the general who conducted this war. The presence of a priest, who was always with the army, (Deut 20:2) was necessary to preside over the Levites, who accompanied the expedition, to encourage the Israelites, with their services.

Before Moses died, God asked him to organise the battle against the Midianites. This was probably a very hard thing for Moses, because he had married Zipporah, the daughter of the priest of Midian.   He had also lived in their land for 40 years.  But Midian was a descendant of Abraham's wife Keturah (Gen 25:2), and therefore would never be a part of God's blessing on Israel.  Moses did not go to the battle,
but stayed in the camp with Eleazar the priest.

V.32-47 The total amount of bounty remaining from the Midianites was in the following portions.

V.23-24 - looking at these verses in a spiritual sense ... after battling sin, being purified by trials, and being buried (in Christ and perhaps literally) believers look forward to that 7th day of rest or millennium (2Pet 3:8-9) when Christ will return, there will be a resurrection, judgment, and wearing clothes of righteousness (Rev 3:4-5) those chosen will be allowed to enter into the millennial kingdom which Christ will rule.

31:2 Knowing that he would die after the avenging of Israel of the Midianites a lesser man than Moses may well have delayed the task to prolong their life. Not so Moses, the man of God. Are we quick to do God’s will whatever the cost?

V.13 Moses and Eleazar would have gone forth without the camp to congratulate the warriors, another reason for going without the camp would have been to avoid the defilement of the camp by the warriors, who would have been stained with blood.

31:19  The battle was at God’s instruction so it was inevitable that there would be people who had killed Midianites. So why were they still deemed ceremonially unclean? The reason is that even though the battle was of God the children of Israel had to suffer the consequences of their actions. The command from God to kill did not remove from Israel the requirements of obeying the requirements of the law.

The Midianites originated from Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:2). They are sometimes called Ishmaelites such as the group that took Joseph to Egypt (Gen 37:28). The Midianites and the Ishmaelites were, of course, related, Abraham/Keturah = Midian; Abraham/Hagar = Ishmael. The Ishmaelites were bigger and more powerful than the Midianites, and so, at some point, the Midianites, plus some other smaller groups, were associated with the Ishmaelites .

It is somewhat ironic that when Moses fled for his life from Egypt that he went to Midian. He married the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. It must be noted, though, that Jethro and a certain smaller segment of the Midianites, called Kenites, worshipped the God of Israel. In fact, Jethro’s progeny were among those who entered the Promised Land (Judg 4:11).

31:4 In calling for 1,000 from each of the tribes Israel did not use its whole army against Midian. Only a small proportion of the men of war were used. This was to show that the victory was God’s, not Israel’s.

V.2 The Midianites were the ones responsible for their snaring of Israel in the matter of Baal-peor (Num 25:17,18). Now was the time for revenge.

V.8 After leaving Balak, Balaam should have returned straight home to Mesopotamia. Instead he stopped off to visit the Midianites, perhaps to further meddle in the affairs of Israel. His sojourn with the Midianites cost him his life.

Vs.14,15 No specific order for the annihilation of women was made. But, because of the contemptuous behaviour of the Cozbi, in particular, there was an expectation that all the Midianites would be slain. Moses judgment was to allow female virgins only to be kept alive (v.18).

V.19 is in compliance with the Law (Num 19:11,12).

V.35 There were 32,000 Midianite females who were virgins. 16,000 of these were given to the soldiers, and 16,000 were given to the congregation (vs.27,46). From the soldiers portion, 32 were given as a heave offering to Eliezer (vs.28,29). The heave offering consisted of lifting up the offering once only. This signified a dedication to Yahweh. The animals would be sacrificed but the women not. It is not clear what form of dedication these females would have had during their lifetime. Perhaps, they would have had to remain virgins, like Jephthah’s daughter who had to remain a virgin because of her father’s vow (Judg 11:38).

From the Congregation’s 16,000 Midianite females, 320 were given to the Levites (v.30).

Num 31:19 - Perhaps this echoes the purification for believers as a result of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection on the 3rd day and the more complete purification on the 7th millennial day.  

31:6 Phinehas stayed the plague which was a consequence of the Midianite corruption. Now he leads the battle against Midian, not as a man of war but as priest of God. Marking the point that it was a religious battle in that it was a consequence of immoral behaviour

31:8    So Balaam was with the Midianites at the time of Baal Peor. So when we read about him going to his own home Num 24:25 we may conclude that he came back to see how things progressed.

This total judgement on the Midianites coming, as it did as a result of the efforts of Balaam, finds a New Testament reflection in Paul's teaching in 1Cor 3:12. In this case we are to be rigorous in our seeking out of true materials with which to build. Note that Paul also maintains language that is judgemental 1Cor 3:13 "... for the day shall declare it".

31:21  It is reasonable to conclude that Aaron had died by this time and Eleazar now is high priest. Balaam is dead so we are very late on in the wilderness journey.

v2, note this was to be Moses' last task before his death.

v7, note that "all the males" probably refers to all the males above a certain age, because in v17 the male "little ones" are still alive.

Compare verses 7 and 9. The same phrase is used both times isn't it? In other words, the soldiers killed all the males, and saved all the females. It's quite obvious here what's going on isn't it, especially as the last time the men of Israel came across the women of Midian it led to sexual promiscuity. It appears to me that the Israelite men specifically set about to save as many women as possible for themselves and the other men in Israel. This was done while they still remembered the gravity of the sin that was committed with these women, which led to so great a plague among Israel (see v17, Num 25:9). The lesson here is that once temptation has been experienced, it is no use going into temptation again expecting a different outcome.

There's a lot of hope here though. The same men here who did the wrong thing, quickly responded to Moses' admonition and turned back from the path they were on. This resulted in heartfelt thankfulness to God, so much so that these men donated a vast sum of the plunder to God as a voluntary thanks offering (v50).

v19: Note that the earlier law in Num 19 appears to have been given specifically for this one war, and is referenced specifically here.

v27: Note that David is thinking of this occasion when he commands his fighting men to share the spoil with the rest of the camp who stayed behind (1Sam 30:24).

31:19 This is one of a number of occasions when the third and seventh day are mentioned in the context of purification. This detail points to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Those who are not “cleansed” by the resurrection of Jesus – the third day – will not enter the kingdom – the seventh day, the day of rest.

31:6  The counsel of Balaam is spoken of a number of times in the rest of Scripture. A specific occasion is Mic 6:5

Num 31:1-3  The responsibility for bringing judgements from the Lord on the Midianites began with the key role they played in bringing God’s people into Egypt.  It was Midianite traders who took Joseph (Gen 37:28) and were responsible for him being sold into slavery in Egypt (Gen 37:36).  God’s purpose was to try His people in Egypt to prepare them for a place in the land promised to Abraham.  In the process of time it was Joseph in Egypt that was the catalyst for Israel’s journey into Egypt (Gen 46:26-28).  God called Israel out of Egypt, similarly God through the work of His son is calling us today out of spiritual Egypt.  Today we must beware of the wiles of Midianitish behaviour. (Rev 2:14).

31:49 That none of the Israelites died in the battle against the Midianites is a clear indication that the judgment was of God. Those that had sinner in the matter of the Midianite women had already died.

31:54   In speaking of the gold being given as "a memorial” we are reminded of what was to  happen  - EExo 3:16 – when the tabernacle was made.

31:27 The instruction here that even those who did not got to the war were to share the spoil is the basis for David’s comment – 1Sam 30:24

31:25-47 The battle, though fought by the children of Israel, was God’s battle. In war it is common for the victor to take to himself whatever he wanted of the spoil. God makes it clear here that there are rules relating to taking the spoil of war lest the nation think that they can behave like other nations in war.

31:18 The women who were to be saved alive were innocent of the sin of those who had to be killed. But in addition to being left alive they were brought into the family of Israel. A bit like the call of the gentiles.

31:3 Notice as well as avenging themselves they were to avenge “the Lord”. Whilst it was the counsel of Balaam that had led the Midianites to subvert Israel God had been affected by their behaviour. Their activity had caused God’s people to sin.

Do we consider that our behaviour can impact on the feelings of our Father?

31:3 Balaam’s counsel and its impact on Israel was because there were still men who had to die before the inheritance was received. However that did not excuse the behaviour of the Midianites. And so God bring His judgment against them.

31:13-14 Whilst the people did not appreciate the problem of keeping the women alive Moses and Aaron did. The very women who had caused Israel to sin are kept alive!

How often do we try to vanquish a problem in our lives but retain the source of the problem so we can re-visit it whenever we want to?

v. 6 - Here is a passage that the world would have us ignore. We are buffeted on all sides with worldly advice on bringing up our children and many are confused by the conflict that exists between different pieces of advice. We have a responsibility to be in control of our children. It is a requirement of God. So it would be useful to consider carefully what God has to say to us about it. Here are some passages: Gen.18:19, Deut.4:9, 6:7, Ps.78:3-6, Eph.6:4, 2Tim.3:15, 1Tim.3:2-4.

v. 28 The removal of the landmark was a serious offence mentioned to Israel in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 19:14 Included in the blessing and cursing which were to be recited by the people. Deuteronomy 27:17 Referred to and warned against in terms of robbing the disadvantaged Proverbs 22:28 23:10

v.13 - There is a striking similarity between this cry and that of the ten spies who brought back the evil report. Num.13:32-33. See also - Prov.26:13-16
Peter Cresswell

:3 teaches us that we should try to look ahead at the implications of what we do and say so that we can avoid words and actions that will in time cause us problems and compromise our life in Christ.

BE GENEROUS

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." (Proverbs 22 v 9)
God always does things differently to the way we do them. We tend to think that if we want to be rich we must skimp and save, never give anything away and watch every last penny. But God’s methods are different. He wants more from us than selfishness. God wants our generosity, he wants to develop in us a sharing and caring nature, one that thinks less of its self than of other people.

The people God wants to bless are not the scrooges of this world, they are the generous, helpful, and those who fill a need when they see it. It does not necessarily mean that if we give everything away God will make us instantly rich. He hasn’t promised riches – he has promised a blessing. He has said that he will provide for our needs and that if we give "it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6 v 38)

So let’s be generous and give to those in need. The blessing of God is much greater than any blessing we could ever save for ourselves.

:9 The 'bountiful eye' reflects the mind of the man who is a 'cheerful giver' (2 Corinthians 9:7) - he is the man who will give 'pressed down and running over' (Luke 6:38).

22:13 The words of the slothful man form one of the Proverbs which Hezekiah's men copied out Prov 26:13. Why would they want to draw particular attention to this Proverb?

V.3  There is a great deal of difference between faith and blind optimism. In fact, the latter is folly. God does not want us to put ourselves in dangerous situations and then expect Him to rescue us. This is exactly what this proverb is about. The Lord's prayer was; "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," which agrees completely with this proverb. Part of wisdom is knowing how to avoid danger.

THE WORD IN YOUR HEART
 
Peter tells us, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have."  (1Pet 3:15)  The best way to do this is to have the answers we need in our hearts.  That is not to say that we recite our stock standard answers off like a parrot, but rather that we are familiar enough with the Word of God, that we have read it and thought about it often enough to be able to give those answers when they are needed.
 
This is what the saying of the wise is teaching us.  "Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips."  (Prov 22:17-18)
 
Our job then, is to get the Word of God inside us - not by merely memorising it, but by internalising it.  We need to become so familiar with God's word that it becomes part of us and the words of God naturally come from our lips.  This will only come from consistently listening to what we are told in the Bible, by prayerfully considering it and keeping it on our minds all the time.  Only then will God's message to us become so treasured that it is in our heart.  When this is achieved we will be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope we have.

Solomon tells us in Prov 22:1 that great riches do not compare with a godly reputation.  It is better to be known for our grace and mercy than for the size of our bank balance.

22:22The oppression ‘in the gate’ is in matters of judgment. The gate was the place of judgment in Biblical times. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom – Gen 19:1- as a judge – Gen 19:9

V.9 - like much of Proverbs, we can see levels of application in this verse. In a material sense it can refer to those who generously share with those who are not of means. It can also refer to those who have spiritual understanding and love for their neighbours (or brothers and sisters) in spiritual need to generously encourage and share the word.  In this instance the chosen word for "poor" Heb. "dal" (1800) means "lean, poor, weak, dangling, thin, needy, poor (man), weaker". In opposition to the prevailing worldly wisdom, by generously giving we gain.

22:4 In this world ‘humility’ is not seen to tend towards ‘riches’. In reality the humility that God seeks, though not tending to worldly riches, will bring eternal riches. We need to be careful not to confuse the world’s way of thinking with the Divine mind.

22:6,15 These two verses which speak of instruction of a child actually have a spiritual application for us. When we are ‘children’ in spiritual things – just after baptism – require careful training. That training is, in part at least, through God’s chastening. If we are ‘trained’ well when young in Christ we will maintain our faith. It is a matter of building solid foundation in our faith. Not simply in the things that we believe but in the things that we do. For example if we have not developed good habits of Bible readings or attending meeting when we are young it is unlikely that such traits will develop when we are ‘old’.

EXCUSES

"The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside!' or 'I will be murdered in the streets!'" (Prov 22:13)

There are often things that we should do that we don't want to do, and making excuses is a great way to avoid them. Sometimes we even go so far as to believe the excuses we invent. Perhaps the sluggard had to go to the market or plow his field. Both of these are very important things to do and by avoiding them, believing that he would be eaten by a lion or be murdered in the streets, he was instead sentencing himself to a slow painful death by starvation. Surely it would have been better to take his chances with the rest of the world who would all leave and return home safely to see the light of another day.

God has asked us to preach his word. Yet many of us, myself included, do just the same as the sluggard and make excuses. 'I would die if they laughed at me,' 'I can't handle rejection,' 'No one is interested any way,' or, 'I wouldn't know what to say.' But actually, we wouldn't die is someone laughed at us, and usually they don't - but imagine the headlines if we did! "Victim Killed By Laughter, Police Seeking Smiler." And yes, we can handle rejection. If we couldn't handle rejection we would never have taken a job interview or sat an exam or even played Snakes and Ladders!

Something I have learned is that people are more interested in what we have to say than we might think. God will give us the right words, and those words will improve will practice. We just need to use them.

So let's leave the excuses and get on with the jobs God wants us to do.

22:8 We are into ‘sowing’ again. We came across ‘sowing in Prov 6:14,19, 11:18, 16:28 and it always the wicked who do the sowing in these passages. Apt because the seed is sown but the consequences are often not seen for some time but by then the growth is so great it is impossible, or very difficult, to remove the problem that has been sown.

V.6 can be considered with v.15.

V.14 is mirrored in Prov 23:27.

V.17 Bow down thine ear is a phrase often used in prayer to Yahweh (e.g. Psa 86:1).

V.26 Yahweh advises us not to become a surety (guarantor) for anyone’s debt. If that person defaults then we are liable to pay his debt (see Prov 6:1,2; 17:18).

V.27 This practice is condemned under the Law (Deut 19:14; 27:17).

22:1  Whilst a ‘good name’ is to be ‘chosen’ we do not do the choosing. It is our lifestyle which determines what sort of ‘name’ we have.

Prov 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”.  
The good name of Jesus is to be preferred above silver and gold.  The Apostle Peter healing of the lame man was done as a loving favour in name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. See, Acts 3:6 and Acts 4:10-12
 

22:1   Whilst we may not think so getting a good name is far harder than getting riches.  Often the getting of riches in itself will mar our name if we are not careful.

22:11   The RV margin for ‘for the grace of his lips’ is ‘hath grace in his lips’ which is very similar to the way that Jesus is described in Luke 4:22 when speaking of Jesus. The contrast in Prov 22:10 is the scorner.  We know Jesus spoke gracious words and scorned no one. What about ourselves?

22:2  God is no respecter of persons, nor should we  -  Lev 19:15 – The realisation that God made us all should help us to appreciate that we have no pre-eminence above any other person whoever they are or however lowly their status in this world’s judgement.

1. Prov 22:1 - a good name chosen in the book of life is more valuable than worldly possessions (Matt 22:14;13:45-46;Exo 32:32-33;Dan 12:1;Phil 4:3;Rev 3:5;13:8;17:8;20:12,15).

2. Prov 22:2 - the price of atonement is the same for rich and poor as they are equal in God's sight (Exo 30:13-16;Job 31:15;Acts 10:34-35).

3. Prov 22:3 - the wise avoid evil temptation unlike the simple - (Matt 6:13;Prov 14:15-16;Amos 5:14-15;1Thess 5:22;2Tim 2:22).

4. Prov 22:4 - future reward of immortality when Jesus returns to earth (John 5:21,22,25).

5. Prov 22:5 ("the way of transgressors is hard" - Prov 13:15).

6. Prov 22:7 - better to do without than become a slave to mammon - (Matt 6:24).

7. Prov 22:8 - "vanity"<205>, "shall fail"<3615> - (Haman Est 5:11-13;7:10. Judas Matt 27:3-5).

8. Prov 22:9 (Deut 15:9-11;Matt 25:33-43).

9. Prov 22:10 (Titus 3:9-11).

10. Prov 22:12 - God preserves truth.

11. Prov 22:14 - even the wise Solomon was vulnerable to such charm (Neh 13:26).

12. Prov 22:16 - (Col 4:1) - exploitation of the more vulnerable members of society seems to be a growing trend.

13. Prov 22:17 - the words of the wise continue through Proverbs 24:34.

14. Prov 22:20 - KJV "excellent things"<7991> - NET "Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge".

15. Prov 22:21 (1Pet 3:15).

16. Prov 22:22 - the gate is where justice is given (Amos 5:12).

17. Prov 22:22-23 - NET "Do not exploit a poor person because he is poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will plead their case and will rob those who are robbing  them."

18. Prov 22:24-25 - NET "Do not make friends with an angry person, and do not associate with a wrathful person, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare" - (1Cor 15:33).

19. Prov 22:28 - (Lev 25:23;Deut 19:14;27:17;Hos 5:10;1Kin 21:1-19;Prov 23:10-11) - in a spiritual sense perhaps it could refer to moving the boundary of doctrine.

20. Prov 22:29 - (Col 3:23;Rom 12:11;Dan 1:3-21;Gen 41:25-46;Luke 10:2).

22:10   The advice here has already been seen – Gen 21:9-10 – when Ishmael was seen mocking Isaac. The removal of Hagar and Ishmael removed that particular problem. We do well to realise that there may be times when a difficult decision has to be made to stop contention.  

How to deal with the scorner in the group

The scorner is someone who cannot be reproved or improved, and trying to bring them into line just results in more trouble (Prov 9:7, 13:1, 14:6, 15:12). We're advised to cast out someone like that, so that the example made of them might benefit others who are being badly influenced by them (19:25, 21:11). Putting up with such a person within the group (for example if they are your employee or member of a volunteer group that you run) will tear the whole group apart as others are inevitably influenced by the scorner's constant bad attitude, negativity, and railing against authority, and those who know better will either take this person's side or be drawn into constant arguments. Asking them to leave will soon bring out the positive side of people again:

"Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease." v10
 

22:7  Whilst at a natural level we can see how true the second part of this Proverb is we should see the spiritual counterpart. We are in debt to the one who has saved us from death. He is our master and we are His servants.

22:4  The idea that true riches from God will be given is seen in Jesus’ words – Luke 16:11

"REMOVE NOT THE ANCIENT LANDMARKS" - Proverbs 22:28

A landmark then is something to designate or establish a boundary to make known and preserve that boundary. I believe at the very beginning of mankind, that God placed some landmarks to designate boundaries.(Both natural and in spiritual boundaries) The purpose of these landmarks or boundaries was to preserve and protect man from destroying himself and causing pain and suffering. And twice in His Word he warns us not to remove them. 

The chief aim of the lesson is to reject any secret fraud one may perpetuate, yet there is a spiritual lesson in this as well. Many churches today are moving the landmarks of true doctrine and practice at an unprecedented rate to "tickle the ears" of the listeners - by telling them what they want to hear to keep them coming back to the church and it's coffers.

But this manipulative movement of ancient apostolic landmarks governing churches is severely condemned in the Bible. Paul described this situation, when Christians turn from sound doctrine and truth to fables and inventions, as "perilous times" and warned Timothy about them (II Tim 3:1 – 4:4) 

Are we a defender of the ancient landmarks and God's truths?  We need to "earnestly contend for the faith" in these last days, so that true faith may be found at the returning of our Lord to the earth (Jude 1:3).

22:24-25       The poor are counselled not to enter into rash promises about their possession when they are in debt. The Law of Moses  requires a generous spirit – Deut 15:8 – when one’s brother was in debt. Even if the Law is not upheld the afflicted one should not compromise his position.     

Prov 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

At first glance this reads like a promise from Yahweh, a guarantee, but this is a misunderstanding. While there are numerous benefits in obeying Yahweh’s commands, it does not include a guarantee to parents that their children will keep the faith as adults.

Train is chanak, # <2596>, translated as “dedicated” in Deut 20:5; 1Kin 8:63, 2Chron 7:5. This verse suggests dedicating our children to Yahweh in spiritual and moral directions with the anticipated trajectory that the child will grow up leaning toward wisdom and not foolishness (cf. Prov 22:15).

The systematic training of children includes the idea of correction for wrongdoing (Prov 13:24), but never punishing a child for a mistake. Discipline and instruction are to be administered in the name of Yahweh, our Father (Eph 6:4; cf. Col 3:16,17). This distinguishes dads from dads. The Houston, Texas Police Department itemized how to ruin children. It is 99% effective, and shows us what not to do. http://www.richlandtownship.org/police/RuinurChild.pdf/

Spiritually-filled fathers will nurture and admonish their children in the manner taught in Scripture. This is very important and not to be glossed over. Fathers, as read in Ephesians and Colossians, is pater # <3962>, (the Greek plural being pateres). Fathers have the responsibility to counsel, to encourage, to teach and to model their children’s lives according to the Word and not according to fleshly reasoning.

It is easy to notice the wrongs, but difficult to look beyond the wrongs. Being dictatorial and harsh only intensifies rebellion. Martin Luther had difficulty praying as a child because his father was so strict to the point of cruelty. Luther wrote: “Spare the rod and spoil the child—that is true, but beside the rod keep an apple to give him when he has done well.” The task of parenting can be overwhelming and challenging, but it must be balanced and our Father does not leave us without specific guidance to help us.

The importance of a father in a child’s life is monumental. He is to typify our Heavenly Father (cf. Heb 12:5-10). This, however, does not let mothers off the hook! In Heb 11:23, the apostle Paul uses the Greek word, pater, father, # <3962> for "parents"!  Pater is mostly used for the male head of the family, but sometimes it is used to include both father and mother, as it is here in Hebrews.

The Bible tells us that children are Yahweh’s heritage. (Psa 127:3). It would certainly seem fitting, then, that we heed Solomon’s wise counsel to train them appropriately. In fact, the value that Yahweh placed on teaching our children the truth is clearly addressed by Moses who stressed to his people the importance of teaching their children about Yahweh and His commands and laws (Deut 6:7-9): “All” is used several times in this chapter (vv. 2,5,24,25). When we love our Heavenly Father with all our heart, we will strive to know all of His commandments and we will strive to keep all of them because we agape love Him.

22:11  The inspired wise man speaks a truth which, ultimately will be fulfilled in those who take to heart the teaching of Jesus – Matt 5:8

MANY PEOPLE, ONE MAKER

"The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them both." (Prov 22:2).

Rich and poor are two very different classes of people. So are immigrants and locals; men and women; people of different races, colours or religions. The same thing applies to us all. The LORD is our maker. He is just as much the maker of the old man I see walking to work each day, as he is of me. He made the woman in the burka with as much skill as he made you. He was also the God that made the supermodel on the magazine cover, the rugby player with the awesome muscles, and the drunk lying in the gutter.

All too often we show an inbuilt sense of prejudice. It might not even be consciously. When people are deformed in some way, we have an inbuilt repulsion; but an attraction toward those who smile and are good looking. But God made us all.

Since we know that God made us all, we should learn to treat people the same without showing favouritism.  We should make the same time for the rich as for the poor, or whatever differences we have. God sends rain on all of us. He has given us all the opportunity to get to know him. Let's do the same and show the love of God to EVERYONE we meet.
 

22:9   The word translated “bountiful” <2896> is very often translated “good” and as such contrasts with the “evil” eye of Prov 23:6

22:29   “hardening his face” is the same as saying that the “wicked” refuses to be instructed.

22:1 Often getting riches is achieved at the expense of one’s good name. How often do we read of wealthy individuals who are willing to oppress others to get what they want. This must not, cannot, be the ay of a faithful believer in God. As such it should inform us about the sort of work we might get involved in, or even the career we might choose.

22:3Peter had been warned and yet flee from the evil. He followed Jesus into the area of the high priest’s palace. Once in there his options to “flee” were greatly limited. So consequently he denied his lord three times.

At times we can predict the way a situation is going, the way a discussion is progressing towards contention. If we are “wise” we will extricate ourselves, or avoid the potential temptation whilst we are still in control of our decisions.

22:12  It is common for mankind, even faithful believers, to look on the way that the godless seem to prosper. Some then are discouraged almost asking what is the purpose of serving God if the godless seem to prosper. The longer term view will realise that God will deal with the injustices that there are in the world.

22:17  In saying “bow down thine ear” seems to carry the sense of a willingness to submit to the words of God rather than in an arrogant way refuse to “bow down” to God’s instruction.

v. 5 - There is a point made here about this particular place. A parcel of ground - bought in Gen.33:19, given to Joseph in Gen.48:21,22, and used later to bury Joseph's bones in Jos.24:32. The point here is surely to emphasise the contrast between the place (being of great Jewish heritage) and the conversation with a gentile Samaritan woman, which led, as always with the gentiles that are recorded to great awe and wonder at the power of God. And yet the Jews had allowed this special place of their heritage to become part of the land of Samaria.

v. 46 Cana is only mentioned in John's gospel. John 2:1 here 21:2 Was it the miracle at Cana which Convinced Nathanael that Jesus was worth following?

There are a number of links with the Song of Solomon in this chapter

It seems as if John is likening Jesus' meeting with the woman - who accepted his teaching - to the faithful woman of the Song of Solomon who sought to be married to the bride groom in the Song.

We may see the record here as separate and distinct from Chapter 3. However we should remember that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and he said 'we know' which implies that he had been sent by the Pharisees to find out about Jesus' position. So 4:1 is telling us the information that Nicodemus related to them on his return.

4:5 - Why is Joseph mentioned here?
There is a daughter about to be made for the family of Abraham to increase the divine name by the "increaser"(Joseph). The converted Samaritans called Jesus the "Saviour of the world"(vs 42) which is what Pharaoh called Joseph(Gen 41:45-Zaphnath-paaneah).

V.49  The nobleman showed his faith, by asking Christ to come and heal his son. But his faith was not complete. The man could not believe that his son could be cured without the physician coming to the patient. His faith was perfected when Christ told him "Go thy way, thy son liveth" The nobleman now believed. (V.50) 

4:1 Doubtless the 'Pharisees hear' what Jesus had been doing from Nicodemus who had just (John 3) been to see Jesus, probably having been sent by the Sanhedrin.

V.37-38 The disciples, as reapers will be able to rejoice in a spiritual crop which they had not planted.. A man may reap where he has not sown (Deut 6:11;, Josh 24:13) or a sower may never experience the joy of reaping (Deut 28:30;, Job 31:8;, Mic 6:15) We have all reaped where we did not sow. We must all become sowers, so others may be able to reap. By doing so we can always be assured that there will always be a harvest for others.

4:1       We wonder how the Pharisees ‘heard’ what Jesus had been doing. Maybe Nicodemus learnt that when he met with Jesus as recorded in chapter 3.

4:3 In John 2:13 Jesus is seen going to Jerusalem. Here we see Jesus returning to Galilee. The meeting with Nicodemus must, therefore, have taken place in Jerusalem. Jesus had gone to Jerusalem and the religious leaders had taken the opportunity to check out this new preacher.

When we hear the gospel from someone, we must then listen to it for ourselves. We must take the words of Christ into our hearts, and must make them our own. We must not simply learn these truths 2nd or 3rd hand. To illustrate this the Samaritans listened to Jesus for two whole days, and then told the woman that they no longer believed just because of her words, but now they had heard him for themselves (John 4:39-42).

4:1    Jesus’ reaction to the fact that it became known that John had baptised more people than himself  is characteristic of Jesus. He never wanted to draw attention to himself We see in his miracles how often he commanded the one healed not to publicise what had been done for them. Jesus wanted people to follow him because of his message, not his miracles.

4:4 The comment ‘he must needs go through Samaria’ requires some thought. The easiest route from Jerusalem to Galilee is down towards Jericho and then north along the Jordan valley. It is a level easy route. However to go from Jerusalem to Galilee via Samaria is a more demanding route along through the hills. So the necessity was not ease of travel. There was work to do. There was a woman there in need of the gospel. How often do we take the arduous route to preach the gospel rather than making life easy for yourselves?

GOD - The Father and creator of all things

God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth - therefore our basic understanding of God (and His word) must not be in error - John 4:24. God dwells in heaven with no God beside Him - Psa 115:3,16; Matt 6:9; Deut 10:14; Deut 6:4; Isa 44:6-8; Isa 45:5; Mark 12:29-32; 1Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6.  God was/is eternal, is immortal (can't die), can't be seen by men, is unchanging - Psa 90:2; 1Tim 6:13-16; 1Tim 1:17; James 1:17; Mal 3:6. God is all-powerful - Rev 19:6 (KJV); Jer 10:10-13; Luke 1:35; Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49. God is all-knowing - Isa 46:9-10; Jer 1:5-7; Acts 15:18 (KJV). God is present everywhere - Psa 139:7-12; Jer 23:23-24; 2Chron 16:9.  God is loving and merciful - Lam 3:22-23; Eze 33:11; 2Pet 3:9; Mic 7:18-20.

V.2 If this statement is true, then John 3:22 must mean that the disciples baptized under the direction of Jesus.  Then, Jesus would be credited for the acts performed.

V.9 In Jews’ minds, the Samaritans were not, as it were: scraping the bottom of the barrel; they were: scraping the underneath.

To understand the Jews’ extremely low opinion of the Samaritans, you have to trace the Samaritans’ beginning.  In Nehemiah’s time - this was during the 6^th. Century B.C. - Jerusalem was being rebuilt after the exile to Babylon.  There had been intermarriage of some remnant Jews with non-Jews and there had been extensive worship of foreign gods. This group lived in Samaria and became known as the Samaritans. They hindered Nehemiah and the restoration of Jerusalem. 

The returning Jews' deep hatred and mistrust of these idolatrous half-Jews, at this time, passed down through the ages to form the backdrop to Christ's dealing with the Samaritan woman and his parable of the Good Samaritan

Vs.25,26,42 Cornelius is considered the first Gentile convert to Christ (Acts 11:13,14). And so he was in the apostolic era. But, could not this Samaritan woman actually be the first? Then, there were other Samaritans (vs.39,41).  

The reunification of Israel and Judah

During the reign of David and Solomon the kingdom of Israel had been united. Yet this unity had been hard to win, and even harder to maintain. The northern kingdom, later to come under the general name of Samaria, had no natural affinity with the kingly line. The kingly line was of Judah, whereas the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph) felt the leadership of Israel ought to come from them as the favourite of Jacob.

In this chapter of John we have the issue between these two camps tackled head on. Notice how specific the location is (v5). This was the plot of land Jacob bought legally to live on (Gen 33:18-20), and passed on by inheritance to Ephraim and Manasseh in Gen 48:22. It was just outside Shechem. The sons of Jacob then took the city of Shechem by force and plundered it (Gen 34). Notice that they killed all the men but kept all the women alive for themselves, so many of their descendants would be half Shechemites. At the break up of the joint kingdom, Jeroboam built up Shechem again and instituted a rival form of worship to that of the Jews (1Kin 12). Hence Jesus' statement "salvation is of the Jews" (v20-22).

Now notice how Jesus sets about to heal the rift of generations. He makes the effort to go through the foreign area of Samaria, rather than passing by it on the road to Jericho (see Peter's 2009 comment). He asks for help. He engages a woman in conversation. He shows he is willing to be associated with her and her people. (Bear in mind this is the King of Israel, and also declares himself to be the Messiah v25-26)). He then shows the Samaritan woman that she needn't go up to Jerusalem to worship, but that worship is now acceptable "in spirit and truth", in other words wherever you are. And most wonderfully of all, he tells her that "God is seeking such (as her) to worship Him". No wonder his gospel was accepted with open arms (v39-42).

4:40-43 Jesus was on his way to Galilee. Doubtless there was a reason for going to Galilee. However, because of the request from the Samaritans he changed his plans and remained with them two days before continuing on his planned journey./ Are we willing to change our plans to accommodate unforeseen opportunities or are we so self centred that we will not change our own plans for the benefits of others?

READY FOR HARVEST

As Jesus passed through the Samaritan region and discovered crowds of people who were receptive to his teaching, he pointed out the fields to his disciples. He said to them, "Do you not say, 'Four months and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! they are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)

No one would have thought that the Samaritans were a field of God that were worth harvesting. After all, they didn't really belong in the land of Israel, they didn't really believe the same things about the same God, and they didn't worship in Jerusalem. Yet these people were regarded by Jesus as people ready and needing to hear the good news of the kingdom of God.

Perhaps we, like the disciples of Jesus, can also be a bit blind when it comes to seeing God's field with clarity. Because people are different to the way we are, or because they don't worship in the way we do, even though they have mistaken beliefs or are still struggling to overcome their old way of life, it does not mean that they are not part of God's field. These people might be much more responsive to the gospel of the kingdom then we give them credit for

So let's give the people around us the benefit of the doubt and look on them as part of God's field, ready for harvest.

4:9    Whilst the custom might have been that the Jews did not have dealings with the Samaritans that was not Jesus’ way. Do we mimic the conventions of the day to avoid certain people or are we like Jesus with tie for everyone?

"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink"(John 4:9)

Jesus was thirsty and asked for water but the woman at the well did not see a thirsty person but a Jew asking for water. The same may characterise our lives.We find ourselves choosing who to love and who not to. Probably we have a well-coded system in our minds as to the people we smile to,talk softly to or help.But such is not the way of Christ.Before we see the hand with the matter let us see the matter at hand.

4:45   Jesus had returned from Jerusalem where clearly he had been preaching during the feast. Those others from Galilee who had heard him in Jerusalem now seem to be more willing to listen to his words having heard him in Jerusalem. So Jesus’ comment in the previous verse is seen to be true of Jesus – the willingness of the people to listen now was only because they had heard him in Jerusalem. They were impressed, it seems, by the location, not his teaching.

John 4:23-24

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

This is such an incredible narrative filled with so many important lessons. Here we have a Samaritan woman attempting to debate religious traditions with the Son of God!

True worship is expected today (“... and now is...) and concerns us personally too. The place of worship was no longer important as it was in Old Testament times. Worship during OT times consisted of a physical structure, the tabernacle, special clothing for priests, lampstands, burning of incense, musical instruments, and animal sacrifices – all that appealed to the physical senses (cf. Heb 9:1-10). Worship now under the NT, God’s temple today is spiritual (1Cor 3:16; Eph 2:19-22). Believers are priests offering spiritual sacrifices (Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15; 1Pet 2:5,9). Our prayers are sweet incense (Rev 5:8). Our music is making melody with the heart (Eph 5:19). To worship in spirit is to offer up to God spiritual worship as taught in the NT and not the physical worship as taught in the OT.

The elements of OT worship were simply a “shadow,” or “figure” pointing to the true (Heb 10:1). The tabernacle was a figure (Heb 9:8-9). The Law was a shadow of that which was to come.  Christ is the true tabernacle (Heb 9:11-12,24). Therefore, we should expect the worship of the true to differ from the worship of the shadow. To worship in truth, which God now expects of true worshippers, is according to the substance, the TRUE reality. To worship in spirit and in truth, is not about physical worship, which was but a shadow of what was to come. Spiritual worship is the true substance of what God wants of us in worship.

In the current religious battlegrounds, Agnostics, Atheists, Christians, Humanists, Jews, Muslims, etc., all have their different religious beliefs on how to worship, or how not to worship.  They will argue over the origin of the Christmas Sun Worship, while fundamentalist Christians realize that one cannot put Christ back into something in which he never was! Meanwhile, mainstream Christians are fighting to worship as they see fit and do not care about the Pagan idolatrous origins of any holiday.

But, Christ clearly said that those who worship acceptably are those who do so, “in spirit and in truth.” God is very specific in the way He wants to be worshipped, and did not give us permission to worship Him in ways that seem right to us (cf. Deut 12:29-32; Rev 22:18-19). Syncretism is not an acceptable form of worship!

God is very specific on how we are to worship, and we may not replace true worship with a false one just because it feels right, looks right, or appeals to the flesh. Human nature has the rebellious proclivity to do what it wants to do even though God tells us to do things differently (Rom 8:7).

Having had 5 previous husbands does not make the woman at the well promiscuous. Death and/or divorce (by either party) are also valid options for separation.

Summary Of John

4:1-2             Pharisees heard about Jesus Baptising

4:3-4             Jesus went to Galilee via Samaria

4:5-30           The woman at the well at Shechem

4:31-38          Disciples return with food. Jesus speaks with them

4:39-42          Many Samaritans believed because they listened to Jesus

4:43               Jesus went to Galilee 2 days later

4:44               A prophet has no honour in his own country

4:45-46          Jesus went to Cana (where he had turned the water into wine)

4:47-54          Jesus healed the nobleman’s son  2^nd miracle (In Galilee)

John 4:9

“Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being A Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”

The Samaritans and Jews were both descended from Israel (Jacob). They both worshipped the one true God. After the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two separate kingdoms - ten tribes to the North, Israel, and two tribes to the south, Judah. Judah continued to worship at Jerusalem, and for a time followed the traditions of their fathers, but later, they too fell into idolatry.

The Samaritans believed the center of Israel’s worship was at Mt. Gerizim, not Mt. Zion; they believed the Jews were on the wrong religious path; the Samaritans rejected the pre-eminence of the Davidic dynasty, that the Levitical priests were the rightful leaders of Israel. They believed God gave them the Torah, that there is one prophet, one book, and one place of true worship.

The Jews, on the other hand, believed the Samaritans rejected the words of the prophets by giving prominence to Mt. Gerizim. They looked down on the Samaritans because they did not go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, not accepting the pre-eminence of the Davidic dynasty, and that the Samaritans deliberately changed the Torah to fit their heretical practices. The Samaritans also intermarried with Gentiles.

According to Josephus, the Jewish Historian, Samaritan and Jewish passions and tensions ran so high that the Jews would rather journey a distance twice as long than go through Samaria. The Samaritans and Jews looked down on each other, but Jesus in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, as well as his parable of the Good Samaritan, was trying to break down these barriers and show that they were both God’s children.

John 4:3-4

“He (Jesus) left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria.”

Jesus did not take a short cut through Samaria because he was in a hurry, as suggested by some commentators, because he tarried two days with the Samaritans (v. 40). He “must needs go” (v. 4) was to encounter the Samaritan woman and teach the Samaritans the truth (vv. 39-41). Christ was on a divine mission, and the Samaritans were a crop ready to be harvested.

John 4:16-18

“Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands…”

This un-named Samaritan woman has been tagged as a woman of ill repute having had five husbands; that she went to the well at the sixth hour, or 12 PM during the hottest hour of the day just to avoid the other women’s disdainful looks.

These are all suppositions, and being such, I will present some other suppositions that I believe is more in light with Scripture: 1) The Samaritan woman was the first woman to whom Jesus openly revealed himself as the Messiah in the Gospel of John (vv. 25-26). 2) Jesus, being a Jew, had a long private conversation with her despite the fact that the Jews did not converse with the Samaritans (cf. vv. 9,27). 3) Because of her testimony, many Samaritans believed (v. 39). If she had been a woman of ill repute, I doubt very much they would have given her the time of day to listen to anything she had to say. 4) She listened and believed on Jesus as the Messiah (v. 42), while many of the Jews rejected him. Furthermore, noon was not the hottest time of the day, but between 2-4 PM. Actually, the sun remains the same temperature regardless of the time of day. The question is: What time of day is the hottest time of the day? It would be around the 9^thhour, or 3 PM, and that the Samaritan woman was not trying to avoid anybody at all!

Since the Samaritans followed the Torah (Heb. “to teach”), a scroll composed of the five books of Moses, and contained 613 commandments (mitzvoth) and the Ten Commandments, it is possible that she was divorced by her husbands according to Deut 24 (a woman could not divorce her husband), or widowed, or possibly a mixture of both, or even that her five husbands could have been five brothers for whom she was supposed to produce an heir according to the marriage law as read in Deut 25:5-10 (cf. Matt 22:24-28), after which when the last died also there were no more brothers. 2) The man she was then with was not yet her husband, but fiancée.

Mark Twain wrote: “Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.”  Sometimes the problem in interpreting the Bible where Scripture is silent has to do with our past, our preconceived notions, our already formed beliefs, our cultural blind spots, our social standing, gender, and many other influences play into the interpretation of the Bible - even issues where we think Scripture is not so silent on. The meaning is always constant, but what the reader gets out of the text can differ greatly from person to person.

In a court of law, we have “innocent until proven guilty,” and I have presented enough evidence for “reasonable doubt” against the charges of immorality against the Samaritan woman, the reason being “lack of evidence.” The presence of other likely scenarios, as I have shown, could explain the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in a much more favourable light, and this I believe is a more responsible alternative for “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart”(1Sam 16:7).

4:2    This is not an indication that baptising individuals was beneath Jesus’ dignity. Rather the concern was that if Jesus had baptised anyone later they might claim some special status. Paul addresses the same issue – 1Cor 1:13-15 – in an ecclesia where there was a “party spirit”. 

chiastic structure

4:11     The woman’s mind was so focused on the water in the well that the spiritual significance of what Jesus aid was lost on her despite the fact she was aware of what her bible said about Messiah. We can be like this. We know what Scripture says but are unable, or unwilling, at time to expand our thoughts further than our current understanding.

4:10  The Samaritans did not worship the God of Israel according to His teaching. So Jesus’ mention of “living water” highlights the way in which Jer 2:13 and , Jer 17:13spoke of the way in which Israel turned from God to their own forms of worship – forsaking the “living waters” of His provision.

4:1      When Nicodemus visited Jesus has said that the Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was come from God because of the miracles that he had done. So now John. Through the power of inspiration, returns to that aspect of Jesus ministry. He makes the point again that the Jews – a word in John’s gospel which speaks of the Jewish leaders – to remind us that the Pharisees were well aware of Jesus’ power to heal.

4:48    Isn’t it strange that the people wanted more signs from Jesus. Nicodemus John 3:2 – had already acknowledged that Jesus was different and must be from God because of the miracles that Jesus had already performed .

4:5         The information that this was the place near to the ground that Jacob had given to Joseph, superficially, seems irrelevant. However but is key to the discussion that follows. For example see :12. Notice the woman – a Samaritan – says that the well was given to them. So she identifies the Samaritans with Joseph which is hardly true.

4:54  We should be clear that Jesus doubtless performed a number of miracles when he was in “Judea”. John is not speaking of the total number of miracles that Jesus had performed. Just the ones in Galilee.

4:34 This “meat”, or `food’, <1033>, echoes the meal offering which typified the dedication of labour on that which had originally been given by God, for God gives the “increase” (1 Cor. 3:6) and then man grinds the grain and with the flour makes such things as, for example, “cakes” and “wafers” Lev. 2:4). Likewise Christ would “finish” the work which God had begun. The meal offering was “unleavened” (Lev. 2:4), representing “sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). This spirit of the meal offering is echoed by Christ when he said: “they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jno. 4:24). The meal offering could be offered anywhere, “in every place incense shall be offered unto My Name, and a pure offering (<4503>, ‘meal offering’)” and Christ spoke of when worship would occur at places other than “this mountain” and “Jerusalem” (Jno. 4:21).

4:54 We should be clear that Jesus doubtless performed a number of miracles when he was in “Judea”. John is not speaking of the total number of miracles that Jesus had performed. Just the ones in Galilee.

4:51-53The nobleman could easily have presumed that his child had recovered naturally, especially as all Jesus said was go home and your son will live – that is be well. It was only through enquiring did he establish that it was Jesus’ words that had healed his son.

4:22 Being certain of who one worships is essential. Jesus, by inference, makes a sim lar point to Nicodemus – 3:10 – Nicodemus’ problem was that whilst he knew what scripture said he did not understand it. The Samaritan woman would only have had regard to parts of the Hebrew bible. We should realise that it is all the scriptures that should be our focus with the object of both knowing and understanding them

4:9-10 Notice that Jesus does not actually answer the woman’s question. Rather he focuses on what really matters.

How often do we enter into discussion and miss the really important point and discuss irrelevancies?