Comments for April 17

v. 3 - The occasions when women reach equality with men in the Old Testament are rare, but this is one. Another is the Nazarite vow (6:2)

v.1 This concern develops the problem raised by the daughters of Zelophehad. Time had gone on and reflection on the situation had caused the implications of inheritance to be brought to the fore - one wonders whether one of the daughters was planning to marry - and so a solution has to be found. Clearly Yahweh knew that this problem would occur when he gave the legislation for the daughters of Zelophehad. So why was not this point covered as well? The reason is that the Father gives us as much as we need at any one time and leaves us to reflect and use our own minds to be exercised in the things we know. Additional issues are presented as we need them - or grow. This is how we deal with the 'first principles'. We certainly do not see the implications when we are baptised but as we grow we see more and more implications. We have the Scripture to answer our questions which is 36:5 'according to the word of the Lord' in the case we are considering.

The practical implication of the previous decision regarding Zelophehad's inheritance being passed to his daughters as he had no sons was that this land would pass to another tribe if they married outside the tribe. So we have a new rule for those (few) women who have an inheritance that they must marry within their own tribe. As always, with privilege comes responsibility.

36:9 The land was distributed 'by lot'. The laws of inheritance meant that the land went with the man who had married the daughter who had inherited from her father - like the daughters of Zelophehad. Thus the requirement to marry within the tribe would ensure that no marriages would destroy the Divinely appointed division of the land.

The counterpart in our ecclesial life is that our marriages should not upset the equilibrium of the ecclesia. So marriages to the unbeliever, for example, are totally unacceptable.

:13 So even though Moses is dead we are reading things that Moses commanded. We should be alert to the fact that the record does not always run chronologically.

36:1-5 Notice, even at the end of the wilderness journey there are details of the application of the law of Moses which have not yet been resolved. This highlights that the law of Moses was not the complete answer to the people's problems - it required the sacrifice of Jesus to do that.

God commanded that the inherited land was not to move from the possession of one tribe to another (Num 36:9). This reminds us of godly Naboth withstanding the most ungodly King Ahab (1Kin 21).

Succession in preserving the tribal allotments was as important as the injunction not to encroach on another's tribal territory (Deut 19:14, 27:17, Prov 22:28, 23:10).

OBEDIENCE
Sometimes situations arise when we are vexed by a question and we don’t know what to do. Often the answer is found in the word of God.  At other times our situation is not covered by what is in the Bible and neither is it a matter of conscience. At those times we can either make a decision ourselves based on our own knowledge and understanding, or we can ask God for help in our decision making.

The tribe of Manasseh had one of these problems so they decided to ask the LORD through Moses for the solution. God gave the tribe the answer they came for concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. In many ways it could have been quite a harsh answer to their question. They were to marry only within their clan so that their inheritance would not pass out of the tribe in the year of Jubilee.

But what if there were no suitable men in their tribe? What if they were in love with someone from another tribe? We do not know what their personal circumstances were at the time, but we do know what the Bible says about them. "So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the LORD commanded Moses." (Num 36:10)   Whether it was convenient or whether they wanted to or not, they did what the LORD commanded them to do.

Sometimes the answers we get are not always what we would like to hear, but even then, let us do as Zelophehad’s did, doing as the LORD commands us.

V,13 The Israelitish encampment was on an extensive plateau north of the Arnon, which taken from the Moabites by Sihon and Og, still retained the name of its original possessors. This particular site "Jordan near Jericho", is now called El-Koura,a large plain lying not far from Nebo, between the Arnon and a small stream, the Weal.

36:7      The provision of the law of Moses that the land remained within the tribe to which it was given by inheritance had the effect of removing the possibility, if it was observed, of individuals becoming ‘land barons’ by acquisition.  The flesh always seeks more. God gives what is necessary.

Inheritance could not pass from tribe to tribe (v.9).  And so Zelophehad's daughters were obliged to marry within their own tribe.  They married their cousins (vs.11,12).  Interesting that the name Zelophehad means my kinsman is my protector.

KEEPING THE INHERITANCE
 
The tribe of Manasseh had a potential problem with Zelophehad's daughters. If they were to marry outside their tribe, the inheritance they would receive from Zelophehad's estate would pass into the hands of other tribes, causing Manasseh's boundaries to be decreased. The heads of the clan Zelophehad belonged to were so concerned about this that the came to Moses wanting a solution from God for their problem. The solution they were given turned out to be an easy one. Zelophehad's daughters were to marry men from their own tribe. That way, their inheritance would not pass out of their tribe and into another.
 
But there is more at stake here than the inheritance of Zelophehad's daughters or anyone else's daughters from the tribes of Israel. Paul said that we should marry only in the Lord. (1Cor 7:39) Inheriting the promises God has given us is at risk if we marry a spouse who does not share the same faith as ours. Like the leaders of Zelophehad's clan, we must be very concerned if any of our young people look like they are going to throw away their inheritance in this way. It does not always happen, but the risks are huge.
 
So let's look at marriage outside the faith very seriously and do all we can to see that we are in a position to inherit what God has planned for us.

36:2 The matter of the inheritance and the daughters of Zelophehad has already been dealt with in detail in Num 27:1-2. This highlights the importance of the matter of dealing with inheritance and the fact that it should stay within the tribe.

36:9  It is common in wealthy families to inter marry to preserve or increase wealth and power. This was not to be in Israel. Hence this provision was made that the inheritance remained with the tribe. It is not that the ownership of the land is the important point. It is important to realise that men should not try to take away that which God has given.

The preservation of allotted land was of utmost importance to Israel. All Semites shared this value. It still exists today. The seemingly unsolvable problem between the Israelis and the Palestinians has to do with claims on the land. Those of us, living in the west, cannot really understand the magnitude of the problem. We can buy and sell land and property without any compunction, as a matter of convenience. Those in the Near East cannot, as their history, identity, and family honour are all tied up in the land.

36:5 ‘according to the word of the Lord’ is a recurring phrase in the book of Num 3:16, 3:51, 4:45 and here and passes into Biblical usage. It stands as a stamp of authority. A form of shorthand saying that it is God’s word.

V.3 There is an interesting insight in Hebrew that is not apparent in English.

The word they is translated from the Hebrew l’hem which means to them.

The strange thing is that l’hem is masculine. The feminine is l’hen. The same is true in Num 27:7 where to them is l’hem.

And so, the question is: Why were the daughters of Zelophehad addressed in the masculine form instead of the normal feminine form? It appears that, for inheritance purposes, they were being treated as sons.

V.36 In this account the order of Zelophehad’s daughters is: Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah.

But in all the other accounts the order is:

Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah (Num 26:33, 27:1;Josh 17:3).

It seems odd that, in this account, Tirzah and Noah have changed places.

Offspring are listed in order of age. And so, it appears that Mahlah is the oldest and Tirzah is the youngest.

Mahlah means sickness or disease; Noah means movement; Hoglah means partridge; Milcah means queen; and Tirzah means delight (same as the royal city of Jeroboam. Tirzah was a place renowned for its beauty).

36:11 The case of the daughters of Zelophehad is singled out here at the end of the wilderness journey. However doubtless there were many other families with no sons at that time and in later times. So this laying out the principle for one family set a precedent for all Israel.

36:6     We might think it rather restrictive that the daughters of Zelophehad – and any other girls in their position – were restricted to marrying one in their own tribe.  However there are Divine laws at stake and they take precedence over human emotion.   Doubtless these faithful women – and others like them – would have been careful to restrict their courtships to men from their own tribe.  Herein is a powerful lesson for us today.  Our marriages are to be ‘only in the Lord’1Cor 7:39 so we should restrict our courtships to such individuals.

36:8  The whole of the way in which marriage within tribes was to be conducted would, to Western eyes, seem to be very restrictive. However the concern of God was that the inheritance would remain within each tribe.  There were no marriages of convenience to enhance one family plot of land.

36:7   Inheritance is critical in the lives of Israel. We are offered inheritance of the saints in light – Col 1:12. Paul counsels marriage “only in the lord” 1Cor 7:39. The inference being that we could lose our inheritance through marrying outside of the faith.

Two requests for two perspectives

Q: This is the second time that the case of the daughters of Zelophehad had been brought to Moses. Take a look at the two occasions and see if you can tell what the big difference is: Num 27:1, 36:1.

A: Did you see it? The first time the women themselves come and ask Moses about their case. The second time it's the leaders of their tribe, not the women, who come to Moses.

The women had brought their case because on a day-to-day practical level, they wanted an inheritance so that they and their children could survive. As it stood, when they entered the land of Israel they would have nowhere to live. They were homeless. After Moses' initial judgement, I think they were satisfied with the outcome, and rightly so. Thus when it came to the broader picture of tribal politics and the division of the land tribe by tribe along geographical boundaries, it was the leaders within Manasseh that spotted the potential for problems in the longterm, and went to Moses themselves. It is pleasing for us to see that God reacted favourably in both cases, granting the request of both parties. Sometimes we have "brass tacks" requests of God, food, clothing, shelter, and sometimes we want to ask spiritual and longterm requests such as a place in the Kingdom, or for a Godly partner or friends. In each case God shows Himself pleased to respond.

36:13 The details in the verse help us to understand that, whilst the book of Numbers records event throughout the wilderness journey, they were spoken to Israel right at the end of he wilderness journey just before they crossed Jordan. So we should see the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy as both being communicated with Israel whilst they were in sight of the land of promise.

Num 36:8-12 - Zelophehad's daughters were to marry a kinsman; Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer to Ruth; the kinsman- redeemer and bridegroom of believers is Christ; we are to marry within the family of Christ (1Cor 7:39) so we are evenly yoked and thus have the same inheritance/hope.

36:3-9  Notice how often the word “inheritance” occurs. The focus is that God gave the land and took account of the fatherless.

36:13   in saying “near Jericho” we are  reminded that Jericho will be the first city taken when the nation enter the land. We are being introduced to future events that Israel did not know of at that time.

36:5      the comments “hath said well” returns to, and approves of, the matter to do with the daughters of Zelophehad – Num 27:17

36:6-12 notice again the repeated use of the word “inheritance” - just like we saw in verses :2-4.

36 The specific, carefully defined, rules regarding marriage here are designed by Yahweh to prevent arrange marriages which would see vast tracts of land passing into the hands of a few individuals. Whilst the nations of this world are not constrained by the Law of Moses we should realise that the principles still hold good today. They have been violated through the centuries by royalty and wealthy individuals for the own political ends making arranged marriages to secure land of power over others.

Num 36:3 An inheritance could only be passed to a daughter if there were no sons. I wonder if one of the reasons for this is to make sure a woman could not get to the stage being rich that she could have power/authority over a man?

We do have to remember as brethren that a woman/sister could be equal to a man spiritually and many sisters in scripture are shown to be have been so, it was only in authority she could not be mans equal The succesful completion of the Nazarite vow when she acted as a priest did not give a sister equal authority but only equal spirituality. That is reserved for the kingdom.

36 The request of the daughters of Zelophehad had long term implications. Those implications are not set out when they made their request recounted in chapter  27. But now the implications are spelt out, and yet more details given regarding inheritance.

36 It would appear that the provision for the daughters of Zelophehad was understood by the family. But now the implications of that provision become clear when the land is divided for inheritance. “What about …?” is on their minds and so they spoke to Moses who added, at the commandment of God, provision that the land would remain with the tribe to whom it was promised.

God could have specified all this at the time that the daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses. But He did not. Why?

One reason could well be that God wanted the family to think through the implications for themselves.

In like manner we are given principles by which we should order our lives. Thus we need to think about how to implement those principles in our daily lives.

36:2-9  As mentioned on earlier occasions. Inheritance has been a major theme in the book of Numbers. And finally we return to it again. The matter of the daughters of Zelophehad and an inheritance has already been made clear. But now the next aspect, what happens to their inheritance when they marry, becomes the focus of attention. The objective was to ensure that the inheritance remained within the tribes they were from. Of course this would apply with all daughters who inherited land whichever tribe they were from.

36:1 when we read that people came near and spoke before Moses” we see a subtle detail that indicates that their approach was not confrontational. Rather they were seeking for the implementation of what had already been promised. All too often we might, knowing that something had been promised, demand our “rights” We can learn something about how to approach others in positions of authority from their example.

v. 1,2 - Warnings to be sure that we remain humble and wise to possibilities. We are in God's hands, we have no control over what might come next in our lives but we trust him to order our lives for us and only by his grace are we praiseworthy. Isa.56:12, Luke 12:19-20, 2Cor.10:12,18, 12:11, James 4:13-16.

27 v.1-12 Describes the thought patterns and behaviour of different individuals in the circumstances around the last week of Jesus life. 27:1 'boast not of tomorrow' Peter, who said that he would not deny Jesus 27:2 Jesus, by 'holding his peace' Mark 14:61 was not praising himself. 27:4 The 'envy' that was so cruel that Jesus was not able to stand before it was the 'envy' of those who delivered him to Pilate - Mark 15:10, Matt 26:49 The 'kisses' is the kiss by which Judas betrayed Jesus. 27:9 Which contrasts with the 'ointment and perfume' or Mary in John 12 when she anointed Jesus feet. 27:12 Peter did not 'foresee the evil' so instead of hiding he went into the palace of the High Priest.

v.7 has a reference obliquely to the attitude of the children of Israel in the matters concerning manna. When they were hungry for it but as soon as they were filled with it they fast became fed up with the same food every day and the events of Num 11:4-20 take place. We must take care in our spiritual feeding each day that we do not suffer the same loathing.

:14 The man who behaves in this way is only doing things for show. It is like the 'greetings in the market place' [Matthew 23:7] and is the way in which the world behaves. True friendship does not require a show and a noise. The one greeting does not make the show and the one being greeted does not need the show.

:20 The servant of God should really take this to heart. We are never satisfied with the things that we want. This is exemplified in children. They 'have to have' something but when they have it they very shortly afterwards want something else. We, as adults, are just like that, though we pretend that we are not.

27:12 This Proverbs is encouraging us to think about the future. We must take account of what we think may happen in our lives and prepare ourselves. The fool is the one who carries blindly along. It might be thought that this contradicts Jesus 'take no thought'Matt 6:31  but not so. Jesus was talking about anxious thought. We must both trust God and 'work out our own salvation Phil 2:12

V.10  Our true friends must not be forsaken. The ties of blood may be less reliable than those of genuine friendship. Our friends are those of our spiritual family, when help is needed, it is our ecclesial family that is there in many ways, not the least in prayer. James 5:14-16 These are our true friends. 

V.6 Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47,48).
 
V.18 The fig tree was a symbol of Israel. However, Israel had not kept the faith and rejected its master.  Therefore, it was cursed (Matt 21:19,20).
 

James tells us the same as Solomon. James 4:13-17 says that we should say that God Willing we shall live and so be able to do this or that. Prov 27:1 says in a very similar vein that we should not boast about tomorrow. We mustn't presume that we shall be able to do anything, tomorrow.

27:22 So the fool is not susceptible to chastening. Are we? Or are we fools? It only those who are exercised – Heb 12:11 - who benefit from chastening.

V.21 - when receiving praise (or acquiring knowledge 1Cor 8:1) we have to be careful it doesn't go to our head Luke 6:26;John 12:43.

27:10 Family are valuable, however a neighbour who understands Lev 19:18 will be more use in calamity. It is the nearness of the neighbour that provides the particular support. This means that when we see a brother in need we should not leave the relieving of the problem to others. We should attend to his need as he is our neighbour. It is all too easy to leave things to others thinking that ‘it is not our problem.’ In reality our brother’s need is indeed our problem if we truly appreciate Lev 19:18

27:18 It is an accepted fact that diligence does secure a reward (John 8:12).                    

27:21 Praise is a test of character for all. Praise is handled differently by men. The vain man seeks it; the weak man is inflated by it; the wise man disregards it. 

27:18 Jesus – John 12:26 – applies the principle of this verse to those who would be his servants.

V.4 The first murder was the result of jealousy (Gen 4:4-8).

27:7 Solomon is not simply speaking about how we react to food. He is speaking about our attitude to Scripture. It we are satisfied with the things of this life the ;bitter’ things of the word of God will be abhorrent to us. But if we hunger for the word as if we cannot get enough of it then even the ‘bitter’ things – the constraints that it lays upon us – will be seen to be good and wholesome

V.1 relates to Matt 6:34.

V.2 is echoed by the modern expression: self-praise is no commendation.

V.13 is the same as Prov 20:16.

V.14 is reflected in the Italian proverb: He who praises you more than he was wont to do, has either deceived you, or is about to do it.

V.15 There is a controversial torture practice called waterboarding. Here the victim lies on his back and his face is covered by a cloth. Then a continuous dripping of water on the cloth produces the effect on the victim that he is drowning. A man living with a contentious woman also feels like he is drowning.

V.17 The intelligent interaction between two friends sharpens both.

V.19 The heart of man reflects exactly the sum of his character. But, man cannot truly assess his heart. Only Yahweh can (Psa 44:21).

V.20 reflects 1John 2:16.

V.22 Even though a fool were crushed he would still retain his foolishness.

V.23 If you want your flock to be healthy and happy and to grow and multiply, then you have to take care of them. The same applies to leaders of an ecclesia.

V.26 If you want to have enough lambs to exchange for your clothing, and enough goats to pay for a field; then you had better look after your flocks (v.23).

27:1 The exhortation not to speak as if we know what tomorrow will bring is given a very practical application – James 4:13 – by the apostle James. We must realise that God, not we, is in control of our lives.

27:2  How easy it is to ‘blow our own trumpet’. However such behaviour is not Godly. It is Pharisaic as Jesus comments in Matt 6:2

27:16  The ‘her’ that is hidden is the contention woman of the previous woman. One might, mistakenly, think that the contentious woman can be helped – but her very nature is that she is like the wind. It cannot be caught. It vanishes without a trace.

27:23-27  It appears here that we are being encouraged to take care of our possessions so that we will have plenty. However there is a fundamental principle being used.  If we cannot be faithful in the small mattes (those which relate to our daily life) how can we expect God to entrust us with greater riches? – Luke 16:1-12

1. Prov 27:1 - Matt 26:33-34.

2. Prov 27:3-4 - V3 "fool's"<191>, "wrath"<3708>; V4 "Wrath"<2534>, "envy"<7068> - (1Sam 25:3-4,10-12;Matt 5:11-12) - you can't persuade a fool to cease from his provocation.

3. Prov 27:5-6 - frankness from friends is better than flattery from an enemy - if we are to become wise we must learn to accept criticism - (Psa 141:5;Matt 22:15-18;26:48-49).

4. Prov 27:7 - a person who already feels they pretty much have everything they need on earth may be less likely to be interested in God's Kingdom on earth (Matt 5:6).

5. Prov 27:8 - (Gen 34:1-2;Luke 15:13;1Cor 7:24;Heb 10:25).

6. Prov 27:9 - (1Sam 23:15-17;2Cor 1:3-4;John 12:3;Matt 26:6-12).

7. Prov 27:10 - (Gen 39:4,21;41:39-45;37:4-18;1Sam 20:1-42;17:28;Psa 23:5;Luke 10:25-37;8:19-21;John 7:5).

8. Prov 27:11 - a reply to those who reproach God is the behavior of an obedient wise son (Matt 26:39;Heb 4:15;2John 1:4;3John 1:4;Psa 128:1-4; vs those who do not bring glory to God Deut 22:21).

9. Prov 27:12 - (1Sam 19:18;Prov 22:3;1Cor 6:18;1Tim 6:9-11;2Tim 2:22-23;Matt 2:12-15;Luke 4:28-30;John 11:53-54).

10. Prov 27:13  be wise enough to cover yourself in case a friend foolishly is in a circumstance where he cannot meet his obligations - Christ not only covered himself he covers others (Isa 53:4,5,12).

11. Prov 27:15-16 - (NIV) "A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; ¹⁶ restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand" - (can't stop a quarrelsome wife; perhaps this can apply to a quarrelsome bride of Christ in the sense of a contentious church/ecclesia).

12. Prov 27:18 - (2Thess 3:10-13;Col 3:23-24;1Cor 3:8;2Tim 2:15;Matt 25:21,23).

13. Prov 27:19 - we can self examine ourselves with God's Word/water (2Cor 13:5;Heb 4:12;1Cor 2:11;13:10-12).

14. Prov 27:20 - (Isa 5:11,12,14;1John 2:16;Psa 119:37; replacing the natural with the spiritual John 4:11,14).

15. Prov 27:22 - "fool"<191>, "foolishness"<200> - a fool even if crushed will not depart from his folly (Exo 5:2).

16. Prov 27:24 - a ruler or church elder must help the flock of believers or they will wander away or rebel; we should seek true riches (Matt 6:19-21).

17. Prov 27:25 - grass refers to mortal flesh.

18. Prov 27:26-27 - the flock of believers supplies spiritual and temporal welfare as needed.

27:3-4The comments here might seem obvious about material things. In labour we expect to expend energy. However that labour can cease. However the way “fools” speak is an ongoing burden to us which we find it very difficult to divest ourselves of once we have heard the words. 

Perhaps the only accurate way to tell who your real friends are is to apply this proverb, though it is completely the opposite of our intuition:

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." v6

Usually we respond well to those who flatter and show affection. We push away those who are angry with us or critical of what we do or say. If we do this we may well surround ourselves with those who don't care about our wellbeing, and push away those who actually do.

27:21   We have already read these words before – Prov 17:3 – and they form the basis for Peter’s inspired words – 1Pet 1:7

27:8 Doubtless Solomon is talking about a baby bird that gets lost. In a similar way if we wander away from God’s instruction we cannot, by our own endeavours, find our way back. The only way is by recourse to His words in the Bible

Prov 27:7

“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

A proverb is a figure of speech in which comparisons are used to present a poignant observation or instruction. It is a timeless truth presented in simple illustrations that exposes the fundamental reality of life. Nothing improves one’s appreciation of food like having to do without for a while. Sin has caused us to be too often dissatisfied when we ought to be very thankful for what we have. Pride makes us think we deserve more and better than what we have.

This generation has such abundance, and yet they scream for more. They are addicted to covetousness, bloated with every conceivable pleasure, yet they are not satisfied. They are busy looking for one satisfying event, which they never seem to find it. They are never content.

The rich, full of sumptuous living, have no interest in the Son of God. They are not interested in living the simple life of faith with lowly sinners. Yet, no exotic vacations, a new car, a new house, a better job, another spouse will bring true contentment. It is not a sumptuous meal, but the love at the dinner table that makes it enjoyable (Prov 15:17).

The source of our joy and peace is found in the simple things of life and having our heart right with God, who is the only Source of true joy and peace. The rich need to learn moderation, the poor need to learn contentment. Do we enjoy the simple pleasures of a honeycomb, the simple pleasures of life the world would call bitter? Unless we are careful, it is so easy to lose this wonderful feeling of being content (cf. 1Tim 6:6).

27:8  The idea of the helplessness of a bird is used to speak of Moab in Isa 16:2.

Open rebuke is better than secret love.(v.5)

Open rebuke is hard to take sometimes. Our defences usually come up when our actions or behaviour is challenged - its a bit like rough medicine and nobody really desires it. Yet a genuine friend may tell it as it is for your own good. 

It is better to know the truth. A lie may sound sweet and may make you feel good. But it is still a lie and if you believe it or act on it you will only hurt your self. It is better to know how people really feel about you. It is better to be challenged and rebuked when you are wrong. Hiding the truth solves nothing. 

"Faithful are the wounds" v.6 (the sharpest reproofs) of a friend — They proceed from an upright, loving heart, and are meant to help. Let us be open to words of reproof and instruction from those who love us in order that we may grow up to the stature of our Lord.

27:10  The Proverbs speak of things being “better than” on a number of occasions. Here is a list of them  15:16,17, 16:8,16, 17:1, 27:10, 28:6. It is worth looking at all of them to see the pattern that the writer, through the Holy Spirit presents.

NEVER SATISFIED

"Death and destruction are never satisfied and neither are the eyes of man." (Prov 27:20).

We are never satisfied in our wants and desires. No sooner have we bought a new appliance, then we need another different one.
If we have saved up for a car, we soon want a better one, something newer, more comfortable, bigger, more powerful, or a different colour.
We always want to taste new foods and, more often than not, load our plates up or come back and nibble more than we actually need.
Even with clothing many are never satisfied with the state of their wardrobe. An item might be worn, out of fashion, not look good on me anymore, or doesn't match anything else - so it needs replacing.
Particularly disturbing are addictions like pornography where the more you see, the more you crave, and the more sordid your appetite gets.

The wise man was right. Just as death and destruction keep on taking, taking, taking, so do our eyes and the desires of our hearts. Perhaps this is something God has built into us, and like all his gifts, we have a tendency to use it in the wrong way. Wouldn't it be great if, instead of using our insatiable desires for our own selfish ends, we had a craving for prayer, for drawing closer to God, to worship him, love him, and to share his love with others instead?
 

27:8       the inhabitants of Moab – Isa 16:2 -  are likened to the “wandering bird” here

27:17  There is great value in sharing our ideas with friends who share our faith. Such interaction will help both to develop spiritually. How often do you talk to others about the things you have seen in your thinking about scripture?

27:6 when a “fried” reproves it is clear what the intention is – or at least we should recognise it as helpful. However an “enemy” is seeking, by pretence, to be a friend. We must be careful to recognise the difference between true friends who are trying to help and those who, for envy, are seeking to undermine by deceit.

Num 27:1 The world says live for today! This verse sort of echos that, but we have to not put off today when it comes to serving God but the only tommorow that should be in our minds is Jer 51:50. 

We also must realise that we may be called today, this very minute, while I am typing these notes! If we truly believed this day was our last we would live today very differently.

27:1-6 The counsel and warning given by the inspired writer have been seen outworking in the lives of men. Peter asserted “I will not” (Be offended) (Mark 14:29) boasting about “tomorrow” (27:1). So in the Garden of Gethsemane Judas betrayed Jesus with “a kiss” when he said “master, master, and kissed him” (Mark 14:45). The Greek of “kiss” speak of many kisses and matches Prov 27:6. It is striking, in the light of this verse that Jesus called Judas “friend” (Matt 27:46).  Jesus rarely used the word “friend” to speak of anyone. 

Pilate realised that it was for “envy” that Jesus had been delivered to him (Mark 5:10) – see Prov 27:4. The Proverbs described the consequences of selfish aims which are not governed by a trust in God but rather in self-aggrandisement.

27:20 As Solomon wrote elsewhere – Ecc 1:8 –a fundamental truth is presented.

The whole world of advertising revolves around this truth. We desire, obtain and then are disillusioned.

27:9  Do we ever think how much a short chat on worthwhile things might have on a friend?

We live in an era of easy communications – but maybe get so absorbed in our own interests that we neglect others who would benefit from our time and conversation.

27:2 There is a saying “handsome is as handsome does”. There is no need to draw attention to anything good that we do. Nor would we claim to have done some good that we have not done. Our lives will show what we are like.

9 v.4 - Here again is our required reliance on God shown to us in our master. We should adopt the same attitude - 'I must do the will of him that sent me, while it is day.' Our lifetime is of unknown length but definitely no more than a wink of time in eternity. Life is the time to serve the Lord, there is no time left afterwards, and we don't any of us know how long we have left. This seems to have been a theme today. John 4:34, 5:19,36, 10:37, 17:4

9:14 We doubtless are aware that Jesus healed on the Sabbath much to the annoyance of the religious leaders. Here is a list of the occasions where the Sabbath day is recorded as the day when Jesus healed or taught. Matthew 12:1 Mark 1:21 2:23 3:2 6:2 Luke 4:16 31 6:1 6 7 13:10 14 14:3 John 5:9 here

10:10 The story about the sheepfold is actually a parable [John 10:6] We should not confuse the fact that we understand what Jesus was talking abut with the inability of Jesus' audience to understand. This was typical of his parables which were designed to make his audience think abut the message.

Notice the three fold, developing, acknowledgement that the man born blind had of Jesus
9:11 A man that is called Jesus
9:17 He is a prophet
9:33 If this man were not of God he could do nothing.

10:22 By telling us that we are now at the feast of dedication which is around December time we know that we are now only a few months - about 4 - from the crucifixion of Jesus.

9:1 Notice the thematic link between 'passed by' and 8:59 'passed by. The healing of the blind man contrasts with the Jewish leaders who were 'blind' and not healed in the previous chapter.

10:33 Both here and 5:18 show that the Jewish leaders understood that Jesus came 'from God' but they misrepresented his claims. Rather than seeing him as 'that prophet' (Deuteronomy 18:15) speaking the words that He gave him they chose to portray Jesus as claiming equality - which he did not (Philippians 2:6-7)

10:27  The theme through out this chapter is of hearing. (V.4) "know His voice" V.16 "shall hear my voice" We are also reminded of Paul's words "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"  Rom.10:17

9:27 We may well understand the annoyance of the Pharisees when the man who had been born blind asks 'will ye also be his disciples?' when we understand that the word 'disciple' means 'learner'. These were the learned men in Israel and now it is being suggested that they might learn from the carpenter's son!

10:41 Here is incidental proof that John preached rather than performed miracles. It is, therefore, the more astounding that his message was heeded by the people.

10:3 Jesus knows his brethren by name (Luke 10:20).
In the Kingdom they will receive a new name (Rev 2:17, 3:12).
 
10:16 Jesus initially came to the Jews (Matt 15:24) but was destined also to go to the Gentiles (Matt 12:17-21).

9:3       ‘neither hath this man sinned’ highlights that there is not a principle which dictates that  illness  is a direct consequence of sin. That some illnesses and conditions are a direct result of sin should not deceive us into thinking that if a person is ill then they have sinned.  With the increase of AIDS in society the point we learn here should warn us against jumping to snap conclusions.

10:19   The division among the Jews is something we have seen before – John 7:43, 9:16 The gospel challenges men, not all men will respond to the challenge.

9:7 In spite of the strange character of the command, the blind man does exactly as he was directed to do. No protest, such as we witnessed when we read the account of Naaman. To the pool he goes, and washes the mud off his eyes. We witness that his obedience is immediately rewarded, he came back seeing. We have been provided with many examples of faith in scripture, but this has to be one of the greatest.

9:1-7,33-38 - perhaps we have a man not being singled out for sinning but nevertheless born into sin (everyone is born into sin including the Pharisees who accused him of such v34) who had physical and spiritual blindness. Christ took advantage of a window of opportunity (just as current believers while still alive can share God's Word) to save his physical and more importantly spiritual blindness by intervening as he "spat" [Grk. "ptuo" (4429) means "to spit"] on the ground  and made clay (Rom 9:21 uses the same Grk word for clay and the inference is it represents our flesh being moulded) of the spittle and then sent him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (Siloam means sent) so the man did so indicating faith on his part and perhaps suggesting baptism. After washing he could see so perhaps this represents the spiritual vision of hope beginning with belief and baptism in Christ. V35 we find he was thrown out of the synagogue (he was no longer under the inferior Law which Christ fulfilled Matt 5:17) and when asked if he believed in the Son of Man he sought to know more and then Christ encouraged him and made his vision even more complete v37-38. This Grk word "ptuo" (4429) "spit" is used two other times, always for healing, in Mark 7:33; 8:23. Another word for "spit" is the Grk. "emptuo" (1716) meaning "to spit in or on" and it is always used to show contempt Matt 26:67; 27:30; Mark 10:34; 14:65; 15:19; Luke 18:32.

9:2-3Who did sin this man or his parents shows the way that Israel – and to a lesser extent we – view suffering. It is easy to look for a cause and effect relationship between suffering and sin. We know that there is not a direct relationship as did Jesus. However Jesus, rather than explaining the error of the disciples thinking moves straight into a more important issue. The event is for the glorification of God. We would do well to always focus on the big issue rather than the trivia we often consider.

Jesus quoted from Psa 82:6 in John 10:32-36. He was able to explain that the Psalm called the Israelites “gods” because of the high and lofty calling they had received. They were of-course the highest of all nations. His point in John 10:34-38 is that as the Old Testament speaks of Israel as gods, surely Jesus himself is not blaspheming when he calls himself “the Son of God”.(Both words for God are the same Greek word, Theos.) Incidentally John 10:36 is a commentary on what he said in John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.”

10:5    The ‘stranger’ whose voice is not recognized is the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees. Of course the ‘sheep’ would have to already know the voice of the shepherd to be able to realise that the new voice being heard was not that of the shepherd. In like manner we cannot discern the voice of God or His son unless we are familiar with their voices. This will only come from being familiar with their words – that is by reading and reflecting on Scripture.

9:22,34 The prospect of being put out of the synagogue was daunting. In a closely-knit community, overseen by an occupying force, an individual did not have many options. Not being allowed to worship in the synagogue was grist for the mill of public ostracism. It must be noted, also, that the officers of the synagogue wielded judicial power and, therefore, could make life difficult for someone who was out of their favour.

Blind people rely more on audible information. But only those who admit to being blind. Those who do not, grope around in the dark because of pride (9:41). Notice that Jesus is speaking of the same thing in the next chapter, but disguises it by referring to sheep, not people (10:2-6) who follow only by hearing.

9:4 Jesus returns to the theme of walking and working in the ‘day’ in John 11:9 highlighting the need for activity when there is opportunity and it is appropriate to ‘walk’ – that is do God’s work.

9:1-7 Jesus had just left the temple and encountered the man blind from birth. The Lord could have healed the man on the spot. Instead, He put a clay solution on his eyes and sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam.

The clay was significant of man's decaying constitution that could only be overcome by baptism (washing) through faith.

But the Pool of Siloam was not near the temple. It was situated to the south in the Lower City. This meant that the blind man would have to negotiate the narrow, busy streets half-way across town. That would indeed be a journey of faith. After successfully being guided to his journey's end he would be able to see perfectly.

We were blind from birth and doomed because of our disposition in Adam. Yet through belief, baptism, and a faithful walk, under guidance, we may yet be able to see perfectly in the Kingdom (1Cor 13:12).

10:2,34 There was a common belief among the Jews that any misfortune was the result of sin. But, Jesus dispels such a notion (Luke 13:1-4).

10:18 The Greek word exousia is translated power (KJV) but could just as easily been translated authority. The ESV and other modern versions do translate it as authority. That takes the sting out of the Trinitarian claim that Jesus is God.

The true followers of Jesus are those who hear him (10:3-4, 27-28). Pure and simple.

Do you remember science lessons at school? The teacher would explain the method for an experiment, write it out on the blackboard, or give you a book with it written down. All you needed to do was follow it, then you would do the experiment correctly. Simple. But how many times were your experiments a disaster?

The human temptation when listening is to add a little here, take a little away there, modify, bend, twist, and shake what we hear into what we want it to be.

I know someone who always complains about her oven. Cakes never come out right. They always sink or flop. But on closer inspection of her methods, I found she always reduced the sugar content, didn't preheat the oven, maybe modified the temperature setting and timing, put in less or more fruit, or used a different flour to the recipe. Recipes are meant to be followed, yet she would always say she'd followed the recipe. After a while she changed that oven but the cake still came out wrong!

So when following Jesus we need to resist the temptation to modify what he said, ignore the bits we don't like, or add ingredients. A recipe is written to be followed. If we do this, we can follow him to green pastures like the sheep in John 10:9.

9:7 In the days of the Assyrian invasion Israel ‘refused the waters of Shiloah’ – Isa 8:6– and now Jesus is telling the man to accept those same waters. It was God’s even though using it might have seemed to be rather futile. In the days of the prophet one might have thought there was more need of an army than water. For the man in Jesus’ day washing in water would not be seen as the obvious solution of a physical problem.

9:5-6     We have noticed that ‘I am the light of the world’ is found here and in 8:12. Likewise there is another similarity. In John 8:6 Jesus ‘wrote on the ground’. Here Jesus ‘spat on the ground’. We are expected to see connections between the different things that each Gospel writer records. The Gospel narratives do not record random events in Jesus’ life. Rather by the inspiration of God they present God’s picture of Jesus and his activities.

9:30-33         Notice the difference between the man born blind and his parents. John 9:19-22 shows their fear of the consequences of speaking truth. However the son, who had experienced the healing, has no such fears. In fact he is bold in challenging the Jewish leaders. In reality we share his position. Our sins are forgiven. We know that so our confidence to speak for the truth should be as great as that of the healed blind man.

John 10:22

“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.”

Hanukkah is the only Jewish holiday that does not have its basis in the Bible, but believed to have evolved during the 400-year period between Malachi and the New Testament, around 165 B.C. 

Hanukkah was in commemoration of the victory of a small group known as the Macabees against the formidable Greek-Syrian army that invaded Israel, and the repairing and cleansing of their Temple by Judah Maccabee and his men from Greek defilement. Wanting to light the Menorah, they found only a small flask of oil hardly sufficient to burn for even one day, yet it lasted eight days!

Hanukkah is referred to in this passage as the, "feast of the dedication," which is what Hanukkah means, and takes place in the "winter" – starting on the 25th of Kislev, Nov-Dec., the date the Jews ceased fighting, and lasts for eight days.

A lot of "Christians" justify their Christmas lightings as comparable to the lighting of the Menorah during Hanukkah, also referred to as the, "Feast of Lights"! The Menorah is kept lit for eight days as a memorial of this miracle. 

Summary Of John

9:1-7          Blind man healed

9:8-12        His neighbours question  the healed man

9:13-34      Pharisees question the man

9:35-38      Jesus found healed man and talked to him

9:39-41      Jesus condemned the Pharisees

10:1           Continuing

10:1-18      I am the door of the sheep

10:19-21    Division amongst the people

10:22         Jerusalem Feast of Dedication

10:23         Jesus in Solomon’s porch

10:24-38    Jews (religious leaders) question Jesus

10:39         Leaders seek to Capture Jesus

10:40-42    Jesus went beyond Jordan – the people follow him

John 9:1,2.

9:11 The man who had been born blind explains it was Jesus who had healed him echoes two earlier occasions where Jesus’ work is spoken of – 4:29, 5:15

John 10:22

“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication (Hanukkah), and it was winter.”

It was during the Feast of Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Lights that Jesus revealed his Messiahship when he was challenged to reveal whether he was the Messiah (vv. 24-27). The Hanukkah Menorah has nine branches, eight on the bottom and one on the top center, called “Shamash,” or “Servant” candle. One candle was lit each day from the Shamash from right to left. Messiah’s first coming was as a “servant.” The Menorah was placed in front of a window so that all those walking or driving by would see the light proclaiming that the Elohim of Israel performed a miracle. Messiah, our “Servant Light” (Phil 2:7; John 8:12), commanded us, his brethren and sisters, to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works (Matt 5:16).
The Jews under Greco Assyrian rule were forbidden to read the Torah, but continued; nevertheless, to secretly study the Torah and when it was brought to their attention by a designated watcher that soldiers were coming, they hid the Torah, and as a diversion brought out their spin top dreidels and began playing with them. These spin top dreidels have four faces containing four Hebrew letters: NUN GIMMEL HEY SHIN, which translated means: “A great miracle happened there.”

Messiah is identified in Matthew as the lion, Mark the ox, Luke the man, and John the eagle. The four gospels depict Christ differently. There were four faces on the Cherubim: the face of a lion, ox, man, and eagle (cf. Eze 10:14; Rev 4:7). The gospel writers applied these four symbols to the four gospels revealing different perspectives of Jesus’ life.
In the gospel of Matthew, Matthew presents the genealogy of Jesus and reveals him as the king of the Jews (cf. Matt 2:2). The kingship of Jesus is the theme of Matthew.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is presented as the suffering servant, serving mankind by preaching, teaching, healing, and delivering from the bondage of sin. The theme is one of humility and like the ox carries the burdens of others (cf. Mark 10:45).
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus’ humanity is brought to the fore and revealed to us as the Son of man (cf. Luke 6:5).
In the gospel of John, John reveals Jesus as the Son of God (John 1:34). The face of the eagle on the cherubim represents Divinity. John reveals Jesus from the aspect of his Divine nature. Jesus descended from the Father (John 1:32) and ascended back to the Father ((John 6:62; John 20:17). To the ancient Hebrews, the eagle symbolized divinity, which is John’s theme.
There is a correlation of the gospel messages with the four faces of the Cherubim. The “four beasts” of Rev 4 is better rendered “four living creatures.” Israel had four camps with their own beast heraldic symbol to their camp (Num 2). The four living creatures are symbolic of the saints as vehicles of Divine manifestation, as revealed to us in the life of our Messiah. 

The four letters also have a numerical value of 358, the numerical value of Mashiach or Messiah. How prophetic! The Feast of Hanukkah also pointed to Messiah! Is it any wonder that Jesus would reveal himself openly as the Messiah during the Feast of Hanukkah? Hardly!
As we approach the end of this Age (cf. 1Cor 10:11), may we follow the examples of these faithful Jews of the Inter-Testamental Age who refused to compromise the Word and assimilate into the world’s mould, but remained a separate community to the honour and glory of God.

9:23   The Pharisees knew that Jesus had opened the eyes of the man. So, we might wonder, why were they trying to get the family to acknowledge that it was Jesus. The answer, clearly, is that they were using pressure on the family to deny that it was Jesus. As if this would alter the truth of what had happened.

John 10:1-8

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber… Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep…”

Sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd who tends them with care and compassion (cf. Isa 40:11). Shepherds were the providers, guides, protectors and constant companions of their sheep. The bond between the shepherd and sheep was so close that to this day Middle Eastern shepherds can divide flocks that have mingled with other flocks simply by calling their sheep by name, who know and follow their shepherd’s voice.

Shepherds were inseparable from their flocks. The shepherd would lead the sheep to safe places to graze and make them lie down for several hours in a shady place. Then, as night fell, the shepherd would lead the sheep to the protection of a sheepfold. If the sheep heard the sound of a stranger, they stopped, lifted up their heads in alarm and turned and fled because they knew not the voice of the stranger.

In the Middle East, the Judean shepherds kept sheep for their fleece. The villages and towns had communal sheepfolds where they went in at night and only the guardian of the door had a key. But, when the sheep were out far during the warm season and did not return to the village, they were gathered into hillside sheepfolds, which were open spaces enclosed by walls, but there was no door. The shepherd himself would lay down across the opening and no sheep could get in or out once the shepherd laid across the opening of the sheepfold. He was the door. This is what Jesus referred to when he said, “I am the door of the sheep.” Jesus gave this familiar illustration because he knew every Middle Eastern shepherd would understand what he was talking about. Not a sheep could enter or exit once in the sheepfold, nor could a wolf enter once the shepherd laid down across the entry.

Jesus condemned the spiritual leaders of Israel, the false shepherds. Scurrilous shepherds have been around since the earliest of times. The trouble is they do not recognize themselves, nor do the many others; they are wolves in sheep’s’ clothing (Matt 7:15;  10:16; Luke 10:3; Acts 20:29). A “saintly-seeming” shepherd is not readily apparent as a wolf would be. We, as sheep, are exposed to dangerous and deadly deceptions, a direct result of Humanistic Psychology, the Self-Esteem, Prosperity, and New Age Movements. These shepherds are motivated by power and greed who fleece their sheep. They are hireling shepherds (John 10:10-14) attracting only those with "itching ears" (2Tim 4:3,4).

Christ is the Shepherd and the Door of his sheep. It is only through this Shepherd door, the Christ door, that we have access to the Father (cf. John 14:6; Eph 2:18). It is only through this Door that salvation is possible. This is so far removed from the popular ecumenical teachings among liberal religious circles who offer salvation other than the teachings of Christ. They are thieves and robbers; worldly predators. Christ’s sheep will not follow the voice of strangers, they will stay close to the Shepherd and listen to his voice through the pages of Scripture and follow him, and when the Chief Shepherd appears, we will receive the crown of glory that will not fade away (1Pet 5:4).

9:34  The evidence was incontrovertible. The man who had been blind could now see. The Jewish leaders could see that. However their reactions was to banish the evidence from their sight. Do we ever continue with a view or opinion even when we are faced with incontrovertible evidence that our view is wrong?

10:16  Jesus clearly is using the imagery of a shepherd and his flock which explains why the KJV translators give us “fold” in this verse. However the word is more often translated “palace” or related words. The Greek word <833> is seen as “palace” for example in Matt 26:3 So clearly Jesus’ “sheep” are associated with royalty, not just stone pens on the hill sides.

John 9:4

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

During WW II, in the “Battle of the Atlantic,” an American naval force was engaged in heavy battle with the enemy ships and submarines. Six planes took off at dusk from the carrier in the North Atlantic Ocean to search out and destroy the enemy. While in flight, a total blackout was ordered to protect the carrier so the pilots on their return requested the lights temporarily be lit so they could land safely. Everything possible was done to ensure the survival of the ship and its crew, which had to have been of some comfort as they moved through hostile waters. Thousands of lives would have been put at risk, and their request was denied. When they ran out of fuel, they ditched into the cold ocean waters and perished in the darkness.

God gave His son many works, which were done and manifested by Christ and we have been given a work to do too (Matt 28:18-20). When Christ uttered these words, he had but six months to live before he would be crucified. He knew his day was rapidly coming to an end and night would befall him. What a beautiful metaphor was used! It is a warning and a call to action to all his disciples.

Our day is our span of life and when the night of death comes there is neither work nor device in the grave (Ecc 9:10). Life is short and death hastens on, and Christ’s pattern ought to be our pattern. We need to make the best use of our time before the dash between life and death puts a period to all our work.

I know there are times when we feel weak, discouraged, disappointed, and feel we can’t go on with our work in the Lord’s vineyard, but we must remain faithful and never give up. We read in Isa 41:10, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” What beautiful and encouraging words well worth remembering and repeating over and over during such times!

There comes a time when God will turn off the lights with no further opportunity for salvation (cf. 2Cor 6:1,2). The disobedient that in their lifetime walked contrary to the Spirit of the Light, rejected the Full Light, and can have no more light and no more forgiveness.

We live in a perplexing world in whatever is right is wrong. Still, we must be right in doing justly, in loving mercy, in walking humbly with our God (Mic 6:8); in denying our wills, in ruling our tongues, in softening and sweetening our tempers, in mortifying our lusts; in learning patience, meekness, purity, forgiveness of injuries, and continuance in well-doing.

9:24  The Jewish leaders refuse to accept the testimony of the healed blind man. So they become more entrenched in their opposition. They cannot refute the evidence, the man was standing before them. So they avoid the evidence and shift responsibility from themselves to the man challenging  him to glorify God. This is exactly what the man had been doing!

10:3  We might think of a “porter” as someone who carries items. However the way the word <2377> is used – for example in John 18:16 - indicates clearly that the “porter” is in fact the one that controls access via the door.

John 10:11-14

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

A “hi’reling,” according to Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828, is one who: “serves for wages; venal; mercenary; a prostitute; employed for money or other compensation.” They do what they do to get something out of it.

A hireling does not care about being a true watchman and when troubles arise, flees. A hireling is more concerned with protecting himself, his reputation, his position and his income, without any regard for the safety of the sheep.  They fail to warn, fearing divisions in creating hurt or bad feelings as a result. Unity is their priority. They are not true shepherds, watchmen, or friends.

A true shepherd, on the other hand does what is best for the flock: protects their flock, cares for the flock, and nourishes the flock, because he loves the flock.

A true watchman is also a true shepherd. He will guard the flock against wolves from within (Acts 20:30) and wolves from without (Acts 20:29) no matter the cost to his reputation, position or income; whose top priority is the safety of the sheep. True watchmen will warn the people, whatever the cost.  

A true friend loves at all times (Prov 17:17); sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24); faithful are the wounds from a friend, but an enemy’s kisses are deceitful (Prov 27:6). A true friend in Truth will not share the platform or schmooze with those who do not stand for the Truth, who do not stand for sound doctrine, but embrace some incredibly dangerous humanistic ones! A true friend will not betray a friend, but keep in private what is done in private (Matt 18:15), yet at the same time respond in public what is done in public (Gal 2:11-13) for the Truth’s sake. This is not vindictiveness. Prov 27:9,17 illustrates this kind of mutuality. True friends are like-minded; they reflect a loving and trusting relationship because they care; a friend with whom we can be ourselves, confide in, whom we mutually respect, be empathetic and sympathetic with, and know they will not judge us and gossip about us behind our back. Friendship is a beautiful thing and is to be reflected among us. To have a friend, we must be a friend (Prov 18:24): friendship is mutual; it is a two-way street, and how heart-breaking when someone we thought was a friend turns out to be a Judas hireling.

Christ, the good Shepherd, was the embodiment of true friendship, laying down even his life for us. He taught us and showed us how to be friends, not hirelings, and not servants (John 15:15). Friendship comes with conditions; it comes with a price (John 15:13-17). Our price is faithful obedience to Christ’s commands (John 15:14; cf. Deut 13:4; Psa 128:1; Matt 4:19,20; 1Cor 11:1; Eph 5:1,2). We all long for friendship, but genuine friendship is hard to find and we must be careful who we embrace as a friend (Prov 12:26; 13:20; 16:25-30; 22:24,25).

John 10:35

“… Scripture cannot be broken.”

Scripture: # <1124>: “a document, holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it).” Winnowing is to separate what is of worth from what is worthless (cf. Ruth 3:2). To break Scripture is to winnow it! “To winnow is to blow something away until you are left with what you want, like grain from chaff.” Hmmm! https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/winnow/

Broken: # <1089>: “loosen… break (up), destroy, dissolve… comp. # <4486>: “… to sunder (by separation of the parts…”

We read in Matt 3:12: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn, and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” NIV (cf. Isa 28:27; Luke 3:17; Matt 13:24-30). Winnowing is what the Pharisees did with the Old Testament, which is all that they had at that time, but in reverse! They broke up the Document of Holy Writ, or Scripture, changing the interpretations. They were guilty of the very thing they accused Christ of (John 5:18; John 7:23)!

It is quite a common view that Christ’s teachings annulled and replaced the teachings of the Old Testament; that his new teaching differs considerably from the Old Testament. How often do we hear: “That was under the Old Testament - we are under Christ?” But then Christ was under God, was he not? Which is greater: “The gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Christ did not contradict the Father, he did notchange/break any laws! He spoke as the Father taught him! He upheld the moral laws, while fulfilling the sacrificial and judicial laws of God with their punishments no longer applying. We are, however, bound to God's moral laws, because this Christ cannot fulfill for us. Forgiveness is conditional, dependent on our faith, on our repentance, and on our obedience. Jesus did not disagree with the Old Testament, but with the religious leaders and their interpretations (Matt 5:17; cf. Matt 7:12! The law required obedience beyond what the people had ever heard from the Pharisees who were looked up to as the very pinnacle of righteousness (Matt 5:20). Christ's teaching startled even the Pharisees who professed a strict upholding of practicing righteousness, but were nothing short of hypocrites! Their self-righteousness was about external appearances (Matt 23:25-28; Matt 6:1-6; Matt 15:1-9; Matt 23:5-7)!

God’s law did not just deal with outward obedience, but very much also with the very spirit and intent of the heart of men (Deut 5:29; Psa 51:6). Their failure to obey God’s law from their “inward parts,” led to their outward idolatry and failure. The law was to be observed from the heart, and if the heart was right, so were the actions. Jesus showed that obedience to the commands is not just an outward one, but about an inner transformation of the heart too (Matt 5:21-28; Matt 15:8; Mark 7:6; cf. Jer 9:26)! The higher standard was always there in the law, Christ did not add a higher standard to God’s law; it was nothing new!

By fulfilling the law meant he completed it, “to fill to the full,” as Scripture wrote of him. The meaning of, “fulfill” became distorted having Jesus say, “I did not come to destroy the law, but to end it by fulfilling it.” What cognitive dissonance! Paul tells us long after Christ’s crucifixion that the law is holy, just and good (Rom 7:12). It is implied that Jesus brought a change in the requirements for salvation, and the Old Testament laws are obsolete, but in Hebrews we read there really was no change since the blood of bulls and goats could not save. It could cleanse, but it could not absolve from sins (Heb 10:1-4). Because of their faith in God to forgive them and save them through genuine repentance and faith, they would receive salvation, which only Christ’s blood could accomplish for them and for us!

Fulfilled, in Matt 5:18, is ginomai, # <1096>, “to cause to be…” THE NEW THAYER’S GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON, explains it much better for Strong’s # <1096>. It has: “To become i.q. to come to pass, happen, of events…” What events? Well, the events that will bring about the ultimate completion of God’s plan to glorify humanity, when His Kingdom will come to pass. Until then, therefore, we cannot, we dare not, diminish God’s law by even one jot or tittle (John 3:15; 1John 2:2-6)! Jesus did not pit himself against the Mosaic Law. He was refuting the false interpretations of the law by the Pharisees.

The fundamental laws underlying both in the Old and New Testaments are in full accord (cf. Mal 3:6), and cannot be broken or fragmented. The Old Testament is the very essence of understanding and knowing God; the New Testament is knowing Christ, who was the express image of the Father (Heb 1:3).  It is to know God and His Son. It is to understand God in Christ as He reconciles us through Christ (John 17:3; 2Cor 5:19).

10:28 isn’t it encouraging that faithful disciples will not be led astray by false teaching? Of course any of us may be led astray and the only way to avoid this is to test everything we hear against the teaching of Jesus and his Father as revealed in scripture.

10:11 Christ as the “shepherd” was foreshadowed by Cyrus: “That saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd” (Isa. 44:28). Cyrus was God’s “anointed“ (Isa. 45:1) and John’s gospel was written “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ …” (Jno. 20:31). Cyrus asked: “Who is there among you of all His people?” (2 Chron. 36:23) and Christ discusses with the Jews the question of who were truly Abraham’s children (Jno. 8:33-39). Like Cyrus, Christ would free God’s people: “If the Son therefore shall make you free …” (Jno. 8:36). Babylon’s downfall by Cyrus was prophesied by “fingers of a man’s hand” (Dan. 5:5) writing and Christ “with his finger wrote” (Jno. 8:6). God charged Cyrus “to build Him an house” (2 Chron. 36:23) and Christ said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jno. 2:19). John’s gospel begins, “In the beginning was the Word …” (Jno. 1:1) and, in a passage about Cyrus, God speaks of, “Declaring the end from the beginning …” (Isa. 46:10). John’s gospel depicts Christ as the greater Cyrus.

10:28 isn’t it encouraging that faithful disciples will not be led astray by false teaching? Of course any of us may be led astray and the only way to avoid this is to test everything we hear against the teaching of Jesus and his Father as revealed in scripture.

WE ARE THE SHEEP

Jesus described his relationship with his disciples as a shepherd and his sheep. This is what he said: "...the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him, because they do not recognize a strangers voice." (John 10:3-5).

What can we learn about our relationship with Jesus from this parable about the shepherd and his sheep?

1. Listen to Jesus. Find out what he has said in the Bible, pray and listen. Keep listening to him. Get familiar with what he says and how he says it.

2. Follow him. We are only sheep. We might think we know lots, but the shepherd knows more. Trust and follow him. Do what he tells us to do.

3. Run away from strangers. You can't trust them. They only come to kill and steal. Anyone that leads you into sin, leads you away from Jesus and away from life. Run away. Flee for your life. Find Jesus and follow him.

Life is easy if we just listen to Jesus and obey. We hardly even need to think! Let's be faithful sheep following closely to the Good Shepherd.

10:31 This is the second time that the Jews had sought to stone Jesus to death. The pervious one is in JJohn 8:59

New Testimony Book – From Bethany To Gethsemane (Brother Peter Forbes)

The Gospel records cover the three and a half years of Jesus’ ministry, but about a third of the text focuses on just one week.

Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the fateful Passover of his crucifixion, and from the moment he arrives there is an abrupt change of pace in the records. All four Gospel writers now provide a great amount of detail for each day’s events, and by carefully piecing together those details we see the intensity of the opposition Jesus faced, the contrasting characters of his disciples, and how in his darkest hours the Father provided comfort.

This book- 240 pages with charts and tables, a full scripture index, three appendices including a calendar of the week - provides an easy-to-see calendar of events of the final week of the Lord Jesus, and affords insights into those events. Through it we can marvel again at the determination of our Lord to do his Father’s bidding.

£8.00 plus postage

Please order from

Peterlforbes@tiscali.co.uk

9:30 The simplicity of the way that the man who had been born blind accepted the evidence contrasts markedly with the Jews. They had an agenda which excluded Jesus from being the Messiah. The healed man, on the other hand accepted the evidence and believed.

How do we react to the evidence that Jesus is alive today?

10:3  the “voice” hear answers to the words of scripture.  Notice the repeated use of the word in this chapter here  :5,16,27

We are challenged to answer the question “What voice do we listen to”?

9:1 The Jews had a number of miracles that they said Messiah would perform. One of them was that he would give sight to a man born blind. So the healing of this man fulfilled what the Jews expected of Messiah – there were four miracles they expected. Jesus performed them all – and yet they would not believe!