Comments for April 2

v. 3 - How often men use God's words to justify their actions. There was no doubt that the congregation were holy, [Ex.19:6, Ezra 9:2]and this seems to give weight to Korah's argument. We must beware that we are not tempted to use God's word to justify our own selfish thinking and that our principles that we stand by are based wholly upon his truth. We should also beware of others who can convince us using similar craftiness. Job's three friends used these methods, and Job withstood. We should too.

v.39 Notice that whilst Aaron was still alive it is Eleazar the high priest designate who took the censers. In some way this event typifies the redemptive work of the high priest of the New Covenant. I suppose because it was Eleazar / Jesus who was to take them into the land - the 'rest' of Chapter 14 spoken of in Hebrews.

v.45 - 48 On this occasion both Moses and Aaron fall on their faces at the thought that Yahweh would destroy the nation so we see that Aaron, rather than seeking to have a position of authority is willing to be associated with Moses in pleading for Israel. It is Moses who takes the initiative and sends Aaron with the censer through the camp. Aaron does as he is told seemingly with not question. This shows that he is now willing to recognise Moses' position.

v.9,10 - Here is a great lesson for us. I definitely need this lesson, and I guess I'm not the only one. My disappointment I have felt at not being given office in the ecclesia when the annual ballot comes along is completely wrong. I fail to see the position I do hold, being clouded out by that which I feel is being kept from me. We are not all to be privileged with 'high office'. These men sought after the priesthood, and it was to their destruction. How easily our own desires can lead us astray. Let us learn to be satisfied with what God gives us, and remember that He is in charge.

16:1 The rebellion was led by three men, Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Korah was a son of Levi. Dathan and Abiram were from the tribe of Reuben. When we consider the close proximity of the two tribes to each other in the camp of Israel we appreciate the need to think carefully how we interact with our 'neighbours'.

                                                        DAN

                                                      MERARI

                                              ===============       MOSES              JUDAH
          GERSHON                      | TABERNACLE |                                    [Nahson]
                                              ===============       AARON

                                                      KOHATH
                                                        [Korah]

                                                [Dathan & Abiram]
                                                       REUBEN

OUR LEADERS

In Daniel we read, "that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes." (Daniel 5 v 21). We can be sure that whatever leaders we have, whether they be the rulers of the nation, our bosses at work, teachers at school, or leaders and elders in our Church, that God has raised up those people for the position they have been put in.

In another place we read, "Do not ... curse the ruler of your people." (Exodus 22 v 28). This same law is rephrased in the New Testament as, "Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people." (Acts 23 v 5).

But even when we know these things we are very often tempted to fall into the same sin as Korah, Dathan and Abiram and the crowd that followed them. They opposed Moses, the man God had raised up to lead his people from Egypt to the Promised land, accusing him of setting himself up as leader and grumbling against him.

Let's not be caught in their sin by grumbling against the leaders God has raised up for us. Instead let's do as Israel should have done and pray for our leaders, and live in obedience to the LORD God and those he sets over us.

:15 The assertion that Moses makes is not arrogance or self seeking. It is simply a matter of fact. It is echoed by Paul (Acts 20:36) and on both occasions serves to remind the audience that any accusation they might make in unfounded - and therefore must be based on envy.

Just a connective note:
The references of 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 6 seem to point to Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and the 250 priests of Num. 16.

v.1 Who was On the son of Peleth, and why is he listed here? We know nothing else about either father or son. Maybe he had the wisdom to withdraw from the unholy alliance hence there is no further reference to him throughout the incident.

v.2 Men of renown are first mentioned in Gen 6:4 - in both cases their influences were for evil

16:32 The way that the earth opened and swallowed Korah and his company is reminiscent of Pharaoh Exo 15:12 - so the judgement on Pharaoh was wrought on Korah - they both opposed the word of God and His appointment.

V.41  What a strange exhibition of prejudice and passion... to blame the leaders for saving the rebels. Yet Moses and Aaron interceded for the people.

With whom we associate is of great importance and consequence.  Here we see the families of Dathan and Abiram choosing to take their sides and remain with them (v.27).  This came after the Moses' warning to separate from them (v.25-26).  Their choice cost them their lives (v.32). 
Later, a similar situation would occur with Achan and his family (Josh 7:24-25).
Korah's family, however, did distance themselves from him and lived (Num 26:11, 1Chron 6:37, 9:19).

V.15 Though the meekest of all men (Num 12:3). Moses could not restrain his indignation at these unjust charges; and the highly excited state of his feeling was displayed by the utterance of a brief exclamation in a mixed form of a prayer and an impassioned assertion of his integrity. We see a similar reaction by Samuel (1Sam 12:3).

16:49    The nation had been told that the rebels would die in the wilderness. The wasting of those rebels now begins in earnest. 14,700 all died in one day. The nation must have wondered what would happen next.

16:3  In a manner of speaking the rebels were correct. God had indeed told the nation that they were holy – Exo 19:6 – but that was not the point. God had, from this holy nation, made choice of Moses and Aaron. The status of the whole nation had bred in Korah and his friends an arrogance. They saw themselves as better than Moses and Aaron, not equal. They used a truth about all to try to elevate themselves. By using Scripture they had a semblance of truth, but it was not according to knowledge Rom 10:2. Likewise we can seek to justify our fleshly desires using Scripture. This means we must think carefully about the way in which we use Scripture to justify our actions.

V.28 The catastrophe of the earthquake which, as predicted by Moses, swallowed up those rebels in a living tomb, provided the Divine testimony to the work of Moses, those that  witnessed the event fled in fear. A further lesson we see in this verse is the humility of Moses (the meekest of all men Num 12:3). He leaves no doubt in the minds of the Children of Israel as to who has done this work.

16:1   Notice that the man called ‘On’ who is mentioned here at the beginning of the rebellion is never mentioned again in the rebellion. From this we conclude that he thought better of his actions and withdrew himself from the rebellion – and God accepted his repentance.

16:5 When speaking to Timothy – 2Tim 2:19 – where Timothy had to deal with rebellious brethren who sought to impose the law of Moses on the gentiles, Paul quotes ‘the Lord will show who are his’ thus demonstrating the relevance of this historical event for us.

Num 16:13-14;Num 14:5-9 - Egypt wasn't the promised land of milk and honey. The tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram were jealous/proud/rebellious and didn't have the faith to swallow up the Canaanites. Rather, they themselves were swallowed up.

16:8-11 Notice that Moses’ first approach towards Korah is one of reconciliation. It is only when they would not listen that the challenge is brought before God.

16:1-4  Doubtless the planning organised by Korah and his company would be done quietly to avoid raising the suspicions of Moses and other faithful people.  So by the time the news came to Moses’ ears it would have been well developed with a significant following. Moses’ falling on his face was not terror. Rather we should see it as a way of prostrating himself before God knowing that he would have the solution to the problem.

Do you remember times as a kid at school where you or your friends bravely plotted to overthrow your teacher? Or perhaps you all agreed to stand up together against your teacher in a lesson? It probably seemed like such a good idea and you were full of bravery in the playground, but when the moment came, the teacher quashed the first flicker of rebellion and restored order without so much as a blink.

Take a look at v26  and consider how amazing Moses' request is. Korah's rebellion was in full flow and he had already persuaded many of the people to follow him. In the play ground it all seemed like a great idea to overthrow Moses. So when Moses meekly asked them to stop following Korah and come away from him, it should have had no effect. Yet immediately the people obeyed. It's the playground all over again, isn't it? How was it that Moses had such awesome authority?

Q: See Do you think the people may have been thinking back to the parting of the red sea at Moses' command? If you had witnessed that, and the death of all those Egyptian soldiers, and then Moses told you to move away for your own safety, would you have dared disobey? See Exo 14:31

Num 16:3 The conflict raised by Korah highlighted exactly his problem. It was pride. The accusation he made against Moses highlighted exactly his own problem. How easy it is to see in others our own faults. Matt 7:3-5

Num 16:5 - Korah appears to have been the leader of this rebellion against Yaweh’s divinely appointed order for the sons of Levi and the Priesthood.

V5    “Korah and all his company”.

V6    “Korah and all his company”.

V8    “Korah… ye sons of Levi”.

V16  “Korah… all thy company”.

V19  “Korah gathered all the congregation against them…”.

V40  “be not as Korah and as his company”.

Neh 9:17 tells us they had in fact appointed a captain to return to the bondage of Egypt.  The captain’s name was Korah.

16:20   There is a lovely contrast between the consuming “in a moment” of the sinners and resurrection being “in a moment” 1Cor 15:52.

We are told in Num 4:1-17 that the Kohathites were given the work of carrying the furniture from the Tabernacle, once Aaron and his sons had packed it ready to be moved.  These Levites were never to see or touch the holy things ( Num 4:15 and Num 4:20) and they were told by Eliezar, who was in charge of them, what they should carry (Num 4:19).  It seems that Korah didn't like this arrangement and didn't like Aaron and his sons telling him what to do.  Perhaps there had been a clash of personalities on one occasion between him and the priest who was directing him, but in any case, Korah decided they were acting above their station and needed to be taken down a peg or two!  Do we behave in a similar way in our Ecclesia?  Perhaps we can think of incidents when the work to be done has involved a fellow Bro or Sis being 'in charge' to direct the work and we have taken umbrage at that, thinking "Who do they think they are, telling me what to do?  I could do a better job of organising than them!  What a shambles this is turning out to be!"  Can you think of other Ecclesial members who have grumbled about their fellows in the same way?  Have we gone along with what they are saying, adding our own bits of discontent to the conversation, and talking in whispers behind the back of the leader of the task?  Beware lest we should become like Korah and his accomplices!  It is so easy to pick apart the work of others, as did the Israelites of old, but it takes effort to praise someone for their good work and to do so to others, thus quashing any negative words.  The description of the work of the Levites is given in great detail in Numbers 4, and the incident of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is also given a whole chapter of 50 verses in our reading for today.  Ours is to ask why and learn the lessons from it - not a word of the scriptures is wasted - all is there for our benefit!

Num 16:12-13 – God first promised Israel when they were under the burdens of Egypt, to take them to, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exo 3:8,17)

However, Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab viewed the land of Egypt as “a land that floweth with milk and honey” (Num 16:13).  These words uttered by rebel princes of Reuben, Jacob’s first born (Gen 49:3) early in the wilderness journey, were picked up by Moses in the 40^th year of the wilderness journey (Deut 1:1-3).  Moses reminds Israel on the borders of the land, of the folly of Dathan and Abiram, God has promised those that love Him (Deut 11:1), a land that flows with milk and honey (Deut 11:6-9).

What is our view of this world? Do we value what it has to offer, above the promised Kingdom of God?

16:30-35       In this event Korah who was of the Kohathites, and others with him from the same tribe died.  Thus the family of the Kohathites was severely depleted. This is why in Josh 21:20,26 the record speaks of those that “remained” of the Kohathites. 

16:12 Korah was already before Moses. There were three named rebels associated with him 16:1– Dathan, Abiram and On. But notice On is not called. Do we conclude that having joined the rebellion he thought better of his actions and left them? The lesson is clear. It is never too late to turn away from error, even if our friends continue on their rebellious ways.

16:11   Whilst Korah and company thought that Moses took too much on himself and were resisting Moses in reality they were opposing God. It was He who had chosen Moses.

16:2   The men of “renown” here opposed the things of God. Just like their namesakes in Gen 6:4.

16:33  The death of these rebels is spoken of again – Psa 124:3 –when the Psalmist is reflecting on the way that God has worked in the past.

16:7    “ye take too much upon you” is a stark reminder to us. Korah and company were in a privileged position already. But their position and status had “gone to their head” and they wanted more. This is a lesson for any of us with responsibilities not to think more highly of ourselves than is appropriate.

16:21 The events of Korah’s rebellion are used a number of times in both the Old and New Testament. One example could be Psa 73:19.

Numbers 16 – Korah, Dathan & Abiram, rebellion was it corruption of true worship?

Num 16:5  - Korah was the son of a Levite (v.1). He appears to have been the leader of this rebellion against the LORD’s divinely appointed order for the sons of Levi and the Priesthood. This does not appear to have been a sudden uprising against Moses. In the past Aaron and Miriam, also Levites, had also challenged Moses authority (Numbers 12:1-2). 

Co- conspirators were Dathan and Abiram. As sons of Reuben, they were the firstborn among the tribes of Israel. Jacob’s last blessing on his sons records,“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel...,” (Gen 49:3-4). Dathan and Abiram displayed the instability of which Jacob prophesied.  

Num 16:2 - There were also 250 princes from across the tribes of Israel who supported them.  This suggests a steady underground development of opposition by stealth.

Korah was clearly the leader of this rebellion. He had considerable support among the Levites and beyond. This chapter contains at least six references to Korah and his supporters in this rebellion against Moses.

V5 “Korah and all his company”.  V6 “Korah and all his company”.

V8 “Korah… ye sons of Levi”.  V16  “Korah… all thy company”.

V19  “Korah gathered all the congregation against them…”. 

V40  “be not as Korah and as his company”.

Num 16:9-10 - The Kohathites had a position of privileged in Israel. Their tents were located along the south side of the Tabernacle. The LORD appointed them to bear the, ark, table of shewbread, candlestick and other items. Now they wanted the Priesthood.

Numbers 16:24 - Korah, Dathan and Abiram appear to have a Tabernacle of their own?

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” (Num 16:23-24).

Same word that is used for the LORD’s Tabernacle. (<4908> mishkan).  

Numbers 16:27 – So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.”  

The people left the area of the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan & Abiram.  Korah, Dathan & Abiram stood in the door of their tents. (<168> ohel)

 ‘Mishkan’ is found 94 times across Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers and appears to be used exclusively of the Tabernacle, that is the place where the LORD dwells among his people, EXCEPT for Numbers 16:24,27.

‘Ohel occurs 54 time in Numbers in the phrase “the tabernacle of the congregation” where the context suggests it is a reference to the Tabernacle of the LORD.

The rest of the references (over 140) appear to refer to tents where people live. 

Num 16:35-38 - After the earthquake swallowed up the rebels the brazen 250 censers used by the princes to offer incense were collected up flattened and fixed to the sides of the true altar of the LORD. We are told the 250 princes had censors and offered incense (v.35). If that is so where did they go to offer incense? Was it to the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Num 16:24)?

When David went in to house of the LORD he understood the importance of serving the LORD in sincerity and truth. What did he see? – did he see the altar with the brazen flattened censers fixed to the sides of the altar?

“When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.”  (Psa 73:16-19).

Lessons for Us

We all have a calling to serve the Lord. There is work for everyone. 

^“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Phil 2:3-4).

What is our attitude in response to the Lord’s service? 

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Rom 12:3)

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1Pet 5:2-4)

16:2 try to visualise the situation. The nation are camped in the wilderness with the tabernacle erected. Moses and Aaron, so far at least, have been accepted as leaders and now 250 angry men, led by Korah, start a rebellion. Humanly speaking we can imagine that Moses and Aaron were terrified by the multitude with the rest of the nation looking on. They had nowhere to run to. Nowhere to hide. It is against that background that Moses “fell on his face” - :4 – doubtless in prayer to Yahweh.

16:3 The accusations “ye take too much upon you” was, in fact, incorrect. Moses had not taken anything upon himself. His status and responsibilities were given to him by God.

We might see fellow believers doing things which cause us to be jealous, as was Korah. However we should never impute motives when thinking about others for that is exactly what Korah did

16:2 So how important is status? These “men of renown” who were “princes”, despite their status as heads of families – 1:16 – didn’t enter the land promised to them. Their status could not save them. Their faith would have though.

16:4 The natural response to opposition of the kind that Moses experienced from Korah and his company would be to start to assert one’s position. But this was not the response of Moses. Instead he prostrated himself on the ground. He was going to leave the whole matter of authority in God’s hands. This because Moses was “meek” –Num 12:3.

Are we hasty to defend our position? Is there a better way?

As we now engage in reading Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians and the epistles that followed, I am reminded in Gal. 1 v.1 of Paul’s credentials and authority to write to them. He was appointed by Jesus Christ and God [Acts 9 v.15].

16:1 Abram was told that in the fourth generation Israel would be freed from the bondage – Gen 15:16 – Moses was in that fourth generation and was their saviour. But notice that Korah was also amongst those of the “fourth generation”. This, possibly, why he tried to usurp the God given authority given to Moses

v.1 - to hate reproof is here described as brutish. The word means stupid or foolish. And yet we all hate reproof don't we? Our nature hates criticism of any kind. We need to overcome this if we are to please God. Humility is the key. Let us be moulded by his word and never become closed-minded. Prov.2:10,11, 8:17,32 and the section from which this is drawn is in ch.5:12,13.

v.16 - Do we let the world know when we are angry? Or do we keep it to ourselves and - to quote this verse - cover shame?

:4 We come across the 'virtuous woman' in 31:10 but there are not only theoretically described virtuous women who seem to do things that we cannot attain to. Ruth [Ruth 3:11] is seen as virtuous. Now we know that her 'virtue' was a willingness to follow the God of Israel, even though she was a gentile, and abide by His laws. So we see it is possible for us to be 'virtuous' in our day to day living.

:21 This verse appears to be manifestly untrue. Jacob said 'few and evil …' (Genesis 47:9). However the verse does speak a truth. In the end all that happens to the 'just' is for their edification that they may enter the kingdom of God - Hebrews 12:11

Prov 12:14 The fruit of the mouth' of the man who is 'satisfied' is his speech. Rather than taking things in through his mouth he, having a generous spirit, gives things - faithful words - from his mouth. It is better to give than to receive Acts 20:35

V.19  Words of truth are consistent, and stand all tests, while lies are soon discovered and exposed. One excellent example is of Caleb and Joshua. They were the only ones left of all the adult males who left Egypt to enter the land. Their report stood the test. 

The LORD hates lying (v.17,19,22).  We are urged to speak the truth to one another and keep true doctrine (Col 3:9, 1Tim 2:7, James 3:14).

We learn from other people. The helpful advice from a friend, or the gentle rebuke from a beloved brother or sister in Christ, can genuinely help us to improve.  If we hate rebuke, and immediately want to justify ourselves, then we are foolish, and no better than the animals (Prov 12:1).

12:8  A man is normally commended according to his wealth in this life. However God looks upon men differently. Of course the wisdom is not the wisdom of this world. It is the wisdom of God which is the focus of this chapter.

V.6,18 - God oversees the loving, encouraging, healing and instructive speech of the upright and wise to help rescue and direct people on the road to eternal life

V.13 - a righteous man escapes trouble and he isn't trapped by sinful talk Matt 12:36-37;Prov 21:23.

V.15 - the foolish and the proud (Prov 11:2) are similar in that both are at odds with wisdom and the wise who seek counsel, hold their tongue, etc. The fool thinks he is right and doesn't need counsel (Judg 21:25) while the proud in their arrogance care little what others think and insist on their own way (this is in contrast to love which doesn't seek its own 1Cor 13:4-5; Phil 2:3).

12:1 Loving instruction is not a human characteristic. However this is true wisdom –  James 3:17 But the wisdom that is … easy to be intreated

12:8 Isn’t it wonderful that we do not need to commend ourselves? The way that we live will show what we are like and people will form their own judgement. But more importantly our God will form His judgement upon how we behave

12:16,23 The fact that we are aware of a problem is not sufficient reason to broadcast that information. The wise man, using his discretion, will seek to resolve the problem privately rather than make the issue public. He will not gossip about what he knows.

12:23 Of course the ‘prudent man’ does not conceal the knowledge of God. Rather he keeps things that he has heard about others to himself.

12:2-3 When one looks round the world we see men who seem to prosper through deceitful means and a lack of concern for others. However such men are not living according to God’s laws whatever they might claim. Because God is looking on the end of the righteous is blessing and the wicked will perish. But God take the long view, looking to the blessings He will give at the return of Jesus.

1. Prov 12:1 - "loveth 'instruction'<4148>" (correction is helpful and shows love Prov 13:24;23:13-14;Heb 12:6-8,10-11;1Kin 1:5-12).

2. Prov 12:3,12;Isa 11:10 - "root"<8328> - we need to have Christ and love as our root (Col 2:6-8;Eph 3:17).

3. Prov 12:7;Matt 7:24-27;1Cor 10:4;Psa 61:2 - we need to build our foundation on Christ.

4. Prov 12:8-9 - v8 "wisdom"<7922>, v8 "despised"<937>, v9 "despised"<7034>.

5. Prov 12:9 - better to be humble, lightly esteemed and walking with/following the righteous servant Christ who is the bread of life (Isa 53:11;Matt 20:28) than to be too proud to do humble jobs in life or the ecclesia and be lacking the bread of life as the Pharisees (Matt 6:1-7;John 6:35).

6. Prov 12:10 - righteous care/compassion vs cruelty: examples of God's care (Matt 6:26;10:29-30); man's concern for and treatment of animals (Gen 24:32;33:13;Num 22:32-33); How do we treat our neighbors, our brethren, our family members? (Gen 37:17-29;John 15:13).

7. Prov 12:11 - perhaps this has application to he who works the ground in preparation for a spiritual harvest will enjoy the bread of life (John 5:32-35) vs he who follows empty pursuits doesn't understand the hope being offered.

8. Prov 12:18 - the Pharisees shouting, "crucify him" resulted in Christ being pierced by a "sword"<2719> but the wisdom from his tongue is "health"<4832> (John 6:68;Psa 107:20;Col 3:16;4:6). 

9. Prov 12:19,22;Psa 22:8 - out of Christ's "lip"<8193> is truth and life; sometimes we even lie to ourselves by rationalizing (Jer 17:9).

10. Prov 12:20 - "...to the counsellors of peace is 'joy'<8057>" (James 3:18;Matt 5:8-9).

11. Prov 12:23 - "A prudent man concealeth knowledge..." (Matt 16:20;17:9;John 16:12;Matt 13:34-35;Psa 78:2;Mark 4:33-34;Matt 7:6).

12. Prov 12:25 - "'Heaviness'<1674> 'in the heart'<3820> of man 'make it stoop'<7812>: but a good word maketh it glad." - anxiety and depression are treated by God using methods that include but go beyond current counseling treatment methodologies such as reframing Cognitive Therapy and keeping active (Matt 6:25-34;7:9-10;Josh 7:8-10;James 5:16;Deut 31:8;Psa 34:17;32:10;42:11;1Pet 5:6-7;2Cor 1:3-4).

13. Prov 12:27 - a slothful man doesn't finish things unlike Christ (John 19:30).

14. Prov 12:28 - "way"<734>, "pathway"<1870><5410> - the road of righteousness leads to life eternal.

12:4   The writer, by the holy spirit, here is not simply commenting upon the value of a good wife. Rather he is contrasting faithful worship with following the “strange woman”. The principle laid out here is taken up in Hos 5:12 and Jesus in Matt 5:19

12:4  The writer, by the holy spirit, here is not simply commenting upon the value of a good wife. Rather he is contrasting faithful worship with following the “strange woman”. The principle laid out here is taken up in Hos 5:12 and Jesus in Matt 6:19

The tree with roots and the house with foundations

Can you see how v3 and v7 could be combined to create the parable of the house in Matt 7:24-27? Can you see any other verses here that relate to that chapter?

12:5 the use of the word “deceit” takes us back to the garden of Eden as Eve was “deceived”  1Tim 2:14

12:4    Initially in the garden of Eden Adam and Eve were not ashamed – Gen 2:25. The one who makes ashamed is not the virtuous woman. It is the strange woman.

12:5     The contrast here between the righteous and wicked are clear. It is as if the righteous always keeps his word but the wicked cannot be trusted. Such is obvious. However the implication is clear. A man who shows he cannot be trusted one can easily be seen as untrustworthy even when being totally honest.

12:24  Maybe this proverb reminds us of Jesus’ words – Matt 25:14-30  - when the slothful man has his talent taken away from him.

ANXIOUS AND STRESSED?

"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad..." (Prov 12:25). Yes, anxiety sure weighs us down. Worry, panic attacks, stress, wakefulness due to an overactive mind, lack of sleep, overly busy ... it makes me tired and depressed just thinking about it! Maybe you are affected like that too.

I know what it is like to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders - and it's not fun. But here is a solution: "... but a good word makes him glad." I can't think of much better words than praise and thankfulness.

Try this: Allow yourself fifteen minutes off from your busy schedule. Find a quiet place where you won't get interrupted to count your blessings, thank God for them and to give Him praise. I know you don't feel like it, but do it anyway.  It will make a world of difference.

Modern life breeds anxiety and stress. Probably three-quarters of the people you know are anxious and stressed. It doesn't matter whether you are in the same boat yourself or not, you can be the antidote. Pass on a good word: some thanks, appreciation, encouragement or praise, and put some gladness into your neighbour's anxious day.

12:7  in the short term and from an human perspective this Proverbs does not sound true. However it is God’s assurance to all. Ultimately He will prevail and reward the faithful.

12:6 We might think of the book of Proverbs as a list of unrelated sayings. However note in this chapter the numerous references to the mouth and its words :6,13,14,18,19,22 in the form of the words; “words”, “mouth”, “speaketh”, “lips”, “tongue”

12:16 The principles being this Proverbs maybe give an insight into why Joseph did not make a public example of Mary – Matt 1:19

AN EXCELLENT MARRIAGE

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones." (Prov 12:4).

Marriage seems to go one of two ways. It can either be the best thing ever, or the biggest mistake we ever made. And yet, when we got married, we had no doubts that this was the right thing to do and the right person for us.

The difference between a great marriage and  one that feels like rottenness in the bones is how much we work on it. Relationships don't just 'happen.' Take the example of a room in your house. It might have started out with fresh paint, new furniture and very tidy, but it takes a lot of work to keep it looking brand new. A marriage relationship takes the same sort of work.

And it's not just the wife who takes all the responsibility. A good husband can grow a beautiful and crowning wife, but a husband who takes her for granted (or worse), will end up with a relationship that grows apart.

So let's work together, husbands and wives, to keep love fresh, alive and vibrant, so that our marriages can be known as one whose wife is excellent and a crown of glory to her husband.
 

12:4 We are either virtuous or make ashamed. We can identify virtuous women in Scripture. Such an one was Ruth (Ruth 3:11). We can also identify another woman, one whose actions caused her husband to be “ashamed” – that woman was Eve. Before eating of the offered fruit Adam –and Eve - were “not ashamed” (Gen 2:25).

Our faith in Christ, seen in our hope and actions because of that hope, places us in the position of being “not ashamed” (Rom 5:6) We should live as the “virtuous woman”, not as an enticing Eve.

12:23 This verse should be understood against the background of :16. The wise man does not spread unhelpful information about others.

12:4  A husband and wife are “one flesh” – Gen 2:23 – so it follows that the demeanour of the wife impacts on the husband. The reverse is true also. The way the husband thinks and behaves affects the wife.  This can be for good or ill for both of them.

1 v.1 - Paul jumps right in here with a problem that the Galatian Churches had - not of men, neither by man. Other letters start Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ .... but here he adds this extra phrase. That it was a problem they had is borne out by v.11,12,17. It is recorded that we might learn this too, and this fits very well with comments from both readings above today. Let us recognise that truth comes only from God. 1Cor.2:9,10, 11:23, Eph.3:3-8.

1 v.4 If we believe that the sacrifice of Jesus was designed to 'deliver us from this present evil world' do we live a life which seeks to distance ourselves from that world or do we just think that the deliverance will come at the resurrection? If we think that we have to wait until the resurrection for deliverance we run the risk of compromising our lives so much now that we will not be given a crown of life.

2 v.11 The first century ecclesia was predominantly Jewish. The call to the gentiles caused tremendous strains on the Jewish brethren. Consequently integrating the gentiles into first century worship and ecclesial life was a major issue to the first century brethren. The Jerusalem council of Acts 15 was one attempt to resolve those problems. However the New Testament letters are full of teaching relating to this problem. We should not view is as a purely first century problem. Integrating other cultures into the community raises similar problems.

1:7-9 It seems that there were preachers claiming Apostolic authority and who were undermining the teaching of Paul

2:15-21 The problem was Judaisers who wanted the brethren to observe the Law of Moses - a deep seated first century problem

ch 2 - LED ASTRAY

There are certain people that most of us look up to as being leaders in the church. They are examples to us of Christian life in action, they are always there, dependable and knowledgeable. They are people we believe will never let us down and will always lead us in the right direction. To most of the people in the early church, the apostles were those kind of leaders. Peter, particularly, seems to have been a leader and in the forefront of all that was happening and so his lead was followed by many of the other believers. But Peter, even though he was an esteemed apostle, was still just a man and still able to make mistakes. He was still just as able to bow to pressure as you or I. So when Peter did bow to pressure from forceful Jews he was joined by others who followed him and who were not so strong. Even Barnabas, who I would consider to have been a strong and godly man, was led astray by Peter's mistakes.

We need to make sure that we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ - not followers of people we consider faithful. Jesus will never fail us, but even the strongest most faithful believer can lead us astray. Set your eyes on Jesus today.

1:6 The directness of Paul's comment shows the seriousness of the problem with the ecclesias in Galatia. The letter must have been written within 20 years of the formation of the ecclesias.

2:1 The time Paul speaks of here is recorded in Acts 15:22.

:11-13 - Both Peter and Barnabas fell to the false doctrine of "justification by the Law". Shows that we too can fall if we are not careful.

1:1 Paul's claim to Apostleship by Divine appointment rather than men is a prelude to his words of rebuke. Lest any were to say that Paul was the same as any other brother and therefore not to be heeded Paul states his credentials.

2:3 In telling us that the Greek brother Titus was not required to be circumcised by the brethren of note indicates that Judaisers were seeking to compel gentiles to be circumcised in Galatia - in opposition to the Jerusalem letter (Acts 15:23-29)

 1:17  Mount Sinai is in Arabia. It was at Sinai that both Moses and Elijah received their revelation.

 2:11  Paul was able to withstand Peter because he was called by Christ. (not Peter) We too must not be respecters of persons. 

1:6-9  We have to be sure that we understand the true gospel and follow its precepts. There are many who claim to follow Christ and his gospel, but who are misguided. They will be greatly upset at the judgement (Matt 7:22-23).
 
2:14 Paul rebuked Peter publicly.  This was appropriate because Peter had publicly influenced others by his hypocrisy (Prov 26:5).  An application of Matt 18:15 would not be appropriate because Paul had not been solely and individually wronged.

1:13-14 Paul highlights the way that he had changed towards the observance of the law of Moses as an example for the Galatian brethren and sisters to learn from.

2:9 Notice that we read of ‘Cephas’ here but the same man is called ‘Peter’ in  2:11. The only time that Jesus used this name when speaking to Peter was John 1:42 when he changed his name. So Paul here uses the name that Jesus gave Peter when appealing to Peter’s status and authority as one of those who extended fellowship to Paul.

2:12 During Christ's sojourn on earth Peter was one of his closest disciples. He had heard the teaching of Jesus whereby "he made all meats clean" (Mark 7:10). He also knew that the Master had welcomed non Israelites (Matt 8:11 ; , Mark 12:9; , Luke 17:11-19), As if that was not enough, Peter had been given three times the vision of the unclean animals. On the housetop at Joppa he had learned that it was wrong to regard as "unclean that which God had cleansed" (Acts 10:6-16). 

PRAISE GOD
 
There are plenty of people who not only do not hold to our Christian faith, but who are completely anti, doing all they can do to discredit believers, make life hard for them or even persecute them without cause. Paul was one of those people. He was like a shark among a school of reef fish. As soon as he was heard to be anywhere near, the believers scattered.
 
Paul was also one of the greatest examples of a changed life. The man who had once persecuted the Christian church was now one of its foremost disciples who would do anything to spread the message of hope in Christ. As Paul's reputation began to change he says that the churches in Judea heard the report: "'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they praised God because of me." (Gal 1:23-24)
 
There are three lessons we can learn from these words.
1. We should praise God for lives that have changed. Let him not be short changed on our praise. 2. When our own lives are changed, as Paul's was, we must let people know how God has worked in our lives, so that they too can praise God.
3. No matter how bad anyone is, they can still be convicted by the Lord and become his people. Pray for them and praise God for the changes we see

Paul was very upset that these converts had listened to another gospel.  I presume this was the work of the Judaisers - a group not actually mentioned in Scripture, but alluded to. They had persuaded the Galatians to keep the Law of Moses, as well as the Law of Christ.  Paul therefore was trying to re-convert them. It's very interesting that in Gal 1:17 he says something that is not mentioned in Acts 9:19,20. He left Damascus for Arabia where he had visions from Jesus. He then returned to Damascus where he stayed for 3 years. After that he escaped from Damascus over the wall in a basket, and then went to Jerusalem.

1:15  Paul had been ‘separated’ as a Pharisee for that is what ‘Pharisee’ means. Now he was like the Nazarite – separated to God.

1:14    Paul’s profiting in the Jews religion is not a monetary matter. His status in the Jewish community grew because of his learning. We should beware lest we are concerned more with status amongst our brethren than with our standing before God.

1:4 In saying ‘according to the will of God ...’ we are reminded that it is God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom – Luke 12:32– His giving of eternal life is not going to be done grudgingly.

In these first two chapters of Galatians Paul details his background, and how he came to receive the Gospel for the Gentiles. This was a separate revelation, he says in 1:11-12, and had not even been given to the Apostles. In fact, he is at pains to point out his separation from the other Apostles (1:15-22). This is because in ch2 he has to prove to the Galatians that it was his understanding, above that of Peter, or even Barnabas, that was to be listened to (2:11). Indeed, if any of those seemingly great men (Pillars 2:9) were to come with another Gospel, they should be seen as accursed (1:8-9). So it is clear that at this point in time Paul is extremely worried about the "law keeping" influence, which he believes even the Apostles have fallen foul to. And if even the Apostles could be influenced by it, we too need to be extra vigilant. The gospel of salvation by works is no Gospel at all (1:6-7).

The Gospel message would be distorted and false teachings would spread - Gal 1:6-9;2Tim 2:15-18;4:3-4;2Pet 3:16;Matt 15:7-9;Acts 20:29-30;1Tim 6:3-4;2John 1:7-10. We are told to  worship the Lord in spirit and in truth - John 4:24.

2:4  The phrase ‘brought in’ would imply that there were people baptised who were not ever committed to the gospel but were put into the Churches by the Jewish leaders to try and find out what was happening in the Christian community.

1:2  That the letter was written to a number of churches in Galatia would imply that whoever was spreading the view that the brethren should revert to an observance of the law of Moses travelled the area and the things taught in error in each of the ecclesias was the same. Thus the same letter to each ecclesia served their needs.

1:3  Here, like in many of Paul’s epistles, he sends ‘grace and peace’ from God and Jesus. So if the holy spirit is the third person of the trinity why is that left out of the greeting?

1:9-10  Wrong doctrine is not simply a matter of being a little astray from what Jesus taught. Those who hold wrong doctrine are not serving  Christ.  So we might ask whoa re they serving? In reality they are serving themselves.              

Gal 2:7-9.

1:6-15  The brethren in the region of Galatia, a significant number of them being Jews, had forsaken the law of Moses and Jewish traditions when they accepted that Jesus is Messiah. However, due to the preaching of some Judaisers, they were turning back to the law, it seems. Paul’s personal example – verses :12-14 – teaches that the Gospel he had preached, which they had accepted, was not of man. 

1:8   The warning against listening to different teaching even if the one speaking was an apostle or an angel (or claimed so) draws on the way in which a faithful prophet was deceived by a similar claim in 1Kin 13:7-22

1:8   Jesus sent letters to the “angel” of the churches in Asia – See Rev 2:1. Se we need not think of the angel as some heavenly being. It could be one of the leaders of the church. The warning is clear. We need to take care over what we hear whoever presents it to us.

1:18     Paul’s credibility is supported by the fact that he had spent time with Peter. Paul is not simply recounting a travelogue. He is continuing to provide the credentials which support his status as an apostle.

1:11     The implications of what Paul says here is that any message which does not match Bible teaching is only human thinking. This might seem to be over stating the situation. In reality it is not. Whilst we can now things without reference to the Bible we cannot learn anything about salvation anywhere other than in the Bible.

2:16 Whilst many modern translations have “fain in Jesus” the AV, correctly, has “faith of Jesus” We need to be careful that there are a number of occasions where we learnt salvation is due to Jesus’ faith – Rom 3:22, Gal 3:22, Eph 3:12 Of course we do need to have faith in Jesus but such a faith in him would be of no value if Jesus himself did not have faith himself in the promises of God.

1:6 We might think that we are “strong” in our beliefs. However it is evident that it is really easy to slip away from a correct belief in the gospel. What we read and listen to will affect our grasp of the gospel message. We might feel that the secular things will have no impact on our faith. However the more we watch immoral things on TV or read about them the more “normal” will they seem to us.

1:15 The words “God, who separated me from … womb” are a quotation from words spoken about Samson: “shall be a Nazarite (separate) unto God from the womb” (Jdg. 13:5). Paul was a spiritual Samson for he, “increased the more in strength” (Acts 9:22).

PASS IT ON

Forgiveness is a good example. If we want to be forgiven or we have been forgiven, then we need to pass that grace of forgiveness on to others. It is the same with the comfort we receive from God. If God has comforted us in our troubles, then we need to comfort each other in the same way. If we have received anything from God, it is not just for us, but just as he has been generous to us, so we need to generous to each other in the same way.

Paul, by the grace of God, was called to be an apostle. This is how he described it: "Paul, an apostle - sent not from men or by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." (Gal 1:1).

Obviously Paul could not appoint everyone else as apostles, but the same grace that he had received to become an apostle of Jesus Christ, he passed on to others by his preaching. This is how he passed that grace on to the believers in Galatia: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." (v.3-4).

Let us be grateful for the grace given to us, and make sure we pass it on.
 

2:4    the “false brethren” are like Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:1-10 –and those spoken of in Jude 1:4

2:4 the “bondage” spoken of here is the “yoke” of Acts 15:10. The Galatians would have seen the letter sent out from the apostles in Jerusalem that is recorded in Acts Acts 15:23-29

1:6In saying “so soon removed” we learn that some of the believers in the region of Galatia had departed from what they had been taught very shortly after they had been baptised. How could this be? Was it that their instruction was lacking or was there another reason?

As we read the rest of the letter we see that there is a big attempt being made by some who held to the Law of Moses and all the associated rituals were trying to undermine the faith in Christ.

The antidote, however, is clear. As Paul shows in the letter, a careful reading of the Old Testament will highlight how Christ is spoken of and is to be followed.

1:13-15 Paul now reminded the Galatians believes of the change that had taken place in his own beliefs. This is a continued part of Paul’s reminder to those who had fallen away back to relying on the Law of Moses.

As we now engage in reading Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians and the epistles that followed, I am reminded in Gal. 1 v.1 of Paul’s credentials and authority to write to them. He was appointed by Jesus Christ and God [Acts 9 v.15].

1:1 Because of the opposition of the Judaisers in the ecclesias in Galatia Paul states his credentials – His authority. This is a number of occasions where authority is presented in the letter. See also1:13-15 , 2:2, 2:14 and other places.