Scripture Studies - Vol. IV; No. 6 - August 1997 ================================================ In this issue: Old Testament Study - Gen. 30:25-31:21 A Study of Christ - John 1:15 New Testament Study - Matthew 1:1-17 A Classic Study - Procrastination, pt. 2, by Jonathan Edwards For Meditation - Three Poems on Living for Christ Bibliography and Suggested Reading Postscript: Consistency in Christianity Footnotes ---------------------------------------------------- "Scripture Studies" is edited by Scott Sperling and published ten times a year by Scripture Studies, Inc., a non-profit organization. It is distributed all over the world by postal mail and via the internet free of charge. If you would like to financially support the publication and distribution of "Scripture Studies", send contributions to: Scripture Studies Inc. 20 Pastora Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 USA Contributions are tax deductible in the United States. If you do not live in the United States, and would like to support "Scripture Studies", please send international postal coupons. Please feel free to upload "Scripture Studies" to any BBS or online service. If you or anyone that you know would like to be added to the subscription list, free of charge, send your request to the above address. or, via email to Scott Sperling at: ssper@aol.com Back issues are available via ftp at: sanar.kaiwan.com/user/ssper/ or on the World Wide Web at: http://www.kaiwan.com/~ssper/sstdys.html Unless noted otherwise, scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. May God bless you as you study His Word. =========================================================== Old Testament Study - Genesis 30:25-31:21 ========================================= Here, we continue our study in Genesis. Jacob Desires to Leave ---------------------- 25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can go back to my own homeland. 26Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for you." 27But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you." 28He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." 29Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" 31"What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." 34"Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." 35That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks. 37Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. 41Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so that they would mate near the branches, 42but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys. -------------- After almost twenty years in Paddan Aram, Jacob's thoughts turn to his real home: "After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me on my way so that I can go back to my own homeland'" (vs. 25). Most likely, the birth of Joseph--Jacob's favorite son, by his favorite wife--caused Jacob to want to return to Canaan and claim the blessings promised to him by God. Laban, however, had other ideas: "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. . . Name your wages, and I will pay them" (vs. 27-28). Laban wanted Jacob to stay because he realized (oddly, by divination) that he was being blessed by God through the presence of the godly man Jacob. This happens often: the ungodly blessed by God through the presence of the godly. We see this all around us: the wayward son kept safe by God through the prayers of his godly mother, the worldly husband prospered by God through the prayers of his godly wife, the business enterprise rendered successful by God through the prayers of its godly employees. And just like Laban, so often those who are blessed through the presence of the godly, do not turn to God themselves. Instead of yearning for the presence of God Himself, like Laban, they just desire the continued presence of the godly people through whom they are blessed by God. They do not desire to worship and obey God, but they want to partake in His blessings. Jacob's stated reason for leaving was so that he may have the fruits of his labor benefit his own family, instead of Laban. He tells Laban: "The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" (vs. 30). Laban desires greatly that he stay, so he offers: "What shall I give you?" (vs. 31). Jacob, the great "heel-catcher", now sees an opportunity. He makes Laban a very reasonable deal. Jacob will continue working for Laban, but "every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat" will be Jacob's; the rest will be Laban's (vss. 32-33). This deal was very reasonable for Laban because most of the sheeps and goats were not speckled nor spotted. Laban, being a husbandman, knew such things could be manipulated, though. He also knew that Jacob, "heel-catcher" that he was, would try to manipulate the balance of speckled and spotted sheep and goats. So, Laban removed the sheep and goats that most likely would produce Jacob's sheep and goats when bred with the others, and "placed them in the care of his sons" (vs. 35). This did not daunt Jacob. Moses tells us in detail Jacob's scheme to increase his own flocks, while also making them the best and strongest of the herd: "Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so that they would mate near the branches, but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there" (Gen. 30:37-42). Just given this, it is difficult to understand (scientifically, that is), how Jacob's flock increased. However, in the next chapter, all becomes clear. Jacob later reveals to Rachel and Leah the true source of his prosperity: "God has not allowed [Laban] to harm me. If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me. In the breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.'" (Gen. 31:7-12). It was God who blessed Jacob, and caused more speckled and spotted sheep and goats to be born. Most likely, God gave Jacob the directions in Gen. 30:37-42 concerning the breeding of the sheep and goats. "Self-help and divine help do not exclude one another."[1] In the Bible, God often asks the recipient of a miraculous blessing to do something to demonstrate his faith in the promise, and to show obedience for the command of God: Moses had to keep his hands held up in order for the Israelites to defeat the Amalekites (Ex. 17); Naaman had to wash in the Jordan to be rid of his leprosy (II Kings 5); the blind man had to wash the mud made from Christ's saliva out of his eyes in the Pool of Siloam (John 9); etc. Jacob obeyed, and God blessed him: "So the weak animals wento to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys" (vss. 42-43). Jacob Prepares to Leave ----------------------- 1Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." 2And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude towards him was not what it had been. 3Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." 4So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude towards me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, 7yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me. 10"In the breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' 12And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'" 14Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? 15Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you." 17Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods. 20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21So he fled with all he had, and crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead. -------------- Jacob's prosperity caused strife: "Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, 'Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.' And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude towards him was not what it had been" (vss. 1-2). Indeed, it must have shaken Laban to look out and see so many strong and healthy speckled and spotted sheep and goats. This strife must certainly have turned Jacob's heart toward his real home and caused him to desire once again to return. It was always, of course, God's will that Jacob return to the promised land. Though Jacob was successful in business, God saw to it that Jacob was never quite comfortable in Paddan Aram. God did not want him to feel at home there. The strife and affliction that Jacob experienced was actually a blessing of God (though I am sure Jacob did not see it as such!). "So the Lord often better secures the salvation of His people, by subjecting them to the hatred, the envy, and the malevolence of the wicked, than by suffering them to be soothed with bland address. It was far more useful to holy Jacob to have his father-in-law and his sons opposed, than to have them courteously obsequious to his wishes; because their favour might have deprived him of the blessing of God."[2] And it is the same with us. God does not want us to be too comfortable in this world. If we were, we would never long for our true home and inheritance in heaven. Jacob now was ripe and well-prepared for the command of God: "Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you'" (vs. 3). What a blessing that God tells us to move ("Go back to the land"), and then also promises to be with us as we obey ("Šand I will be with you"). We learn in this episode, through His guidance of Jacob, much about how God often guides us. God guided Jacob in three steps: Jacob felt in his heart the desire to return to Canaan (30:25), the circumstances furthered his desire to leave (31:1-2), God confirmed with His command that Jacob's desire was His will (31:3). "This is ever the way of God's guidance; the conviction of the spirit within, the Word agreeing with it in principle, and then outward circumstances making action possible. When these three agree, we may be sure of right guidance."[3] Significantly, the divine command came last, once the way was prepared. Jacob could not just get up and leave, though. He had to get his wives' consent. He could not be sure that they would even want to leave with him. They would be leaving the only home they knew. They would be leaving their flesh and blood to strike out to a land hundreds of miles away. And would Jacob be able to provide for them in that land? After all, he came to Paddan Aram with nothing. So, Jacob brought Rachel and Leah out to the fields, "where his flocks were". He talked with them out there, presumably so that they would not be overheard, also so as to be among the flocks to remind them of his prosperity. To convince them, he told them that God was responsible for his prosperity, despite Laban's unfairness. This would serve to allay any fears that the women might have concerning Jacob's future ability to support the family. If God is supporting us, we have no fear wherever we may go. He can bless anywhere. Jacob also told them that it was God Himself who wanted him to return to Canaan. The women unhesitatingly agreed to leave with Jacob. This says a lot about the character of Laban. His own daughters had no desire to stay with him, but rather, readily agreed to relocate hundreds of miles away to a land they had never seen. And so Jacob gathered all his possessions together and left. Unfortunately though, "when Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods" (vs. 19). How sad it would be to have a god that someone could steal! This is the folly of all idolatry: gods that can be stolen. In these days and times, for the most part (at least in America), a less overt sort of idolatry is practiced. People worship money, worship power, worship family ties, worship self, worship worldly pleasure. But these forms of idolatry are as absurd as Laban's: gods that can be stolen. How sad also it would be to have a god made of human hands! The Lord, through Isaiah, speaks on the foolishness of such idolatry: "The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, 'Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.' From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, 'Save me; you are my god.' They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so that they cannot see, and their minds closed so that they cannot understand. No-one stops to think, no-one has the knowledge or understanding to say, 'Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'" (Isaiah 44:13-20). You say, "Ah, no one practices this sort of idolatry anymore." But wait. So many people do not like the truth of the Living God, and so make a god in their own image, how they want god to be. They hate God's law so they make a god that approves of their pet sin, whether it be fornication, or homosexuality, or greed, or drunkenness, etc. They despise Christ's sacrifice, so they make a god who will save anyone who is right in his own eyes. They scorn the holiness of the Lord, so they make a god who will save anyone and everyone. And so on. So we see, the rejection of the True and Living God necessarily leads to irrationality: to worshiping gods that can be stolen, to worshiping gods made by men. It was sad and destructive for Rachel to bring her idolatry to the promised land. Later, it is suggested (see Gen. 35:2) that the idolatry was partly responsible for the horrible goings-on in Genesis 34. All idolatry is destructive, and leads to death. We must be careful to not be like Rachel and try to enter the promised land with luggage full of the idols of the world. =========================================================== A Study of Christ - The Prologue of John ======================================== John 1:15 - The Testimony of John the Baptist --------------------------------------------- 15John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'" -------------- In the previous verse, John reminded us that "the Word" was not just a speculative philosophical idea, but the True and Living God who came to earth: who "became flesh", and who "made His dwelling among us" (vs. 14). John reminded us that there were eyewitnesses of "the Word", Jesus Christ: men and women who walked with Him, spoke with Him, were taught by Him. As John said: "We have seen His glory" (vs. 14). One of the greatest witnesses to the glory of Christ was John the Baptist. The Gospel writer John speaks here of John the Baptist: "John [the Baptist] testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, 'This was He of whom I said, "He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me"'" (vs. 15). In this verse, John (the Gospel writer) tells us three things about John the Baptist: what he does ("testifies concerning Him"), how he does it ("He cries out"), what he says ("This was He of whom I saidŠ"). Let's look at each of these. First, what John the Baptist does is: "John testifies concerning Him." God has chosen primarily to use His people to make Himself known to the world. Even when Christ walked the earth, though He Himself taught about the kingdom of heaven, He sent His disciples out to testify about Him and preach the good news of the Gospel (see Matt. 10; Luke 9; Luke 10). And in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit did not Himself testify directly of Christ, but indwelt and empowered believers to preach Christ. That God uses men to teach the world of Him is a great privilege to us, who have the honor of sharing in the work of God. John the Baptist, in testifying concerning Christ, was fulfilling God's purpose for Him. John (the Gospel writer) told us earlier concerning John the Baptist: "There was a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe" (vss. 6-7). Now, here in verse 15, we see that John the Baptist was fulfilling God's purpose for him because, indeed, he did "testify concerning that light". It is a great thing, and more than that, the reason for our existence, to fulfill the purpose of God in our life. There is no more important thing for us to do. Note finally, that John was very effective in fulfilling this purpose, so effective that John uses the present tense: "John testifiesŠ" John the Baptist not only "testified", but he continues to "testify", even now, two-thousand years after he walked the earth. Second, John (the writer of this Gospel) tells us how John the Baptist testifies, that is: "He cries outŠ" The word used here "cries" signifies a LOUD exclamation, made without any reservation. John the Baptist was not shy about proclaiming Christ. This was his purpose in life, and he let everyone know. He didn't think twice, he wasn't concerned about possibly offending anyone, he simply and loudly, without any reservation, cried out, proclaiming the preeminence of Christ. Oh, that we would proclaim Christ so boldly, without reservation, for all to hear, with no concern about what others might think. Third, John (the Gospel writer) tells us what John the Baptist testifies: "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'" John the Baptist speaks kind of enigmatically here, as if to force us to meditate upon this statement, as if to say: "Stop. Think. Figure this out." Basically, there are three points to what John is saying: Christ was prophesied; Christ is preeminent; Christ was preexistent. Now, let's look at each of these: First, Christ was prophesied. John the Baptist says: "This was He of whom I saidŠ" John the Baptist here is referring back to some prophecies that he himself made even before Christ showed up on the scene. Later in this chapter, we learn that John made this statement when he saw Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, just before He started calling His disciples (see John 1:30). So, before Jesus even started His public ministry, John was prophesying about Him. John's role in prophecy was to prepare the way for Christ, as we learn in the Gospel of Matthew: "[John] is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice of one calling in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him."'" (Matt. 3:3). A very valuable proof that Christ is who He said He was is that, not only was He Himself prophesied to come when He did, but John the Baptist was prophesied to prepare the way for Him. Second, Christ is preeminent. John the Baptist says: "He who comes after me has surpassed meŠ" Christ "came after" John the Baptist in two ways. First, Christ was born about six months after John (see Luke 1:36). Second (and more significantly), John the Baptist preceded Christ in His ministry. John's ministry in baptizing the people and encouraging them to repent from their sins was enormously successful. Mark tells us: "The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River" (Mark 1:5). At the height of John's ministry, Christ began His. Usually, the earlier teachers were considered greater; but John knew, even though Christ "came after" John in His ministry, that Christ was preeminent. John's own disciples were not so clear on this point. They came to him, complaining that Christ was "stealing away" John's disciples: "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him" (John 3:26). John replied: "He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all" (John 3:30-31). John deferred to Christ, just as all ministers of God must defer to Christ. Christ is preeminent. All service from ministers of God must have the goal of turning people to the Lord Jesus Christ. All attention must be focussed on Him, not the minister of God. All honor must be His. He alone must be exalted. This is the duty of the minister of God. Third, Christ was preexistent. John gives this as the reason that Christ is preeminent: "Šbecause He was before me." Wait. John has just said that Christ "came after" him. We have established that Christ "came after" John in His birth, and Christ "came after" John in His ministry. So, when John says, "Šbecause He was before me", John must be referring to the preexistence of Christ. John the Baptist is confirming what John, the writer of this Gospel, said early in his prologue: "[The Word] was with God in the beginning" (John 1:2). Contrary to the religious beliefs of many people, we did not exist in soul or body before this life. All men were "formed" by God in the womb (see Eccl. 1:5; Isa. 44:2; et. al.). Of those who walked the earth, Christ was the only one who existed beforehand. Paul tells us: "He is before all things" (Col. 1:17). Christ Himself told us: "I tell you the truth. . . before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). His preexistence was a distinguishing trait of the Messiah, as prophesied in the Old Testament: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2). Christ's preexistence implies Christ's divinity. Only God is "from everlasting to everlasting" (Ps. 41:13). And so also, Christ's preexistence implies Christ's preeminence. John the Baptist, the greatest of all the prophets (see Matt. 11:9-11), understood this: the preexistence of Christ, the preeminence of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the Lordship of Christ. May we also, by the Holy Spirit, understand these things. =========================================================== New Testament Study - Matthew 1:1-17 ==================================== Here we begin a study in the Gospel according to Matthew, a book honored as being the first book of the New Testament. It is appropriate that Matthew's Gospel be the first book of the New Testament, for it bridges well the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Each of the four Gospels have a specific purpose and emphasis. The purpose of Matthew's Gospel is to present Jesus to the Jews as their promised Messiah (or "anointed one"), the one who was prophesied in the Old Testament to rule forever on the throne of David. To do this, Matthew cites over fifty direct quotes from the Old Testament, and contains over seventy-five allusions to the Old Testament. "Thus Matthew shows us that it is the Person of Jesus Christ who unifies Old Testament hope and New Testament fulfillment; who harmonizes, in His eternal Kingship, ancient Messianic promises and modern ethical demands."[4] The Genealogy of Our Lord ------------------------- 1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, 7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, 15Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. --------------- Matthew begins his Gospel, appropriately to his purpose, with the genealogy of Jesus: "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham" (vs. 1). This may seem to us a strange way to start a book, even a biography; however, this was not so strange to the Jews, to whom genealogies were very important (witness the many genealogies in the Old Testament). Moreover, to establish that a claimed Messiah had the proper credentials, a genealogy was indispensible. After all, it was necessary that the Messiah be "the son of David, the son of Abraham" (vs. 1). Promises were given to both Abraham and David that a descendant of theirs would be the Messiah. After offering his own son, Abraham was promised by God: "Š[B]ecause you have done this and have not withheld your son Š through your [seed] all nations on earth will be blessed" (Gen. 22:16,18). Likewise, David was promised by God: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever." (II Samuel 7:16). The Lord tells us through Isaiah that the Messiah "will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom" (Isa. 9:7). Therefore, the Messiah must legally be in the royal line of David. To establish that Jesus had the qualifications to be the Messiah, Matthew gives his genealogy beginning with "Abraham", through "David". Apparently Matthew (and Luke as well, who also contains a genealogy of Christ in his Gospel) had access to genealogical records to establish that Joseph, and so also Jesus (by adoption), was in the royal line. We know that such records existed at that time. In fact, Josephus (a first-century Jewish historian) alludes to such records in his autobiography: "Thus have I set down the genealogy of my family as I have found described in the public records."[5] Such records no longer exist so, interestingly, if anyone nowadays claimed to be the Messiah, he would have no way of proving that he descended from David in the royal line. Now, while any Jew could be called "son of Abraham", relatively few Jews could be called "son of David", and fewer still belonged to the royal line. And because the reign of the kings of Israel had ended for the time being, the Jews were waiting for the next "son of David" who would rule: the expected Messiah. For the Jews, the Messianic title "son of David" would probably conjure up memories of David as a warrior, subduing his enemies. Perhaps, this is one reason that the Jews expected a militaristic Messiah, one who would rid them through war of their Roman rulers. They forgot, however, that David was forbidden by God to build the temple of the Lord--not because of his sins of adultery and murder--but precisely because of his militarism. The Lord told David: "You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever." (I Chron. 22:8-10). Though the Lord in this passage refers directly to Solomon as the man of peace to build the temple, certainly the principle would hold that He who was to build the everlasting Temple, and establish the everlasting throne over Israel, would also be a man of peace. In verses 2 through 17, beginning with Abraham, Matthew gives us the names of many of the ancestors of Jesus. Abraham is an appropriate place for Matthew (in detailing the genealogy of the Messiah of the Jews) to begin, since Abraham was considered the father of the Jews. The Jews are unique of all the nations of the world in that they are able to trace their lineage to one ancestor: father Abraham. They are unique in this because God chose them to be unique in this. They are His people, and so, have a unique history. In studying the Gospel of Matthew, it would be tempting to just skip over the genealogy. After all, of what value could this list names be to us. However, Matthew (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) presents the genealogy in a very interesting way, and says a lot worthy of study in this list of names. These names serve as a worthy introduction to many of the themes in Matthew's Gospel (as we shall see). Why, to a student of the Bible, just a cursory reading of the names cannot help but conjure up many images and recollections of the events of the history of God's people: their faith, their faithlessness, their victories over evil, their stumblings into sin, their strength of character, their weaknesses in the midst of an idolatrous world. In these names, we see a history of God's dealing with His people: His judgment, His mercy, His redemption, His grief, and above all, His faithfulness throughout the history of His dealing with His people, signified most by the last name of the genealogy "Jesus, who is called Christ." As we read the genealogy, we see that, in general, Matthew follows a formula, saying, A "was the father of" B. The word that Matthew uses for "was the father of" (translated "begat" in the King James Version) would be rendered more appropriately "was an ancestor of", since it does not necessarily specify a direct father-son relationship, but rather an ancestral relationship. Matthew's genealogy, like most genealogies in the Bible, was not meant to be a complete genealogy. Matthew does not enumerate each and every ancestor of Christ, but selects significant names to carry on the thread of the genealogy. Rather than studying each and every name in the genealogy, for the sake of time, let us look specifically at the places in the genealogy where Matthew departs from his primary formula of saying "A was the father of B." When he does depart from this formula, Matthew is underscoring events in the history of God's people, usually to suggest to the reader a theme that he will present more fully later in the Gospel. The first departure from the formula occurs in verse 2: "Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers." Certainly, Matthew makes mention of Judah's "brothers" because "Judah and his brothers" were the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Messiah was to be the Messiah for the nation of Israel, all twelve tribes. Also, when Matthew says, "Judah and his brothers", one cannot help but recall the history of the brothers as related in Genesis: the favoritism of Joseph by Jacob, the mistreatment of Joseph by his brothers, the selling of Joseph into slavery, the journeys of the brothers to Egypt, and their eventual settlement there. Through this history we see the providence and grace of God at work in saving the brothers, His chosen people, from the famine, in spite of their sin of selling Joseph into slavery. The next departure from the formula occurs in verse 3: "Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar." Again, in this departure, we are reminded of an episode in Genesis; and again, rather than being a heroic episode displaying faithfulness and obedience to God by His people, it is an episode full of deceit and sin (see Genesis 38). Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law, who was married first to his eldest son. That son died, so, following the custom of what was later known as "Levirite marriage" and codified in Deut. 25:5-9, Tamar was given Judah's next eldest son. He also died, so Judah promised Tamar his third eldest son, when he grew up to marrying age. Judah, however, reneged on his promise. Tamar, desiring to have children, disguised herself a prostitute, and Judah slept with her. Tamar became pregnant and gave birth to the twins, Perez and Zerah. In mentioning Tamar at all in the genealogy, Matthew is calling special attention to this episode. Women were not normally mentioned in genealogies; and when they were mentioned, it was usually one of the matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel or Leah. To mention Tamar is to deliberately call to one's mind the disgraceful history of Judah and Tamar. It is as if Matthew is conjuring up this episode to reenforce that the nation of Israel needs a savior--not a political savior--but a savior who will save them from their sins. The next departure from the formula occurs in verse 5: "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab." Again, Matthew mentions a woman; and again, the woman mentioned has a suspect history. Rahab was a prostitute by trade, but by the grace of God, she was redeemed from her sinful life through her obedience and faith in God when she hid the Israelite spies from the Canaanites. Later in Matthew's gospel, we will be introduced to many (including Matthew the tax collector himself!) who repent from their sinful ways and become disciples of the Lord Jesus. The next departure from the formula occurs also in verse 5: "Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth." Again, Matthew mentions a woman; this time, however, he mentions a very honorable woman, always faithful to God. The story of Ruth is a story representative of redemption. The story of her redemption by Boaz is typical of the church's redemption by Christ. It is significant that she was a Moabitess, a Gentile (as was, by the way, Rahab). God has always shed His grace upon people of all nations, even though the Jews are specially His chosen people. The special mentioning of Ruth and Rahab is a subtle way for Matthew to allude to the fact that Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer for all people--Jews and Gentiles. The next departure from the formula occurs in verse 6: "Jesse the father of King David." Matthew reminds us, in mentioning "King" David, that this is the royal line. And then later in verse 6: "David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife." Again, Matthew mentions a woman. Significantly, Matthew does not call her "Bathsheba", but the woman who "had been Uriah's wife". This is to purposefully remind us of the great sin of "King David". He not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but also murdered Uriah to hide his sin of adultery. David, the great king, needed a Savior from sin as much or more than any of us. The next departure from the formula occurs in verse 11: "Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon." This reminds the reader of the significant turning point in the history of Israel, when the whole nation, "Jeconiah and his brothers", were carried away to Babylon. This was the end of the kingdom that had been so great in the times of David and Solomon. The nation had gone from greatness to destruction because of their disobedience to God. The nation of Israel greatly needed a Savior from sin. Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin, see II Kings 24:8ff) was the last of the kings. In fact, God cursed his bloodline, saying that none of his offspring would ever be kings: "This is what the Lord says: 'Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule any more in Judah.'" (Jer. 22:30). Significant here is that the Messiah (since He will sit on the throne of David) cannot be a blood descendant of Jeconiah. This means that, if Matthew is recording the blood line leading to Joseph, Jesus cannot be a blood relation to Joseph. And Jesus isn't! The virgin birth of Christ allows this prophecy to be fulfilled, even if Joseph is a blood descendant of Jeconiah, since Jesus did not come from Joseph's seed, but only the "seed of the woman" Mary. Now, all this being said, we are not at all certain that Matthew is enumerating the blood line of Joseph here. It is quite conceivable that Matthew is giving in this genealogy the royal line of the kings on the throne of David, which may or may not always correspond to the blood line (depending upon whether there are any sons of the legal heir to take over at the time of the death of the current legal king). The main reason that we are not sure that Matthew's genealogy is the blood line is that Luke also gives a genealogy in his Gospel (see Luke 5:23ff) and, as any reader can see for himself, Luke's genealogy is different than the one given by Matthew. Those who have no respect for the Bible as the Word of God, when they see the differences between Luke's and Matthew's genealogies, are quick to cry out: "Contradictions! Contradictions!" However, rather than being left with a contradiction for which there is no explanation, the real problem is that there are too many possible explanations for the differences between the two genealogies, especially given the custom of Levirite Marriage (which would yield two different legal fathers for a given person), given the fact that double and triple names were routinely given to the same people, given that the genealogies are incomplete (not enumerating every ancestor), etc. There are two explanations which are widely subscribed to for the differences between the genealogies. One explanation (as alluded to above) is that Matthew's Gospel gives the royal line of David through Joseph (not necessarily the blood line), and Luke's Gospel gives the blood line of David through Joseph. In other words, Matthew's genealogy gives the legal heirs to the throne of David, including those who were adopted as the legal heirs because there was no available blood heir to throne. Given that Matthew's purpose is to show Joseph as the promised Messiah, and Luke's purpose is to show Christ's humanity, these differing types of genealogies would suit each Gospel writer's purpose. The other explanation is that Matthew's Gospel gives Joseph's blood line and Luke's Gospel gives Mary's blood line. In this case, Joseph's blood line would correspond to the royal line of David through Solomon down to Joseph. To give Mary's blood line would make sense given that a primary theme in Luke's Gospel is the humanity of Jesus, because Jesus gets His humanness (so to speak) through Mary. Some think this explanation is negated by Luke's mentioning of Joseph in the genealogy; however, Luke only gives the names of Jesus' male ancestors, and he specifically states that Joseph is not Jesus' blood father: "[Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, [etc.]" (Luke 3:23ff). Note also, that Luke does not necessarily say that Joseph was the son of Heli. He could be saying that Jesus was the son of Joseph, and Jesus was the son of Heli, and Jesus was the son of Matthat, etc. This explanation is also supported by the fact that many verses in the Bible refer to the fact that Jesus was in the blood line of David, not just the royal line of David (see Luke 1:32; Acts 2:30; Rom. 1:3; II Tim. 2:8). This means that Mary had to be a blood descendant of David because Jesus was not a blood descendant of Joseph (due to the virgin birth). So as it stands, we have two very plausible explanations for the differences in Matthew's and Luke's genealogies. The real answer could be one of these, or could be something else. I am not too concerned with convincing you of the validity of one explanation over the other. I agree with John Broadus on this point: "We are little concerned to show which of them is best, and under no obligation to prove that either of them is certainly correct; for we are not attempting to establish from the Genealogies the credibility of Matthew's Gospel. When the object is simply to refute an objection to that credibility, founded on an apparent discrepancy between two statements, it is sufficient to present any hypothetical explanation of the difficulty which is possible. If the explanation be altogether reasonable and probable, so much the better. And if there be two, or several, possible explanations, these reinforce each other in removing the ground for objection, and it is not necessary to choose between them."[6] So, let's not be stubborn and say we must know what the true explanation is. Remember, this is the Word of God. It is arrogant for us to assume that we will be able to understand everything in this Grand Book. It was (in effect) written by God Himself, whose intelligence is incomparably beyond ours. God had His reasons for including both genealogies. Certainly, by including both, and the (at first glance) seeming "contradiction", God has urged us to study very closely these two genealogies. And well we should, for these genealogies describe the earthly heritage of our Lord. If there had been no discrepancy in the genealogies, we may have just skimmed over these names and effectively ignored this section! The seeming "contradictions" in the Bible are impetuses, urging us to a deeper study of the Word of God, thereby increasing our knowledge of God and His ways through our close scrutiny of His Word. Behind every seeming "contradiction", I have found a gem of insight, leading me to a greater respect for the Word of God, and a greater appreciation for God's wisdom. To move on, the final departure from the usual genealogical formula occurs in verse 16: "Šand Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Matthew's wording here is very precise. He is subtly introducing the fact that Mary was a virgin when she bore Jesus, and that Joseph was not the blood father of Jesus. So as not to imply this, Matthew does not follow the usual genealogical formula and say, "Šand Jacob the father of Joseph, and Joseph the father of Jesus." Rather, he brings Mary into the picture, saying specifically that she bore Jesus. Now, at that time, Jesus was a fairly common name, being the Greek form of the name "Joshua".[7] So, Matthew distinguishes this Jesus by saying that He is the one "who is called Christ". "Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah", or "anointed one", which was a common way that the writers in the Old Testament referred to the Messiah (see I Sam. 24:6; Ps. 2:2; Ps. 105:15; Isa. 45:1; Dan. 9:25-26). Jesus was commonly called "Christ" (using it effectively as His proper name) in the Epistles after His ascension. However, we find the term used sparingly of Him by His disciples during His life on earth. There were three notable instances when His disciples used the term: 1. Just after Andrew was called as a disciple, he told his brother Peter: "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41); 2. When Martha confessed Jesus as Christ just before the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:27); 3. When Peter proclaimed Jesus as "Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matt. 16:16) in response to Jesus' question: "Who do you say I am?" (Matt. 16:15). Jesus often used the term of Himself, thereby boldly proclaiming Himself as the Messiah (Matt. 23:10; Mark 9:41; John 4:26; John 17:3). The angels called Him the Christ when they proclaimed Him to the shepherds (Luke 2:11). Sadly, many of the references to Jesus as Christ were statements made in mockery (see Matt. 26:63; Matt. 26:68; Matt. 27:17; Mark 15:32; Luke 22:67; Luke 23:39). Significantly, after Jesus' death and resurrection, He was known as Christ by even non-disciples. Josephus, a non-Christian, Jewish historian, refers to Him as such: "Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works--a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ."[8] Matthew sums up the genealogy in verse 17: "Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ." Matthew has divided the genealogy into three sets of fourteen. This was probably done to aid in the memorization of it. In his divisions, Matthew highlights the three great periods of the history of the Jews up until that time. It has been noted that there are not enough names given in the genealogy to make three sets of fourteen unless someone is counted twice. Matthew tells us whom we are to count twice. He says in verse 17 there were fourteen "from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exileŠ" So, we are to count fourteen starting with Abraham and ending with David; then fourteen starting with David and ending with Josiah; then fourteen starting with Jeconiah and ending with Christ. To achieve these three sets of fourteen, names have been left out of the second and third periods, as was usual in the genealogies of the Bible (the first period contains all of the names, however, for Matthew says "in all" when referring to that period). =========================================================== A Classic Study - Procrastination ================================= A Classic Study by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1).[9] ------------ [This is the second part of a two-part study concerning procrastination, written by the notable Colonial American Christian leader Jonathan Edwards. And though this study was written some 250 years ago, I dare say that it has application for many of us in the 20th century. In part one of this study, Mr. Edwards defined the sin of "procrastination" as living one's life in such a way so as to depend on another day. What is forbidden is expressed by Solomon in the text: "Boast not thyself of tomorrow." Mr. Edwards made a distinction, though, between not depending on another day, and concluding that we shall not live another day (this also is wrong!). He said: "In some respects we ought to carry ourselves, as though we know we should not live another day, and should improve every day as if it were the last. . . But in many other respects, we are not obliged to behave ourselves as though we concluded that we should not live another day." Mr. Edwards then went on to resolve this seeming contradiction, and to further explain what exactly is forbidden by Solomon in the text. Finally, Mr. Edwards gave examples of behavior that breaks this commandment. And so, to continueŠ]--Ed. Why We Ought Not to Boast of Tomorrow ------------------------------------- I come now to show, why we ought not thus to boast ourselves of tomorrow; but on the contrary, to behave ourselves every day as though we had no dependence on another. And there is this plain and sufficient reason for it, viz. That we have no grounds of dependence on another day. We have neither any foundation to depend upon seeing any particular things come to pass another day, which we may hope or wish for, nor upon enjoying another day in this world. We have nothing for a foundation of dependence that we shall not be in eternity before tomorrow, as both reason and experience show.--We have no promise of God that we shall ever see another day. We are in God's hands; our lives are in His hands; He hath set our bounds; the number of our months and days are with Him; nor hath He told them to us. We see that the life of man at longest is very short, and nothing is more uncertain; and it is a thing universal among mankind, that they know not the day of their death. We see that great natural abilities, sharpness of wit, and clearness of discernment, do not help to any discovery in this matter. Wise men are as uncertain of the term of their lives as others. There are so many ways and means whereby the lives of men come to an end, that no circumstances in which a man can be are any security to him from death. That it is but a very little while till tomorrow, is no good ground of dependence that we shall live till then. We see that deaths as sudden as our dying before tomorrow morning, are common in the world. We very often see or hear of sudden deaths. How many suddenly, in a few minutes, pass from a state of health to a state of death, in the daytime, by several kinds of disease, which give no warning of their approach, and by many unforeseen accidents! How many go to sleep in health, and are found dead in their beds in the morning! So, our present health is no good ground of dependence that we shall live to see another day.-- That persons are now in youth is no good ground of dependence upon another day; for sudden unexpected deaths are common even among those who are in the bloom of youth. Nor is it any ground of dependence in this case, that a man is of a more than ordinary healthy and strong constitution. It is found by experience, that such are liable to sudden death as well as others: "One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow" (Job 21:23,24). That persons have already lived to see a great many days, and that after they had been often in times past told, that they were uncertain of any future time; or that persons have a strong desire to live longer; or that they are now very unprepared for death, both on temporal and spiritual accounts; is no ground of dependence on the future. Death tarries for no man, but comes when and to whom he is sent, and strikes the deadly blow, whether the man be prepared or not. That men have been very useful in their day, and that it is of great importance to their families and neighbours that they should live longer, is no ground of dependence. The most useful men are often cut down by death, in the midst of their usefulness. The same may be said, though we cannot see which way death should come at us before tomorrow. To how many accidents, to how many diseases, are we liable, which may prove fatal before tomorrow, which yet it is impossible for us to foresee! So, if we be very careful of our lives, and our health, not to expose ourselves to any dangers, still this is no ground of dependence as to any future time. Death comes in many ways which were not thought of. Men foresee not the means of their death, any more than the fish securely swimming in the water foresee the net, or the bird that securely feeds upon the bait sees the snare. It is as the wise man observes: "For man also knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them" (Eccl. 9:12). Serious Inquiries ----------------- I shall improve this doctrine, by putting you upon examining yourselves, whether you do not boast yourselves of tomorrow, or whether you do not live in such a manner as you would not, were it not that you depend on future time and future opportunity in the world. Would not your behaviour be very different from what it now is, if you every day lived and acted without any dependence on seeing one day more?--You cannot but acknowledge it to be most reasonable, that you should live and act thus. You cannot but own, that you have no good ground of dependence on another day; and therefore that you cannot act wisely any otherwise than in acting as one who hath no dependence on any such thing. Therefore inquire whether you act wisely and reasonably in this respect. 1. Do you not set your hearts much more on this world, than you would, if you had no dependence on the morrow? Is not the language of the rich man in the gospel, the secret language of your hearts? "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years" (Luke 12:19), etc. Is not this the language of your hearts, with respect to what you have gotten already; which makes you place your happiness so much in it? And with respect to what of the world you are seeking and pursuing, is it not with a dependence on enjoying it for a great while, when you shall have obtained it? Are not your lands and other possessions which you have gotten, or are about to get, in your own imagination, yours for a great while?-- Would your mind be so filled with thoughts and cares about these things, so much to the exclusion of another world; would you lay yourselves under so great disadvantages for your soul's good, by involving yourselves in worldly cares; if you had no dependence on having any thing to do with these things for more than the present day? If you did not depend on considerably more time in the world, would your inquiry be so much, "What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?", and so little, "How shall we make our calling and election sure? how shall we be assured that we are upon a good foundation for another world, and that we are in such a state, that death cannot hurt us? How shall we be sure that we are ready to appear before the judgment-seat of a heart-searching God?"-- Would there be so much of your time spent in laying up treasure on earth--and so little in laying up treasure in heaven, that you might have store against the day of death--were it not that you put death at a distance? Would you be so much raised at your temporal prosperity, and so much sunk when you meet with crosses and disappointments in our worldly affairs, if you did not think that continuance in the world is to be depended on for more days than the present?-- Let those who very much affect to adorn their bodies in gaudy apparel, inquire whether they would think it worth their while to spend so much time to make themselves fine, and to set themselves forth as gayer than others, if they really had no dependence that their bodies would be preserved one day longer from being clasped in the cold arms of death? 2. Inquire, whether you would not much less meddle with the concerns of others, and be much more employed with your own hearts, if each day you had no dependence on living another day. If you were sensible that you had had no other day to depend upon than this, you would be sensible that you had great affairs of your own to attend to. You would find a great deal of business at home between God and your own soul; and considering that you cannot depend on another day, it would seem to you that you have but a short time in which to do it, and that therefore you have need to be much engaged. You would say as Christ did, I must work while the day lasts, for the night cometh, wherein no man can work (see John 9:4). You would find so much to be done, and so much difficulty in doing it, that you would have little leisure, and little heart, to intermeddle with the business of others. Your business would be confined to a much narrower compass. You would have so much to do at home in your closets, and with your own hearts, that you would find no occasion to go abroad for intermeddling business to fill up your time. But the truth is, men conceive of a great deal of time which they have to be filled up, and hence they want business: they depend on tomorrow, and the day following, and next month, and next year, yea many years to come. When they are young they depend on living to be middle-aged, and when middle-aged they depend on old age, and always put far away the day of death. Let them be young or old, there always seems to them to be a great vacancy between them and death; hence they wander to and fro for business to fill up that vacancy.--Whereas if they were sensible of the uncertainty of life, they would, in the first place, make sure of their own business; the business of their own precious, immortal souls would be done, before they would attend much to the business of other people. They would have no desire or disposition to concern themselves with every private quarrel which breaks out in the neighborhood. They would not think it much concerned them to inquire into the matter, and to pass their censure on the affair. They would find something else to do, than to set by the hour together, discussing and censuring the conduct of such and such persons gathering up or rehearsing the stories which are carried about to the disadvantage of this and that person. We seldom, if ever, see men who are upon sick-beds, and look upon themselves very dangerously sick, disposed to spend their time in this manner; and the reason that they look upon it doubtful whether they shall live long, They do not, so much as others, depend on much their own souls' concerns, than about the concerns of others. So it would be with persons in health, if their health did not make them depend on a great deal of time in the world. 3. If you each day depend on no other but the present, would you not engage and interest yourselves much less in party designs and schemes, than you are now wont to do? Among a people divided into two parties, as this town hath been for a long time, there is commonly much done by the partisans in forming schemes of opposition to one another. There is always a strife, who shall get their wills and carry their point. This often engages them, if not in open quarrels, in secret intrigues. That there is so much done in these things, is a certain evidence that they boast themselves of tomorrow, and put death at a distance. Men would certainly find themselves very much indisposed to such things, if they were so sensible of the uncertainty of life, as to depend on no other day than the present. It is therefore very proper, that you should examine yourselves in this particular, at this time. If you really depended on no other day than the present, would your hearts be so much engaged in strife between two parties as they often are? Would your spirits be so often raised and ruffled? Would you go about with so much prejudice against such and such men: harbouring so much of the old leaven, which so often breaks out in heats of spirit; and, as an old sore which was skinned over, but not cured, sets to raging with a touch which would not have hurt sound flesh?-- Commonly in the management of a strife between two parties, there is a great deal of envy. When any who belong to one of the parties seem to prosper, the other party will envy them; it is a grievous thing to them. So there is also much contempt; when one of the parties gets the ascendant a little over the other, they are ready to make the utmost improvement of it, and to insult the other party.-- And there is commonly in such cases a great deal of mutual secret reproach. When those of one party get together, then is the time to inveigh against those of the other party, and to set forth their injustice and their fraudulent practices. Then is the time for them to pass their censure on their words and actions. Then is the time to expose their own surmises and suspicions of what the other party intends, what it aims at in such and such things, what the purposes of individuals are, and what they suppose their secret actions are.--Then is the time for all that are friends in the cause, and engaged in the same designs, to entertain one another by ridiculing the words and actions of the other party, and to make themselves sport of their folly and disappointments; and much is done at calling one another Raca and fools, or other names equivalent, if not much more than equivalent. Then is the time to lay their heads together, to plot and contrive how they shall manage such an affair so as to disappoint the other party, and obtain their own wills. Brethren, these things ought not so to be among a Christian people; especially among a people that has made the profession which we have made. Nor would they be so if it were not for your dependence on much future time in the world. If you were so sensible of your continual liableness to death, that every day was the last you depended upon, these things certainly would not be so. For let us but consider what are the effects of death with respect to such things. It puts an end to party-quarrels. Many men hold these quarrels as long as they live. They begin young, and hold on through many great and sore afflictions and chastisements of Providence. The old sore remains, when the supporters of nature bow, and the eyes grow dim, and the hands tremble with age. But death, when that comes puts an end to all their quarrelling in this world. Death silences the most clamorous, and censorious, and backbiting tongue. When men are dead, they cease to lay schemes against those of another party; death dashes all their schemes, so far as they have any concern in them. "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Ps. 146:4). When men are dead, they cease to bite and devour others; as it is said to have been of old a proverb among the Egyptians, Dead men do not bite. There are many who will bite and devour as long as they live, but death tames them. Men could not be quiet or safe by them while alive, but none will be afraid of them when dead. The bodies of those that made such a noise and tumult when alive, when dead, lie as quietly among the graves of their neighbors as any others. Their enemies, of whom they strove to get their wills while alive, get their wills of them when they are dead. Nothing can please their enemies better than to have them out of their way. It suits them, that those who were so troublesome to them, are locked up safe in the close grave, where they will no more stand in their way.-- There are no more effects of their pride, their craftiness, their hatred and envy. "Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now perished" (Eccl. 9:6). The time will soon come, when you who have for many years been at times warmly contending one with another, will be very peaceable as to this world. Your dead bodies will probably lie quietly together in the same burying place. If you do not leave off contending before death, how natural will it be for others to have such thoughts as these, when they see your corpses; What! is this the man who used to be so busy in carrying on the designs of his party? Oh, now he had done; now he hath no more any part in any of these things; now it doth not at all concern in, who get their wills, or what party is uppermost. We shall hear his voice no more in our town meetings. He will not sit any more to reproach and laugh at others. He is gone to appear before his Judge, and to receive according to his conduct in life.-- The consideration of such things as these would certainly have a mighty effect among us, if we did not put far away the day of death. If all acted every day as not depending on any other day, we should be a peaceable, quiet people. 4. Inquire, whether or no you do not allow yourselves in some things, and endeavour to flatter yourselves that there is no evil in them, which you would by no means dare to do if you had not a dependence on living till tomorrow. It is very common among men, when they are strongly enticed to some sinful practice, by their worldly interest, or by their carnal appetites, to pretend that they do not think there is any evil in it; when indeed they know better. Their pretence is only to serve a present turn. And if they expected to have their souls required of them that night, they would by no means dare to persist in the practice.--Therefore examine the liberties you take by this test. What would you think of them, if you now should have the following news sent you by some messenger from heaven; John, or Thomas, (or whatever your name be,) this night shall thy soul be required of thee. How would such tidings strike you! How would they alter the face of things! Doubtless your thoughts would be very quick; you would soon begin to reflect on yourselves, and to examine your past and present conduct. And in what colors would the liberties you now take, appear to you in the case now supposed? Would you then conclude, that there is no evil in them? Would you not be less bold to go forward and meet death, for having continued in such practices? Would you dare to commit such acts again before you die, which now you pretend are lawful? Would not the few hours which you would have to live, be at all the more uncomfortable to you for having done such things? Would you not presently wish that you had let them alone? Yea, would they not appear frightful and terrifying to you? If it be thus, it is a sign that the reason why you now allow yourselves in them, and plead for their lawfulness, is that you put death at a distance, and depend on many other days in the world. 5. Inquire, whether you do not some things on the presumption, that you shall hereafter repent of them. Is not this the very thing which causes you to dare to do some things? Is it not the very ground on which you venture to gratify your lusts? Let young people examine all their secret carriage; what they do alone in the dark and in secret corners. God knoweth, and your own hearts know, though men do not. Put the question impartially to your own consciences; is not this the very thing that gives you courage, that God is very merciful, and that He often of His sovereign mercy gives repentance of great sins, and even willful sins, and in consequence of repentance forgives? And so you hope that one day or other He will do so to you. You intend some time hereafter earnestly to seek; and you hope you shall be awakened. And if you be very earnest, as you intend to be, you hope you shall be converted, and then you shall be forgiven, and it will be as well as if you had never committed such sins. If this be the case, consider how you boast of tomorrow, and foolishly depend on future opportunity to repent, as well as foolishly presume on the mercy of God to give you repentance, at the same time that you take a course to provoke God, forever to give you up to a sealed hardness and blindness, and to a most fearful damnation; not considering that God will glorify His revenging justice as well as His mercy; nor remembering the sad example of Esau, "who for a morsel of meat sold his birthright; and afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears" (Heb. 12:16-17). 6. Inquire, whether you improve this day, as one who doth not depend upon ever having opportunity to keep another sabbath, or to hear or read another discourse. It appears from what hath been already said, that you have no grounds to depend on any more such opportunities. Now this day is present, and so you are in the better capacity to determine how it is with you. It is but for you to reflect upon yourselves, to look inward, and see how it is with you at this present time. And how is it? Are you as strict and as diligent in keeping this sabbath, watching your thoughts, keeping your hearts, striving in duties both public and private, and improving ordinances, as might be expected of one who hath no dependence on ever enjoying such an opportunity anymore; one who doth not depend on ever setting foot again within the walls of God's house?-- Do you attend to this address with that care, and desire, and endeavor to improve it for your good, as you would, if you did not depend upon it, that your bodies would not be in the grave, and your souls fixed in eternity, in their unalterable state, before the next sabbath? 7. Are you careful to see to it that the grounds of your hope are good? A man who hath some hope of being in a state of acceptance with God, but is not sure, if he had no dependence on any other day's opportunity of making it sure, would be very strict in examining himself and searching the grounds of his hope, and would not rest in an uncertainty. He would be very thorough in informing himself what might be depended on as good evidence of an interest in Christ, and what not; and would be exceedingly strict in searching his own heart, to see whether there was anything in him that comes up to the requisites laid down in the Scriptures.-- If what appears hopeful in him were dim and obscure, he would set himself very earnestly to obtain that which would be more clear and manifest, and would cry earnestly to God for it, and would apply himself to a diligent use of means in order to it. And good reason why; for he depends on no other opportunity to make his calling and election sure, than what he hath today. Inquire therefore whether you be thus thorough in examining your hope. And are you thus careful effectually to see to it, that you are on a sure foundation? If not, then you behave yourselves as those that depend on tomorrow. How to Spend Every Day ---------------------- God hath concealed from us the day of our death, without doubt, partly for this end, that we might be excited to be always ready, and might live as those that are always waiting for the coming of their Lord, agreeably to the counsel which Christ gives us (see Matt. 24:42-44; Matt. 25:13; Mark 13:32; etc.).-- That watchman is not faithful who, being set to defend a house from thieves, or a city from an enemy at hand, will at any hour venture to sleep, trusting that the thief or the enemy will not come. Therefore it is expected of the watchman, that he behave himself every hour of the night, as one who doth not depend upon it that the enemy will tarry until the next hour. Now therefore let me, in Christ's name, renew the call and counsel of Jesus Christ to you, to watch as those that know not what hour your Lord will come. Let me call upon you who are hitherto in an unrenewed condition. Depend not upon it, that you will not be in hell before tomorrow morning. You have no reason for any such dependence; God hath not promised to keep you from it, or to withhold His wrath so long. How can you reasonably be easy or quiet for one day, or one night, in such a condition, when you know not but your Lord will come this night? And if you should then be found, as you now are, unregenerate, how unprepared would you be for His coming, and how fearful would be the consequence! Be exhorted therefore, for your own sakes, immediately to awake from the sleep of sin, out of sleep, and sleep no more, as not depending on any other day.-- Let me exhort you to have no dependence on any future time; to keep every sabbath, and to hear every sermon, as if it were the last. And when you go into your closet, and address yourself to your Father who seeth in secret, do it in no dependence on any future opportunity to perform the same duty. When you that are young go into company for amusement and diversion, consider that it may be the last opportunity of the like nature that ever you may have. In all your dealings with your neighbours, act as if you were never to make another bargain. Behave in your families every day, as though you depended on no other.--Here I shall offer you two motives. 1. Consider, if you will hearken to this counsel, how much it will tend to your safety and peace in life and death. It is the way really and truly to be ready for death; yea, to be fit to live or fit to die; to be ready for affliction and adversity, and for whatever God in His providence shall bring upon you. It is the way to be in, not only and habitual, but actual preparedness for all changes, and particularly for your last change.-- It is the way to possess your souls in a serene and undisturbed peace, and to enable you to go on with an immovable fortitude of soul, to meet the most frightful changes, to encounter the most formidable enemies, and to be ready with unshaken confidence to triumph over death whenever you meet him; to have your hearts fixed, trusting in God, as one that stands on a firm foundation, and hath for him habitation the minition of rocks, that is not afraid of evil tidings, but laughs at the fear of the enemy. It will be the way for you to possess that quietness and assurance spoken of: "The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isa. 32:17). -- The servant who always stands watching, will not be at all surprised at the news that his Lord is coming. This will be the way for you to live above the fear of death. Yea, if heaven and earth should shake, you may stand firm and unshaken, being settled on a rock, which cannot be removed but abideth forever. O how happy are such persons, who have such safety and peace! What a blessed peace is that which arises from such a constant preparation for death! How happy therefore is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing! 2. What dismal calamities and miseries mankind are subject to for want of this, for want of behaving themselves every day, as not depending on any future day! The way of the world is, one day foolishly to depend on another, yea on many others. And what is the consequence? Why, the consequence with respect to the greater part of the world is, that they live all their days without any true peace or rest of soul. They are all their lifetime subject to bondage through fear of death. And when death sensibly approaches they are put into a terrible fright. They have a dismal view of their past lives; the ill improvement of their time, and the sins they have been guilty of, stand staring them in the face, and are more frightful to them than so many devils. And when they look forward into that eternity whither they are going, how dismal is the prospect! O how do their hearts shrink at the thought of it! They go before the judgment-seat of God, as those that are dragged thither, while they would gladly, if they could, hide themselves in the caves and dens of the earth. And what is worse yet than all the disquietude and terror of conscience in this world; the consequence of a contrary behavior, with respect to the bulk of mankind, is their eternal perdition. They flatter themselves that they shall see another day, and then another, and trust to that, until finally most of them are swallowed up in hell, to lament their folly to all eternity, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.-- Consider how it was with all the foolish virgins who trusted to the delay of the bridegroom's coming: when He came they were surprised, and found unprepared, having no oil in their lamps; and while they went to buy, those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut against them, and they came afterwards crying in vain, "Lord, Lord, open to us" (Matt. 25:11). =========================================================== For Meditation - Three Poems on Living for Christ ================================================= Divine Love ----------- Lord, when the sense of Thy sweet grace Sends up my soul to seek Thy face, Thy blessed eyes breed such desire, I die in love's delicious Fire. O Love, I am thy Sacrifice. Be still triumphant, blessed eyes. Still shine on me, fair suns! that I Still may behold, though still I die. Though still I die, I live again; Still longing so to be still slain, So gainful is such loss of breath. I die even in desire of death. Still live in me this loving strife Of living Death and dying Life. For while Thou sweetly slayest me, Dead to myself I live in Thee. -- Richard Crashaw (1613-1649) The Higher Good --------------- Father, I will not ask for wealth or fame Though once they would have joyed my carnal sense: I shudder not to bear a hated name, Wanting all wealth, myself my sole defense. But give me, Lord, eyes to behold the truth; A seeing sense that knows the eternal right; A heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth; A manly faith that makes all darkness light: Give me the power to labor for mankind; Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; Eyes let me be to groping men and blind; A conscience to the base; and to the weak Let me be hands and feet; and to the foolish, mind, And lead still further on such as Thy kingdom seek. -- Theodore Parker (1810-1860) Not Yours But You ----------------- He died for me: what can I offer Him? Towards Him swells incense of perpetual prayer; His court wear crowns and aureoles round their hair: His ministers are subtle Cherubim; Ring within ring, white intense Seraphim Leap like immortal lightnings through the air. What shall I offer Him? Defiled and bare My spirit broken and my brightness dim? "Give Me thy youth." "I yield it to Thy rod, As Thou didst yield Thy prime of youth for me." "Give Me thy life." "I give it breath by breath; As Thou didst give Thy life so give I Thee." "Give Me thy love." "So be it, my God, my God As Thou hast loved me, even to bitter death." -- Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) =========================================================== Bibliography and Suggested Reading ================================== Alexander, Joseph A. Commentary on the Psalms. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1991. (Originally published in 1864). Augustine. Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Peabody, Mass.:Hendrickson, 1994. Broadus, John. Commentary on Matthew. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1990. (Originally published in 1886). Calvin, John. A Commentary on Genesis. 2 Vols. in 1. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1965. (Originally published in 1554). Candlish, Robert S. Studies in Genesis. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1979. (Originally published in 1868). Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991. Carson, D. A. "Matthew" from The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII, ed. by Frank Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 14. Peabody, Mass.:Hendrickson, 1994. Dickson, David. A Commentary on the Psalms. Reprint Edition. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1959. (Originally published in 1653). Edwards, Jonathan. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. 2 Vols. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1974. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments. 3 Vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1993. (Originally published in 1866). Keil, Carl & Delitzsch, Franz. Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Reprint Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971. (Originally published ca. 1880). Morgan, G. Campbell. The Gospel According to John. Reprint Edition. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1992. Morgan, G. Campbell. The Gospel According to Matthew. Reprint Edition. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1992. Morris, Leon. Expository Reflections on the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1971. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1992. Pink, Arthur W. Exposition of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. (Originally published 1945). Pink, Arthur W. Gleanings in Genesis. Chicago: Moody, 1981. Plumer, William S. Studies in the Book of Psalms. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1990. (Originally published in 1867). Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John. Reprint Edition. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1991. Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew. Reprint Edition. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1986. Smith, Chuck. Audio Tapes on Genesis. Costa Mesa, CA: Word for Today, 1985. Smith, Chuck. Audio Tapes on Psalms. Costa Mesa, CA: Word for Today, 1988. Spurgeon, Charles. The Gospel of Matthew. Reprint Edition. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1987. Spurgeon, Charles. The Treasury of David. 6 Volumes bound in 3. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson. (Originally published ca. 1880). Thomas, W. H. Griffith. Genesis: A Devotional Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1988. ============================================================= Postscript: Consistency in Christianity ======================================== "It is not one or two good actions, but a good conversation, which will speak a man to be a right Christian. A true believer, like the heavenly orbs, is constant and unwearied in his motion and actings. Enoch 'walked with God,' it is not taking a step or two in a way which denominates a man a walker, but a continued motion. No man is judged healthy by a flushing color for a particular carriage, but for a general course. A sinner in some few acts may be very good: Judas repents, Cain sacrifices, the Scribes pray and fast; and yet all were very falseŠA saint in some few acts may be very bad: Noah is drunk, David defiles his neighbour's wife, and Peter denies his best friend; yet these persons were heaven's favourites. The best gold must have some grains of allowance. A Christian may stumble, nay, he may fall, but he gets up and walks on in the way of God's commandments; the bent of his heart is right, and the scope of his life is straight, and thence he is deemed sincere." -- George Swinnock (1627-1673) ---------- Footnotes ---------- 1. Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. I, pg. 295. 2. John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II, pg. 162. 3. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary, pg. 288. 4. Lawrence Richards, from the Introduction to The Gospel of Matthew, by C. H. Spurgeon, pg. 9. 5. Flavius Josephus, The Life of Flavius Josephus, (6). 6. John Broadus, Commentary on Matthew, pg. 7. 7. See Acts 13:6; Col. 4:11 for instances of other men named Jesus. 8. Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18; Chapter 3. 9. All Scriptures cited in this study are taken from the King James Version.