=========================================================== Scripture Studies: Vol. VIII, No. 3 - April 2001 ================================================= In this issue: Old Testament Study - Zechariah 10 Out of the House of Bondage, pt. 2, by Thomas Watson New Testament Study - Matthew 10:16-23 A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 17 A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 Masthead -------- "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 send your request to the above address, or, via email to Scott Sperling at: ssper@aol.com 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 =========================================================== Old Testament Study - Zechariah 10 ================================== Shepherds --------- 1Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone. 2The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd. 3"My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD Almighty will care for His flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle. 4From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler. 5Together they will be like mighty men trampling the muddy streets in battle. Because the LORD is with them, they will fight and overthrow the horsemen. 6"I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. 7The Ephraimites will become like mighty men, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD. 8I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. 9Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. 10I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 11They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria's pride will be brought down and Egypt's scepter will pass away. 12I will strengthen them in the LORD and in His name they will walk," declares the LORD. The previous chapter ended with a prophetic picture of prosperity for Israel: "The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women" (Zech. 9:10-11). Zechariah begins this chapter speaking of prosperity for Israel in general, and the barriers preventing Israel from experiencing it: "Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain of men, and plants of the field to everyone. The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd" (vs. 1-2). True blessings come from the hand of God, so to receive true blessings, we should, as Zechariah encourages, "Ask the Lord." "Prayer is the appointed means of bringing down 'showers' both of temporal and spiritual blessings" [JFB, 694]. For the Israelites, literal rain was a very valuable thing. Israel is, in general, an arid land, and so the Israelites were especially dependent on the Lord to send rain in due season. Make no mistake, and Zechariah affirms it here, the Lord controls the natural processes on earth: "It is the LORD who makes the storm clouds." In the Law, rain in due season was specifically promised to the Israelites as a reward for obedience: "So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today-to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul-then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied" (Deut. 11:13-15). Zechariah points out that the Israelites had not been obedient. They turned to idols, rather than to prayer: "The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd" (vs. 2). It is very sad when people turn to idols for blessings, instead of to the True and Living God, who is so ready and anxious to bestow blessings upon His people. While obedience and prayer bring blessings, chasing after idols brings "oppression for lack of a shepherd." Their leaders were not providing spiritual leadership, for they were not leading the people to the Lord. The Lord Himself speaks against these shepherds who do not properly care for their flock: "My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for His flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle" (vs. 3). The Lord then speaks about the Good Shepherd, the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will come from the tribe of Judah: "From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler" (vs. 4). Four aspects of the Messiah are spoken of here, through the use of four symbols. The first symbol, the "cornerstone", is a well-known symbol of the Messiah. Jesus, as "cornerstone", is the Rock upon which the Kingdom of God is built. Peter speaks of Jesus as the "cornerstone": "As you come to Him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him-you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'" (I Pet. 2:4-6; cf. Isa. 28:16). The second symbol, the "tent peg", is an especially precious symbol of Jesus. The "tent peg" was the place to hang burdens after a long day, and so symbolizes that we can hang our burdens upon our Savior. The last two symbols represent two aspects of the Messiah during the end-times, when Jesus will be "the battle bow" and "every ruler." Israel will be victorious when she joins with the Messiah: "Together they will be like mighty men trampling the muddy streets in battle. Because the Lord is with them, they will fight and overthrow the horsemen" (vs. 5). In the rest of the chapter, the Lord speaks of both the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel. He begins: "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them" (vs. 6). First, the Lord speaks of the spiritual restoration of Israel. This restoration is based on the Lord's compassion: "I will restore them because I have compassion on them." A by-product of the Lord's compassion is His mercy and grace: "They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them." God's power of restoration is complete: "They will be as though I had not rejected them." When He restores us, He does so completely. For instance, when He forgives our sins, we become as though we had not sinned. What a blessing! Praise the Lord! We could have had a God who forever keeps track of each sin. Instead, we have a God who offers, as a free gift through His Son, complete forgiveness from sin. We have a God who forgives completely, who restores completely. God's perfect restoration was prophesied elsewhere: "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (Jer. 31:34). For the Israelites, their eventual spiritual restoration by God will bring joy: "The Ephraimites will become like mighty men, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord" (vs. 7). The Lord next speaks of their physical restoration to the promised land: "I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria's pride will be brought down and Egypt's scepter will pass away" (vss. 8-11). Concerning their physical restoration to the promised land, the Lord says: "I will signal for them and gather them in" (vs. 8). This signal is literally a "whistle", as a shepherd would "whistle" for his sheep to gather the herd. The Lord underscores that this regathering in the promised land was to be fulfilled: "Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before" (vs. 8). And in fact, in the last century or so, we have seen this fulfilled. The Israelites are back in the land of Israel. Their return, in large part, came suddenly, just as if the Lord had "signaled for them." The Lord Himself, according to His purposes, scattered the Israelites throughout the world: "Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive and they will return" (vs. 9). "Here it is revealed that God had a special purpose in thus sowing them among the peoples of the earth. In those places they would bring to mind the goodness and blessings of the Lord in former days and return wholeheartedly to God" [Feinberg, 323]. The scattering of the Israelites, and their suffering among other peoples, was one of the punishments given in the Law for disobedience: "Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other... Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life" (Deut. 28:63-66). By the way, it was prophesied here: "...yet in distant lands they will remember me." This was an amazing prophecy, which has been fulfilled. The Israelites were scattered throughout the world, having no homeland for some 1900 years, and yet, they maintained their national character, and continued to remember their God. Their situation is unique in history among dispersed peoples. The Lord prophesied that He would bring them back from lands throughout the world, symbolized here by Assyria to north and Egypt to the south: "I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them" (vs. 10). When they returned, the northern boundary of the land they returned to was Lebanon, and the eastern boundary was Gilead (which bordered on the Jordan), and these boundaries remain today (if one includes the current Jewish occupation of the West Bank). The Lord prophetically pictures symbolically the trials the Israelites would experience while scattered about the world, and the difficulties they would face in returning to the promised land: "They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria's pride will be brought down and Egypt's scepter will pass away" (vs. 11). When they were scattered throughout the world, there is no doubt that the Israelites "pass[ed] through the sea of trouble." They also faced many obstacles to returning to the promised land, both physical and political. Ironically, it was the sympathetic reaction of the world following the worst of the trials of the Israelites, the Holocaust during World War II, that cleared the way politically for the Israelites to return and establish the nation of Israel in 1948. The political obstacles were overcome, "Assyria's pride [was] brought down and Egypt's scepter [passed] away." But the establishment of the nation of Israel is not the end of the story. For these prophecies to be entirely fulfilled, Israel must turn to their true Messiah and Lord, Jesus Christ: "'I will strengthen them in the LORD and in His name they will walk,' declares the LORD" (vs. 12). Redemption shall follow restoration to the land. "The prophets are one in declaring that the restoration of the people of Israel to their own land will be followed by their coAnversion to the Lord" [Feinberg, 324]. The one has happened; the other will follow. God will not rest till His promises are fulfilled. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa. 62:1). "We need ever to be admonished that political prestige and recognition for Israel do not connote the blessing of God He intends for her. She must rest by faith in Messiah Jesus the Lord if she is to know the full purpose of God" [Feinberg, 324]. As Paul teaches: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob'" (Rom. 11:25-26). =========================================================== Out of the House of Bondage, pt. 2, by Thomas Watson ==================================================== [Here we continue a study that deals with affliction faced by God's people. It was written by Thomas Watson, and is taken from the introduction of his work on the Ten Commandments.]-Ed. Out of the House of Bondage by Thomas Watson (1620 -1686) ----------------------------- 1And God spake all these words, saying, 2"I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:1-2, AV). We may consider these words, "Which brought thee out of the house of bondage," either, [1] Literally; or [2] Spiritually and Mystically. Literally, "I brought thee out of the house of bondage"; that is, I delivered you out of the misery and servitude you sustained in Egypt, where you were in the iron furnace. Spiritually and mystically, by which "I brought thee out of the house of bondage", is a type of our deliverance by Christ from sin and hell. [1] Literally, "I brought thee out of the house of bondage", out of great misery and slavery in the iron furnace. The thing I note here is that, though God brings His people sometimes into trouble, yet He will bring them out again. Israel was in the house of bondage, but at last was brought out. We shall endeavour to show: 1. That God does deliver out of trouble; 2. In what manner; 3. At what seasons; 4. Why He delivers; 5. How the deliverances of the godly and wicked out of trouble differ. God does deliver His children out of troubles. "Our fathers trusted in Thee; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them" (Psa. 22:4). Paul said, "And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion," namely, from Nero (II Tim 4:17). "Thou laidst affliction upon our loins, but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place" (Psa. 67:11,12). "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psa. 30:5). God brought Daniel out of the lions' den, Zion out of Babylon. In His due time, He gives an issue out of trouble (see Psa. 68:20). The tree which in the winter seems dead, revives in the spring. The sun emerges after the storms. Affliction may leap on us as the viper did on Paul, but at last it shall be shaken off. It is called a cup of affliction (see Isa. 51:17). The wicked drink a sea of wrath, the godly drink only a cup of affliction, and God will say shortly, "Let this cup pass away." God will give His people a gaol-delivery. In what manner does God deliver His people out of trouble? He does it like a God, in wisdom. (1) He does it sometimes suddenly. As the angel was caused to fly swiftly (Dan. 9:21), so God sometimes makes a deliverance fly swiftly, and on a sudden, turns the shadow of death into the light of the morning. As He gives us mercies above what we can think (see Eph. 3:20), so sometimes before we can think of them. "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream"; i.e., it came suddenly upon us as a dream (Ps. 126:1). Joseph could not have thought of such a sudden alteration, to be the same day freed out of prison, and made the chief ruler in the kingdom. Mercy sometimes does not stick long in the birth, but comes forth on a sudden. (2) God sometimes delivers His people strangely. Thus the whale which swallowed up Jonah was the means of bringing him safe to land. He sometimes delivers His people in the very way in which they think will destroy them. In bringing Israel out of Egypt, He stirred up the heart of the Egyptians to hate them (Psa. 105:25), and that was the means of their deliverance. He brought Paul to shore by a contrary wind, and upon the broken pieces of the ship (Acts 27:44). When are the times and seasons that God usually delivers His people out of the bondage of affliction? (1) When they are in the greatest extremity. Though Jonah was in the belly of hell, he says, "Thou hast brought up my life from corruption" (Jonah 2:6). When there is but a hair's breadth between the godly and death, God ushers in deliverance. When the ship was almost covered with waves Christ awoke and rebuked the wind. When Isaac was upon the altar, and the knife about to be put to his throat, the angel comes and says, "Lay not thy hand upon the child." When Peter began to sink, Christ took him by the hand. When the tale of brick was doubled, then Moses the temporal saviour comes. When the people of God are in the greatest danger the morning star of deliverance appears. When the patient is ready to faint, the cordial is given. (2) The second season is, when affliction has done its work upon them; when it has effected that which God sent it for. As, [1] When it has humbled them. "Remembering my affliction, the wormwood and gall, my soul is humbled in me" (Lam. 3:19,20). Then God's corrosive has eaten out the proud flesh. [2] When it has tamed their impatience. Before, they were proud and impatient, like froward children that struggle with their parents; but when their cursed hearts are tamed, they say, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him" (Micah 7:9); and as Eli, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good: Let Him hedge me with thorns, if He will plant me with grace" (I Sam. 3:18). (3) When they are partakers of more holiness, and are more full of heavenly-mindedness (see Heb 12:10). When the sharp frost of affliction has brought forth the spring-flowers of grace, the cross is sanctified, and God will bring them out of the house of bondage. Sorrow will turn to joy, ashes to garlands. When the metal is refined it is taken out of the furnace. When affliction has healed us, God takes off the smarting plaister. Why does God bring His people out of the house of bondage? Hereby He makes way for His own glory. His glory is dearer to Him than anything besides; it is a crown jewel. By raising His people He raises the trophies of His own honour; He glorifies His own attributes; His power, truth, and goodness are triumphant. (1) His power. If God did not sometimes bring His people into trouble, how could His power be seen in bringing them out? He brought Israel out of the house of bondage, with miracle upon miracle; He saved them with an outstretched arm. "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest?" &c. (Psa. 114:5). Of Israel's march out of Egypt it is said, when the sea fled, and the waters were parted each from other. Here was the power of God set forth. "Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jer. 32:27). God loves to help when things seem past hope. He creates deliverance (see Psa. 124:8). He brought Isaac out of a dead womb, and the Messiah out of a virgin's womb. Oh! How does His power shine forth when He overcomes seeming impossibilities, and works a cure when things look desperate! (2) His truth. God has made promises to His people, when they are under great pressures, to deliver them; and His truth is engaged in His promise. "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee" (Psa. 50:15). "He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea in seven" (Job 5:19). How is the Scripture bespangled with these promises as the firmament is with stars! Either God will deliver them from death, or by death; He will make a way of escape (see I Cor 10:13). When promises are verified, God's truth is magnified. (3) His goodness. God is full of compassion to such as are in misery. The Hebrew word, Racham, for mercy, signifies bowels. God has "sounding of bowels" (Isa. 63:15). And this sympathy stirs up God to deliver. "In His love and pity He redeemed them" (Isa. 63:9). This makes way for the triumph of His goodness. He is tender-hearted, He will not over afflict; He cuts asunder the bars of iron, He breaks the yoke of the oppressor. Thus all His attributes ride in triumph in saving His people out of trouble. How do the deliverance of the godly and wicked out of trouble differ? (1) The deliverances of the godly are preservations; of the wicked reservations. "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly, and to reserve the unjust to be punished" (II Pet 2:9). A sinner may be delivered from dangerous sickness, and out of prison; but all this is but a reservation for some greater evil. (2) God delivers the wicked, or rather spares them in anger. Deliverances to the wicked are not given as pledges of His love, but symptoms of displeasure; as quails were given to Israel in anger. But deliverances of the godly are in love. "He delivered me because He delighted in me" (II Sam 22: 20). "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption"; or, as in the Hebrew, Chashiaqta Naphshi (see Isa 38:17). Thou hast loved me from the pit of corruption. A wicked man may say, "Lord, thou hast delivered me out of the pit of corruption"; but a godly man may say, "Lord, thou hast loved me out of the pit of corruption." It is one thing to have God's power deliver us, and another thing to have His love deliver us. "O," said Hezekiah, "Thou hast in love to my soul, delivered me from the pit of corruption." How may it be known that a deliverance comes in love? (1) When it makes our heart boil over in love to God. "I love the Lord because He hath heard my voice" (Psa. 116:1). It is one thing to love our mercies, another thing to love the Lord. Deliverance is in love when it causes love. (2) Deliverance is in love when we have hearts to improve it for God's glory. The wicked, instead of improving their deliverance for God's glory, increase their corruption; they grow worse, as the metal when taken out of the fire grows harder; but our deliverance is in love when we improve it for God's glory. God raises us out of a low condition, and we lift Him up in our praises, and honour Him with our substance (Prov. 3:9). He recovers us from sickness, and we spend ourselves in His service. Mercy is not as the sun to the fire, to dull it and put it out, but as oil to the wheel, to make it move faster. (3) Deliverance comes in love when it makes us more exemplary in holiness; and our lives are walking Bibles. A thousand praises and doxologies do not honour God so much as the mortifying of one lust. "Upon mount Zion there shall be deliverance and holiness" (Obad. 17). When these two go together, deliverance and holiness; when, being made monuments of mercy, we are patterns of piety; then a deliverance comes in love, and we may say as Hezekiah, "Thou best in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption." Use one. If God brings His people out of bondage, let none despond in trouble. Say not "I shall sink under this burden;" or as David, "I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul." God can make the text good, personally and nationally, to bring His people out of the house of bondage. When He sees a fit season, He will put forth His arm and save them; and He can do it with ease. "Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help" (II Chron 14:11). He that can turn tides, can turn the times; He that raised Lazarus when he was dead, can raise thee when thou art sick. "I looked, and there was none to help; therefore mine own arm brought salvation" (Isa. 63:5). Do not despond; believe in God's power: faith sets God to work to deliver us. Use two. Labour, if you are in trouble, to be fitted for deliverance. Many would have deliverance, but are not fitted for it. When are we fitted for deliverance? When, by our afflictions, we are conformed to Christ; when we have learned obedience. "He learned obedience by the things which He suffered"; that is, He learned sweet submission to His Father's will (Heb 5:8). "Not my will, but Thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). When we have thus learned obedience by our sufferings, we are willing to do what God would have us do, and be what God would have us be. We are conformed to Christ, and are fitted for deliverance. Use three. If God has brought you at any time out of the house of bondage, out of great and eminent troubles, be much in praise. Deliverance calls for praise. "Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee" (Psa 30:11,12). My glory, that is, my tongue, which is the instrument of glorifying Thee. The saints are temples of the Holy Ghost (II Cor 3:16). Where should God's praises be sounded but in His temple? Beneficium postulat officium [Gratitude should follow a favour]. The deepest springs yield the sweetest water; and hearts deeply sensible of God's deliverances yield the sweetest praises. Moses tells Pharaoh, when he was going out of Egypt, "We will go with our flocks and our herds" (Exod. 10:9). Why so? Because he might have sacrifices of thanksgiving ready to offer to God for their deliverance. To have a thankful heart for deliverance is a greater blessing than the deliverance itself. One of the lepers, "when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God" (Luke 17:15). The leper's thankful heart was a greater blessing than to be healed of his leprosy. Have any of you been brought out of the house of bondage-out of prison, sickness, or any death-threatening danger? Do not forget to be thankful. Be not graves, but temples. That you may be the more thankful, observe every emphasis and circumstance in your deliverance; such as to be brought out of trouble when you were in articulo mortis [at the brink of death], when there was but a hair's breadth between you and death; or, to be brought out of affliction, without sin, you did not purchase your deliverance by the ensnaring of your consciences; or, to be brought out of trouble upon the wings of prayer; or, that those who were the occasions of bringing you into trouble, should be the instruments of bringing you out. These circumstances, being well weighed, heighten a deliverance, and should heighten our thankfulness. The cutting of a stone may be of more value than the stone itself; and the circumstancing of a deliverance may be greater than the deliverance itself. But how shall we praise God in a right manner for deliverance? (1) Be holy persons. In the sacrifice of thanksgiving, whosoever did eat thereof with his uncleanness upon him, was to be cut off (Lev 7:20), to typify how unpleasing their praises and thank-offerings are who live in sin. (2) Praise God with humble hearts, acknowledge how unworthy you were of deliverance. God's mercies are not debts, but legacies; and that you should have them by legacy should make you humble. "The elders fell upon their faces (an expression of humility) and worshipped God" (Rev 11:16). (3) Praise God for deliverances cordially. "I will praise the Lord with my whole heart" (Psa. 111:1). In religion there is no music but in concert, when heart and tongue join. (4) Praise God for deliverances constantly. "While I live will I praise the Lord" (Psa 146:2). Some will be thankful while the memory of a deliverance is fresh, and then leave off: The Carthaginians used, at first, to send the tenth of their yearly revenue to Hercules; but by degrees they grew weary, and left off sending; but we must be constant in our Eucharistic sacrifice, or thank-offering. The motion of our praise must be like the motion of our pulse, which beats as long as life lasts. "I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being" (Psa 146:2). =========================================================== New Testament Study - Matthew 10:16-23 ====================================== Instructions for Apostles - III ------------------------------- 16"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." Jesus continues His instructions to the apostles for their missionary journey. Actually, it seems that most of the instructions in this section are given to equip them for their future work in sharing the Gospel to the whole world. "It was His way on solemn occasions, to speak as a prophet, who in the present saw the future, and from small beginnings looked forward to great ultimate issues" [Bruce, in Broadus, 224]. This section deals with the persecution that they will experience in doing the Lord's work. Jesus begins: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (vs. 16). Now, it seems strange that our Shepherd-our Good Shepherd-would send His own apostles "out like sheep among wolves." But this He does. And there really is no other choice for those who do the Lord's work, but to be "sheep among wolves." The world, sadly, is largely hostile to those who, in love, bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be "sheep among wolves" is the price that ministers of the Gospel pay, but the reward far outweighs any trouble we may face in this world. The reward is no less than the Kingdom of Heaven. As Jesus promised us: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 5:10). Note that Jesus was always forthright with His followers. He did not tell them that all in the world would be perfect after they chose to follow Him. He was upfront with them, always letting them know the hazards of what they were getting into. This is the honesty of Christianity and the Word of God. It is true. It tells us plainly that "in this world [we] will have trouble" (John 16:33). As a Christian, you will not win any popularity contests. Given that the apostles will be "sheep among wolves", Jesus gives advice on how to survive: "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (vs. 16). Jesus advises shrewdness with innocence. We as Christians are not to throw away our common sense, are not to abandon our brains. Rather, we are to act shrewdly. But our shrewdness is not to be a cunning shrewdness; it is to be a just, godly, innocent shrewdness. Jesus speaks next more specifically to the apostles about what will happen to them as they preach the Gospel: "On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (vss. 18-19). Here we see pretty clearly that Jesus was speaking not of just the immediate missionary journey of the apostles (for we have no evidence that these things happened at that time), but He was looking ahead, speaking to apostles about what was to happen to them after His death, as these same apostles brought the good news of the Gospel to the world. And indeed, we read in the book of Acts that these exact things did occur. The apostles were arrested, jailed, brought before governors and kings, and spoke the Word of God as given to them by the Holy Spirit. Paul, though not among these twelve apostles, once enumerated what he had suffered, and we can assume that all the apostles suffered similarly. In fact, Paul cited his hardships in the context of proving that he was a true apostle: "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked" (II Cor. 11:24-27). Jesus next speaks, in general, of the divisional effect of the truth of God: "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (vss. 21-22). I can think of no more extreme a division than when "brother" betrays "brother to death", or "children" have their parents "put to death." Yet this, sadly, is the effect of the Gospel upon some families. In fact, conversion to Christianity, even today, has such an effect on some families, in some parts of the world. Why is this? It is a great mystery as to why conversion to a religion that is based on love for God and love for one another causes such divisions. Jesus does offer some consolation: "...but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (vs. 22). Salvation and entrance into the kingdom of God is our ultimate destiny. We can take heart in this, no matter what our worldly circumstances be. Jesus next speaks to the apostles concerning persecution they may experience during the particular missionary expedition that they were about to embark upon: "When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes" (vs. 23). Because this particular journey of theirs was to be short, Jesus tells them not to tarry in places where the Gospel message they are bringing is violently rejected. In fact, He tells them that they would not be able to finish "going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." I believe that some have made this statement out to be more enigmatic than it really is. Some commentators are misled by the phrase, "the Son of Man comes," into thinking that Jesus is referring to the Second Coming, or some other eschatological event. However, Jesus often referred to Himself as "the Son of Man", so I believe that the simplest reading of this passage is the correct interpretation: The apostles will not be able to finish going through the cities of Israel on this particular journey before Jesus summons them to end the missionary journey. =========================================================== A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 17 ========================================================= [Here we continue our series that has the goal of increasing our love for God and the things of God, while decreasing our love for the world and the things of the world. This resumes a multi-part study by Samuel Annesley, in which he examines, in detail, the greatest commandment. In this study, Mr. Annesley looks at the properties of love to God.]-Ed. How May We Attain to Love God by Samuel Annesley (1620 -1696) ------------------------------- "Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment'" (Matt. 22:37-38, AV). PROPERTIES OF LOVE TO GOD ------------------------- (I.) I shall now address the properties of our love to God. And here, as in all the rest, I must study contraction; and therefore dare not particularly mention Gerson's fifty properties of Divine Love. I shall rather follow Voetius's method, who ranks the properties of Divine Love thus: They are, 1. Partly negative and privative; 2. Partly positive and absolute; 3. Partly comparative and transcendent. I shall speak briefly of each of these: your consciences may manage it as if it were a use of examination. 1. Negative properties or adjuncts are such as these; and these may prevent the mistakes of drooping Christians; and, alas! a great part of Christ's family are such upon one account or other. (1.) This divine love is not at all in the unregenerate, unless only in show and imitation.-That soul that is solicitous about loving of God, that soul loves Him. This is proper and peculiar to all those, and only those, that are born of God, that are the adopted children of God. Let it be considered, whether the devil can counterfeit love to God, as he can other graces. Their faith works by fear, not by love: "The devils believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). It is true, he doth not only suffer, but promote, an hypocritical divine love in some, and he may appear in a "lovemask" to others, as to Adam in Paradise: "God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5). He pretends he has both more kindness for them than God himself, and the like to Christ (see Matt. 4:3), but did he himself ever pretend so much as to love God? I grant, wicked men pretend to love God ; but the ridiculousness of their discourse plainly evidences, they neither understand what they say, nor whereof they affirm. And whereas thou complainest that thou fearest thy love is not sincere, because it is selfish; be not discouraged: while thou studiest to please God, fearest to offend Him, prizest His presence, mournest for His absence, thy love to God is infallibly sincere, though there be an ingredient of self in it. Nay, let me say more, it could not be sincere, if thou didst not mind thyself. As in the very quintessence of conjugal love, it is impossible to abstract it from self-love; so the more we love God, the more we cannot but love ourselves, yea, even then when we most deny ourselves out of love to God. (2.) This divine love is far from perfection.-It is subject to more sensible languishments and infirmities than any other grace, though it can never be totally and finally extinguished. What, though sometimes, to thy own apprehension, thou canst not tell whether thou lovest God at all? And what, though at all times thou complainest, of fickleness and inconstancy? What, though the time of thy fear be longer than the time of thy love? Yet while thine heart can say, it is unquiet in this temper, and it is thy restless desire to love God more perfectly, these very complaints speak love: we never complain of want of love to those persons whom we do not already love. This, as well as other graces, is here but in part (see I Cor. 13:10); while we are in this lower world, our very graces will have their neap as well as their spring tides. We cannot yet be so wise as to foresee all our hinderances, nor so watchful as to avoid all Satan's ambushes, nor so perfect as to maintain a spiritual frame of heart. Though this grace is always in motion, yet it doth not always nor equally go forward. (3.) Our love to God shall never be abolished.-"Love never faileth"; the same kind of love, the same numerical love that was in gracious persons on earth, shall be continued in heaven, and receive its perfection presently after its delivery from the body of death. There will be a greater change in all our graces than in our love. A great part of our life is taken up in the exercise of those graces, that, I may in some respect say, die with us. The one-half of our life is, or should be, spent in mortification. The whole of our time needs the exercise of our patience. Our life, at best, is but a life of faith. Much of our sweet communion with God is fetched-in by secret prayer. But now, in heaven, there shall be no sin to be mortified, nothing grievous to be endured. Faith shall be swallowed up in enjoyment, and your petitions shall be all answered. So that now, Christians, act yourselves to love God, and you shall no way lose your labour. Other graces are but as physic to the soul,-desirable for something else, which when obtained, they are useless; but love to God is the healthful constitution of the soul,-there is never any thing of it in any sense useless. Most of the graces of the Spirit do by our souls as our friends by our bodies, who accompany them to the grave, and there leave them; but now love to God is the alone grace, that is to our souls the same that a good conscience is-our best friend in both worlds. (4.) This divine love is so unknown to the world, that when they behold the effects and flames of it, in those that love God in an extraordinary manner, they are ready to explode it as mere vanity, folly, madness, ostentation, and hypocrisy.- When Paul managed his audience more like a sermon than a defence, Festus cries out upon him as mad (see Acts 26:24). Yea, when Christ Himself, in love to God and souls, is more hungry after converts than food, His nearest relations think Him crazed: "And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself." But were they any other but His carnal and graceless relations that did this? See: "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee" (Mark 3:20,21,32). No marvel, then, that enemies reproach you, friends forsake you, relations slight you, and the world hate you (see I John 3:13). Christ tells us, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you" (John 15:18, 23). But how can the world hate Christ, who in love to it came to die for it? Christ tells His hearers the true reason: "I know you," (this is no groundless surmise, nor censorious rashness, but I know you) "that ye have not the love of God in you" (John 5:42). Let what will appear at the top, this lies at the bottom. And therefore judge, I pray you, who more fanatic,-those that hate God when they pretend to love Him, or those that are counted frantic for their serious love to God? I shall neither name more, nor enlarge further, on this first rank of characters, but be brief also in the second. (We will continue looking at the properties of love to God in the next issue.) =========================================================== A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 ======================================= Remember Your Creator --------------------- 1Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"- 2Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3When the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4When the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5When men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. ------------------------------------- 6Remember Him- before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, 7And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Solomon has finished his examination of worldly wisdom, and now aims to bring his book to a conclusion. Solomon found no satisfying answers through worldly wisdom to the problem of the meaninglessness of life. So, as he concludes his book, he emphasizes man's relationship to his Creator. In this section, he gives us a poem that encourages us, through a poignant description of old age, to "remember" our Creator while we are still young. In my opinion, this poem is one of the best in all literature, its standing as such being enhanced because it is included in God's inspired Word. Like much great poetry, there are a multitude of interpretations, and levels of interpretations, to the word-pictures that Solomon uses. Yet, as we read this poem, even if we do not come to fully understand all the levels of meaning given in these word-pictures, we can intuitively feel that they describe the decline of the body as one grows older, and nears death. The poem begins with words of advice from Solomon: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them'" (vs. 1). To "remember" here means more than just bringing to mind. Action in response to mere remembrance is implied. "When he uses the word 'remember', he is not asking for mere mental cognizance, for the biblical term 'to remember' means much more than simple recall. Besides reflecting on and pondering the work of God in creating each individual and His world, there is the strong implication of action... To remember our Creator calls for decisive action based on recollection and reflection on all that God is and has done for us" [Kaiser, 118]. "For our part, to remember Him is no perfunctory or purely mental act: it is to drop our pretence of self-sufficiency and commit ourselves to Him" [Motyer, 100]. With remembrance of Him, comes remembrance of His Word and His commandments. Remembrance fosters obedience. It is sad that we have to be reminded to remember our Creator, but such is the case. Thoughts of and gratitude to our Creator should come naturally, especially in the days of youth when joys and pleasures abound. To aid His people in remembrance of Him, God established certain sacraments. For the Israelites, the Passover was established to remind them of God's miraculous intervention to free them from their taskmasters, the Egyptians. For Christians, Jesus established the sacrament of communion to remind His people of His sacrifice for us (see I Cor. 11:24-25). Solomon exhorts us to remember our Creator in our youth, "before the days of trouble come." It is important, of course, to know and serve God early in life, but it is more difficult to do so. In our youth, we feel invincible, and so we consider death and our eternal destiny to be far away. Solomon tells us to consider our eternal destiny, to remember our Creator in our youth, so that we would develop a relationship with our Creator, in order that we may have the strength of the Lord, and the hope of eternal life, to endure the "days of trouble" that come with old age. In verses 2 through 5, Solomon uses analogous word-pictures to describe old age. First, he compares old age to the coming of winter: "Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain" (vs. 2). In the next few verses, Solomon seems to be comparing the aging of the body to the decaying of an old house and household: "When the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim" (vs. 3). Many commentators interpret the trembling "keepers of the house" and the stooping "strong men" as trembling arms and stooping legs, clear signs of aging. The dwindling "grinders" seem to indicate the losing of teeth, and then the loss of eyesight seems to be described by "those looking through the windows grow dim." And then things progress so that "the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades" (vs. 4). The "doors to the street" closing could be the lips closing over where teeth used to be, as the "sound of grinding fades" due to the total lack of teeth. In old age, sleep is typically not sound: "When men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint" (vs. 4). Sleep is disturbed even by the "sound of birds", even though the ability to hear is degraded, as "all their songs grow faint." Old age also brings new fears: "When men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets" (vs. 5). The unsteadiness of step causes a fear "of heights"; the frailty of the body causes a fear of "dangers in the streets", as the aged become more vulnerable. "When the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred" (vs. 5). The blossoming "almond tree" is probably referring to the graying of hair. Then, getting around becomes so difficult that it is compared to a wounded grasshopper dragging itself along. Finally, "desire no longer is stirred", which most likely refers to the cessation of sexual desire. In the end, death comes: "Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets" (vs. 5). Solomon again exhorts: "Remember Him-before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well" (vs. 6). The poetic image used here seems to be that of a fountain of life, with the drawing of the water being the drawing of the lifeblood. If we do not remember God in our youth, as previously exhorted, Solomon pleads at least to remember Him before access to the fountain of life is impeded, when "the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it" (vs. 7). This last phrase points out that it is worth noting that the body and spirit go different places after death. While the body returns to the ground as dust, the spirit goes to God. Solomon is exhorting us to prepare for this meeting. For those who have "remembered" their Creator, who have heeded His Word and accepted the salvation provided by His Son, this meeting will be joyous. For those who have lived their own lives, and ignored their Creator, this meeting is to be feared, just as death is to be feared. Are you afraid of death? Are you afraid to meet God? "Remember your Creator."