Reading Together

Revelation 1:12-20

2010-09-06T08:00:00.001+01:00

Revelation 1:12-20

Read these verses over again. Go on, once more.
You can't read them often enough.

Seven is the perfect number, a complete number. So seven lampstands, which are the seven churches, represent the complete church. The glorious Lord Jesus Christ is with, in the midst of, his church.
How can we be downcast? What shall we fear? The Lord is with us.
[Seven here is not about the seven churches of Asia - the use of this phrase in 1:4 is probably the only 'real' number, i.e. non-symbolic number, in the whole book.]

Son of Man is a designation the Lord Jesus uses often of himself. I think its use comes from Daniel 7. In this context when we read 'one like a son of man', I think the emphasis falls on the likeness of the Lord Jesus to humans. If we had been alive and seen the Lord Jesus we would have seen arms and legs, a head, a body - a human. What John sees is the glorious Lord Jesus, but he is like a human, in human form. The incarnation doesn't end with the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. His body is raised from the tomb. There is a human in heaven.
Yes, the Lord is with us.

The Lord Jesus is seen by John in purity and power. He is without sin or any kind of failure and he is the one who exercises justice with the sword of justice.
It keeps getting better, he was dead and now is alive and will never die again. He holds authority over death and hell. He is the one who can be depended upon.

We will read later in Revelation of John falling before a heavenly messenger, but this is the only time such prostration is not corrected. It is entirely correct to fall on your face before the Lord Jesus.

The seven angels of the churches, a perfect number of messengers to the churches. It could be the teachers/preachers in the church, or could be a perfection of God's message to the church. The point in this passage is that the seven stars are in the hand of the Lord Jesus. The message of God to the church is in Christ's hand, and nowhere else!

It really is all about Jesus.

Go on, read it again, it will do you good.

Revelation 1:9-11

2010-09-04T08:00:00.001+01:00

Revelation 1:9-11

Having spoken in exalted terms of the Lord Jesus and his reign it may surprise us to read of 'tribulation' and the need for 'patient endurance'. v. 9.

The kingdoms of this earth, the enemies of God: the devil, death, sin, will not simply roll over and die. They continue to war against the Lord and his Christ, and his Kingdom now established.

We need to learn this again, patient endurance, not deliverance, is the sign of the Spirit at work amongst us. Our Lord and Saviour suffered and endured patiently, if we follow him, how can we expect not to follow him here?

John describes a vision for us, note that he writes 'Write what you see in a book ...' v. 11. Sometimes it is easy to put into words what we see, sometimes it is impossible. How do you use words to describe the range of colours in a sunset? Big clue here! John is going to have to put into words in a book indescribable visions of the glory of God. If we push the words John uses into their literal sense we end up with nonsense. Literalism is not a good way to read the Bible. This is not to say that what John is trying to describe is not real, objectively real. God is real, the Lord Jesus who was slain but now lives for ever is real, but sometimes the language John uses to describe these things pushes our words to the edge of their meaning.

Symbol and story, metaphor and analogy - the tools of the poet and prophet to convey that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and the heart of no human can comprehend. Beward of readings of Revelation that try to nail all the words in this book down too tightly.

Revelation 1:4-8

2010-09-03T08:00:00.002+01:00

Revelation 1:4-8

John makes it clear that this letter is addressed to 'the seven churches that are in Asia', v. 4.
John didn't make a mistake here, this address is as inspired as every other word in this text. The book of Revelation must have meaning for the seven churches that are in Asia, it cannot only be a text that has meaning for 20th century dispensationalists.
We hear God speaking to us in Scripture by submitting our reading of the text to that shared with our sisters and brothers who first received the text. United in Christ as one people the distance between us is not as great as sometimes it is presented. There is one God, one Lord Jesus, one Spirit at work in the writing of Scripture, its first reception in the first century and its present reception in the 21st century.

The traditional Christian letter greeting, 'Grace to you' is extended in a wonderful celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some points to note:
'the seven spirits' - not seven (one more than six) but a perfect spirit, the Spirit.
'the faithful witness' - in his life, death, resurrection and ascension Jesus Christ bears witness to the faithfulness of God to his covenant promises.

The kingdom language in v. 6 is important as this text will present Jesus not only as Christ, but also as Lord, the King of all Creation over all other challengers. Combined with the eternal language in these verses we see that the reign of the Lord Jesus has begun and will never end.

The work of Christ is freeing us from sins is introduced early in Revelation. This is not the whole of salvation, but remains a daily prayer that we would know the joy of sins forgiven and peace with God through the blood of the Lord Jesus shed on the cross.

Is this how we know Jesus? Is this the Jesus we try to share with others when we speak to them of him?

Revelation 1:1-3

2010-09-02T08:00:00.000+01:00

Revelation 1:1-3

There is something that God wants to make known - a revelation from God.
This revelation concerns things that must soon take place, as we will see in chapters 4+5, the fulfilment of the purposes of God.
This revelationis given by God to Jesus Christ, God has chosen to make known the fulfilment of his purposes through Jesus Christ, and him alone.
It is Jesus Christ who engages the service of the angel who is sent to John and discloses this revelation to John.

John is not properly the author of this text. The author is God, the revelation is his to make known. John then serves in the role of recorded, he writes down what he is shown and what he hears. The principal objection to this John being the author of the Fourth Gospel is the marked difference in the style of the Greek. However, given strong thematic links and the united testimony of the early church we should not hesitate to think of this John as the same John we know from other New Testament texts.

Seven times in this book a blessing is pronounced: see also 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14. Seven is the perfect number, the number of completion and so these seven blessings together describe the perfect blessing. One who is blessed knows the favour of God, and is one who reads this book so that others may hear and learn of this revelation. But also one who keeps what is written, obeys, submits to, allows the words to change them and their life. This is the blessed life.

Revelation - and Apocalyptic

2010-09-01T08:00:00.001+01:00

Sometimes this book is called 'The Apocalypse', see the title of Smalley's commentary, amongst many.
In this context I think 'apocalypse' refers to the Greek work 'apokalupsis' which is rendered in English versions as 'revelation', e.g. 1:1 - 'The revelation of Jesus Christ'.

Another term, 'apocalyptic' can be used to describe the genre, or type of writing that is employed in this book. Here the term refers to a form of writing in which standard symbols are used to represent usually elements of a vision which has been granted by God. There are examples of apocalyptic writing in Daniel 7-12 and Zechariah 9-14. It seems a strange form of writing to us, however, if we were to read a number of second Temple Jewish texts it would quickly become familiar.

From this I would make the following points:
1. John is trying to describe something which cannot be contained in human language. How can you describe the Lord Jesus as both one who has been slain and who is now reigning?
2. The code to the symbolic language would have been widely known, certainly to the Christians in Asia who received this text. It is not a code designed to be hard to break, to keep things secret from agents of the Roman Empire.
3. This is code, or picture, language we should not press the details into physical relality. The numbers are all symbolic and should not be treated as mathematical or arithmetical representations of quantity or value.

That this text is apocalyptic does not however change the nature of the text as a letter. It is from beginning to end a letter to the seven churches and intended to have meaning and be useful to them.

Revelation - an outline

2010-08-31T08:00:00.000+01:00

I always find it helpful to have an overview of a book of Scripture before diving into the details. The challenge with Revelation is that I don't think you will work one out before you have worked through the text. I suppose at best you can make a starting point and as you go through amend your outline in the light of your new understanding of the text.

Here is my current attempt, this after preaching through the text twice.

1:1-20 - Introduction
              This chapter introduces the whole book, giving us the key theme that this book is a revelation 'of Jesus Christ' v. 1.
2:1-3:22 - The seven letters
               This text, like other New Testament books touches down in a particular time and place, it was in the first instance to these seven churches.
4:1-5:14 - A vision of God's purposes achieved
               These chapters give the assurance to churches under pressure, which is elaborated in the following chapters.
6:1-8:5 - The seven seals
8:6-11:19 - The seven trumpets
12:1-14:20 - Scenes of cosmic conflict over God's purposes
15:1-16:21 - The seven bowls
                  I think the three sets of seven are repeating the same story. The first two sets have an interlude at the end, which reflects chapters 12 to 14. God's purposes will be achieved, not matter what opposition rises against them.
17:1-20:15 - Scenes of judgment and celebration at God's judgment
21:1-22:21 - In the presence of God, the hope of God's people

I know some of these are quite big portions, but we'll break them down as we go through. The main thing here is to note the deliberate parallels in the sets of seven (seals, trumpets and bowls). The text is not recording three successive stages of history or salvation, but the one event, the one salvation of our God. The three fold repetition gives us great assurance that the matter is certain and fixed by our God for his glory.

Revelation - books

2010-08-27T11:47:00.002+01:00

If it is true that of the writing of books there is no end, this seems especially true of Revelation.

I'm not going to mention all the books I have, just one or two ...

John Richardson 'Revelation Unwrapped: Revealing the blessing of John's Vision' MPA books, 1996.
This is a superb book, only 82 pages, but each one of them is solid gold. A brief book gives an overview, and with Revelation I think too many people get lost in the details. If you decide to buy only one book on Revelation, buy this one.

Michael Wilcock 'The Message of Revelation' IVP The Bible Speaks Today series, 1975/1989.
Another very good book, longer than Richardson, but now comes with a study guide. Very helpful on the shape and structure of the book.

Philip Edgcumbe Hughes 'The Book of Revelation: A Commentary' IVP 1990.
Hughes offers his own translation of Revelation aiming to make clear what he sees as the meaning of the text, this is very helpful. Hughes seeks to unpack the symbolism of Revelation that we might better see how such a text works.

Eugene H Peterson 'Reversed Thunder' Harper Collins 1988.
This is not a commentary on the text and should not be approached in that way. However, this is a wonderful, rolling meditation on the themes arising from Revelation and may be a good guide as to how we are to respond to this text. I'm a great Peterson fan so this is another highly recommended book.

Stephen S Smalley 'The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of teh Apocalypse' SPCK 2005.
I was amazed to pick this up very cheap in a sale in Dec 2007 and it would be my recommended commentary on the Greek text. The Greek of Revelation is challenging and if you are trying to use the Greek you will need a good text, this one is recommended.

I have Charles in the old ICC series from 1920, 2 volumes and I have two of the three volumes by Aune in the Word Biblical Commentary series. These are helpful on the Greek of the text, but I think loose there focus on the whole by following too many side roads. If you use the Greek books like these will be essential, but you really need something shorter to keep you on track.

Revelation

2010-08-26T11:47:00.000+01:00

Over the next fews weeks I though I would post on Revelation. I hope this doesn't see you all run for the hills!

No, I'm not claiming in any of my posts to have all the answers to all the questions arising from this wonderful book. However, the more often we read it together and share our thoughts the more clearly we may see some of the things God would say to us in these words.

So, stick with it and please join in - leave a comment and others may respond and our community of readers may grow.

Judges 21:1-25

2010-07-21T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 21:1-12
The aftermath of this situation hardly improves for Israel.

The people worship the Lord, the ask ‘why’, but they do not appear to ask him, ‘what next?’

They find one town that has not taken the oath against Benjamin, kill all the men and married woman and steal 400 young girls, virgins, that they may be given to the 600 Benjamites.

We cannot imagine that our Lord would tell his people to do such a thing. It happened, but there is not one word of the Lord commanding it. There is no sign of the Lord approving of this wicked deed. The people have gone off script, not only in chapter 21 but way before this. The continual cycle of sin has lead the nation to this point. There is no other outcome for repeated sin.

Judges 21:13-25
Their first scheme is only partly successful, they need another 200 wives. Why not steal them? Well since you murdered the fathers of the first 400 why not!

Verse 24 may sound as though all is well, each man is entering the promised inheritance. But how have they entered it? Not in the Lord’s way. What are the doing in it? Not living for the glory of God.

Verse 25 is the sad and sober conclusion to this book, ‘there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’

God’s people need God’s leader, God’s King. The situation in the nation does improve (slightly and only for a short time) under David and some other godly kings. However, this verse points us to Jesus, God’s King for God’s Kingdom. Only when he is King and we do what is right in his eyes will we see God's Kingdom established, only then will we live in his promised land.

Judges 20:1-48

2010-07-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 20:1-17
The nation responds, the tribes gather. 400,000 men prepared for battle. The Levite repeats his story once again in all its horror and the tribes are enraged.

To defend these worthless men Benjamin gathers 26,000 (that is one man for every 15 set against them).

There is no one seeking the Lord here or asking God what he wants them to do. It is more like two mobs preparing for a fight.

Judges 20:18-28
For two days the people of Israel go out against Benjamin, and for two days they are defeated.

Now they seek they Lord, now in their trouble and defeat they call out asking the Lord what they should do.

How gracious is the Lord’s word that the next day they will defeat the enemy (who is really a fellow tribe of Israel).
We might wonder why the Lord continues to bother? Only because he is faithful to his covenant. Even if this people fall into sin and war against one another, he will remain faithful.
Does this mean the Lord is pleased with the majority of Israel? I don't think so. They could have stopped this a long time ago if only someone had stood up against the idol worship growing in the land.
No one comes out of this well.

Judges 20:29-48
Is this a victory? 25,000 killed and 600 escaped to live by a rock in the wilderness. It sounds more like wanton destruction, killing for the sake of killing, without restraint or purpose.

Chaos is too small and tame a word for this, yet it fully describes what is going on in Israel.

The Spirit of the Lord worked order out of chaos, Gen 1, but here we are returning to a chaos of violence and idol worship that denies the creative purposes of our God. Too often the chaos we create is a denial of our God.

Judges 19:22-30

2010-07-19T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 19:22-30
A tale of horror. The men of the town gather seeking to rape the strange man who has come among them. They are offered two women but refuse. When the concubine in thrown out of the house they rape her to her death.

No one comes out of this story well, the words of the master are harsh and uncaring as he steps over the concubine to leave the house and continue on his way home. His gruesome action in cutting up the concubine and send her pieces around the nation is callous and cruel.

So much for the hospitality of the people of Israel.

Yes, this is a text about the abuse of women. The concubine is treated like a piece of disposable property. So is the virgin daughter who is not raped. There is nothing in this text for us to copy. All we see here are examples of how we should not live.

Judges 19:1-21

2010-07-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 19:1-21
Once again we are reminded, there is no king in Israel. No effective leadership for the people.

An unfaithful concubine is sought that she may be brought home. An extended ritual of hospitality is played out in the house of her father until we think he would be happy for the husband to remain with them in his home.

On the journey home the man and his concubine travel to an Israelite town, expecting some hospitality from the people there, as they found with they concubine’s father. But only one old man will show them kindness.

The scene is set.

The rest of this story may I think rightly be called a text of terror. We should be horrified at what happens in a city of the people of God, in a town within the promised land. This is not why the Lord promised the land to this people. This is not what the Lord intended from his chosen people and royal priesthood.
It would be easy to skip over these chapters, and many do this. Why did the Lord include such chapters in Scripture? Not because he likes horror stories! As with all Scripture it's purpose is to teach, reprove, correct, train in righteousness, equipped God's people for all good work.
This is what happens when God's people abandon God and remake gods of their own choosing. Don't turn your eyes away, because if it could happen to God's people in Israel it can happen to you and me wherever we are!

Judges 18:21-31

2010-07-17T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 18:21-26
Micah calls out his household and gives chase to the tribe who have stolen his idols. Notice how Micah speak about these things, ‘You have taken away my gods that I made’. How could he not notice, he a creature of the Living God is now upset because the gods he made have been stolen.

If I have made it, it isn’t God. God made me, I did not make God. Even to say such things betrays how far from truth and Godliness Micah has fallen.

How often our casual words, words spoken in haste or anger betray where our hearts lie.

Micah sees his gods stolen and fears that he is left with nothing. To be without God is indeed to be left with nothing, no hope, no peace, no future. But our God cannot be stolen from us because he is the one who keeps us in his powerful hands – not the other way round.

Judges 18:27-31
The people of Dan do gain an piece of the land for themselves. But it turns out not to be the promised land they gain.

It is a land polluted by idols of their own choosing. They worship gods that are not god, they worship in ways that are not the Lord’s ways, they set up priests not called to this task by the Lord.

They could hardly be further from the promised land if they had set up home in Hawaii.

How easy it is to think we are making a home for ourselves with the Lord, and forget that he is the one who makes a home for us and calls us to live in that home in ways that honour and please him.

Judges 18:1-20

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 18:1-6
The disaster of Micah’s idols spills out beyond one family and one Levite priest. Note the refrain of these chapters is repeated in v. 1.

The tribe of Dan has failed to gain its inheritance, they are searching though the land looking for somewhere to call home. The come across Micah’s house and the priest, the seek the Lord’s will from him and are given the kind of guidance they would be pleased to receive. However, contaminated by Micah’s idols nothing will work out well for them.

Judges 18:7-10
The five Danite spies find an unsuspecting group, poorly defended and return to the main body of the tribe reporting success.

The appearance of success can be deceitful, no doubt they think they are on the right road with God blessing them.

Is this not a failing that often falls upon us? We believe that success is the only measure of whether the Lord is pleased with us, whether the Lord is guiding our labours. We can be 'apparently' successful while living in great disobedience. This is not to advise against success, we rightly pray for the Lord to bless our labours in his service, but we need a wider perspective on his blessing than merely what is successful.

Judges 18:11-20
As the tribe of Dan go off to defeat this unsuspecting people they pass by the house of Micah. The five spies tell of the worship centre and idols they have seen.

The whole tribe turns aside to see this, and having seen they lay hold of these false idols to take them for their own. And the false priest, proving faithless towards Micah runs down the road after his useless idols. It started in stealing and comes to stealing again. What a mess!
From one man and his idols we now have a whole tribe entrapped in false worship. Do we heed this warning?

Judges 17:1-13

2010-07-15T13:55:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the long delay in following on from chapter 16. Honest, I never intended to dodge these final chapters. So, here goes ...

Judges 17:1-6
I don’t like to say Scripture is difficult, but these final chapters of Judges are difficult, because they are so unpleasant.

The cycle of sin, defeat, calling to the Lord, raising of a Judge appears to vanish here, we are dropped right into the middle of some terrible situations.

We begin with Micah making idols and setting up one of his sons as priest in his own house. In this he is encouraged by his mother, who clearly doesn’t understand what it means to dedicate something to the Lord. And this sorry situation started with Micah stealing the money from his mother before returning it to her. A broken picture of broken lives in a nation about to be devastated by sin.

Verse 6, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.", introduces the new refrain of these final chapters.

What do we mean by dedication to the Lord? Do we ever try, like Micah's mother to dedicate to the Lord something he doesn't want, or in a way that will not please him?

Judges 17:7-13
It is not just one family that is falling into sin. A Levite, if anyone should know better in the nation then a Levite should. But no, coming across Micah and his false idols and false worship centre the Levite is persuaded to remain with Micah and become a priest to one family.

Is there no one to stand up for the Lord? No one to say that this behaviour is wrong? Is there no authority (no king) who will serve the Lord? No, at this time there is no one. What a dreadful state of affairs for a nation to fall into.

We know it is not always easy to stand up, but there is a time when we must. Even if we are the only one we cannot and must not deny and be ashamed of our Lord.

Judges 16:23-31

2010-06-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 16:23-31
Samson's great strength was a gift from God - not a result of his long hair. God does not give Samson strength because of Samson's faithfulness, but because of God's choice and purpose.
When we read of Samson's hair growing again, we know that Samson has nothing to do with this, he can't stop his hair growing and he is not able to have it cut, or styled! There is no magic in Samson's hair.

Judges 16:28 - is Samson renewing his faith? I don't think so, because I don't think, if we could ask Samson, he would say he ever lost his faith. Samson's foolishness with these women is not Samson abandoning God, or back sliding from his faith, it is Samson getting it wrong. Often we think we are serving God, we are continuing in faith and hope, but we are getting it wrong. We can be believers and get it wrong.

Samson's death gives an appearance of victory over the Philistines, although there is not verse telling us that the people had peace for so many years as with other judges. Samson's death is the death of the judges. God has permitted this pattern of leadership, with its cycle of sin, calling to God, raising up a judge, deliverance, sin to continue as long as it has, to fully demonstrate that this is not the answer. God's people are not learning how to live holy lives. The nation is not reflecting God's glory to the world. Samson is the final demonstration that no judge will be the promised deliverer, Genesis 3:15.
Judges 17 to 21 are not pleasant chapters, but they demonstrate for us what happens when God's people reject God and his ways.

Judges 16:1-22

2010-06-23T09:51:00.000+01:00

Judges 16:1-22
The ultimate foolishness. You would think any sane person would have worked it out. Once you could have let her away with, but three times she nagged an answer out of Samson, three times she passed it to the Philistines, three times they hid in her back room waiting to capture Samson.
But then we don't work out sin or temptation any better. Time after time, returning to old sins, falling once more at old temptations - the same one we fell before yesterday.
Samson didn't learn, the sad stories of chapters 14 and 15 should have taught him, even if Delilah's triple betrayal didn't.

All we can do is marvel at God's amazing grace. He has a purpose to achieve in Samson and Samson's foolishness will not defeat God's purposes. We do not abuse God's amazing grace, we depend upon it that when we get it wrong, God will remain faithful. The story of Samson is not about a great hero of the faith, but about a great God who is worthy of our faith, our trust, our hope.

Judges 15:9-20

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 15:9-20

Samson's behaviour results now in an invasion of Judah by the Philistines. One man bringing trouble and suffering upon the whole nation.
To prevent their suffering the people of Judah agree to hand Samson over to the Philistines. But Samson breaks free from the bonds that hold him and wins a great victory over the Philistines. A thousand men with the jaw-bone of an ass.

The story ends with Samson exhausted and dying of thirst. It can only be by grace that the Lord listens to his prayer and opens a spring of water to save Samson's life.
How wonderful is amazing grace which in Samson's life as in ours is never deserved or earned.

That Samson can make such a hash of serving the Lord and cause such suffering all around, but still be used by the Lord is a miracle of grace. Not an excuse for us to give up and not try to do things for the Lord in a way that will honour him. We depend upon grace, we do not take advantage of grace - or perhaps we should not take advantage of grace.

Judges 15:1-8

2010-06-19T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 15:1-8

Samson, a fool for women who never learns, tries to patch things up with his Philistine wife who has betrayed him at their wedding feast.
When told she has been given to another, Samson goes off on one again. This time he thinks he has the right. He burns their fields in a cruel way involving the suffering of animals.
The result of this act is the burning of his wife and her family by the Philistines.

There are consequences to our acts. There are unforseen consequences, this makes life difficult because we are not God and we don't know everything that can or will happen.

Samson's foolishness with women, his uncontrolled anger are causing havoc all around. Is there not a lesson here about Christian character and the importance of seeing the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives, especially if we are called into service for the Lord?

Judges 14:1-20

2010-06-18T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 14:1-20

The trouble begins. Like a golden thread, except not so golden, running through the story of Samson, this man is a fool around women. Especially foreign women who will only get him and his nation into trouble.

We can see this is wrong, and yet, on route to make arrangements for the wedding the Lord strengthens Samson to defeat a lion with his bare hands. The carcass of this lion and its swarm of bees become the source of Samson's riddle, which the Philistine wedding guests cannot unravel.
Samson is nagged/encouraged by his wife to tell her the riddle which she repeats to her people. This woman has made a choice, she will stick with her people rather than her new husband. Samson will not be able to lift her out of her family aliegences into a full union within the people of God.
Enraged, and it does read as though Samson goes off in a terrible rage, he kills 30 Philistines to pay off his debt and storms off home.

Is this serving the Lord? I really don't think so. Some might try to argue that the Philistines, all Philistines were enemies of the Lord and his people and however they are killed it is all one and is all well done. But that doesn't work for me. If the Lord is to exercise justice against all people then it must be just. And I don't think justice is served in anger.

Samson has a work to do for the Lord. He has been chosen and prepared for this from conception. His foolishness around women and his anger may go a long way to blunting the effectiveness of the Lord's purposes in Samson. Not that the Lord's purposes will fail, but they will and can be blunted by foolish living on the part of God's people.

Judges 13:15-25

2010-06-17T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 13:15-25

There is often a confusion we can notice in the Bible when people meet an angel. Very often they think they are meeting the Lord and seek to honour the angel in ways that are appropriate only for the Lord.
In this story Manoah would offer the angel some sacrificed food. The angel replies that he will not accept this offering from Manoah, because it should only be offered to the Lord.
It is right and good that we honour those who serve the Lord among us and for us. However, we must be careful not to take the honour and glory and praise which belong to the Lord and transfer them to others.

When the angel disappears in the smoke of the offering Manoah and his wife realise they have seen an angel of the Lord. This realisation leads them to think they will die, for who can see the Lord and live? This fear of seeing the Lord is common in the OT. How great is our joy to know that in Jesus God is with us, not some of the time but all the time. Thank God for Manoah's wife who helps him understand the purposes of God. And thank God for all who help us learn how to live in the presence of God day by day without this fear.

Judges 13:1-14

2010-06-16T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 13:1-14

Samson is the final judge whose story is recorded in this book. His story begins with the cycle we've observed so often in this book repeated once again for us. The people do evil and are handed over to their enemies.

By grace the Lord works, he promises a child to a childless couple. This is not a conception without a human father, but it is a miracle. The Lord works in the lives of these two for their blessing and the blessing of the nation.
By grace the Lord sends the angel a second time, this time so that Manoah might see and hear the angels words. The Lord didn't need to do this, and could have told Manoah that he should believe the word of the Lord delivered through his wife. But, grace is grace, undeserved and free, and the Lord sends his angel a second time.
By grace the Lord will be at work in Samson's life and in the nation through Samson. By grace, not by hair style of diet choices. The Lord does not work because Samson has long hair or a strict diet. Our obedience does not earn anything from God, does not deserve anything from God. Obedience is good because it is obedience, not for any reward. Whatever the Lord does in us or through is is freely done, by grace.

Judges 12:1-15

2010-06-15T09:39:00.000+01:00

Judges 12:1-15
The end of the Jephthah narrative and three more minor judges.

The Ephraimites seem to be a right lot of complainers. They never make the battle and also manage to whinge about it.
Jepthah is weary of all this, and sometimes we get weary of the constant drip of complaining. But this is not good.
The people of the Lord are divided, over how you pronounce a word! And the difference is between an 's' sound and an 'sh' sound!! 42,000 are slaughtered over a fight that started because of a victory!
If I didn't already believe that sin was in built, or hard wired, into humans before reading this story, I would by the end of it.
When we daily pray, 'Lead us not into temptation' do we consciously include the temptation to un just complaining? The temptation to aggressive responses to opposition? The temptation to divide and weaken the body of Christ?
What a dreadful story. How patient is the Lord that he would remain faithful to his people and his promises. Far more faithful than we will ever be or than we could ever deserve.

The brief account of the three judges that conclude this chapter are further examples of the goodness of the Lord.

Judges 11:18-40

2010-06-12T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 11:18-40
Jephthah once again tries to talk the king out of this war, verses 18 to 28, but with no success.

Then disaster.
What is Jephthah doing? Why does he take such a foolish vow which the Lord has not asked of him and does not seek from him?
I think Jephthah is trying to impress both God and his men with such an extravagant vow. That there is a victory in the battle has nothing to do with Jephthah's vow. The Lord had already decided to give the victory, vows don't change God's mind.

A vow is good when taken in the Lord's service in areas that honour the Lord. A vow can strengthen a weakened spirit and encourage faithfulness in service.

This vow should have been broken. No vow justifies murder, and that's what this is. If a vow brings you into conflict with the Lord's word then confess the foolishness of your vow and seek the Lord's forgiveness as you break it.

Judges 11:1-17

2010-06-11T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 11:1-3
Jephthah is despised and rejected because he is the son of a prostitute. Is this any worse than being the son of a gossip, or the daughter of a drunk? In fact, why do we so often judge others not by who or what they are in themselves, but by association with others?
Why do we have a league table of sins in which the ones we don't commit are always worse than the ones we do commit?

How many have been driven from our fellowships, our congregations, from the gospel, because of our unwelcoming and severe attitudes towards their sin?

Judges 11:4-17
When trouble arises Jephthah and his band of worthless rogues are sought out. How would we have answered the elders of Gilead? Would we not have told them to get lost! Jephthah, perhaps longing for inclusion, answers gently and undertakes to deliver the people.
His gentle words work well on the people of Gilead, but not so well on the king of the Ammonites. Jephthah tries to resolve this dispute by talking. What a wonderful idea, if only we would try resolving disputes by talking first we might aviod much conflict in our lives.
That Jephthah's talking fails does not mean it was a bad idea or that it should not be tried again. By all means talk, and talk again. Anything to avoid the destruction of warfare.

Judges 10

2010-06-10T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 10:1-18
Two minor Judges follow Abimelech, Tola and Jair. Apart from their fulfiling the required role in the cycle of sin, calling to God, deliverance and peace we know nothing more.
The repetition of this cycle really does drive it's significance home to us.

There is an extended account of disobedience among the people, idolatry, which serves to introduce the next Judge, Jephthah.

Judges 10:13 seems out of place, as the Lord tell the people 'I will save you no more.' Clearly, since the Lord does save the people under Jephthah and Samson there is something more going on here.
Judges 10:14, I think, gives us the answer. The Lord is challenging the people about which 'god' they will trust. Will they trust the Lord? Will they continue to trust Baal or Ashtaroth?
These others 'gods' cannot save them, there is no hope or deliverance in them. If they hear that the Lord will not save them they may be in this encouraged to look for some other deliverer, but they will find none. Only the Lord can save. If he does not save there is no salvation for anyone.

The Lord longs for all people to depend upon him alone and faithfully. Can he do any more for us than he has done in Jesus his Son, and still we are slow to believe, slow to trust, faithless where he is faithful.

Judges 9:22-57

2010-06-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 9:22-57
Abimelech doesn't come out of this story well. He is a wicked and cruel man with no regard for human life, other than his own!

The people of Shechem change their minds, a bit late though, and turn on Abimelech. I can't imagine anything other than the forgiveness of the cross being able to wash away the sin of the people of Shechem in supporting Abimelech's murder of his brothers.

The conclusion in verses 56 and 57 show that God works out judgement upon both Abimelech and also the people of Shechem. The confusion in this passage about who is fighting whom and who is on which side is all to common in a civil war type situation where neighbour fights against neighbour. An increase in violence flows from a beginning of violence done by leaders and supported by people.

Judges 9:1-21

2010-06-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 9:1-21

Abimelech sounds like a horrible man. He longs to be king and so persuades the towns people to allow him to murder all his brothers. O for one person to stand up and speak the truth in this situation, will no one say this is evil or wrong or wicked? But there is no one, and murder is done.
Abimelech is guilty, so are the silent ones who stood by. How often are we guilty in our silence?

One son escapes, Jotham. He returns with a parable which puts the matter pointedly before the people of Shechem. We are not told their reponse, and Jotham doesn't seem to wait around to find out either. We must presume they rejected Jotham and his parable, choosing to stick with the bad choice they made in Abimelech.
It is bad enough to make a bad decision once. But to stick by it! When it is pointed out to you and you won't change it! What madness is this? Not madness, wickedness, a wickedness we can all easily fall into as we harden our hearts against the Lord and his word.

The next few chapters of Judges are all bad. There are some deliverances from enemies, but surrounded by so much that is not good it is hard to find anything to celebrate. Mind you, they are not as bad as chapters 17-21!

Judges 8:22-35

2010-06-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

Judges 8:22-35
This is a sad end to the story of Gideon. It begins well, with Gideon refusing the kingship over Israel because the Lord will rule over you. In a few years Samuel will tell the people this when they ask him to anoint a king over them, so they might be like all the other nations.

But, instead of leaving it there Gideon takes up a collection and then makes an ephod. An ephod is some sort of ceremonial garment worn by the High Priest and used by him in divination. When you asked the Lord for guidance, you asked a question that could be answered yes or no, and the Priest would use the ephod in divining the answer.
There was one ephod, and the Lord only wanted one in Israel. Why did Gideon make another? We are not told, we are only told the sad outcome of this failure.

It is failure, sin, because Gideon is perverting the worship of God. Gideon is taking what belongs only to the Priests for himself and his town. Worship should be offered to God only in ways that God is willing to receive.

The language used is very strong, 'Israel whored after it [the ephod]'. Idolatry is usually pictured in the bible using language of sexual sin, prostitution or adultry. The intimacy of our relationship with God is pictured in marriage and faithful sexual relations, this [our relationship with God] is perverted in idolatry in similar ways to the perversion of sexuality out with marriage.

Let Gideon be a warning then. It is possible to serve the Lord faithfully in great things and fall into sin leading others with you.

Judges 8:4-21

2010-06-05T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 8:4-21
There is a change in these verses. We do not here see Gideon seeking the Lord's will, waiting for the Lord to give victory. Yes, in some ways Gideon is merely finishing off the work started in chapter 7. However, is he doing this in the Lord's way and at the Lord's time?

Gideon's treatment of the citizens of Succoth and Penuel is markedly different from his treatment of the men of Ephraim, vv. 1-3. Is Gideon here modelling for us the difference between Proverbs 26:4 and 26:5?
Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

Or, and I think this is more likely, is Gideon getting this bit wrong?

Is Gideon dispensing justice when he kills Zebah and Zalmunna, or is this about revenge? Revenge is never a motive that will achieve a good work for the Lord.

It is too easy for us to slip from being in the place of obedience, in the place where our service is for the Lord and brings glory to us, until we find ourselves lost in disobedience and self-service. Only a conscious attention to our walking with the Lord and keeping close to him will guard against this falling from his way. If Gideon could fall here, so can we.

Judges 8:1-3

2010-06-04T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 8:1-3

A great victory has been won. Why then are the men of Ephraim complaining? We know what they are complaining about, 'Why did you not let us join in with you in the battle?' But, why do they raise this complaint?
Are they feeling insecure? Do they feel left out or excluded? Has their pride been wounded?
I'm not sure that any of these are good reasons for raising this complaint and we might be tempted to send them away with a flea in their ear (as the saying goes!)

However, Gideon, with his wise words, turns away anger. Is Gideon over stating the case? He might be: they captured two princes and Gideon destroyed a whole army. However, as he humbles himself, as he magnifies their deeds so their anger is subdued.

How often have we known, or been involved in, a situation where one wrong word has resulted in years of bitterness and broken relationships?

We need to learn ways of peace, lifestyles of patience, kindness and gentleness before they are needed, so that these things become our instinct. Gideon didn't have time to go away and think up a good response in the light of all the possible outcomes. What is our instinct? If it is untrained by the Spirit it will be angry and defensive. Only as we daily train ourselves in ways of life that reflects God and his gentleness can we hope to answer situations as wisely and gently as Gideon.

Judges 7:16-25

2010-06-03T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 7:16-25
The day of victory is here! This is what the Lord promised Gideon and now it has arrived.

Gideon and his 300 men surround the Midianite camp, raise a shout, sound the trumpets and reveal the concealed torches from within broken jars. Down to v. 24 I don't think Gideon and his men do anything else. The Lord strikes the hearts of the Midianites with terror and they attack one another. This is the point at which the victory is won, and yet, the men of Ephraim are required to join in and finish off the enemy.

A two stage victory.
We cannot read this and not think of the once for all victory of the Lord Jesus upon the cross which is worked out everyday in the power of the Spirit in the lives of God's people. A victory won is to be lived in, entered into.

Judges 7:8b-15

2010-06-02T08:00:00.002+01:00

Judges 7:8b-15
Gideon seems like a man who needs a lot of encouragement and reassurance. We remember the visit of the angel and then the fleece. But here in v. 10 it is the Lord who takes the initiative and offers Gideon this assurance.

Gideon has cause for doubts, his army has been reduced to a mere 300 men. They are equipped with some provisions and trumpets. But the Lord is with him and the Lord will give the enemy into his hands.

In many situations in the UK Christians feel deflated, if not defeated. We look at ourselves and our churches and see small numbers. The Lord is the God of encouragement and comfort. He will give us assurances of his presence, his grace and his power.

The dream Gideon overhears being repeated and interpreted is about him and the victory the Lord will win through Gideon. A loaf of barley bread - when we first met Gideon he was hiding in a wine press threshing wheat (for bread perhaps!) and now this mighty man of valour will knock over the strong tents of Midian.

Gideon responds very positively to this encouragement from the Lord. Do we always respond so positively? Has the Lord been encouraging us? Has he called us into service? Has he promised his presence and power to be with us? Are we living faithless lives when we do not trust the assurance the Lord gives and take that risk which he is calling us into?

Judges 7:4-8a

2010-06-01T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 7:4-8a
With only 10,000 left Gideon hears the Lord's word, 'There are still too many.' I wonder if Gideon was dismayed at this word from the Lord? Do we sometimes without thinking pray, 'Whatever you say to my Lord, I want to hear and obey'. This might be the kind of word we will hear, but it's not easy.

There are a number of different ideas about what the men were doing either lapping with hands or mouths. I don't think it really matters. The point is that God is separating out the larger part to be sent home. I don't think God is trying to choose who is the best fighters, who will give the most attention or anything like that, this removes the point of the story.

Gideon's army has been reduced from 32,000 to 300, a reduction of 99.06% - that is the point of the story. With only 300 men Gideon is being sent against an army that has oppressed and impoverised Israel for years. All Gideon is left with is a few men, some provisions and a collection of trumpets.

When we look around at the church today, are we downcast at small numbers, at poor resources? And yes, we should pray for more, our God is a generous Father. But we do not despair! With our poor efforts God can build his church for his own glory.

Judges 7:1-3

2010-05-31T18:44:00.000+01:00

Sorry I've been away for so long, but the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland intervened. So, here's back to Judges 7 .

Judges 7:1-3
Jerub-Baal = let Baal contend, picks up the theme from 6:31 that Baal cannot contend because Baal is nothing. Baal is not another name for God. Baal is an empty name, a breath of wind. In this multi-faith society it has become necessary to remind oursevles that not everything called god is God, and not everything worshipped is God.
The God of the bible makes himself known uniquely in Jesus Christ his son, and he alone is God.

Baal cannot contend. The Lord, the God who brought his people up out of Egypt will demonstrate this, not by giving Gideon a great army, but by so reducing Gideon's army that the only explanation of victory can be the hand of the Lord.
I'm sure they don't read this passage often at office training schools for the army. 'If you are frightened, put your hand up and go home!' By this simple means the Lord reduces Gideon's army by 22,000 men. A good size of army on its own, but these are sent home.

Do we trust the Lord to work with our poor resources? Do we depend upon numbers? A US army chaplain, just before the invasion of Europe in 1994 told his General, 'Success is assured we have arranged for 5,000 people to pray.' The General asked, 'What if the enemy have 5,001?'
Numbers do matter, when we count people each one is someone for whom Jesus died, and someone through faith called into the service of their Lord. But, we don't depend upon our strength, but look to the Lord who alone will give the victory.

Judges 6:28-40

2010-05-19T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 6:28-35
I really like this passage. The people gather, enraged at the destruction of the Baal idol, seeking to preserve the honour of this god. What an answer Gideon's father gives, 'Let Baal defend his own honour, if he is a god.' Would we be brave enough to give such an answer to defend the honour of our God? Is this how Christians respond in our nation to perceived insults towards the Lord?

Back to business, the Midianites and Amalekites come up into the land against the people once more. This is Gideon's time, he does nothing in secret, the trumpet is blown, messengers sent out and an army is gathered.

Judges 6:36-40
What is Gideon doing here? He was given a great sign of assurance from the Lord why is he seeking another?
There is the trivial response to this passage, 'Lord, I think you want me to buy a BMW car. So if you let me see so many BMW cars then I'll know it is a sign from you.' How absurd.
The Lord responds with great patience to Gideon, who really doesn't deserve this patience. It is no excuse for us to talk of laying out a fleece before the Lord.

Judges 6:11-27

2010-05-18T08:00:00.002+01:00

Now we meet Gideon.

Judges 6:11-18
Gideon, the smallest son, in the least family, in an insignificant tribe is to be lifted out of his obscurity to be the saviour for the nation.
The angel of the Lord appears and gives a very strange address to Gideon. Gideon is hiding his handful of wheat from the Midianites he certainly is not behaving like a might man of valour.
Somehow he becomes persuaded that it is the Lord who is speaking to him. He asks the Lord to wait until he brings out a present for him.

Judges 6:19-24
This is the passage which offers Gideon all the assurance he should need. He offers his gift to the Lord, the gifts are received and the Lord vanishes from his sight. Even after he has vanished the word of the Lord still comes again to Gideon, 'Peace be to you. Do not fear'.

Is it an angel of the Lord who has appeared to Gideon, or is it the Lord himself? At one level, since the angels are all ministering spirits who perfectly reflect the word of the Lord given to them there is no practical difference. But, there are angels, a category of creation who are not the Lord.
Is Gideon merely being polite, 'my lord', or 'sir'. That certianly won't work for v. 15.
I don't think we need to go so far as to read this as a pre-incarnational visit of the Lord Jesus. The Lord is able to appear to his people in whatever form he chooses, according to his own purpose.

Judges 6:25-27
This section ends with Gideon fulfilling the word of the Lord and destroying the Baal statue and the Asherah in his own father's garden! Gideon is in himself an unlikely person to choose to lead the nation into a war, but his father has foreign idols in the garden, how much less likely can Gideon become?

Judges 61:1-10

2010-05-17T08:00:00.001+01:00

Judges 6 is the beginning of the Gideon narrative. Running through to chapter 8 this is the first major narrative, extending beyond one chapter in the book of Judges. I suppose Deborah and Barak have two chapters, but chapter 5 reworks the base narrative of chapter 4 in poetic form.

Judges 6:1-6
Once again the people of Israel do evil. This time their enemies are the Midianites, aided by the Amalekites. In passing let me say, I've never met anyone who is interested in who the Midianites were or what colour of clothes the Amalekites wore. It is too easy, and a great temptation to major on minors, does our knowledge of the Midianites or Amalekites change the meaning of the word of God? Will knowing about this background help us to live lives as disciples of Jesus? I don't think so!

Judges 6:7-10
Before raising up Gideon to save the people the Lord sends a prophet to condemn the people, to make them know that their situation is a result of their sin.
The Lord speaks of his great faithfulness from the time he brought the people up out of Egypt. We see here one of the Lord's great objectives in the Exodus, to have the people set free from Egypt know him as their God.
But, you have not obeyed my voice. There is no need to bring a specific verse or passage and say this is the one you have disobeyed. The purpose of God in Exodus and in all his speaking to the people is that they would be his people and he would be their God. Whenever they fall into evil they are not the people of God, they are living as though God were not their God!

Since the desire of God, in Exodus and Gospel, is to be our God, is it really to hard for us to have him as our God? Is there any other God we would rather have?

Judges 5:12-31

2010-05-16T12:02:00.000+01:00

Judges 5:12-23

This passage is a massive expansion compared with the account in chapter 4. We have a long list of tribes who all came out to fight with Barak and Deborah. Some, however, are noted for not coming out, e.g. Reuben, v. 16.

v. 23 - most likely Meroz was an Israelite village, quite close to the site of the battle, from whom Deborah and Barak should have expected support, but received none.

All classes of people are included in those who fought and achieved this victory.

vv. 20-21 - this exalted language reminds us that the Lord fought with and for his people. The Canaanites who worshipped nature gods (sun, moon and stars) are reminded in this song that the Lord is the Creator of all and all creation serves his glorious purposes.

Judges 5:24-31
Here the imagination of the poet is given full reign. The murder of Sisera is described with great rhythm and power, but with a sparseness of detail.
Again vv. 28-30, imagine a scene that an Israelite poet could never have seen. The despair which Sisera has brought to many homes is now brought to his.

v. 31 - the victory is the Lord's and the glory is his.

Judges 5:1-11

2010-05-15T14:54:00.001+01:00

It is very hard to divide this poem into sections, but I'll try to follow obvious paragraph, or strophe divisions.

Judges 5:1-3
This is the introduction to the poem.
v. 2 - the leaders are praised for leading and the people for following. Remember Barak's reluctance to go into battle unless Deborah would go with him. Would he sing this verse with some hesitancy or shame?
v. 3 - the kings are told to listen carefully to this song, which will remind them that the victory is the Lord's and not their's.

Judges 5:4-11
vv. 4-5 - Seir and Edom are trans-Jordan, from which the Lord moved when he led the people into Canaan.
vv. 6-9 - brings us close to the present event, the troubles known by the people are recorded and then Deborah arises and leads the people. v. 8 tells us of the sin of the people and the trouble it brought into the land.

Judges 5:10-11
Those who ride (the rich) and those who walk (the poor) are to bear witness to the deliverance God achieves for his people.

Notice how little of these verses is reflected in chapter 4.

Judges 5

2010-05-15T11:54:00.000+01:00

Judges 5 is a poem. This is the one key fact that must be noted if this chapter is to be properly understood. Some elements of poetry are important:

Imagination - the event which the poet reflects upon happened, but in his presentation he uses his imagination to shape his words.
Focus - poetry focuses on aspects of a story, some details are magnified, some are omitted.
Poetry is not science of any kind, i.e. it is not the social science of history.
Purpose - while there are forms of poetry the purpose of which is to record and maintain historical accounts, e.g. a saga, other forms of poetry have the purpose of celebration or lamentation, the reader or hearer of the poem is intended to respond emotionally to the text.

In Hebrew poetry rhyme is too easy and is not an element, features such as repetition (parallelism), rhythm, metre feature prominently and give a heightened style to a poem in contrast to a prose account.

Judges 4:11-24

2010-05-14T08:01:00.002+01:00

Continuing on Judges 4

Judges 4:11-16
The unexpected v. 11 introduces Heber, whose wife will soon feature prominently in this narrative.
Sisera hears that Barak has raised a force against him and he calls out his great war machine, with all the latest technology of that time.
Deborah encourages Barak with the word that the Lord has already given Sisera over to defeat. And so Barak sweeps down from Mt Tabor and wins a great victory, even though Sisera escapes from him.

Judges 4:17-22
There is no explanation given as to why Jael would kill Sisera and break the bond between Jabin and Heber. This perhaps reminds us of Rahab, the Jericho prostitute who for fear of the Lord betrayed her town to save Joshua's two spies.
Notice how plainly the account of the murder of Sisera is recorded, an stark absence of unnecessary detail. Too often, I think, we focus or make much of details or events that are small to the Lord. We need to learn to treasure what he treasurers.

Judges 4:23-24
This is an expected conclusion to this account, except there is no mention of the death of Deborah or Barak. While these events are recorded in a formulaic way, the small differences between them allow us to see a human hand at work composing the material, guided by the Spirit, mentioning that which is important in each episode.

Judges 4:1-10

2010-05-13T13:01:00.000+01:00

Judges 4 is one unit of text which is quite difficult to divide into smaller units of text that make sense on their own. What I will do is follow paragraph divisions as in the ESV.
Judges 5 recounts the same events, but in the form of poetry. That these two passages are set side by side will help us to see the differences between prose and poetic forms of writing as found in the OT.

Judges 4:1-3
This is by now a familiar comment on the evil deeds of the people of Israel. Do not grow weary of these passages. It is important for us, when we fall into sin, that the Lord will speak to us of this and call us to repentance and faith. This is what he is doing for Israel in these repeated stories.

Jduges 4:4-10
Deborah is described as a prophetess and a judge in Israel. Do not quickly pass over the obvious - Deborah is a woman. In a culture where women were property how wonderful it is that the Lord uses women to bring his word to his people and to serve as leaders for his people.
Deborah brings the Lord's word to Barak 'go up against the enemy', but Barak hesitates. I'll go if you'll go with me. Is Barak thinking that when faced with going down to the battle Deborah will change her mind, change the word she has received from the Lord? If so he is mistaken, Deborah immediately agrees.
When in v. 9 Deborah tells Barak that the glory of this victory will go to a woman, at this point we assume she is talking about herself. But no, as we will see shortly another woman wins the glory.

And so the scene is set for the Lord to gain a victory over his enemies and set his people free once again.

Judges 3:12-31

2010-05-07T08:08:00.002+01:00

Judges 3:12-30
12-14 - we notice here that the enemies of the people of the Lord are quick to join together against the Lord and his people. How sad to reflect upon the on going and obvious disunity among those who follow Jesus.

15-19 - Ehud is an unexpected deliverer, a left handed man. Such a sinister man has over many centuries been treated with undeserved hatred and suspicion. But not with the Lord, he chooses and uses Ehud to achieve his purposes for his people.
Ehud is not the only deceitful person used by the Lord, remember Jacob?

20-23 - Ehud makes use of his left handedness to achieve the killing/murder of the king.

24-25 - Ehud makes his escape and the king is not disturbed for some time, allowing Ehud not only to get away but to raise the nation.

26-30 - Ehud leads the people to a great vicotry of their enemies. The conclusion to this account follows the pattern we would expect from the book, a victory for the people led by a leader raised up by the Lord results in a time of peace.

31 - Shamgar is one of those Judges only mentioned in this one verse in the book, yet his service to the Lord is not forgotten.

Judges 3:7-11

2010-05-04T11:30:00.000+01:00

Judges 3:7-11

Othniel is one of the so called minor Judges. If we remember that 'minor' only refers to the amont of space given to their story in the text that's ok, but it's too easy to slip into imagining that these Judges are less important than the so called major Judges. That is a great error, it doesn't matter whether your part in the story is big or small, if you serve the Lord with faithfulness your part is as important as every other part.

The story of Othniel follows the expected pattern: sin, defeat, calling for mercy, the Lord raises a Judge who saves the people, and the Judge dies.

Repetition is very important in Scripture. The writting materials were expenses and space was valuable. You couldn't write on and on like a free blog post. So, when things are repeated in Scripture it is very important that we take close notice of what is being repeated.

This pattern of the book of Judges is repeated many times in this book, and is part of the big story of the bible. Our Christian living is marred by continual falling into sin, but saved by God's faithful mercy shown to us in the cross of the Lord Jesus.

Reftagger

2010-05-04T11:19:00.000+01:00

I found a great new piece of code reftagger - get it here.

If you use blogs or other sites and include references to Scripture this is a great way of having the text you refer to pop up whenever you move the cursor over the link.

Thanks to Charlie Cameron on whose blog I first saw this used. Read Charlie's blog at St Andrew's Bellsmyre

Judges 3:1-6

2010-05-01T08:15:00.000+01:00

Judges 3:1-6

OK, which is it to be? Did the Lord leave these nations to test Israel, v. 1? Or 1:27-36, were the nations too strong, or did Israel just give up on driving them out?

Of course, the answer is both!

In this passage we are suddenly dropped right into the midst of the mystery of God's providence. It is easy for us to explain the presence of the foreign nations in the midst of Israel in terms of human failure and disobedience, and that is true, Israel did fail and was disobedient.
But that is not the whole story.
God has purposes to achieve which require him to maintain the presence of foreign nations in Israel. The testing spoken of is that trial of faith, as though by fire. Will the people remain faithful to the Lord? God also has a purpose of teaching the people war.
We know these things are God's purpose because the Scripture reveals it to us.
But, can we understand it? No, I don't think we can.

There is much of God we can't and won't understand. We want to ask why did God chose to test and train his people this way? But we will never be told. Without this information the passage seems arbitrary, or unfair. Our response to the mystery of providence must be worship, submission, dependence. We will never understand God's ways, it is wicked presumption to pry into them. It is best to bow before such passages and recognise the sovereign grace of God revealed in them.

Judges 2:16-23

2010-04-30T08:15:00.000+01:00

Judges 2:16-23

The Lord is not only gracious in his keeping a remnant of the nation, holding them through the defeat by enemies. His grace is shown in the provision of Judges, leaders for the people.

Here we see how important a leader, called by God to exercise that leadership is.

The people fell into sin, the Lord raised up a Judge. The people did not listen to the Judge but continued in vile sin. The Judged acted in the power of God to save the people. The people responded to this salvation achieved through the Judge, but, as soon as he died the fall into sin once again.

The frustration of leadership is seen here, the leader is ignored and rejected. It has been said that a leader with no one following is just a guy taking a walk. However, a leader needs only have God with them, or better the one to be used as a leader needs only to keep close to and in step with God and their service will bear fruit.

The Church needs Godly leaders - make this a key prayer request.
Godly leaders need encouragement, need the fellowship of God's Spirit - make this a prayer request.

Judges 2:11-15

2010-04-29T15:51:00.003+01:00

Judges 2:11-15
This is a summary passage of the fall of Israel into idolatry which is sin. The presence of other nations beside the Israelites made it easy for them to begin Baal worship. Baal and Ashtaroth were fertility gods believed to bring strength to cattle and to multiply crops. This, I think, is the most common form of idol worship, still common today. Not that we have statues of bulls in our gardens or female idols by our beds, although too many people buy such items as fashion accessories for furnishing their homes!
No, we worship the gods of increase, all is aimed at multiplying our possessions, our money, whatever. We do not live lives content with the provision of the Lord but strive after an excess - it's called idolatry.

If it is suggested that the lesson from this text is that Christians, fearing the dangers of syncretistic idolatry, should withdraw from contact with non Christians, then the suggestion is clearly wrong. Living after the resurrection, the ascension and Pentecost, Christians are strengthened by God's Spirit powerfully working within them in a way that the Israelites were not.
What we should learn is that left to our own strength we would fare no better than ancient Israel. Even with the presence of the Spirit we can still through over familiarity with false patterns of worship find ourselves drawn away into the sin of idolatry, and that all too easily. While living in the world we must take care not to be infected by the godlessness of the world.

The Lord punishes this sin by invasion and defeat. The Lord has spoken of this punishment before, Deut 28:25 and Josh 23:13, when he brings this invasion and defeat the Lord is being faithful to his word.

There are consequences which follow from human sin. It is not unjust that these people bear the penalty for their sin, it is perfectly just. It is amazingly gracious that any survive, that the Lord perseveres with a remnant, who are not less sinful than those who died, but are recipients of grace.

Judges 2

2010-04-28T08:15:00.000+01:00

2:6-10
The death of Joshua is once again reported, in this section to illustrate how the people fell into sin following the death of their leader.

We know well that a Godly leader has a great influence on the life of a nation. Together with other leaders the memory of God's gracious acts is kept alive through a Godly leader.
But, when this leader and their generation are gone, it is all too easy for the next generation to forget, or abandon the ways of the Lord.

I think the challenge here to leaders is this: how do we not only teach the ways of the Lord, but enable others to experience the grace and power of the Lord? If my relationship with the Lord is mediated through a leader it always remains second hand, one step removed. We need to lead others into strong, enlivening, personal relationships with the Lord.
For those not leaders in the church: do we desire our own relationship with the Lord? Are we content to allow the 'professionals' to do all the relating to God on our behalf? Beware, this way will lead to our sinful abandoning of the Lord and his ways.

Judges 2

2010-04-27T08:15:00.002+01:00

2:1-5
The angel condemns the people of the Lord of disobedience. We should note that in what the angel says he reminds the people of the Lord's gracious work for them:
> freedom from slavery in Egypt;
> being brought into the land;
> being given a covenant to which the Lord is faithful.

In the light of this the people were commanded to break down the altars to other gods, who are not god, used for worship by the people of the land. This they have failed to do. In this they are disobedient to the Lord to their own harm. These altars which they have not destroyed will become the snares which entrap God's people in false worship.

The correct response of the people is weeping and mourning as they sacrifice to the Lord. Confession of sin is a time for mourning our falling into sin, our tears expressing our desire that we should be kept from sin in the future.

Judges 1

2010-04-26T12:53:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the long delay in continuing with chapter 1.

1:4-36 can be taken in one unit. We note within this long section that 1:4-18 and 22-26 are more positive, whereas 19-21 and 27-36 reflect a failure within Israel, I'm going to comment on these shorter units.

1:4-18
In these verses the tribe of Judah, in obedience to the Lord's command, go up against the inhabitants of the land. They gain the victory over the people and disposes them of lands and cities.
Caleb, as leader of the tribe, gives gifts to those who act valiantly in the battle(s).
The violence in this section, perhaps especially against Adonibezek may offend, but we should remember this account would not be unusual as a record of warfare of this time, and may indeed by thought of as restrained. Adonibezek receives what he has inflicted upon others in the past.

1:19-21
Here we read of a tribe, Benjamin, failing to drive out the inhabitants of the land. The living together of those who do not serve the Lord with those trying to serve the Lord always results in sin and the Lord being abandoned.
The tempting response is to remove ourselves from contact with non Christians, but this is not right. Newly empowered with God's Spirit and gifts of the resurrection Christians are better able to live in non Christian communities and maintain a faithful discipleship.

1:22-26
Another section recording the Lord going with his people and giving them the victory over their enemies.

1:27-36
While we read of Joseph driving out the inhabitants all the other tribes named here fail to drive out all the natives from their areas of the land.

This is a foreshadow of trouble to come. These nations who do not know the Lord will live together with Israel and lead Israel to worship other gods who are not gods and to abandon the Lord.
Of concern is also that driving out all these nations was the Lord’s purpose, but we see Israel settling for something less than God’s purpose. It is always sinful to settle for less than God desires for us.

Judges 1

2010-04-15T16:41:00.000+01:00

ok, can't put it off any more, here goes chapter 1 ...

1:1-3
Joshua is dead. We read again of his death in chapter 2. This is the setting for the opening of Judges, just as the death of Moses served as the setting for the opening of Joshua.
The death of a great leader is always a traumatic event for a nation and a people. Will the leader be forgotten? Will all the achievements of that leader be swept away under a new broom?

The people make a good beginning, the ask the Lord what they should do next. They know, because Joshua told them often enough, that the purpose of the Lord is for them to conquer the land and drive out all the inhabitants, the general plan is clear. But, specifically what are they to do first, or who is to go up first? Asking the Lord is always a good place to start and obeying his reply is even better.

Judah makes a good beginning. Once they know the Lord is sending them first, they go to a brother tribe, Simeon, and ask for help. We are probably to imagine that Judah could have done this by themselves, as so often we can carry out areas of Christian service by ourselves. However, it is better to share service with others and the mutuality of Judah's request is heartening and for us very often a challenge.

A good beginning, I'll get on to the 'success' of this beginning in another post.

Three books on Judges

2010-04-15T16:34:00.000+01:00

I'm getting closer to the text, it is coming. Here are some recommended books on Judges.

1. David Jackman 'Mastering The Old Testament: Vol 7: Judges and Ruth', pub 1991.
David Jackman, is in my opinion, one of the finest preacher of the last 20 years. His work is consistent good, of a very high standard and covers the text well. This book is aimed at preachers but would be of value to anyone seriously reading Judges.

2. Michael Wilcock 'The Message of Judges', pub 1992 (in the IVP The Bible Speaks Today series)
At only 175 pages this isn't a long book and probably isn't the most exciting book on Judges, if it's exciting you want try Wilcock on Revelation in the same series! It is a good treatement of the text, apart from the final five chapters which are given only 25 pages (and the text is printed in these few pages).

3. Dale Ralph Davis 'Judges: Such a great salvation', pub 2000 (in the Christian Focus ed.)
Dale Ralph Davis on the former prophets is a must have, these are truly great books on passages of Scripture which many Christians struggle with. Judges is covered in 21 chapters and although not every stone is overturned this is a very good book and probably my top recommendation from these three.

I generally don't recommend series' as a whole, most series' are good in parts. I don't have any critical texts on Judges, and nothing on the Hebrew text so I don't know what's good in these areas.

If you have, or know of any good books on Judges why not leave a comment with a recommendation.

Judges - An Overview

2010-04-13T19:15:00.001+01:00

Still on general introduction to Judges.

An overview of the book can be given as follows:

1:1-3:6 - A general introduction to the book and the period, most of the key themes of the book are
introduced in these verses.
3:7-31 - the first three Judges
4:1-5:31 - Deborah and Barak (a very interesting section as it allows us to compare a Hebrew prose
account of an event with a poetic retelling of the same event.)
6:1-8:35 - Gideon
9:1-12:15 - various Judges, two chapters on Jephthah
13:1-16:31 - Samson
17:1-18:31 - Micah's idols
19:1-21:24 - A levite and his concubine
21:25 - programatic summary of the book

Such an overview allows us to identify the major narrative sections, Gideon, Samson, Deborah and Barak, Jephthah. Because we have not limited the key themes of Judges to the lives and events of the Judges chapters 17 to 21 do not appear as some kind of appendage roughly added to this text, but are a key part of the shape of Judges and its theological importance. These chapters are of course some of the most 'offensive' in the OT and it is good to tie them closely into the structure of the book and therefore the main story line of the whole OT.

Judges - key themes

2010-04-12T11:03:00.000+01:00

Before diving into the text, which is what we really want to do, let me set out what I think are a few of the key themes in this book of Judges.

1. The land.
Forming part of the promise to Abraham from Gen 12 on the land, this particular land, features prominently, not only in Judges, but in Joshua, Ruth and the latter Prophets.

2. Repeated sin.
This book is designed to highlight the cyclical nature of human sin. Over and over the people fall into rebellion against the God who has brought them up out of Egypt.

3. Repeated faithfulness.
Not from the people, but from God. Our Father's response to human sin is divine mercy and grace - yes, even if that grace is shown through the hard times of judgement and punishment upon sin.

4. Repeated failure.
The title of the book comes from the Judges who are the main characters. They are raised up by repeated fail to change the people, they cannot arrest the cycle of sin.

5. Where is the king?
21:25 is probably the programatic verse in this book. Where the Judges fail we are offered the hope that a king might succeed. This launches us into the narratives of Samuel and Kings.

Coming Next

2010-04-02T10:36:00.000+01:00

Thanks to everyone who has been following the posts on Galatians. I hope they have been helpful.

Next week I'm on holiday so beginning on Monday 12 April (fanfare now ...) Judges!

A recent Bible Society survey of bible reading people reveals a great discomfort with the OT in general and the narrative portions in particular. Judges has a few of the so-called 'texts of terror', so pray that as I post and you read over the coming weeks that God will open our eyes to his word in this book.

Gal 6

2010-04-01T15:07:00.000+01:00

Verses 11 to 18

If Paul has dictated this letter to a scribe, v. 11 becomes an authenticating mark in his own hand. Which can only work if someone receiving the letter would recognise Paul's large letters.

Paul ends this letter with the contrast between making a show in the flesh and holding fast to the cross of Christ. Circumcision has this value, you can measure it. You can boast of it. You can do neither with the cross of Christ.
It is claimed that by circumcision the law is kept, however, the whole law is not kept or even attempted.

A Christian's boast is in the cross of Christ - note, not the Christ upon the cross, but the cross of Christ. In union with Christ we die, we die to the world and its poor, selfish desires. Under the cross we are like those who are dead to the world.
Paul is not arguing that uncircumcision is better than circumcision. The new creation which follows the cross is everything.

There will be peace and mercy upon all who are in union with Christ and who cling fast to the cross.

Gal 6

2010-03-31T16:38:00.000+01:00

Verses 6 to 10

These verses continue the theme of how someone who is spiritual is to live in step with the Spirit.

'All good things' in v. 6 is probably a way of refering to all the many blessings we have received from God our Father. It is a great encouragement to teachers of God's word when those who are taught share something of God's blessing: yes, materially, teachers in the church are to be supported, but also spiritually. When was the last time you encouraged someone who teaches you by sharing with them something you have learned, some insight into God's grace you have received?

v. 7, I think, is saying something like this ... it is possible to live selfishly and think that God will bless your selfishness. But, God will not be abused like this, he can see right through you. Sowing to the flesh, v. 8, is selfishness, such a way of life brings only destruction. On the other hand, sowing to the Spirit is living generously, courageously for others. Eternal life is that life in God's presence those in step with the Spirit presently enjoy, more of this life is what reap when we live in step with God's Spirit - so, no surprise there!

vv. 9-10 There is a phrase I often hear, 'I've worked for the church (Guild/Sunday school/missions/choir) for ** many years, it's time for the younger ones to take their turn.' Not always, but sometimes what is actually being said is, 'I'm tired of all this good work and I want to have more time for my things.' We can grow weary of doing good.
Or how about, 'We've been at the evangelism/service/praying/whatever for ages now and nothing is happening, let's do something else.' I wonder how many Christians have given up on some work for the gospel before it was God's time to bless their labours?
Doing good, keeping in step with the Spirit, being spiritual is not something we do for a season and then move on to the next thing (apart from the return of the Lord Jesus there is no next thing). I know how hard it is, but we are to keep on, take every opportunity to do good.

Gal 6

2010-03-30T10:52:00.000+01:00

We can divide this final chapter of Galatians as follows:
1-5
6-10
11-16
17-18

Verses 1 to 5
The phrase 'you who are spiritual' connects this section with chapter 5. Those who are spiritual are those who walk by the Spirit, who produce the fruit of the Spirit. Paul is not moving onto another theme or topic, but another part of the same thing.
In passing this is the same word which we find in 1 Cor 12:1, 14:1 where it is usually rendered 'spiritual gifts'. I think the whole section in 1 Cor, chapters 12 to 14 is better understood as being not about spiritual gifts, but about being spiritual. What is the Spirit filled life like? Gal 6 here adds to this picture Paul offers us.

Those who are spiritual bear other's burdens, work for reconciliation. Forgiveness is difficult because we don't want to carry the load which will remove temptation from others, we don't want to engage in the difficult work of reconciliation. What does it mean to say, 'I forgive you, but I don't want anything to do with you'?
Spiritual people recognise their own need for forgiveness, their own need for help with their burdens and learn, in step with the Spirit, what it means to lovingly care for others.

Gal 5

2010-03-29T11:38:00.000+01:00

Verses 16 to 26

I'm sure that many of us have heard sermons which seem to focus upon vv. 17-21. Like conversion testimonies which so glamourise our life before Christ that the rest of us are left thinking, 'Well I had a pretty dull life and didn't sin as much as I could.'
We need to know what the life of the sinful nature is - but only so we can avoid it. Not so we can endless talk about it.

I read this passage in Peterson's The Message a few weeks ago and I think the way he presents the fruit of the Spirit is really good and worth setting out side by side with the ESV:
ESV                     Peterson The Message
Love                    Affection for others
Joy                       Exuberance about life
Peace                   Serenity
Patience               We develop a willingness to stick with things
Kindness              A sense of campassion in the heart
Goodness             A conviction that a basic holiness permeates things
Faithfulness         Involved in loyal commitments
Gentleness           Not needing to force our way in life
Self-control         Able to marshal and direct our energies wisely

Some are better than others, but on the whole Peterson will help us look at this familiar passage in a new light, and that has to be good.

There is a phrase I like about practising the presence of God. I wonder if we need to have an additional phrase practising living in step with the Spirit? Sometimes the message that the Spirit will grow his fruit in us can lead to a passive waiting for the Spirit to grow patience in me. But, we are already filled by and with the Spirit can we not begin to practise living as tree producing this beautiful fruit?

Gal 5

2010-03-29T11:18:00.000+01:00

Verses 13 to 15
Freedom is a great blessing in Christian living which we receive in union with Christ. However, the word 'freedom' can be a trap to many. We hear freedom and we think, 'Great, I can do whatever I like.'

Our freedom in Christ is in Christ. We have been set free from sin, death and the devil so that we can now serve Christ, serve others, live as a blessing to the nations. Our freedom in Christ is not for ourselves, but for others. We need to learn this new perspective upon freedom.

Biblefresh

2010-03-27T16:03:00.000Z

The biblefresh web site is now live. There is a link on my side bar, please do visit the biblefresh site.

There are lot's of good resources to help us read the bible, and to help us encourage others to read the bible. Visit the site, read the bible - it could change your world!

The biblefresh Scotland launch is on Monday 24 May in Edinburgh, venue and time to follow, also details of events elsewhere, probably Glasgow and Dundee.

Gal 5

2010-03-24T12:13:00.000Z

Verses 7 to 12

The metaphor here is of running and being hindered from running - very similar to standing firm or falling away, holding fast and letting go; having received the gospel and abandoning the gospel.

Obeying the truth is a key phrase in Galatians, to obey the truth is to remain in the gospel. Obedience is not a contrast to faith, but a consequence of faith and salvation. Yes, a letter in the NT which is traditionally held up as one of the great texts for justification by faith alone requires from those so justified, obedience.

There is a persuasion, a temptation to not obey the truth. God who calls us as his disciples will not persuade or tempt us in this way. The old saying is true, just a little of such persuasion will infect the whole lump. Just a few who encourage us to disobey can very easily cause great trouble for the church.

Paul has great confidence, not I think in the church, or Christians, at Galatia, but in the truth of the gospel. He believes that when he preaches, or writes, of the gospel that gospel carries with it all the power and clarity needed to persuade others of its truthfulness. Paul therefore can hope in the gospel that those taking a different position from his will have their minds changed by the gospel. The judgment or punishment reserved for those not submitting to the gospel is the judgment of God which will fall upon all who reject his gospel.

The cross is offensive: it challenges our self-sufficiency, declares our sinfulness, rebukes our rejection of God - we are offended when we are challenged and condemned as rebel sinners before our God. To preach the cross faithfully is to put one's self in a place of being rejected and causing offence. What then shall we do, give up on preaching the cross? May it never be. Only the cross makes all people right with God. Let it offend us, better that we are offended and led to the cross than not offended, not brought to the cross and so not saved by Christ.

v. 12 very well expresses the exasperation of Paul towards those who teach human actions in place of the cross.

Gal 5

2010-03-23T09:49:00.000Z

Verses 2 to 6
It might appear as though Paul were saying that Christ and the law are mutually exclusive; you can have either the law or Christ but not both. However, that's not exactly right.

Accepting circumcision is about our practice, our lifestyle and the way we think or hope we can approach God. To accept circumcision is to depend upon the act of circumcision for our acceptance with God. When we do this, clearly, Christ becomes meaningless to us, since the gospel declares to us that in Christ alone can we find acceptance with God.
This is made clear in v. 4 of this paragraph where Paul writes about desiring to be justified (made right with God) by the law. If that is our desire we have 'fallen away from grace' - nb. there is the falling away theme once again!!

Christ and the law are not mutually exclusive, that is the wrong way to think about how Christ relates to the law. Christ fulfills, achieves, completes, satisfies the law. In Christ the law is ended. The law points to Christ and now Christ has done the law is fulfilled in Christ.

We are to approach God in Christ, depending upon his finished work, with faith enlivened by the Spirit clinging to the hope of righteousness - which is Christ. It really is all about Jesus!

v. 6 needs careful handling. In response to vv. 2-5 we cannot simply ignore circumcision, or any other religious practice we may think of. Non circumcision is no more of a claim before God than circumcision. United to Christ Jesus by the gift of faith which is made alive in us by the Spirit we find that our lives are changed and our deeds, our actions become those of love. Faith alone does not mean we sit at home, comfortable in our intellectual comprehension of 'the faith'. By no means! Grace alone describes our salvation by God in Christ, faith alone describes our union with Christ and our life now lived in union with our Saviour.
Faith is only faith when it results in acts of love displayed in our lives.

Gal 5

2010-03-22T09:55:00.000Z

We can divide Gal 5 into the following sections:
1
2-6
7-12
13-15
16-26

Verse 1 has been coming for a while now, all through chapter 4 we could sense it coming over the horizon.

This surely is the characteristic call to the Galatians - stand firm! Do not submit again!

The blessing of the gospel, the outcome of being justified by faith is freedom in Christ: freedom to worship God, freedom to follow Jesus, freedom to live by the Spirit.
We have been set free for (in order that we might enjoy) freedom!

Do we live in this freedom? Are we remaining there (standing firm)? Or have we exchanged our freedom in Christ for a new slavery?

Gal 4:21-31

2010-03-21T16:01:00.000Z

Paul brings his critique of seeking to live under the law to a head with this contrasting use of the Hagar Sarah narrative.

Of interest is v. 24 where Paul writes 'this may be interpreted allegorically'. Allegory is a very particular form of textual interpretation which should be used very carefully, and I think sparingly, in relation to the bible. Allegory is different from typology and the two must be carefully distinguished. There are a few places, here and the 'parable' in Matt 21:33-46 being two obvious ones. I write 'parable' since being an allegory there is a legitimate question about this text fitting into the genre of parable.

Back to Gal 4, Paul is contrasting the liberty enjoyed by the child of the promise in contrast to the natural born child who is not free. This use of the Hagar Sarah narrative does not diminish the historical nature of this narrative, these things did happen. However, guided by the Spirit Paul is able to use them in this way to add weight to all he has written about our relationship to the law and the great liberty offered in the gospel.

Gal 4:12-20

2010-03-18T09:32:00.000Z

In a very personal passage Paul expresses his deep concern for the Galatians as they waver over the truth of the gospel and are tempted to return to former ways.
Characteristically, Paul offers himself as an example for other disciples to follow. At times we are tempted to write this off by reminding ourselves that Paul is an Apostle and we're not. Such cowardice will not do, too many young believers are desperately looking for role models from older disciples, worked examples of how to live as those who depend upon Jesus.
Do we not give thanks to God, and rightly so, for those who showed us gospel living in their lives? Should we not seek to be such people who will show others?

Paul has preached and shown the gospel to the Galatians. They have received this gospel as though brought to them by 'an angel of God' (v. 14). We can well understand why Paul is perplexed, why would anyone abandon such a gospel?

v. 19 has a very helpful note from Paul about what is happening in our lives as we receive and continue in the gospel, 'Christ is formed in you!' Is this how we think about gospel living? Is our first priority our own salvation or forgiveness? What place does the formation of Christ in us have in our thinking? As people in whom Christ is formed we surely become that blessing to the nations promised by the Father to Abraham, see 3:14 again. What a goal for our discipleship!

Gal 4:8-11

2010-03-17T13:26:00.000Z

Paul writes more than once about how entering a Christian life is turning from false gods to the one true God - see 1 Thess 1:9-10.
In this short paragraph Paul writes of the on going temptation faced by Christians to make the return trip. It might be that this is the key theme of Galatians - 1:6, 10; 2:5, 13, 14, 18; 3:3, 4; 5:1, 2, 4, 7, 8. Having become Christian by the work of God through his Spirit we are often tempted to regress to a form of self-help religion which denies the gospel.
It is possible that Paul's writing on justification and righteousness in chapter 3 is done in service of calling Christian back from this error of abandoning the gospel.
4:9 - Paul is asking how can we do this.

We are attracted by ceremonies, by rituals, by being part of the 'in crowd' - all of which is offered us in false religion. If the Christians in Galatia, or in Stranraer or wherever do this, then Paul may well despair that his labours have been in vain.

So any Christian reading this - time for self reflection and examination: where do you find, in your religious life, that you are depending upon days, seasons, rituals, ceremonies - which you know have become a false god to you? What is tempting you in this direction? How can we encourage one another to remain in the gospel now that we have come to know God?

Gal 4:1-7

2010-03-16T19:04:00.000Z

Sorry for the break over the past two weeks, everything else took over, but I'm back to Gal 4.

We can divide up the chapter:
1-7
8-11
12-20
21-31

This opening paragraph then follows immediately from the end of chapter 3.

In Paul's culture a son who would inherit had a lowly status before he came into his inheritance, just like being a slave. The common practice was to appoint guardians, or managers of the estate, until the son came into his inheritance.
Paul draws the comparison between the condition of a son and 'we', all those who have now become disciples of Jesus. We have all been in the condition of slaves, yes, slaves to the world, to our flesh, to our desires.
Paul has come to see that the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus; his death, resurrection and ascension is the time set by God the Father for his children to enter into their inheritance.
Redeemed, v. 5, is a commercial term - purchased for God. Adoption as sons continues the family and inheritance metaphor, both of these terms describing in part what it means for us to enter into the liberty of the children of God.
One of the blessings of our becoming children of God is the gift and receipt of the Spirit of God within us. God gives his Spirit to all his children - the gift of the Spirit is not a higher blessing but in inseperable from our life as disciples of the Lord Jesus. It is only by the working of God's Spirit within us that anyone can call out to God, as Jesus the Son taught us, 'Father'.

I think this paragraph is one of the very few where 'son' cannot always be rendered as gender neutral. In Paul's culture only the son would inherit, but in the gospel all become 'sons' in the sense that all inherit the blessings of God without in any sense all becoming male.

Gal 3:23-29

2010-02-26T15:40:00.000Z

I don't like to say the bible is difficult, with the help of the Holy Spirit God's children are well equipped to understand our Father's word. However, Gal 3 is quite a dense passage. With that thought we come to the final section.

Before and after - before faith came and after faith came. In v. 23 by 'faith' Paul means something like 'Christ upon whom we can depend to fulfil the law and remove its curse'. Only after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus was it possible for us to have faith in Christ and so be set free from the law. 'Faith' describes the possibility of life with Christ apart from the law.

To lead us to Christ - now in v. 24 Paul teaches a second use of the law. The law fulfils the function of a particular household slave, the one who took the family children to school. He wasn't the teacher, just the supervisor of the journey to school. So the law, once we realise that we can't obey it and that it won't make us right with God, leads us to Christ as the only one who has obeyed it and the only one who can make us right with God. Once we have been led to Christ the work of the slave (the law) is over, we are set free from the slave to learn from our new master Christ.

All sons of God - I passionately believe that v. 26 is not only for males, it is for females also. However, it is one of the few verses where it is important to retain the male term 'son'. Paul is moving to the climax of this chapter, namely, that in Christ we all become co-heirs. In the ancient world only the male child could inherit, so Paul is saying that in Christ we all become those who will inherit from our Father. (We do not all become male, but we do all enter into the rights of inheritance).
All - is such an important word. The many and various ways we humans have of dividing ourselves from one another become meaningless in Christ. As many as were baptised, as many as are clothed anew in Christ, as many as now belong by faith to Christ, so many are All. All these are one new people, one new humanity in Christ.
This remarkable unity in Christ for all people is the good news of the gospel. You are all one in Christ Jesus.

Heirs according to promise - promise has been a key theme of this chapter. We become co-heirs not by law, not by right, not by obedience, but by faith in Christ.

Since unity in Christ is the good news, what should we do to promote unity with other Christians?
How should Christian view the law and make use of the law in the light of what Paul teaches us here?

Gal 3:15-18 + 19-22

2010-02-26T10:49:00.000Z

Gal 3:15-18
Paul offers a good example for all teachers/preachers. Take an example from a situation known to those you are teaching to illustrate the point you are hoping to make clear. Clarity is vital in teaching and good examples which answer the question, 'What is this like?' help make things clear. Let's see how Paul's example works.

v. 15 - self-evidently true, the point of entering a covenant, or contract, is that once it is signed it cannot be set aside or amended.
v. 16 - begin at the beginning, the promise comes first. To some Paul's point may seem like nit-picking, but these things are important. It would have been just as easy for God to make his promise to Abraham and his offsprings, as to make the promise to Abraham and his offspring. God doesn't make mistakes, what he says is what he means. Notice Paul says the offspring is Christ. In this context Christ, or Messiah, functions as a technical term that would have been recognised from the OT as designating the promised King in God's Kingdom. In itself this is not a point that would have been challenged by first Century Jews. To identify the Christ as Jesus of Nazareth would have been, and still is for many.
Paul's point here, however, is not to identify the Christ, but to clarify that the promises were made to Abraham and to the Christ.
v. 17 - the law, given at Mt Sinai, was added after the promise. On the principle of v. 15 the law added later does not set aside or amend the promise.
v. 18 - draws an obvious conclusion. The promise was of an inheritance, the law is not about this and cannot be about this.

Paul here shows us that the promises of God are made to, or about the Christ and through the promise, the Christ an inheritance is given to Abraham and his children. The law, whatever its function, is not involved here.
What difference does it make for us that God gives us 'the inheritance' by promise and not by law? How should we live while we await the receipt of 'the inheritance'?

Gal 3:19-22
I'm sure you're asking, 'What then is the point of the law?' Paul anticipates this question and presents here one of the answers.
I think v. 19 means that because the law exists we know more clearly what transgressions are. Transgressions are breaking the law, crossing the boundary, before the law is promulgated we don't know where the boundary is. But once the law is declared when we break it we are rightly condemned as law breakers.
In this the law functions to restrain wickedness. We now know within which boundaries good living, right living occurs. If we remain within the boundaries of the law then wickedness is held in check, which is a good thing for all society.
In vv. 21-22 Paul addresses another objection. The law and the promises are not set against one another. The law was never able to give life (the inheritance) to humanity, because of our human weakness and inability not to sin (break the law). The law serves good purposes in the plans of God, one of which is to restrain wickedness, the promise offers life through faith in the Christ.

Gal 3:10-14

2010-02-25T10:37:00.000Z

In this paragraph Paul writes of the curse that attends law-breaking. Most famously Deut 28 records blessings for obedience (14 verses) and curses for disobedience (54 verses). It is all very well to claim that the gospel announces freedom from the law and the demands of the law, but we have all been disobedient to the law, what happens about the curse that follows from disobedience?

v. 10 - here Paul sets out the problem very briefly and clearly.
v. 11 - summarises much of Paul's arguments so far, the law does not make us right with God, not only because no one has fully obeyed the law, but more importantly those who are right with God (righteous) have been made righteous by faith (in Christ) not by self fulfilment of the law.
v. 12 - the contrast between the law and faith is explained in terms of work. Obedience to the law is a work, something which we do. The nature of faith is that it is a gift of God, God gives us faith and his Spirit enlivens this faith within us to our blessing.
It is like two different operating systems, works xp or faith 7, they may look as though they do the same thing(s) but they don't, and they don't function in the same way.
v. 13 - returning to the curse of the law, Paul claims that the object of faith - Christ - redeems us from the curse of the law. In his crucifixion Christ fell under the curse of the law, the reference is to Deut 21:23, one verse which stands for all the curses of the law falling upon Christ upon the cross. The key to v. 13 is the two small words 'for us'. Christ did not deserve to have the curse of the law fall upon him, he had no sin in himself. This is substitution, Christ takes our place under the curse, a place we deserve but are set free from because Christ has filled it. The curse has been borne and is fulfilled, "Payment God cannot twice demand, once at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again at mine." (Toplady).
v. 14 - and so Abraham appears again!
'so that ...' refers back to 'Christ redeemed us' (v. 13), giving the sense 'Christ has redeemed us so that ...' How would you finish this sentence? If you don't finish it the way Paul does your thinking is not yet fully in line with Paul's and the NT. So that introduces a purpose clause, the purpose of Christ's redemption of us is to bring the blessing promised to Abraham to the Gentiles!!
That all humanity were under the curse of disobedience has prevented the promised blessing being given. But now Christ has redeemed us, the curse is removed, and the blessing is freely given.
The Spirit is now poured out upon God's people through faith.

Christ removes the curse, not by force but by enduring the penalty of the curse.
To those who exercise faith in Christ and his curse removal the blessing of the promised Spirit is given.

To God be the glory.

Gal 3:7-9

2010-02-24T17:13:00.000Z

Like an unexpected guest at a party, Abraham seems to turn up in the New Testament in places where you dont really expect to find him. We will see this again in the next paragraph, but the point is worth making twice, when the NT seems to head off in an unexpected direction it's not the NT that's wrong! Our thinking about the gospel is often muddled and when we are surprised it is a good chance for us to have our thinking straightened out a bit.

Abraham was introduced in this chapter in v. 6, apparantly as an example of someone who was made right with God (justified) by faith not works.
v. 7 - to be a son of Abraham was a great boast of the Jewish peoples. Racially they are the children of Abraham and the Gentiles are not. However, theologically or in terms of salvation being the children of Abraham is not about race, but about faith. Those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ, portrayed as crucified, become the children of Abraham.
v. 8 - in this verse Paul asserts, without giving us chapter and verse references, that the Scriptures have foretold God's purposes to make the Gentiles right with him through faith. We are pointed to Gen 12:3, the great promise that in Abraham all the nation of the earth would be blessed. In this context the blessing refered to here can only be that of being made right with God by faith.
v. 9 - the same blessing promised to Abraham, and enjoyed by Abraham, is now offered to all, Jew and Gentile alike, is now enjoyed by all, Jew and Gentile alike. This fundamental distinction between the Jews and everyone else is destroyed by the gospel which reaches through and beyond such divisions.

Why is Abraham of such importance to Paul? What is faith in these verses?

Gal 3, 3:1-6

2010-02-22T16:10:00.000Z

Galatians chapter 3

Galatians chapters 3 and 4 are very closely connected and together form a densely constructed passage of Scripture. These are some of the most important chapters in the New Testament and if we take them one piece at a time we can keep on the main road through these chapters.

Chapter 3 can be divided as follows:

3:1-6

3:7-9

3:10-14

3:15-18

3:19-22

3:23-29

3:1-6

Jesus Christ has been proclaimed to the Galatians as the crucified One, through whom alone the blessings of the gospel come to those who believe. In this short section Paul uses six powerful questions to help the Galatians realise the danger they have placed themselves in by moving away from Christ crucified.

Questions are very helpful when studying Scripture, what questions would you ask of this text? Questions are also helpful when talking with non-Christians about the gospel, what questions do you think would be helpful to ask others to help them think about Jesus?

In v. 2 Paul reminds the Galatian Christians that they have received the Spirit. When they heard the gospel and received it with faith in Christ they received God’s Spirit now powerfully living and working within them. They did not receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law.

It doesn’t matter much whether they viewed the works of the law as an appeal to God for acceptance or a badge to wear declaring their membership of the covenant community, either way they are of no benefit in receiving the Spirit. God’s gift of the Spirit is not earned by us through our hard work, nor through our belonging to a community. God the Father and the Son together send the God the Spirit to those who having been crucified with Christ now live together with Christ.

Verse 3 challenges our thinking about continuing our Christian lives. We rejoice that our Christian lives started with the Spirit bringing us to new life in Christ. Are we then to imagine that we continue being Christian through our own efforts? I hope when we read and write it as bluntly as this the point is clear! The life of the Spirit will involve suffering, v. 4, the kind of opposition Paul faced from the circumcision party, if nothing less. Paul appeals to his readers make your suffering worth while.

The repetition of the theme comes to vv. 5-6, Abraham heard God and believed the promise. He becomes the example of faith. He gains from God a righteousness that was not his own, could not have been earned or crafted by himself. But, as he commits himself in faith to the God who has spoken to him he receives righteousness from God.

What is it we hear that we place our faith in?

Gal 2:17-21

2010-02-19T16:23:00.000Z

Now, after my previous post on justification and righteousness let's finish off chapter 2 with this final paragraph.

Paul has been writing, vv. 15-16, that in Christ we are already justified (made right with God). But, we know, at least I hope we do, that in our lives we continue to sin. This appears a serious objection to Paul's understanding of justification. If we sin how can we be justified, does justification become a hope stored up for us in glory? Or, if we sin does that make Christ, to whom we are united, a sinner or servant of sin? 'Certainly not!' isn't really strong enough for Paul's rejection of this error.

Christ dies for us and God accepts the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. On this basis alone we are justified, made righteous before God.
This is what God, through Christ, has done for us.

I however, continue to live in sin. V. 18 is a very vivid picture of my rebuilding walls of sin which Christ has torn down. Christ destroys sin, if it is rebuilt or continues in my life that is up to me.
Why do we continue to sin?

Paul seeks to address our minds, our understanding of who we now are in Christ.
v. 19 - if I have died to the law I am no longer bound to the law but am set free to live to God.
v. 20 - on the cross Christ died to sin and rose again to a new life. United to Christ, 'in Christ', I share in his death to sin and also share in his rising to a new life. Everyday I live now, I live as one united to the Son of God and sharing his life, or knowing his life powerfully within me.
These verses describe a change, a change that has taken place within us. We can choose, it would appear every day, whether we will slip back into the old life or vigorously enter into the new life. In the weakness of our flesh (to use a loaded Pauline term!) we cannot but fail to live this new life and constantly fall back into the old life of sin and death.
This does not in any way diminish the reality, the fact of the cross and what God has achieved for us in Christ. This does not allow us to settle for sin and condone sin, rather we are to 'endeavour' (v. 17) to live in Christ, to enjoy the new life of those justified, made right with God through the cross of the Lord Jesus.
How can we encourage ourselves and others to live as those already justified? What role does faith play in this?

Justification, Righteousness and Gal 2:17 and 21

2010-02-19T16:09:00.000Z

Galatians is one of the main text over which the battle for justification has been, and is again being fought.

The word 'justified' in v. 17 comes from the same root word which at other places in English versions is translated 'righteousness. For example, 'righteousness' in v. 21 is from the same root as 'justified' in v. 17. Justified sounds quite different from righteousness, but the two are very closely related. I think the idea behind these words, or this word group if you prefer, is being made right with God.
So v. 17 would become something like (and this is very inelegant English):
'But if, in our endeavour to be made right with God in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!'
And v. 21:
'I do not nullify the grace of God, for if being right with God were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.'

Two comments arise here.
1) It is God who is the object of justification/righteousness. We find ourselves in a condition of not being right with God and need to be made right with him. Righteousness or justification is not something we need to live in this world as godless humans, but if we desire to live together with God we must be first made right with him. This is the work, which God achieves for us, that is described by these two terms righteousness/justification.
2) These verses Gal 2:17 and 21 make it clear that our being justified or made righteous involves Christ. The 'in Christ' from v. 17 tells us that only united together with Christ can we be made right with God. And v. 21 adds the specific note that the death of Christ, rather than the law, achieves our being right with God, otherwise Christ's death is pointless. It is as we understand Christ's death to achieve our being made right with God that we see this work as not ours but God's, in Christ or through Christ, on our behalf.

These verses say nothing about a transfer of Christ's righteousness to us, nor offer any idea as to how the death of Christ might have achieved this great blessing for us. It is always good, indeed I would say vital, to stop where the bible stops and say nothing more. Now it may be that other passages add to Gal 2, but this post is on these verses not an attempt to offer a full description of justification and righteousness.

Does it make any difference to connect the words 'justified/justification' with the words 'righteous/righteousness'? What does it mean for us and our lives that God has achieved our justification/righteousness through the death of Christ?

Gal 2:11-16

2010-02-18T11:41:00.000Z

The discussion about the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church without submitting to Jewish customs is earthed in a painful episode at Antioch where Paul challenges Peter on his behaviour.

Peter has come to Antioch and joins in with Paul, Barnabas and the Gentiles in sharing Christian fellowship around the meal table. Some men come down who are described as coming from the circumcision party, from James in Jerusalem. Peter withdraws to eat with them to the exclusion of the Gentiles and draws others behind him.
In what ways do we value the example of other Christians? How should we reflect upon the importance of our example in our daily living as an encouragement to other Christians, and non-Christians?

Paul challenges Peter as he sees the gospel at stake in this exchange.
In the gospel all are welcomed on the condition of faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Christ Jesus does not save, does not achieve forgiveness of sins: the death of Christ on the cross and his glorious resurrection do that. Faith is that gift of God which unites us to Christ and by which God exercises the benefits of Christ in our lives.
To impose any other requirement upon anyone is to add to Christ's work something not done by Christ but done by humans.
The works of the law may be those things done by humans aiming to achieve reconciliation with God by our own effort, or they may be those deeds proudly worn as badges which identify us as members of this or that group. It comes to the same thing, we are not made right with God by anything other than Christ and his work for us.
What do we do in our attempt to make ourselves right with God by our own efforts? On what basis do we welcome others into Christian fellowship with us?

Gal 2:1-10

2010-02-16T11:41:00.000Z

At its simplest, Gal 2 can be divided into two sections:
2:1-10 and 2:11-21

Sometimes the first part is divided, 1-5 and 6-10, and the second part can be divided 11-16 and 17-21.

A big picture view of Galatians could take 1:11-2:14 as a unit in which Paul defends the independence of his gospel.

2:1-10
There is a high degree of uncertainty about what Paul was doing for the 14 years mentioned in verse 1. Paul's point is that he was not learning the gospel from the Jerusalem apostles. As Paul received the gospel by revelation, so it is important for Paul to mention that when he goes up to Jerusalem he goes in obedience to revelation.
What do you think Paul means by revelation? Why is it important for us, 2,000 years later?

Paul does not yield his understanding of the gospel, or his practice of Christian living to anyone. I think we must imagine that some have tried to force Titus to submit to circumcision, but Paul has not yielded and Titus could not be forced. In this Paul sees himself as preserving the truth of the gospel.
There are many issues on which Christians may disagree, how can we discern those few areas where we must not yield? What do you think these non-negotiable issues might be?

Paul mentions three pillars of the church: James, Cephas and John, only to tell his readers that they approved of his gospel ministry and this publicly in the giving of the right hand of fellowship. I'm struck that the one positive gospel issue named in these verses is care for the poor. (Not being circumcised is a gospel issue but not a positive one). Too often we omit care for the poor from our top line gospel issues. We may feel willing to stand firm and not yield on the deity of the Lord Jesus, God having spoken in Scripture, forgiveness through the cross - but do we always include care for the poor?
What do we learn about the importance of Christian fellowship from these verses? What is it about the gospel that should impress caring for the poor upon us as a foundational way of Christian living?

Gal 1:10-24

2010-02-11T16:10:00.000Z

1:10-24

Let’s take this as one longer section.

If the gospel was a human work, invented or imagined by humans, then it would fine wide and general acceptance from humans. If any preacher was attempting to please their hearers preaching a human gospel is a sure way to achieve this goal. Before Paul became a Christian he responded to those Christians who preached the gospel with hatred and anger, he persecuted the church. A revelation of God’s grace through the gospel will give rise to hatred and violence.

Why do you think the gospel produces a response of violent rejection?

Paul insists that the gospel he preaches is not a human gospel. He defends this by assuring his readers of the origins of his gospel. Paul was not taught by any human, he did not learn the gospel from those were apostles before him. Paul received the gospel of Jesus Christ, from Jesus Christ, by revelation.

If God had not graciously chosen to make the gospel known then no human could have learned it – we could never work out or imagine a god who would be so gracious towards us. One implication of revelation is that we receive the gospel as it is, we do not then have liberty to change the gospel to suit ourselves or our friends. (see 1:6-9). The correct response to revelation is humble gratitude – we acknowledge that God did not need to reveal anything to us but has graciously chosen to reveal his gospel and with thanksgiving we accept the offer of the gospel that there is good news for us from God about our living together with God. (More about what the gospel is later in Galatians).

Why do you think revelation is important? What evidence do you think there is that God has revealed the gospel to us?

Can you imagine how great a challenge a converted Paul must have been to the church in Jerusalem and Judea? Paul had never persecuted anyone in Galatia, it was easier for them to accept him, but what about that Christian widow in Jerusalem whose husband had been arrested and killed by Paul? Or that family made homeless in his persecuting rage? It wasn’t easy, but the truth of the gospel overcomes such difficulties and these young Christians glorified God because of Paul and his conversion and service.

Who do you find it difficult to glorify God because of them and their service? What is it in the gospel that enables us to welcome one another, whatever our background or previous life?

Gal 1:6-9

2010-02-10T16:41:00.000Z

Gal 1:6-9

What a truly frightening passage! We can be a church, a Christian, who thinks they are holding to the gospel but find that we have exchanged it for something which is not the gospel at all.

The gospel is good news from God. There is only one gospel, there is one story which is good news for us from God. We do not have liberty to change, amend, alter or otherwise tamper with the gospel.
Where are we tempted to change the gospel in our days?

God, in the gospel, calls us in the grace of Christ into a relationship with himself. The gospel is good news because being in a relationship with God is our highest good, our greatest goal. If we change the gospel, or leave the gospel, we are abandoning God and will find ourselves trying to worship another god, who is no god at all.

This challenge to the church arises from within the church. Non Christians calling us to leave the gospel will not tempt us with another gospel. From within the church, from those who are trying to follow Jesus this temptation rises. There is another way of being Christian, another way of entering into a relationship with God, why not try this way?

Paul writes very strongly ‘let him be accursed’. I think that Paul is not telling us to exercise any kind of physical punishment upon those false preachers, because only God can rightly judge anyone accursed. Paul is warning us that God will so judge all who teach as the gospel that which is no gospel at all.

Why do you think Paul writes so strongly in these verses? What temptation do we face when reading such words?

Is there a difference between a deliberate preaching of a false gospel and a non-deliberate preaching of error?

Gal 1:1-5

2010-02-08T19:15:00.001Z

One of the things I like to do when starting to read a book of the bible is to see if the text can be easily divided up.

Galatians chapter 1 can be divided into the following sections:

1:1-5
1:6-9
1:10-14
1:15-24

If you want to take 1:10-24 as one longer section that’s ok.

There is a question about v. 10, some like the NIV take v. 10 with verses 6-9. There is no clear marker in the text, so we have some liberty. The repeated ‘accursed’ or ‘anathema’ in vv. 8 and 9 tie these verses together. Then, we could read the reference to pleasing man in v. 10 as looking forward to ‘not man’s gospel’ in v. 11 so linking v. 10 to this new section.

1:1-5
Paul describes himself as an apostle. The key definition of an apostle that Paul gives in Galatians is in v. 1 when he writes of being an apostle ‘through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead’.
Acts 1 has rather more to say about being an apostle, but this is what is important for Paul in this letter. His apostleship has been challenged by some in Galatia and Paul will give much of chapters 1 and 2 to defending his apostleship.
Without this word ‘apostle’ in chapter 1 we begin to see Paul, one who is sent and one who serves. Coming to Galatia preaching the gospel Paul is acting in obedience to the one who sent him, Jesus Christ. While in Galatia Paul serves Jesus Christ in the work of the gospel.

Do you think ‘apostle’ is a term that should be reserved for Paul and the other New Testament apostles? In what ways are we sent by God and called into service today?

Paul does not use the term ‘God’ without further defining that term. The God whom Paul serves, the God of the bible is very specifically the Father of Jesus Christ and the one who raised him from the dead. There are not many gods, only one. This one God has uniquely made himself known through Jesus Christ and his resurrection.
This Jesus is the one who has given himself (an allusion to the crucifixion) with the aim of delivering us from this present age by dealing with our sins. It is the will of God the Father that this Jesus should give himself, should do so for our sins and should deliver God’s people. There is no disharmony or disunity between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. That sin is the problem which needs dealt with and that Jesus is the one who will deal with sins is something the Father and the Son agree upon.

Why is the history of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection important to you? How do we know God? Why does God the Father agree that his Son should deal with our sins?

In the light of this the common greeting ‘grace and peace to you’ is transformed by the gospel. Our sins do not deserve such merciful treatment, grace alone can account for God’s mercy towards us in Christ. Our lives are so lacking in peace only the promise of God and the gift of his Spirit making peace for us can give a term like ‘peace’ any meaning. Grace and peace is what we receive from God in the gospel, we are called to share grace and peace with one another, and with all the world.

What does grace and peace mean to you? What encourages you to share grace and peace with others?

Some Books

2010-02-08T15:55:00.001Z

Here are some of the books from my shelf which I've found helpful in reading Galatians.

Martin Luther: A Commentary on St Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, available in various editions mine is hardback, James Clark & Co, 1978.

John Calvin: vol 11 in Calvin's New Testament Commentaries, Paternoster Press, 1996.

I think both the above are also available on the ccel site, Christian Classics Ethereal Library - here.

R Alan Cole: in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, pub 1965

FF Bruce: The Epistle to the Galatians, pub 1982.

From the above both Calvin and Cole are shorter volumes and often brevity is a real blessing in a commentary. Cole is older now and although I don't have it I suspect I would like and would want to comment Tom Wright on Galatians in his Paul for Everyone series.

Bruce is always good, don't be put off by this volume being subtitled, 'A commentary on the Greek Text'. If you have some Greek then Bruce will serve you well, if not, you can use with profit Bruce's comments borne of long experience teaching Paul.

I really like Luther on Galatians. This is a volume which would be read with benefit to anyone, especially Luther on chapter 2 which I think it just great. It isn't a short volume and sometimes the concerns of Luther as he lectured in 1531 are not exactly ours, nevertheless, it repays careful reading.

What books do you have on Galatians? What have you found helpful?

Welcome

2010-02-08T15:49:00.000Z

Welcome to Reading Together.

I've been blogging for a year now - find my other blog here - Kennedy's Corner.

This new blog is an attempt to build an on-line community to share together in hearing God's word as we read and share together around passages of Scripture.

The idea is that I will suggest a passage for the week and over a week make a number of posts offering comments on the passage.

You are warmly invited to leave comments: questions, suggestions, other comments. The hope is that in this way we will become a community, sharing together as we read the bible together.

We are going to begin this week in Galatians, with Galatians chapter 1.

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle- not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead- 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they glorified God because of me.