Reflections on Psalm 2:1-3

Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, "Let us tear off their bonds and cast away their ropes from us."
Psalm 2:1-3, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
The history of Christianity is filled with examples of rulers, nations, and others, attempting to eradicate it from the face of the earth and, failing that, to control it in some form or fashion. All those attempts, while causing great hardship and harm to Christians, failed to wipe them out. Despite this long history of failure, we see the same sort of efforts continuing today to various degrees, to which we can only ask, why? Why, when compared to most of the rest of the world's religions, is Christianity singled out for extermination?
 
The answer, of course, is that we are seen by these "powers" as a threat, not necessarily a physical threat, but a threat against their control of the hearts and minds of their people. They fear being exposed for what they really are, puppets of the evil one, which could cause them to lose their positions of power and authority. They fear their people being given the truth. They fear their actions being seen in the light of Truth. This is a spiritual war being fought in the spiritual realm, by the principalities and powers against God. The nations, rulers, and powers of this earth are only tools in the hands of those powers doing battle against God.
 
We should not be surprised when we see even the government of the United States, and the various states and localities, taking actions and making laws that seem to go against Christians. Instead of reacting with anger, we should recognize things for what they really are and fight this battle in the only effective means that is available to us, on our knees. Neither politics, nor politicians, will "save" us and our "rights." Only God can do that. Our spiritual enemy can only be fought with spiritual weapons. We need to stop hating and vilifying those who are acting against us for they truly do not know what they are doing because they are nothing but tools in the hands of the enemy.
 
Having said all that, there is a darker side that we must not ignore, and that is the increasing tendency of some Christian striving to take the reigns of civil power unto themselves. This is, of course, nothing new. Ever since the time of Emperor Constantine, the church has involved itself in civil politics, such involvement rarely ending well. There is much truth to the old maxim that “power corrupts.” We have only to read church history to see the truth of that. It is often difficult to blame civil authority from desiring to throw off the bondage of ecclesial authority.
 

Reflections on Matthew 1:17

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the exile to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.
Matthew 1:17, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
In summary, there is a huge amount of knowledge that the genealogical lists in the Bible intend for us to recall when we read them. The knowledge we have in the Bible is, of course, our major source, but there is a vast amount out there that is available to us that scripture doesn’t give us; Jewish texts, traditions, stories, and myths provide so much more, not to mention the huge amount of other history, archaeology and such that tell us even more.
 
While there is much more that could be said specifically about Matthew’s genealogical list, there is not enough time or space to look at it all. There is, however, one additional bit of information I want to point out, and for that we’ll turn to Barclay’s Daily Study Bible.
 
* * * * *
 
By far the most amazing thing about this pedigree is the names of the women who appear in it.
 
It is not normal to find the names of women in Jewish pedigrees at all. The woman had no legal rights; she was regarded, not as a person, but as a thing. She was merely the possession of her father or of her husband, and in his disposal to do with as he liked. In the regular form of morning prayer the Jew thanked God that he had not made him a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. The very existence of these names in any pedigree at all is a most surprising and extraordinary phenomenon.
 
But when we look at who these women were, and at what they did, the matter becomes even more amazing. Rachab, or as the Old Testament calls her, Rahab, was a harlot of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-7). Ruth was not even a Jewess; she was a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4), and does not the law itself lay it down, "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none belonging to them shall enter the assembly of the Lord for ever" (Deuteronomy 23:3)? Ruth belonged to an alien and a hated people. Tamar was a deliberate seducer and an adulteress (Genesis 38:1-30). Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, was the woman whom David seduced from Uriah, her husband, with an unforgivable cruelty (2 Samuel 11:1-27; 2 Samuel 12:1-31). If Matthew had ransacked the pages of the Old Testament for improbable candidates he could not have discovered four more incredible ancestors for Jesus Christ. But, surely, there is something very lovely in this. Here, at the very beginning, Matthew shows us in symbol the essence of the gospel of God in Jesus Christ, for here he shows us the barriers going down.
 
(i) The barrier between Jew and Gentile is down. Rahab, the woman of Jericho, and Ruth, the woman of Moab, find their place within the pedigree of Jesus Christ. Already the great truth is there that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. Here, at the very beginning, there is the universalism of the gospel and of the love of God.
 
(ii) The barriers between male and female are down. In no ordinary pedigree would the name of any woman be found; but such names are found in Jesus' pedigree. The old contempt is gone; and men and women stand equally dear to God, and equally important to his purposes.
 
(iii) The barrier between saint and sinner is down. Somehow God can use for his purposes, and fit into his scheme of things, those who have sinned greatly. "I came" said Jesus, "not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13).
 
Here at the very beginning of the gospel we are given a hint of the all-embracing width of the love of God. God can find his servants amongst those from whom the respectable orthodox would shudder away in horror.
 

Reflections on Proverbs 1:1-2

The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, ...
Proverbs 1:1-2, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
Why should we bother with Proverbs? It is, after all, the Old Testament, and aside from its cutesy and folksy sayings, it doesn't have any real applicability to our lives today since we are under the New Covenant, not the Old, right? On the contrary, Proverbs is very relevant to our lives today and we would do well to study it closely. Proverbs is unique in that its stated purpose is to provide us with moral instruction and skills to be able to tell the difference between good advice and bad, to tell the difference between what is morally right and morally wrong. Take heed, listen, and learn.
 
As we are studying Proverbs, we would save ourselves a lot of grief if we’d remember that more than a few years have passed since these proverbs were first collected and committed to writing. People have changed, society has changed, beliefs have changed, even language has changed. We have to avoid any thoughts that we can fully understand what is being said simply from an initial cursory glance.
 
Despite these difficulties, it is still worth our time to study these proverbs in some detail. There is much for us to learn, much wisdom for us to attain if only we apply ourselves honestly, and with an open mind. It is also helpful for us to remember that, as with most of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, the words are directed to, and are about, the people of God, not to those who do not believe.

Reflections on Romans 1:2-4

... which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Romans 1:2-4, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
It is all too easy for us to forget that this Good News about God, the Good News, which was brought to us by God, was a result of promises he made many years previously. Over and over, throughout the Old Testament, God had provided hints and glimpses of the glorious Good News that was to come. For that reason alone, the Old Testament deserves our study, appreciation, and understanding. How can we hope to understand how God has fulfilled his promises if we don't even know what his promises were?
 
And who is this Gospel, this Good News about? It is Christ Jesus who, according to human reckoning, was a descendant of King David, thus fulfilling the Scriptures concerning the coming Messiah. This is crucial and must be firmly established in everyone's mind. We may not understand all the mechanics of how this all works, we just need to be assured it does work. To claim that Jesus is not a descendant of King David, the promised descendant, would be declaring that Jesus is not the promised Messiah and everything we believe is utterly false.
 
While taking great pains to establish the credibility of the claims concerning Jesus, Paul is following an established and well-known process at use withing the Jewish community, one which Matther and other writers used in varying degrees of detail. The entire Bible of that time, what we commonly refer to as the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament, are full of ancestral lists and genealogical pedigrees to establish many different things, including who is qualified to be a priest or Levite. It isn’t something we often see today, but being able to recite one’s ancestry was a primary means of identifying who you were and where you belonged.
 
Of course, determining who Jesus was in the overall scheme of things with Israel only laid the foundation. Paul now had to take his readers from that familiar ground to a place that was wholly unfamiliar. In this introduction, Paul does this with rapid fire speed, like ripping off a bandage. He will spend the rest of Romans explaining in greater detail what he means in these verses.

Reflections on Psalm 1:6

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly will perish.
Psalm 1:6, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
It is a failing that far too many of those who follow the One who is the Christ have the belief that we are somehow better than everyone else. We will, of course, protest that we come nowhere near the self-righteous attitudes of the Pharisees of old, but in comparison to murderers, drug addicts, gays, prostitutes, politicians, Muslims, and other sinners, we aren't all that bad. We are, after all, saved and going to Heaven, which should count for something, right?
 
Most of us don't flaunt our self-righteousness consciously. We often go through years of indoctrination before we become adept at looking down our noses at people from our lofty positions of sanctification. In the end, we become the very thing Jesus spoke so much against; we become modern day Pharisees, and if anyone attempts to point out our Pharisaical attitudes, we are filled with righteous indignation.
 
God, of course, isn't fooled by the robes of self-righteousness with which we've clothed ourselves. The righteous ones He knows are those who have clothed themselves in His righteousness, not their own. Often, those clothed in His righteousness would never even admit to being righteous. These are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and even while God fills them, they would be horrified at the suggestion of claiming their lives are righteous.
 
It is time that true disciples of Christ would shed our robes of self-righteousness that are nothing but filthy rags and clothe themselves in the true righteousness that comes from God. This righteousness that comes from God doesn't make us better than anyone else, but simply means we are saved and blessed by the merciful grace of God. That is not something that should cause us to be proud, but rather that we fall to our knees in thankful worship of our merciful God.
 

Reflections on Matthew 1:12-16

And after they were brought to Babylon,
  Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
  and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.
  Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,
  Abiud the father of Eliakim,
  and Eliakim the father of Azor.
  Azor was the father of Zadok,
  Zadok the father of Akim,
  and Akim the father of Eliud.
  Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
  Eleazar the father of Matthan,
  and Matthan the father of Jacob.
And Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Matthew 1:12-16, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
Where to begin? Another period of approximately five hundred years, an era of significant turmoil for Israel. This period begins with the Babylonian exile and carries us up until the birth of Jesus. Once again it will be impossible for us to go into everything that happened, it is also a period which saw many significant changes on the world scene. To help us understand what was taking place we are going to turn to what some might consider an unlikely source, which is the prophet, Daniel.
³¹ “You, O king, were watching, and there was a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you. And its form was awesome. ³² This image’s head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ You watched until a stone was cut out without hands which struck the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
³⁶ “This was the dream. Now we will tell its interpretation before the king. ³⁷ You, O king, are the king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. ³⁸ Wherever the sons of men dwell, or the animals of the field, or the fowl of the heavens, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
³⁹ “After you, another kingdom inferior to you shall arise, and a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. ⁴⁰ And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, for iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, it shall crush and shatter all these. ⁴¹ As you saw the feet and toes, partly of potters’ clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it some of the strength of the iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. ⁴² As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. ⁴³ Whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
⁴⁴ “In the days of these kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. ⁴⁵ Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” Daniel 2:31-45, Modern English Version (MEV)
To break things down a bit easier for us, here is a short interpretive list of this statue Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about:
 

• Head of gold – Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. First temple destroyed and Israel (Judah) taken into exile.

• Arms of silver – Medes and Persians. Israel allowed to return to the promised land and rebuild temple.

• Belly and thighs of bronze – Greece and Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered a large portion of the then known world but died young. His empire was divided among his generals, leading to a lot of conflict which Israel unfortunately got caught in the middle of. This eventually led to the arrival of Antiochus Epiphanes whose desecration of the temple led to the rise of the Maccabees, which led to the rise of the Hasmoneans, which led to the Herods.

• Legs of iron – The Roman Empire which carries us up to the birth of Jesus.

 
It was a period of great turmoil and rapid change. It was also a period when, except for approximately one hundred years following the Maccabean revolt, Israel was under constant foreign occupation. This period also saw the rise of several groups which were prominent in Jesus’ day, being the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Essenes. Additionally, during this time, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, the Septuagint, was written and, significantly, the hope of Israel for a savior, the Messiah, to save them from all these calamities, began to solidify although never into a single view or belief.
 

Reflections on Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, ...
Romans 1:1, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
From Clarke’s Commentary we learn that “The word δουλος, which we translate servant, properly means a slave, one who is the entire property of his master and is used here by the apostle with great propriety. He felt he was not his own, and that his life and powers belonged to his heavenly owner, and that he had no right to dispose of or employ them but in the strictest subserviency to the will of his Lord. In this sense, and in this spirit, he is the willing slave of Jesus Christ; and this is, perhaps, the highest character which any soul of man can attain on this side eternity. "I am wholly the Lord's; and wholly devoted in the spirit of sacrificial obedience, to the constant, complete, and energetic performance of the Divine will." A friend of God is high; a son of God is higher; but the servant, or, in the above sense, the slave of God, is higher than all; - in a word, he is a person who feels he has no property in himself, and that God is all and in all.”
 
It is imperative, as we read these words, we set aside the ideas of slavery we have learned from our national disgrace and allow Scripture to speak to us in the understanding in which it was written. If we don’t, we'll never truly understand what God is telling us.
 
Again, from Clarke’s Commentary, we learn that, “The word αποστολος, apostle, from αποστελλειν, to send, signifies simply a messenger or envoy; one sent on a confidential errand: but here it means an extraordinary messenger; one sent by God himself to deliver the most important message on behalf of his Maker; - in a word, one sent by the Divine authority to preach the Gospel to the nations. The word κλητος, called, signifies here the same as constituted, and should be joined with αποστολος, as it is in the Greek, and translated thus: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, constituted an apostle, c. This sense the word called has in many places of the sacred writings e. g. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called, κληθωμεν, CONSTITUTED, or made the sons of God. As it is likely that no apostle had been employed in founding the Church of Rome, and there was need of much authority to settle the matters that were there in dispute, it was necessary he should show them that he derived his authority from God, and was immediately delegated by him to preach and write as he was now doing.”
 
As a Pharisee, Paul was already separated (set apart) unto the Law and to the study of the Law. Now, he was literally being separated from his separation unto the Law, to be separated unto the gospel of God. It can be a bit confusing to us, but if we can understand Paul’s frame of reference, which was his status as a Pharisee, then it’ll be easier to understand the scope of what he is saying.
 
The phrase, "the gospel of God," could have a couple of meanings. One would be, "the good news about God," while the other could be, "the good news that God brings." Given the context it would be quite proper for us to believe that Paul intends a combination of both. In that case we could read it as, "the good news about God that he brings." The truth is, if God hadn't brought to us this Good News about himself, we would never have known.

Reflections on Psalm 1:4-5

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psalm 1:4-5, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
One of the more difficult lessons for us, as followers of the One who is the Christ, is learning that God's standards of what is right or wrong, good or bad, are not the same as the standards the world holds to. In fact, in many instances, they can be, and most often are, completely opposite of one another. The difficulty the follower of the Christ faces is that of attempting to live according to God's standards even while we are living out our lives amid the world.
 
The standards of what is good are particularly vexing for us. According to the world's standards, there are many good people in this world; people who are kind, people who are generous, people who commit their lives to helping others. Yet, according to God, if these "good people" are not counted among His followers, then they, and their good works, are nothing but chaff that are blown away in the wind. Being "good" will not cause one's name to be written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
 
"Good" people are often blinded by their own goodness. It's not so much a problem of pride, although that can indeed be involved, but it's mostly a matter of thinking they are good enough, that their good thoughts and actions more than make up for anything wrong they've ever done. In many cases they will take this further by convincing themselves that being "good enough" will get them a pass into Heaven, if such a place even exists. These, unfortunately, are among the most difficult to take the message of Jesus to, as they can't even see their need for His saving grace.
 
Having said that, however, we, who are followers of the Christ, must be very, very careful that we do not condemn those who are not followers of the Christ, yet claim they are good people. At no point has Jesus given us any command, suggestion, or inference, that it is our job to judge and/or condemn anyone who is not a follower of His. We do NOT know the heart of anyone, nor do we know the mind of God with respect to His relationship, or lack thereof, with anyone. The only command, suggestion, and inference Jesus gave us is to carry Him into the world and introduce Him to the world, and the world to Him. Being a follower of the Christ is NOT a thing to make us prideful, or to feel superior to anyone else. In fact, being a follow of Jesus should make us humble before all others.
 

Reflections on Matthew 1:6b-11

David the king was the father of Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

  Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

  Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

  and Abijah the father of Asa.

  Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

  Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

  and Joram the father of Uzziah.

  Uzziah was the father of Jotham,

  Jotham the father of Ahaz,

  and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

  Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

  Manasseh the father of Amon,

  and Amon the father of Josiah.

  Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were exiled to Babylon.

Matthew 1:6b-11, Modern English Version (MEV)

 

The time from King David until the Babylonian exile was approximately five hundred years. While it may not be the darkest time in Israel’s history, it certainly ended deep in darkness, despite have begun with one of the brightest moments in Israel’s history, the building of the first temple. To help us understand how things could have deteriorated so quickly, we need to go back a short period of time. I am thankful to the website KnowingScripture.com for the following information, which did require substantial corrections.

 

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First Samuel 8 marks a significant transition in Israel’s history. Israel was formerly ruled by judges—the 12 judges in the Book of Judges and then Eli and Samuel (1 Samuel 4:18; 7:15-17). However, Israel rejected Samuel and demanded a king, making Samuel the last judge of Israel.

Israel’s Rebellion Against Yahweh

Samuel made a serious mistake when he made his wicked sons, Joel and Abijah, judges in Israel (1 Samuel 8:1). His sons “did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice” (1 Samuel 8:3). Though Samuel is contrasted with Eli in other ways, Samuel and Eli both raised wicked sons. Joel and Abijah (Samuel’s sons) became like Hophni and Phinehas (Eli’s sons), who treated God’s offerings with contempt and were even having relations with the women who served at the entrance of the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:12-36). In chapter two, God rejected Eli as judge, but in chapter eight, Israel rejected Samuel as judge.

Israel had reason to be concerned over Samuel as judge because of his appointment of his rebellious sons as leaders in Israel. However, Israel sinned in their demand for a king. The elders of Israel came to Samuel at his home in Ramah and said, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:4-5). They did not consider the role of judge, which God had given Israel, to be enough for them.

Israel’s request for a king displeased Samuel (literally, it was “evil in the eyes of Samuel”), and he prayed to Yahweh (1 Samuel 8:6). Yahweh instructed Samuel to obey the people, “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). God’s words reveal that the primary problem was Israel, not Samuel.

God continued, “According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:8). Israel had been a rebellious people throughout their history, constantly rejecting Yahweh and serving false gods. This was seen with the golden calf in Exodus, the wilderness wanderings in Numbers, and the rebellions throughout Judges. And now Israel rejected Yahweh by revolting against Samuel.

Yahweh’s Warning of a Tyrant-King

God first instructed Samuel to warn Israel of the ways of the king who would reign over them. The Hebrew word for the “ways” of the king is מִשְׁפַּ֣ט (mishpat), which is usually translated as “judgment” (1 Samuel 8:9, 11). (NET translates this “policies” and KJV “manner”). This forms a play on words, as the king’s judgments would be a judgment upon Israel from God.

The Hebrew for “take” (לקח, lakach) is used four times in this section (8:11, 13, 14, 16). A king would “take” their things—their sons and daughters, their produce, their servants, and their flock (1 Samuel 8:11-18). The king would be a tyrant. He would require a “tenth” (or “tithe”) of their goods, thus setting himself up as equal to God (1 Samuel 8:15, 17). Instead of “serving” Yahweh (1 Samuel 7:4), Israel would become “slaves” to their king (1 Samuel 8:17). (Both “serve” and “slave” come from the Hebrew word עבד, eved.) The people would cry out because of the king, but Yahweh would not answer them (1 Samuel 8:18).

However, the people did not listen and insisted on a king. The people “refused to obey the voice of Samuel” and said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20). Even though Yahweh was already judge and king of Israel and fought Israel’s battles, and even though a king would oppress them, Israel still demanded a king. God told Samuel to obey Israel and make them a king, and Samuel told the men of Israel to go to their cities (1 Samuel 8:22). Samuel later anointed Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 10:1).

Why Was Israel’s Request for a King Sinful?

By demanding a king, Israel rejected Yahweh as king. But this raises a question—why was Israel’s request for a king sinful? Sometimes it is thought that the very concept of kingship in Israel was bad, but this does not fit with other texts of Scripture.

It seems certain that Yahweh would have given Israel a king at some point. He promised kingship to the patriarchs, saying that “kings” would come from them. God told Abraham:

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you (Genesis 17:6).

I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her (Genesis 17:16).

God said to Jacob:

I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body (Genesis 35:11).

Furthermore, God gave instructions for a king in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Of course, liberal scholars say this was written after the monarchy arose in Israel. This is an assumption that they make based on unbelieving presuppositions. Moreover, if this were the case, one would expect more specific (and negative) language in Deuteronomy 17 following that of 1 Samuel 8. Let us examine these instructions regarding kings:

When you come to the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” you may indeed set a king over you whom Yahweh your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother (Deuteronomy 17:14-15).

God not only knew Israel would want a king, but He permitted it. God required that the king be an Israelite. This is followed by three important restrictions—the king must not acquire many horses, many wives, nor excessive silver and gold (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Solomon violated all three of these prohibitions in 1 Kings 11:1-8, thus proving himself to be the paradigmatic bad king.

God also gave instructions that the king is to write out a copy of the law from the Levitical priests and read it all his days so that he may fear Yahweh and keep His commandments and thus continue long in his kingdom (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). Samuel seems to have recounted this passage when he told the people how the kingship would function (literally “the judgment of the kingship”), which he wrote in a book and laid before Yahweh (1 Samuel 10:25).

Israel’s Sinful Motive

So, kingship was not a bad thing, and it was expected that God would give Israel a king in due time. Thus the problem here was with the motive and the timing of Israel’s request. As for motive, Israel wanted a king to be “like all the nations.”

Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:5).

No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:19-20).

Deuteronomy 17:14 said Israel would have a king “like all the nations” surrounding Israel had a king. However, it did not say Israel was to have a king to become like the nations. The emphasis in 1 Samuel 8 is on Israel’s desire to be like the other nations. This is most clear in 1 Samuel 8:20, where Israel says they will be like the nations in that their king may “judge” them and “fight” their battles.

Israel wanted a king to judge them, even though Yahweh was their judge. And Israel wanted a king to fight their battles, even though Yahweh fought their battles for them.

Israel already had a true Judge and King in Yahweh. Jephthah described Yahweh as “the judge” (Judges 11:27). And Scripture says throughout that it was Yahweh who “fought for Israel” and gave them victory in battle (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; Joshua 10:14, 42; 23:3; Nehemiah 4:20). A good example of this comes from the Book of Joshua:

And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh God of Israel fought for Israel (Joshua 10:42).

Making matters even worse, Yahweh had fought Israel’s battles under the leadership of Samuel! In just the prior chapter, Yahweh threw the Philistines into “confusion,” and they were defeated before Israel (1 Samuel 7:10). And “the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel” (1 Samuel 7:13). God brought Israel victory over the Philistines and peace between Israel and the Amorites, all under the judgeship of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:13-14). Yet this was not good enough for the people of Israel.

In his farewell speech, Samuel reveals that Israel demanded a king when Nahash (“serpent” in Hebrew) the king of the Ammonites came against them (1 Samuel 12:12). Saul, Israel’s first king, did in fact lead them in victory over Nahash (1 Samuel 11). Yet as Samuel says, Israel demanded a king “when Yahweh your God was your king” (1 Samuel 12:12). Instead of turning to the Lord, Israel traded Yahweh for an earthly king out of fear of the serpent. It was only after the fact that the people realized they had committed a great “evil” (1 Samuel 12:17, 19).

The Wrong Timing

Israel had sinful motives in demanding a king, as they wanted to be like the other nations instead of the holy (set apart) nation that Yahweh had made them (Exodus 19:6). However, there was also a problem with the timing of the king. God had always planned to send Israel a true King, the Lord Jesus Christ, at the proper time. But Israel lacked patience.

Israel’s sinful demand meant that the kingship would be a judgment on them for rejecting Yahweh. In asking for a king who would judge them, God gave Israel exactly what they asked for—an earthly king who would seek his own. And that is what we see in the history of Israel’s monarchy, as Israel’s kings were out for themselves. Outside of a few exceptions, Israel’s kings were wicked and oppressive. Even the ideal king, David, had his moral failings. In many ways, the monarchy was a judgment upon Israel.

Israel’s monarchy makes it even clearer that Israel needed Yahweh as king. Israel rejected Yahweh, and He gave them exactly what they asked for. However, Israel’s sinful motives and impatience were not outside of God’s sovereign control. God gave Israel the monarchy, and after the failings of Saul, He chose His own king, David, to lead Israel. God redeemed the monarchy and brought it into His covenant, seen in the promised Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). The king did in fact “save” Israel from their enemies (1 Samuel 9:16; 10:1; 2 Samuel 3:18). Then in due time, God sent the king He had planned to send all along, the greater David, to reign over Israel (Matthew 1:1; 22:42).

* * * * *

I apologize that the preceding information was so long, but it’s important that we understand why things happened the way they did. And, while it may not be obvious to us now, all of this does factor into Jesus’ story, which will become clearer as we continue to move deeper into it. As with the previous discussion of the first era of Israel’s and Jesus’ story, there is much more to tell than we can reasonably fit here, so all the additional and pertinent information will be brought up and discussed at the appropriate time.

 

Reflections on Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
Conducting our lives in the manner our Lord wants us to isn't the easiest path to take, nor is that path free of potholes and other obstacles. Most of us who follow Jesus, live among those who do not. We live out our lives among them willingly, joyfully, and lovingly. At least that’s the theory of how we should be living our lives. After all, it is through our own lives that we pray they will see Jesus. There are many among us who prefer to live our lives according to the, “do as I say, not as I do,” principle of life, but that is not an option given to us either by Jesus or by an of the other New Testament writers. Our lives, by unanimous assent, is to live according to the, “do as I do, not just as I say,” life principle.
 
However, and this can be the difficult part, even as we go among those who do not believe as we do, we are not to live as they do. It can be very easy for us to be like Peter and take our eyes off Jesus and slowly, without realizing it, begin to emulate them, thinking that the more we look and act like them, the easier it will be to minister to them. The question then becomes, why would we want our lives to be like theirs if we are trying to lead them out of those lives? The answer is, or at least should be, that we don’t want our lives to be like theirs but, as has already been pointed out, it’s all too easy for us to take our eyes off Jesus, if only for a moment. And, as most of us have learned through experience, a moment is all it takes.
 
The key to our avoiding the drift away from God is to stay, literally, immersed in Him. How do we do that? We do it by continuing to read, study and, yes, take delight in the words He has given us in scripture. We can’t allow ourselves to think there is nothing more for us to learn. Keep on keeping on. We must ensure we have time set aside for the study of His words to us every day. As Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4, Modern English Version (MEV).
 
Wise, yet innocent. That is the balancing act we must walk every day. It is not something we can do alone. We need each other, and we need our Lord to walk with us, hold our hands, and carry us when necessary. Jesus has made us free, but He didn't give us our freedom to do anything we want. We have been made free to give up our freedom to Him, for Him, and for others. Freedom brings responsibility, not to think only of ourselves, but to think of others and, most importantly, of God.
 

Reflections on Matthew 1-2-6a

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
  Isaac the father of Jacob,
  and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
  Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
  Perez the father of Hezron,
  and Hezron the father of Ram.
  Ram was the father of Amminadab,
  Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
  and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
  Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
  Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
  and Obed the father of Jesse.
  Jesse was the father of David the king.
Matthew 1:2-6a, Modern English Version (MEV)
 
If you’re like most readers of the Bible, whenever you encounter one of the genealogical lists, you roll your eyes and quickly move past, offering a quick prayer that you’ll never be called upon to read one of these lists, out loud, in public. While there are many among us who have a deep interest in genealogy, most of us raised with a western mindset would rather leave it than take it. The same cannot be said for many other cultures who take the remembrance of their ancestors very seriously.

For the people of Israel, knowing your line of descent was important for many reasons, not the least of which was the requirement that priests be able to prove their descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The genealogical lists also performed another important function, serving as a shorthand reminder of their story, of their history. Their history and beliefs were instilled in them from an early age as children. Almost everything they did, and the way they did them, reminded and reinforced these lessons.

The verses we are currently studying form the first of three tables that Matthew has divided Jesus’ genealogy into, the reason for which we’ll get into in more detail later. This first “era” of the life of Israel spans the beginning of the tribes of Israel up until the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, a period of about 1,000 years. A quick perusal of the list tells us much, just from what we’ve learned from our own reading, Sunday School, and hours and hours of preaching that we’ve listened to. The list is an effective way to bring a huge amount of information to mind, more than we can effectively discuss here. For the purposes of this study, we will focus primarily on Abraham, as he is critical to Jesus’ own story. For this we’ll turn to the following article from Got Questions.org.

“Abraham was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is in modern Iraq, near Nasiriyah in the southeastern part of the country. Joshua 24:2 says that Abraham and his father worshiped idols. We can make some educated guesses about their religion by looking at the history and religious artifacts from that period.

“Ur of the Chaldees was an ancient city that flourished until about 300 BC. The great ziggurat of Ur was built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and was dedicated to Nanna, the mood God. The moon was worshiped as the power that controlled the heavens and the life cycle on earth. To the Chaldeans, the phases of the moon represented the natural cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death and also set the measurement of their yearly calendar. Among the pantheon of the Mesopotamian gods, Nanna was supreme, because he was the source of fertility for crops, herds, and families. Prayers and offerings were offered to the moon to invoke its blessing.

“When God called Abraham (then called Abram) in Genesis 12:1, He told Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house. Everything familiar was to be left behind, and that included his religion. We do not know that Abraham knew about the true God at that point, but it is likely that he had received some instruction from his father, as each generation passed down their history to the next. As a worshiper of other gods, Abraham must have been surprised to receive a direct revelation from Yahweh. The moon god and other deities were distant objects of worship, and they did not personally interact with men. Abraham obeyed God’s call, and, when he arrived in the land of Canaan, he built an altar to Yahweh at Shechem (Genesis 12:7). The text indicates that God’s appearance to Abraham was a deciding factor in his choosing to worship Him. Hebrews 11:8 says that Abraham’s departure from Ur was an example of faith in action.

“Abraham continued to learn about this God he now worshiped, and in Genesis 14:22, following the example of Melchizedek, Abraham calls Yahweh ‘the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.’ This statement show that Abraham set Yahweh above and apart from the moon god. His decision to worship God alone was settled in Genesis 17, when God established the covenant of circumcision with him. God appeared to Abraham, saying, ‘I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless’ (Genesis 17:1). In verse 7 God said the covenant He established with Abraham was to be everlasting and that He alone was to be God to Abraham and his offspring. Abraham chose to follow God alone, and he demonstrated his commitment by circumcising every male in his household.

“Though Abraham forsook moon worship, the worship of heavenly objects became a continual problem with his descendants. Many times in the Old Testament, God rebuked the children of Abraham for their idolatry and renewed His call to worship Him alone. In Deuteronomy 17:2-5, God specified the punishment for idolatry – death by stoning. Moses described idolatry as doing what is evil in the sight of God and transgressing His covenant. Much later, King Hoshea of Israel was defeated and the people taken captive. Second Kings 17:16 says the defeat happened because the people ‘bowed down to all the starry hosts.’ In 2 Kings 23:4-5 King Josiah of Judah led a revival of Yahweh worship and deposed the false priests who burned incense to the sun, moon, and stars.” – “What was Abraham’s religion before God called him?” GotQuestions.org.
As has already been briefly mentioned in the preceding article, God, Yahweh, made a covenant with Abraham. This covenant is a critical piece in the puzzle that is the people of Israel, and figures prominently in Matthew’s story of Jesus. For that reason, we will once again turn to an article from GodQuestions.org.

“A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two basic types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.

“The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. The actual covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. When a covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments, then both parties would pass between the pieces of animals. In Genesis 15, God alone moves between the halves of the animals. Abraham was in a deep sleep. God’s solitary action indicates that the covenant is principally His promise. He binds Himself to the covenant.

“Later, God gave Abraham the right of circumcision as the specific sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:9-14). All males in Abraham’s line were to be circumcised and thus carry with them a lifelong mark in their flesh that they were part of God’s physical blessing in the world. Any descendant of Abraham who refused circumcision was declaring himself to be outside of God’s covenant; this explains why God was angry with Moses when Moses failed to circumcise his son (Exodus 4:24-26).

“God determined to call out a special people for Himself, and through that special people He would bless the whole world. The Lord tells Abram,

“I will make you into a great nation,
     and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
     and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
     and whoever curses you I will curse;
     and all peoples on earth
     will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

“Based on this promise, God later changed Abram’s name from Abram (“high father”) to Abraham (“father of a multitude”) in Genesis 17:5. As we’ve seen, the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional. It should also be taken literally. There is no need to spiritualize the promise to Abraham. God’s promises to Abraham’s descendants will be fulfilled literally.

“The Abrahamic Covenant included the promise of land (Genesis 12:1). It was a specific land, an actual property, with dimensions specified in Genesis 15:18-21. In Genesis 13:15, God gives Abraham all the land that he can see, and the gift is declared to be “forever.” God was not going to renege on His promise. The territory given as part of the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1-10, often called the Palestinian Covenant.

“The Abrahamic Covenant also included a promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). All the earth would be blessed through Abraham. This promise finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:21-34; cf. Luke 22:20), which was ratified by Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham and Redeemer who will one day “restore everything” (Acts 3:21).

“Five times in Genesis 12, as God is giving the Abrahamic Covenant, He says, “I will.” Clearly, God takes the onus of keeping the covenant upon Himself. The covenant is unconditional. One day, Israel will repent, be forgiven, and be restored to God’s favor (Zechariah 12:10-14; Romans 11:25-27). One day, the nation of Israel will possess the entire territory promised to them. One day, the Messiah will return to set up His throne, and through His righteous rule the whole world will be blessed with an abundance of peace, pleasure, and prosperity.” – “What is the Abrahamic Covenant?” GotQuestions.org.

There is a lot for us to absorb here, and so much more that could be said, not only about Abraham, but every other name listed in this first division of Jesus’ genealogy, not the least of which is the Exodus, another critical part of Israel’s story. We will, however, discuss many of those happenings at a future point as we delve deeper into Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ story. For now, this has probably been enough to consider, and we do need to move on.

Reflections on Matthew 1:1

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. - American Standard Version (ASV)
 
The record of the origin of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. - Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE)
 
This is the family history of Jesus the Messiah. He came from the family of David, who was from the family of Abraham. - Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
 
The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: - Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
 
This is a record of the life of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. - International Standard Version (ISV)
 
 
I can’t even begin to recount the number of times I have attempted to put into writing the things I have learned over the many years that I have struggled to follow Jesus along the path he laid out before me. Ove the years one book in the Bible has played a central role in my efforts to learn more about Jesus, and to live for him. That book is the Gospel According to Matthew. For me it has been a mission to glean as much understanding as I could from Matthew, in the hope that it would become easier to make sense out of everything else. Little did I realize that, ever after over fifty years, I am still learning new things, and gleaning new insights, from this now faithful companion. I don’t know if I’ll be any more successful at putting my thoughts into writing than the many failed attempts of the past, but I’ll never know if I don’t at least try, so here goes nothing.
 
I can’t help but believe that one of the greatest errors made in this great movement we call “Christianity,” has been the tendency for us to view the Apostle Paul as the real founder of our faith. Yes, we absolutely understand that Jesus is the Head overall, but the majority of all the nitty-gritty doctrine and such comes from Paul. One unfortunate result of this has been to relegate the Gospel accounts into the background, rolling them out for special occasion like Christmas and Easter. It has even reached the point where all that stuff between Bethlehem and Calvary isn’t all that important anymore. It’s not as if they have much to say about us being saved and going to Heaven, do they?
 
This has led to some rather extreme interpretations of Paul’s writings because he can’t properly be understood outside the context of the Gospels. This has also resulted in Paul himself being pulled out of his historical, sociological, political, and religious context and roots. Of equal alarm is the long, long effort to strip Christianity itself of its Jewish roots, some even going so far as to deny that Jesus himself was Jewish. Sadly, those efforts to strip out our Jewish roots led to periods of extreme brutality and violence being directed by Christians against the Jewish people.
 
One result of all those efforts to push the Gospels to the sidelines, and to strip Christianity of its Jewish roots, was that a vacuum was created that had to be filled with some means of helping us understand what the rest of the New Testament, outside of the Gospels, meant. So, into that yawning gap strode the Greek philosophies, particularly Platonism, Epicureanism and Stoicism. The end result has been that most of our understanding, our theology, and our doctrine, has become based on Greek philosophic ideas of heaven, hell, the afterlife, and even the meaning of what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. The Jewish context and understanding have been almost completely obliterated, which is where this study of Matthew’s story of Jesus comes in. Matthew specifically tells the story within the whole context of Israel’s story, which is where it properly belongs.
 
Of course, the first difficulty we run into as we begin reading Matthew’s Gospel is that he doesn’t begin in the same manner that a normal storyteller would, or does he? The British theologian, N.T. Wright, sums it up in this manner:
 
"So why did Matthew write this book? Clearly, to draw out the manifold ways in which the story of Jesus of Nazareth brought the long and prophecy-laden story of Israel to its God-ordained goal. This would mean simultaneously offering a manifesto for Jewish believers to retain their allegiance to their ancestral scriptures and controlling narrative, and outlining the way in which they should also embrace the new world in which Jesus had been revealed as Israel's Messiah and as the Emmanuel, the living embodiment of Israel's God. This would also mean effectively offering an apology, before the watching Jewish world, for following Jesus, presenting this as the fulfilment of Israel's heritage, the true form of loyalty to Israel's calling and hopes. Most Jewish groups, after all, were struggling with this kind of question at the time." - N.T. Wright, "The New Testament in Its World".
 
The point is, not only is what we find in this book the story, the history, of Jesus’ birth, acts, sufferings, death, and resurrection, but the entire story, the entire history of Israel is also his story and his history. This is key to our understanding of what is to follow because this is quite clearly telling us that Jesus’ is part of, and the continuation of, Israel’s story. These stories, these histories, cannot be separated without losing the true meaning of both, which is, in a nutshell, the story of God’s faithfulness.