Deuteronomy 25
Forty lashes the limit for punishmentverses 1-3
IF there be a controversy between men – and they come to judgment
that the judges may judge them
THEN they shall justify the righteous
and condemn the wicked
And it shall be – IF the wicked man be worthy to be beaten
that the judge shall cause him to lie down
and to be beaten before his face
according to his fault – by a certain number
Forty stripes he may give him – and not exceed – lest
IF he should exceed – and beat him above these with many stripes
THEN your brother should seem vile to you
Don’t muzzle the ox that is workingverse 4
You shall not muzzle the ox when he tread out the corn
Raising a familyverses 5-10
IF brethren dwell together – and one of them die – and have no child
the wife of the dead shall not marry without to a stranger
her husband’s brother shall go in to her
and take her to him to wife – and perform the
duty of a husband’s brother to her
And it shall be – that the firstborn which she bear shall succeed in the name of
his brother which is dead – that his name be not put out of Israel
And IF the man like not to take his brother’s wife
THEN let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders
and say
My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a
name in Israel – he will not perform the duty of my
husband’s brother
THEN the elders of his city shall call him – and speak to him
and IF he stand to it
and say
I like not to take her
THEN shall his brother’s wife come to him in the presence of the elders
and loose his shoe from off his foot – and spit in his face
and shall answer
and say
So shall it be done to that man that will not
build up his brother’s house
And his name shall be called in Israel
The house of him that has his shoe loosed
Woman improper intervention in a fightverses 11-12
When men strive together one with another
and the wife of the one draw near for to deliver her husband
out of the hand of him that smite him
and put forth her hand
and take him by the secrets
THEN you shall cut off her hand your eye shall not pity her
Honest weights in your businessverses 13-16
You shall not have in your bag divers weights – a great and a small
you shall not have in your house divers measures
a great and a small
BUT you shall have a perfect and just weight
a perfect and just measure shall you have
that your days may be lengthened in the land which
the LORD your God give you
FOR all that do such things – and all that do unrighteously
are an abomination unto the LORD your God
Children of Amalek – enemy to Israelverses 17-19
Remember what Amalek did to you by the way
when you were come forth out of Egypt
How he met you by the way – and smote the hindmost of you
even all that were feeble behind you
when you were faint and weary – and he feared not God
THEREFORE it shall be – when the LORD your God hath given you rest
from all your enemies round about – in the land which the
LORD your God give you for an inheritance to possess it
that you shall blot out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven
you shall not forget it
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then your brother should seem vile to you. (7033 “vile” [qalah] means shall be condemned, lightly esteemed, despised, to be dishonored, to be contemptible, of little account, or to make light of)
DEVOTION: The punishment must always fit the crime. There was never to be too much punishment given for a crime. Here we find that the most someone could get for their crime was forty lashes. This was not a capital punishment crime. It was something that was considered minor crimes.
The purpose of the punishment was justice not humiliation of a neighbor. We are to get along with our neighbors. The Israelites were to treat their neighbors fairly. All the neighbors in Israel were related because they came from the same tribe. So the judges were from the same tribe.
Today it is different. Your neighbors are not relatives. Your neighbors might not even be known to you because they stay in their house and only go out to work and have no communication with you. That was not so in Israel. There was always a time of communication. The men would go to feasts together. Many times, the whole family would go together to the feasts.
Remember the family of Jesus went to Jerusalem together with other relatives and neighbors. Joseph and Mary traveled with the group and thought that Jesus was with the children of the group but found out that HE was not, but in the temple questioning the scholars.
Our responsibility is to be a good witness to our neighbor when we can. Some neighbors want nothing to do with us or our witness. That is sad but true.
CHALLENGE: We can only work with those who are willing to work with us and leave the others in the hands of the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 You shall not muzzle the ox when he tread out the corn. (1758 “tread” [duwsh] means trample down, to beat the edible seeds out of a grain, to pound, or to break to pieces.)
DEVOTION: The animals were to tread on the grain to make it available for the making of bread and other food products. Grain was the main stay in the diet of the people in the Old Testament. Bread was always to be eaten with other foods.
Here we find that the law of the LORD told the people not to muzzle the ox because if he had a muzzle on he could not eat the grain while he was working. His strength would not be good. He deserved a portion of the grain he was treading on. That was his pay for his work.
This same principle was used by Paul in the New Testament regarding those who were in the ministry. If an individual was serving the LORD in ministry he should be paid for his work.
Ministers are planting spiritual seed in the lives of those who listen to their message. When a group is listening to a minister they need to provide for his needs. That is what the LORD commanded.
Paul brought this truth out to the church in Corinth. He used the example of the priests in the Temple receiving their pay through the sacrifices brought to the temple. He thought that the minister should be paid with the offerings that come into the church.
He restated his belief in the book of I Timothy. Elders who preached to the people should receive payment for their work. This was only true of those elders who did their work well. There should never be a lazy pastor/elder. If they are lazy, they shouldn’t be paid.
The ox was paid because of his hard work. God’s servants are to be paid because of their hard work. Laziness is never rewarded in Scripture. If a person doesn’t work neither should he eat is what is taught in many places.
CHALLENGE: Are you a worker or lazy? You know the difference. Remember to be a worker for the LORD and HE will bless you.
: 9 Then shall his brother’s wife come to him in he presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done to that man that will not build up his brother’s house. (3417 “spit” [yaraq] means to expel or eject saliva from the mouth, as a gesture of curse and rejection, having contempt for someone, or a token of contempt)
DEVOTION: This was a command given by the LORD regarding someone who was not doing something that was right to another individual. This passage is dealing with a brother who would not take the wife of his dead brother as his wife to raise a child in the name of a brother.
The land was important to this culture. The child produced from the other brother would be able to inherit the land of his father who was dead but inherited because of this law.
If the brother would not do his duty to the dead brother’s wife than the elders had to deal with it according to the commands of the LORD.
Family and land were important in the Jewish society. A family didn’t want to lose any of its land because of death. Inheritance was important and children needed to have their own property.
We need to make sure that we don’t carry the same laws today in our country but we should make sure that we take care of the family of our brothers and sisters if one of them dies.
God wants families to be close. HE wants us to care for not only our physical extended family but also the family of God. The church needs to help those in need.
CHALLENGE: Some of the Old Testament laws are not going to be followed in the New Testament age but we should make sure that we genuinely care for our brothers and sisters in the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 15 But you shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shall you have: that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God gives you. (8003 “perfect” [shalem] means complete, sound, full, just, made ready, quiet, or whole.
DEVOTION: There are many individual rules given to the children of Israel throughout the book of Deuteronomy.
This chapter deals with raising children to brothers who have died with no children. It was important to the LORD that families help each other. This rule was to make sure families kept the property given to them by the LORD. If a brother died without children his brother was to marry his widow and they were to have children. The first child would inherit the property that his father was supposed to inherit.
The Israelites were tempted in business too. In business the Israelites were to be honest in their weights and measures. There were many who were dishonest. They would have heavy weights to measure things they were buying things and light when they were selling things. If they were dishonest, they were to be punished. The judges were to beat them. Honesty pays.
This verse promises a longer life for those who are honest in business. Today it can be an effort to find businessmen who are honest. When we look for a mechanic, it can be a challenge. When we look for a car salesman who is honest, it can be a challenge. When we look for a lawyer who will not just take our money, it can be a problem. When we look for insurance men who give all the fact, it can be a challenge. We could continue but I think you get the point.
Once I worked for a man who claimed to be a Christian but he was dishonest in business. He was confronted but still didn’t change. It caused those who knew him to doubt Christianity.
We need to be able to trust people. Christians should be the ones we can trust in business. If we find a Christian mechanic, salesman, lawyer or insurance man or woman, we should feel safe. The LORD will deal with those who are dishonest.
Let us be honest in our business dealings. There is no separation between business and faith in God’s word.
On another occasion while going into a bank to cash a check, the teller gave me too much money back. I had left the bank before I realized it. What should I do? I needed more money than I was earning. You know what I should do and I did it. We need to keep this practice in our testimony.
CHALLENGE: Keep your word with those you do business with on all occasions. Encourage those who are Christians to be honest in their dealings. If you are a business person – be honest.
: 17 Remember what Amalek did unto you by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt. (2142 “Remember” [zakar] means mindful, think, recall, bring to mind, or contemplate things or individuals.)
DEVOTION: Here was a group of people who mistreated the children of Israel as they were leaving Egypt. They would kill or capture individuals who were weak and feeble that could not keep up with the rest of the children of Israel.
The LORD wanted them to recall this treatment after they had conquered the Promised Land. Once that assignment was done, they were to deal with Amalek.
There are times when a nation can call to mind those who have hurt them. There are times when we can call to mind those who have hurt us. We need to put these individuals in the hands of the LORD.
It took many generations before Amalek was judged by the children of Israel. David kills some of the descendants. Hezekiah killed some of them as well.
The one trait that the LORD mentions regarding Amalek was that they feared not God. They didn’t honor HIM or respect HIM and HE wanted them to know that HE was able to deal with them in HIS time and in HIS way.
Some people are dealt with in their lifetime and others are dealt with in eternity. These individuals were being dealt with while the children of Israel were in control of the Promised Land.
CHALLENGE: Turn those who hurt you over to the LORD and HE will have them dealt with in HIS time frame and not ours.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovahverses 15, 16, 19
God – Elohimverses 15, 16, 18, 19
LORD thy Godverses 15, 16, 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangerverse 5
Amalekverses 17-19
Egyptverse 17
Enemiesverse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Condemnverse 1
Wickedverses 1, 2
Faultverse 2
Vileverse 3
Divers measuresverses 13, 14
Unrighteouslyverse 16
Abominationverse 16
Feared not Godverse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Justifyverse 1
Righteousverse 1
Perfect and just weightsverse 15
Length of daysverse 15
Inheritanceverses 15, 19
Restverse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Handling controversyverse 1
Judgesverses 1-3
Forty stripes
Treatment of animalsverse 4
Duty of a brother to brotherverses 5-10
Israelverses 6, 10
Eldersverses 7-9
Dealing with wife during fightverses 11, 12
Remember Amalekverses 17-19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Dieverse 5
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QUOTES regarding passage
25:17–19 The Amalekites, whom the Old Testament traces back to Eliphaz, son of Esau, and his concubine Timna (Gen 36:12), lived in the Arabian deserts east and south of the Dead Sea (Gen 36:16; Num 13:29; 14:25). They were a fierce nomadic people, hostile to Israel as their flagrant attack on the weak and elderly of the Exodus wanderers makes clear (Exod 17:8–16). Because of this cowardly act, the Lord placed them under his judgment (Exod 17:14), promising to bring them to utter ruin (Num 24:20). Eventually this came to pass but long after Israel’s settlement in Canaan. Saul was first commissioned to do so (1 Sam 15:1–3); but when he failed, the task fell to David, who appears to have been at least largely successful in achieving the long-sought objective (2 Sam 8:12). At the best, however, Israel failed to do what the law here commanded—to “blot out” (māḥâ) Amalek’s very memory “from under heaven” (v. 19). (Merrill, E. H. (1994). Deuteronomy (Vol. 4, p. 331). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
17–19. The Amalekites to be exterminated. This passage is not expressed in the legal phraseology of other parts of Deuteronomy, although something of an apodictic instruction is finally given, You shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. The background to the present injunction is the hostility displayed when the Amalekites cut off stragglers in the rear of the Israelites coming from Egypt (Exod. 17:8–16). This was inhuman and barbarous. Nomads from the desert would normally display some fear of God in such cases (cf. Amos 1:3–2:3). Amalek’s failure to show mercy to the weak merited divine judgment, for God judged nations for crimes against natural law. Israel would be used as an instrument of divine chastisement in later days (Ps. 149:7; Isa. 41:14, 15). Through the centuries there was continuous conflict between Israel and Amalek (1 Sam. 14:48; 15; 27:8, 9; 28:18; 30:1–20; 2 Sam. 8:12; 1 Chr. 4:43). In terms of the conduct of the Holy War these foes were to be exterminated along with those from whom Israel wrested the promised land (Deut. 20:10–15, 16, 18). This law would have been particularly relevant in the early days of the kingdom. In the days of the kings it was irrelevant, since the Amalekites had ceased to be significant. (Thompson, J. A. (1974). Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 5, pp. 276–277). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
25:17–19. The Amalekites were a nomadic desert tribe ranging from Sinai northward to upper Arabia (cf. 1 Sam. 15:7; 27:8). Their genealogy is traced to Amalek, son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12). The reference to “the whole territory of the Amalekites” (Gen. 14:7) is purposely anachronistic. Two specific battles with the Amalekites were mentioned in the Pentateuch (Ex. 17:8–16; Num. 14:39–45), but Deuteronomy 25:17–19 seems to indicate a series of hostilities that are not mentioned elsewhere. The unprovoked attacking of the weak, sick, and helpless Israelites lagging behind evidenced the cruelty and cowardice of the Amalekites as well as their lack of fear of Israel’s God. Since the Amalekites had shown no mercy to Israel, they were to receive none. Israel was to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. More than 400 years later David defeated the Amalekites (2 Sam. 1:1), but they were not completely wiped out till about another 300 years later in Hezekiah’s day (1 Chron. 4:41–43). The strong command Do not forget! is the last of nine such commands in Deuteronomy (cf. comments on Deut. 4:9). (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 307). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
25:17–19 The memory of Amalek. The harsh sentence on the Amalekites recalls their attack on the Israelites on their journey from Egypt (Ex. 17:8–16). This attempt to stop Israel reaching the promised land makes them similar to Moab and Ammon, who were permanently excluded from fellowship with Israel for this same reason (23:3–5). Amalek’s crime seems to be judged especially serious because of the methods used. The Lord’s enmity with them is permanent. In due course, Saul is instructed to put the decree against them into effect (1 Sa. 15:2).
The present command may be intended to round off the long collection of laws which began at ch. 12; its reference to rest from all the enemies (19) recalls 12:9. (McConville, J. G. (1994). Deuteronomy. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 222–223). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
Ver. 17. Remember what Amalek did unto thee, &c.] The Amalekites, how they came out against them, and fought with them at Rephidim, Exod. 17:8. by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; which was an aggravation of their cruel and inhuman action, that they not only came out against them unprovoked, were the aggressors, and fell upon them as they were travelling on the road, but when they were just come out of Egypt, where they had been in hard bondage, and their spirits broken, and they not used to war; and so took them at all these disadvantages, a people that had not in the least injured them.
Ver. 18. How he met thee by the way, &c.] Not with necessary provisions, food and drink, which would have been but a piece of kindness and humanity to travellers; but met them sword in hand, in order to stop their journey, and make them captives, at least to harass and distress them: and smote the hindmost of them; came upon them in a sly cowardly manner, and attacked their rear: even all that were feeble behind thee; women and children, and such men as were weak, sickly, labouring under some disorder, and so lagged behind, and could not keep up with the rest; on these Amalek first fell, and began his attack here: when thou wast faint and weary; with travelling, and the more so for want of water, which was their case at Rephidim, when Amalek came out against them; which is another aggravation of their unkind usage of them they were not to forget: and he feared not God; who was then in the pillar of cloud and fire with Israel, which phenomenon Amalek might see, and yet did not fear; and who had done such wonders for Israel in Egypt, and had brought them from thence, and had drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, of which doubtless Amalek had heard, and yet feared not the Lord, who had done such great things.
Ver. 19. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, &c.] Not only when they had subdued the Canaanites, and got possession of their land, but when they were clear and free from all their neighbouring nations, Moabites, Midianites, Edomites, Ammonites, and Philistines; wherefore it may be observed, that this did not take place, as not immediately after the conquest of Canaan, so neither in the times of the judges, when they were harassed frequently by their neighbours, and not until the times of Saul, the first king of Israel: in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it; the sense is, when they were in the full possession of the land given them by the Lord, as an inheritance to be enjoyed by them and theirs; and were at an entire rest from all enemies, and so had their hands at liberty to employ against Amalek: that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven: that is, utterly destroy them, so that there should be none left of them any where, to put in mind that there ever were such a people on earth; men, women, children, cattle of all sorts, were to be destroyed, and nothing left that belonged unto them; that it might not be said this beast was Amalek’s, as Jarchi, and to the same purpose Aben Ezra; see the order for this renewed, and the accomplishment of it, at least in part, 1 Sam. 15:2, 3, &c. thou shalt not forget it; neither the unkindness of Amalek, nor this order to destroy him. The Targum of Jonathan adds, “and even in the days of the King Messiah it shall not be forgotten.” (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 111–112). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
What is the Holy Spirit telling us here? He is telling us the house of curtains built of old typifies the house of God in which He dwells by His Spirit today, whose house we are. That is, the house of God at the present time is not a house of stones, brick and mortar like this great building and many other similar buildings dedicated to the Lord, but the house of God is built of men and women saved by grace and brought into holy, happy fellowship by the indwelling Spirit of God. There are a great many people who profess to be Christians but prove their profession is not genuine, for the Scripture reads, “whose house are we, if we hold fast … firm unto the end.” It does not do to profess to be a Christian and by and by turn away and deny the Lord who bought you. There are many who join the church, are baptized and whose after-life proves there was no genuine work of grace in the soul. When people are born again, they manifest the reality of that work by continuing steadfast in the faith, and those who thus prove to be truly born of God and are His regenerated children constitute the house in which God now dwells. (Ironside, H. A. (1945). Divine priorities, and other messages (pp. 45–46). New York: Loizeaux Brothers.)
If we are going out, as we have been commissioned, to take the Gospel to others and carry on a great worldwide missionary program, conditions are such in this world that it demands constant sacrifice and self-denial. God told Moses to tell the people to bring in all that was needed for the construction of the house of God, but to tell them to bring with a willing heart. He did not want anything given grudgingly. He did not want a gift from those who said, “I hate to part with it, but I must keep up appearances.” Moses said, “We don’t want gifts from them. Those who give must give willingly.” (Ironside, H. A. (1945). Divine priorities, and other messages (p. 47). New York: Loizeaux Brothers.)
God is still seeking materials for the building of His house. He wants redeemed sinners to be builded togather for His dwelling-place. In order to reach them He requires men and money and it is our privilege to provide them. O for willing hearts to respond to the missionary call!
The dire need of the pagan world is in itself the Macedonian cry, imploring Christians to come over and help them, bringing to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death the light and liberty that only the Gospel can supply.
Thus new material will be builded into the house of God and the coming of the Saviour hastened. Even though we may not all be able to go out and seek for the lost we can all participate in the work. By prayer, by our gifts, as well as by our personal testimony, we can help to provide that which is necessary in order that the work may soon be completed. (Ironside, H. A. (1945). Divine priorities, and other messages (pp. 48–49). New York: Loizeaux Brothers.)
David is described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). It is difficult for us to accept that statement when David is guilty of lying, adultery, murder, and other indiscretions. However, to be a man after God’s own heart means that David wants the same things God wants. His noble desires and intentions are overruled several times by his passions; but when David’s senses are restored and he repents of his sin, again his heart beats after God’s desires. We may not be as bad as David in his bad moments, but are we as good as David in his good moments? Do our hearts beat after God? (Quiet Walk)
Last week, I received a stunning email from a gentleman who had, only days before, learned from doctors that he and his wife would likely not be able to conceive children. The doctor did say that in vitro fertilization could be successful in their case. The email described the couple’s decision:
“We just can’t go forward with IVF. I know it could satisfy one of the deepest desires of our hearts, but the cost is unacceptable. A little boy or girl created with our own genetic material is not morally worth the many inevitable deaths of his or her embryonic brothers and sisters.”
I’m not sure what’s more impressive: the moral conviction shown by this young couple or just how deeply they understand the moral realities of artificial reproductive technologies.
In a culture that views children as products instead of image-bearers, many Christians feel lost when faced with similar decisions. We hear from them all the time, and, while I’m grateful to be a resource for those wrestling with these issues, the Church has, too often, simply failed young couples in this area, both in communicating a theology of children and in helping them navigate the ethical challenges of infertility.
Whether from Scriptural stories – like Abraham and Sarah, Samuel’s mother Hannah, and John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth – or from personal experience, to say that infertility is painful is an understatement, as anyone who has gone through it can attest. Even if lacking a clear ethic on reproductive technology, Christians tend to value children more than the wider culture. In this context, technology can seem like answer to the prayers of those who wish to conceive their own children but cannot. It’s understandable why pastors and fellow believers would be loath to counsel against it.
All of this made the moral clarity found in this email so stark. This couple acknowledges that their deep, God-given desire for children is more than a matter of personal preference or a choice to further their happiness. Rather, it’s an inherent part of their marriage. Yet, they’ve sought to understand the moral complexities of IVF, realizing that means are not justified by well-intentioned, or even godly, ends.
Listen to this line again: “A little boy or girl created with our own genetic material is not morally worth the many inevitable deaths of his or her embryonic brothers and sisters.” In most IVF clinics, couples consent to create more embryos than they intend to parent. They do that to increase the chances of success through various rounds of implantation. It’s a strategy built around the probability that not all of the embryos will survive. If more embryos survive implantation than desired, a so-called “voluntary reduction” is often recommended and performed.
That’s another word for abortion.
To be clear, there are fertility specialists and clinics, many of them Christian, who, while not finding IVF unethical, per se, refuse this pragmatic sacrifice of human life. Unlike a practice that has resulted in over a million abandoned embryos, subject to custody battles, or being discarded as medical waste, these clinics require that only one embryo is created and implanted at a time or that the couple will agree to implant all embryos created.
All of this is a poignant reminder that talk about Christian ethics and worldview is not some disembodied, esoteric exercise for the theologically nerdy. Like the couple that wrote to us, the real-life issues Christians face in this cultural moment have flesh-and-blood implications.
“Forgoing IVF is hard,” they wrote, “but we have peace that it is right and good.”
This couple has chosen the narrow way Jesus referred to in His Sermon on the Mount. They’ve chosen the way of Mary, who, when told by the angel that unexpected motherhood was her future, said “let it be to me according to Your Word.”
I don’t know precisely how, but I pray God will bless this couple with peace and in amazing ways for their faithfulness. I pray others, facing the pain of infertility, will follow their courageous example and do the hard work required to make the right decisions. I pray God will equip His Church and its shepherds to prepare His people to live faithfully in this cultural moment. (Break Point)
1 Peter 3
Husbands and wives should be sensitive to the responsibilities and needs of each other.
INSIGHTIn a Christian marriage, the wife should submit to her husband and live an exemplary life which validates her faith. The husband should love his wife unconditionally, be sensitive to her, and seek to understand her. When both spouses assume a proper role before God and each other, a harmonious and satisfying relationship will result. If not, conflict or alienation can result.
(Quiet Walk)
When Philadelphia Eagle’s quarterback Carson Wentz returned to the field after healing from a severe injury, the NFL team’s backup quarterback, Nick Foles, graciously returned to the bench. Although competing for the same position, the two men chose to support each other and remained confident in their roles. One reporter observed that the two athletes have a “unique relationship rooted in their faith in Christ” shown through their ongoing prayers for each other. As others watched, they brought honor to God by remembering they were on the same team—not just as Eagles quarterbacks, but as believers in Jesus representing Him.
The apostle Paul reminds believers to live as “children of the light” awaiting Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6). With our hope secure in the salvation Christ has provided, we can shrug off any temptations to compete out of jealousy, insecurity, fear, or envy. Instead, we can “encourage one another and build each other up” (v. 11). We can respect spiritual leaders who honor God and “live in peace” as we serve together to accomplish our shared goal—telling people about the gospel and encouraging others to live for Jesus (vv. 12-15).
As we serve on the same team, we can heed Paul’s command: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (vv. 16-18). By Xochitl Dixon (Daily Bread)
VICTORY OVER THE WORLD
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:5
Faith enables us to have victory over the world and to overcome it directly—passively—by the resting of a naked faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. I am increasingly convinced that this is the greatest lesson that we as Christian people can ever learn in this world. It is the possibility of directly and immediately and passively resting upon the power and the ability of our risen Lord. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (verse 4)—my faith in Him, my belief in Him, that He is the Son of God. The result of that is that I go to Him and rest upon Him.
This is something of the meaning that you will find enunciated everywhere in the Bible. Let me give you just one quotation that will illustrate it perfectly and represent all others: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). That is it! Read the various Psalms too, and see how those godly men of old were struggling against the world and its temptations and insinuations, and they will all tell you that was the only thing they could do. They say that the forces were too great for them. They might have failed, but they said, “There is only one thing to do—I will run into the tower, and there in the tower I am safe.”
Or if you like it in New Testament form, it is the doctrine of the vine and the branches, as seen in the statement of our Lord: “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). It is put positively by the apostle Paul: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13); and “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20).
A Thought to Ponder: I will run into the tower, and there in the tower I am safe.
(From Life in God, p. 56, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Direct Access
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
This is one of the key verses of Scripture for several reasons. In the first place, in the midst of a pantheistic and polytheistic society governed by the kings and rulers for whom Paul had just exhorted believers to pray, it was important to reemphasize that there was only one Creator God—the One to whom even kings must give account and the only One to whom we can rightfully pray.
Secondly, Christ Jesus, who was Himself “God…manifest in the flesh” and then “received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16), was nevertheless still “the man Christ Jesus.” He is still a man, even though His human body has been resurrected and glorified. Therefore, He can, indeed, “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” and we can “come boldly” to His “throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Then, because He is both omnipotent God and perfect man, “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (v. 15), He is uniquely able to serve as the one and only “mediator between God and men.” Furthermore, as the only God-man, fully and eternally both God and man, He is the only one through whom we can reach God’s throne in prayer. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He said, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
No one else—man or woman, saint or priest, angel or demon— has direct access to God, for the Son is the one mediator between God and man. We can come to God, however, for “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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