Ephesians 5
Sacrifice for one anotherverses 1-2
Be you therefore followers of God – as dear children
and walk in love – as Christ also hath loved us
and has given HIMSELF for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savor
Description of the wickedverses 3-5
BUT fornication – and all uncleanness – or covetousness
let it not be once named among you – as becomes saints
NEITHER filthiness – nor foolish talking – nor jesting
which are not convenient – BUT rather the giving of thanks
FOR this you know – that no whoremonger – unclean person
covetous man who is an idolater
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God
Description of those walking in lightverses 6-9
Let no man deceive you with vain words
for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the
children of disobedience
be not you therefore partakers with them
FOR you were sometimes darkness – BUT now are you light in the Lord
WALK as children of light
(FOR the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness – righteousness – truth)
Life a life in the lightverses 10-14
PROVING what is acceptable to the Lord.
and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness
but rather reprove them
FOR it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret
but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light
for whatsoever does make manifest is light
WHEREFORE HE says
Awake you that sleep – and arise from the dead
and Christ shall give you light
Characteristics of being filled with Holy Spiritverses 15-21
SEE then that you walk circumspectly – not as fools – BUT as wise
redeeming the time – BECAUSE the days are evil
WHEREFORE be you not unwise
BUT understanding what the will of the Lord is
and be not drunk with wine – wherein is excess
BUT be filled with the Spirit
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord
Giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God
Proper husband wife relationshipsverses 22-30
Wives – submit yourselves unto your own husband – as to the Lord
for the husband is the head of the wife
EVEN as Christ is the head of the church
and HE is the savior of the body
THEREFORE as the church is subject unto Christ
so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing
Husbands – love your wives – EVEN as Christ also loved the church
and gave HIMSELF for it
that HE might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word
that HE might present it to HIMSELF a glorious church
not having spot – or wrinkle – or any such thing
BUT that it should be holy and without blemish
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies
he that loves his wife loves himself
FOR no man ever yet hated his own flesh
but nourishes and cherishes it – EVEN as the Lord the church
for we are members of HIS body – of HIS flesh
and of HIS bones
Comparison between marriage and Christverses 31-33
FOR this cause shall a man leave his father and mother
and shall be joined to his wife
and they two shall be one flesh
This is a great mystery – BUT I speak concerning Christ and the church
nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife
even as himself and the wife see that she
reverence her husband
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. (433 “convenient” [anemeros] means to attain to, be proper, befitting, be fit, one’s duty, seemly or arrived at)
DEVOTION: Paul contrasts the difference between children of darkness and children of light. The one group has never become followers of Christ. Paul does not believe in universalism. The majority of the people living did not follow Christ in Paul’s lifetime and that is still true today. They are still the children of darkness. The children of darkness are the ones who live in sin. They don’t want to change. They see no need to change. They are enjoying what they think is a great life.
The children of light are in the minority in Paul’s day as well as today. Those who are children of light are supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit on a regular basis. Once someone becomes a follower of Christ they are filled at that point. They can lose the filling through acts of sin. In the last chapter Christians are told not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit with sin. Once sin is confessed by a Christian they were refilled with the Holy Spirit and manifest this through their speaking to themselves in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The second way they know that they are filled with the Holy Spirit is that they are “giving thanks.” The third way they know they are filled with the Holy Spirit is that they are willing to “submit” to one another.
Today many are more concerned with what is politically correct than what is Biblically correct. Some in our society think that people want to hear them curse and swear. Some think that they are popular if they tell off color jokes. The television is full of people who make fun of other people. The problem with all these things is that it be practiced in our churches. Our responsibility is to edify others. Our responsibility is to encourage others. Our responsibility before God is to give thanks for all our blessings. We are truly a blessed people. It is not because of what we have done but because of what God has done for us.
Are we thankful for our salvation? Are we noted for being a person who is thankful or are we noted for being a complainer? Are we noted for saying good things about others or are we noted for saying the latest gossip? Many people who claim Christ don’t seem to think that their language matters to God. IT DOES. Our mouth should be used to witness for the LORD. Our mouth should be used to encourage fellow believers. Sometimes a Christian’s mouth is using words and symbols that are not giving of thanks. Are our words always something for which God can be thankful? Remember it is not fitting for a Christian to use filthiness or foolish talking or telling dirty jokes.
If you are one who is part of the children of darkness receiving these devotions please consider becoming a child of God through a personal relationship with Christ. Remember just because you said a prayer or were baptized or joined a church, or gave money to church, or were born in a Christian family – that does not make you a Christian. Only a turnaround or repentance to a new life is what is required to become a follower of Christ. If there is no difference in your life regarding spiritual things like reading the Bible and praying with meaning – then there has not be a turnaround or repentance.
CHALLENGE: Make sure you are not the one who is known for cursing or swearing or dirty jokes. We are the ones who should be clean in our speech and living.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit, (4137 “filled” [pleroo] means complete, cause to abound, furnish or supply liberally, finish, provide fully, proclaim completely, or supply all needed)
DEVOTION: Paul compares the provision of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life to those who are drunk with wine. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ should never be drunk with wine but they should be abounding in the work of the Holy Spirit in their life.
There are three signs that someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ is fully supplied with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The three verses following this one give us Paul’s instructions regarding this issue.
First there is singing not only on the inside but also on the outside. Those who are furnished fully with the Holy Spirit have a song in their heart that has to come out into their everyday activities. They just want to sing of the greatness of the LORD and what HE has done for them. The verse gives examples of the types of songs that are sung. They are based on the Word of God.
Secondly, there is an attitude of thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received from the LORD once we became followers of HIM. The most important blessing is our salvation. Next we are thankful that we have the presence of the LORD with us always. HE keeps HIS promises to never leave us or forsake us. We can even be thankful for his chastening when we commit sin. HE shows HIS love by correcting us, so that, we can become better servants of HIM.
Thirdly, there is the desire to summit to one another. This is probably the hardest one to practice as a believer. We have our old nature which is selfish and lazy combating our new nature which is one of serving others and working hard for the LORD. This is manifested first in the believers home life. The wife summits to the husband and the husband loves his wife. Our Christian beliefs have to be manifested first to our family. Then we can manifest them to the world.
CHALLENGE: Manifesting the three characteristics of the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our home and family is one of our greatest privileges and greatest challenge. Living for Christ in our home takes a lot of work.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ( 5293 “submit” [hupotasso] means subject, subordinate, place under, to subdue, obey, or be under the authority of)
DEVOTION: We live in a day and age when marriage is looked down on by society in general. The family is under attack and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. God ordained that a man and woman should marry for life. HE created only one man and one woman in the Garden of Eden. HE told them to love one another and to be fruitful.
Today we have many sources telling women that they don’t need a man. There is no need to be married to someone of the opposite sex. There is another way to have children. Our schools are starting to change their foams to read “Parent one” and “Parent two.” It is no longer father and mother. It is no longer husband and wife. Even the marriage certificate will be changed.
We need to first talk to people about submitting to the LORD before we talk about them submitting to each other. Our world is in the state of confusion because there is no honoring of God.
Children are to obey their parents that should be made up of one Father and one Mother of the opposite sex.
CHALLENGE: This is becoming abnormal rather than normal in our society but it never will be in God’s society.
: 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave HIMSELF for it. (25 “love” [agapao] means to be fond of, to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing, to have strong, non-sexual affection and love for a person and their good as understood by God’s moral character, especially characterized by a willing forfeiture of rights or privileges in another person’s behalf, or take pleasure in)
DEVOTION: Paul gives further instructions regarding the husband’s responsibility in marriage. Once the wife is willing to submit to the husband everything will be fine in the marriage. It would seem so but that is not always the case.
The husband has the responsibility to love his wife. Each person in the marriage has to answer to the LORD for their actions. Both have to work together to accomplish what God wants to happen in a marriage.
If one party doesn’t act right then the other party doesn’t have to obey the LORD’s command, right!! The answer is no. Each one answers to the LORD no matter what the other partner does. The goal is for each to act properly.
This can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit in the marriage. If each partner is full of the Holy Spirit than their actions will be pleasing to the LORD. If one is out of fellowship with the LORD, they will affect the marriage in a negative way.
Some marriage partners are waiting for the other to live for the LORD before they will act properly in the marriage. This is not the LORD’S plan. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Men should be complimenting their wives on a regular basis. They should want to act in a way that will please their wife and show them that he loves them. Women should be willing to listen to and allow the husband to lead in the marriage. He should only do it in love but he should be the leader.
Again, our society is trying to change what the LORD is teaching in HIS Word. They don’t want either to give way to the other. They are teaching that men should not be leaders and women should not submit to their husbands. They seem to be winning the marriage battle.
Believers cannot yield to the teachings of the world but understand the teachings of the Bible and follow them no matter what is going on around us. Only then can marriage be what the LORD wanted from the beginning of creation.
CHALLENGE: Our Christian husbands treating their wives correctly in the eyes of the LORD? Should this change?
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)
Wordverse 26
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 1, 2, 5, 6,20, 21
Followers of Godverse 1
Kingdom of Godverse 5
Wrath of Godverse 6
Fatherverse 20
Fear of Godverse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Christverses 2, 5, 14, 20, 23-25, 32
Loved usverse 2
Given HIMSELFverse 2
Offering and sacrifice to Godverse 2
Sweetsmelling savorverse 2
Kingdom of Christverse 5
Lordverses 10, 17, 19, 20, 22, 29
Will of the Lordverse 17
Jesus verse 20
Name of our Lord Jesus Christverse 20
Head of the churchverse 23
Saviorverse 23
Loved the churchverse 25
Sanctifies and cleanses churchverse 26
Presents to HIMSELF a glorious churchverse 27
Mystery: Church and churchverse 32
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spiritverses 9, 18
Fruit of the Spirit verse 9
Filled with the Spiritverse 18
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)
Days are evilverse 16
Husband is head of the wifeverse 23
Man leave father and motherverse 31
One flesh relationshipverse 31
Love his wife as himselfverse 32
Wife reverence her husbandverse 32
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Fornicationverse 3
Uncleannessverses 3, 5
Covetousnessverses 3, 5
Filthinessverse 4
Foolish talkingverse 4
Jestingverse 4
Whoremongerverse 5
Idolaterverse 5
Deceiveverse 6
Vain wordsverse 6
Children of disobedienceverse 6
Partakers with evildoersverse 7
Darknessverse 8
Unfruitful works of darknessverse 11
Things done in secretverse 12
Reprovedverse 13
Foolsverse 15
Unwiseverse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Followers of Godverse 1
Dear children verse 1
Walk in loveverse 2
Saintsverse 3
Giving of thanksverse 4
Children of lightverse 8
Fruit of the Spiritverse 9
Goodnessverse 9
Righteousnessverse 9
Truthverse 9
Acceptable to the Lordverse 10
Reprove works of darknessverse 11
Given lightverse 14
Walk circumspectlyverse 15
Wiseverse 15
Redeeming the timeverse 16
Understanding what the will of the Lordverse 17
Be not drunkverse 18
Filled with the Spiritverse 18
Speaking in psalms, hymns & spiritual songsverse 19
Making melody in heartverse 19
Giving thanksverse 20
Submittingverses 21, 22
wives to husbands
wives reverence husband
Wives subject to own husbandverse 23
Husbands love wifeverses 25, 28
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Christ = Head of the church verse 23
Church subject to Christverse 24
Christ loved the churchverse 25
Christ sanctified church verse 26
Christ cleansed churchverse 26
Glorious churchverse 27
Holy and without blemish churchverse 27
Christ nourishes churchverse 29
Christ cherishes church verse 29
Members verse 30
Great mystery: churchverse 32
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
17 “Therefore” (dia touto) resumes the thought of v. 15 with its exhortation to be wise. “Foolish” (aphrōn) is a stronger word than asophoi in v. 15, alluding to stupid imprudence or senseless folly in action. To “understand” (syniēmi) is to give the mind to something so as to get hold of it. It implies that an effort has to be made: so it has the sense of “try to grasp.” The object of this determined attempt at apprehension is the Lord’s will (v. 10). Paul recognizes the divine will as the regulative principle of the Christian life (Eph 1:1, 5, 9). Here he refers to the will of the Lord (i.e., Jesus Christ) perhaps, as Lenski (pp. 616, 617) suggested, because Christ left us an example. (Wood, A. S. (1981). Ephesians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, pp. 71–72). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
God has given us a mind (v. 17a). “Understanding” suggests using our minds to discover and do the will of God. Too many Christians have the idea that discovering God’s will is a mystical experience that rules out clear thinking. But this idea is wrong—and dangerous. We discover the will of God as He transforms the mind (Rom. 12:1–2); and this transformation is the result of the Word of God, prayer, meditation, and worship. If God gave you a mind, then He expects you to use it. This means that learning His will involves gathering facts, examining them, weighing them, and praying for His wisdom (James 1:5). God does not want us simply to know His will; He wants us to understand His will.
God has a plan for our lives (v. 17b). Paul alluded to this plan (Eph. 2:10). If God saved me, He has a purpose for my life, and I should discover that purpose and then guide my life accordingly. He reveals His plan through His Word (Col. 1:9–10), His Spirit in our hearts (Col. 3:15), and the working of circumstances (Rom. 8:28). The Christian can walk carefully and accurately because he knows what God wants him to do. Like the builder following the blueprint, he accomplishes what the architect planned.
This completes the section we have called “Walk in Purity.” The emphasis is on the new life as contrasted with the old life, imitating God and not the evil world around us. In the next section, “Walk in Harmony,” Paul deals with the relationships of life and shows how life in Christ can bring heaven to the home. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 47). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
5:17 do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Knowing and understanding God’s will through His Word is spiritual wisdom. For example, God’s will revealed to us is that people should be saved (1Ti 2:3, 4), Spirit-filled (v. 18), sanctified (1Th 4:3), submissive (1Pe 2:13–15), suffering (1Pe 2:20) and thankful (1Th 5:18). Jesus is the supreme example for all (see Jn 4:4; 5:19, 30; 1Pe 4:1, 2). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Eph 5:17). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, &c.] No one would be thought to be unwise, but such are, who do not redeem time, and are ignorant of the will of the Lord; believers should not act the unwise part, neither in their talk, nor in their walk and conversation, nor in their use of time: but understanding what the will of the Lord is; or of God, as read the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions: there is the secret will of God, which is the rule of all his proceedings; and is unknown to men, till facts make it appear; this is always fulfilled, and sometimes by persons who have no regard to his revealed will; to this the wills of the people of God should be always resigned: and there is his revealed will, which lies partly in the Gospel; which declares it to be his will, that Christ should work out the salvation of his people, which is what he came to do; that whoever believes in him shall be saved; that all that are redeemed shall be sanctified; and that they shall persevere to the end, and be glorified; and partly in the law, in the precepts and commands of it, which contain the good, perfect, and acceptable, will of God: and the understanding of it is not a mere speculative knowledge of it, but a practical one; when a man not only knows, but does the will of God, and his heart and actions agree with it; and this is to be done in faith, in virtue of grace and strength received, with a view to the glory of God, having no dependence on what is done; and to the right understanding of it, so as to act according to it, as should be, the word of God, and the illuminations, instructions, and grace of the spirit, are necessary: the Alexandrian copy, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, read the words as an exhortation, understand ye the will of God. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 102). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
b. Concerning Truth (5:17)
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Failure to do what the Holy Spirit says is the height of folly. The Greek word translated “unwise” here is aphrōn; it can also be translated “senseless.” Surely it is the height of stupidity to have in one’s hand the very Word of the living God—inbreathed by the omniscient, all-wise Creator of the universe—and neglect to read it, study it, memorize it, and obey it! The angels must look at our foolishness in astonishment. We spend years going to college to study medicine, physics, chemistry, business management, engineering, and history. We invest time and money to sit at the feet of those we consider to be learned. We buy their books, attend their lectures, apply our minds to master what they have to say. But we neglect our Bibles. What folly! What an exposure of our warped sense of values!
There is no wiser, no more knowledgeable being in the universe than the Author of the Bible. There is no more patient teacher than the Holy Spirit. There is no greater book than the Bible. There is no greater privilege this side of Heaven than to have a copy of the inspired Word of God. Yet we often let it gather dust.
Refer the average professing Christian to the book of Habakkuk, for example, and he will probably have to turn to the index or flip pages in order to find it. Ask him to name the covenants—what they contain and where they are found—and he cannot do it. Ask him the difference between the sin offering and the trespass offering, and you are speaking to him in a foreign language. Ask which Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and he might know, but ask which Herod murdered the apostle James and he will likely be unable to answer.
Ask when Paul wrote Romans or why he wrote 2 Corinthians. Ask whether Isaiah and Jeremiah were acquainted with one another or why David wrote Psalm 24. Ask the significance of the feast of weeks or who reigned when Amos preached. Ask in what ways Daniel filled in the details of the silent centuries between the books of Malachi and Matthew. Ask him to name the twelve apostles or the seven churches of Asia to whom John sent letters. Ask when Jesus was transfigured. Ask him to name the “I Am” sayings of Jesus. Ask him to quote Psalm 23 or give the reference for “Jesus wept.” Ask him to name three of David’s soldiers or the differences between the beliefs of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. You will be appalled at his abysmal ignorance.
The average church-attending, professing Christian knows little about the one Book in all the world that should mean the most to him and about which he should know the most. That same person may know who starred in Gone with the Wind, the score of yesterday’s football game, or the Dow Jones industrial average.
No wonder the Holy Spirit says, “Don’t be senseless, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The will of the Lord is found in the Word of God. To know the will of God, we must know the Word of God. We must make a conscious decision to study the Bible as much as, if not more than, any other subject. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Ephesians & Philippians: An Expository Commentary (Eph 5:17). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)
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!!)
When is a revival needed? When carelessness and unconcern keep the people asleep. It is as much the duty of the Church to awaken and work and labor for the men and women of this city as it is the duty of the fire department to rush out when the call sounds. What would you think of the fire department if it slept while the town burned? You would condemn them, and I will condemn you if you sleep and let men and women go to hell. The Church of God is asleep today; it is turned into a dormitory, and has take the devil’s opiates. (p. 293, “Billy” Sunday: The Man and His Message by William T. Ellis)
Luke gives his account of Jesus’ birth and early life.
INSIGHT
To Jesus, nothing is more important than doing His Father’s will, even at the age of 12. When His parents miss Him on the trip home from the Passover, they return and find Him in the temple. “Did you not know that I had to be about My Father’s business?” He asked. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,” He later said in John 4:34. Absolute single-mindedness!
We are to have the mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus. We are to have absolute single-mindedness about doing the will of the Father. Most of us don’t feel very single-minded. We feel distracted and pulled in the direction of the world, the flesh, and the enticements of the devil.
But the goal remains unchanged: absolute single-mindedness in serving the Father. Make that your purpose and your prayer.(Quiet Walk)
OUR LORD’S CARE FOR HIS FOLLOWERS
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
John 17:6
Observe our Lord’s care for His followers. He reminds His Father that He kept them while He was in the world. How easy it is to read the Gospels without seeing that all the while He is watching them and keeping them and shielding them against the enemy. But now He is going out of the world, and in John 17 He is praying to His Father to keep them. He pleads with Him to look after them and commits them to His care. They are His Father’s, but they have been given to Him, and He gives them back: “keep them from the evil” (John 17:15).
If we but realized the concern of our Savior for us as we are tried and tempted and beset by sin and Satan, it would revolutionize our whole attitude toward everything. We should also note His loving attitude toward His followers. Some astounding things are said here. Indeed we would almost be right to query them when we read what He says of these disciples: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” Then notice: “Thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (John 17:6). How can He say that?
As we read the Gospels and look at these disciples, we see them quarreling with one another, we see their jealousy of one another and their desire for preeminence over one another, and finally we read how at the end they all forsook Him and fled. Yet He said about them, “they have kept thy word.” He did not criticize them; He prayed for them. I thank God for this above everything else.
A Thought to Ponder: He did not criticize them; He prayed for them.
(From Safe in the World, pp. 18-19, by Dr Martyn Lloyd—Jones)
David’s Son
“He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.” (2 Samuel 7:13-14)
These verses comprise the heart of the great “Davidic Covenant” made by God with David and his “seed.” As with many Old Testament prophecies, it had both an immediate and ultimate fulfillment. Initially, it applied to Solomon, who did, indeed, “build an house for my name.” Its complete fulfillment, however, had to await the distant coming (a thousand years in the future for His first coming) of David’s greater Son, the Messiah. It was only of Him that God could promise uniquely that He would also be the Son of the heavenly Father (Hebrews 1:5). To His mother, Mary, the angel Gabriel confirmed the Davidic promise: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).
But before his eternal throne could be established, his iniquities must be judged. As far as Solomon was concerned, his iniquities ultimately cut his own seed off from the throne. “The seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3) came through Nathan, not Solomon (Luke 3:23-31).
Although Jesus Christ “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), “he was bruised for our iniquities,” because “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” He deserved no chastening; nevertheless, “the chastisement of our peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5-6).
Thereby the Lord Jesus Christ, “greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42), is indeed “a son over his own house; whose house are we” (Hebrews 3:6).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Stephen writes: Rest tonight, knowing that whatever is on your mind, is in God’s hands.
Elders were individuals who had been followers of Christ for some time and could serve as models and leaders for the church. (p 29)
Paul and Barnabas did not appoint a pastor but appointed elders (plural) in each of the churches. This became standard practice whenever they planted a new church (Titus 1:5) These individuals were the governing authority within the church, responsible to over see the spiritual care and maturation of the people (Heb. 13:17)
(p. 29, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.