Ezekiel 23
Parable of Two sisters: Aholah and Aholibah verse 1- 4
The word of the LORD came again unto me – saying
Son of man – there were two women – the daughters of one mother
and they committed whoredoms in Egypt
they committed whoredoms in their youth
there were their breasts pressed
there they bruised the teats of their virginity
And the names of them were Aholah the elder – and Aholibah her sister
and they were MINE – and they bare sons and daughters
Thus were their names
Samaria is Aholah – Jerusalem is Aholibah
Aholah played the harlot with Assyria verse 5- 8
And Aholah played the harlot when she was MINE
and she doted on her lovers – on the Assyrians her neighbors
which were clothed with blue – captains and rulers
all of them desiring young men
horsemen riding upon horses
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them
with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria
and with all on whom she doted
with all their idols she defiled herself
Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt
for in her youth they lay with her
and they bruised the breasts of her virginity
and poured their whoredom upon her
LORD turned Aholah over to Assyria verse 9- 10
WHEREFORE I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers
into the hand of the Assyrians – upon whom she doted
These discovered her nakedness – they took her sons and her daughters
and slew here with the sword
and she became famous among women
For they had executed judgment upon her
Aholibah sinned with Assyria verse 11- 13
WHEN her sister Aholibah saw this
she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she
and in her whoredoms more than her sister
in her whoredoms
she doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors
captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously
horsemen riding upon horses
all of them desirable young men
THEN I saw that she was defiled – that they took both one way
Aholibah lusted after Babylon verse 14- 17
And that she increased her whoredoms
for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall
the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion
girded with girdles upon their loins
exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads
all of them princes to look too
after the manner of the
Babylonians of Chaldea
the land of their nativity
and as soon as she saw them with her eyes – she doted upon them
and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love
and they defiled her with their whoredom
and she was polluted with them
and her mind was alienated from them
LORD rejected Aholibah verse 18- 21
So she discovered her whoredoms – and discovered her nakedness
THEN MY mind was alienated from her
like as MY mind was alienated from her sister
YET she multiplied her whoredoms
in calling to remembrance the days of her youth
WHEREIN she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt
for she doted upon their paramours
whose flesh is as the flesh of asses
and whose issue is like the issue of horses
THUS you call to remembrance the lewdness of your youth
in bruising the teats by the Egyptians for the paps of your your
LORD sends armies of the nations against Jerusalem verse 22- 24
THEREFORE – O Aholibah – thus says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD – I will raise up your lovers against you
from whom your mind is alienated
and I will bring them against you on every side
The Babylonians – and all the Chaldeans – Pekod – Shoa – Koa
and all the Assyrians with them
all of them desirable young men
captains and rulers – great lords and renowned
all of them riding upon horses
They shall come against you with chariots – wagons – wheels
and with an assembly of people
which shall set against your buckler – shield
helmet round about
and I will set judgment before them
and they shall judge you according to their judgments
LORD to show HIS jealousy toward Jerusalem verse 25- 27
And I will set MY jealousy against you
and they shall deal furiously with you
they shall take away your nose and your ears
and your remnant shall fall by the sword
they shall take your sons and your daughters
and your residue shall be devoured by the fire
they shall also strip you out of your clothes
and take away your fair jewels
Thus I will make your lewdness to cease from you
and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt
SO THAT you shall not lift up your eyes unto them
nor remember Egypt any more
LORD gives reasons for HIS jealousy verse 28- 31
FOR thus says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD – I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate
into the hand of them from whom your mind is alienated
and they shall deal with you hatefully
and shall take away all your labor
and shall leave you naked and bare
and the nakedness of your whoredoms shall be discovered
both your lewdness and your whoredoms
I will do these things unto you
BECAUSE you have gone whoring after the heathen
and BECAUSE you are polluted with their idols
You have walked in the way of your sister
THEREFORE will I give her cup into your hand
Jerusalem is to suffer like Samaria verse 32- 34
THUS says the Lord GOD
You shall drink of your sister’s cup deep and large
you shall be laughed to scorn and had in derision
it contains much
You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow
with the cup of astonishment and desolation
with the cup of your sister Samaria
You shall even drink it and suck it out
and you shall break the sherds thereof
and pluck off your own breasts
for I have spoken it – says the Lord GOD
Jerusalem suffers consequences of their sins verse 35
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE you have forgotten ME
and cast ME behind your back
THEREFORE bear you also your lewdness
and your whoredoms
Ezekiel told to confront the two sisters verse 36- 38
The LORD said moreover unto me
Son of man – will you judge Aholah and Aholibah?
YEA – declare unto them their abominations
that they have committed adultery
and blood is in their hands
and with their idols have the
committed adultery
and have caused their sons
whom they bare unto ME
to pass for them through the fire
to devour them
MOREOVER this they have done unto ME
they have defiled MY sanctuary in the same day
and have profaned MY Sabbath
Sisters offered their lovers gifts
that belonged to LORD verse 39- 44
For when they had slain their children to their idols
THEN they came the same day into MY sanctuary to profane it
and – LO- thus have they done in the midst of MINE house
FURTHERMORE – that you have sent for men to come from far
unto whom a messenger was sent and – lo – they came
for whom you did wash yourself – painted your eyes
and decked yourself with ornaments
and sat upon a stately bed – a table prepared before it
WHEREUPON you have set MINE incense
and MINE oil
And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her
and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans
from the wilderness – which put bracelets upon their hands
and beautiful crowns upon their heads
THEN said I unto her that that was old in adulteries
Will they now commit whoredoms with her – and she with them?
YET they went in unto her
as they go in unto a woman that plays the harlot
SO went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah
the lewd women
Righteous men will judge sisters verse 45
AND the righteous men
they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses
and after the manner of women that shed blood
BECAUSE they are adulteresses – and blood is in their hands
Land will be destroyed at command of the LORD verse 46- 49
FOR thus says the Lord GOD
I will bring up a company upon them
and will give them to be removed and spoiled
and the company shall stone them with stones
and dispatch them with their swords
They shall slay their sons and their daughters
and burn up their houses with fire
THUS will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land
that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness
They shall recompense your lewdness upon you
and you shall bear the sins of your idols
and you shall KNOW THAT I AM THE Lord GOD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. (5691 “inordinate love” [agabah] means lustfulness, immodest love, sensual desire or sexual desire for another.)
DEVOTION: The LORD gave Ezekiel another description of the two tribes. HE compared them to two sisters who were both active in seeking other lovers.
Jehovah was to be their husband. They were to worship HIM alone. They were to be faithful to HIM. HE gave them everything. They in turn gave all their gifts that they received from the LORD to other gods. They made a choice to desire another lover.
Samaria was first in her desire to serve other gods. When the ten tribes divided after Solomon’s reign they started with worshiping two golden calves that were set up, so that, the people would not go back to Jerusalem to worship. The LORD said that their false worship started in Egypt and continued to Assyria.
Aholibah is another name for Jerusalem. The name means “my tent is in her.” There was a special relationship between Jerusalem and Judah. The Temple was located in Jerusalem. The problem was that they worshiped other gods. God, WHO is Holy, cannot let another god dwell in HIS tent.
Throughout the history of Israel they struggled with keeping themselves faithful to the LORD. HE continually sent prophets to seek their faithfulness. They would not listen. Now their time was up and Babylon came to judge them.
Even today we can love our church buildings more than the LORD. We can become prideful of a building. I just pasted a new church that was built to honor a false religion. They spent millions of dollars to build a place to worship a god that is not found in the Bible. They might have a Bible but they think that humans are on the same level as God.
The God of the Bible doesn’t share HIS authority with anyone or anything. HE wants our total loyalty to HIS commands. HE wants our daily worship. HE wants us to bring glory to HIM alone. If we love anything or anyone more than HIM, HE is not pleased.
CHALLENGE: Look within your heart to see if there is anything else or anyone else on the throne of your life other than God. HE will not share.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. (2142 “remembrance” [zakar] means to recall knowledge from memory or have a recollection, to mention, recall, or to bring to mind)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants us to learn from our past. Each of us knows the sins we have commited in our past. If we are a believer we have confessed them to the LORD and asked for HIS forgiveness. It is what should be normal for those who follow the LORD. Each day we have to give an account to the LORD regarding our service to HIM. We are supposed to be faithful each day with the help of our study of the Word of God, prayer and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Here we find that the children of Israel were given to us to learn what not to do when we are tempted to move away from the LORD and try to live by the standard of the world. They thought they could count on other nations to help them defeat any nation that came to conquer them. They were wrong. They were looking to the wrong source for help. They didn’t learn their lessons well and the LORD helped them recall these facts through the ministry of Ezekiel.
He gave them the Word of the Lord GOD to follow but they were unwilling to turn from their trust in human resources to trust in the LORD again. That was their problem which led to their captivity.
Trusting in human resources rather than the LORD was the downfall of Israel and will be the downfall of the church today. We have to turn to the LORD and repent and ask for HIS help during this time of decline in our nation and world. However, it seems that this is not happening.
We seem to be singing as if nothing in wrong with our church or our world. Instead of increasing our times of prayer it seems like the church has forgotten to pray. Are we still seeking the LORD with all our heart, soul and mind today? Is it too late?
CHALLENGE: We see the LORD challenging the people of Judah to trust HIM and yet they chose not to. Are we trusting the LORD instead of others?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 30 I will do these things to you, because you have gone a whoring after the heathen, and because you are polluted with their idols. (2930 “polluted” [tame] means to make morally or ritually impure, to become ceremonially unclean, to defile, desecrate, become unclean, or to defile oneself)
DEVOTION: This is not God’s actions but the actions of the children of Israel themselves. They were making themselves unclean in the eyes of the LORD.
They knew what the LORD expected of them and didn’t seem to care They wanted to live the way they wanted to live and they didn’t care about the consequences or what the LORD thought of them.
They thought they were having fun and living the life that was full of pleasure but when the nations around them came to take them into captivity they didn’t like that idea. They seemed to think that the LORD would protect them even while they were living in sin.
This can happen even today in our world. There are people who can go to church on Sunday and then on Monday thru Saturday go out and live as they please without any consequences if they just go to church on Sunday.
The children of Israel thought that as long as they brought their sacrifices on Saturday to the Temple they could live as they pleased the rest of the week but that was not how the LORD looked at this lifestyle.
The LORD wants us to be genuine followers seven days a week. HE wants us to confess our sins daily with the idea that we would, with HIS help, live a life that is pleasing in HIS sight.
HE is watching us every moment of every day to give us guidance through the Holy Spirit to live a life that is pleasing in HIS sight. HE was willing to help the children of Israel in the Old Testament with guidance to live this type of life too but they didn’t seem to want to live the life HE wanted them to live.
Sad to say this is true today even in the lives of those who claim to want to live a life that is pleasing to him. Yes, we sin daily but the LORD looks at our motives and gives us guidance and correction when we need it. HE wants us to confess each day our sins and ask for forgiveness and for us to show an effort to try to live a life that is pleasing to HIM. HE Knows if we are giving an effort or just not caring.
CHALLENGE: What does the LORD see in our hearts each day? Are we genuinely trying to please HIM or just expecting HIM to overlook our actions?
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: 39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. (1121 “children” [ben] means son, grandson, member of a group, male child or youth.)
DEVOTION: The typical worship day for the children of Israel during the time of Ezekiel was for them to go out and cause their male child to go through the fire of a false god and with the blood of their children on their hands to then turn around and go into the temple and offer a animal sacrifice to the LORD.
They were trying to please culture and the LORD. The culture of the land was to worship the gods of the land. They wanted to be just like the people around them. They wanted to have a king rule over them instead of God. They wanted to be able to practice all the habits of their neighbors. They wanted to be accepted by those around them as just like them. They didn’t want to be set apart unto God.
The LORD wanted them to bring animal sacrifices to the temple to show that the blood of the animals was going to cover the sins of the people. These sacrifices looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of the world. God was providing all their needs. The first need was forgiveness of sin. They were more concerned with worshiping with their neighbors than to offer true worship to the Creator of the World.
Today, we can sometimes fall into the same form of worship. We can serve the god of money, power or sports and then on the same day go into a Bible believing church and worship the God of the Bible.
Does this work? Is God pleased with this? Are we going to be blessed? The answer to all three questions is NO! It’s not just the liberals who struggle with worshiping the LORD properly.
Many parents are sacrificing their children to the god of this world. Success is what we want for our children but is it going to be at the expense of their relationship to the LORD? We need to keep our priorities straight and raise our children to love the LORD by watching our example.
Do our children see us as mean and unloving? Are we willing to not care for our children so we can get ahead in this world? Our prayer should be that we are not. Are children are a blessing from the LORD for us to train in HIS ways.
CHALLENGE: Our children need to understand a proper relationship between culture and Christ. We are the ones who have to train them. Have we been successful?
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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)
Defiled my sanctuary verse 38, 39
Profaned Sabbath verse 38, 39
Set MINE incense and MINE oil to sin verse 41
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
Thus says the LORD verse 22, 28, 32, 34, 46
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 36
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 22, 28, 32, 34, 35, 46, 49
GOD – Jehovah verse 22, 28, 32, 34, 35, 46, 49
Lord GOD verse 22, 28, 32, 34, 35, 46, 49
Judge verse 24
Jealousy verse 25
I will bring up a company upon them
and will give them to be removed
and spoiled verse 46
I will cause their lewdness to cease out of
the land verse 48
I am the Lord GOD verse 49
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)
Egypt verse 3, 8, 19, 21, 27
Assyrians verse 5, 7, 9, 12, 23
Chaldeans verse 14- 16, 23
Babylonians verse 15, 23
Pekod verse 23
Shoa verse 23
Koa verse 23
Heathen verse 30
Sabeans from the wilderness verse 42
Company shall stone them with stones
dispatch them with their swords
slay their sons and daughters
burn up their houses with fire verse 47
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Whoredom verse 3, 7, 8, 11, 14, 17- 19, 27, 29, 30, 35, 43
Harlot verse 5, 19, 44
Idols verse 7, 30, 37, 39, 49
Inordinate love verse 11, 22
Defiled verse 13, 17
Images verse 14
Mind alienated verse 17, 18
Nakedness verse 18, 29
Lewdness verse 21, 27, 29, 35, 44, 48, 49
Hate verse 28, 29
Mind is alienated verse 28
Heathen verse 30
Drunkenness verse 33
Sorrow verse 33
Forgotten LORD verse 35
Cast Lord behind back verse 35
Abominations verse 36
Adultery verse 37, 43, 45
Sons pass through the fire – to devour them verse 37
Defiled my sanctuary verse 38, 39
Profaned Sabbath verse 38, 39
Slain their children to their idols verse 39
Same day into MY sanctuary to profane it verse 39
Sent for men to come from far -you washed
yourself, painted your eyes, decked
yourself with ornaments verse 40
Sins verse 49
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Righteous verse 45
Judge verse 45
Know the LORD verse 49
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2, 36
Aholah = Samaria (Sister) verse 4- 10, 31, 32, 33, 36, 44, 45
played the harlot
doted on her lovers – Assyrians
commited whoredoms with them
lewd women
adulteresses
shed blood
Aholibah = Jerusalem (Sister) verse 4, 11- 18, 22, 36, 44, 45
Was more corrupt in her
inordinate love
lewd women
adulteresses
shed blood
Wash, painted eyes, decked with ornaments verse 40
You shall know that I am the Lord GOD verse 49
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
23:11–21 The younger sister, Oholibah (Judah), witnessed the perversions of the older sister Oholah (Samaria), as well as her destruction but did not profit from the knowledge of tragic consequences. Instead she indulged in the same lifestyle and became more depraved than her sister (v. 11). She lusted after the same kind of political alliances that proved to be the downfall of Samaria (vv. 12–13). Just as Oholah had been attracted to the Assyrians, Oholibah was attracted to the Babylonians. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 228). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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Jerusalem’s first major “lover” was Assyria, after whom she lusted in the same manner as did Samaria (v.12; cf. v.5; Ahaz in 2 Kings 16:8; Isa 7:7–9). Judah, having become defiled by the Assyrian idols (v.13), then extended her prostitution to the Babylonians. She had inordinate affections for the Babylonian rulers (cf. Jer 22:21), seeing images of them on walls. Bas-reliefs were common decorations in Mesopotamian palaces and temples. Perhaps this statement was an allusion to some Judean envoys who were sent to Babylonia and saw the witness of her great power demonstrated on such walls. Judah did send messengers to woo Babylonia into “relations” with her, and Babylonia complied by entering into such “relations” with Jerusalem (vv.14–16, cf. Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, 2 Kings 23:32, 37). Judah became defiled through her political alliance with Babylonia. She had trusted in the human security of world powers rather than in God’s perfect security. It appeared that Jerusalem realized her error in part after she became a vassal of Babylonia. She became disgusted with the Babylonians after she was debased (v.17) and turned away (in pro-Egyptian policy). The relationship with Babylonia did not turn out to be all that she hoped for. But it was too late! God, in turn, announced that he also had become disgusted (alienated) with Jerusalem, which would be demonstrated by her fall in 586 b.c. to Nebuchadnezzar (v.18). (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 854). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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23:19–21. Jerusalem’s faithlessness cost her the only true protection she ever had. Yet instead of repenting of her sin, she sought additional human help, becoming more and more promiscuous. Her cycle of sin brought her back to the very nation with which she had originally been defiled and which had enslaved her—Egypt (vv. 3, 19, 21).
To show his absolute disgust in this course of action, Ezekiel used coarse language (v. 20), not to be vulgar, but to portray graphically the utter spiritual degradation to which Judah had fallen.
In the last 14 years of Judah’s history (600–586 b.c.) she attempted to elicit Egypt’s help in her revolt against Babylon. King Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon in 600 b.c. after Egypt defeated Babylon (2 Kings 24:1). Judah eagerly grasped Egypt’s hollow promises of aid. Zedekiah’s final revolt against Babylon in 588 b.c. came with Egypt’s promise of assistance (2 Kings 25:1; Jer. 37:5–8; Ezek. 29:6–7). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1272). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The people of Judah sinned even more than Samaria did (Ezek. 23:14–21). God’s punishment of Samaria and His miraculous deliverance of Judah should have brought the people of Judah to their knees in gratitude and dedication, but it didn’t happen that way. Hezekiah began to fraternize with the Babylonians (Isa. 39), a nation that was growing in power. As they had admired the Assyrian armies (2 Kings 16:1–9), so the rulers of Judah began to admire the power of Babylon. King Jehoiakim asked Babylon to help him break the power of Egypt (Ezek. 23:35–24:7), and this only made Judah a vassal state of Babylon. The kingdom of Judah became more and more idolatrous as one weak king after another took the throne, some of them for only three months. Judah was actually more corrupt than her sister Samaria! (23:11) (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 111–112). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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Ver. 19. Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, &c.] Though the Lord frowned upon the Jews in the times of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, yet still they went on, and increased their alliances and idolatries with the Heathen nations: in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt; they called to mind with pleasure the idolatries of their fathers in Egypt, and committed the same themselves; they sent ambassadors to Egypt, in the times of Zedekiah, for help and assistance, and to enter into alliance with them, when they renewed among them the idolatries of that nation; see ch. 17:15. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 119). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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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!!)
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Incredibly, many churches today proudly ignore the sin in their midst in the name of tolerance, unity, and love – proving only that they have no true understanding of what the Bible means when it talks about unity and love. (p. 104)
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Christ’s letter to the church at Thyatira illustrates the deadly consequences of failing to guard the purity of God’s church. (p. 105)
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And each guild submitted to a patron deity and celebrated the associated feasts and rituals. Of course, these events included food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality – creating a significant dilemma for any Christian believer who wanted to maintain both his purity and his livelihood. (p. 107)
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Lydia and her family were the first believers in Europe and helped establish the Philippian church. (p. 107)
(Christ’s Call TO REFORM the Church by John MacArthur)
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The Lord speaks directly to Samuel, and all Israel recognizes Samuel as a prophet.
INSIGHT
For all the glory of speaking directly with the Lord, Samuel is given a very difficult task: He must deliver to Eli a troubling message from the Lord. With a pure heart and nothing to gain or lose by the encounter, Samuel tells Eli the truth.
We too must sometimes confront people with truth, knowing that the truth will hurt. Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to speak the truth in love. Speaking the truth without love is destructive.
Samuel’s example is a difficult one but a good one. Like Samuel, we can only fulfill such a task if our hearts are pure and we do not manipulate the situation for our own benefit. (Quiet Walk)
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TRUE REST
Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
The gospel announces that rest is only to be found in a knowledge of God, because God has made us, and He has made us in such a way that we never can know rest apart from Him. Augustine put that perfectly when he said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”
You can scale the heights or plumb the depths, you can travel around the world, as many people have done, trying to find rest and peace, but you will never find it. God has so made us—and this is the glory and the dignity of man—that nothing can finally be made at rest until our souls are satisfied in God. And the world, I suggest to you, is an eloquent sermon on that particular theme. With all that we have in the modern world of wealth and culture and education and everything else, look at the picture of unutterable restlessness all around us. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21). There is no rest apart from a knowledge of God.
The Lord alone can give us this knowledge. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me” (Matthew 11:28-29). Notice the personal reference; all along He is pointing to Himself. Yes, but He is doing more than that—He is contrasting Himself with everybody else. His claim is that “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). He says that not only can He give us this knowledge of God, but that no one and nothing else can give us and create this knowledge in us.
A Thought to Ponder: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” (From The Heart of the Gospel, p. 162, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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A Soon Departure
“Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.” (2 Peter 1:14)
Peter was writing to the scattered believers, persecuted from without and badgered from within by false teachers. He wrote to “put [them] always in remembrance of these things” that they had been taught, and so that they would “be established in the present truth” (v. 12). As he wrote, he viewed his impending “decease” (v. 15, literally “exodus”) as merely putting off his earthly tent and putting on another as one would change clothes (2 Corinthians 5:1-2). But this would, perhaps, be his last opportunity to strengthen the lives of the believers.
Once before, Peter had faced the prospect of death. The church was under attack (Acts 12:1). Of the three who had been in Jesus’ “inner circle,” James had been killed (v. 2), and Peter had been imprisoned and was under heavy guard (vv. 3-6). However, an angel of the Lord (v. 7) escorted him out of prison and out of harm’s way (vv. 8-10). We can only surmise the full impact this made on Peter and his ministry, but we do know he was not afraid to die for his Lord.
Actually, as mentioned in our text, the resurrected Lord Himself had predicted Peter’s brutal death at the hands of the enemy (John 21:19). Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down during the persecution of the church at the hands of Nero, no doubt glorifying God in and through his death.
But his main concerns in this passage were the believers to whom he wrote. He even revealed that he had a plan to “have these things always in remembrance” (2 Peter 1:15). This would be through his diligent teaching, through his letters, and evidently also through the ministry of his own disciple, Mark (1 Peter 5:13), who would carry on after his death.
May God grant each of us a similarly fearless, fruitful, and lasting ministry. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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The reason we have 17000 pages in our law books is because we cannot follow 10 lines on a tablet made of stone. (Ravi Zacharias)
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Quote: I can’t brag about my love for God, because I fail Him daily. But, I can brag about HIS love for me, because HE never fails me. (good quote Kasper)
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