Jeremiah 35
LORD gives Jeremiah instructions regarding Rechabites verse 1- 2
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD
in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah – saying
Go unto the house of the Rechabites – and speak unto them
and bring them into the house of the LORD
into one of the chambers
and give them WINE to drink
Jeremiah took Rechabites to Temple room verse 3- 5
THEN I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah – son of Habaziniah
and his brethren
and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites
And I brought them into the house of the LORD
into the chamber of the sons of Hanan
the son of Igdaliah – a MAN of GOD
which was by the chamber of the princes
which was above the chamber of Maaseiah
son of Shallum – the keeper of the door
and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites
pots full of WINE – and cups
and I said unto them
Drink you WINE
Fidelity of Rechabites stated verse 6- 11
BUT they said We will drink NO WINE
FOR Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us
saying
You shall drink NO WINE – neither you nor your sons FOREVER
neither shall you build house nor sow seed nor plant vineyards
nor have any
BUT all your days you shall dwell in tents
that you may live many days in the land where you be strangers
THUS have we OBEYED the voice of Jonadab
the son of Rechab – our father in all that he hath charged us
to drink NO WINE all our days
we – our wives -our sons – our daughters
nor to build houses for us to dwell in
neither have we vineyard -nor field – nor seed
But we have dwelt in tents – and have obeyed
and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us
BUT it came to pass – when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
came up into the land – that we said
Come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the
army of the Chaldeans
for fear of the army of the Syrians
so we dwell at Jerusalem
LORD uses fidelity of Rechabites to confront Judah verse 12- 16
Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah – saying
Thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
Will you not receive instruction to hearken to MY words?
says the LORD
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab
that he commanded his sons not to drink WINE
are performed
FOR unto this day they drink NONE
BUT OBEY their father’s commandment
notwithstanding I have spoken unto you
rising EARLY and speaking
BUT ye hearkened not unto ME
I have sent also unto you all MY servants the prophets
rising up EARLY and sending them – saying
Return you now every man from his evil way
and AMEND your doings
and go not after other gods
to serve them
And you shall dwell in the land
which I have given you and to your fathers
BUT you have not inclined your ear
nor hearkened unto me
BECAUSE the sons of Jonadab son of Rehab have performed
the commandment of their father
which he commanded them
BUT this people hath not hearkened unto ME
Judah refused to listen to LORD verse 17
THEREFORE thus says the LORD God of hosts – God of Israel
BEHOLD I will bring upon Judah and upon all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem all the EVIL that
I have pronounced against them
BECAUSE I have spoken unto them
BUT they have NOT HEARD
I have called unto them
BUT they have NOT ANSWERED
LORD gave promise to Rechabites verse 18- 19
And Jeremiah said unto the house of Rechabites
Thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
BECAUSE you have OBEYED the commandment of
Jonadab your father – and kept all his precepts
and done according unto all that he
hath commanded you
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man
to stand before ME forever
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. (7394 “Rechabites” [Rekab] means horseman or descendants of Habaziniah.
DEVOTION: Here we have an example of a group of people who will stick to their beliefs no matter what. The LORD knew them well. They were descendants of Moses’ father in law.
The picked these individuals to present another object lesson to the people of Judah. These individuals were given a command by their ancestors. They were not to drink wine. They were not to live in houses but in tents. They were not to settle anywhere.
The LORD gave Jeremiah a command to go to these people and invite them to go into a room in the Temple of the LORD and drink wine. They agreed to go with him not knowing what was going to happen.
They were presently in the city of Jerusalem because of the invasion of Babylon. They didn’t have a choice because they were afraid.
Jeremiah took them into the room and offered them a drink. They refused based on their fidelity to their ancestor. They were going to keep his instructions no matter what.
We are given instructions in the Word of God on how we are to live our daily life. There are going to be individuals who are going to challenge our beliefs.
Today we realize that some think that all our beliefs are up for grabs. They think that nothing is absolute. Everything is relative in their eyes. The problem is that some of the ones who want us to change our basic beliefs are found in the pulpits of our churches.
Recently we had a woman speaking in a pulpit in an about the purpose of Jesus coming to this earth. The congregation didn’t hear the truth of the reason for Christ’s coming but only a political statement regarding HIS coming. There was no true to the statements but everyone seemed to be OK with the speech.
There is a state in America and a denomination that want to outlaw the spanking of children. The Bible states that this a proper form of discipline for children who are acting out. What should we do in a culture that wants to let their children go undisciplined and yet wants them to be held accountable when they break the law? They can’t have it both ways.
Our convictions need to be anchored in the Word of God. If they are not we need to change. Our world is trying to make us politically correct when we should only be Biblically correct when the teachings of the Word of God are challenged.
The descendants of Rechab had it right by refusing to weaken their convictions. We need to get it right too.
CHALLENGE: Know what you believe, so that, when they are challenged you can quote chapter and verse. If we know where it can be found we can say “It’s in the Book!!”
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. (4687 “commandment” [mitzvah] means ordinance, precept, or law.)
DEVOTION: What a testimony to the influence of a father for good. The LORD rewards consistent obedience. This chapter is an illustration of consistent obedience by a group of people. Their obedience lasted for generations. Remember the Word of God tells us that sins follow until the third and fourth generation. Here is consistent obedience following from generation to generation. We can set the tone for future generations. That tone can be either for good or for bad.
Here we see a father giving his children a command to not drink any wine and other commands. The children have obeyed their father for generations. The LORD tells Jeremiah to offer wine to these individuals. Jeremiah comes to them and offers them wine. They say NO. God is using this as an example to children of Israel and us that if a group of children can obey an earthly father, why can’t they obey HIM. HE has so much more to offer than an earthly father.
Do we have more respect for our friends, family and other leaders than we do for God? Reread this chapter and understand that the LORD has sent HIS word and HIS pastors out to teach the TRUTH of HIS word.
Are we listening to those who are presenting the Word of God to us? HE is still sending out Biblical pastors and leaders early to warn of the coming judgment.
Is our world listening to the warnings coming from God or are they just thinking these warnings are coming just from men? The children of Judah thought that Jeremiah was just speaking for himself.
Too often we tend to think that it is “just their opinion” when in reality it is coming from the Word of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Some just don’t want to hear the TRUTH!!!
Our responsibility as Christians is to train our children and grandchildren and for some great grandchildren in the Word of God. Parents set the example for their children to follow. If the parents are not obeying the LORD in their everyday life – what is going to happen when the children grow up? Their actions are going to be the same as their parents. There is blessings promised to those who honor the LORD with their training of their children.
CHALLENGE: Set a good example at home and church. Our homes are a representation of our beliefs as much as our teaching in the local church. Don’t open the door to false beliefs.
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: 17 Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered. (7462 “evil” [ra’ah means wickedness, depravity, an event resulting in great loss and misfortune, misery, distress, or calamity)
DEVOTION: Here we see that the chosen people of God were not listening to the LORD and HE is going to judge them for their lack of obedience to HIM. HE has warned them but they didn’t seem to care.
The children of Israel went into captivity because after a long period of time of not listening the LORD said “OK, you can have it your way!” They wanted to not listen and sin more and more, so HE sent them into captivity in Babylon.
God wants HIS people to obey HIS commands or they will face judgment. That was true then and it is true now.
Those who claim to follow the LORD but are really doing their own thing without obeying the Word of God will face judgment either right away or at the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of time.
The chose was the children of Israel then and the chose we make now is up to us. The LORD doesn’t force people to become HIS followers. HE gives them a choice but they have to live with the choice they make. They can’t say they were never warned of the consequences of their actions.
CHALLENGE: Is the LORD speaking to you today and you are not listening? There is a judgment coming to those who are not believers and those who are believers. Jesus is the only way to avoid the judgment of eternity in hell. I want to encourage you to make the right choice even today!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18–19 And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.” ’ ” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: God is always careful to uphold and establish His word! When He makes a declaration, it will be accomplished even when it appears to be insignificant. Jeremiah had brought the men of the house of Rechabites to the temple to offer them wine which their father had commanded them not to drink of their entire lives. As they were obedient and carefully followed the command of their father, God blessed them. It reminds me of the first commandment with promise in the Ten Commandments! In Exodus 20:12 God states, “Honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Now many years after the promise given to Moses, he again promises a similar blessing to these men for obeying their father. It would seem that God wants us to know His word and then follow its principles regardless of the time between when the promise is given and the present. As a result of preserving the command of God the Rechabites were rewarded with another promise from God.
CHALLENGE: We may not always receive a reward for doing a principle that God commands us to keep but we will be blessed by obedience to His word. It can begin with a simple decision to honor our parents and to keep a statute or decision that they made. It may seem like a small matter but in God’s eyes it will be awesome! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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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)
Children are to submit to their ancestors verse 6
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)
House of the LORD verse 2, 4
Chamber of the princes verse 4
Maaseiah – son of Shallum – keeper of door verse 4
Rechabites verse 5
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 4, 12, 13, 17- 19
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 4, 13, 17- 19
LORD of hosts verse 13, 18, 19
God of Israel verse 13, 17, 18, 19
Question: Will you not receive instruction
to hearken to MY words? verse 13
LORD God of hosts verse 17
Judgment of God verse 17
I will bring upon Judah and upon all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem all the
evil that I have pronounced against
them: because I have spoken to them
but they have not heard; I have called
to them, but they have not answered verse 17
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)
Man of God verse 4
Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylon verse 11
Chaldeans – army of verse 11
Syrians -army of verse 11
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wine to drink verse 2, 5, 6, 14
Not listening to the LORD verse 14- 17
Evil way verse 15
Worshiping other gods verse 15
Serving other gods verse 15
Not inclining your ears or hearkening to LORD verse 15
Not answered God verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Commitment to LORD verse 6- 10
Obeyed father verse 8, 10, 14, 18
Receive instructions verse 13
Servants the prophets verse 15
Rising up early verse 15
Amend your doings verse 15
Inheritance verse 15
Commandments of father verse 15
Listen to calling of God verse 17
Keep precepts verse 18
Stand before the LORD verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1, 12, 18, 19
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel : Because you have obeyed the commandments of Jonadab your father, kept all his precepts and done according to all that he has commanded you. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts. the God of Israel – Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before ME forever
Jehoiakim – son of Josiah – king of Judah verse 1
Judah verse 1, 13, 17
Jonadab – son of Rechab verse 6- 11. 14- 19
shall not drink wine
not build houses
not sow seed
not plant vineyard
dwell in tents
obeyed all that Jonadab commanded
strangers
dwell in Jerusalem
commanded his sons not to drink wine
unto this day they drink NONE
obeyed their father’s command
shall not want a man to stand before ME
forever
Rechabites verse 2, 3, 5, 18
Jaazaniah – son of Jeremiah (not prophet) verse 3
Sons of Hanan verse 4
Igdaliah – a man of God verse 4
Maaseiah the son of Shallum verse 4
Jonadab the son of Rechab verse 6, 14, 16, 19
Jerusalem verse 11, 13, 17
Israel verse 13, 19
Men of Judah verse 13
Inhabitants of Jerusalem verse 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
A man to stand before God for ever verse 19
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QUOTES regarding passage
This prohibition was apparently meant to help them escape the defiling Baal worship, which was accompanied by the carousing that often goes with city life. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (601). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Their lifestyle resembled that of the Nazirites (cf. Num 6:1–21). During their desert wanderings, the Hebrews had no wine. As has already been said, it was not the asceticism of the Recabites that Jeremiah commended but their fidelity to Jonadab (v.10). His restrictions were a protest against social and religious decay in the nation that resulted from increasing urbanization. With the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar and the Syrians, the Recabites were forced to seek refuge in Jerusalem (v.11); but this did not compel them to drink wine. They could no longer live in tents in the open country. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (601). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Notice the telling contrasts between the Recabites and Judah.
1. The Recabites obeyed a fallible leader (v.14); Judah’s leader was the eternal God (cf. Mal 1:6).
2. Jonadab gave his commands to the Recabites only once; God repeatedly sent his messages to his people (v.15).
3. The restrictions that bound the Recabites did not deal with eternal issues God’s messages to his people had eternal as well as temporal implications.
4. The Recabites obeyed the commands of Jonadab for about three hundred years; the Lord’s people constantly disobeyed (v.16).
5. The loyalty of the Recabites would be rewarded; for their disloyalty God’s people would be punished (v.17). (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (602). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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2. Rechabites—a nomadic tribe belonging to the Kenites of Hemath (1Ch 2:55), of the family of Jethro, or Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law (Ex 18:9, &c. Nu 10:29–32; Jdg 1:16). They came into Canaan with the Israelites, but, in order to preserve their independence, chose a life in tents without a fixed habitation (1Sa 15:6). Besides the branch of them associated with Judah and extending to Amalek, there was another section at Kadesh, in Naphtali (Jdg 4:11, 17). They seem to have been proselytes of the gate, Jonadab, son of Rechab, whose charge not to drink wine they so strictly obeyed, was zealous for God. (2Ki 10:15–23). (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Je 35:2). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc)
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The integrity of the Rechabites (35:1–19). This event occurred eighteen years earlier, during the reign of Jehoiakim (609–597 B.C.). Jeremiah probably put the account at this point in the book for the sake of contrast: The people of Judah dishonored the Lord by disobeying His Law, while the Rechabites honored their father by obeying his command.
The Rechabites were a clan of nomadic people loyal to their ancestor Jonadab (2 Kings 10:15–23), who commanded them not to live in houses, not to have farms or vineyards, and not to drink wine. They were related to Moses’ father-in-law (Jud. 1:16; 4:11) and for over 250 years had composed a small “separatist” clan in the nation. Because of the Babylonian invasion, they had forsaken their tents and moved into Jerusalem.
God didn’t ask Jeremiah to serve the Rechabites wine in order to tempt them, because God doesn’t tempt us (James 1:13–15). This was another “action sermon” to give Jeremiah an opportunity to tell the leaders of Judah how unfaithful they had been to God’s covenant. It wasn’t wrong for the Jewish people to drink wine so long as they didn’t get drunk, but it was wrong for the Rechabites to drink wine because they had made a commitment not to drink it. God didn’t commend these men for their personal standards but for their faithfulness to their father’s command.
The message to the nation was clear. If the command of a mere man, Jonadab, was respected and obeyed by his family for over two centuries, why didn’t the people of Israel and Judah obey the command of Almighty God—a command that the prophets had repeated over and over again? If a family tradition was preserved with such dedication, why was the very Law of God treated with such disrespect? Obeying Jonadab’s words had only a limited and temporal significance, but disobeying God’s Word had eternal consequences!
How often God’s people are put to shame by the devotion and discipline of people who don’t even know the Lord but who are intensely loyal to their family, their religion, or their personal pursuits. Even people who want nothing to do with the Word of God can be loyal to traditions and man-made codes. If Christians were putting into their spiritual walk the kind of discipline that athletes put into their chosen sport, the church would be pulsating with revival life. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 143–144). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 2. Go unto the house of the Rechabites, &c.] Or family; these are the same with the Kenites, who descended from Hobab or Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, Judg. 1:16 and 4:11; 1 Chron. 2:55 these, as their ancestors, became proselytes to Israel, and always continued with them, though a distinct people from them; these here had their name from Rechab, a famous man in his time among those people: and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord; into the temple; for they were worshippers of the true God, though foreigners and uncircumcised persons; and so might be admitted into places belonging to the temple: into one of the chambers; of the temple, where there were many; some for the sanhedrim to sit in; others for the priests to lay up their garments and the vessels of the sanctuary in; and others for the prophets and their disciples to converse in together about religious matters: and give them wine to drink; set it before them, and invite them to drink of it, and thereby try their steady obedience to their father’s commands. Now this family was brought to the temple either in vision, as it seemed to the prophet; or really, which latter is most probable; and that for this reason, that this affair might be transacted publicly, and many might be witnesses of it, and take the rebuke given by it; and, as some think, to reproach the priests for their intemperance. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 602). 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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Among the host of latter-day evils which are sapping the very foundations of Christianity in the minds of the masses, none has been more audaciously impious in its assault upon the truth of God than the so-called Higher Criticism. Under the guise of reverent scholarship seeking to determine the authenticity of books that faith has never questioned, the advocates of this destructive school have not hesitated to cut in pieces the Scriptures of truth, and deliberately seek to falsify the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, at least, who knew all things, had no doubts as to the divine authority of every jot and tittle of the Old Testament. It was to Him the inspired utterance of the Holy Ghost.
His apostles, likewise, accepted every part of it—the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms—as God’s unerring message to His creatures. Nowhere is there the least hesitancy as to owning the full authority of any portion of what was in their day the accepted canon of Holy Scripture
It has remained for present-day theorists, bereft alike of sound judgment and true godliness, to challenge the genuineness and to impugn the veracity of what our Lord and His first followers (themselves inspired men) received without question as the “oracles of God.”
Terrible indeed must be the judgment of those who seek thus to undermine faith in God’s holy Word, and to turn the simple from the ways that be in Christ to paths of error and confusion. And what, alas, will be the eternal state of those who, in many instances, accept all too greedily the poisoned sweetness of these venders of religious confections, glad in heart to be released from a sense of responsibility to God and His Word that has been at least a check upon their consciences, when tempted to ways of utter ungodliness?
Rest assured, dear fellow-believer, ours is a faith founded upon an impregnable Rock. Men who refuse it do so to their own destruction. The wild vagaries of the destructive critics are only the precursors of the great apostasy that is now near at hand. But, thank God, ere that awful night of gloomy unbelief settles down upon the minds of the great mass of Christendom, the Church will have been caught away to be with the Lord in the Father’s house. The Holy Spirit, with the Body of Christ, leaving this scene, Antichrist will quickly arise, to whom all the vaunted learning of the day, then Christless, will bow the knee; for “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they all may be judged because they obeyed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:11, 12).
These opponents of the important truth of the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures are but the John the Baptists of Antichrist—the preparers of his way.
No honest reader of the Old Testament can fail to see that inspiration is stamped on every page. Jesus affirms it again and again; and when quoting Old Testament Scripture, does so as giving forth the last word on the subject, against which there can be no gainsaying. Note it in His temptation, where each passage quoted in defeat of Satan is taken from Deuteronomy, the book so much attacked by the critics. He who knew all things questioned neither its reputed authorship, nor its divine authority. Elsewhere He solemnly declares, “The Scripture cannot be broken,” and that “not one jot or tittle shall pass from the Law until all be fulfilled.” The Scriptures everywhere bear witness of Him, and He is seen as the fulfilment of Scripture. In the wilderness; in His life of service; in His passion on the tree—one thing after another is said or done “that it might be fulfilled which was written” in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Him; and in resurrection it is still the same. To the two on the road to Emmaus He opens up the sacred volume, explaining in every scripture the things concerning Himself.
It is the same with the apostles: for Peter, Paul, James or Jude the testimony of Scripture is the end of controversy: “Well spake the Holy Ghost,” “The Holy Ghost saith,” “As it is written”—such are the expressions used to introduce passages from the three great divisions of the Old Testament. In reverence they received every word as direct from the living God.
As to the New Testament writings, the stamp of divine authority rests upon every page. The Lord Jesus said to His apostles, “Whoso heareth you heareth Me.” And John therefore writes, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). In the most solemn way he seals the authority of the book of Revelation, testifying that “if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18, 19).
Peter, too, classes the letters of “our beloved brother Paul” with “the other Scriptures,” thus attesting their divine source; and the great apostle to the Gentiles asserts full inspiration in unmistakable terms: “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth” (1 Cor. 2:13). And in 1 Cor. 14:37 he writes: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” To so acknowledge brings lasting blessing; to deny, brings shame and everlasting confusion, after the plaudits of the “liberal-minded” have been hushed for aye!
It is sometimes stated there are portions of Paul’s epistles where he himself disclaims divine authority, but gives his own private opinion. Because of the importance of the subject, and in order to help any reader who may thus be troubled, we will turn aside to notice these passages. In 1 Cor. 7 he writes, as to the relations of husbands and wives, and in the opening verses gives them their true place in the family. In ver. 5 he says: “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” Then he immediately adds: “But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment.” That is, he does not command such times of separation, which in some households might bring in confusion—he simply permits it in cases where it would be profitable. The Revised Version reads: “I speak this by way of permission.” Only an ungodly will could pervert this to teach that the apostle was denying direct inspiration. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 189–193). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Acts 17
As Paul continues his journey, he establishes churches.
INSIGHT
It is often necessary to establish common ground with others in order to win an audience for the Gospel. Paul uses a point of common ground when he begins talking to the people of Athens about the idol bearing the inscription: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD”(17:23). Catching their interest, Paul develops his argument to present to them the living Christ (vv. 30-31). This skillful message is used by the Holy Spirit to bring men and women to Jesus Christ. (QuietWalk)
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DIVINE OFFICES OF CHRIST
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:21
Christ is said to hold and to fulfill certain divine offices. First of all, creation: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). You will find the same thing repeated in Colossians 1:16, and again in Hebrews 1:10. But we are also told that He preserves everything. Hebrews 1:3 refers to His “upholding all things by the word of his power.” And again in Colossians 1:17 you find that “by him all things consist.”
Notice also that He did not hesitate to claim the power to forgive sins. He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5). He also claimed power to raise the dead; you find that mentioned several times in John 6:39-44: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the l ast day.”
The apostle Paul claims that Christ also has power to transform our bodies: “…who shall change our vile body [or this body of our humiliation], that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:21).
A Thought to Ponder: Christ did not hesitate to claim the power to forgive sins. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 268-269, by Dr. Martyn lloyd-Jones).
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“There are hundreds of excuses for not being saved, but not one good reason.
An excuse is ‘the skin of a reason, stuffed with a lie.’ And Paul declares that, before God, every sinner stands without excuse. It is not reasonable for a man to go to hell when God has already opened the way to heaven. It is not reasonable for a man to carry his sins when Christ has already carried them on the cross. It is unreasonable for a man to miss the joys of salvation when they are available to whosoever will. Are you excusing your way into hell? Then, put aside your excuses and be honest with God and yourself! ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD.’” (Warren Wiersbe)
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Strong and Courageous
“And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 28:20)
This admonition—to be strong and of good courage—is found 11 times in the Bible—thrice on the lips of Moses, five times in Joshua, then twice from David, and once from Hezekiah. Although these all involved specific challenges confronting God’s people at the time, the principles behind them indicate the need for courage of conviction for God’s people at all times.
The first occurrence is in the command given by Moses to the Israelites just before his death as they were about to enter the Promised Land. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6). In the next verse, Moses gave a similar exhortation to Joshua, their leader.
The next-to-last occurrence is in our text, containing almost the same words as in the first occurrence, with David this time exhorting Solomon to build the great temple in Jerusalem. Whether entering a new field of service for God or beginning a great work for God, the people of God will encounter opposition and must be strong and courageous to carry it through.
The word “courage” occurs more in Joshua than in any other book of the Bible, and this specific exhortation is given five times: three by God, once by the people to Joshua, and once by Joshua to the people. In all these, the context stresses obedience to the Word of God, especially in resistance to sin and pagan belief systems. Especially significant is God’s command: “Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law . . . that thou mayest prosper” (Joshua 1:7). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Pilate tries Jesus then hands Him over to be crucified.
INSIGHT
Proverbs 20:17 says, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” If ever a man illustrates that truth, Judas does. Some mysterious passion burns in his breast to betray Jesus.
Whether Judas seeks political ambition or mere lust for money, we do not know. But later, his remorse is so great that he throws the money away and hangs himself. We must remember Judas when illicit desire burns in our breast. Such desire always promises more than it delivers; it always turns to gravel in our mouths. (Quiet Walk)
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