Jeremiah 40
Jeremiah found among other prisoners verse 1
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD
after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let
him go from Ramah when he had taken him being
bound in chains among all that were carried away
captive of Jerusalem and Judah
which were carried away
captive unto Babylon
Reason for captivity given verse 2- 3
The captain of the guard took Jeremiah
and said to him
The LORD your God hath pronounced
this evil upon this place
Now the LORD has brought it and done according as HE has said
BECAUSE you have sinned against the LORD
and have not obeyed HIS voice
THEREFORE this thing is come upon you
Jeremiah given three choices verse 4- 6
NOW – BEHOLD – I lose you this day from the chains which
were upon your hand
IF it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon – COME
and I will look well to you
BUT IF it seems ill to you to come with me into Babylon
FORBEAR – BEHOLD – all the land is before you
whither it seems good and convenient for you to go
thither go
NOW while he was not yet gone back
he said
Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan
whom the king of Babylon has made GOVERNOR
over the cities of Judah
and dwell with him among the people or go wheresoever
it seems convenient unto thee to go
So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward
and LET HIM GO
THEN went Jeremiah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to MIZPAH
and dwelt with him among the people
that were left in the land
Judean forces from the fields come to see Gedaliah verse 7- 8
NOW when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields
even you and their men
heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah
the son of Ahikam GOVERNOR in the land
and had committed to him men – woman-children
poor of the land of them that were not carried
away captive to Babylon
THEN they came to Gedaliah to MIZPAH
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah – Johanan and Jonathan
the sons of Kareah – Seraiah – the son of Tanhumeth
sons of Ephai – the Netophathite
Jezaniah – the son of a Maachathite
they and their men
Gedaliah the governor give forces freedom verse 9- 10
Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan sware to them
and to their men – saying
Fear not to serve the Chaldeans – dwell in the land
and serve the king of Babylon
and it shall be well with you
As for me – BEHOLD
I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans
which will come to us
BUT you gather you wine – summer fruits
oil and put them in your vessels
and dwell in your cities that you have taken
Other Judean’s return to land verse 11- 12
LIKEWISE when all the Jews that were in Moab
and among the Ammonites
and in Edom – and that were in all the countries
heard that the king of Babylon
had left a remnant of Judah
and that he had set over them Gedaliah
son of Ahikam – son of Shaphan
EVEN all the Jews returned out of all places
whither they were driven
and came to the land of Judah
to Gedaliah unto Mizpah
and gathered wine and summer fruit very much
Johanan warns Gedaliah of plot for his life verse 13- 14
MOREOVER Johanan the son of Kareah
and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields
came to Gedaliah to Mizpah
and said to him
Do you certainly know that Baalis king of the Ammonites
has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay you?
BUT Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not
Johanan offers to kill Ishmael verse 15
THEN Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah
in Mizpah secretly – saying
Let me go – I pray you and I will slay Ishmael son of Nethaniah
and no man shall know it
WHEREFORE should he slay you that all the Jews
which are gathered unto you
should be scattered and the remnant of Judah perish?
Gedaliah calls Johanan a liar regarding Ishmael verse 16
BUT Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah
You will not do this thing – for you speak falsely of Ishmael
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, COME; and I will look well unto thee: BUT if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, FORBEAR: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seems good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. (3477 “convenient” [yashar] means straight, right, upright, correct, pleasing, level or righteous. 5869 “convenient” [‘ayin] means eye, sight, well or presence.)
DEVOTION: The Babylonians had come to town. They found Jeremiah in prison. They found him in handcuffs. They released him and confirmed that his message was from the LORD. Even the heathens knew that the children of Judah had sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah was given three choices regarding his freedom: he could go to Babylon or he could stay in the land with Gedaliah (the man set up as governor by Babylon) or he could go anywhere in the land he would like to go.
This word is a combination of two words. Jeremiah was to pick what was “correct in his sight.” The world was placed before him and he had to choose where he wanted to go. One minute he was in prison in chains and the next he was given this choice. Not only given this choice but also given gifts of victuals and a reward.
Jeremiah chose to go with Gedaliah to Mizpah. Jeremiah still felt he had a ministry to the people that were left in the land. He knew that the LORD had Daniel and Ezekiel in the land of Babylon to minister to those who were taken there.
What would we chose if we were given freedom to go anywhere? Would we choose where we are right now? Are we thankful to the LORD for where HE has placed us right now?
The LORD wants us to realize that we do have a choice. HE wants us to choose what is “correct in our sight,” as long as, it agrees with what is correct in HIS sight.
Have we taken an eye test lately? Remember what may be pleasing in our sight, might not be pleasing in HIS. Remember Lot. He looked over the land before him and picked the land that was close to a city and looked like good pasture for his flocks. He made the wrong choice because he was influenced by the society of the city of Sodom. It cost him his family. It caused problems in the future for the children of Israel.
We have a tendency to think that the grass is always greener somewhere else. Stay where the LORD has a ministry for you!!! That is the GOOD place. HE opens doors and closes doors. We need to be patient to wait for the right open door before us. Paul often stated that the Holy Spirit had open or closed a door that he wanted to go through.
CHALLENGE: When given a choice take time for prayer and fasting, so that, you make a right decision.
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: 5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seems convenient to you to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go. (4864 “reward” [mas’eth] means tribute, present, something acquired or given without compensation in return, portion, present, or gift.)
DEVOTION: Gedaliah the governor of the area of Israel gave Jeremiah a choice. HE could stay with him or go anywhere he wanted to go. He was set free to do what he wanted regarding where he was going to live. He could go to Babylon or say in Judah.
If he stayed in Judah he should go to live with the governor Gedaliah who would give him protection and provisions.
God is the one who gives us choices to follow. HE is the one who opens doors and closes doors in our life. It is hard at times to know what direction to go and it is only through our prayer life and listening to the LORD that we can know what to do at any given point in our lives.
It is not easy but we have to go to the LORD in prayer and wait on HIM to give us the answer HE wants us to follow.
There are turning points in all of our lives and we need to ask the LORD to speak to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and HIS word, the Bible, so that, we can make the right decision.
CHALLENGE: What are you praying about today regarding the direction your life should head? Is the LORD speaking to you? Are you listening? Our prayer is that we are all listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk with the LORD!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Peace and stability was returning to Israel after the destruction of the city by Babylon. The people were returning and settling down to do the work of the land and to bring the harvest in for the fall. But with the appearance of peace there is also the element of rebellion and hostility as well. Certain people were not willing to allow peace to occur as long as a foreign ruler was in control. Individuals that desire to have peace will often be the focus of insurrection and division. Gedaliah was serving Babylon and the people of Israel in a responsible way and this resulted in an assassination attempt. Allies are not always allies after the battle is over and reconstruction is taking place.
CHALLENGE: Today the world is seeing a flood of refugees and people that are fleeing war and civil strife. These people are trying to find a safe haven and security for their families and selves. Yet we are also seeing the attempts to disrupt and stop the peaceful movement so that unrest and war might continue. We need to pray that the governments and people that are affected by all this upheaval might be wise and discerning to those that are intent on destructive and selfish motivations. It is deplorable that innocent individuals are offended by this small group of rabble.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, You shalt not do this thing: for you speak falsely of Ishmael. ( 8267 “falsely” [sheqer] means falsehood, lie, deception, wrongfully, fraudulently, or vanity. )
DEVOTION: Can you think of a time when someone told you that a friend was deceptive? Have you ever been gossiped about by someone you considered a friend? Trust can be a real issue in life. It seems like those we think we can count on let us down.
Gedaliah was a trusting sort of guy. He wanted to believe that Ishmael was a genuine friend. He thought that Johanan was giving him a fraudulent report.
However, we learn in the next chapter that he did kill Gedaliah. So he had someone who was telling him the truth about another person but he didn’t want to believe him. It cost him his life.
We are sometimes warned who we can trust and who we can’t trust. Sometimes we listen to the person giving us these instructions but other times we think that we can have a good relationship with someone who seems genuine in their concern for our welfare.
We need to take all of our relationships to the LORD. HE can give us heavenly wisdom regarding who to trust and who not to trust. HE is our guide.
Those outside of Christ don’t have HIM as their guide. They think that they can trust everyone or no one. Without the Holy Spirit as a guide they don’t know who real friend is and who are not.
Our responsibility in relationships is to be honest. We are to be friends to as many people as we can in the LORD. We are to love all those who have accepted Christ as their Savior. The Bible commands us to “love one another” because we are all fighting the same enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil.
Our relationship with those outside of Christ needs to be guarded. We are to try to love them into a proper relationship with our LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our speech should be one that people can trust to be truthful. Honesty is the best policy.
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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)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 2
LORD your God verse 2
Judgment of God (evil) verse 2
Pronounced this evil upon this place verse 2
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)
Nebuzaradan – captain of the guard verse 1- 6
took Jeremiah and let him go from Ramah
reason of captivity: because Israel had sinned
and have not obeyed HIS voice
told Jeremiah “I will look well to you
gave Jeremiah a choice
gave Jeremiah victuals and reward
Babylon verse 1, 3, 4, 7
King of Babylon verse 5, 7, 9, 11
Chaldeans verse 9, 10
Moab verse 11
Ammonnites verse 11, 14
Edom verse 11
Baalis the king of Ammonites verse 14
sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
to slay him verse 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sinned verse 3
Obeyed not God’s voice verse 3
Kill verse 14- 16
Didn’t believe warning verse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Obey the voice of the LORD verse 3
Freedom verse 3, 5
Good verse 4
Convenient verse 4, 5
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1- 6
carried away captive to Babylon
went to Gedaliah in Mizpah
dwelt with people left in land
Jerusalem verse 1
Judah verse 1, 5, 11, 15
Gedaliah – son of Ahikam – son of Shaphan
king of Babylon made him governor over
cities of Judah
poor of the land left with him
said: Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell
in the land, and serve the king of Babylon
and it shall be well with you
I will dwell at Mizpah verse 5- 9, 11- 16
Didn’t believe Johanan verse 14, 16
Mizpah verse 6, 10, 12, 13, 15
Ishmael verse 8, 14, 15, 16
Johanan- the son of Kareah verse 8, 15, 16
Johanan the sons of Ephai the Netophathite verse 8
Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite verse 8
Seraiah verse 8, 13
Sons of Ephai the Netophathite verse 8
Jezaniah verse 8
Jews verse 11, 12, 15
Remnant of Judah verse 11, 12, 15
gathered wine and summer fruits
very much
Johanan the son of Kareah verse 13, 15
Told Gedaliah that he would slay Ishmael
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
40:15–16 In a private conversation Johanan asked Gedaliah to let him kill Ishmael and no one would know about it. His concern was that if Gedaliah was killed, those Israelites who had rallied around him would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish (cf. John 11:50 for Caiaphas’s advice that it was better for one person to die). Johanan was convinced that the welfare of the nation was linked to Gedaliah. He also had good reason to fear Babylonian retaliation if the governor appointed by them was murdered. Gedaliah was unwilling to believe that the accusations against Ishmael were true. Perhaps he believed that no one would be so foolish as to attack him and thus bring down the wrath of Babylon on all the people. Gedaliah’s trust in Ishmael has been interpreted as a sign of weakness, i.e., the inability to make objective evaluations about people’s character. It has also been seen as a sign of strength, i.e., not wanting to believe the worst about others (cf. John 2:24). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 352). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. )
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15–16 A man of ability but lacking in knowledge of men and their devices, Gedaliah was too trusting and naive to believe Johanan’s warning. The least he could have done was to have protected himself against the assassination he had been warned of (so Cunliffe-Jones). What Johanan feared, actually happened (41:1–3); and the remnant was scattered because of Gedaliah’s death (so Freedman). Though Johanan tried earnestly to impress Gedaliah that his life was essential for the welfare of the remnant in Judah (v.15), he apparently failed to inspire confidence. Moreover, Gedaliah may have been overconfident. At any rate, he was not convinced of Johanan’s veracity (v.16). Gedaliah was right in forbidding Johanan to assassinate Ishmael but wrong in his estimate of Ishmael. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 628). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Unfortunately Gedaliah … did not believe these officers. Johanan met privately with Gedaliah and offered to kill Ishmael. He planned to do it secretly so no one would know who was responsible. Johanan thought Ishmael should be eliminated for the good of Judah. If Ishmael were allowed to take Gedaliah’s life, it could cause all the Jews in the land to be scattered and to perish. Gedaliah ordered Johanan not to do such a thing because he was certain that the rumors about Ishmael were not true. Gedaliah was an honorable man who made a fatal mistake when he misjudged Ishmael’s character. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1187). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The concerned captain (vv. 13–16). Johanan started out as a courageous leader, but later he led the people astray. We don’t know how he and his associates heard about Ishmael’s plot to assassinate Gedaliah, but their information was certainly accurate. Had Gedaliah listened to them, the governor’s life would have been spared.
Why did Ishmael want to kill Gedaliah? The fact that the king of the Ammonites had hired him (40:14) suggests that he was making money, but much more was involved. The Ammonites had been a part of the “summit conference” in Jerusalem, where the nations allied with Judah had planned to break the Babylonian yoke (27:1–3). As a friend of Zedekiah and the king of Ammon, Ishmael didn’t want to see the Jewish people submit to Nebuchadnezzar even after the war had ended. He was a patriot who used his patriotism to promote his own selfish purposes.
Perhaps the key factor had to do with pride and selfish ambition. Ishmael was a descendant of David through Elishama (41:1; 2 Sam. 5:16), and he no doubt felt that he should have been named ruler of the nation because of his royal blood. Who was Gedaliah that he should take the place of a king? The way the Babylonians had treated Ishmael’s relative, King Zedekiah, was no encouragement to submit to their authority.
Johanan wanted to kill Ishmael, but Gedaliah refused the offer. In this, the governor was right, but he was wrong in not assembling a group of loyal men who could guard him day and night. Not only would that have told Ishmael that the governor knew what was going on, but also it would have protected Gedaliah’s life from those who wanted to destroy him. The governor should have listened to Johanan and not been so naive about Ishmael. “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure” (Prov. 11:14, NIV). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 154–155). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Meantime Ishmael, returning from the country of the Ammonites, was secretly plotting the assassination of Gedaliah. We gather from the context he had pledged himself to Baalis, the king of Ammon, before he left, to do this, if Gedaliah was not prepared to be a tool in his hands. The too confiding governor was warned of the foul errand upon which the captain of the sinister name had come, for there was jealousy and treachery among the various outlawed chiefs, leading Johanan and the rest of the captains at last to inform upon the traitor. They told Gedaliah the errand upon which he had come, sent by Baalis the Ammonite. Simple and honest himself, the governor discredits the tale of Ishmael’s depravity, and takes no measures to protect his life, so valuable to his compatriots at this dark period. Johanan accordingly sought another, and this time a private, interview with him, assuring him of the truth of the former report, and pleaded for commission to forestall the murder, by himself taking the life of Ishmael in secret, so that no man should know it, pleading that in no other way could the death of, not only the governor, but all the Jews that were gathered with him, be averted. The noble-hearted Gedaliah replied, “Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael” (vers. 13–16). The sequel shows how ill-placed his confidence was. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 232). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 15. Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, &c.] Partly that he might, as he thought, more easily prevail upon him, and persuade him to believe the information given; and partly for the sake of the proposal he had to make to him, which it was not proper should be publicly made: let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it; that he had slain him, or that Gedaliah had given him leave to do it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews that are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? suggesting, that it was not barely his losing his own life, which is, and ought to be, precious to every man, and should be carefully preserved, but it would be a public loss; the people, being without a governor, would disperse here and there, fearing their own lives and property would not be safe under a murderer; and that the Chaldeans would be so incensed by such an action, as to come and revenge his death on them; and thus being scattered about, some one way, and some another, would be no more under any form of government as a body politic, and so perish as such, at least; and thus all their hopes, which began to revive, of their being a commonwealth again, would be lost: with this argument Johanan hoped to prevail on Gedaliah to give him leave to slay the conspirator. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 628). 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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John traces the deity of Christ from “the beginning.”
INSIGHT
The Scriptures are such an intimate and personal revelation of the mind of God that there is no distance between the Word and God Himself. John writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This verse refers to Jesus, and yet, He is called “the Word.”
In Revelation 19:13, John writes of Jesus: “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” To know the Word is to know God; to uphold the Word is to uphold God; to believe the Word is to believe God; and to obey the Word is to obey God. (QuietWalk)
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GAINING THE WORLD
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mark 8:36
What if you are the most handsome man or beautiful woman the world has ever known, and are always dressed in a most gorgeous manner, and what if you have the greatest palace to live in and have the greatest collection of motor cars and everything else? What if you have the whole world—but lose your own soul? That is what Christ says about the world, and He says it supremely upon the cross. “Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37).
Why did He die? He died for the souls of men—not for our material welfare, not to reform this world, but to save our souls. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And it is the soul that is lost. The world knows nothing about the soul, but it is in you and in all of us—this imperishable thing in us that goes on beyond death and the end. Christ exposed the lie of this world for what it really is.
He spoke a parable about Dives and Lazarus. The rich man sat in his palace, dressed gorgeously, in wonderful robes, eating with all his companions until he had his fill, while the poor beggar sat at the gate with the dogs licking his sores. The Lord says in effect, “Do not judge superficially—that is not the end of the story.” He gives us a picture of Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom and Dives in the torment of hell. You can see the difference between the mind and outlook of the world and the mind and outlook of the Father and the Son of God. He exposes the world for what it is.
A Thought to Ponder: You can see the difference between the outlook of the world and the outlook of the Father. (From The Cross, pp. 100-101, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Trinity and the Christian
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
The doctrine of the triune God is unique to Christianity. There is only one God, yet three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each with His own distinct relation to mankind, yet each equally, fully, and eternally God. Although these truths are implicit throughout the New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity is seldom, if ever, presented explicitly as a formal doctrine.
There are several passages, however, where all three Persons are mentioned in the same context, and each one deals with a significant aspect of the Christian life. There is, first of all, the provision of salvation, “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14). Then follows regeneration. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). Salvation and regeneration are then publicly testified in baptism “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).
The chief resource of the believer is prayer, and this also involves all three Persons. “For through [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). He must also continue to learn of Christ, and to bear witness of Him. “The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). “The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness” (John 15:26-27).
Finally, in the words of our text, we have eternal assurance in the triune God. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Your reconciliation to your brother is important to God. In fact, He says it is a matter of urgency. Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering our gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5: 23-24). Jesus is saying whether you are the offender or the offended, your gift means nothing if you have not attempted reconciliation. Whether it is a member of your biological family or the family of God, Christ wants us to restore our relationships. (p. 59)
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Thought all conflict is rooted in the self-serving nature of sin, God can use such circumstances to glorify Himself. (p. 60, When You’ve Been WRONGED: Moving From Bitterness to Forgiveness by Erwin W. Lutzer)
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