Plans for Migrating this Blog to My Personal Website

 All: I'm planning to migrate the material on this blog to my new website, davidjared.org, in 2026 and close out this blog thereafter. It's probably too soon to subscribe to my new site, but feel free to check back as the year progresses and do so whenever you wish. I hope to complete the migration NLT mid-year 2026, hopefully much sooner. 

I'm excited about my new site, which is truly my own and supported by WordPress. I think that I'll have many more capabilities in the new platform, though this one has certainly served its purpose, thank the Lord. Since 2012, when I entered the first of 144 posts to-date, the site has been visited over 40,000 times from the U.S. and several other countries. I hope that it has been and continues to be a blessing in people's lives. 

The material on the new site won't be limited to Bible studies, but will also include personal reflections, book/movie reviews, resource recommendations, etc. The emphasis, of course, will remain the word of God as given to us in the Authorized Version (KJB).  

Thanks for reading this, and all God's best to you and yours in the new year. 

Dave Jared

Psalm 65:11, "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness."

The Strange Marriages of Amram’s Family

 Ex. 2:1, 21; 6:20-25; Num. 12:1

This family was greatly used to God, though they did make some strange marriage choices.

1. Amram his aunt, Jochebed the daughter of Kohath (Ex. 6:20). If she was considerably younger than Kohath, she and Amram may have been close in age.

2. Miriam, the eldest of Amram’s children (Aaron is only three when Moses is born and could not have followed him to the river; cf. Ex. 7:7, 2:4-8) apparently never marries. 

3. Aaron, Amram’s older son, marries someone outside his tribe: Elisheba, a Judean (Ex. 6:23, Num. 1:7). Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, takes her name from this lady.

4. Moses, the youngest of Amram’s children, marries a Midianite (Ex. 2:21) and, after putting her away (Ex. 18:2), an Ethiopian woman (Num. 12:1).

The marriage of Eleazar, who succeeds his father, Aaron, as high priest, is also mentioned (Ex. 6:25), but we don’t know who Putiel was, only that Phinehas was his heir, which is far more important (Num. 25:10-13). 

So even though this family makes some unusual marital choices, a few of which lead to difficulties, they’re still greatly used of God, magnifying his mercy and grace!

Job 26:5-13

These verses, remarkably, describe the entire universe: the underworld (vv. 5-6), the earth (v. 7), the sun/moon/stars (vv. 10, 13), the clouds between space and the deep (vv. 8-9), the deep (vv. 7-8, 10, 12), and the north/God’s throne (vv. 7, 9). I think that “the empty place” is the reference to the deep, which is empty except for one occupant (v. 13; Is. 27:1; Job 41:31). The “pillars of heaven” are as literal as the “pillars of the earth” (9:6, 1 Sam. 2:8, Ps. 75:3), and each support a celestial or terrestrial structure. Amazing what the ancients knew and modern monkeys do NOT (Job 8:8, 15:18; Ps. 119:100)! 

Defining the "One Hundred and Twenty Years" in Genesis 6:3

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6:3)

No need to even leave the verse to answer this question, thank the Lord.

A common misconception is that here God decided to limit man's lifespan to 120 years. While it's true that lifespans decreased exponentially after the flood (see Gen. 11), a few people were living to 120 many centuries after the flood (e.g. Moses--Deut. 34:7; Jehoiada--2 Chron. 24:15). Two key words in the first part of the verse (v. 3a) unravel the second part (v. 3b): "not always." God is putting a limit on the time he will continue to strive with men (spiritually) to lead them to repentance (Rom. 2:4; 2 Pt. 3:9; Rev. 2:21). An example of this is Jonah's preaching to the Ninevites, in which God gives them 40 days to repent (Jon. 3:4). Since God publicly announces the "space to repent" for Nineveh, he may have done the same before the flood through Noah, "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Pt. 2:5) and his final voice of warning before the flood, since Enoch, also a preacher (Jude 14-15), had disappeared 134 years before Noah's birth.

A final thought in support of v. 3a expounding v. 3b is Gen. 6:7, where God determines to destroy mankind, pointing to the 120 years as a probation period, after which God decides to act. Man's wickedness (6:5) was already grieving the Lord (6:6) at the time the probation period is announced, and since mankind does not repent at Noah's preaching (unlike the Ninevites!), judgment comes after 120 years.

Yesterday I saw a rainbow while driving, and it reminded me that "in wrath" God "remember[ed] mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2) during the flood (Gen. 6:8, 8:1), NOT about a group of sinners (1 Tim. 1:9-10) "whose glory is in their shame" (Phil. 3:19). They are the losers, dear friends, not champions, if they refuse God's glorious gospel (1 Tim. 1:11) in the time THEY have left.

Appreciating Shamgar, the Third Judge

(Presented to the "Rooted" Bible Study Class, Faith Baptist Church, Fredericksburg, VA, on March 2, 2022.)

Texts: Judges 3:31, 5:6-8 

I’ve chosen to expand on the significance of the mysterious third judge, Shamgar the son of Anath, and see what practical lessons we can draw from his brief but momentous appearance on the stage of Biblical history.

 

Introduction

It’s definitely a case of quality over quantity, with his small verse footprint, but the two passages where Shamgar briefly appears are, as my old pastor used to say, “pregnant with truth.” Several other judges are only mentioned briefly, and one isn’t mentioned until a later book (Bedan, 1 Sam. 12:11), but there’s definitely value in looking at this judge more closely. 

In our last lesson, we studied the ministry of Ehud, and his triumph over Moab leaves a deep mark in the national soul, since Israel’s next major apostasy and affliction comes eighty years later (cf. Judg. 3:30, 4:1), at some point after Ehud’s death. 

Deborah appears in Judg. 4, and under her oversight the land enjoys forty years of rest after her victory over the Canaanites (5:31). In between the ministries of these two major judges, though, is the ministry of Shamgar. Here’s how I think that his played out.

 

Context of Shamgar’s Judging

Ehud dies, and the people begin to apostasize, and the Philistines invade Israel, perhaps as a call to repentance. God raises up Shamgar to deliver his people, and he does, but the downward trend continues until Jabin king of Canaan afflicts Israel after the Philistines are put down, and that’s where Deborah emerges.

There was a period of decline between Ehud and Deborah, which I think is accurate since scripture is silent about rest in the land after Shamgar’s triumph. Doubtless there was some respite, but likely not for long because of this omission. Shamgar slowed the tide of apostasy, but didn’t break it altogether, and here we can take an application “break.” 

It’s the duty of everyone in [the church] to resist evil in the world and in the church, to the best of your ability. You may not be able to turn evil tides, but you can at least oppose them and leave the final outcome to God. That’s what King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors did when Persia invaded Greece in the 5^th century B.C. His tiny force held off a horde of Persians at Thermopylae to buy the rest of Greece time, and it worked--but at the cost of himself and his entire force. Are we willing to withstand spiritual evil like Shamgar and Leonidas did political evil? In the words of Isaac Watts:

Am I a soldier of the Cross--

A follower of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His name?

 

Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?

 

Details of Philistine Oppression

The Philistines emerge as heavy oppressors of Israel in Judg. 3, for whatever duration, and details on their oppression can be found or assumed from elsewhere. 

First, the Philistines disarmed the Israelites. Shamgar is armed only with an ox goad, which is “a long wooden stick tipped with metal at one end, and a blade on the other for cleaning the plow” (G. Inrig, Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay). They do this again in the days of Saul and Jonathan (1 Sam. 13:19-20), when the Philistines won’t even allow the Israelites to have a smith for sharpening their farming tools!

Defenseless in that way, the people leave their villages for walled cities (Judg. 5:7-8).

It's dangerous to travel, with occupation troops using the highways, so if the people need to move about, they use the backstreets or byways (5:6).

4.     Unlikely weapons are used to fight God’s enemies: ox goad (3:31), hammer and tent “nail” (4:21-22), millstone (9:53), and jawbone (15:15).

So into these perilous times steps Shamgar, likely a farmer of some sort, considering his ox goad. Some of the judges had “connections” to better families like Othniel, who married Caleb’s daughter, but many of the judges were nobodies, which in my view magnifies God’s power even more. Shamgar was likely one of these nobodies, since all we know about him was his father’s name and that he fought with an ox goad, an animal husbandry tool.

 

Primary Practical Lessons from Shamgar’s Life (et al.)

Let’s look at a few more practical lessons we can glean from this hero’s life, along with Othniel and Ehud: 

 1. God uses completely different kinds of men

a.      Othniel: important, with ability (1:13)

b.     Ehud: important, with limitation (3:15)

c.      Shamgar: nobody (period) 

2.     God uses people who draw their strength from him

a.      Othniel (3:10)—Spirit of the LORD comes upon him to drive out the Mesopotamians

b.     Ehud (3:28)—appeals to the LORD during the muster to rout Moab

c.      Shamgar (3:31)—compare his exploit to Samson’s slaughter of the Philistines in Judg. 15; in both cases, I think, the Spirit of the LORD came on these men and gave them superhuman strength to do what they did (15:14-16) and…the LORD kept their weapons from breaking!

3.      God uses people who step out in faith and trust him.

a.      Despite the supernatural strength, there still had to be faith that God would enable them to triumph, like David running toward Goliath.

b.     Marvel and DC have nothing on the Bible. Can you picture these scenes? A farmer sees a troop of Philistines bearing down on his village or walled city and confronts them with his ox goad. How they must have laughed at him, like Goliath did at David’s staff!

c.      But when they engaged him, they realized that this was no joke. And yet, they keep coming. I think that God was in that too. They, and the 1000 men that Samson slew, could’ve run, but they didn’t. God wanted them dead for oppressing his people, and faithful men like Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar were his instruments.

 

Conclusion

So I think that my old pastor was right: lots of good stuff to discover by closely examining Shamgar. The details of his identity weren’t the point, just like the “great woman” of Shunem, whose name we’re never given. The point is who he was connected with and what he did in faith for his glory. When we stand before the Lord for our rewards one day, our station in life won’t matter—what we did with what God gave us will, even if it was just an ox goad.

 

Appendix: A Brief History of the Philistines

The Philistines are the ancient enemies of the Israelites, but not at first. In Gen. 21, we see them as allies of Abraham and him even living among them for “many days” (Gen. 21:34).

The “blood goes bad” when the Israelites enter Canaan. God says in Josh. 13:1-3 that that land of the Philistines belongs to Israel.

A partial conquest by Judah ensues (Judg. 1:18—Gath and Ashdod are not subdued). The Philistines recover from this partial conquest, and it’s a seesaw battle for centuries to come.

I’m not sure when the Philistines are completely obliterated, but as late as the sixth century B.C., Ezekiel prophesies against them in captivity (Ezek. 25:15-17), and they’re still around post-captivity trouble the Judeans under Nehemiah (Neh. 13:23-27).

They’re not, however, mentioned in the gospels as part of the Roman world, so I figure that they vanished in the intertestamental period, but I’m not sure.

Two Washings for the Child of God

 Text: Ephesians 5:25-27; Titus 3:5

In the Prison Epistles (Eph.-Col., 1 Tim.-Phile.), the pinnacle of the Pauline revelation, we read of two washings for the child of God. While not equating with those mentioned by Jesus in John 13:8-10 (before the cross) and by Paul in 1 Cor. 6:11 (Acts period, preceding the revelation of the one-body mystery), the principles are the same. A positional washing is followed by a practical, daily washing. 

The "washing of regeneration" (Tit. 3:5) occurs at the moment a sinner trusts Christ as his Saviour. Note carefully that "regeneration" is the subject here, not the object. In other words, regeneration (= "quickened" or made alive in Eph. 2:1) washes a sinner; not the other way around. Some have misread this verse to affirm that washing, as in baptism, regenerates a sinner, which we know is false in this age. Paul makes it very clear in the same verse that works like baptism have nothing to do with our salvation and that it's wholly a work of a loving God's kindness (v. 4), mercy (v. 5) and grace (v. 6). 

The "washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26) is a figurative way of saying that the word of God applied to our lives removes spots and blemishes (v. 27) from us spiritually like water does our bodies physically. This occurs after our salvation (Eph. 5:25) with a view to preparing us for union with Christ in heaven when he appears (Col. 3:4). Positionally we are prepared to meet him the moment that we're saved (Tit. 3:5), but practically we are not ready to meet him, i.e., without shame, if our lives are defiled and not in subjection to his word, which, if obeyed, would cleanse us. 

These two washings remind us how pure and holy our God is, since he not only washes us positionally when we're saved, but makes that washing practical by giving us his word to cleanse us daily in preparation for our appearance with him in glory, where we will be utterly cleansed, both positionally and practically. Hallelujah!

(At Least) Three Things that Dante Got Right

Although I have not read the entire Divine Comedy by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, I am familiar with some of its contents, especially those of the first part of the poem, Inferno (Hell).  From what I have read of Inferno and the third part of the poem, Paradiso (Purgatorio being the second), I find at least three things that Dante had right about the underworld and afterlife.  The first two are more commonly agreed upon than the third.

1. There are degrees of damnation in hell and, ultimately, in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14-15).  When Christ rebukes the scribes and Pharisees in Mt. 23, he warns them about the "greater damnation" in store for them (v. 14).  In Mt. 23:15, he also says that someone can be "twofold more the child of hell than" someone else (viz., the scribes and Pharisees themselves).  Dante's depiction of hell, though not scripturally accurate in many respects, does portray degrees of punishment for the damned, from lighter torment in the upper levels to greater torment in the lower ones.  Literal levels of hell are also something described in scripture (cf. Deut. 32:22; Ps. 86:13).

2. There are degrees of glory in heaven for the saints and contentment with the state of bliss given. A touching scene in Paradiso that highlights this truth is Dante's interview with Piccarda Donati in the outermost sphere of heaven (Canto III, ll. 49-90). Dante enquires about her contentment with this level of glory, to which she meekly replies, "His will is our peace." 

3.  Paradise in the heart of the earth is still occupied, not vacant. Eph. 4:8 is not a fulfillment of Ps. 68:18, since the prophets did not speak of the one-body mystery (Eph. 3:9), but rather used as an illustration that when Christ ascended, gifts were given (Eph. 4:11). The prophets saw Calvary, but not what God would do through Calvary in this mystery age. Peter confirms this truth in Acts 2:34, where he affirms, while filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4ff.), that David "is not ascended..." even though Christ is. Finally, there is no evidence that the saints who rose immediately following Christ's resurrection (Mt. 27:50-53) were taken up to heaven. The passage simply says that they "went into the holy city, and appeared unto many" (v. 53), but no further details are given as to the aftermath. Here's a possible scenario, however: if those who saw these risen saints connected their appearing with the other miracles attending Christ's death, it would serve as further testimony of his divinity (27:54), since no prophet's death resulted in an event like this. I think that this was the purpose of the risen saints' appearing, and I'm not sure they said a word to those who saw them. Their mere presence was to set people thinking as to why such a thing was happening and...lead their thoughts to Christ's recent death. 

So regardless of whether one agrees with Dante's theology in full, his great poem illustrates the three truths above, something we should greatly appreciate today, considering the advanced Biblical light that we have 700 years later (the Comedy was published in 1320!). 

Forgotten Hymns (Pending Project)

From time to time, as the Lord leads, I plan to post the lyrics of edifying hymns that I have found here and there that are no longer commonly sung, at least in the various churches I have attended in multiple denominations.  It bothers me to see so many fine hymns of yesteryear drop into oblivion, often because modern congregations don't have a taste for their contents. 

Please stay tuned!

Why Alpha and Omega?

 Text: Rev. 1:8, 11; 22:13 

…and not the “Aleph” and the “Tau” (first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet—see Psalm 119) or the “A and the Z”? Aren’t all of these titles saying the same thing, as defined for us in the Authorized Version, namely, “the beginning and the ending” (1:8, 22:13) or “the first and the last” (1:11, 22:13)? They are, but I believe there’s a reason that God insisted on “Alpha and Omega,” a transliteration rather than a translation from the underlying Greek text, as opposed to something else or merely using “the first and the last.”

 ·         “The first and the last” doesn’t mean that God himself has a beginning and ending, but that he begins whatever has a beginning (Gen. 1:1, John 1:1-3, Col. 1:18, Rev. 3:14) and ends whatever has an ending. God precedes everything created, including angelic beings, and when anything temporal passes away and eternity continues to roll, God will be there and already have been there, since time is not linear for God like it is us, and no one can get ahead of him as “Omega.” Following is an excellent explanation of this truth from A. Berkley Michelson’s Daniel & Revelation: Riddles or Realities (1984, p. 39)?

 

“God is called the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:8; 21:6), which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. We usually think of “beginning” and “end” as the chronological points of an event, but in the Book of Revelation “the beginning and the end” are God himself. God completes life just as the opening and closing letters complete the alphabet. As Christians, we must reverse our pattern of thinking about life in terms of physical beginnings and endings and consider the beginning and the ending as God, not as events. Overcoming the tendency to be event centered is difficult. Even nations and empires begin and end with certain events. But God must be central in our larger relationship with him. We must subordinate events to God; He is the originator and planner of the events of our lives.”

 

·          ·       Now let’s consider God’s use of the Greek alphabet:

 

a.      At the time of the new testament’s composition, Latin was the political language of the known world, but Greek was the common tongue, much like English is today (Eccl. 1:9-10). Note how Paul, a Hebrew, and the Roman captain communicate with one another in Greek in Acts 21:37-39. Paul chooses to address captain in Greek, rather than Latin, even though the latter is a Roman soldier, since the chances of him speaking Greek, the common tongue, were even better than him knowing Latin, which Paul, as a Roman citizen (21:39, 22:25-27) knew as well. The captain is surprised that Paul speaks Greek, which marks Paul as a man of the world, since Greek was spoken throughout the Roman world.

b.      By choosing the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is showing his identification with the Gentiles, from the beginning to the end of time. The nations have always been part of God’s plan, as revealed to the prophets regarding the kingdom (Mt. 25:34, Acts 3:21) and as hid in God until Paul regarding the one-body mystery in Christ (Eph. 3:9). God called out Abraham from the nations and separated Israel, but he wasn’t dispensing with the nations, just giving Israel primacy over them (Gen. 12:3). His plan was to use one nation to bring the others home, so to speak, but as we know, Israel for the most part failed in that mission.

c.       The title, then, is an affirmation that God not only identifies with Israel but with the other nations as well…forever. The Revelation describes the consummation of the kingdom program revealed in prophecy, not the mystery program revealed to Paul (its consummation is described in Eph. 1-3), and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel and to the nations. Note how “nations” is used in Revelation 19 times, all the way into chapters 21-22, the eternal state, and “nation” twice, for a total of 21 references (3x7 for numerology students—the nations are perfected in Revelation!).

So “Alpha and Omega,” which strikingly appears only in the first and final (21-22) chapters of Revelation (!), is as full of meaning to the nations as “JEHOVAH” (Ex. 6:3, Ps. 83:18, Is. 26:4) is to Israel. The next time you see the Alpha and Omega reference or image, remember God’s claim on the Gentiles. Praise the Lord!

Hearts that Were Changed at Calvary

While some Bible readers understand that one of the two thieves crucified with Jesus had a change of heart about him at Calvary, they may not realize that many others had a change of heart too. Let’s look at three sets of people and see how hearts were changed in each.      

                                              

1.      Thieves. When the thieves were first crucified with Christ, both joined in the people’s mockery of Christ (Mt. 27:39-44). However, after “the lights go out” and darkness falls at midday, one of the thieves repents of his mockery and comes to see that Christ is who he claimed to be. His repentance is confirmed by his rebuke to the impenitent thief and humble petition to Jesus, whom he refers to as Lord and king (Luke 23:39-42). For this, he is assured of salvation, despite his crimes and his helplessness. 

2.      Soldiers. The soldiers mock Jesus before his crucifixion (Mt. 27:27-31) and during it (Luke 23:36), but not afterward. When Jesus breathes his last and signs follow, the centurion comes to see that Christ was righteous (Luke 23:47) and, in succession, “the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). But note carefully that not only he ascribes Deity to Christ, but also “they that were with him.” Perhaps the centurion is enlightened first (Luke 23), then through his testimony and the accompanying signs, the soldiers are enlightened too. 

3.      People. The Jewish people mock Christ (Mt. 27:39-40; Mark 15:29-30; Luke 23:35), along with the rulers. While there’s no evidence that the latter repent (some do in Acts 6:7, 15:5), the people do have a change of heart, since their remorse at Christ’s death is recorded in Luke 23:48. While it’s true that “a great company” of Christ’s sympathizers are present (Luke 23:27), 23:48 affirms that “all the people that came together to that sight”…”smote their breasts” in remorse (cf. Luke 18:13). Perhaps these same people are the ones converted by the apostles in Acts 2-6 and afterward (15:5, 21:20)!

The Two Natures of Christ in All Four Gospels

 All four gospel writers emphasize Christ's two natures, one perhaps more than the other (e.g., John Christ's divinity), but both nonetheless. Some examples are provided below:

1. Matthew. Matthew emphasizes Christ's human descent from Abraham and David in Mt. 1. But he also highlights Christ's deity in Mt. 14:33, 16:16, and 27:54 among other places.

2. Mark. Mark emphasizes Christ's servanthood by focusing on Christ's actions rather than his teachings and, more subtly, by not recounting Christ's lineage in Mark 1 (a servant's lineage is irrelevant). However, in the first verse of Mark's gospel, he refers to Christ's deity ("the Son of God") and records Jesus' affirmation of his own deity in Mk. 14:61-62 and Christ's ascension to the right hand of God, another proof of his deity (Mk. 16:19).

3. Luke. Luke has more to say about Jesus' birth and youth than any gospel writer, yet he refers to Jesus as "the Lord" 14 times in his gospel (e.g., 7:13, 10:1, 17:5, 22:61, 24:34).

4. John. John emphasizes Christ's deity in his gospel from start (1:1) to finish (21:25), but he also underscores the humanity of Jesus in the Samaritan interlude, where a weary and thirsty Jesus stops at Jacob's well (4:6-8). 

Our Saviour was fully God and fully man at the same time ("hypostatic union"), from birth to death and beyond. He maintains this union of natures at the right hand of God, and when he appears again to the body of Christ (Col. 3:4, 2 Tim. 4:1, Tit. 2:13) and later to the world (Rev. 1:7), he will still have those two natures and continue to forever. I'm not sure where the teaching that Christ will some day shed his manhood came from, but I don't think that it's supported by scripture (cf. Is. 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33, Rev. 22:3-5...two natures!).  

A Tale of Two Rich Men

 

Text: Luke 18:18-27, 19:1-10 

Most Bible readers are familiar with “the rich young ruler” and Zacchaeus, but I’ve never seen or heard them compared (kudos to those who have—the body of Christ is BIG...and so is the body of literature!). While reading through the gospel of Luke lately, I noticed some striking similarities and differences between these two men, as well as the juxtaposition of their encounters with Christ in Luke 18 and 19. Some of them are found in the table below.

 

	Rich Young Ruler (RYR)	Zacchaeus
Name given?	No	Yes
Times the gospels mention him	3 (Mt. 19:16-24; Mk. 10:17-25; Lk. 18:18-27)	1 (Lk. 19:1-10)
Physical description	young man (Mt. 19:20, 22)	little of stature (Lk. 19:3)
Ruler?	Yes (Luke 18:18)	Chief among the publicans (Lk. 19:1)
Rich?	Very (Lk. 18:23)	Yes (Lk. 19:1)
Runs?	Yes—to meet Jesus (Mk. 10:17)	Yes—ahead of the crowd to see Jesus (Lk. 19:3-4)
Other physical actions	Knelt before Jesus (Mk. 10:17); showed visible sorrow (Lk. 19:23-24)	Climbed a tree (v. 4), came down (v. 6), stood before the Lord (v. 8)
Jesus shows him affection	Yes (Mk. 10:21)	Yes (Lk. 19:5)
Saved?	No (Lk. 18:26)	Yes (Lk. 19:9-10)
Describes his personal righteousness (level of obedience to the law) to Jesus	Yes (Lk. 18:21) [affirms Jesus’ description]	Yes (Lk. 19:8)
Willing to give possessions to the poor	No (Lk. 18:22)	Yes (Lk. 19:8)

I think that the last comparison is the most critical, since the RYR’s refusal to give to the poor excludes him from salvation under the law. The setting here is before the cross and the revelation of both the gospel of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) and the one-body mystery (Eph. 3:1-6), so works are required to prove the validity of a saint’s faith (James 2:22-24), which is NOT the case today (Eph. 2:8-9, 2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 3:5). 

But the Lord probes even deeper than outward obedience to show what both men loved and trusted in (Mk. 10:24). For the nameless RYR, who remains unknown to Christ, it was his great possessions (Mt. 19:22, Mk. 10:22), which he ultimately allows to possess him. But Zacchaeus, in describing his personal righteousness to Jesus, cuts right to the chase: Lord, I don’t love money (Lk. 19:8). Christ is satisfied with his explanation and asserts his salvation as a “son of (faithful) Abraham” (Lk. 19:9-10)! In giving up his riches, Zacchaeus could say, like the heroic Sydney Carton in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.”  

Thought on the Canonical Placement of Philemon

I've often wondered why this briefest of Paul's epistles comes last canonically in them. It's not the last chronologically, since 2 Timothy was written just before Paul's death. I think that I know the answer now, by considering vv. 1, 24.  

Philemon was a fellowlabourer (v. 1) like Timothy, Titus, and those mentioned in Phile. 24, hence its inclusion next to the "Pastoral Epistles," though it was written earlier, around the same time as Eph.-Col. Accordingly, I think that it's placed exactly where it should be, since it's written to a fellowlabourer like the other pastorals are. Perhaps we should include Philemon as a Pastoral Epistle instead of a Prison Epistle, considering its placement and content. 

One BIG Value of Long Novels

Many times when a long novel like War and Peace, Don Quixote, or Les Miserables is brought up, the first response is something like "Wow; long book!" or "Way too long for me!" But once you've read and enjoyed a long novel, I think that you're less likely to respond that way. One reason why is that long novels inherently give you a better chance to know the characters deeply. While that's possible, say, in shorter works like Of Mice and Men and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, it's even more likely in a long novel. By the time one finishes Les Miserables, s/he has gazed long and deep into the soul of Jean Valjean, Cosette, Marius, and even Javert. Yes, these big books demand more of your time, but a carefully selected long novel can yield big dividends to your soul and even your spirit. I'm on the last stretch of Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, and this novel has not only educated me about Russian life in the late 1800's, but it's also stirred my soul and given me some spiritual insight and refreshment through its theological content (thank God for Alyosha--what a balance he provides to the carnal Dimitri and skeptical Ivan!).

I hope that this note is an encouragement for you to tackle some long, wholesome novel you've been thinking about reading. Allegories like Pilgrim's Progress and epic poems like Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy count too! If you'd like some recommendations, please let me know, though I've dropped several hints already :).

Disclaimer: Since novels are books of the world, there may be parts that are unsavory. I was horrified by one chapter in Brothers Karamazov, for example ("Rebellion"), and although that was the author's intent--to show how warped Ivan's skepticism could be--one could skip several pages of lurid material and not "miss" anything.

Peter, Paul, and What Constitutes Scripture

The leader of the kingdom church, Peter (Mt. 16::17-19) affirms that certain epistles that Paul, the "masterbuilder" of Christ's body (1 Cor. 3:10), wrote were scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Conversely, Paul affirms that writings from the kingdom church were scripture. Note 1 Tim. 5:18--"the labourer is worthy of his reward"--which is citing Luke 10:7, Mt. 10:10, or both! Both churches (kingdom church or "little flock"; church which is Christ's body) affirm that the other is producing inspired scripture (2 Tim. 3:16) and therefore approved of God.

Addendum: Christ is the ultimate foundation of both churches (Mt. 16:18, 1 Peter 2:6; 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20), but each church has a chosen, individual builder God works through to begin and lay plans for its superstructure. 

• Peter receives the revelation of Jesus as the anointed king of Israel (Mt. 16:16-17) and the  "keys to kingdom of heaven" through the kingdom gospel: the "blueprint" for the kingdom church. 

• Paul receives the revelation of Jesus the Saviour of "all men" (1 Tim. 2:1-6, 4:10) and "the mystery" (Rom. 16:25) of the body of Christ (Eph. 3:1-9), which is entered by believing the gospel of grace (1 Cor. 15:3-4, Gal. 1:11-12, Eph. 3:6). This final verse, gently shown to me by a mid-Acts minister, showed me that no one could enter the body of Christ before Acts 9, when Paul received the revelation of his gospel, the sole means of entering that body according to Eph. 3:6. Hallelujah! One verse from Paul is sometimes all it takes to settle doctrinal disputes. Examples: How do we give under grace? See 2 Cor. 9:7. Are there still "healers" today? See 2 Tim. 4:20. Will the body of Christ see antichrist? See 2 Thes. 2:4 (no; can't have two temples of God at once; 1 Cor. 3:16). Is self-defense permitted? See Rom. 12:18. Can we eat pork? See 1 Tim. 4:4. And many more...

Hope that some or all of these thoughts have been helpful. May the Lord bless you as you "give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" till Christ comes (1 Tim. 4:13). 

Cheer

Texts: Deut. 24:5, Eccl. 11:9 

This time of year, we hear a lot about “good cheer” and “Christmas cheer” from many sources, including songs, so I thought it would be helpful to consider what the KJ Bible says about cheer: what it is, what it's connected with, and how we can have it and give it to others. I’ll show the definition first, then the second and third together as we consider each reference in scripture and the application(s) thereof. 

DEFINITION

The two texts, the first and fourth uses of it, give us a good idea of what “cheer” is.

Notice in Deut. 24:5 what word follows “cheer”: the word “up.” Now look at Eccl. 11:9, “let thine heart cheer thee…” Cheer has to do with lifting the heart up, or encouraging, rather than bringing it down, or discouraging.  Look at the middle of both of those words: courage; root of courage is cour-, or heart, very close to “cheer.” We only need two verses to see what cheer refers to in scripture and in our daily lives.

CONNECTIONS AND APPLICATIONS

“Cheer” and its forms only appear 17 times in the entire Bible, and some references are so related and/or similar that we can group them for consideration.

Deut. 24:5. Transition. First year of marriage is a time of great transition, esp. for the wife. Away from family; learning her husband and how to please him; all new physical relationship they have to learn about together. Man’s physical presence is needed for this cheer; writing isn’t enough.

Judg. 9:13; Zech. 8:19, 9:17. Food and drink. Certain substances God made to promote cheer, including corn and wine (and sugar 😊). He didn’t make any to be abused (1 Cor. 6:12, 7:31) but used (1 Tim. 5:22). How does wine “cheer” God (Judg. 9:13)? I don’t think that it’s referring to Jesus’ consumption of wine (Mt. 11:19, 26:29; Mk. 14:25), which would have cheered him as a man. It could refer to God being cheered by seeing men cheered or…men offering wine to him in sacrifice and pleasing him thereby (Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5, 7, 10).

Prov. 15:13. Merriment in the heart (mirth). What’s in your heart often shows on your face, and here’s where something good in the heart affects your appearance. If your heart is up on the inside, it will raise your face on the outside. You won’t be frowning (mouth down) but smiling (mouth up). To be cheered is to be up inside, not down, and it spreads to your face eventually.

Eccl. 11:9. Youth. Being young can cheer you, realizing you have strength, and beauty, and likely time to enjoy life, but this verse also warns you not to lose sight that these things will end and, even more importantly, that you will be held accountable for how you spent your youth, good or bad (12:14), so use it wisely. If you don’t know how to use your youth, ask someone older. They’ve had years to look back on their lives and learn from it, and you’d be silly not to ask them. You don’t have to believe everything they say, but take note of it and remember it as you live your life. You’ll have something to draw upon as you face new situations in life.

Mt. 9:2. Forgiveness of sins. Nothing is more discouraging than sin, but hearing from God that he no longer holds your sins against you is one of the greatest “ups” that a human heart can feel. Many songs have been written about the joy that comes when the burden of sin is lifted. I have felt that. Also forgiving and being forgiven by others brings joy: Corrie ten Boom.

Mt. 14:27, Mk. 6:50. Presence of the Lord. When your heart is down, the best thing you can do is seek the presence of the Lord, in the word, in prayer, and among his people. I’ve found all of them able to raise my heart, esp. when I sought all three and not just one of them. Remember: “a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12).

John 16:33. Christ’s victory over the world. When it seems like the world has defeated you outside and inside, it’s encouraging to know that our Saviour was not defeated by the world in any way. They hurt his body, but he rose again. They saw God forsake him, but now he’s at his Father’s right hand. What amazing victory, and those of us who trust him as our Saviour share in it. The world cannot bring us down if we don’t let it. Even if they hurt our bodies, they will rise just like Jesus’ did, when he comes for us.

Acts 23:11, 24:10. Opportunities to present the gospel. Paul’s preaching in Jerusalem looked like a failure, but it opened a way for him to preach at Rome (23:11) and to rulers along the way (24:10). How encouraging to a minister!

Acts 27:22, 25, 36. God’s protection in danger. Three times here; most concentrated in scripture. In the WORST of situations (all seemed lost), you can still find cheer from God. David learned this when his wives were kidnapped and his followers wanted to kill him (1 Sam. 30:6).

Rom. 12:8, 2 Cor. 9:7. Giving. Cheerfulness should attend giving; it should be in your heart when you give. It can raise your heart afterward, and the hearts of those you bless. You should give cheerfully because of the promises God makes to givers all through the Bible: that he’ll give them back far more than they give. Jesus assures us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and that’s why: the giver receives more rewards, ironically, than the receiver. Try it!

Two Prayers for Sanctification: Christ and Paul

Texts: John 17:15-19, 1 Thes. 5:23-24

Christ

In John 17:15-19, Christ is NOT praying for the body of Christ to come, but for Israel, namely the "little flock" (Luke 12:32) and their converts (John 17:20). In keeping with the principle of not anticipating revelation, we must not read the body of Christ back into this passage, since that body was not even in view at the time. The entire context is the Lord praying for his disciples and those that would believe on him "through their word," i.e. the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom in the Acts period. I think that this prayer was answered, since the little flock is unified in Acts 1-7 and even after the stoning of Stephen, but as the ministry of Paul begins to supersede that of the twelve, the true "Lord's Prayer" of John 17 goes into abeyance until the Lord resumes his dealings with Israel after the translation of the church. Ever wonder why Michael is present at our rapture? Perhaps to show that the Lord is resuming his dealings with Israel, whom Michael represents (Dan. 10:21, 12:1)!

Paul   

Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians closes with some "rapid-fire" instructions and wishes (vv. 16-28), including a remarkable prayer and attached promise for them in 5:24. The "whole" sanctification he desires for them in 5:23a is explained in 5:23b as pertaining to their spirit, soul, and body, which constitutes the whole being of man, in reflection of the Trinity. Each of these parts of our being need sanctification throughout our lives in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1, 1 Thes. 4:3-4). God promises to perform this for us if we are willing for it to take place. If we pray this prayer for ourselves and others, which we should, we are assured that we're praying according to God's will (Rom. 8:27) and that God will act upon this prayer. The outcome, of course, depends on the willingness of those God moves upon to comply. (Note: The prayers that God inspired Paul to record relative to the body of Christ are, I believe, the same prayers that the Lord Jesus is making for us above...right now; see Rom. 8:32). 

In conclusion, the Lord is interested in the sanctification of both Israel and the body of Christ. Both groups need it, and it's something worth praying about, since it's so close to the Lord's heart in both dispensations. 

May each of us be found, at the judgment seat of Christ, without "spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing" (Eph. 5:27). 

Yours in his dear Son,

David Jared 

Col. 1:13

Syriack for Simple Folk

Texts: 2 Kings 18:26, Ezra 4:7 (twice), Is. 36:11, Dan. 2:4

Note on post title: All material in this post is taken from the AV text alone, which most people have access to, and not extra-Biblical sources, which may or may not refer to it as Syriack, its proper Biblical name.

This language is mentioned five times in the AV. It is also referred to as Chaldean (center column references in the AV) and Aramaic. It is the underlying text for Ezra 4:7-6:18, 7:12-26; Jer. 10:11; and Dan. 2:4b-7:28, for a total of 168 verses. A few notes on this language, arranged by verses that refer to it:

1. 2 Kings 18:26. Spoken by the Assyrians. Jewish rulers knew it, but not the common people. The prophet Jonah knew it too, since he visited Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, and prophesied to them in a language they understood, most likely their own.

2. Dan. 2:4ff. Spoken by the Chaldeans or Babylonians; Babylon was a city in the region of Chaldea.

a. Daniel and his companions knew it, since they communicated with Nebuchadnezzar and his servants in it. Rulers subject to Neb also knew it, since they gathered to worship the idol he made, and the herald likely spoke to them in Syriack (Dan. 3:1-4).

b. Jeremiah knew it, and he or Baruch, his scribe, wrote one verse in Syriack (10:11). In context, that verse was spoken to "the nations" as a whole (10:10), so Syriack had become an international language by this time. Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, speaks to Jeremiah in Jer. 40:1-5, likely in Syriack, though he probably knew some Hebrew too.

3. Ezra 4:7. Spoken by the Persians...and Ezra, who wrote part of his book in it (see above).

This language emerges in scripture with the rise of the Assyrian empire then continues to be used by the succeeding Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires. Syriack is used by certain Jews pre- and post-captivity, and they likely continued to use it as long as they were subject to the Persians and before Alexander took control of Palestine in the fourth century B.C.

The Gracious Spirit of King David: One of Many Examples

Text: 2 Sam. 1:17-27

A prime example of my namesake and example's (Rom. 15:4) gracious spirit is his poignant lamentation over Jonathan AND Saul in 2 Samuel 1. All of David's actions after Saul's death confirm that he was genuinely sorrowful over it (and later Abner's; cf. 2 Sam. 3) as well as Jonathan's. While David may not be able to extol Saul's piety, he does liberally acknowledge the scope of what Saul did get right. Here are some of the things I see him acknowledge:

1. Beauty (vv. 19, 23, 26). Saul, a tall, handsome, and powerful man (1 Sam. 9:2, 10:23-24), stood as an emblem of God's goodness to Israel, as did Jonathan his son. Not only did Jonathan love David (v. 26), but Saul did too, beneath his envy (1 Sam. 24:16-21; 26:17, 21, 25).

2. Military might (vv. 19, 21-23, 25, 27). Arguably the grace that David, a warrior himself, magnifies the most here, it was divinely given to Saul and therefore worthy of acknowledgment. Saul was indeed mighty, to some extent, despite his yielding to cowardice on other, more critical occasions.

3. Personal valor (vv. 22-23). Despite a proclivity to cowardice, Saul could fight bravely when he chose to (1 Sam. 11; 14:47-48, 52; 15:1-8). Note that he doesn't run from the battle altogether, when he might have after Samuel's prophecy at En-dor (1 Sam. 28:19).

4. Anointing of God (v. 21). God chose him over everyone in Israel to be king (1 Sam. 9:20, 15:17), and David ALWAYS magnified that (1 Sam. 24:6, 26:9; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16).

5. Generous provision for his subjects (v. 24). Scarlet and gold are connected with royalty (cf. Prov. 31:22-23; Rev. 17:4), so he provided well for his subjects, despite all of his conscriptions (1 Sam. 8:10-18, 14:52, 16:19-22, 18:1-2).

All of us, from least to greatest (e.g. a king like Saul), wage war with our worst enemy... ourselves. Although Satan and the world are formidable enemies, they cannot stand against us if our wills are united with God's. So the greatest battle is to keep our wills in subjection to God, making our selves our greatest foes. Saul overcame himself and did good some of the time; I'm inclined to believe, based on David's lament and other passages, that a part of this man wanted to do right, but that desire was too weak to overcome his sinful proclivities. So while God judges him sternly, as the head of his elect, earthly people, God also acknowledges, through David, the good that he did and hence the struggle inside him.

I welcome your feedback on this assessment of Saul's character in the context of David's graciousness. May God give us victory over ourselves and grace toward others, victorious or fallen.

The Holy Spirit Comforts in Both Testaments

To share some thoughts on this subject inspired by Leon J. Wood's fine book, The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament (Zondervan, 1976).

The Lord Jesus Christs magnifies the comforting work of the Holy Spirit in the gospel of John (cf. 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-11). Luke also mentions this aspect of the Spirit's work in Acts 9:31. Note that the verses in John deal with events before the cross, and Acts 9:31 with events after it. Furthermore, the Spirit's comfort of the body of Christ is understood from passages like the following:

• Rom. 15:4--the Spirit uses scripture, therapeutically, to comfort us, just as he uses it combatively to defend us from Satan; cf. Eph. 6:17
• 1 Cor. 14:30--the gifts of the Spirit comfort 
• 2 Cor. 1:3--the Spirit administers comfort from the Father of mercies (double sense: all mercies come from him and he bestows abundant mercies on us)
• 2 Thes. 2:16-17--same as 2 Cor. 1:3...the Spirit administers comfort from both the Father and the Son. 

But the Spirit's work of comfort in the Old Testament is also documented. Note the following examples:

• 1 Chron. 12:18--Amasai comforting David
• 2 Chron. 15:1-8--Azariah comforting Asa
• 2 Chron. 20:14-19--Jahaziel comforting Jehoshaphat
• Is. 40:1-2--the Spirit comforts Israel through Isaiah (since this passage foreshadows John the Baptist and perhaps Elijah hereafter, John may have spoken these verses during his ministry, like he did Is. 40:3-5; cf. Luke 3:4-6)

These examples should not be a surprise, since the Almighty describes himself as "the God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3), and his nature does not change from age to age (Mal. 3:8; Heb. 6:17), only his dealings with men. So one can look for God to dispense comfort in any age, which the scriptures fully support. Praise the Lord, our God is one that comforts his creatures whenever it's right to do so!