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April
30
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Reading
1 - Deuteronomy 17
Click
here to Listen
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v.
8 - Here is a different use for the 'place which the Lord thy God shall
choose' - a place of judgement - pointing forward to the time when all will
stand before the great and righteous judge. Gen
18:25, Heb 12:23.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.6
- It is often hard to find more than one witness to situations. There is
much food for thought in the harshness of God's decreed punishment here.
Idolatry, in whatever form, is seems is beyond forgiveness. It is the denying
of the power of God - blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, for which there
is no forgiveness - Matt.12:31
Peter Cresswell
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v.11
The law of Moses did not allow for variation in how to deal with specified
errors. The judge was to pronounce and there was to be no discussion on
the decision of the judge. Therefore the judge can be seen as standing in
the place of Yahweh in judgement. In Christ the judgement is the same. There
are clear principles as to what is right and wrong. However where the law
of Christ differs is that it allows for repentance as a basis for deciding
how to deal with the error. Whilst the law of Moses seeks to retain an holy
nation by removing the one astray the law of Christ differs in that the
unity of the body is to be maintained through the reconciliation of the
one in error. 1
Corinthians 5:5 1 Timothy 1:20
Peter
Forbes |
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| 17:2
- 6 Whilst idol worship was to be removed from the congregation of Israel
it had to be certain that the person accused was an idolater. Therefore
it required two or three witnesses.
Even
if the one witness was certain - which he could be - the judgment was
not executed unless his witness was corroborated.
This
was to prevent the talebearer destroying men and women(Leviticus
19:16) The counterpart in our lives in Christ is (1
Peter 2:10)
Peter
Forbes
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:1
That animals that were to be sacrificed were to be free of blemish is such
a repeated concept that the force of it may be forgotten. God is always
looking for the best. In our service to Him - our ;living sacrifice' we
must give of our best. However we must also realise that our 'best' is flawed.
We cannot atone for ourselves. Jesus flawless, blemish free, life is the
only way.
Peter
Forbes
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Reading
2 - Ecclesiastes 9
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here to Listen
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v.9
- We do well to realise that wherever we read of marriage in scripture it
always has a bearing on the relationship we have with Jesus as the bride
of Christ. May these verses help us to increase our love for this particular
bridegroom and be the more determined to present ourselves, individually
and collectively, as a chaste virgin for him. Prov.18:22,
19:14, Mal.2:5, Isa.52:1, 54:5, 61:10, 2Cor.11:2, Eph.5:25-32.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.11
- we use this so much to show that we all suffer the same in this life regardless
of our beliefs but in fact the commentators agree that this word chance
here is in the sense of opportunity. This puts a totally different complexion
on the passage. We each have time and opportunity. What are we doing with
it?
Peter Cresswell
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v.10
The exhortation to do all with all our might is a very powerful warning.
Set against the background of the transient nature of life we should make
full use of the time that we have at our disposal. That time is a gift from
God as we only deserve to die.
Peter
Forbes |
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9:5
Like the language in chapter 3 we use this verse to 'prove' that there is
no such thing as an immortal soul. However the focus of the wise man is
that because death ends everything we ought to work for God. Of course if
one does not believe in God one would be advised to make the most of the
time because death certainly will end everything for that man.
Peter
Forbes
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:11-12
The 'time and chance' that happens to man is only from man's perspective.
The fish does not know that it will be caught in the net nor the bird the
snare. However the hunter in both cases knows what will happen - he has
planned it so that he will make a catch. Likewise whilst we do not know
- and so from our perspective it is 'time and chance' - God knows what will
happen in our lives because He has planned it out.
Peter
Forbes
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Reading
3 - Acts 8
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here to Listen
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v.
24 - We are not told the apostles reaction to this request. Was this
man beyond the pale? Clearly he had not stepped completely over the line
as the apostles tell him to repent in v.
22. Is it acceptable
for someone else to do the praying for him? There are examples of this happening.
Consider these - Gen.20:7,17,
Ex.8:8, 10:17, Num.21:7, 1Kings 13:6, Ezra 6:10, 8:23, Jas.5:16.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.23
when speaking with Simon the sorcerer Peter appeals to Scripture to describe
his attitude. gall ... bitterness Deuteronomy
29:18 bond of
iniquity Isaiah
58:6 Examining
the two passages quoted highlights the depths of his greed and sinfulness
and how he did not appreciate the salvation that he had obtained in Christ.
Peter Forbes |
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8:28-33
From the detail of this familiar narrative we might conclude that the Ethiopian
was reading Isaiah 53 to a company of men - possibly his retinue. We might
wonder how many individuals had their own copy of Isaiah's prophecy. Had
he just got to this part of the prophecy when Philip appeared on the scene/
Or was he reading it - with puzzlement - because he had heard the apostles
speaking about this area of Isaiah whilst he had been in Jerusalem?
Peter Forbes
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The
way in which Simon wished to buy the ability to pass on the Holy Spirit
gifts, even though he already had the gifts is the most powerful testimony
that the only ones who were able to pass on the gifts were the apostles.
Peter Forbes
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WHEN
THINGS GET BAD
The first verse of this chapter tells us that a great persecution broke
out against the church at Jerusalem and that all except the apostles were
scattered. Saul was going from house to house dragging off men and women
to put them in prison if the believed in Jesus. Some, we find later, were
even killed for their faith. Things were getting bad for the Christians
in Jerusalem. Their freedom, life, families and everything were in danger.
So what did they do about it? Did they sit around and mope about it? Did
they renounce their faith in their Messiah? No! Verse
4 tells us what they did. "Those who had been scattered preached
the word wherever they went." Even though life was bad for them they
still got stuck in doing the job they were called to do. Nothing is achieved
by hiding or getting upset. And this is the lesson for us.
Our faith in Jesus may not be tried like theirs was, but we can still go
through bad times. In these bad times we must keep our faith in God, stay
positive and press on in the task we should be doing. As the old saying
goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." So when
things get bad remember the examples of the early Christians and step out
in the strength of God to carry on the work you were called to do.
Robert
Prins |
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