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August 11

Reading 1 - 1Kings 6

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v.7 - The use of 'no iron tool' reflected the rules in the law [Deut.27:5-6] about the building of altars. If this was the reason that Solomon chose this method, however, he did it with compromise, as the iron tools were used off the site.
Peter Cresswell
v.7 - as well as the comment I made above, we might also reflect on how the stones of the temple reflect the birth of Jesus - just as the stone in Nebuchadnezzar's dream which was cut out of the mountain without hands - Dan.2:34,45 - (and in fact had the power to destroy iron, amongst the other metals that were there) predicted the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus.
Peter Cresswell

v.18 - The word 06441 Within is used exclusively of the temple / tabernacle. Leviticus 10:18 1 Kings 6:18 19 21 29 30 2 Kings 7:11 2 Chronicles 3:4 29:16 18 Psalm 45:13 Ezekiel 40:16 41:3. Therefore the word carries more than just the concept of location. I suggest that fellowship is involved in the way that the word is used.
Peter Forbes
There are only two places in Scripture where these dimensions (6:3)are found -
1 Kings 6:3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
Zechariah 5:2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.
So we must conclude that in some way Zechariah is drawing on the language of Solomon's temple.
Peter Forbes

:1 How do we understand this time period.

The time of Joshua
??
The time of the Judges
450 years
Saul reigned
40 years
David reigned
40 years
Total since leaving Egypt
530 + years

But Solomon started to build the temple only 480 years after Israel left Egypt. According to this reckoning Solomon started to build the house at least 50 years later than the record says. Clearly my calculations are wrong, but I do not have an answer. Can anyone help me?
Peter Forbes

[I suggested a possible answer to this problem in the notes on Acts 13 on May 4, and further support was given to this there by Sis Jean Cheetham. 450 years back from the end of the time of Samuel's reign as a judge takes us to the exodus from Egypt. So I suggest that 450 years includes Moses (last 40 years of his life) and Joshua with the judges. This would solve the problem though I may not be right. Any further comments?]
Peter Cresswell

Moses definitely was a judge. (Exo 18:13 KJV) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

Also, how much overlap is there between Samuel and Saul? Samuel as judge & Saul as king were overlapping for a few years, till Samuel dies (1 Sam. 25:1).

Another possibility would be that the beginning of the temple would have
been when God gave the plans to David and he began gathering the materials for it. perhaps this
would make the 10 year difference. 450 from Exodus (time of judges) to the 30th year of David as king,
making 480 years.
Jean Cheatham
chs 5 and 6 - THE TABERNACLE, THE TEMPLE AND THE RESURRECTION
When Moses made the tabernacle he was told to "make this Tabernacle and all it's furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." The temple that Solomon built was a copy, in essence, of the tabernacle, except that it was twice as big. The temple dimensions were two times the size of the tabernacle. Also, the temple was a permanent house and the tabernacle was a tent. The Tabernacle took about 7 months to make but the temple took 7 years. Both the tabernacle and the temple were made of precious materials.
I see a parable in this. Like the tabernacle, we are all precious in God's sight. We are made in the image of God - after his pattern and our job now is to follow the example of Christ so that our lives become exactly like the pattern he showed us. But in this life we are still small, mortal sinners. However, it is now that we are spending the time, the seven years, preparing for the future. We are preparing for the time when Christ will return and will transform these bodies and minds to become, finally, like his. And just as the temple was so much bigger and more glorious than the tabernacle, so we will be made glorious and renewed like the resurrected Jesus.
Robert Prins

Reading 2 - Jeremiah 32

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v.2 - The hardship that these men suffered in order to prophecy God's word was amazing. Jeremiah's life goes downhill from here - ch.33:1, 36:5, 37:21, 38:6 - until ch.39:13-14.
Peter Cresswell
v.9 - Jeremiah had money. There is no indication of how he came by it, as far as I can see. I don't think we are told of any profession. It is a sure indication of the truth of the maxim established in Matt.6:25-34 that God provides for those that seek Him first.
Peter Cresswell
v.41 - The concept of Yahweh rejoicing over Israel is a major theme commencing when Israel were turned back into the wilderness. [Numbers 14:8] And restated at the end of the wilderness journey. [Deuteronomy 30:9] And then presented as a comfort in the prophets [Isaiah 62:4-5 65:19 Jeremiah 32:41 Zephaniah 3:18]
Peter Forbes
32:28, 37 Whilst Israel were to be taken to Babylon they were to return. So Jeremiah tempers his message of punishment with words of comfort.
Peter Forbes
:7 At a time when Jeremiah is speaking of captivity God commands him to buy a parcel of land in Israel. This was done in the presence of witnesses. Thus his actions confirmed his belief that Israel would return in fulfillment of God's words - even though terrible times are to come.
Peter Forbes
PRAY FOR ANSWERS

Things didn't seem to go right for Jeremiah. Even though he did all that the LORD instructed him, he still ended up suffering for the message he had to preach. At this stage he was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. On top of this state of affairs, while confined to the prison, he was told to buy his cousin' s field. There was no way he could even go to look at it, let alone make it profitable. And if Jeremiah believed his own prophecies (which he no doubt did) he would have known that the land he was buying was just about worthless. In a very short time the king of Babylon would attack and take them all captive, and possessions and land would not mean a thing. Yet he obeyed God and bought the land even though he didn't understand why.

When things don't go right for us and when we, like Jeremiah, don't understand God's plan in our seemingly directionless lives, we can do the same as Jeremiah. He prayed. He poured out his frustrations to the LORD, while all the time recognizing that God must have a plan in these strange events.

The next thing we read is God's answer to Jeremiah. It was an answer that would have helped him to understand God's plan. When we pray for answers, God will eventually answer us too, and will put our minds at rest as we see how we fit into his plan.
Robert Prins

Reading 3 - Mark 6

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v.5 - It is clear that the miracles which Jesus did and the healing depended for the execution upon the belief of the people - not that God's power was unable to work without the people's faith - but that it was wasted. It must have been quite a serious disappointment to Jesus to have to go elsewhere and preach to strangers - the same story as the whole nation but here in miniature. Heb.4:2.
Peter Cresswell

v.3 - If we wish to think of Jesus as being one who went about bending over backwards in order to please men we would be mistaken. Matthew 11:6 13:21 57 Mark 6:3 John 6:61. Whilst Jesus knew that what he had to say would offended many he was concerned that his followers would not be so dismayed. Matthew 11:6 Luke 7:23. His concern was that his Father's will might be known. This is offensive to the flesh - therefore he prayed that his disciples would not be caused to stumble as did his adversaries. John 16:1.
Peter Forbes
:44 The feeding of the five thousand is one of the few miracles recorded in all four gospels. From this alone we should realise it is an important event. John [6:2] says it was Passover time when the 5,000 were fed [6:10]. So Jesus had his own 'passover' with the people. They were able to eat of the 'manna' of Jesus' providing as an indication of his saving power. He was able to sustain them in the 'wilderness' though it is clear that the religious leaders were not - the people were [6:34] 'as sheep not having a shepherd'.
Peter Forbes
:45 Jesus sent the disciples away hurriedly because he did not want them exposed to the enthusiasm of the crowd who wanted to make him king (John 6:15)
Peter Forbes
Over and over again in the gospels we see the link between faith and healing. In the previous chapter we have the woman healed by her faith, and the daughter of the ruler raised from the dead by his faith. (5v34, 36). In Mark 6v4-5 we find the opposite, in that Jesus himself couldn't do many miracles because of the unbelief of the people. Why then this consistent link between faith and healing?

In 5v41-42 Jesus had said to the little girl "arise..immediatly the girl arose and walked". We find the same phrase used many times when people are healed. In Acts 3v6 we get the apostle Peter saying the same thing "rise up and walk", whilst healing a lame man. The context of these verses are again about faith:

"And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:16)

So the healing of this man, according to Peter, is through his faith in Christ. In James 5v15 these three things come together, namely "prayer of faith", "save the sick", and "raise him up". Here however, there is an added ingredient, namely "and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him". But of course, this isn't new either! (Luke 5v20-25). I wonder what it all means?
Robin de Jongh