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January
11
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Reading
1 - Genesis 20 & 21
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here to Listen
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20v.6
- Here we have direct intervention by God - 'suffered him not to touch her'.
Here are some other occasions for you to compare this with Gen.20:18,
31:7, 35:5 1Sam.25:26, 34, 2Thess.2:11
Peter Cresswell |
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21v.4
- If you have ever been in any doubt as to whose job it was to circumcise
boys at the age of 8 days, here at the very inauguration of the practice
you have the answer. It was the child's father's responsibility. This is
hardly an enviable task, and I suspect contributed largely to the reason
why the practice dropped away so much.
Peter Cresswell |
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20 - The way in which Abram was willing to pass his wife off as his
sister - v2
- shows that even men of faith have lapses. This should be a comfort to
us when we slip from the high calling of faithful acceptance of God's care.
21:23
The wary words of Abimelech and Philcol that Abraham would not 'deal falsely'
with them shows that they knew about his escapade when he passed off his
wife as his sister when he was in Kadesh. From this we learn that our
indiscretions done in one place can affect the way that others think of
us who were not directly involved in the initial indiscretion.
Peter
Forbes
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20:7
That Abraham was a prophet explains (Psalm
105:15) which shows that God actually spoke to Pharaoh and reproved
him.
ch
21 - Whereas time seem to have passed slowly from when Abraham left
Ur to the time of the promise things now speed up. The birth of Isaac,
it seems, is only a year after the visit of the angel. Abraham's faithful
waiting has been rewarded.
Peter
Forbes
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Genesis
20:2 - Why
does Abraham revert to using the very ploy he used 24 years previous with
Pharaoh? We honour Abraham as a great man of faith, yet once again he
"wimps out" by setting his wife up to claim that she is just his sister.
Who has the stronger faith here - Abraham or Sarah? And what a testimony
to this marvellous woman's demeanour in her old age, that at age 89 she
is still desired to be taken as a wife by the men of this world. We will
see in the next chapter how this seemingly harmless "ploy" has implications
years later and the impact it has on the harmony within the
compound.
Genesis
20:4 - What a contrast between two societies living in contempory
times. Sodom and Gomorrah have just been blasted out of existence because
of their immorality, yet Abimelech's people appear to be God fearing and
counted as righteous. What a difference good leadership makes. Abimelech
in this record is a man of action - "he rose early in the
morning" v8,
gathered his clan together, and recounted his encounter with God the night
before, and the warning he had been given about refraining from taking
Sarah into his harem.
Genesis
21:8 - "And the child [Isaac] grew and was weaned"
- This usually took place around the time that the child was
5 years old. This would make Ishmael about 18 years old, and what Sarah
observes next is very distressing to her.
Genesis
21:9 - "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had
born unto Abraham, mocking..." - Why does the record laboriously
label Ishmael as "the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she
had born unto Abraham...?" Though having sprung from Abraham's
loins, this young man was not a "true son" of Abraham. Ishmael's
character was closer to that of his maternal ancestral people, the
Egyptians, than it was to his paternity. Was Ishmael poking aspersions
in Isaac's direction, by inferring that Sarah had become pregnant whilst
in Abimelech's compound. The Pharisees did a similar thing to the Lord
in John
8:41, when they inferred that Mary had become pregnant whilst travelling
to the hill country of Judea via Samaria - John
8:48.
Cliff
York
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Reading
2 - Psalms 23, 24 & 25
To
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24v.1
- the 'fullness' - the hebrew is m'lo'
- means 'everything', 'entirety'. The whole earth and its contents
- its mountains, its valleys, its seas, its creatures, its people, even
its weather. Ex.9:29,
19:5 Deut.10:14 1Chron.29:11. Let us, by this, learn humility.
Peter Cresswell |
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25:2
- How can we possibly not be ashamed before God? Well, although David's
comment refers, it seems, to his physical enemies, the principle applys
to the way in which God is willing to give us strength that our enemy (sin)
does not triumph over us. We are instructed to pray 'Lead us not into temptation
and deliver us from evil' which clearly suggests that God is will to do
this. This way, by His grace, we are presented righteous before Him, our
shame removed. Ultimately, in the time of Eden restored (naked and not ashamed)
we will have no shame to remove, but now God removes it so that we can be
His.
Peter Cresswell
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| Psa
23 - It is common to think of this Psalm being written by the shepherd
boy David whilst watching the family flock. However the language of the
Psalm fits well with David's situation when he was a fugitive in Mahanaim
when he was fleeing from Absalom
:2
Being made to 'lie down' indicates the state of David's peaceful mind
when he was in Mahanaim.
:5
The prepared table in the wilderness - when 2
Samuel 17:27-29 all those material goods and food were brought to
David
:6
Dwelling in the house of the Lord - looking to returning to Jerusalem.
24:3
David returns again - as he does in many Psalms - to reflect on the qualities
of the man who will inherit the kingdom.
Psa
25 - This Psalm shows that even though God is high above man He is
willing to instruct and guide His creation - if man will listen and respond
- :8,
9, 12, 14. David observes this against the background of wanting to
be taught - :4,
5. We must reflect David's attitude.
Peter
Forbes
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23:4
In saying 'I will fear no evil' David is reflecting on the promsie made
to Joshua and Caleb (Psalm
91:10)
24:3-4
In saying that it is the 'pure heart' that will 'ascend into the hill
of the Lord' David expresses a fundamental truth which Jesus takes up
(Matthew
5:8)
25:4
In asking God to 'show me thy ways' David is echoing the request of Moses
(Exodus
33:13). So we should not be surprised to see 'tender mercies' and
'loving kindnesses' echoing God's manifestation to Moses (Exodus
34)
Peter
Forbes
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Psalm
23:6 - "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" - David
longed for the day of the Kingdom, when he will be part of the great priesthood
of Melchisedek, to serve the Lord forever as priest of the Most High God.
Psalm
24:4 - "He that hath clean hands" - The word denotes
the curved hand, held out and upward, both in supplication and giving.
The image is of one who relies on his God, and who is ready to work, sharing
God's blessings with all his fellows.
Psalm
24:6 - "This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy
face, O Jacob..." - Rotherham suggests that this is better rendered
as "they that seek thy face are as Jacob." All
of us have characteristics that need to be purged out of our lives, just
as Jacob did. Every one who comes to God, must develop that faith of Jacob
that would forsake the ways of the world and cling to the ways of God,
just as Jacob did at Peniel - Genesis
32:30
Psalm
25:17 - "The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring me out of
my distresses" - Is David describing here what we would call
depression today. It is very likely that David was afflicted with what
we today call Bi-Polar Disorder [Manic Depression]. He presents all the
classic manifestations - boundless energy, grandiose enterprises, excess
libido, inappropriate sexual liaisons, melancholy moods, brilliant musician,
outstanding composer, very creative, given to volumous writings, great
"people person," good salesman, loyal, sensitive, schemer, "mover and
shaker" - a very dynamic person, but exceptionally hard to keep up with.
Cliff
York
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Reading
3 - Matthew 13
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here to Listen
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v.49
- There are a number of references to angels in this context. Matt.13:39,
24:31 2Thess.1:7,8. This last suggests that they come with Jesus and
they come in judgement.
Peter Cresswell |
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| :1
'The same day' helps to develop a picture of how much took place on specific
days in the gospel. Clearly these events took place on the same day as events
in the previous chapter.
Matthew
13 has a preponderance of parables. We should not imagine that Jesus only
told parables at this time. Rather, like the miracles in chapter 9 -10
we are being given an insight into the range of parables Jesus spoke.
In providing an explanation of the parable of the sower and the parable
of the tares we are being given the tool necessary for us to understand
all the parables.
Peter
Forbes
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:44
The 'treasure hid' - quoting Proverbs
2:4 - is the wisdom of God.
Peter
Forbes |
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Matthew
13:10 - "Why speakest unto them in parables?"
- Two reasons really. The greatest Sales people "sell" their product with
stories. And Jesus Christ is the greatest "Salesman" who has ever lived.
And His "product" is still as valid, and as popular today as it ever was.
Stories paint pictures in peoples minds, and they also fill out many concepts
that are hard to include in a recollection of mere facts. Stories help
people to imagine what "the product" will do for them. Stories also help
people remember salient facts long after the telling of them. And don't
forget... Jesus had enemies who hung on His every word, trying to find
something wherein they could get rid of Him... and you can't hang
a man for telling a good story!!
Matthew
13:52 - "...bringeth forth out of his treasure, things old and new"
- Some say, "things old, yet new." The
way of the kingdom is strewn with many treasures. The good scribe [teacher]
brings out of his "treasure chest" of stories and principles, many things
that, though they have been of old, from everlasting, are sometimes seen
by the audience in a new light. Or perhaps they are presented by the speaker
with new relevance to our present situation. Like this very note
in my Bible, taken at least 18 years ago in a Bible Class on the Parables
of Messiah, and delivered in a small country hall at a locality called
Repentance Creek in Northern New South Wales, Australia. And yes, many
baptisms did take place in that very creek. The teachings of the Kingdom,
though we have heard them many times before, should always be received
by us as if it was the first time we have heard them. In so doing, our
enthusiasm for this treasure is maintained, and our desire to share this
treasure with our acquaintances is heightened.
Matthew
13:54 - "He taught them in their synagogue" - Did you
ever notice that it was not God's synagogue. How many times does the record
poignantly point up that the religious institutions of Christ's day
were not sponsored by heaven? What of our own meetings and institutions?
Are they ours? Or does Christ rule what we do? see Matthew
12:50.
Cliff
York
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