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May
10
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Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 27
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Peter Cresswell
v.8 - It is not too clear which stones were to have the law written on them. I had assumed it was the upright plastered stones, as the plaster would give a working medium to carve the words, but it seems more likely that it was the stones of the altar that had the law written on them - no mean task - as this process is repeated in Joshua 8:30-33 but with no mention of the plastered pillars.
Peter Cresswell
v. 2 - 8 The injunction to raise up the stones and write on them is the basis for the words of Habakkuk. Habakkuk 2:2
v.12,13 Maybe you can remember the mothers of all the sons - I never can so here is the family tree
The different
curses to which the people are to say 'amen' summarise and represent elements
of the law which have all previously been given. Now, rather than just
hearing the words they have to acknowledge that they are true and that
they accept them as applying to them. (Jeremiah
11:15) Is one other occasion where this area of Deuteronomy is quoted.
The Authorised Version is a bad translation.
Peter
Forbes
Peter Forbes
Reading 2 - Song of Solomon 7
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Peter Cresswell
Peter Cresswell
Peter Forbes
Peter Forbes
Peter Forbes
She is the picture of perfection, adored by her lover. While, in the culture of the society in which we live, we might not think she sounds particularly attractive, taken in the spirit with which it was written, the picture of the bride is the model of complete perfection. She has saved herself pure for her lover, she has made herself ready. He likens her to the best of all he knows and he too, has saved himself pure for her. This is true love.
I also see it as a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride, a picture of the bride as the model of everything perfect. If we have committed our lives to Christ, we also are part of that glorious bride. Several lessons come out of this. We must keep ourselves pure for Jesus by worshipping God and Him alone. We must make ourselves beautiful for him by living in faith and doing what is right and good. And we must keep ourselves beautiful and perfect by avoiding sin. And lastly, we must long for his return and be ready for him, just as a bride does for her husband.
Robert Prins
Reading 3 - Acts 23 & 24
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Peter Cresswell
23 v.6 Paul, by seeing the divisions amongst his detractors masterfully deflected attention from his own position to their disagreement amongst themselves. This was not simply clever evasive tactics. Rather, as he stood little chance of furthering the Gospel at this point, he avoided being dragged into pointless discussion.We can learn from the way in which Paul responded here.
24
v.2-9 gives
us the flattering words of Tertullus whereas Pauls response [Acts
24:10-21] is
of a different nature to Tertulluss comments. He is direct and to
the point. Factually correct and concise. So should our dealings be with
all men. We should not use flattering lips [Psalm
12:2,3] to
support our cause. Rather we should always speak the truth with
our neighbour [Ephesians
4:25].
Peter Forbes
23:13-21 We might have thought that because Paul did not heed the warning that he should not go to Jerusalem that God would no longer take care of him. The narrative in this section outlines that God did indeed take care of him.
24:15
Even though Paul is here being tried for causing an affray he uses the
opportunity to emphasise the gospel - he speaks about his belief in the
resurrection from the dead.
Peter Forbes
23:5 In quoting Exodus 22:28 to show he understood the way that the high priest should be respected one is left wondering whether Paul regarded the 'high priest' as a man with no greater status than any other man because he was not the rightful high priest anyway.
24:15
The bold assertion that both just and unjust reflects the language of
Daniel
12:1-3 and is an important part of Paul's message. Not only is there
going to be a resurrection, there is also going to be a judgement - a
relevant point to make in this context. It is not simply a case of law
that Paul is involved in. It is a matter of life and death.
Peter Forbes
As Paul stood before the council of the Sanhedrin to be judged, his opening speech instantly struck a nerve with them. "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day," he said. I can imagine the room full of self righteous Jews getting very upset when Paul, a Jew, who had been a Pharisee and now a follower of Jesus, a rebel, who socialized with Gentiles, said he had lived in good conscience. They could not understand it! To them living in good conscience meant keeping the law in all its finest points and being proud of it. But what Paul said was right and we can tell from Luke's narration in Acts and from Paul's letters that he did indeed have a clear conscience and was at peace with God.
If we were in the same situation as Paul and brought before a court with a panel of jurors sitting there to judge us, would we be telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth if we said the same as Paul, "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."?
One day we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ - not in front of men - and then we will have no choice about the truth. Let's prepare now so that we can say then, "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."
Robert Prins