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May
13
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Reading
1 - Deuteronomy 30
Click
here to Listen
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v.
6 - This concept of the circumcision of the heart is surely a bridge
between the old and new covenants, and in this context a way of telling
Israel that although they denied and rejected the old, they can, with repentance,
along with all the nations of the earth be eligible for a place in the new
covenant by repentance and baptism.
Deut.10:16,
Jer.4:4, 32:39, Eze.11:19,20, John 3:3-7, Rom.2:28-29, Col.2:11.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.7
- Notice that God's care goes even further than the blessings - it even
goes so far as to curse our enemies. We can stand truly in God's strength,
having confidence that what he has promised he will surely perform.
Peter Cresswell
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ch.30
The wonderful words of comfort that Moses gives to the children of Israel
- that despite their rebellion if they repent God will hear them - is a
wonderful comfort to us. Solomon bases his prayer at the dedication of the
temple [1
Kings 8 2 Chronicles 6] on this section in Deuteronomy - look at the
similarities of language for yourself.
Peter
Forbes |
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30:6
We have already seen how the curses of chapter 28 are used by Jeremiah.
Now we see that he also uses the appeal and promise. (Jeremiah
4:4)
30:9
A repeating of an element of the blessing promised.(Deuteronomy
28:11)
Peter
Forbes
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:15
Israel were presented with a stark choice. We do well to reflect on that
choice because it is our choice also.
Peter
Forbes
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Reading
2 - Isaiah 2
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here to Listen
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v.3
- We have left our Zion theme for a while, but here it returns - the mountain
of the Lord, where the law and the word of the Lord will go forth - epitomised
at the moment in Jesus and his work of intercession, thereby granting us
access to the Lord. Jer.31:6,
50:4,5, Zech.8:20-23.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.5
- it is by light that all things, good and evil, are manifest. The essence
of true righteous thinking,. therefore, is to be in the light, where all
is revealed and nothing kept secret. Isa.60:1,
Luke 1:79, Eph.5:13
Peter Cresswell
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2:5
light is a recurring motif in Isaiah -this list is not all occurrences Isaiah
2:5 9:2 10:17 42:6 51:4 60:1,3,19,20
2:20
'lay aside' is a powerful Biblical injunction. It is more than a casual
putting aside. It is an active dissociation from evil.Ezekiel
18:31 Romans 13:12 Ephesians 4:22 Colossians 3:5,8 Hebrews 12:1 1 Peter
2:1 James 1:21
Peter
Forbes |
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2:20
'lay aside' is a powerful Biblical injunction. It is more than a casual
putting aside. It is an active dissociation from evil.
Ezekiel
18:31 Romans 13:12 Ephesians 4:22 Colossians 3:5,8
Hebrews 12:1 1 Peter 2:1 James 1:21
Peter
Forbes
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:2-4
is paralleled in Micah
4:1-3. Isaiah 2:5, which contains an appeal, answers to Micah
4:4. Because Israel were to dwell in peace in the future Isaiah encourages
the people to serve God faithfully now.
Peter
Forbes
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Reading
3 - Acts 28
Click
here to Listen
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v.
4 - The attitude here of the barbarous people is one that scripture
warns God-fearing men against. Individual 'natural punishments' such as
accidents and illnesses and bereavements, are not a direct result of an
individual's sin. So often scripture goes to great pains to tell us this,
that we suffer in this way because of being 'in Adam'. This event is recorded
partly to support this truth, especially as the shallow nature of their
thinking is demonstrated in v.6
by their complete change of opinion! Luke
13:2-4, John 9:1-3.
Peter Cresswell |
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28:23-29
As if to mark the continuing opposition and blindness of the Jews Pauls
final recorded discussion in Acts is with Jews who do not believe. However
this does not stop him preaching the kingdom of God for the last two verses
of the Acts tell us that is what Paul did. This serves as an example to
us to continue even if we have to cope with opposition.
Peter Forbes |
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Some might think that as the Acts is so much concerned with the work of
Paul that his death might have been recorded. However the Acts is not so
much concerned with the life of Paul as the spreading of the gospel. Paul
was just a tool, therefore his death, in that sense, is not important and
so is not recorded.
Peter Forbes
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:8
Whilst we know the laying on of hands was the means whereby the Holy Spirit
was given there were other things associated with the laying on of hands.
Here is was a way of Paul associating himself with the sufferer much as
Jesus did (Matthew
8:17)
Peter Forbes
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WHEREVER
WE ARE
Paul's mission in life was to spread the gospel to as many people as he
possibly could - to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. By the time we
come to the end of the book of Acts he had traveled through most of the
known world of that time preaching the gospel to whoever would hear. The
amazing thing about Paul was that sometimes he went where he wanted to go,
other times he was led by God and at other times he was taken as a prisoner
where he did not want to go, but wherever he went and no matter what his
circumstances were when he got there, he always made the most of his situation
to preach the gospel. And so, as a prisoner heading to Rome the gospel message
was heard by nearly everyone he met.Wherever he was, whatever his circumstances
he made sure that the gospel got out.
We have much more freedom than Paul had. We are not bound with chains and
going to places we have no control over, so we should be able to get the
message of the gospel out much more freely than Paul. He could do it wherever
he was, why can't we?
Robert
Prins |
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