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May
19
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Reading
1 - Joshua 3 & 4
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here to Listen
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3
v.4 - The gap that was to be left was to test their faith further. They
had not gone this way before but they were to resist the temptation to get
too close to God, to overfamiliarise with and therefore deny the glory of
God. This required a trust that God knew they needed to practise, as do
we. This distancing, of course is an old testament thing, as the blood of
Christ has brought us near under the new covenant.
Ex.3:5, 19:12, Psa.89:7 but the awe and wonder that we
should feel for God is not diminished by the work of Christ Heb.
12:28,29.
Peter Cresswell |
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4:3
- It was still 12 stones that were collected even though not all of the
tribes were going to dwell on this side Jordan. The unity of the people
was still emphasised, their geographical splitting up being of no consequence
whatsoever to their oneness in God. This unity prevails right through the
ages for ever (just as the staones were to be a memorial for ever - v.7)
for all those who trust in God, finding greater fulfilment in the association
with God through the saving work of his Son.
Peter Cresswell
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3
v.16 The River
Jordan [the descender] flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Salt Sea, as
it is styled in Scripture. Nothing lives in the Salt Sea. Thus the river
Jordan is a parable of life. It is a river of life flowing into a sea of
death and speaks of our descent to death. Notice that the waters rose up
- that is were stopped from the city of Adam. Thus the work of God in providing
deliverance in Christ stops the flow from Adam to death.
Peter
Forbes |
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3:1
Israel are in Shittim, 4:19
they arrive in Gilgal. This section covers the tremendous events of the
crossing of the river Jordan.
There is great focus on the ark (of the covenant) in this event -
3:3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 15
Chapter
4 - The emphasis on the ark continues in this chapter - 4:5,
7, 9, 11
However we should not think of the ark as a sort of talisman which preserved
Israel. It was a manifest token that Yahweh was with Israel. As such He
entered the land before them to lead them in. Rather like Jesus is our
forerunner (Hebrews
6:20)
Peter
Forbes
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3:17
That the children of Israel passed through Jordan 'on dry ground' would
doubtless remind the people of what they had heard from their parents
- that they had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. They should, then,
have recognised that God was going to deliver the land into their hand
as He had delivered their fathers from Egypt.
4:12
We know how many passed over from these tribes
Reuben - 43,730 - Numbers
26:7
Gad - 40,500 - Numbers
26:18
Manasseh - 52,700 - Numbers
26:34
Peter
Forbes
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Reading
2 - Isaiah 9
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here to Listen
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v.
2 - The great light, of course is revealed in Jesus, who was the light
of the world. This is a direct reference, one of many in Isaiah, to the
calling of the gentiles - the people that walked in darkness. This means
then that these passages do not just refer to Christ's birth, but to his
entire part that he plays in his Father's purpose in bringing about atonement
for all nations. In the context of light, bearing in mind Isa.60:3,
which surely refers to the wise men that visited the infant Jesus, Christ
here is the bright and morning star of Rev.22:16,
joining fully the whole purpose of God, by reference back to his roots in
the old covenant through David.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.10
- in the pride of their heart there is a desire here to bring about the
kingdom age by their own strength - a problem mankind has always had and
never so much as the present, when he is even talking of medical advances
leading to eternal life. Here in this verse man is trying to re-establish
the Garden of Eden, though this is only in God's power - Eze.36:35
Peter Cresswell
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v.1
- The chapter division between chapter 8 and 9 is unhelpful. It breaks the
flow of the narrative. The dimness spoken of in chapter 9 is a continuation
of the theme of
8:22 which relates
to the Assyrian invasion.
Peter
Forbes |
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9:6
The promise of the son echoes the events surrounding the life of Samson
when we learn that 'the government' was to be upon his shoulders the echoes
are of Judges
16:3 and Genesis 22:17. As Samson, in carrying the seat of local government
out of Gaza to Hebron to the burial place of Abraham who had received the
promise of Genesis
22:17 so has Christ taken control of the gates of hell and of death.
Peter
Forbes
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:7
The promise 'the zeal
will perform this' is echoes later in the times
of Isaiah, in the days of Hezekiah (2
Kings 19:31, Isaiah 37:32). Hezekiah would have taken courage that he
was involved in the fulfilment of these earlier words of Isaiah. The immediate
fulfilment of these words was the deliverance from the Assyrians.
Peter
Forbes
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US A CHILD IS BORN
With
Christmas only one day away, this is a part of the Bible that we often
hear quoted at this time of year. Yet it is a very important part of scripture
because it foretells of the birth of the Messiah, the savior of the world.
It tells of his mission and his achievement and also of the future role
of the child who was to be born.
It is
a good thing so many people remember the birth of Christ at this time
of year because it provides us with plenty of openings to show Jesus to
people in a way they have never seen him before in a way, with
Gods blessing, that will be life changing to those who hear.
At Christmas
most people remember the birth of Jesus, in a manger, in Bethlehem. They
remember the shepherds, the angels and the three wise men. Our job is
to shift the paradigm to show, not only the child, but the man, the savior,
the sacrifice, the love, the resurrection and the future hope of his kingdom
established in peace and righteousness. That is what the gospel is all
about. Tell the whole story today.
Robert
Prins
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Reading
3 - 1Thessalonians 5
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here to Listen
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If we
are ever in doubt about the way we should be behaving as we watch and wait
for the imminent coming of our Lord to this world of sin and death, then
we would do well to turn to this chapter for exhortation and encouragement.
In Isa. above we were amongst those who walked in darkness. We are no longer
(v.4),
but this lifting of the veil of darkness brings with it massive responsibilities,
and we cannot get away here from the suddenness with which we should expect
events to change. May we always be ready. Jer.23:20,
Matt.24:42-44, 2Pet.3:10, Rev.16:5.
Peter Cresswell |
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v.1-4
The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a tremendous event which the brotherhood
throughout the world was looking for because of the Lord's Olivet prophecy
[Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21]. 'Peace and safety' [5:3]
answers to the way in which Jews in Jerusalem would have reacted when the
Roman army retreated before the final onslaught which over ran the city.
The brethren in Thessalonica had to be aware of what the Lord had said so
that they could understand the fulfilment of the Olivet prophecy in the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Peter Forbes |
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5:2
Whilst the day of the lord will come (v4)
'as a thief in the night' the brethren and sisters were not ;'on darkness'
nor were they to (v6)
'sleep'. Rather (v8)
sobriety was to be the watchword. Paul, by the Spirit, plays upon the fact
that the lord will return in a time of darkness when the world would not
expect a thief. However the brethren ands sisters were to be different from
the world. They - we - are to be prepared for the Lord's return.
Peter Forbes |
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5:20
That Paul called upon the brethren to 'despise not prophesyings' would imply
that there were some in the ecclesia who denigrated New testament prophets
who spoke to the ecclesia words that were not palatable. The danger was
that the ecclesia might behave towards the first century prophets in the
same way as Israel had responded to their prophets in Old Testament times.
Peter Forbes |
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chs
4 and 5 - LOVE MORE
Someone said that the biggest room in your house is the room for improvement.
No matter how good we are, there is always room to do better.
The believers in Thessalonica were really good at loving each other. Paul
said, "Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for
you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact,
you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia."
Maybe you are really good at showing love to the people around you too.
But Paul continued writing to the Thessalonians saying, "Yet we urge
you, brothers, to do so more and more."
There is always more room for love. Love flows from God like it has no end
and we always have enough room in our hearts to receive it. We need to have
love flowing from our hearts more and more because there is a huge loveless
void in many lives that needs to be filled. Let's aim to increase our output
of love and to show the world the love of an Almighty God.
Robert
Prins |
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