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May 7

Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 24

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v. 1 - We were surprised, when we looked, how many times Jesus refers to this law, and related issues of adultery etc. Some of these passages are parallel, but not all. Matt.5:31-32, 19:7-9, Mark 10:4-12, Luke 16:18, 20:29-38.
Peter Cresswell and Roger Sharpe
v.5 - What do we think to this as a principle of living then? Does anyone know anyone who has done it?
Peter Cresswell
v.19 - 21 This provision forced the Israelite to be conscious of the needs of the disadvantaged in the community. What practical things we can find in our own communal lives to forces this point into our consciousness?
Peter Forbes
24:18 There are four occasions in Deuteronomy (15:15 16:12 24:18 22) when Israel were told to remember that they were bondmen in Egypt. The fact that they were bondmen was to help them to appreciate that they had to keep the ordinances of the Lord.

Likewise we should appreciate that we were bondmen to sin and, now being redeemed, we should serve our redeemer.
Peter Forbes

:16 Every man is responsible for his own sins. Some have seen a problem when comparing this verse with the way that God visits iniquity to the 'third and fourth generation' (Exodus 20:5 etc). There is no contradiction. The Exodus reference to the generation which died in Egypt because of their rebellion (Ezekiel 20:8) and the fourth generation is that which fell in the wilderness because of their rebellion (Ezekiel 20:21).
Peter Forbes

Reading 2 - Song of Solomon 4

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References on Study Site
v. 16 - Gardens go right through Scripture, from start to finish - Eden - Gen.2:8-9, Ahab's herb garden - 1Kings 21:2, Royal Gardens in various places - 2Kings 21:18, Esther 1:5, The garden of Joseph of Arimathea - John 19:41, The garden of Gethsemane - John 18:1. See also Isa.5:1-7, Song 4:12, 5:1, 6:2,11. Beware because Israel was an empty vine - Hos.10:1 - don't be like that.
Peter Cresswell and Roger Sharpe
v.8 - This concept of looking up - is this like 'seeking those things which are above'? - Col.3:1,2
Peter Cresswell
v.11 The use of the 'honeycomb' in Scripture is interesting. Consider these uses.
Psalm 19:10 The Word of God is like an honeycomb
Proverbs 5:3 The strange woman is like an honeycomb
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like an honeycomb
here The bride is like a honeycomb
Peter Forbes
Consider these links with Proverbs 5 and 7
4:5 Two breasts Proverbs 5:19
4:11 Lips drop as an honeycomb Proverbs 5:3
4:14 Cinnamon Proverbs 7:17
4:14 Myrrh Aloes Proverbs 7:17

Whilst the bridegroom can view the bridge in loving terms Proverbs shows us that the harlot can portray the same characteristics. We might think we are Godly but it may be that our life belies what we claim.
Peter Forbes

:14 Myrrh and Aloes occur rarely together inScripture - Psalm 45:8 Proverbs 7:17 and John 19:39. The link with Psalm 45 - a Psalm of the resurrection - shows that here we are looking at the bride prospectively in the kingdom, having been raised from the dead.
Peter Forbes

Reading 3 - Acts 18 & 19

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18 v.5,6 - Here is Paul acting out the role of the watchman for Israel - Eze. 33:1-5. Yet again they heard the sound of the trumpet but took not warning. Paul was acting in accordance with Eze.33:6, and therefore says 'Your blood be upon your own heads - I am clean'.
Peter Cresswell

18 v.2 Acknowledging that our actions are determined by the Lord's will is seen in King David. 2Samuel 15:25,26 and restated by his son Solomon Proverbs 19:21 Jeremiah draws the attention of those who would speak falsely to the fact that Yahweh determines actions. Lamentations 3:37 This clear Old Testament concept then passes into New Testament use being seen first in the Lord Luke 22:42 And then in the apostles Acts 18:21 Romans 1:10 15:32 1Corinthians 4:19 16:7 Hebrews 6:3

19 v.3 The mention of individuals who had been baptized of John show that John Baptist's message went further than just the borders of the land of Israel. So we might conclude that the preaching of Jesus was known of in the Roman world outside Jerusalem as well before the Apostles began their preaching.
Peter Forbes

ch.18 - This time in Paul's work must have been very rewarding. For 18 months he is working and getting a response in Corinth and then he moved on and got a further great response in Ephesus.

19:7 We often lament that we are not able to be effective in our preaching because we are few in numbers. However the example of Ephesus is a salutary warning against such an attitude. 12 men 'turned the world upside down' with God's help. Do we believe that God is working when we go out preaching? Can he save by few as well as many?
Peter Forbes

18:16 In saying 'from henceforth I will go to the gentiles' Paul is not saying that he will never preach to the Jews. In every city Paul first appealed to the Jews and when they rejected the word of God he spoke the message to gentiles. In fact it is a recurring phrase in Acts (13:46, 22:21, 26:17. 28:28)

19:10 Paul spent 2 years in Ephesus. A consequence was that 'all Asia' heard the word (:10, 26) which maybe indicates why Paul was so sad (2 Timothy 1:15) at way the ecclesias in Asia had rejected him.
Peter Forbes

BURNING SCROLLS
The campaign in Ephesus brought about a number of converts who had to make a massive turn-around in their lives. They were people who had practiced sorcery and it seems that they had been very devoted to their evil practice because the value of their scrolls came to fifty thousand drachmas (50000 days pay, or 137 years pay).
When they devoted themselves to Christ and repented of their past acts they brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. This meant that there was no turning back to their old way of life - even if they had wanted to. They could not get their old books back and could not afford the money to buy them back. They were committed to a new and Godly Christian life. What they did was a great step of faith, but one that will be rewarded at the return of Christ.

In the same way there must be no turning back to our old way of life once we have committed ourselves to Christ. Just as the sorcerers burnt all their scrolls, so we too must remove every temptation from our lives that might drag us back to where we came from. So let us burn the ties and temptations from our old way of life and dedicate ourselves in faith, wholly and completely, to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Robert Prins