Reading 1 – 2Ki 6:1-7

“The company of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live.’ And he said, ‘Go.’ Then one of them said, ‘Won’t you please come with your servants?’ ‘I will,’ Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. ‘Oh, my lord,’ he cried out, ‘it was borrowed!’ The man of God asked, ‘Where did it fall?’ When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. ‘Lift it out,’ he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it” (2Ki 6:1-7).

The floating ax-head is perhaps related to Canaanite mythology: El, father of the gods, yields rulership of the gods to Yamm (the god of the sea) — who is sometimes interchanged with Nahar (the god of the river). Baal is jealous and goes about to kill Yamm/Nahar, after which he succeeds and becomes the ruler. Baal kills Yamm/Nahar by means of two axes — which fly from the hands of Baal.

Because of this the ax became a cultic symbol to Baal worshippers. Idols have been found of Baal brandishing an ax, and Baal worshipers (rulers/priests/soldiers) would often walk into the river (nahar) holding the ax of Baal to illustrate the supremacy of Baal over Nahar. As the Baal versus Yamm myth was supposed to be a cycle, often these people would stand in the river to associate themselves with the regeneration of Yamm/Nahar (ie, his coming back to life to start the cycle all over again: cp Naaman and the Syrian rivers in 2Ki 5:12).

Here, the ax-head flies into the river… just like Yamm/Nahar (Sea/River god) was killed by Baal’s ax. But, even with ‘Baal’s weapon’ in the river god’s body, the servant of Yahweh has power over both of them. That is, Yahweh is greater than Yam/Nahar, and greater than Baal. Elisha exercised power over the river by having a stick thrown in the water, causing the ax to float.

Compare, incidentally, the related features of Exo 15: where the iron of Pharaoh’s chariots could not part the sea, but the wooden rod of Moses does; and where it is the tree — of wood — that makes the bitter waters sweet.

Reading 2 – Lam 2

In Lam 1, the central theme was the helplessness of Israel — “None to comfort her”. But in v 18 of that chapter, there was recognition of God’s hand in her desolation — which continues as the main theme of this chapter. In the first chapter, the thought “None to comfort her” occurs seven times; in the second, the “Lord” (“Yahweh”) is mentioned by name seven times as the One who “hath done this” (vv 1,2,5,7,8,17,20). Once, in v 16, Jerusalem’s enemies boast proudly, “We have swallowed her up.” But they, as all others outside the understanding of God, have misinterpreted the forces and the reasons behind the history of the Jews. God has thought only to punish the nation temporarily, as a necessary part of His overall plan. Then He must cleanse them and establish them, for they are His peculiar people, and He cannot utterly cast them away, because of His promises to their fathers. The promises to the fathers were made immutable by oath, as Paul reminds us. Nevertheless, their punishments (and their recognition of it as coming from God) are essential.

In this chapter, Jeremiah speaks too as the voice of the righteous remnant — who lament the fate of Zion (vv 13,14), but who never cease to arise and call upon God to remember His people (vv 18-20).

Reading 3 – 1Co 15:42-50

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1Co 15:42-50).

“We drop a seed into the ground,

A tiny, shapeless thing, shrivelled and dry,

And, in the fulness of its time, is seen

A form of peerless beauty, robed and crowned

Beyond the pride of any earthly queen,

Inset with loveliness, and sweet and rare,

The perfect emblem of its Maker’s care.

This from a shrivelled seed? —

Then may man hope indeed!

For man is but the seed of what he shall be,

When, in the fulness of his perfecting,

He drops the husk and cleaves his upward way,

Through earth’s retardings and clinging clay,

Into the sunshine of God’s perfect day.

No fetters then! No bonds of time or space!

But powers as ample as the boundless grace

That suffered man, and death, and yet in tenderness,

Set wide the door, and passed himself before —

As he had promised — to prepare a place.

We know not what we shall be — only this —

That we shall be made like him — as he is” (J Oxenham).

Reading 1 – 2Ki 13:14

“Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. ‘My father! My father!’ he cried. ‘The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ ” (2Ki 13:14).

These are the same words uttered by Elisha himself about his predecessor, Elijah (2Ki 2:12). Even the wicked king Jehoash realizes that Elisha, as God’s prophet, is more powerful than chariots and horses, and expresses here something of his awareness of the presence of the Almighty. It is true enough, that wherever the word of the prophet is found, there is the power of the LORD! And that power is infinitely greater than all the “chariots” and “horses” of all the armies that ever were.

What the younger Elisha had seen earlier in the old prophet Elijah, as he was being taken away from him, is finally seen by another in the now older Elisha, as he also is being taken away. Elisha may scarcely have realized how and when it was happening, but over time the “mantle” of Elijah had truly come to rest on his shoulders, spiritually as well as literally. He had grown up to the office, and now — at the end — it was as though Elijah was once more taking his leave of men. In a similar way, many a young man has wondered if he might ever attain to the wisdom, and experience, and authority, and strength of his father — to find, one day years later, that he has indeed. It has happened even as Jesus’ parable suggests: “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how”… until finally “the grain is ripe” (Mar 4:27,29)!

Reading 2 – Eze 3:19

“But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself” (Eze 3:19).

“God has committed to men such responsibility that Ezekiel and Jeremiah can warn and save, or refrain and be guilty of blood. And we know that this is true of us. In all our walks we can display Jesus or hide him; confess him or deny him. We can let our light shine as a light on a lightstand, that men may glorify our Father, or we can behave so that the way of truth is evil spoken of. In our own midst we can turn a sinner from the error of his way, or we can destroy him with our meat for whom Christ died. To hold forth the Word of Life is not therefore the voluntary pastime of a few of us; in some form it is the responsibility of us all” (Alfred Norris, “Preaching the Word” 8,9).

Reading 3 – 2Co 11:29

“Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2Co 11:29).

“The word Paul uses for ‘weak’ is one which features frequently in his writings, and it nearly always refers to the spiritually weak (Rom 4:19; 14:1,2,21; 1Co 8:9,11,12). He was so sensitive to his brethren that when he considered their spiritual weakness, he felt the same. He identified with them, he could put his arm round someone who was slipping away and say, ‘I’m with you’, and so evidently mean it. He had a genuine and obvious sense of solidarity with them. He wasn’t critical of them to the extent that he made a barrier between himself and them. They knew his disapproval of their ways, but yet it was so evident that his heart bled for them. And when Paul saw a brother being offended, he burnt. His heart burnt and bled as he saw someone drifting away with a chip on their shoulder. He didn’t just shrug and think, ‘Well, that’s up to them, their choice.’ He cared for them. That brother, that sister, and their future meant so much to him. If Paul had lived in the 21st century, he would have telephoned them, written to them, visited them, met with them week by week To be weak and to be offended are bracketed in Rom 14:21: ‘thy brother is offended, or is made weak’. And in 2Co 11:29 we have the same idea… The parallels imply that if the weak brother was offended, Paul himself was as it were offended, even though he himself did not stumble. He could identify with the spiritual weakness of others to the point of feeling that he himself had committed it or was in the shoes of the sinner — even though he himself was innocent” (Duncan Heaster).

Reading 1 – 1Ch 3:1-9

“These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah. These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months” (1Ch 3:1-4).

There were six sons of David born in Hebron: the same as list in 2Sa 3:2-5, with one exception — “Daniel”. Daniel is called “Chileab” in the KJV mg and in 2Sa 3:3: despite a considerably different appearance in English, this is due to a very slight corruption of the same name in Hebrew.

*****

“David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there…” (1Ch 3:4,5)…

The three lists of the 13 sons of David born in Jerusalem have some slight discrepancies, which are outlined below:

* Sons #s 7 and 8 may have died in infancy, and thus are not listed in the two 1Ch listings.

Reading 2 – Eze 16:49

“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy” (Eze 16:49).

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28,29).

The sins of Sodom are plainly written in the scriptural record: they include sexual sins and perversions, it is true. But also — as may be seen in Ezekiel — they included pride and patriotism; unimaginable luxuries; leisure time for frivolities; and “disobedience to parents” (cp 2Ti 3:2).

Finally, “they did not help the poor and needy”: There was malnutrition and starvation in a land of plenty — where many possessed the means to alleviate the sufferings.

If any of this sounds a bit familiar to western ears, then surely it is no accident!

Reading 3 – Luk 12:16-21

“The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luk 12:16-21).

This man, in terms of the base standards of the world, had made a success of life. He became rich because of the productivity of his labor, and the fruitfulness of the ground he owned. But did he ever stop to think of why his land yielded its fruits in such abundance? Did he ever reflect upon the fact that “the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God” (Heb 6:7)? Job did, and concluded: “If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much… this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above” (Job 31:25-28).

But in contrast to Job, the rich man, having more food than was sufficient for him, did deny God: trusting in his own labor, he seemingly gave little thought to the One who so greatly blessed the land upon which he worked. Thus, he was a failure.

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1,000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy’s story was: “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

Reading 1 – 1Ch 1

Like the Book of Kings, 1Ch and 2Ch were originally one book according to Jewish tradition. However, the Chronicles are not simply a repeat of the history already recorded in the books of Samuel and Kings. The Book of Chronicles was written to remind the nation of their entire history, and of their position among other nations, emphasizing the history of priestly worship from the death of Saul to the end of the Babylonian captivity. The Chronicles contain more of the relationship of the kings to the worship of God, than does the Book of Kings. The history of the Northern Kingdom is omitted from the Chronicles because the Northern Kingdom had no bearing on the development of the true worship of God in Jerusalem.

*****

The first portion of 1Ch (1:1 through 9:44) consists of genealogies, of:

The patriarchs: 1Ch 1:1-54 Judah: 1Ch 2:1 – 4:23 Simeon: 1Ch 4:24 -43 The tribes east of the Jordan River: 1Ch 5:1-26 Levi: 1Ch 6:1-81 The six other tribes: 1Ch 7:1 – 9:44

Reading 2 – Eze 14:3

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces” (Eze 14:3).

“Idolatry is an attitude of the mind, not a posture of the body. It [that is, idolatry of the HEART] is the easiest, most subtle form of idol worship; its danger lies in the fact that it is not seen by others” (Len Richardson).

Reading 3 – Luk 10:36

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luk 10:36).

“Jesus didn’t answer the question ‘Who is my neighbor?’ (Luk 10:29). Instead, he answered another question — ‘To whom are YOU a neighbor?’ [cp Mat 25:35-46]. It doesn’t matter who is good and kind to us. What matters is to whom we are good and kind. The real lesson of the Good Samaritan is that the two great commandments (to love God and to love our neighbor) are inseparably linked. We should love as we have been loved. We should show mercy as we have been shown mercy. We should serve as we have been served. The inheritance of eternal life is a gift that must be shared in order to be received” (Kyle Tucker).

Or, to put it another way, ‘If YOU were in trouble, who would you want to be a neighbor to YOU?’ The obvious answer: ‘Why, everyone, of course!’ Go, and do thou likewise.

Reading 1 – 2Ki 4:1-7

“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’ Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a little oil.’ Elisha said, ‘Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.’ She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left’ ” (2Ki 4:1-7).

Widowed, childless, and past 80 years of age, Bill Cruxton wanted his $500,000 fortune to make a difference in someone’s life. A 17-year-old waitress who had been kind to him seemed the perfect choice. So when Cruxton died on November 9, 1992 he left the bulk of his estate to Cara Wood, a high school senior who befriended him during the 13 months she worked part-time at a restaurant. Even after she quit her job, Cara kept in touch with Cruxton, running errands for him and helping him around the house. Because of his poor eyesight, she often helped him read his mail and pay his bills.

Like Cara Wood, the widow here became the recipient of another’s wealth. But the riches she received came from the hand of God. The woman had known great heartache. She had lost her husband, who was of the men from the “company of the prophets”. Soon she would lose her sons as well, since they were about to become slaves. The Mosaic Law gave a creditor the right to claim the person and children of a debtor who was unable to pay. They were obliged to serve as the creditor’s hired workers until the year of Jubilee, when they were set free (Lev 25:39-41).

It was not a happy prospect, and the prophet Elisha, who knew her husband’s devotion to the Lord, wanted to help this desperate widow. When he learned that she had nothing in her house but a small flask of oil, he told her to collect from her neighbors as many empty jars as she could — leaving the number of jars, and the size of her faith, up to her. The woman was to shut herself and her sons inside the house and pour from her flask until all of the jars were full. Nobody else was to see or know about the miracle. Nobody needed to know about it, or Elisha would surely have been swamped with “business offers”.

The woman did as Elisha instructed, and had enough oil to pay her debts and live off the rest. God’s prophets were not only messengers of His judgment, but instruments of His miraculous provision for His people.

Reading 2 – Jer 52, conclusion

Jeremiah’s life is one of the loneliest and saddest in Scripture. His personal experiences were bitter; the message of disaster he had to proclaim was depressing and unwelcome; and the times in which he lived were of unparalleled calamity. His cause was lost from the beginning, because the people would not hear him. He was everywhere hated and misunderstood. While intensely loving and grieving for his countrymen and his nation, he was despised and persecuted as an enemy and a traitor.

In a short period of 40 years Jeremiah witnessed a temporary resurgence of true worship, saw it fall victim first to Egypt (Josiah’s death), then to Babylon and finally watched it destroy itself while trying to break free from Babylon. His books reflect the tragic drama of the situation. Out of his agony, and the agony of his people, comes the sombre note of lamentation.

When Jeremiah began his ministry, he and Josiah were about the same age. It is truly touching watching these two young men — prophet and king — labouring to turn the nation to righteousness as the smoldering judgments of God hovered over the land; just as two young men — a prophet and a king — John and Jesus, did in the days of the nation’s final judgment.

It is notable that Jeremiah’s ministry began just forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple by the Babylonians, as recorded in the Lamentations. We remember that Jesus began his ministry just forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple by the Romans. In each case we see a period of final probation given to the city.

Jeremiah’s mission was to witness for God against apostate and worldly Judah. But his work was not only as a witness of condemnation; it had a far more glorious purpose. It was to encourage and strengthen the scattered, faithful remnant — of his own day and of all the ages since. And in our present time of crisis for the Truth, and imminent judgment, its message of comfort has great and sustaining power.

When the terrible judgments came, it would appear that God had completely rejected Israel, and that all hope was gone. But the lonely prophet with his message of eventual glory was a symbol that God was still concerned with them although they had been unfaithful, and his prophecies gave comforting assurance that those who held fast would never be forgotten, and that, though these dreadful evils should come, the latter end would be blessing and peace.

Reading 3 – 1Co 13:4-7

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1Co 13:4-7).

God is a jealous God. He demands all our love and attention. But because we love God the more, do we love our brethren less? Our love for God is different from our love for another person. If we truly love God, we will show our love for Him in practical expressions of love for others. True divine love does not exclude human love; rather, it enhances it.

1Co 13:4-7 above contain a dozen or so characteristics of Scriptural “love”. We shall consider each one in turn:

“Love is patient”: We have the example of Christ, who patiently taught his disciples and time after time helped them when they stumbled and lacked faith. Undoubtedly there were times when he wanted to throw up his hands and abandon the effort altogether, for they were so slow to learn and so bent on maintaining their own natural affections. But he loved them dearly; he loved them despite their inadequacies; he prayed for them; and he persisted until his efforts began to bear fruit. Can we do any less for our brethren?

“Love is kind”: This English word “kind” is one of those pale, sentimental words that just does no justice to the original. We should say, instead, that love is considerate — showing an active, involved concern for the needs of others, even to the detriment of one’s own comfort. We probably all think of ourselves as being “kind”, for we certainly are never “unkind”! Are we?

“If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?” (Jam 2:15,16).

There are times when a “kind word” is no more than hypocrisy, because it masks a failure to help in any practical way. Have we ever been guilty of such an act, in a benign, “friendly” indifference to the circumstances of others? Then we may have been courteous and civil and pleasant, but we have not been “kind” in the Scriptural sense, and we have not been loving.

“Love does not envy”: The divergence of gifts among the Corinthians was a cause of envy. Likewise, envy can result today from comparisons between brethren: “Who is the better speaker?” “Why was he elected Arranging Brother?” “So-and-so wants to run everything. Who put him (or her) in charge?” The person who can ask such questions does not have at heart the best interests of the whole body. Jealousy, or envy, is a terrible disease, and often fatal in the spiritual sense. It destroys its originator much more quickly than the one at whom it is directed.

“Love does not boast… is not proud”: Envy and boasting are quite closely related. They both stem from the same basic problem: love of self rather than love of others. True love does not have to be pushy. It does not need attention. It can afford to wait. Remember what Jesus said of the arrogant Pharisees — who did their works to be seen of men: “They already have their reward.” Let this not be said of us.

“Love is not rude”: There is a right way and a wrong way to do almost anything. Sometimes a gentle admonition or even a stern rebuke needs to be administered. It is possible to be in the right — even to say the right thing — but to say it in absolutely the wrong way. A criticism may be correct in every particular, but if it is delivered with a superior or proud or overbearing manner it will not achieve a good result. As always, the principle is consideration for others: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In short… love.

“Love is not self-seeking”: Have you ever participated in a three-legged race? You may be the fastest runner at the picnic, but you’ll wind up sprawled on the grass unless you can adapt yourself to the style of your partner. This principle also holds true in the ecclesia. We are all members of the one body, and we must learn to function as a unit. We are “yoked together” with our brethren in many endeavors; we cannot always choose the way that pleases us most.

Your way of doing things may always be the best, but it won’t always be the one chosen by the majority. Then what do you do? Go along or “drop out”? There have been cases of members leaving meetings because of absolutely trivial disagreements, in which they failed to get their own way and just could not bend enough to go along with others. And they, and sometimes their families, have paid for that stubbornness with twenty or thirty years of self-imposed isolation.

There is an extremely illuminating passage in this connection:

“For even Christ pleased not himself” (Rom 15:3). Just six little words, but a world of exhortation and self-examination. If even Christ did not please himself, who are we to think that things should always go our way? Who are we to please ourselves in everything?

“Love is not easily angered”: A person possessing the true love of God has a peace of mind that no other has. In the midst of strife and controversy, he maintains a calm and reasoning mind, and a disposition to peacemaking. He has that same inner serenity that sustained Christ through his great trials. A person in such a frame of mind cannot be offended by others. He is not provoked to backbiting or vengeance. He relies upon the grace of God, he knows that there is a final judgment that will right all wrongs, and he is not concerned about what man may do to him in the meanwhile. If God is for him, who can be against him?

“Love delights not in evil, but in truth”: If ever a thought might be coupled with “Let a man examine himself”, surely this is it! Don’t we all do this? Don’t we all listen to gossip and rumors and evil insinuations? Don’t we all — sometimes — derive pleasure from the shortcomings of others, especially those who have previously appeared to be models of uprightness?

We judge ourselves by the standards of others, and when we do this we are glad to see them fall. We tend to think we are lifted up in proportion as our brother is cast down. But when we live by this standard we are completely corrupting Paul’s teachings of the unity of Christ’s body and the dependence of one member upon another. These lofty ideas lose their meaning when cooperation is replaced by competition.

“Love always protects”: We need go no further than Christ’s example. Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree, and more than that he bore our sorrows that he might be a perfect mediator.

The mind lingers on a picture, perhaps well-known to many. One boy with a younger one on his back. “He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother!” Strain is obviously there, but he bears his burden gladly. All things are relative, aren’t they? Yes, in more ways than one! We are willing to do for our families what seems intolerable if done for others. Do we sit in the meeting on Sunday morning, and feel that those with whom we break bread are really our family? Or are our expressions of “Brother Smith” and “Sister Jones” merely a formal, stylized address? Let us live that family relationship of which the Bible speaks so often; let us rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Let us “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

“Love always hopes… always perseveres”: The Christian’s life of love is a joyful existence. In the midst of sorrows and pains, he rejoices in the great gifts of the Creator. His eye is firmly set upon the hope that rises as a mountain before him. There may be a valley to traverse before he reaches that distant peak. But he never takes his eye off that glorious future; and all life’s little annoyances and inconveniences are seen for what they are — stepping stones en route to the Kingdom. Paul says in another place: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phi 4:12,13).

All that God has given us — riches, talents, intelligence, health — diminishes with the passing of time. Man grows old and dies. Only love remains, as a bridge between this life and the life to come, a bridge over the chasm of eternal nothingness. Every other gift or talent will fail, just as the Holy Spirit gifts finally ceased. The only thing that endures is the character of man, engraved in the infinite mind of God.

Reading 1 – 2Ki 14

In 2Ki 14, “a last opportunity for the nation presented itself, as in Israel and Judah there reigned three able sovereigns in Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jeroboam II. The weakness of surrounding nations was their opportunity. A vigorous struggle broke out to raise the nations from the depression into which it had fallen. Syria and Edom were reduced. The borders were extended, the struggle partly successful. But it was frustrated by calamities beyond human power. The kings conquered their enemies, but not themselves, and thus failed in the struggle for complete independence. Those whose pride makes them too eager to fight may get enough of it in quick order. Many would have honour and wealth enough, if they but know when they had enough. But the prosperity of Israel under Jeroboam was a delusion and a snare. Two prophets raised their voices in warning and rebuke. Hosea and Amos, sounded forth their stern, harsh language, revealing the true state of the ecclesia. Hosea was a citizen of the north, for he speaks of the land (Hos 1:2) and ‘our king’ (Hos 7:5). The rough shepherd Amos was from Judah. He beheld with indignation the soft luxury and abandoned life in the northern kingdom. He gives a frightful picture of an apostate, licentious and decadent Israel. It was the ‘last days’ of the Davidic monarchy, and little time remained before the divine judgment came upon both northern and southern elements of the nation” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Eze 4

In Eze 4, the total of 430 days (390 for Israel: v 5; and 40 for Judah: v 6) seem to represent a complete period of affliction, of 430 years (cp Gen 15:13; Exo 12:40).

The complete interpretation of these symbolic numbers and periods of time may yet elude us. However, there are some significant dates worth noting:

There is a period of 40 years for the Exodus: from the leaving of Egypt (approximately 1446 BC) to the entry into the Land of promise (c 1406).

And from thence, approximately 390 years would measure from the entry into the Land (1406) to the coming of the kingdom in the person of Saul (1016).

Then again, 390 years would be the time period from Saul (1016) to 13th Josiah (626 BC), and a remaining 40 years from the 13th Josiah to the actual fall of Jerusalem (586) at the hand of the Babylonians, which Ezekiel witnessed.

After the Kingdom of Judah, then, 390 years would take us from the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) to 196 BC. And 40 more years (196 BC to 156 BC) would take us to the desecration of the Temple, and the ensuing Maccabean war.

After the dividing of the kingdom, between Israel and Judah, the North and the South, then, 390 years would measure from the 4th of Rehoboam (2Ch 12) to the time when the Temple was burnt in the 19th of Nebuchadnezzar (Eze 33:21). This would be approximately 982 to 592 BC.

Reading 3 – 2Co 13:5

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2Co 13:5).

To “fail the test” here comes from the Greek “adokimos” — which elsewhere is translated “reprobate” (Rom 1:28; 2Co 13:5-7, 2Ti 3:8; Tit 1:16), “castaway” (1Co 9:27), and “rejected” (Heb 6:8). It is used to describe a counterfeit coin, deficient as to weight or quality of metal. It is also used, figuratively, to describe a cowardly soldier who fails the test of battle; a candidate rejected for office; and a stone rejected by the builders. In each case, that which is “reprobate” has promised something by its outward appearance which it cannot deliver! It has, perhaps, a “name to live”, but it is dead — like clouds that promise rain, but give none; and like stars in the heavens that appear fixed, but prove to be “wandering stars”, or meteors.

Reading 1 – 2Ki 5:13,14

“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!’ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy” (2Ki 5:13,14).

“It may seem strange and incredible that God would connect such a momentous change [covenant relationship, and forgiveness of sins] with a trivial and (as some regard it) ridiculous observance [baptism]. An earnest mind, however, will not stop to reason on the matter when once satisfied that it is the will of God, especially when he remembers that it is one of the characteristics of God’s dealings with men that He selects ‘weak things, things despised, yea, and things that are not’ (1Co 1:27,28), by which to accomplish important results — that it may be seen that the power is of God, and not in the means, and that true obedience may be secured in His servants. It was not the eating of the fruit in itself — apart from the divine prohibition — that constituted Adam’s offence. It was not the mere looking at the brazen serpent in the wilderness that cured the serpent bitten Israelites. It was not Naaman’s mere immersion in Jordan in itself that cured him of his leprosy. It was the principle involved in each case that developed the results — the principle of obedience to the divine law, which is one prominent feature in all God’s dealings with man. Obedience is the great thing required at our hands: ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’ (1Sa 15:22).

“It matters not what the act may be; the more unlikely the thing required, the more severe the test, and the more conspicuous the obedience, even if it be the offering up of an only son, or the slaughtering of a whole nation. In any case, and at all hazards, obedience must be yielded. God is not less exacting in this respect under the Christian dispensation than He was under the law; but, if possible, more so” (Robert Roberts, “Christendom Astray”).

Reading 2 – Lam 1:1

“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people” (Lam 1:1; cp Isa 3:8).

Well-known among students of ancient history is a medal struck by a Greek artist of the Roman Court to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and Vespasian in 70 AD. It is called “Judea Capta” (“Judah Subjected”), and it depicts a powerful soldier standing triumphantly over a helpless woman, who sits destitute upon the ground. How did this come about? Let us ask ourselves and learn the answer well. It came about because Judah neglected its true strength — the Lord their God.

What do we naturally think of when we hear the words “many people”? Ideas that come to mind are a party, or a market place — people milling around, laughing, joking and empty of serious thoughts. This is how Isaiah pictured this same city, Jerusalem — “full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city” (Isa 22:2); a city, in fact, thoroughly opposed to the Divine will, and heedless of her impending punishment: “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold (instead) joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die” (Isa 22:12,13).

To those who thought in their hearts, “Peace and safety”, came instead sudden destruction (1Th 5:3) by the wrath of God: “I will make your cities waste… desolation”, He had threatened through His prophet Moses (Lev 26:14-16, 31-35). But the people had continued to delight themselves in every imaginable form of wickedness until it was too late (Note the summary of Nebuchadnezzar’s destructions in Jer 52:12-23 — and remember that he was merely God’s “servant” — Jer 25:9 — to perform this).

”As a widow”: The city of Jerusalem had lost her husband, her lord and her protector (Jer 2:2). All of the pains associated with widowhood were hers — an absence of her “husband’s” favor and protection; sorrow and grief; a pitiful feeling of helplessness (Isa 54:6; Hos 3:3, 4).

Let us remember why such things came upon Jerusalem: “Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves (ie, into slavery), and for your transgressions is your mother put away” (Isa 50:1). “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you” (Isa 59:2).

“She that was great among the nations”: Israel, in its beginning as a kingdom, was lavishly praised by Hiram of Tyre (“this great people” — 1Ki 5:7) and the queen of Sheba, who saw Solomon’s wealth (1Ki 10). The united kingdom of Solomon’s time must have been very nearly unsurpassed in commerce and power. And the kingdom of Judah continued to prosper at times in the years following the division of the kingdom.

“How is she become tributary”: We are perhaps too accustomed to viewing Judah, during the period of the kings, as having much less majesty and authority than she actually had. Only when we realize what a magnificent position she once occupied, can such a phrase as this have its proper effect upon us. Just as God brought the splendor of Egypt and Babylon to the dust, so was He able to humble Judah. The word “tributary” refers to personal servitude (the same word as in Josh 16:10; 17:13). Compare Lam 5:8,13,16. The princess had become a “slave” (NIV), a “vassal” (RSV).

Reading 3 – 1Co 14:40

“But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1Co 14:40).

“The brother or sister who sincerely loves God will endeavour always to be punctual in the observance of His requirements and appointments. (Unavoidable lateness is exceptional, and need not here be considered.) To be late at the meetings when we could have been early is indicative of indifference and carelessness in regard to the things of God. The meetings are of God’s appointment for the benefit of His children. The latecomer not only himself loses much of this benefit, but hinders those who are punctual in receiving the good. Usually the meetings commence with collective thanksgiving to God; is it not manifestly irreverent, and consequently displeasing to Him, that the privilege should be disturbed by latecomers, who with a little thought and care could have been present to unite in prayer and thanksgiving? Christ is our example in all things, and there is more than a suggestion of punctuality in the record that ‘when the hour was come he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him’ (to eat the Passover) (Luk 22:14)” (WJ White).

Reading 1 – 2Ki 16:10-12

“Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it” (2Ki 16:10-12).

The original “foundation stone” was the altar-rock of Zion — which was probably the site where Abraham prepared to offer Isaac (Gen 22: cp v 9 there with Psa 118:27), and which was probably also the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite on mount Moriah (2Sa 24:18-25). The wicked Ahaz, infected with a zest for the worship of foreign gods, removed the altar of burnt-offering from its prominent place atop this foundation stone, and “hid” it away in a corner of the Temple enclosure (2Ki 16:14). Yet whilst the true altar might be set aside, there was no way to shift the massive outcropping of rock on which it had stood (it is still there today, in the center of the Dome of the Rock). Thus, in Ahaz’s day it remained — quite literally — a “stone of stumbling” (Isa 8:14,15) for priests walking across the temple court, and a “rock of offence” in a spiritual sense.

It was only when Hezekiah came into full control of the kingdom that he could remedy this sacrilege, and restore the Temple worship to its rightful setting. And so the “stone” rejected by the new “builders” of Judah became, once again, a precious stone and a sure foundation for the true worship of the Lord (Isa 28:16).

It is easy, then, to see how this foundation stone symbolized Hezekiah himself (and his faith in the Lord), upon which all true worship in Judah depended. While sick unto death, he had been “set aside” by other would-be “builders” and rulers, but when miraculously healed he would stand forth again as the chief prince of his people.

And all this incident, and its typical teaching — even in Isaiah’s day — may be seen, just as clearly, to point forward to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to find its ultimate fulfillment in him.

Reading 2 – Eze 6:3-5

“The evils foretold in previous chapters have been attributed to the general iniquities of the people, not to any specific breaches of particular commandments. Israel had changed God’s judgments and defiled His sanctuary. The charges have been more or less general. Now charges of a specific character are to be brought forward, and one particular charge is in this section…

“O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols. I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars” (Eze 6:3-5).

“That is the basis of the judgments to be denounced against the people in this section — high places, altars, incense altars, and idols. All these were associated with the religious customs of the people…” (WH Boulton, “Ezekiel” 44,45).

Reading 3 – Luk 2:6,7

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luk 2:6,7).

The baby in the manger uttered his first cry, and thereby his Father staked a claim upon our lives. Thereby the Mighty God of all creation became also “Abba” — the tender Father of a little child; and OUR Father as well!

The God whose son was born in that stable, amidst the simple farm animals, ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories.

He is now, for us, a God who loves PEOPLE, a Father who is not willing that any should perish, who holds back no blessing from His “children”, who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God’s own son!

But isn’t every birth a “miracle”, and a mystery? Isn’t every child a “holy” child, because he or she receives life from the God who is holy? Isn’t every child a “gift” from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not “given up” on us?

And shouldn’t every child be a special child — like Samuel or John or even Jesus — who should be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God?

Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens — who will one day, by God’s grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents’ homes.

And, in fact, aren’t we ALL — from youngest to oldest — children of God, begotten by His love… children who manifest our “sonship” by our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the Christmas story, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love him, because He first loved us. For, after all, “sonship” is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift. Thanks be to the Father in heaven, that through His special Son we have received the gift of knowing what it means to be His children.

Reading 1 – 2Ki 20

” ‘Thou shalt die, and not live!’ This solemn, terrifying message must have been received by King Hezekiah with fear. It was not merely the end of life, but the fact that he had not provided a seed for the throne of David, as was the responsibility of the monarch. The line of David was threatened by the neglect of Hezekiah. He was ‘sick unto death,’ a physical malady that was in a very virulent and incurable form, implying the living death of leprosy (v 7). It typified the cause of mortality in mankind: the ‘law of sin and death’ which afflicts all mankind, and from which there is no cure apart from the divine redemption. It was clearly ‘a sign’ (2Ch 32:34), foreshadowing the death and resurrection of the Lord.

“It was this condition that drove the king to prayer (v 3). He was without a successor, and his death would weaken the attitude of the people in resistance of the Sin-power Sennacherib. It would mean the end of all hopes to establish the fulness of the divine worship (cp Isa 38:9-20). But a wondrous answer was received: vv 4-6; it answered the five-fold blessing of grace. Within three days he would be restored, as Christ came from the darkness of the earth in three days. Hezekiah’s miraculous restoration was hailed by the nations round about. Congratulations were received from Merodach-Baladan, but Hezekiah’s folly in sharing such things with Babylon was condemned by Isaiah: vv 14,15. The king was shown the folly of putting confidence in the flesh, and thereby strengthened the instrument of divine punishment against his people. Thus, though typical of the Lord Jesus, he did not manifest the purity and righteousness of Yahshua, in whose great strength we trust” (GEM).

Reading 2 – Eze 10

“Divine glory cannot bear the presence of sin (Hab 1:13). Therefore coals of fire are scattered over the guilty city, and the Glory makes ready to depart therefrom. It is a sad moment for Ezekiel, for, like his faithful companions, he sought for the peace of Jerusalem. Instead he saw only the spirit of compromise and deviant teachings among its people that augurs its destruction. Thus the vision reveals: [1] Coals of fire ready to consume: vv 1-7. [2] The re-appearance of the cherubim: vv 8-22.

“The coals glowed and ran up and down between the living creatures. They were but one; thus individually they were the Cherub, whilst collectively they were the Cherubim. In scattering the coals over the city, the man in linen had completed his work of sealing (Eze 9:11), and now passes over to judgment. Then the vision concentrates again on the cherubim, now revealing a man’s hand under the wings (vv 8,14,21). Thus it is identified with the Adamic race, for the cherubim of glory was developed from the work of Christ, a man of like nature as his people, taken from among mankind, and constituted the Lord of glory by the resurrection from the dead. Christ as the Ark, is seen in the singular cherub; the multitudinous Christ is seen in the cherubim who convey the glory away from the presence of sin (cp Acts 1:9). The glory awaits the new Age when the cherubim will again be seen shining from the Ark” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – Luk 6:42

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Luk 6:42).

“Those things that one cannot improve in himself or in others, he ought to endure patiently, until God arranges things otherwise. Nevertheless when you have such impediments, you ought to pray that God would help you, and that you may bear them kindly.

“Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the defects of others, whatever they are; for you also have many failings which must be borne by others. If you cannot make yourself be as you would like to be, how can you expect to have another person be to your liking in every way? We desire to have others perfect, and yet we do not correct our own faults. We would allow others to be severely corrected, and will not be corrected ourselves. We will have others kept under by strict laws, but in no case do we want to be restrained. And so it appears that we seldom weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves” (Thomas a’ Kempis).

Reading 1 – 1Ch 5:22

“And many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s” (1Ch 5:22).

“Warrior, fighting under the banner of the Lord Jesus, observe this verse with holy joy, for as it was in the days of old so is it now, if the war be of God the victory is sure. The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh could barely muster five and forty thousand fighting men, and yet in their war with the Hagarites, they slew ‘men, an hundred thousand’, ‘for they cried to God in the battle, and He was entreated of them, because they put their trust in Him.’

“The Lord saveth not by many nor by few; it is ours to go forth in Jehovah’s name if we be but a handful of men, for the Lord of Hosts is with us for our Captain. They did not neglect buckler, and sword, and bow, neither did they place their trust in these weapons; we must use all fitting means, but our confidence must rest in the Lord alone, for He is the sword and the shield of His people. The great reason of their extraordinary success lay in the fact that ‘the war was of God’.

“Beloved, in fighting with sin without and within, with error doctrinal or practical, with spiritual wickedness in high places or low places… you are waging Jehovah’s war, and unless He himself can be worsted, you need not fear defeat. Quail not before superior numbers, shrink not from difficulties or impossibilities, flinch not at wounds or death, smite with the two-edged sword of the Spirit, and the slain shall lie in heaps. The battle is the Lord’s and He will deliver His enemies into our hands. With steadfast foot, strong hand, dauntless heart, and flaming zeal, rush to the conflict, and the hosts of evil shall fly like chaff before the gale” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 2 – Eze 18:32

“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Eze 18:32).

“This verse is frequently used to support the view that God wants to save all men and it is only their refusal to turn to Him which prevents this, for does not Peter say, ‘The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (2Pe 3:9)?

“A moment’s reflection is enough to cast doubts on this conclusion. That God is merciful, gracious and a God of love, goes without saying; but to argue that He is so to all men, meaning every individual, contradicts the fundamental teaching of Scripture that God’s purpose is being worked out ‘according to ELECTION’ (Rom 9:11).

“The words of Jesus indicate a selection process: ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me DRAW him’ (John 6:44). It is because of this that Paul writes to the Thessalonians: ‘We give thanks to God… knowing, brethren beloved, your ELECTION of God’ (1Th 1:2,4)….

“God is all-powerful and able to do as He wills in His universe. If He will indeed have all mankind to be saved, why is it that so many never get to hear the gospel message? The words of the apostle in 1Ti 2:4 — in which he says that ‘[God] will have all men to be saved’ — cannot mean that it is His desire to save every member of the human race. To interpret it thus would contradict the fundamental principle that God’s purpose is being worked out on the basis of election. In these words the apostle, who had been divinely appointed as a preacher to the Gentiles, is simply saying that it was no longer the case that ‘salvation is of the Jews’. God is now working with the Gentiles (all mankind) and it was His will that salvation be offered to ‘all men’ (ie, all nationalities) and not just to Jews.

“In 2Pe the apostle is writing to the brethren in the Ecclesias of Asia Minor. It is to these, troubled by the Judaizers and in danger of grave apostasy from the Truth, that he writes: ‘The Lord… is longsuffering to us-ward (RV, youward), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (2Pe 3:9). These to whom Peter writes had been called by the Father but were in danger of failing to ‘make [their] calling and election sure’ (2Pe 1:10). The same applies to these verses from Ezekiel. They are not addressed to the individuals of the pagan world but to the Covenant People.

“The vast majority of the Gentile world, then and now, comprise that great crowd of mankind that ‘is in honour, and understandeth not’ and who are, by God’s appointment, ‘like the beasts that perish’ (Psa 49:20). Being left by God to wander ‘out of the way of understanding’, they will by His divine decree ‘remain in the congregation of the dead’ (Pro 21:16). That this sad fact does not give God pleasure, we would agree. Let us not, however, go to the extreme of emphasizing this to the point where we deny that God’s purpose is ‘according to election’ ” (John Allfree, “Ezekiel 1-39” 186,187).

Reading 3 – Luk 15

A young man and an older man walk along together, talking about various matters. The young man says to the old man: “Tell me — I’ve studied the Bible, as you know — but I’d like YOU to tell me… what’s the gospel all about? Give me the key. Tell me what it all means.”

What did he expect to hear from the old man? What he did NOT hear was a list of 25 or 30 doctrines that had to be believed, with a corresponding number of other doctrines that had to be rejected (‘I tell you, son, believe all these things in the left column, and be sure you don’t believe any of these things in the right column, and get yourself baptized, and I can guarantee you’ll be saved.’)

And that is not meant to disparage doctrine at all, nor any statement of faith. But a statement of faith, or a list of principles with which one agrees intellectually, is NOT the final object of faith; it is NOT the reality. After the fundamental ideas have been mastered (and — make no mistake –they must be mastered!), we come face to face with the fact that there is still… something beyond!

The old man stares off into the distance; his eyes are a bit dim now, but he seems to see something the younger man can’t quite make out. “Son,” he says, his voice trembling just a bit, “let me tell you a story.”

*****

The preeminent “picture of redemption” is a simple story:

“There was a man who had two sons” (Luke 15:11)… And the father — it goes without saying — loved them both, very much.

“The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate’ ” (v 12). The first request we hear from the younger son is “GIVE ME!” — as though it had suddenly dawned on this young man that the father had wealth, and that it “rightfully” should be his!

“So [the father] divided his property between [the two sons]”: The young man was “grown up” now, and ready (so he thought!) to take what was his and enjoy it. And the father does not say, “No!” Instead, he gives his son what he asks.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (v 13). “Got together” is a technical expression in the Greek, meaning literally “to convert to ready cash”; the young man “cashed in” his property; he got his hands on what he could carry away, and carry it away he did! He was not content to stay at home; the world was an inviting place. “I’m outta here! Look out, world, here I come!” He traveled far away, and carelessly wasted all his father’s blessings and gifts.

“After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs” (vv 14,15). Pigs! The dirtiest, most despised of animals to a devout Jew! In desperate circumstances, in a pagan place, he makes an effort to save himself, by joining with unclean people, and living by unclean practices, and in unclean ways.

“He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything” (v 16). It’s a fact of life: the “world” gives nothing away! Nothing, that is, except poverty, and illness, and regret. Sadly, he came to realize that it was all “vanity and vexation of spirit”. Whatever he begged, or grabbed, or stole from the “world” was never going to be enough to fill the aching void within himself.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’ ” (v 17). The memory of his father’s love, and a safe home, touched him even in the distant land. “He came to his senses.” Here is the place where the angels begin to tune up their harps, and warm up their voices, for there is about to be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents!

“I will set out and go back to my father…” (v 18). How he had suffered, in strange lands, and with strange people. But he had learned a valuable lesson: Suffering is not punishment if it brings us back home!

“…and [I will] say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men’ ” (vv 18,19): Notice what is here, and why this story is so powerful:

First, he is convicted of his sin! Then, he confesses: “I have sinned”. No whitewash, no explaining away, no excuses, just… “I have sinned.” He has the profound feeling of not being good enough: “I am no longer worthy” (news flash: he NEVER was! Nor are WE!) And finally, there is the second request by the young man to his father. It is no longer “Give me!” That was the first request, the prayer of youth and greed. Now, instead, there is the prayer of an older and wiser son: “Father, make me…” “Father, I don’t care about what I can HAVE; I care about what I can BE! Don’t GIVE me anything; just MAKE me one of your servants! MAKE me into something worth keeping around!”

“So he got up and went to his father” (v 20): What he needed was a new beginning, and he could only find that new beginning by going back to where he had come from, by finding his “roots”, by going… HOME!

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him”: Even before he got back, his Father was watching, looking down the road. The Father’s hand was stretched out still, and when he saw him in the distance — the sad, ragged figure of his once proud young son — struggling back up the road to the old homestead, the Father could scarcely contain himself. He was “filled with compassion.” He RAN to his son, with the urgency of parental love. And he embraced him, and drew him into his bosom. There was no bitterness, no reservation, no standing upon dignity or formality. The one whom he had held in his heart, all that long time of wandering, had come home! And now he held him in his arms.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired men’ ” (v 21): Notice that it was not enough merely to think the words to himself, as the young man had done before beginning his journey home (vv 18,19). He had to say them; he had to make a public confession of sin and unworthiness, in front of witnesses. There had to be no doubt as to his intentions, in the minds of others or in his own mind.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet’ ” (v 22). But just as quickly as the confession came, it was over. The evidence of his past sins was not to be held over his head to shame him, or to keep him in an inferior position! He had asked only to be one of his father’s servants; but his father now elevates him to the rank of a favored son. His nakedness is clothed with a garment provided by the father — and it is the BEST garment: nothing “second-class” here! And he is given the “ring” of authority as well — the sign of a son and an heir. He may have squandered his earlier inheritance, but now he receives another!

“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate” (v 23). The welcome is followed by a special meal of fellowship and rejoicing.

” ‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (v 24). What power — and what joy — there is in those two little words: “OF MINE”! Now he belongs to the father again! His sins and all his past set aside, he is now something worth keeping! He belongs to the Father! “He will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my jewels, my treasured possession. I will spare him, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him” (Mal 3:16).

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound’ ” (vv 25-27). We need to see clearly here: the older son is to be commended. He had always been working — he was not a BAD son! While the younger son had gone off to live a life of sin and selfishness, the older son had been doing his duty. And now it looked as though his younger brother had had all his fun, and was ALSO going to be the father’s favorite! It was just not fair!

“[So] the older brother became angry and refused to go in” (v 28). But by keeping himself away from the feast of rejoicing with his younger brother, he was also keeping himself OUTSIDE his father’s “house”!

“So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ” (vv 28-30). Sure, there is resentment here; and we can understand, can’t we? ‘But, Dad, I have been a better son than he ever was!’ And he HAD! But somewhere in the back of this exchange there is the echo of a prayer uttered in the temple itself: “I thank you, Lord, that I am not as other men!” And in that echo there is a grave danger. “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2Co 10:12).

Besides, how can he now claim perfect obedience when at this very moment he is going against his father’s wishes? One son may have been “lost” in a far-away land, but this son is showing by his present attitude that he is “lost” even though he never left home!

” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’ ” (vv 31,32). Notice how the older son had called the prodigal “this son OF YOURS” (v 30), as though to disclaim all kinship. But the father, gently and patiently, reinforces that he is “this brother OF YOURS”! Like the sheep that wandered away from the shepherd and the flock, he was lost and now is found!

The power, and the beauty, of Jesus’ story lies also in this: it is an unfinished story. There is at the end a final, unanswered question: Did the older brother go into the house again? Or did he remain outside?

The question is left unanswered in the story because we are expected to answer it, every day, in our own lives.

*****

Some final thoughts:

* We can, all of us, be like the older son. Forgiving our brother is not an optional matter. It is “heart and soul” of the gospel. It is the only basis by which we may expect that the Father will forgive us: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Mat 6:14,15).

* We can, all of us, be like the younger son too. We may not travel to a distant land, to enjoy ourselves in riotous and decadent living. But we may take little “day trips”, short “vacations” and “holidays” from our duty as children of God. Our lives may consist of many such little trips away from the Father, and then each time we hurry back, and hope that no one noticed we were gone. To us too, as well as the really “serious” sinner, the words of the old hymn apply:

“Oh, Thou who knowest the path we take,

Who seest how OFT we roam,

Reveal Thyself, the living way,

And guide ALL travellers home.”

There is nowhere that we can travel, not the “farthest country”, from which we cannot return to the Father’s love. There is no “pit” so deep — nor so degraded — from which we cannot be drawn out by the “cords of love”. The Father is always waiting. When men and women knows they are “starving to death” — like the prodigal son (v 17) — then, and only then, are they ready to come home! The Father “runs” to the son, to forgive him and welcome him home. The Father “rises early and sends the prophets” (2Ch 36:15; Jer 25:3), beseeching His people to come back to Him. And when we do, then He “runs” to meet us! Like Abraham with his beloved son Isaac, the Father in heaven “rose early in the morning” and hastened, with His Son, to the place of sacrifice (Gen 22:3,6,8). “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:31,32). We should think of Jesus on the cross as the outstretched “arms” of God; just as the Son’s arms were stretched out and nailed to the cruel cross, so the Father’s arms are stretched out, beckoning us sinners to come home to Him. “God was reconciling the world to himself IN CHRIST, not counting men’s sins against them” (2Co 5:19). The Father has made every effort, and provided every opportunity, by which we might be drawn to Him and saved. Truly, “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over”, has been poured into our laps (Luke 6:37,38). “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good PLEASURE to GIVE you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

*****

If there is any single “picture of redemption” — above all others — in which the gospel, and all of man’s hope, and the love of God which passes understanding, is isolated, and compressed, and comprehended, then it must be this one. Everything else that we might learn from the pages of Scripture, everything else that we might glean from a lifetime’s experience in living the Truth in a hard and often cruel world, everything else we might know of the human condition, and of human need, ought to be set alongside, and interpreted in the light cast from this simple picture:

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

May it be so for each one of us.