Reading 1 – Jdg 7:15-24

“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’ Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. ‘Watch me,’ he told them. ‘Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, “For the LORD and for Gideon.” ‘

“Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, ‘A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!’ “

“While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, ‘Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.’ So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah” (Jdg 7:15-24).

*****

“From now on everything Gideon did was marked by the most complete confidence in God. So he well deserves to be included in Heb 11 with those who wrought ‘by faith’. But — it should be especially noted — this was a faith maturing from personal experience of the ways of God.

“He now pushed forward preparations for the most unorthodox military operation in history. The three hundred elect were equipped with weapons of a unique kind. Trumpets were gathered from among the host, so that each of the three hundred might have one. Torches were fashioned and kindled, and carried in earthenware jars. Weapons they may have had, but not for use in the wild melee that was to ensue in this grotesque operation. Divided into three groups, these men of faith went forth into the night to take up assigned positions on the perimeter of the Midianite camp.

“His last instructions rang in their ears: ‘Look on me, and do likewise — as I do, so shall ye do.’ Was the faith of these three hundred any less than that of Gideon himself? They were prepared to give implicit obedience in carrying through the most quixotic scheme ever detailed to a band of soldiers.

“Time passed slowly as they crept stealthily to their appointed stations. There they waited, tense and motionless. Then, suddenly the air was filled with a hideous crashing sound, the smashing of three hundred pitchers. Midianites, Amalekites, Arabians rushed forth in bewilderment and alarm from their tents to see all round the camp hundreds of torches describing vivid circles of fire like so many outsize Catherine wheels; and at that moment their ears were assailed by a deep-throated thunderous shout: ‘The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’

“Immediately all was panic and chaos indescribable. Camels, plunging violently, broke their tethers and ran amok in the darkness and confusion. The startled Bedouin, already expecting the worst, were convinced that their enemies were in the midst of the camp in large numbers. Thus they fell to fighting furiously among themselves, an error made all the more easy since they were a mixture of at least three different tribes. And all the time there was this startling appearance of fire on the edge of the camp, as though supernatural powers were taking a hand in the bedlam of noise and carnage now rapidly intensifying. Many a son of Ishmael fell in violent bloody struggle that night as ‘the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host.’ At last, crazed with fear by unaccustomed sights and sounds and baffled by the mysterious destruction in their midst, the remnant broke and fled eastward through the night.

“As that night of horror passed, and morning broke over the shattered, mangled remnants of the camp, Gideon rapidly organized for instant pursuit and destruction of the enemy, the rest of his forces — those out of the thirty-two thousand who had not yet gone back to their homes. Cross-country runners went out to the Ephraimite villages away to the southeast to warn fellow-Israelites there to hold the fords of Jordan. And the drama moved to the last act in the utter destruction of the hated Bedouin oppression” (Harry Whittaker, “Judges and Ruth”).

Reading 2 – Isa 34:11-15

“The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation. Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also repose and find for themselves places of rest.

The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate” (Isa 34:11-15).

“Edom [will be] a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood” (Joel 3:19).

As for the Last Days: “The most obvious outcome of this remarkable divine intervention will be the utter devastation of Esau’s land for all time. The language of its wasteness is remarkably like that of Sodom and Gomorrah. How will this come about? It is tempting to assume that Israeli nuclear bombs will be used against an Arab oilfield so as to set going the mightiest conflagration the world has ever know. Sodom and Gomorrah over again, only worse. But how is one to reconcile this with the hint of cherubim of glory and divine action? There is a remarkable catena of prophecies which foretell that God will impose His final judgment on the nations by the simple device of allowing full rein to human devilry: Eze 38:21; Isa 24:19; 9:14 (= Jdg 7:22); Hag 2:22; Zec 14:13; Joel 3:11,12” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 338).

Reading 3 – James 5:7

“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains” (James 5:7).

If I can be sure, when the time finally comes for the Great High Priest to return from the Most Holy Place bringing the final blessing…. that I’ll still be here, waiting at my post, rejoicing in the tribulations which I endure, and having learned patience…. real PATIENCE…… enough for a lifetime, of broken hearts and broken dreams [sounds like a country western song, doesn’t it?], of hurt feelings, of resentments, of disappointments, of bitterness, of ailments and illnesses, of the gradual and insidious decline of all my human powers, and the frustrations of coming short time and again of what I would like to be, but can’t quite be, of asking forgiveness for the 490th time for the same sins, of forgiving others for the same number of times…. without throwing up my hands and walking away from the door of the temple. Out into the howling waste of a wilderness of snakes and scorpions — where there is no hope and no life and no love… the wilderness where Judas went, and Cain, and Saul, and a million others — who could not truly believe that the High Priest was coming to bring them the last great blessing. Yes, if I can only wait… long enough… then “I WILL BE saved” will turn into “I AM saved”! God give me strength enough to wait… that long. And I won’t even care whether that strength should be called the Holy Spirit or something else…

Reading 1 – Jdg 9:7-21

“Jotham’s parable of the trees of the forest, quite without parallel in Scripture, is full of interest (Jdg 9:7-21).

“When the trees decided that they must choose themselves a king, first the olive and then the fig-tree and then the vine declined the honour emphatically on the grounds that they had more profitable work to do than merely spend time lording it over their fellows, which egotistic activity was — so they all implied — a particularly futile way of life; they had much more important things to do, fulfilling their responsibilities both to God (in His sacrifices and drink-offerings), and also to man.

“So in desperation the rulership was offered to the bramble, a trailing spiny plant of the wall of thicket, having neither fruit nor shade nor timber; it could only be a nuisance to its fellows and to men. The bramble, aspiring after the honour and wishing to make its position secure against those who doubted its qualifications, reinforced its persuasions by threat and bombast. By all means ‘Put your trust in my shadow (the shadow of the bramble, forsooth!); and if not let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

“Jotham then proceeded to expound at least in part his own parable. The olive, fig and vine represented Gideon and his sons who had served the community faithfully and despised the transient rewards of royal status at the expense of the rest. Whereupon these men of Shechem had chosen one who could be likened only to a bramble, destitute of fruit, shade, and timber, and having only nuisance value, especially in starting a forest fire. Jotham went on: ‘Did you men of Shechem show good faith with Gideon? Then what prospect is there of realisation of Abimelech’s hopes that you will be true to him? Let me wish you joy of your new monarch!’

“With that, he uttered his solemn curse on them all: ‘Let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech’ ” (Harry Whittaker, “Judges and Ruth”).

Reading 2 – Isa 35:6

“Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isa 35:6).

“The picture of God-given blessing in the Land (v 1) is now continued. Waters, streams, pools, springs are everywhere in abundance (Isa 43:19,20; 48:21; 49:10). It must have been a remarkable year of frequent and copious rainfall, so that with little effort on men’s part there was abundant fruitfulness (Lev 25:11). For the freed captives (Lev 25:10), streaming back from Babylon [having been released by Sennacherib after his terrible defeat: GB], the hardships of the way were made easy by the ready availability of food and water. As Israel in the wilderness had the smitten rock to save them from the horrors of thirst, so now this later generation saw ‘waters break out… in the desert’ — the verb means ‘cleave [the rock or the ground]’ ” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 342).

Reading 3 – 1Pe 1:13-16

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1Pe 1:13-16).

Peter is quoting a series of passages, from Leviticus (Lev 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7,26; 21:8). After the verses cited above Peter reminds the believers that they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ out of their former “useless way of life” (1Pe 1:18,19), so as to be a holy nation, a purchased people, kings and priests who have been delivered out of darkness into light (1Pe 2:9,10).

The basic ideas of both the Old and New Testament words for “holy” (Heb “kadesh” and Gr “hagios”) are quite similar: they signify “set apart, pure, sanctified”. This process of being called out to form a distinct community or congregation is the means by which the ecclesia is formed.

Under Christ’s law, the ecclesia is to be a congregation of “called out” and “set-apart” ones. They are to be a “city set on a hill”, an “island” of light in a sea of darkness (Mat 5:14-16), harmless and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse people (Phi 2:14,15). Their “holiness” is to be not merely one established by physical barriers between themselves and that which is unholy (such as was the essence of the Law of Moses), but it is to be a spiritual separation and preparation of mind, attitude and conduct.

1Pe 1:16 is an echo of Mat 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

The word “perfect” (again, both in Hebrew and Greek) means “to be complete or finished”, as a “perfect heart” — one that is whole and undivided in its loyalties, and complete in its integrity. A consideration of holiness, therefore, leads us naturally to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount: the living heart of the Truth. “If ye love me,” said the Master, “keep my commandments.” And here they are: prayer, self-denial, loving one’s enemies, giving, preaching.

“Be ye therefore perfect.” Does Christ really expect us to be “perfect”? What he does require is that we exert every effort in that direction. He requires no more than the very best we can do, but he expects no less. His words leave us absolutely no excuse for relaxing our efforts at any point short of perfection, or complete holiness. The great example is God Himself, awesome as that example may be:

“Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

“Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Holiness is both a state of mind and a series of acts. It cannot be one without the other. Growing complacent in our reliance on the mercy of God, we may come to accept “holiness” as nothing but a state of mind — a vague “feeling” of “righteousness” — without being over-concerned with “deeds”, because after all Christ can forgive and has forgiven us!

It is true that Christ can and will forgive, and that salvation is by grace. But our works — our acts of “holiness” — are the only means of putting ourselves in the position — and keeping ourselves in the position — where we may hope for forgiveness when we fail. The crucial truth is that God will not forgive our shortcomings unless we are seriously committed to Him and to holding firm to the hope He has given us — and this requires effort on our part. Only then are we sure of being in the “place” where, by grace, our sins may be forgiven.

Reading 1 – Jdg 11:30-40

“As [Jephthah’ approached his home [following his great victory] the maidens of the town came forth, according to the custom of the time, to greet the mighty man of valour with songs and dances. In this way, Miriam and the women of Israel had celebrated the destruction of Pharaoh’s host in the Red Sea (Exo 15:20); and later, David’s victories over the Philistines were acclaimed in the same fashion (1Sa 18:6).

“But now, to his consternation and grief, Jephthah beheld amongst them his own daughter, and he who should have been enjoying the victor’s triumph rent his clothes: ‘Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.’

“However Jephthah’s vow be understood, that last phrase shows what a sterling character he was. ‘I cannot go back!’ Come what may, his vow to God must be performed. Jephthah swore to his own hurt, and changed not. ‘He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ For this Jephthah’s name is inscribed in the Lord’s ‘roll of honour’ in Hebrews 11 amongst those who glorified God by their faith.

“The question of the fate of Jephthah’s daughter as a result of the vow he made unto the Lord is probably the most discussed problem in the Book of Judges. Traditionally the vow of Jephthah has been taken as meaning exactly what it says. Nevertheless there are those who believe that Jephthah’s daughter was not slain and burnt on an altar, but that she was dedicated to life-long service of God in connection with the tabernacle. This latter conclusion has the weight of evidence behind it. It is those who believe that the maiden became a burnt offering who are faced with difficulties.

“First, it is tolerably clear that Jephthah was expecting to have to give to God, in fulfilment of his vow, a PERSON and not an animal; or to be more precise, BOTH a person AND a burnt offering. His words were: ‘Whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me… shall surely be the Lord’s’…

“But what animal might come to meet Jephthah? The only animals that might be offered as a burnt offering were sheep, goats, bullocks, and (for the very poorest of the people) pigeons. Would Jephthah be expecting to be met by any of these? The only animal that might conceivably go out to meet him would be a favourite hound, and that would certainly not make an acceptable offering to the Lord.

“In any case, Jephthah’s vow manifestly signified something of considerable value in his eyes — a real sacrifice, in the modern sense of the world.

“Since, from the very nature of the vow, it must refer to someone over whom Jephthah had full control, the possibilities are limited to two: a favourite slave, or servant, or his only daughter.

“Consequently, the conclusion becomes inevitable that Jephthah was vowing unto God someone for whom he would have real affection, someone whose loss he would mourn bitterly. His vow was a vow worth making. It honoured God by an offering that was by no means inconsiderable.

“Once this vow is thus seen in its true perspective, all other details begin to fall into place.

“It has already been seen [from his astute handling of Scripture earlier in Jdg 11] that Jephthah was no uncouth desperado, but — like the outlaw David — a devout man well-schooled in the Scriptures. He would therefore be no stranger to such passages as the following: ‘Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord’ (Lev 18:21).

” ‘Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters have they burnt in the fire to their gods’ (Deu 12:30,31).

” ‘There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch’ (Deu 18:10).

“Then is it possible that such a man as Jephthah would even consider making a human sacrifice? Is it likely that having just returned from the slaughter of the Ammonites (whose god had been unable to deliver or prosper them), he would then proceed to imitate the rites of Molech, the god of Ammon, which were utterly forbidden to Israel?

“Again, let it be supposed that Jephthah had sought to offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. This could be done only at the altar of the Lord, and through the ministration of a priest — and what priest would condone or assist such a flagrant breach of Levitical precept?

“And, if the maiden were to die as a sacrifice, would it not be an intensely unnatural thing for her to spend the last two months of her life away from her father who loved her so much?

“It needs to be recognized also that the vowing of persons to God was a perfectly normal matter in the life of Israel; the Law made provision for such acts of exceptional piety: ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation’ (Lev 27:2). A commutation price, differing for males and females and according to the age of the person vowed unto the Lord, might be paid. In the case of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty, this payment was fifty shekels (for a working man, more than a year’s wages?).

“Evidently then, the vow took the form of consecrating, in effect, the labour value of the person vowed. The practical result, in most instances, would be for the commutation price to be paid and the life of the individual concerned would proceed normally.

“But, it has been claimed, the same scripture REQUIRES the actual sacrifice of such as Jephthah’s daughter: ‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold, or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; abut all shall surely be put to death’ (Lev 27:18,19).

“To apply these words to the question under discussion is to confuse two very different things, namely (1) that which is vowed; and (2) the devoted thing (Hebrew ‘cherem’; eg, Josh 6:17,18 same word).

“Whereas there was always optional redemption of a vow by means of a money payment, the ‘cherem’ — nearly always associated with what was taken in war — normally meant utter destruction (something akin to whole burnt offering). Jephthah’s vow was the former of these. Lev 27:18,19 describes the latter.

“There were instances, like Hannah’s vowing of her son unto the Lord ‘all the days of his life’, when advantage of the commutation arrangement was not taken. This is what Jephthah meant when he said: ‘I cannot go back.’ His daughter was to be given to the Lord all the days of her life. So completely did Jephthah feel his indebtedness to the Lord that there was to be no suggestion of taking an easy way out. He would pay his vow in the fullest sense, by giving his daughter from that time forward for permanent service in the precincts of the tabernacle” (Harry Whittaker, “Judges and Ruth”).

Reading 2 – Isa 36:16,17

“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own — a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards” (Isa 36:16,17).

‘Be my servants!’ Rabshakeh the Assyrian cried out to the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem: ‘Make an agreement… seek my favor with presents, come out to me… and then you will really live! You will eat of the vine and the fig tree, and you will drink waters of your own cistern. And some day I’ll take you away to a land of grain fields gently rustling in the cool breezes! Do you honestly want to starve and die on these bare Judean hills?’

In like manner the siren-song of a materialistic world calls us down from the walls of faith, freely to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Pleasurable it may be, but only for a time. Freedom it will never be; man was not created to be free, but only to choose which of two masters he will serve. He who commits sin is the servant of sin (Joh 8:34), and whatever fleeting enjoyment he experiences will be with the fear of a deserter and the greed of a slave. The “Rabshakeh” still cries out, “Serve me!” and the faithful still respond, with faithful Hezekiah, “Our eyes wait upon the Lord!” (Psa 123:2).

Reading 3 – 1Pe 2:2

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1Pe 2:2).

“The time is short. The scene will suddenly be changed in a short time; and all these matters will appear in their true light to everyone. Many will discover that they have been wasting their time and hurting their brethren by bootless and embittering controversy, instead of redeeming the evil days by the consolations of the truth. They will see too late that instead of imbibing the sincere milk of the word, they have been feeding on ashes; that instead of dispensing a portion of meat to the household in due season, they have been giving them gall and vinegar; that instead of strengthening the hands of fellow-labourers, they have been casting stumbling blocks in the paths of the weak, and discouraging the hearts of the strong; that instead of rejoicing in the Lord, they have been fretting their souls with barren contentions; that instead of filling up a good account with works of humility and mercy and faith, they have been sowing a harvest of envy and strife and every evil fruit; that instead of helping to purify a peculiar people, zealous of good works, their influence has been only mischievous, and that continually — obstructing the work of the Lord, pulling down the work already done, and throwing clouds and darkness over the beacon intended to guide the feet of the stranger to life eternal. Let us aim to be out of the ranks of this number, that the Lord at His coming, may approve our faithfulness in small things and give us work to do” (Robert Roberts, “Seasons of Comfort” 215).

Reading 1 – Jdg 13:24,25

“The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol” (Jdg 13:24,25).

“Over the low hills beyond [Zorah and Eshtaol] is Timnah where he [Samson] found his first love and killed the young lion. Beyond is the Philistine plain… the Philistine cities are but a day’s march away, by easy roads. And so from these country ways to yonder plains and the highways of the great world — from the pure home and the mother who talked with angels, to the heathen cities, their harlots and their prisons — we see at one sweep of the eye the course in which this uncurbed strength, at first tumbling, and sporting with laughter like one of its native brooks, like them also ran to the flats and the mud, and, being darkened and befouled, was used by men to turn their mills” (GA Smith, “Historical Geography of the Holy Land”).

Reading 2 – Isa 37:36

“Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning — there were all the dead bodies!” (Isa 37:36)

The Destruction of Sennacherib’s Host

Lord Byron, 1788-1824

The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold,

And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;

And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,

When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,

That host with their banners at sunset were seen.

Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown,

That host on the morrow lay wither’d and strown.

For the Angel of Death went forth on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass’d;

And the eyes of the sleepers wax’d deadly and chill,

And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,

But through it there roll’d not the breath of his pride;

And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,

And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,

With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail;

And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,

The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,

And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;

And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,

Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

Reading 3 – 1Pe 3:7

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1Pe 3:7).

“What man can read these words without cringing? Men ‘do the atonement’ by dwelling with their wives according to knowledge. Perhaps this could mean that all our Biblical ‘knowledge’ and understanding is of no value if it is not demonstrated where we dwell, in our homes, in every interaction we have with our wives. The atonement is acted out in married life. We dwell with them and give HONOUR to them. This word is used in 1Pe 2:17 in connection with a man’s responsibility to all men and to the king. It means ‘to value with the highest degree of respect, to value as precious, to revere and lift in one’s esteem’. This is how we must treat our wives; this is how we must treat the women around us and our sisters in the ecclesia. How strikingly out of step this principle is with the natural ways of flesh. A man cannot demand submission and honour his wife at the same time. He is not commanded to demand submission of her; this is her responsibility to look after. He is commanded to esteem her highly, to honour her as he would honour the king, all men, and Christ (‘unto you which believe he — Christ — is PRECIOUS (the same word translated ‘honour’): 1Pe 2:7). My wife is Christ to me. I do not always treat ‘Christ’ and honour him as I ought to. Do you, brother?” (Dev Ramcharan).

The woman is called the “weaker partner”; but this is not to be taken morally, spiritually, or intellectually. It simply means that the woman has less physical strength. The husband must recognize this difference and take it into account.

“Partner” is the Greek “skeuos” — which literally means “vessel”, or receptacle, that is, in this case, for holding the gospel message (2Co 4:6,7). The same word is also used metaphorically of believers in Rom 9:21-23; 1Th 4:4; 2Ti 2:20,21.

Peter exhorts men, or husbands, as he does, “so that nothing will hinder YOUR prayers”. In this case, “your” is plural — signifying the prayers of the husband and the wife both.

“She is the weaker vessel, implying that we are both vessels (containers for faith, Christlikeness, godliness, and the gospel). And she is not, as some foolish brothers maintain, weaker in spiritual things. Oftentimes, sisters can be far stronger in Spiritual things than the brethren around them. It can only mean that she is not as physically robust as the man, and that he must not overload and overtask her, a thing we are prone to do as Christadelphian men. Do you expect your wife to care for the children unassisted, keep an immaculately clean home, and to be calm and even-tempered at all times? If so, what’s wrong with you, brother? And lest you, in your arrogant stupidity, should ever imagine that Peter was hinting that she is less than you, he hammers the point home to the contrary by reminding you that we are ‘heirs together’, equals in our hope and in our value in God’s sight. She is not inferior to you. Never treat her as if she were otherwise. Never treat a sister as if she is a second-class citizen in the ecclesia. Never treat a woman anywhere as if she is a ‘thing’. The men of this world often view women as toys, pleasure playthings. We imagine ourselves better than those men, until we realize the degree to which chauvinism can indeed live on in our wicked, fleshly hearts. It can demonstrate itself in a callous disregard for the concerns or the suggestions sisters raise in our meetings, suggestions which are as valid and as useful as those offered by any brother. Sisters are our equals. Yes, we must guide and lead. We must teach in the mixed congregation. But we must honour them. They refrain from public teaching — not because they are unable to — but in obedience to Scripture. This differentiation in our roles will be removed in the kingdom entirely, will it not? This order of things is an interim arrangement, the acceptance of which honours God.

“But if we do not honour our wives (and our sisters), God will not listen to our prayers. We must be united with our wives in prayer. Many couples kneel together and pray at day’s end after talking together about things which should be raised to the Almighty. Then the husband offers the prayer, a prayer of concerns, praise and request from them both. This requires unity, and a putting away of pride. Disunity and pride render our prayers invalid. And the brother bears responsibility for this, it seems. A brother ‘does the atonement’ at home, where charity must begin. This continues in the workplace and in the ecclesia, so that we, men and women together can fulfill Peter’s guidance to ‘sanctify, in your hearts, Christ as Lord…’ (1Pe 3:15 RV)” (DR).

Reading 1 – Jdg 14:14

“[Samson] replied, ‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.’ For three days they could not give the answer” (Jdg 14:14).

Death and Sheol — the grave — this is the “strong lion” which “devours” all men. As with Samson’s riddle, so with the reality of Jesus’ death and burial: for three full days its meaning was not understood. But after those three days, with the resurrection of God’s Son, there came from the tomb “food” for all men, and the “sweetness” of a renewed life. “Out of weakness… made strong” (Heb 11:34) is one of the identification marks of the men and women of faith.

Compare also Jdg 16:30: Christ, being typical of Samson, destroyed more in his death than in his life — for he destroyed “him that had the power of death” (Heb 2:14), and thereby brought life out of death.

Reading 2 – Isa 38:12

“Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me” (Isa 38:12).

The proverbial symbol of a temporary, fleeting abode. Here is graphically portrayed the shadowy uncertainty of this life; we are but pitching our tents for a short span in the “valley of the shadow of death”. This body of death, the earthly “house” or “tabernacle” (2Co 5:1,4; 2Pe 1:13,14), is destined soon to vanish away. “The things which are seen are temporal.” We all know we must die; we know technically what death means. But do we really comprehend the irresistible pull of death, which waits for each of us, to draw us inexorably into the grasp of the grave? If we could only keep in mind the pitiful little we have in this life, and the exceedingly brief time we have to enjoy it, we would have no trouble trusting in our Heavenly Father alone and “redeeming the time.”

Reading 3 – 2Pe 1:5-7

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2Pe 1:5-7).

Add to your faith the virtue of Joseph; and to virtue the knowledge of Solomon; and to knowledge the temperance of Samuel; and to temperance the patience of Job; and to patience the godliness of Daniel; and to godliness the brotherly kindness of Jonathan, and to brotherly kindness the charity (‘agape’ = love) of John.

Reading 1 – Deu 31:19

“Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them” (Deu 31:19).

“It is interesting to see, as we read through the Bible, how many parts of scripture we instantly recognize as having learnt because we have heard them in song. It is not that we have purposely gone out to memorize parts of the word of God, yet because so much of it has been set to music, we remember what it says. It was for this reason, I believe, that Moses gave Israel this message in a song. God told him, ‘Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and make them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them’ (Deu 31:19). So Moses sung the song to all Israel. The music, the rhythm, the rhyme and the words all help us to remember it. And so this was a song that would have been remembered by the Israelites for a long time to come.

“This particular song was much more than just a nice piece of music. It warned Israel of the choice they would make about serving God in the future. So Moses said, ‘Take to heart all the words that I have solemnly declared to you today… they are not just idle words for you — they are your life.’

“The lesson is for us to do the same. Let’s get the word of God into our minds and hearts by music or whatever means we can. Let’s take its message to heart and live by what we have learned” (Robert Prins).

Reading 2 – Isa 3:16-24

“The LORD says, ‘The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles’ ” (Isa 3:16).

These words (vv 16-24) were spoken against the women of Israel, who made a vain and wanton display of the wealth (beauty, culture, fashion, display, ostentation) their husbands had wickedly acquired. (Luxury had greatly increased in the days of Uzziah: 2Ch 26:5,15.) Their dressiness was not necessarily wicked in itself, but it was wrong when unaccompanied by the inner adorning, of which the apostles wrote (1Ti 2:9; 1Pe 3:3).

“That superb Bible scholar William Kay catalogues seven separate items mentioned here as having direct connection with the garments of the High Priest, the best-dressed man in Israel. Now women of the temple, who originally had been glad to forego their personal vanities (Exo 38:8), sought to outdo in appearance the most exalted man in the nation. Accordingly, Isaiah applies to these ‘haughty’ (v 16) women the very word which he has already used three times about the ‘loftiness of man’ (Isa 2:11,15,17)” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 114).

For a time, these women in Israel continued on their way completely indifferent to the requirements of the law or the appeal of the prophets. They preferred to please themselves. They stood before their mirrors and admired the beauty that they saw reflected therein, but they did not see the hidden ugliness of the heart: the spirit of rebellion that made Yahweh sad and angry.

The day came, however, when they learned to regret the folly of their actions. It was the day of judgment, and they were held accountable for the manner in which they had defied the requirements of Yahweh, and had influenced others to do likewise.

Reading 3 – Col 1:10

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10).

A LIFE WORTHY OF THE LORD: “You have your limits. You have more mental capacity than some, and less than others. You have more physical capacity than some, and less than others. This is true of everyone except the single one at the top and at the bottom. Much can be done in both categories by exercise, but still there are limits — and all are different. It is not important. At his very best and highest, man is still nothing. At worst and lowest, he is still something. What counts eternally is how you use what you have been given, in mental, physical, and circumstantial opportunity. This is your personal stewardship, be it great or small. You will be judged upon it. God requires your most and best, within your limits. This is what love will be eager and anxious to give and still wish it could give more. Do you have this love and zeal for divine service that makes the difference between life and death? It comes with long study and meditation, and prayer. It’s not a secret or special gift that some just happen to have. It’s something all are commanded to develop, and freely shown how. It is spiritual-mindedness, which is life and peace; and there can be neither life nor peace without it. It is not a matter of sudden and shallow emotional excitement, like orthodox ‘conversion.’ It is a deep, steady, consistent learning and growing and transforming, and becoming closer and closer to the Divine Perfection” (GV Growcott).

BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK: “Don’t drift. Don’t play. Make all your time sensible and constructive and useful. Play is for children. It is essential for them. Your childhood is over. Grow up. There is plenty of exercise and enjoyment and relaxation in practical and effective work. Eschew the fleshly illusion that time must be wasted to be enjoyed. That’s stupid. We have no justification or excuse for wasting God’s valuable time in childplay — for ALL our time is His, for His purpose. We have solemnly agreed to this. So be honest. Live up to it. You know there is no satisfying peace or joy in slipping back into the vacuous and juvenile play of infancy. Grow up! Press on! Keep your eye on the glorious goal. You have a brief, once-only opportunity to secure eternity. Don’t bungle it. Disneyland is for immature and empty minds. It’s a dressed up skeleton: a grinning corpse. Look beyond the glitter and tinsel to the cold and dead bones beneath. It’s the whole mad world in microcosm: shun it as the plague” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Deu 32:11

God’s care for His people is beautifully expressed in His words to Israel: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how l carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exo 19:4).

Bible writers were much impressed with the swift, swooping flight of the eagle, the largest bird known in Israel. In modern times the eagle has been observed catching its young in flight, as mentioned in the Bible: “Like an eagle that stirs up Its nest and hovers over Its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on Its pinions” (Deu 32:11).

The young eaglet might be afraid to fly, but the parent forces it out of the nest. It may flutter and fall, unable yet to fly properly. Then the parent eagle can dive and spread its saving wings underneath the falling young one. This is the imagery of that famous line which promises God’s sustaining presence in time of trouble: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deu 33:27).

In the long history of God’s people, they have been sustained by the faith and confidence that God cares for them. This has been equally true with all the saints of the Old and New Testaments. God cares for all His creatures, but He is particularly concerned for those whom He has called and who have responded to be His people. This does not mean that they will be spared the hazards of life. It does mean that God’s people can endure and survive many perils because they know that the LORD cares for them, that they are borne on “eagles’ wings”, and that underneath are the “everlasting arms”.

Reading 2 – Isa 5:20

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa 5:20).

“Human judgment almost invariably makes the wrong choice, the wrong assessment, swinging to the wrong extreme, making the wrong decision… In every generation men dedicate themselves with avidity to the worship of Mammon, and call it their greatest good… Isaiah found himself in the midst of experienced influential men who through folly or wilfulness were turning God’s laws upside down. Woe unto them! When a man is self-afflicted with this kind of twisted outlook on life there is no hope for him… One of the greatest curses of modern time is this double-speak. It has poisoned every aspect of human relations. A mighty military machine is called Defense. An aggressive political campaign is called a Peace Movement. Wholesale criticism and disparagement of the Word of God is paraded under the respectable name of Scholarship, whilst those who try to be honest with Holy Scripture are reckoned stupid or in darkness. A pseudo-science of psychology is called into being to give a flamboyant sanction to self-indulgence and all kinds of immorality. Thus sin is blithely abolished” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 129).

Reading 3 – Col 2:2

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love” (Col 2:2).

“The article commonly talked about as ‘love’ is not the apostolic article. The popular article consists of an emasculated mind, and honeyed word uttered in a silly tone. The apostolic ‘knitting together in love’ is on the goodly foundation ‘of all riches of the full assurance of understanding.’ It is a love springing from identical convictions — a common love resulting from a common enlightenment; a mutual affection spontaneously generated by unity of knowledge and judgment, and this not in the scanty form of ‘opinion’ or the cold uncertainty of ‘views’, but in the richness of a positive and pronounced ‘assurance of understanding’; enthusiastic convictions if you will, without which there can be no true discipleship of Christ. This is a state of mind that stops not short at ‘good words and fair speeches’, but shows its faith by ‘works’, without which, a man, whatever his knowledge and understanding, or ability to speak with even higher than human tongues, is a ‘sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.’ There be many fig trees fair and promising to look upon, which, when the Master comes to inspect them and finds nothing but leaves, will wither up before his destroying curse” (Robert Roberts, “Seasons of Comfort” 36).

Reading 1 – Jos 14:11

“I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then” (Jos 14:11).

“For fighting, and for all the intercourse and manifold activities of life, his sinews are as braced, his eyes as clear, his spirit and limbs as alert as they were in those old days. No doubt you will say that was due to miraculous intervention. No doubt it was; but is it not true that, in a very real sense, a man may keep himself young all his life, if he will go the right way to work? And the secret of perpetual youthfulness lies here, in giving our hearts to God and in living for Him. Christianity, with its self-restraint and its exhortations to all, and especially to the young, to be chaste and temperate and to subdue the animal passions, has a direct tendency to conserve physical vigour; and Christianity, by the inspiration that it imparts, the stimulus that it gives, and the hopes that it permits us to cherish, has a direct tendency to keep alive in old age all the best of the characteristics of youth. Its buoyancy, its undimmed interest, its cheeriness, its freedom from anxiety and care — all these things are directly ministered to, and preserved by, a life of simple faith that casts itself upon God, and dwells securely, in joy and in restfulness, and not without a great light of hope, even when the shadows of evening are falling.

“One of the greatest and most blessed of the characteristics of youth is the consciousness that the most of life lies before us; and to a Christian man, in any stage of his earthly life, that consciousness is possible. When he stands on the verge of the last sinking sandbank of time, and the water is up to his ankles, he may well feel that the best and the most of life is yet to be.

” ‘They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be full of sap and green.’ A gnarled old tree may be green in all its branches, and blossom and fruit may hang together there. The ideal of life is, that into each stage we shall carry the best of the preceding, harmonised with the best of the new… The fountain of perpetual youth, of which the ancients fabled, is no fable, but a fact; and it rises, where the prophet in his vision saw the stream coming out, from beneath the threshold of the Temple door” (Alexander MacLaren).

Reading 2 – Isa 19:11-15

“The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, ‘I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings’? Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the LORD Almighty has planned against Egypt…” (isa 19:11,12).

Verses 11-15 picture a “sustained and contemptuous exposure of the experienced statecraft of Egypt. The political skill of that land’s priests and Pharaohs had wide reputation outside its own borders (Exo 1:10; 1Ki 4:30; Act 7:22). Yet it would all prove useless to stave off the downfall and chaos purposed by the Lord of the hosts of angels, who in Moses’ day had wrought such havoc in that land of unmatched prosperity (Psa 78:49)” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 229).

Reading 3 – Tit 2:14

“(Jesus) gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Tit 2:14).

“(Jesus) gave himself for us”: Jesus laid down his life, deliberately, willingly (John 10:11,15,18; 1Pe 2:23), on our behalf. The preposition “for” is “huper”, as also in 1Ti 2:6 (“a ransom on behalf of all men”), which can bear this meaning; Jesus may be seen as a representative — dying ON BEHALF OF men — and not as a substitute — dying INSTEAD OF men.

The original word for “redeem” here is “lutron”, which means to release for a price, or — put simply — to buy. It is one of the several words (or word groups) translated “redeem”, “redemption”, and “ransom”.

The word translated “his very own” (“peculiar people”: KJV) is the Greek “periousios”, which literally means “something beyond”. Paul is quoting from the Old Testament: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be MY TREASURED POSSESSION (Heb ‘segullah’) . Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo 19:5,6). “Segullah”, we are told, referred to the private treasure of kings; in societies where kings were more or less absolute dictators, everything in their realm was considered to be legally their property — but even a king could not control and spend and enjoy all properties in his kingdom, and so he would possess certain properties, properties which were set apart as his own “special treasure”, his “peculiar” or unique property, and no one else’s.

In the figure here, God Almighty is the great king, and all the universe belongs to Him, and all men, and all they have — it is all His. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him! But… the Heavenly Father has condescended to choose a special few of all His subjects to be His own family, His own special possession, His own cherished riches. They stay close to His person; they recline in His bosom; they hear His whispers of endearment; they feel the tender touch of His special love. They are dearer to Him than the stars in the heavens, or the glorious snow-topped mountains. They are dearer to Him than the treasures of the richest mines, or the harvests of the richest fields. They are the ones He has redeemed with the precious blood of His Son. “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him’ ” (Mal 3:16,17).

Reading 1 – Jos 15

“Judah was the imperial tribe, and it was fitting that he should be planted in a conspicuous territory. Even if the republic had not been destined to give place to the monarchy, some preeminence was due to the tribe which had inherited the patriarchal blessing, and from which he was to come in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Judah and the sons of Joseph seem to have obtained their settlements not only before the other tribes, but in a different manner. They did not obtain them by lot, but apparently by their own choice and by early possession. Judah was not planted in the heart of the country. That position was gained by Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of Joseph, while Judah obtained the southern section. In this position his influence was not so commanding at first as it would have been had he occupied the centre. The portion taken possession of by Judah had belonged to the first batch of kings that Joshua subdued, the kings that came up to take vengeance on the Gibeonites. What was first assigned to Judah was too large, and the tribe of Simeon got accommodation within his lot (Jos 19:9). Dan also obtained several cities that had first been given to Judah (compare Jos 15:21-62; 19:40-46). In point of fact, Judah ere long swallowed up a great part of Simeon and Dan, and Benjamin was so hemmed in between him and Ephraim that, while Jerusalem was situated within the limits of Benjamin, it was, for all practical purposes, a city of Judah” (Expositor’s Bible).

Reading 2 – Isa 21

Isa 21 is a very difficult prophecy, but it appears to be about an especially significant Passover deliverance — and this accords well with the great destruction of the Assyrian army (described in Isa 36; 37) which is at the heart of the whole prophecy.

“The twilight I longed for” (Isa 21:4), or “the night of my pleasure” (AV), looks like an allusion to Passover, the only holy observance kept at nighttime, and the time of the overthrow of Sennacherib’s Assyrian army (Isa 31:5; 30:29; 29:1; 26:20; 33:20; 52:12).

In v 5, there are other Passover allusions: the setting of the tables, the eating and drinking. The command to “oil the shields” (or “anoint the shield”: AV) MIGHT be translated, as does the Septuagint, “anoint the doorposts”, referring to the smearing of the blood of the Lamb on the door frames of faithful Jews in Egypt (Exo 12:22). Likewise, the lookouts — watching at night (vv 6,8) — suggest the nighttime vigil of Passover: a waiting both for destruction of one’s enemies, and for deliverance.

The word that finally comes, about the fall of “Babylon”, could be a reference to the devastation of the Assyrian army outside Jerusalem — because at the time of Hezekiah the two names, Assyria and Babylon, seem to have been used interchangeably for the same basic power (Assyria had previously conquered and controlled the city of Babylon, and Assyrian kings were quite proud of this accomplishment.)

So also, the called-out question of v 11, “Watchman, what is left of the night?”, suggests a high anxiety in a time of distress: the Passover night of fear and death, culminating in the morning of deliverance (Isa 37:36).

Reading 3 – Phm

“The little letter to Philemon introduces us to two men. One is the writer, an old man in chains. Contrary to all outward appearance and though in prison, he was really free. Once, in his youth, he thought he was free, but he was really in chains to the law of sin. But when Christ came into his life he threw away his chains. Then, though in bonds, his spirit was as free as the winds of heaven. He was free to rejoice, and he was at peace. The other man is Onesimus. As a runaway slave, he escaped in the hope of finding freedom. He learned that the world was not as he imagined. His experience of earthly freedom was bitter: Rome’s streets were not gold, and the cobblestones were hard. Disillusioned, with empty pockets, in rags, he sought out the ecclesia in Rome. And where did he find true freedom? In the prison cell, from an old man in chains! He found help, sympathy, love and the Truth. From Paul the prisoner he found true freedom!” (Walter Draper)

Reading 1 – Jos 16

“The record continues the listing of inheritances, as Joshua sets out the landmarks that constitute the gift of Yahweh to His people. This chapter sets out the inheritance of Joseph who has two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and consequently stood as recipient of the divine firstborn, receiving a double portion of inheritance. Joseph was elevated to the firstborn instead of Reuben (1Ch 5:1). So Joshua sets out: [1] The general borders: vv 1-4. [2] Ephraim’s border: vv 5-9. [3] Ephraim’s failure: v 10. The rest of the inheritance of Joseph’s sons continues in Jos 17.

“As with the other tribes, so with Ephraim: they failed to fulfil the instruction of their commander: see Jos 16:10. It seems that although Joshua ejected the main power of the Canaanites, they returned to their former cities, whilst he completed the campaign elsewhere. This required that each tribe make its own effort to obtain its individual holding, although the land as a whole had been won for Israel. In like manner Christ has opened the way to life eternal, but we each must conquer our individual inheritance” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Isa 22:7-11

“And you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest; you saw that the City of David had many breaches in its defenses; you stored up water in the Lower Pool. You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool…” —

Now here comes the key point, the “punch line”, so to speak… —

“…but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago” (Isa 22:7-11).

At the threatened attack of the Assyrian enemy, Judah — and Jerusalem — began to strengthen every conceivable defense, and take every conceivable precaution. They looked to their weapons, and their walls, and their water. They looked to everything they possible could… EXCEPT the God of Israel!

At other times, the Israelites trusted in altars (Isa 17:7), in defensed cities (Isa 37:26), in Egypt (Isa 31:1), or in Syria (2Ch 16:7-9).

But they did not, or could not, or refused to, trust in the God of Israel (Isa 8:17; Jer 33:2,3; Mic 7:7).

“Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’ ” (Job 35:9-11).

In the midst of all the preparations for the defense of the ultimately defenseless city of Jerusalem; in the midst of the crying and hand-wringing and desperate, foolish planning; in the midst of the silly, midnight-hour frenzy to “eat and drink… for tomorrow we die!” (v 13), it remained for two men — the king and the prophet — to ask the nation the only question it had not asked itself: “Where is our God?”

Reading 3 – Heb 1:8

“But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom’ ” (Heb 1:8).

Jesus comes in the glory of the Father (Mat 16:27), and he sits on a throne appointed him by the Father (Psa 110:1), which therefore could be called God’s throne. Also, one who acts on behalf of God may be called “God”, as a title: this is true of:

angels: Gen 16:13; 18:13; Exo 23:20,21; Hos 12:3,5; and men: Exo 22:28; Exo 22:6 and 21:8 (elohim); Psa 138:1; Joh 10:34 (quoting Psa 82:1,6).