Reading 1 – Deu 16:13

“Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress” (Deu 16:13).

“We shall probably find the meaning of this in the contemplation of this feast of ingathering as the type of the final harvest of life eternal, of which Christ is the individual, and his people the collective first-fruits. To this harvest all the work of God has been working forward from the beginning. That it should be foreshadowed by the last of all the feasts of the year is fitting: and that this feast should be held on the seventh month is in the same line of harmony, also that it should commence on the first day and last nearly the whole month, is striking. That it should begin with a joyful trumpet blast is suggestive of the great joy with which the arrival of the day of God will be hailed” (Robert Roberts, “Law of Moses” 208).

Reading 2 – Ecc 8:8

“No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war…” (Ecc 8:8).

No one has power over the date of his own death, or even the death of his brother (Psa 49:7-19; Gen 3:19; Ecc 9:5) — a good example of this being Hezekiah in 2Ki 20:1-3.

The KJV has: “Neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in THAT war” (ie, the battle with death).

“Death is an enemy that we must all enter the lists with, sooner or later: There is no discharge in that war, no dismissal from it, either of the men of business or of the faint-hearted, as there was among the Jews (Deu 20:5,8). While we live we are struggling with death, and we shall never put off the harness till we put off the body, never obtain a discharge till death has obtained the mastery; the youngest is not released as a fresh-water soldier, nor the oldest as a soldier whose merits have entitled him to a discharge. Death is a battle that must be fought, There is no ‘sending’ to that war (so some read it), no substituting another to muster for us, no champion admitted to fight for us; we must ourselves engage, and are concerned to provide accordingly, as for a battle” (Matthew Henry).

Reading 3 – Acts 7:56

” ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (Acts 7:56).

Why does Jesus stand here, when elsewhere he is always sitting? The answer may be found in Paul’s last words: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord STOOD at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (2Ti 4:16-18).

Christ was so involved with the life of his servant Stephen that he was moved to stand beside him. He tore, as it were, the thin veil separating us from his sight, rose from his seat, and revealed himself to Stephen, encouraging him as he himself had been encouraged by an angel at Gethsemane.

Jesus is acting as the “Comforter” or “Advocate” — the Greek being “Paraklete”, which is a legal term for one who is called to stand alongside, that is, a defense attorney (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7; 1Jo 2:1). The defense attorney, then as now, stood alongside the accused in the courtroom and took his part with the Judge.

Reading 1 – Jos 11:5,6

“All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain’ ” (Jos 11:5,6).

“A day now near at hand will see the revelation of God’s righteous anger, and then the further and final restoration of His house, when the glory will return embodied in the new rulers that God has promised to Israel. The ‘great fury’ of God is a necessity created by man’s sin — his pride, cruelty, and corruption of the earth. The classic illustration of what is coming is to be found in the clearing of the land of Palestine by Joshua and the settlement of a purified remnant of Israel in the place of the Canaanites, whose licentious and debased religions had forfeited their right to live. We know more of what the fury of man can do, in the terrible effects of modern war. We know its futility as we realize that there does not exist the power to bring order and peace when destruction has ceased. Apart from the overruling by which the sword of the wicked is made to do the work of God, it is not in man to dispense terrors according to deserts. The striving of the potsherds lacks the elemental basis of justice and righteousness which will never be absent from the fury of God” (John Carter, “Prophets after the Exile” 86).

Reading 2 – Isa 15:1

The word “oracle” or “burden” (Isa 13:1; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1; 21:1; 22:1; 23:1) is from the Hebrew “to lift up”, in foreboding or expectation; it implies something that God has planned for another. More often than not, it speaks of a coming punishment; but at times it simply means an important event involving a particular people. The distinction must be determined by the context. Often, the “burden” begins with warnings of judgments to come, and then proceeds with prophecies of something beneficial arising out of the dark times. Zec 12 illustrates this: it begins with a “burden… for Israel… in the siege”, but then quickly speaks of a time of blessing succeeding the time of affliction: Jerusalem inhabited again in her own place (Zec 12:6,7). The burdens of Isaiah generally follow this same pattern, with special reference to the Last Days of Gentile times and the establishment of “Israel in their own land” (Isa 14:1) and Christ as the “ruler of the land… upon the mount of the daughter of Zion” (Isa 16:1). Also the roles of various Gentile powers, especially in relation to Israel and God’s plans for the Last Days, are outlined. What might first appear to be a dry and unrewarding study becomes in reality a promise of God’s deliverance for His people (in typical prophecies) and a glorious assurance (in initial fulfillments) that God’s purpose stands firm (Isa 14:26,27).

Reading 3 – 2Ti 1:8

“Join with me in suffering” (2Ti 1:8).

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play major league baseball in the modern era, in 1947. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced disgusting racial slurs from opposing players, baseballs thrown at his head while he was batting, and baserunners sliding with spiked shoes lifted high, trying to cut or slash him. Also, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. Some in the crowd began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, disconcerted and humiliated, while even his hometown fans continued to ridicule and mock him.

Then shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Robinson, talked quietly to him, and encouraged him, as if the crowd’s cries meant nothing. He was a white Southerner, with his own experiences of racial prejudice, and might have been expected to keep a safe distance from a black man. But it was as if he were saying to everyone: ‘This is my teammate; he’s with me!’ Reese was a star player at this time: popular and successful and well-liked. The fans grew quiet, and the game resumed.

Jackie Robinson later said that that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

A statue will soon be erected and dedicated at the current Brooklyn baseball park, commemorating this simple yet profound act, performed more than 50 years ago now — joining and identifying with another so as to share his suffering.

Reading 1 – Jos 17:16

“The people of Joseph replied, ‘The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel’ ” (Jos 17:16).

In this area lies the 263-foot-high tell of Beth-shean, one of the oldest cities in Bible lands. The remains of 20 layers of settlement have been found going back more than three thousand years BC. The Israelites failed to conquer the city in Joshua’s time (Jos 17:16; Jdg 1:27), and the fortified town was still under Philistine control in the time of Saul, the first king of Israel. When Saul and his sons were slain in battle their bodies were hung on the walls of this city by the victors (1Sa 31:6-13).

Beth-shean is included in the cities of Solomon’s kingdom (1Ki 4:12). When the Greek empire dominated the area the city was known as Scythopolis. Pliny, the Roman author (1st century AD) mentions the city in his writings. It was one of the cities in the Roman province of Decapolis which was visited by Jesus (Mar 7:31). The city was further developed by the Romans and all around the ancient tell the archaeologists are busy uncovering this large city that was devastated by an earthquake.

Reading 2 – Isa 23:15-18

“At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: ‘Take up a harp, walk through the city, O prostitute forgotten; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.’ At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothes” (Isa 23:15-18).

This is a very difficult passage. One possible interpretation: for 70 years, up to Isaiah’s day, Tyre had abandoned her previously close association with Jerusalem. But now, driven by the defeat by Assyria, Tyre seeks once again “fellowship” with Judah (compare Psa 87:4; 45:12; 2Ch 32:23). Thus the “wages of a harlot” (that is, her mercantile profits) are now, in some measure, given to the LORD.

“It is remarkable that whereas certain of the Arab powers seem to be marked out for hard discipline or even utter destruction in the time of the end (as in Isa 34; Obad), there is to be a willingness on the part of others to acknowledge God’s King in Jerusalem. Is it relevant that there are more (nominal) Christians among the Arabs of Lebanon [the modern geographical equivalent to ancient Tyre: GB] than in any other part of the Arab world? Then, although there has been no friendship in Lebanon for the new state of Israel, perhaps this seventy-year estrangement is due to be replaced with a new spirit of amity and service” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 255).

Reading 3 – Heb 4:11

“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Heb 4:11).

“Work, labor, zeal, enthusiasm, effort, striving — we must get the vital urgency of it, for it is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. We are not here to play, or drift, or while away priceless, irretrievable time, or please ourselves, or pursue ambition, or hoard rotting rubbish. We are here simply and solely to serve God, and build up our spiritual understanding, and totally transform our natural, evil, ignorant fleshly character by the light and power of the Divine Word. We do not have a moment to waste. Every wasted moment is a sin to be repented of, and atoned for by frank confession and earnest prayer and sincere effort to overcome — or it is a permanent stain that will sink us at last in eternal death” (GVG).

Reading 1 – Deu 8:2

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deu 8:2).

“This is the lesson of chastisement. Not forsaking but purifying, not casting down but building up. Had Israel but seen these things and turned to God instead of to mourning, murmuring and despair, then would she have blossomed in the wilderness, the Lord would have opened the windows of heaven for her and brought her early to the land. The Lord had withheld food and drink but not to starve and shrivel His people. He asked simply that they would know that ‘man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.’ Have we learned the lesson? In this affluent age have we been tempted to rely on the abundance of sustenance to be had by daily work, rather than the increase of faith which comes by daily prayer?” (Harry Tennant, “The Man David” 173).

Reading 2 – Ecc 3:11

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecc 3:11).

“Eternity” is the Hebrew “olahm” — the age, or the hidden time: in essence, the concept if not the hope of life everlasting. “If a man is not conscious of ‘eternity in his heart’, he ought to be” (LG Sargent). Although each person has at least the concept of eternity in his heart, only Christ can provide ultimate satisfaction, joy, and wisdom.

“Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be” (William Hazlitt, 1819).

This is something of the meaning, surely, of man being created in the “image” of God. Physically, he is nothing more than another beast (Ecc 3:18-21), but mentally and spiritually, he is a special creature, made in the “image” of God, and capable of understanding and appreciating eternal things!

Those men and women who are believers must live in the “border land” between what is and what will be! Seeing the day-to-day world for what it is — the place where daily bread must be found, where practical choices must be made, where ordinary life must be lived. But especially seeing the invisible world, the world which is hidden, but right around the corner, or just over the horizon — the “real” world of all hopes and aspirations, the world of “our better natures”, the world of the coming King. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2Co 4:17,18).

Reading 3 – John 20

“Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb” (John 20:10,11).

Now Mary, following behind the men, returned the second time to the tomb (still unaware of the angel’s appearance to the other women: Mar 16:2-7). There was no reason why she should linger here, except that this was the spot where she had last set eyes on her friend. In the past two days she had shed tears as never before, and now more than ever they refused to be restrained. If only she might be able to express her love in some last act of devotion to his poor dead body! But even this was denied her, for apparently his body had been stolen away. To this pathetic figure of sorrow and despair was soon to come one of the greatest privileges of all time: the first sight of the resurrected Lord! Within moments, the deepest despair was to give way forever to the greatest joy! (Cp with Song 3:2-4.)

*****

“…And saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot” (v 12).

The tomb of the risen Christ is the true mercy-seat, the true Most Holy Place. Here is the ark of the covenant, and the mercy-seat, flanked by the cherubim, where the blood of the one true sacrifice has been poured out.

*****

“They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher)” (vv 13-16).

She seems to have expected no help nor comfort in response to her appeal, for she is already moving away when one spoken word (“Mary”) stops her in her tracks. Does not that voice have a strangely familiar ring? She turned around, stared in shock, and then in a moment was at his side — grasping for the evidence by which to turn the impossible into certainty, and all the while incoherent with joy. There was nothing to say except one exultant word of greeting and self-reproach: “Rabboni!” The silent road from which no traveler returns had yielded back the one whom she longed to see above all others, and how blind she had been not to recognize it sooner. A wild jumble of emotions rushed through her mind, and all the while she sought added assurance by the evidence of her senses.

“My Lord, who dead and buried lay, of late

Made void this tomb and stood before my face;

And I was first of all his ransomed race:

At first I knew him not! nor pondered there

By what strong means at that unseemly hour

The gard’ner should with some uncanny power

Have borne him hence beyond my reach.

But when he spoke, calling out my name,

And I beheld my Saviour standing there,

My heart did leap with sheer and utter joy;

‘Twas then, O Lord, that recognition came:

With tear-dimmed eyes my precious Lord to greet,

I knelt in the dust to grasp his feet.”

Reading 1 – Jos 2:1

“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’ So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there” (Jos 2:1).

Possibly they met her at a well outside the city walls, entering the gate in her company so as not to arouse suspicion. Only later would they discover that she, of all Jericho, had faith in the God of Israel (Harry Whittaker, “Enjoying the Bible” 23).

Reading 2 – Isa 8:6

“This people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah” (Isa 8:6).

Through the sacred page flow two very different streams. The raging torrent, the seasonal river overflowing its banks, is used by Isaiah as a figure for the advancing Assyrians (Isa 8:7,8). The waters thereof roar and are troubled; proud billows and lashing waves, lofty as hills, sweep aside mountains in their path (Psa 46:3). But in their tumultuous course the wild waters come at last against the immovable height of Zion (Psa 125:1): “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed” (Job 38:11).

For here, beneath Zion’s hill, flows another stream which is the secret of her survival. It is not harsh and overpowering; its waters go softly (Isa 8:6) through the rock-hewn channels of Hezekiah’s conduit (2Ki 20:20) into the pool of Siloam (John 9:7). It brings life to thirsty watchmen on Zion’s walls. In its silent, unerring course it symbolizes the sure and certain purposes of God. Its whispering waters speak in a still, small voice of the blessings of faith in God. This is the river of life, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy places of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; God shall help her; the Lord of Hosts is with us — here is the promise of Immanuel again (Psa 46:4,5,11). Let us drink of this stream; its quiet waters will restore our souls and bring us inward peace in the midst of stormy trials.

Reading 3 – 1Th 3:6-10

“But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith” (1Th 3:6,7).

There can be no question that Paul loved these people more than life itself. He prays for them continually, and desires more than anything to be with them. They have suffered together, and out of that shared experience of adversity they have developed an unshakeable bond of fellowship (1Th 1:6). Surely this is the “fellowship of his sufferings” to which Paul refers in Phi 3:10.

Although Paul is constantly moving about to preach in new areas, he never abandons the ecclesias he has established. Paul at Athens and at Corinth still feels obligated to the believers in Galatia and Thessalonica. All of his ministry is marked by such concern: although he is heavily involved in the concerns of the Gentile ecclesias of Europe, he nevertheless works hard at taking up an offering for the material needs of the Judaean brethren. Paul’s faith is a global faith, an international faith that ignores (or breaks down, if necessary) the cultural and ethnic barriers that exist in the Roman Empire.

Paul’s strategy takes risks with the newly established ecclesias. It leans heavily upon faith in and prayer to the Father through the Son, and that the Holy Spirit they control can work in ways unrecognized by men to strengthen and comfort believers. Paul cannot be everywhere and do everything himself; with a reasonable view of his own limitations, he instructs and trains (and then trusts!) his assistants in the work — young men like Timothy and Titus. This benevolent responsible attitude allows them in turn to grow to their full potential, and become more useful “fellow-laborers with God.”

*****

“For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith” (1Th 3:8-10).

Until the wonderful news of vv 6,7, Paul was a dying man (perhaps even literally so). But now he has found a new lease of life. Like John, he could experience no greater joy than to learn that his “children” continued to walk in the Truth (3Jo 1:4).

“Life” (ie, v 8) and “death” take on new symbolic meanings for the believer. In his struggles against sin and human adversaries he expects to “die daily” (1Co 15:31) — for he bears about in his body “the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest” in that body (2Co 4:10-12). The believer is a continually changing compound of the old man, who is (or should be) dying, and the new man, who is continually being born or “created” (Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:8-10). And even as the physical body is wasting away day by day, so the inner man is being renewed (2Co 4:16).

The business of serving Christ intensifies the daily experiences of life. Literally everything about one’s life is now seen to hold the potential of affecting eternity. Thus we see Paul cast down and afflicted because of thoughts of problems of other people many miles away. And we then find him, in a moment, overjoyed at the good report about them. “Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?” So it must be small “deaths” and small “resurrections” each day — for one who takes upon himself the care of all the ecclesias (2Co 11:28,29). Is this a difficult way of life? Most assuredly. But can there be any other way for a true follower of Christ?

Reading 1 – Deu 13:1-3

“If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deu 13:1-3).

“In the book of Deuteronomy it was laid down what the attitude of the people of Israel should be to those who claimed to speak with the authority of God’s Holy Spirit.

“First, does the prophet utter prophecies which are proved to be true by their fulfilment? ‘If the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken, the prophet has spoken it presumptuously’, ie, without God’s authority (Deu 18:22). But there was always the possibility that the ‘prophet’ might succeed, by means of a bit of clever guesswork, in deceiving his hearers. So then a further test: ‘If a prophet arises among you… and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, “Let us go after other gods”… you shall not listen to the words of that prophet’ (Deu 13:1,2).

“In other words, a prophecy or a sign or a wonder does not guarantee that the Holy Spirit is at work. The final and certain test is whether the teaching is good and true and right” (Harry Whittaker, “Gifts of the Holy Spirit”).

Reading 2 – Ecc 6:9

“Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecc 6:9).

It is better to enjoy what one has than to desire the unattainable. The thoughts of the heart are only evil continually, and ought to be curbed, not indulged (Gen 6:5). “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1Ti 6:9,10).

Man must learn to be content with what he has, so long as he has the promises of God (Heb 13:5,6), to be content whatever the circumstances, because he knows that his God can supply every need (Phi 4:11-13; Mat 6:25-33).

We do not find happiness OUTSIDE of ourselves; we find happiness INSIDE ourselves.

It may be said there are two ways to find happiness:

“Get everything you want” — but, given man’s inherent lustful nature, this is impossible: there will always be more to desire! Or… “Enjoy — and be thankful for — what you have” — this EVERYONE can do!

Reading 3 – Acts 3:6

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk’ ” (Acts 3:6).

There were gates of gold and silver, and an exceedingly Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:2) — enormous wealth was concentrated in the Temple of the Jews, but none of it did any good for the poor lame man, who sat year after year in its shadow; none of it could deliver him from his affliction. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1Pe 1:18,19).

Also compare Exo 20:23,24: “Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it… Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.” The temple — with all its gold and silver — though it was practically worshiped as a “god” by the devout Jews, could not bring deliverance, or salvation, to the lame man. What could deliver him was recourse to the simple “altar” of “earth” (human nature), which was Jesus Christ. This plain and unadorned “altar” of flesh honored the name of his Father and thus brought a blessing unattainable elsewhere!

The apostles had apparently provided no redemption money for the Day of Atonement (Exo 30:12-14); they knew that their redemption — even as the healing of the lame man — was in and through the precious blood of Christ.

Reading 1 – Jos 10:13

“So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day” (Jos 10:13).

The Book of Jashar is, of course, poetry (cp 2Sa 1:18-27), and — like any poetic expression — this need not be taken in a perfectly literal manner. There are plenty of other examples of Bible poetry, not necessarily interpreted literally: Isa 55:12; Psa 98:8; 114:4,6.

So what happened?: Did the time of “daylight” simply appear to be extended, as measured by the work that was accomplished that day under the influence of God’s Spirit?

“The only way in which lengthening of the day could be measured would be by the amount of useful work the men of Israel were able to put into it. Consider Jos 10:9,11,15,17,28, etc. Joshua’s army covered 50 miles in one day, fighting all the way, through mountainous terrain” (Harry Whittaker, “Bible Studies” 72,73).

Reading 2 – Isa 14:9-17

Isa 14:9-17 is a powerful figure of speech — not to be taken as literal truth: the mighty tyrant going down to the abode of the dead, where all the mighty men and monarchs who have preceded this brutal empire-builder into the place of the dead are now portrayed as deeply disturbed at the prospect of having to greet again the haughty dictator who sent them there. Eze 32:21-27 is a similar elaborate figure about dead warriors, buried with all the tokens of their military prowess, greeting Egypt’s Pharaoh when he joins their ranks.

“These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (Isa 14:9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur” (NET Bible notes).

Reading 3 – 1Ti 6:6

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1Ti 6:6).

Worldly riches bring with them no guarantee. The only thing worth having in our brief wanderings, the only real “gain” at present, is peace of mind. We should be content with whatever our present state might be from a material standpoint, knowing that we have a treasure that “neither moth nor rust doth corrupt” (Mat 6:19,20; Luke 12:33). Paul beautifully reveals to the Philippians the secret of his divine peace of mind: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and 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” (Phi 4:11,12). And to the Hebrews: “Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:8).

This contentment or peace or sufficiency was a state of mind that had to come by a process of learning. Jesus said, “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mat 11:29). And of the Son of God himself it is recorded, “He learned obedience by the things he suffered” (Heb 5:8). Chastenings and privations are absolutely necessary for those who seek to be the sons of God.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phi 4:13). This is the glorious secret of God’s plan to which His servants alone have been initiated. Riches and prestige mean nothing. Armaments and political power mean nothing when compared to the power of God, who can in a moment assemble ten legions of angels (Psa 20:7; Mat 26:53). This wonderful access to the infinite power of the Almighty can be ours, regardless of present circumstance. “When I am weak, then am I strong” (2Co 12:9,10). When we most fully realize and are impressed with our utter helplessness and dependence on our Father, then are we most strong through the transforming power of His Son. Then we learn truly to “trust in the living God…” (1Ti 4:10).

How can we consider spending all our precious time in pursuit of the riches that perish? God has guaranteed that if we seek first the kingdom, then everything we need will be given to us (Mat 6:33). Of course, this cannot be used as an excuse for slothfulness — because among the duties we must perform to God’s honor is the providing for ourselves and our dependents (1Ti 5:8). But we cannot let our attentions be always upon attaining a living in this world. And never should our concern be upon bettering our social standing or standard of living. God has promised us a “sufficiency in all things” (2Co 9:8). (The word “sufficiency” is the same Greek word as “contentment” here.)

God has given us all we need of the world’s goods, so that we may devote the greater part of our time and energies working for Him. We need only to appreciate the words of David to know this “godliness with contentment”, the marvelous peace of mind in the midst of a world of trouble and uncertainty: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psa 37:23-25).

Yes indeed, true godliness is a source of great gain, in an assurance that most will never know. Our faith is truly a conviction based upon substance — a trust in the “Rock” of the wilderness, a heavenly hope transcending worldly baubles and frills. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing” (Psa 23:1).

Reading 1 – Jos 8:29

“He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening” (Jos 8:29).

Considering the parallels with Acts 5:30; 10:39… how could the hanging of the king of Ai on a tree typify the Lord Jesus Christ hung on a cross? One was a wicked Gentile; the other was the preeminently righteous Jew. One died eternally; the other lives eternally.

The answer: the death of Jesus was not “merely” the death of a righteous man — he was handed over to death by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23): God’s purpose was that — in the obedient death of His own Son — the “righteousness” of God would be declared as a basis for the forgiveness of sins for all who have faith in him (Rom 3:21-31). How? Because Jesus in his death “condemned sin” (Rom 8:3), putting to death the flesh in which the sin-principle resided (Heb 2:14,15) — this is what made him the perfect sacrifice.

So… Jesus “hanging on a tree” is not just the death of a perfectly righteous man, but also the death of “King Sin” (Rom 6:12-14) and the lifting up of the serpent on the stake (Num 21:8,9; Joh 3:14) and the destruction of the works of the “devil” (1Jo 3:5,8). Given this sense of the matter, the hanging of Ai’s king on a tree — despite being superficially dissimilar — is in fact a wonderful type of the crucifixion of Christ!

Reading 2 – Isa 12:3

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa 12:3).

“In Hezekiah’s day there was only one ‘well of salvation’ — the Gihon spring which was led underground by Hezekiah’s conduit (2Ch 32:3,4) to Siloam (Isa 8:6) inside the city’s defences. The intensive plural — ‘wells’ — is used here for emphasis. Here is the beginning (it could hardly have been introduced earlier) of the lovely figure of speech, in psalms and prophets, of the Lord as a life-giving spring of water (Jer 2:13; cp Psa 42:1,2). [This verse] suggests that it was in thanksgiving for the Assyrian deliverance that the procedure was instituted at the Feast of Tabernacles [cp also Zec 14:16] of drawing water from Siloam and taking it in solemn processional to the temple, there to be poured out in praise and thanksgiving at the base of the altar. It was, of course, this to which Jesus referred in his great appeal on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:37,38). He appropriated the meaning of the entire procedure to himself, and thus underlined (what needs no underlining) that Isa 12 is about himself and his salvation” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 192).

Reading 3 – 1Ti 2:9

“In like manner also, (I command) that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with restraint and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array…” (1Ti 2:9).

This word “apparel” includes more than dress. It may be translated “deportment” or “bearing”. Actions are very much a part of this “apparel”! This reminds us of so many Biblical passages showing clothing as a symbol of our life in the Truth (Job 29:14; Psa 132:9; 1Pe 5:5; Isa 11:5; Rev 19:7,8). Paul is looking for modesty that is firmly rooted in the character — not the “modesty” of a showy affectation. “Sobriety” denotes soundness of mind and judgment. It is a habitual, inner self-government, which puts a constant rein upon the natural desires and passions. Sobriety puts into action what the “modesty” recognizes to be proper.

With such qualities of modesty and restraint the sister must adorn herself, so as to be pleasing in God’s sight.

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1Sa 16:7).

God sees the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Heb 4:12), and our “adornments” must be those characteristics in which He finds delight. These verses are especially for the women, but the ultimate application is for all: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1Pe 3:3,4).

Paul is commending the virtue of self-restraint: the refusal to conform to the foolish fashions of a vain and changing world. How closely should a brother or sister conform to the fashions of the world, as to dress, makeup, and so forth? Men and women are born, make changes while they live, grow old and die; and others come to take their places. This world’s fashions come and go, and the only sure thing about them is that nothing will remain the same for long. But the Almighty God of heaven never changes. In this is sufficient reason to shun (as much as is practical and reasonable) the passing fancies of a godless world.

By slavishly following the fashions of this world, we are showing our misplaced dependence upon it. We are showing that we regard the favor of the world as of greater value than the favor of God. We think more of the world’s fellowship than we do of God’s fellowship.

Furthermore, stylish dress, elaborate hairstyles and excessive makeup, which imitate the changing fashions of today, give the impression to others of a similarity of thought and behavior. This is not something that a believer in Christ should wish to imply. As much as is practical we must show our separateness from the world. Thus we should be modest, neat, and tasteful — not skimpy on the clothes, not excessive in our spending, not elaborate and time-consuming in our personal grooming. The overall key — and especially is this true for the sisters — is modesty (not seductiveness) in apparel, and in conduct.

Reading 1 – Deu 15:2

“This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed” (Deu 15:2).

It was the LORD’s time because it was “appointed and commanded by him, and was for his honour and glory, as a God gracious and merciful to the poor, and beneficent to those creditors; and which was proclaimed in his name, by the civil magistrate, according to his order… Now this was typical of a release of debts, or of forgiveness of sins, which is an act of God’s grace through Christ, and for his sake. Sins are called debts [because] men are debtors to fulfil the law, and in case of failure, or a breach of it, are bound to the debt of punishment; and these debts are very numerous, and men are incapable of paying them: and by a release of these is meant not a liberty of sinning, nor a freedom from the being or bondage of sin, but from the guilt of it, and from obligation to punishment for it; and is properly the forgiveness of sin, which is expressed by various phrases, as a non-imputation, a non-remembrance, a covering, blotting out, and removing of sin, and here typically a release of debts (see Mat 6:12), and God only can make it; he is the creditor, sin is committed against him, and he only can forgive it, which he does freely, fully, and at once (see Luke 7:41,42)” (John Gill).

Reading 2 – Ecc 7:10

“Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions” (Ecc 7:10).

This seems to refer to the “privilege” and tendency of the older to look back and pine for the way things were done (Job does something similar in Job 29:2-5, although he had perhaps more reason). The memory is very selective and only remembers the nice things, and forgets the difficulties. We are dealing with the matter of discontent. Looking back to “the good old days”, is pouring scorn on the present and implying, quite wrongly, that there is no hope for the future. There is always hope for the present and the future, because God is in control! “People have always looked back to the good old days. ‘If only we had lived then,’ they say, ‘we might have done better!’ Even Christians sometimes overestimate the early church, the Reformation, or periods of revival. Wise people certainly learn from the past, but they live in the present with all its opportunities. Overmuch dwelling on the past can prevent us from overcoming the world, which often seems so much more wicked today than ever before” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

Of course, there may have been an immediate context in which this principle was stated — something in the days of Solomon (or Uzziah, or Hezekiah — other candidates for authorship of Ecclesiastes) that caused men to think this way. Perhaps comparable to Paul’s “present distress” (or ‘present crisis’) in 1Co 7:26 — whatever that might have been.

“There is no weight nor truth in it; but men use it to excuse their crimes, and the folly of their conduct. ‘In former times,’ say they, ‘men might be more religious, use more self-denial, be more exemplary.’ This is all false. In former days men were wicked as they are now, and religion was unfashionable: God also is the same now as he was then; as just, as merciful, as ready to help: and there is no depravity in the age that will excuse your crimes, your follies, and your carelessness” (Adam Clarke, who wrote almost 200 years ago!).

“It is folly to complain of the badness of our own times when we have more reason to complain of the badness of our own hearts (if men’s hearts were better, the times would mend) and when we have more reason to be thankful that they are not worse, but that even in the worst of times we enjoy many mercies, which help to make them not only tolerable, but comfortable. It is folly to talk up the goodness of former times, so as to derogate from the mercy of God to us in our own times; as if former ages had not the same things to complain of that we have, or if perhaps, in some respects, they had not, yet as if God had been unjust and unkind to us in casting our lot in an iron age, compared with the golden ages that went before us; this arises from nothing but fretfulness and discontent, and an aptness to pick quarrels with God himself. We are not to think there is any universal decay in nature, or degeneracy in morals. God has been always good, and men always bad; and if, in some respects, the times are now worse than they have been, perhaps in other respects they are better” (Matthew Henry, who wrote about 350 years ago!).

Have things been in an absolute decline for 3,000 years — every successive generation a little bit worse than the previous one? Or does it merely appear that way when we look back with a nostalgic eye to the (more or less) immediate past? Or… is our age, right now, really worse to a very considerable degree than 25 or 50 or 75 years ago… because we are truly living in the Last Days? 1Ti 4 and 2Ti 3, and so forth. Maybe so. But the funny thing (or not so funny!) is that Bible expositors of 200 or 350 years ago (and Bible authors of as much as 3,000 years ago) were writing that men in their own days thought the same thing — and pointing out that it was not wise to dwell on that too much.

Reading 3 – Acts 5:2

“With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Act 5:2).

“Kept back” is, literally, to hide away, that is, “to embezzle”. The same word is “steal” in Tit 2:10. It is used also of Achan (Jos 7:1, LXX). Compare the incident of Elisha and Gehazi (2Ki 5:25). We have sold our “old man” and laid the proceeds at Christ’s feet. Did we keep back part of the price? It is a question we can ask ourselves every day.

“If the current of our mind is not continuously in God, then our profession is hypocrisy, and our performance is sham. It is just a sometime thing. It is not solid and permanent and real. If we truly have the Truth, it will possess us totally. It will be a continuous ringing in our minds and fire in our bones. Don’t be a half anything — and certainly not in things pertaining to God and eternity. Be total. Go all the way. Give it everything. In the other way lies frustration and unhappiness, and — at last — dreadful, inescapable remorse. Why jeopardize eternity with half-ways?” (GV Growcott).

Indeed, why barter away eternal life for 30 pieces of silver?

Reading 1 – Jos 5:13,14

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ ” (Jos 5:13,14).

Joshua was doing all he could to get his (note the “his”!) army ready… when out of the blue (literally) he encountered a man with a drawn sword.

Joshua asks him, “Are you with us or against us?”

“Neither, actually,” the “man” replied. “I am the commander of the army of Yahweh.”

And all the time Joshua had thought HE was the commander!

No wonder Joshua falls facedown before the one commissioned to be HIS commander! The general can recognize true authority when he sees it.

Do we think sometimes that we are the “masters (or mistresses) of our own fates… the captains of our own souls”? We are not.

Do we look in the mirrors in the mornings, and tell ourselves, “I am in charge here”? (Like General Haig famously telling all and sundry during the Nixon presidential crisis, ‘I am in charge here!’) We are not. (Actually, if you have to remind others that you are in charge, then you CERTAINLY are not!)

Joseph told Pharaoh, in effect: “You — the mightiest ruler the world has ever seen — are not in charge here!” He told him politely, but he told him just the same.

God rules in the kingdom(s) of men, says Daniel.

And He rules in our lives.

Take time to notice the real “commander”, and seek his “orders for the day”.

Reading 2 – Isa 10:5-11

“Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says. ‘Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria — shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ” (Isa 10:5-11).

“The remarkable similarity between this passage and 2Ki 19:2-37 [which is parallel to Isa 37] (together with other indications) makes it likely that, through the renegade Rabshakeh, Sennacherib actually knew the tenor of this and other prophecies Isaiah had spoken in Jerusalem. Why else should the Assyrian use the self-confident argument: ‘Am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD saith to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it’ (Isa 36:10)” (WIsa 174).

Reading 3 – 2Th 1:3-5

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (2Th 1:3-5).

The Christian community should not be a comfortable club for the conserving of the lives of a few believers. It should be a place of striving, of enduring, of overcoming, where real “fruit” is produced to the glory of God. It should be a place where faith and love are refined in the crucible of trials and hardships. If it is not such a place, then why not?

At first sight the apostle’s argument in v 5 is difficult. Surely the presence of sufferings would deny, rather than prove, that God is working to a righteous purpose. The fault is ours if we fail to understand the divine message, if we see instead as the “world” sees. The Bible does not look on sufferings in quite the same way as most modern people do. To us, accustomed as we are to the conveniences of an affluent society, suffering may seem almost an “evil” — something to be avoided at all costs. It is true that one need not be a masochist — seeking pain out of some sense of perverted “pleasure.” Nevertheless the true Bible message is that suffering, in all its varied forms, is often the means of working out God’s eternal purpose. It develops in the sufferer qualities of character. It teaches valuable lessons. In one form or another, it is inevitable; the believer is ordained to it (1Th 3:3).

The faith of a believer is not some fragile thing, to be wrapped in cotton, insulated from all shocks. It is robust, it is alive, it grows and flourishes, and it needs both sunshine and rain. The very troubles that the world heaps upon the believer become, under God’s hand, the means by which he may grow into a fruitful vine, a productive plant. Suffering therefore is no evidence that God has forsaken us; it is evidence that He is with us.