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).

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 – Josh 18:3

“So Joshua said to the Israelites: ‘How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?’ ” (Josh 18:3).

“Having spent many years wandering in the wilderness — during which time the older generation died — the younger generation of Israelites now found themselves on the western side of Jordan, in the Promised Land. Yet, despite years of privation and hardship, many Israelites were prepared to lightly cast aside their new-found inheritance.

“Seven tribes indicated that they were tired of fighting. They had fought the Canaanites for seven years — a long and protracted war. Now, their earlier dedication had waned. Their faith in Yahweh and zeal for His cause had dissipated.

“They had fought valiantly; and now — poised on the brink of final and complete victory — they had given up the struggle. They were ‘slack to go to possess the land’ [v 3].

“This was a tragic state of affairs: not merely because of the inactivity of the people but because of their disposition.

“At the Judgment Seat of Christ, how many will be found to have started out on their walk towards the Kingdom full of zeal and wholehearted dedication, fired by a love of Yahweh and His saving Truth — only to surrender to pressures from within and without, and never gain the final victory. Satisfaction or compromise with the existing worldly environment; divided loyalties; a general attitude of indolence; or lack of faith… are influences which may lead men and women of faith to desert the cause they have espoused, and fall by the wayside” (John Ullman, “Joshua: His Life and Times” 193,194).

Reading 2 – Isa 24:23

“The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously” (Isa 24:23).

Here is pictured “the long-overdue repentance of the nation, its self-humiliation before the Man — whom, formerly, they would not have to reign over them. At that time not only those who are the Lord’s true temple, his mount Zion, but also the entire city of Jerusalem will gladly receive Jesus as ‘the Lord our Righteousness.’ And with them there will be the ‘ancients’ of the race, the Fathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David — men of faith who received promises, believed them with heart and soul, but who have slept through long centuries till the day of fulfillment. Here, and not here only (Isa 25:8; 26:19) is Isaiah’s confident doctrine of the resurrection” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 264).

Reading 3 – Heb 6:8

“But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned” (Heb 6:8).

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

Reading 1 – Josh 19

In Josh 18:11 through Josh 19:48, the seven remaining tribes receive their inheritances according to lot: Benjamin (Jos 18:11-28); Simeon (Jos 19:1-9); Zebulun (Jos 19:10-16); Issachar (Jos 19:17-23); Asher (Jos 19:24-31); Naphtali (Jos 19:32-39); and Dan (Jos 19:40-48).

“These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land” (v 51).

Reading 2 – Isa 25:7,8

“On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isa 25:7,8).

“It is the picture of the angel of the Lord personally wiping away for ever the tears of sadness which have been inevitable in the experience of all saints in Christ. This incomparable comfort will be one of the greatest of the blessings of the kingdom of God. For the assurance of the sore-tested believer it is so picked out in two Apocalyptic visions of the age to come (Rev 7:17; 21:4). Behind these words is yet a further comfort. More than once it has been said: ‘How shall I be able to enjoy the blessedness of the kingdom if one whom I have so long and so dearly loved does not share it with me?’ To this Isaiah’s answer is that even such tears will be wiped away. The implication is that all memories involving sadness will be blotted out by the imparting of a superb faculty for forgetting: ‘Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded’ (Jer 31:16)” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 269).

Reading 3 – Heb 9:16,17

“In the case of a will [Greek ‘diatheke’: the same word as ‘covenant’] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living” (Heb 9:16,17).

The whole of this translation, not that much different from the KJV and various other versions, presumes the Greek word “diatheke” to be a will, or testament, which is only in force after the death of the testator. But the primary meaning of this word is ‘covenant’, not ‘will’ or ‘testament’. This is a very secondary and specialized meaning of the word. In short, every will is a covenant, but not every covenant is a will!

However, some translations (notably the Emphatic Diaglott) seem to have gotten it right, assuming the more general meaning of “covenant”. And thus we might translate vv 16,17:

“For where a covenant is made, there must of necessity be the death of the covenant-victim. For a covenant is only in force over a dead body [this is Jer 34:18-20!], because it is not binding as long as the covenant-victim lives.”

Weymouth’s translation has this footnote: “It is possible that the real meaning is, ‘For where a covenant is made, there must be evidence of the death of the covenant-victim…’ “

With this Bullinger is in general agreement, and Rotherham has an interesting note on the word “covenant”: “The NT word ‘diatheke’ signifies ‘covenant’ because it is the LXX rendering of the Hebrew ‘berith’ which everywhere in the OT means covenant and covenant only… It is a word in common use to denote all sorts of covenants between all sorts of persons.” Rotherham then goes out to trace the obvious connections with “berith” (covenant) in Exodus 24 and “diatheke” (covenant) in Mat 26:27,28 — as a guide to its meaning in the Letter to the Hebrews.

The point is obvious: If Christ were making a “last will and testament”, then it could only have effect if he remained dead. But he has been raised from the dead, to share in the benefits of the “diatheke”, indeed, to receive the benefits of the “diatheke” first of all for himself, before it could be for others. And so — since Christ is not dead, but gloriously and eternally alive — the whole idea of a testament and a testator breaks down totally when applied to him and the saints.

Christ therefore is being described here as the “covenant-victim” (cp Gen 15:17; Jer 34:18,19): his death — in addition to being a sacrifice for sins — was also the antitype of the death of the special animal called the “covenant-victim”. It was through this death that the new covenant was ratified (cp generally Luk 1:72,73; Rom 15:8; Acts 3:25,26).

Reading 1 – Josh 20:2,3

“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood” (Josh 20:2,3).

These six cities of refuge could guarantee one’s life for a time, but not for eternity. This only the seventh city of refuge (that is, Zion: Exo 21:13,14) can do. “We have a strong city, salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks” (Isa 26:1).

With three cities west of Jordan, and three east, spaced out from north to south, and the seventh city of refuge being Jerusalem, in the approximate center of the land, the whole seven cities of refuge may be compared, roughly, to the seven-branched lampstand, or menorah.

In the land of Canaan, cities of refuge were so arranged, that any man might reach one of them within half a day at the most. The main roads leading to each of the cities were strictly preserved, every river was bridged, and every obstruction removed, so that the man who fled might find an unimpeded path to the refuge. Once a year the city elders went along the roads and inspected them — nothing must cause the fugitive, through delay, to be overtaken and slain. How wonderfully do the promises of the gospel remove stumbling blocks from the way! Wherever there were side-roads and forks, there were erected signposts, with the inscription upon them — “This way to the city of refuge!”

Likewise, every ecclesia — and every member of every ecclesia — ought to stand ready to direct every “fugitive” to the ultimate place of safety. Signs should be erected, and nothing should be allowed to stand in the way: “This is the way to the cross of Christ, and to the gospel of saving truth. ‘Come unto Christ, and you will find rest!’ “

Reading 2 – Isa 26:20

“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by” (Isa 26:20).

This verse alludes to both the ark of Noah (Gen 7:16) and the passover of Moses (Exo 12:22,23) — the doors shut, the protecting presence of the angel of Yahweh, while all outside was hopelessness and death. But the most direct historical context is the action of Hezekiah who, when he received the threatening message from Sennacherib, promptly went to the house of God, secluding himself there to pray (Isa 37:1,14,15). Thus was Jerusalem made a strong city, the walls thereof appointed to salvation (Isa 26:1); and the people who fled to the city were protected from the Assyrian host by the Divine Hand. But the “chambers” of protection can be anywhere that a believer turns to God for help. So Jesus can exhort his followers: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Mat 6:6).

Jewish men wore a garment called a “talith”, “talis”, or “prayer shawl”, all the time, not just at prayer. “Talith” consists of two Hebrew words; “tal” (tent) and “ith” (little). Thus, each man had his own little tent. (The apostle Paul was a Jewish Pharisee, but also a tentmaker. Some believe that he made prayer shawls, not tents to live in.) Since all Jews could not worship in the Tent of Meeting at one time, God gave to each Jew his own private sanctuary where he could meet with God. In prayer, the man would pull it up over his head, forming a tent, where he could retreat to call upon Yahweh. It was intimate, private, and set apart from anyone else — enabling him to totally focus upon God. It was his prayer closet.

Reading 3 – Heb 10:25

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25).

Only two “rites” are absolutely commanded to the believer: baptism, and the Breaking of Bread. By the first we join God’s family, and by the second we regularly reaffirm our membership in this family.

It is surprising that there are any with full opportunity to attend regularly who are content to be at the Breaking of Bread just now and then. For this most important service is essentially a thanksgiving. A casual attitude toward it, with irregular attendance, in effect declares, “I am thankful to God for the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for me, but not much! And there are other things which I regard as being more important.”

Put down in black and white, this looks horrible. But is there really anything unfair about such a diagnosis?

Would there be such a careless attitude to the Table of the Lord if it were properly appreciated what this meeting can mean? Consider the familiar words, “My blood of the new covenant… shed… for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:28).

Here is the identical phrase which is used about our baptism into Christ. These two holy rites are designed to supplement one another. Baptism washes away every sin committed up to that moment. But — such is human frailty and human thinking — spotless robes of righteousness invariably begin to become drab and soiled. However, the disciple who lives by faith in Christ knows that with the Memorial Service comes remission (forgiveness) of sins. There the robe of righteousness resumes its original brightness.

Yet faced with such startling but delightful truths as these, there are some who are indifferent to this most important thing in life, and do not mind openly asserting, by their lack of enthusiasm, that this is how they feel!

From time to time, believers find themselves away from their homes, and their home ecclesias, on a Sunday. Such times are fine opportunities to get to know other Christadelphians, by attending memorial meetings of other ecclesias. A little foresight and planning before weekend trips or vacations can be spiritually rewarding, in experiencing at first hand the true worldwide family fellowship of our brotherhood. A week or two spent on business in a strange city far from home, rather than being a desolate and lonely time, can be a wonderful time of sharing with people who are truly “family” — family in a more meaningful sense, quite often, than one’s own natural family. As Jesus said,

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mat 12:48-50).

There will be times, of course, when it will be clearly impossible — or extremely difficult — to attend a Sunday meeting of Christadelphians. What should be done then? The partaking of the bread and wine, accompanied by suitable Bible readings and prayers, can be a tremendously fresh and rewarding experience — even for an individual or a couple temporarily isolated from all other spiritual companionship.

Reading 1 – Josh 22:29-33

When the tribes dwelling east of the Jordan River built their own, “outlaw” altar, it so incensed the other tribes that war seemed imminent. But when pressed on the matter, the eastern tribes offered an explanation:

” ‘Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle.’ When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community — the heads of the clans of the Israelites — heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, ‘Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’s hand.’ Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived” (Josh 22:29-33).

“Even in the days of drastic and summary punishment the approved leaders of Israel were willing to accept explanations of matters they judged to be wrong. When the altar was set up by the two tribes beyond Jordan, the rest of Israel prepared to make war on the apparent infidelity. But they gladly accepted the explanation that the altar was only intended as a witness and was in no sense to be used for worship contrary to God’s law. Was the building of this altar entirely justifiable or was it absolutely wrong and the explanation a subterfuge, or was it an act which could not be put in either extreme category? Unwise, indeed, in view of Israel’s weakness, but a pardonable error in view of the explanations?

“We might not all agree in judgment on the matter even now, with all the advantage distance lends in freeing the mind from bias and prejudice. It is possible that some in Israel thought the explanation unsatisfactory and lame. They all agreed, however, not to make war on their brethren, and assuredly they were right in that” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 2 – Isa 28:24-29

“When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?” (Isa 28:24).

“The farmer does not go on ploughing every day. It is not a non-stop operation. He does not keep at it all the year round (Isa 57:16; Psa 103:9). Instead, the ploughing finished, he carefully levels and smooths the soil. Then comes sowing time. And according to each crop that he plans there is a different operation, some seed being sown broadcast, and some in drills and rows, some planted individually, and some as marginal catch-crop. And why does He go about things in these diverse ways?….” (HAW, “Isaiah” 291). [This is answered in the next verses.]

“When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it. All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” (Isa 28:25-29).

“So also God does not always deal with the same individual (or nation) in the same way. Each man has his times when care, comfort, or encouragement are what are best for him. There are times also when hard discipline, rough tribulation and suffering are what he needs, but never wants… Even in this matter of discipline God knows better than to treat all men or nations alike. With consummate wisdom he handles each individual according to his need” (HAW, “Isaiah” 292).

Reading 3 – Heb 11:6

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6).

“Faith is honouring to God: and faith requires time for its exercise. God had made ‘great and precious promises’ to the fathers: and He tried them by not specifying time and causing them to wait long. ‘And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise’ (Heb 6:15). Let us not weary under a similar test: ‘a patient continuance in well doing’ is the revealed rule of our acceptance (Rom 2:7), and this means a long time of waiting with nothing to rely on but confidence in the pledged word of Yahweh, that is, faith, ‘without which, it is impossible to please Him’ (Heb 11:6). By such a process, we shall be prepared for a place among the tried sons of God, with whom we shall be enabled to say at the last, ‘Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation’ (Isa 25:9)” (Robert Roberts, “Ways of Providence” 35).

Reading 1 – Josh 24:14,15

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:14,15).

“We must choose wisdom and reject folly. We are faced with this choice every moment of our lives. All our thoughts, words and actions fall into one category or the other. They will all naturally be in the category of folly (and death) if we do not consciously and deliberately place them in the category of wisdom (and life). This is the constant battle against the diabolos — the devil — our natural selves. This is the required overcoming: ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things.’ He that does not overcome shall not inherit anything. The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. We must diligently build up the Spirit’s lust (desire) by study and meditation and prayer, so that it is stronger than the flesh’s lust” (GV Growcott).

Reading 2 – Isa 29:20,21

“The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down — those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice” (Isa 29:20,21).

“It comes out the worst when a man is half conscious of having a weak case and is making desperate efforts to convince himself that he does well to be angry. If he believes in the Bible he needs then to remember that all who watch for iniquity and make a man an offender for a word shall be cut off (Isa 29 : 20). It is usually an easy matter to collect reports derogatory to any man or any body of men. There is quite a temptation to use these ‘make weights’ in time of controversy, especially if the original cause of dispute is slight. One on the defensive can be kept busy chasing the false reports and unfair interpretations, but never succeeding in catching one before the next is on the wing.

“In a court of law a litigant is tied down to the actual charge. It is useless for him to try to fatten out his suit by all sorts of complaints remote from the original accusation. We are free from any such legal restrictions now, but it is well to remember that we have to go before a judgment seat far more searching than any ever set up by man, and for ‘every idle word’ that we have spoken we shall have to give account. Do not let us watch for iniquity, then, either in those we accuse of specific errors or in those who accuse us. Such watching inevitably leads to countless idle and evil words” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – Heb 12:11

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless AFTERWARD it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb 12:11).

“How happy are tried Christians, AFTERWARDS. No calm more deep than that which succeeds a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain? Victorious banquets are for well-exercised soldiers. After killing the lion we eat the honey… Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them ‘afterwards’… See, then, the happy estate of a Christian! He has his best things last, and he therefore in this world receives his worst things first. But even his worst things are ‘afterward’ good things, harsh ploughings yielding joyful harvests. Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied; if, then, his grievous afflictions yield him so much peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be the full vintage of joy ‘afterwards’? If his dark nights are as bright as the world’s days, what shall his days be? If even his starlight is more splendid than the sun, what must his sunlight be? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in God’s Kingdom! If he can praise the Lord in the fires, how will he extol Him before the eternal throne! If evil be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of God be to him then? Oh, blessed ‘afterward’! Who would not be a Christian? Who would not bear the present cross for the crown which cometh afterwards? But herein is work for patience, for the rest is not for today, nor the triumph for the present, but AFTERWARDS” (CHS).

Reading 1 – Judges

Notice, as you read through the book of Judges, how in so many ways it forms a contrast (and an unpleasant one at that!) with the previous book of Joshua.

Joshua and Judges contrasted:

But, in Judges, whereas the nation as a whole fails, many times and miserably, God still brings deliverance and salvation. And, in the Book, He is often seen to act by the most insignificant and ordinary means. The “little” instruments which He uses include:

A left hand and a dagger (Jdg 3:15,16). An ox-goad (Jdg 3:31). A tent-peg (Jdg 4:21,22). A woman (Jdg 5:7). 300 men with pitchers and lamps (Jdg 7:6-16). A woman and a stone (Jdg 9:53). A social outcast (Jdg 11:2,3). The jawbone of an ass (Jdg 15:16). 300 foxes with firebrands (Jdg 15:4).

And thus the Almighty demonstrates that His strength is made perfect in the weakness of His servants, so that no flesh should glory in the presence of God (1Co 1:27; 2Co 12:9).

Reading 2 – Isa 30:21

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ” (Isa 30:21).

“We must get our joy and satisfaction in God and from God. It is not just wrong to get it elsewhere: it is impossible. The real thing doesn’t exist anywhere else. God is Light, and the only Light. God is Love, and the only Love. God is Life, and the only Life.

“The disciples were often childish and limited as they followed Christ, but they had one thing perfectly straight in their minds, and it was the root of everything else: there’s just nowhere else to go. All other roads are at last dead ends. Most people spend their lives running away from reality, and seeking substance where there is only shadow; seeking permanence where there is only brevity and dissolution; seeking security in that which is inherently insecure; seeking peace and satisfaction down a seemingly pleasing road that must inevitably end in the dark swamp of sorrow and emptiness, and — if there is enough mental capacity then left to comprehend the tragedy — in bitter remorse and regret.

“There is only one high, narrow, hard way out of it all, to eternity and peace and life: total dedication of this life to God, total swallowing up of this life in Christ. The vast majority go the wrong way. That’s tragic. Many go toward the right way, but not far enough. That’s even more tragic. Let us realize the infinite bigness and glory of it. It must loom so large to us as to overwhelm and dominate our every thought and action — or we haven’t really gotten close enough to it yet for its mighty, irresistible gravity to draw us totally into itself. Why go just part way toward God and glory?” (GVG).

Reading 3 – Heb 13:4

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Heb 13:4).

“Filth, corruption, immorality, unrestrained fleshly lust: these become more and more ‘normal’ for the cesspool of modern society in which we live. Marriage making and breaking at whim: living together in adultery without marriage. The statistics of fornication among teenagers, and even sub-teenagers, are appalling. It was for these filthy things the Canaanites and Sodomites were wiped out, and God has not lessened His fiery and holy indignation against all such animal depravities. It is a time of great peril for the ecclesias. Without constant vigilance, we are certain to be affected in our thinking by the vast weight of the corrupt world pressing in upon us. True, we see these things as ‘wrong,’ but the constant familiarity dulls the sense of outrage and disgust and alarm. Our children are brought into continuous contact with this vile atmosphere in the schools. There are ‘decent’ people left in the world around us, but their numbers and influence and authority are shrinking rapidly before the rising tide of filth. And the teaching class, as a whole, like the news media, are in the vanguard of the downward march to bestiality, under the plea of ’emancipation’ and ‘enlightenment.’ What can we do? The very least we can do is to speak out very plainly; not to countenance these vile abominations for a moment; to make our disgust and disapproval very clear; and — regardless of closeness of relationship — to faithfully try to protect our ecclesias and our children from any contact with those who deliberately choose to trample God’s holy law in the mire of the world’s pig-pen. Let us be motivated totally by the Spirit and in no measure by the flesh. Let us stand up for purity and holiness!” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Jdg 2:12,13

“They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (Jdg 2:12,13).

“The names are given as samples of the male and female deities Israel became prone to reverence — Baal (Lord, Master), an equivalent of Adonai, also means Husband, and thus the name served to emphasise the sexual character of the rites practised. Properly understood, the name could be used significantly of the God of Israel (eg, Jer 31:32). Yet the time came when this use of it was proscribed because of its evil associations (Hos 2:16,17)… ‘Ashtaroth’ (KJV) is the plural (or, rather, dual) form of the name Ishtar, Venus, with reference to the appearances of that bright shining planet as both morning and evening star. The fuller title Ashtaroth-Karnaim (of the two horns) suggests that even without telescopes they knew of the crescent appearance of Venus. This name Ashtaroth is not to be confused with the Asherah (plural: Asheroth), commonly translated ‘the groves’. These were phallic symbols of the kind which have survived as a feature of eastern architecture. The name means The Way to Happiness. It serves to illustrate that the modern glorification of sex is only a revival in more sophisticated form of the old nature religions, which rotted the nation life of Israel. When the records say that Israel ‘went a-whoring after other gods’, this is more than a mere figure of speech. ‘Ships sink not by being in the water, but by the water getting into them,’ writes Fausset trenchantly. God ‘of our pleasant vices makes instruments to scourge us’ ” (Harry Whittaker, “Judges”).

Reading 2 – Isa 31:5

“Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it” (Isa 31:5).

The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exo 12:13,23,27, where the LORD “passes over” (ie, ‘spares’) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun for “Passover’ is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the LORD will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies. Passover was the time of Sennacherib’s overthrow: Isa 30:29; 26:20,21; 29:1; 52:12; 37:36; Psa 102:13; Isa 36:10; Joel 2:23.

Reading 3 – James 1:27

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jam 1:27).

“Threskeia” = religion in its ceremonial observances — as to external acts or rituals. For James — the “ceremonial” observances of true religion have little if anything to do with what we might call the “act” of worship — sitting, standing, praying, singing, speaking, etc — and most or all to do with the practical faith of helping others! James is telling us: ‘Don’t go to the synagogue or temple or ecclesial meeting hall to look for pure religion… look for it in the simple deeds of everyday life!’

“If our ‘religion’ does not move us powerfully to put away all selfishness, and create in us a great desire to ‘do good to all men,’ then it is not ‘pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father’. Truly, our conception of what constitutes ‘doing good’ must be enlightened and guided by spiritual wisdom and scriptural instruction; but the underlying motive force for all we do must be a zealous love for all, and a desire to help all, rooted in the love of God who points this out to us as the only possible Way of life” (GV Growcott).

TO LOOK AFTER ORPHANS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR DISTRESS: KJV has “to visit”, but the word plainly means much, much more than simply to ‘drop by to say hello’! In fact, James elsewhere disparages the attitude of merely speaking pleasant words while doing nothing, really, to help the one who is hungry or otherwise in need: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (Jam 2:14-17).

The Greek is “episkeptomai” = to oversee: James is citing the words of Jesus in Mat 25:36,43: “[The King will say]… I was sick and you visited — or looked after (sw) — me.” The verb is related to the word for “bishop” (KJV) or “overseer” in Act 20:28; 1Ti 3:1,2; Tit 1:7; 1Pe 2:25; it signifies one who watches over — as a shepherd watches over his flock — with the connotations of protecting, feeding, and otherwise providing for. There are plainly both material and spiritual implications to this word:

Material, in the sense that “orphans and widows” signify those who may be in need of “feeding” and financial assistance, and God requires us to provide for them (Deu 10:18; 24:17,19-21; 26:12,13; etc) — the beautiful story of Ruth, a whole Book in the Bible, is primarily devoted to demonstrating how one may “visit” the widows; and Spiritual, in the sense that “orphans and widows” are those who have been deprived of fathers or husbands, and may need the guidance and instruction that such should provide. In short, the “shepherd” or “overseer” should provide natural food as well as spiritual “food”, as needed. It is instructive to note that in James’ exhortation there is no restricting of such duties to ecclesial “elders” or even to brothers: it is the duty of all believers to act as “overseers”, and to help those who are in need.

The word “visit” may also signify to preach the gospel — carrying the idea of spiritual instruction, mentioned above, back further: All the world are as “orphans” (they lack a real “Father”!) and “widows” (they lack a real “Husband”). The true practitioner of “religion” will “visit” them to show them the way of life. In Act 15:14 James (is it the same James?) says: “Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit (sw) the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.” Perhaps the ultimate act of pure religion is to help another in spiritual need find the Saviour! Why stop at giving a simple piece of bread when one can give another the One who is the Bread of Life? Why stop at “healing” a flu or virus when one can offer the dying man the ultimate “healing” of eternal life?