Reading 1 – Lev 27:30

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD” (Lev 27:30).

Originally, the fathers gave tithes voluntarily (Gen 14:20; Heb 7:4). Under the Law of Moses, tithing was compulsory, but in Christ it should be treated as it was by Abraham and Jacob (Gen 14:20; 28:22), and probably by others. Using an analogy from the Law — about not muzzling the ox who treads out the grain — Paul encourages giving to support and aid preachers of the gospel in their work (1Co 9). And again he writes, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor” (Gal 6:6). But nowhere in the New Testament is tithing commanded.

Reading 2 – Psa 141:4

“Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies” (Psa 141:4).

It was at a special religious feast at Hebron that Absalom solicited and received support, and proclaimed himself king — rebelling against his father David (2Sa 15:7-12).

This suggests Jesus’ wariness at the social invitations offered him by the Pharisees, whose intent was to watch him closely and if possible catch him off guard (eg Luk 14:1).

To share the close friendly “table” fellowship of certain sorts of men is to become, first by small degrees and then more and more by wholesale lots, like them. In certain social settings, the general standards of courtesy forbid men to express exception to what they see and hear, which at other times they would resolutely shun. And so, almost subconsciously, “bad company ruins good morals” (1Co 15:33) — and the best of men, unless they are constantly on their guard, tend to turn into the sort of people which mere formality “compels” them to put up with. How dangerous such “polite” associations with worldly men can be!

Reading 3 – Luk 10:19

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luk 10:19).

This promise can be understood either literally (cp Mark 16:18; Acts 28:3-6), or figuratively — the serpent being symbolic, and “Satan” (Luk 10:18) being indicative of unrepentant Capernaum (Luk 10:15). Perhaps both ideas have their place. However, no matter which, the words of Jesus are obviously based upon Gen 3:15. The “seed of the woman” has power to crush underfoot the serpent, and he has committed that power also to his servants.

Symbolically, in their own lives now, his followers must “tread upon” the subtle “serpents” of their own natures, thus overcoming the pull of the flesh by the power of Christ’s spirit. And in the future, they will be empowered from on high to tread underfoot, without harm, both literal serpents… and the political and religious institutions of which the serpent was the symbol.

The promise of Gen 1:28, that man will have dominion over the earth, and over the living creature that moves on the ground, is fulfilled in the first instance by Jesus himself (Psa 8:2,6,8), and secondly becomes a promise to all believers in him, that ultimately all things will be put in subjection under their feet. The promise to the seventy here in Luk 10:19 was the down-payment, or pledge — the first installment, as it were, upon the complete fulfillment of these great and precious promises.

Reading 1 – Num 1:18,19

“They called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people indicated their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, as the LORD commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai” (Num 1:18,19).

This was for the purpose of taking a census of the whole congregation. A census was the means by which the place of each individual would be legally fixed within the nation. Why would such a thing be necessary?

The whole nation might be properly ordered in regard to the sanctuary and divine worship (Num 2:32,33). In the encampment itself, each tribe would be fixed in its relation to all other tribes, and each family within a tribe would be fixed in relation to all other families (Num 2:34). The fighting men needed to be organized, in the event of battles upcoming. The proper order might be observed in the coming invasion and settlement of the Promised Land (Jos 13:31-33). Each tribe would need to be situated in its own inheritance once they reached the Promised Land.

The principles embodied in this census are carried over into the LORD’s instructions for His ecclesia in New Testament times — where “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1Co 14:40).

Reading 2 – Psa 143:2

“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you” (Psa 143:2).

The first phrase means, ‘Do not enter into legal proceedings with your servant’ (the same phrase occurs in Job 9:32; 14:3; Ecc 11:9; 12:14). God DOES enter into strict judgment with those who are NOT His true servants (Mat 5:26; 18:34) — but not with those who are His believing and obedient servants (Mat 18:27). This is David’s humble acknowledgment of being at fault (and his request for mercy) in his lapses of faith.

Since Jesus had committed no sin (John 8:46; 1Pe 2:22-25), it was not possible that he could be held bound by the bands of death (Acts 2:24). In his case, then, the judgment or condemnation upon all men — leading to death (Rom 5:12) — must of necessity give way to blessing and reward.

Similar language — to the effect that all men are under “sin” — occurs in Psa 51:5; 130:3; and is quoted by Paul in Rom 3:9,20,23; Gal 2:16. (Also see Job 4:17; 9:2; 14:4; 25:4; Ecc 7:20.)

FOR NO ONE LIVING IS RIGHTEOUS BEFORE YOU: In this phrase, the key word is “living”: “No man LIVING can be justified!” Even Jesus must die so as to destroy, completely and finally, the latent power of “sin” that dwelt within him. And so even the perfectly righteous man — who never committed any sin — could not be “justified” so long as he lived: his work was not finished until his sacrificial life was sealed by a sacrificial death.

Reading 3 – Luk 11:5-7

“Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him’ ” (Luk 11:5,6).

“The friend who came on his journey with ‘nothing’ refers to the disciples whom Jesus had sent out on their journey with nothing (Luk 9:3). When He told them to ‘eat such things as are set before you’ (Luk 10:8), he did not just mean they should not be picky about their food. He used the same word in Luk 11:6 to describe how the faithful friend ‘set [food] before’ his visitor. As they travelled around, the disciples were to be received in the way he was describing. Those in that early brotherhood of believers who received and supported them were to do so knowing that these brethren were in their turn responding to human need, and they could be fellow-helpers in the gospel’s work by showing hospitality. John says just the same: ‘Because that for his name’s sake they went forth [alluding to the great commission to go into all the world], taking nothing of the Gentiles [ie the unbelievers]. We therefore ought to help receive such, that we might be fellow-helpers to the truth” (3Jo 1:7,8)” (Duncan Heaster).

*****

“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything’ ” (Luk 11:7).

“The Lord will one day come to us at midnight, and the unworthy will not open to Him (Song 5:2, etc). And right now he stands at the door and knocks (Rev 3:20). The rejected will know what it is like to stand knocking at the Lord’s shut door and be unanswered (Mat 25:10; Luk 13:25). He surely intended us to make such links within His teachings. The message is quite clear — those who can’t be bothered to respond to the knocking of others, who refuse to feel for others in their desperation, are the ones who will then come to know just how that feels, as in ultimate spiritual desperation they hammer at the Lord’s door. From this it surely follows that in our response to the desperation of others, we are working out our own eternal destiny” (DH).

Reading 1 – Num 2:1,2

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ‘The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family’ ” (Num 2:1,2).

Every man’s “tent” (that is, all his family and possessions) was to be situated with reference to the “tent” of Yahweh, that is, the tabernacle of His glory. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Mat 6:33). The spiritual lesson for us is surely this: choose your home — and make all your arrangements, work and social life, and so forth — with reference to the ecclesial meeting place and the activities there. Arrange the rest of your life around the place of meeting with your God and your brothers and sisters — and you will be not far from the kingdom of God. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mat 6:21).

Reading 2 – Psa 145:18

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psa 145:18).

“No man will reach the kingdom without prayer, and prayer to be effectual must proceed from lips which are sincere and upright. God will not hear those who keep not His commandments (Pro 15:29; Psa 66:18). The prayers of the disobedient are worse than useless, they are an abomination in God’s ears (Pro 28:9). Let us then examine ourselves, and pray simply, fervently, unceasingly. Let us pay no heed to the objections of men who tell us that prayer is beneath the notice of a Great Creator, that it is superfluous, and, if answered, would mean a violation of Nature’s laws. Till the Bible is demolished we can afford to leave such objections severely alone. The Bible is full of encouragement in the matter of prayer. Hannah prayed for a child, and got one (1Sa 1:11,20); Abraham’s servant prayed for a good wife for Isaac, and met with a favourable response (Gen 24). Much that is beyond the power of finite man to see and grasp has to be taken into account before his prayer can be answered. We sometimes forget this when things do not go just as we would wish. Let us remember, too, that this is a day for walking by faith, and that all prayer is answered in harmony with this divine arrangement” (AT Jannaway).

Reading 3 – Luk 12:15

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luk 12:15).

The headlong pursuit after cars, well-furnished houses, and an array of sports equipment and amusement devices does not, in itself, guarantee happiness. ‘If only I had… such-and-such, and so-and-so… things would be so much better’ is a view of the world which underlies the appeal of lotteries, TV give-away programs and advertisements. It is a mistake to think that the more one has, the better things will be. What is required is a determination to live within one’s income and to have the right perspective on this world’s goods. No less a prophet than Elisha was furnished with only a bed, lamp, table, and chair!

Reading 1 – Num 33

“This serves as a summary of the whole journeyings during 40 years from Egypt to the Jordan. Omitting the starting point in Egypt, and the final camp by the Jordan, there are 40 camps listed. Quite a number are not found elsewhere in Scripture, and some today cannot be definitely located. But that is not surprising. Pilgrims and travelers do not leave the kind of remains that archaeologists can use to make specific identifications. In many cases, the names given were supplied by the Israelites themselves, being derived from some small local peculiarity or crisis in their wanderings. These names, therefore, can provide a hint as to the circumstances of the Israelites at the various points of their wanderings. The chapter divides them into four stages: (1) from Egypt to Sinai (vv 1-15); (2) from Sinai to Kadesh (vv 16,17); (3) from Kadesh to Kadesh again — the 38 years of wanderings (vv 18-36); and (4) from Kadesh to Moab and the Jordan (vv 37-49). The chapter concludes with the final instructions and exhortation of Moses on the plain of Moab (vv 50-56)” (HP Mansfield, “Christadelphian Expositor”).

Reading 2 – Pro 24:33,34

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” (Pro 24:33,34).

“The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of thorough idleness. A little folding of the hands to sleep is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles the day ebbs out, and the time for labour is all gone, and the field is grown over with thorns.

“It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They have no intention to delay for years — a few months will bring the more convenient season — tomorrow if you will, they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg to be excused. Like sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers.

“Oh, to be wise, to catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, for otherwise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us, eternal poverty. Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, poverty overtakes the slothful, and ruin overthrows the undecided: each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer; he pauses not by the way, for he is on his master’s business and must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and power, so shall want come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no escape. O that men were wise betimes, and would seek diligently unto the Lord Jesus, or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to plough and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is vain to lament that the seed time was neglected” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 3 – John 6:45

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ [Isa 54:13] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me” (John 6:45).

“The people of God are ever anxious to learn. They have no time for or patience with foolishness. They do not want to be amused, or excited, or entertained — they want to be taught. They are ever eager to learn more about God and His Word — what He has said, and what He has done — the marvelous and beautiful kaleidoscope of divine and human events from Adam in Eden to John in Patmos. They never have time hanging on their hands. They never have ‘nothing to do’ — the pitiful bane of empty, infantile minds. All the spare time in their busy, active lives is given to study and meditation on the wonders of the Word. They begrudge time spent — even necessarily — on present, passing things: though, in love and faith, and stumbling, slow-learning patience, they realize that these things too, if necessary, can equally be a service to, and communion with, their loving Father” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Num 34

“This section describes the borders of the land of Canaan which Yahweh is about to make available to the Israelites for their possession. However, the area defined was never fully occupied by Israel, simply because the tribes never fulfilled the conditions imposed. The Book of Joshua records that, though Joshua’s victories made it possible for each of the tribes to obtain its inheritance, they lacked the faith and courage to completely do it. After his death, the people compromised with the remaining Canaanites, and so ruined their opportunity of inheriting the land promised…

“The chapter is divided into six sections: (1) South border (vv 1-5); (2) West border (v 6); (3) North border (vv 7-9); (4) East border (vv 10-13); (5) Transjordan area (vv 14,15); (6) the leaders appointed to divide the land by lot (vv 16-29)” (HP Mansfield, “Christadelphian Expositor”).

Reading 2 – Pro 25:2

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings” (Pro 25:2).

“We should not have anticipated this thought, but all experience shows that it is fundamentally true. Men have often found that all their attempts to understand the laws of Nature have only opened up a vista of increased complexity. Last century the materialists were in the ascendant and for a time imagined that they were on the point of explaining everything. Now they are discredited and it is acknowledged that the universe is far more mysterious than our forefathers ever imagined. Last century the food experts thought that they knew all about the subject of nutrition; then, through the practical failure of their theories, vitamins were discovered, and now experts, who certainly know far more than their predecessors, admit, as Mr Eustace Miles once wrote: ‘We really know very little about the matter.’ At one time the ductless glands of the body were regarded as useless, now they are found to be so mysteriously important that some investigators have claimed that they are practically everything.

“As in Nature so in the written Word, God has concealed things and has called upon His servants to exercise their minds in searching for the treasures of divine wisdom. It has always been ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.’ Faithful men and women try to put the littles together and in the process find the mental exercise which brings their minds nearer to God” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – John 7:22,23

“Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?” (John 7:22,23).

This point of the Law of Moses seems to have been given for the specific purpose of showing that the Law itself could be superseded — that is, that one requirement of the Law might override another. And if this were a possibility — then might not a different Law override, or supersede, the whole?

Therefore, Jesus makes the point: to heal a man, truly and completely, by teaching him the way of life is to bring the true Sabbath “rest” — of which the whole Law of Moses was merely the shadow.

Reading 1 – Num 35:6-34

Six of the 48 Levitical cities — three east and three west of the Jordan — were set apart as “cities of refuge,” for the unintentional manslayer. These cities were for the protection of the accidental manslayer, but it must not be imagined that the simple plea of unintentional homicide afforded safety. The law specified that the roads to these cities were always to be kept in good repair. But, according to v 25 (cp Jos 20:4), a seeker for sanctuary would, on arriving at the gates of a city of refuge, first have to plead his cause before the elders of that city. If they accepted his case, they would give him provisional protection. If, however, afterwards, the “avenger of blood” claimed his extradition, the accused person would be sent back under proper protection to his own city, where the whole case would be thoroughly investigated. If the homicide was then proved to have been unintentional, the accused would be restored to the “city of refuge,” and enjoy its protection, till the death of the high priest set him free to return to his own city.

As for the duty of “avenging blood,” its principle is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, and traced up to the relation in which God stands to our world. For, the blood of man, who is made in God’s image, when shed upon earth, which is God’s property, “cries out” to God (Gen 4:10) — it claims payment like an unredeemed debt. Hence the expression “avenger of blood,” which should be literally rendered “redeemer of blood.”

Symbolically, the cities of refuge are the place of God’s merciful protection. There, the manslayer was to find a refuge, sheltered, as it were, under the wings of the grace of God, till the complete remission of the punishment at the death of the high priest. This death foreshadows the death of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who has made a perfect covering for all sins.

Reading 2 – Pro 26:17

“Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own” (Pro 26:17).

“Adults often reveal less capacity for learning than children. They have the advantage of books containing all the accumulated wisdom of mankind, and beyond all this and permeating a great deal of it, there is the instruction that has come direct from God, yet the knowledge is very little used. Life is full of avoidable evils through men ignoring principles or rules of conduct which are perfectly well known, and which have had their wisdom demonstrated in every generation.

“Sometimes the individual failure is so obvious that almost all observers smile at it. I recall… instances of this kind in which the facts were related by the victim when sufficient time had passed for him to join in the amusement… a young man, when returning home one night, chanced to pass a low part of the city where there was a quarrel between man and wife. The young fellow, perceiving that the woman was being ill-treated, gallantly went to her assistance. He was, as he expressed it, ‘getting on very nicely’ in his contest with the man when the ungrateful woman came up behind and hit her champion on the head with a saucepan. According to his own account, the young man spent a carefree hour in the gutter before he came back to consciousness of this painful life. Then, as he limped slowly homeward, he began dimly to recall to memory certain maxims regarding the unwisdom of meddling with strife that does not belong to us” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – John 8:29

“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29).

“Have only one motive in life: to please God. Get all your pleasure and satisfaction from that. It will, at one stroke, eliminate 90% of your ‘problems,’ and ALL your inner ‘unhappiness.’ Don’t seek praise. Don’t seek status with others. Don’t seek advancement. Don’t seek THINGS. All these pursuits are happiness-robbers. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor pride with praise, nor lust with possession. All these are ashes in the mouth at last. Even of themselves they are stupid, but as set against and displacing spiritual motives and pursuits, they are pure suicide. Check every thought and word, and ask: ‘Will this please God? Could I at this moment be pleasing Him better?’ This wonderfully pacifies and harmonizes and unifies life, and gives it purpose. Set the goal of your life to bring every thought into harmony with this, and to eliminate everything out of harmony with it. This is success” (GVG).

Reading 1 – Num 36:1-12

The proposed division of the land — suggested by the census in Num 26 — brought up a special question of considerable importance to Israel. Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead, had died — not in any special judgment, but along with the whole generation that perished in the wilderness. He had left no sons, and his daughters were anxious to obtain a “possession,” lest their father’s name should be lost among his family. By Divine direction, which Moses had sought, their request was granted, and it became a judicial statute in Israel ever after: that daughters or — in their absence — the nearest kinsman should enter upon the inheritance of those who died without leaving sons, and should if possible raise up that would carry on the name of the one who had died.

In all such cases, of course, the children of those who obtained the possession would have to be incorporated, not with the tribe to which they originally belonged, but with that in which their “inheritance” lay. Thus the “name” of a man would not “be done away from among his family.” Nor was this statute recorded merely on account of its national bearing, but for higher reasons. The desire to preserve the name of a family in Israel sprang not merely from feelings natural in such circumstances, but was connected with the hope of the coming Messiah. Until he appeared, each family would desire to preserve its identity, and its legitimate claim to its own special portion of the Land of Promise.

Reading 2 – Pro 27:17

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Pro 27:17).

“This suggests that even those of equal knowledge and ability can sharpen each other. It is not necessary to have a qualified teacher to enable us to learn. A man’s ideas are ‘right in his own eyes, but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.’ The neighbour may not be of equal calibre with the one he so ‘searches’ and yet his criticisms may be of great value. The original idea may need a good deal of modification to make it sound, and the explanatory words may need much clarifying to make them fully intelligible. We may often be surprised at the failure of our friends to appreciate a good thought or to understand language which seems perfectly clear to us. If we are to render service our thoughts must be such as can be appreciated and our language must be easy to understand. A very humble critic may serve us well by misunderstanding us, if he tells us of his difficulties” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – John 9:7

” ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:7).

So he was sent to wash, even though he could not as yet see!

“Our blind eyes are touched by the ointment prepared by the mingling of the dust of the ground with the moisture from the mouth of him who was sent from heaven. But this does not cure us. We receive the command to go and wash in the waters of Apostleship (John is careful to point out that Siloam means Sent). It is a long and difficult journey. Some do not undertake it at all; some begin only to give it up and resume their begging at the gate. Often it is made shorter and easier by the friendly guidance of one who can see. It is the responsibility of all enlightened ones to listen for the tapping of the stick and the cry to be directed to the waters of Siloam. But faith and obedience are rewarded. With the washing of the waters we enter a new world illuminated by the Sun of Righteousness. This may mean estrangement, persecution and sacrifice, but it will also be an opportunity for witness and loyalty. Jesus will know. He will seek us out and invite us into a fellowship so deep and abiding that all the former relationships are like the phantom sounds and movements of the dark world from which we have been delivered” (Melva Purkis, “A Life of Jesus” 240,241).

Reading 1 – Deu 1:38

“But your [Moses’] assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter [the Land of promise]. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it” (Deu 1:38).

“God employs His people to encourage one another. He did not say to an angel, ‘Gabriel, my servant Joshua is about to lead my people into Canaan — go, encourage him.’ God never works needless miracles; if His purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, He will not use miraculous agency. Gabriel would not have been half so well fitted for the work as Moses. A brother’s sympathy is more precious than an angel’s embassy. The angel would better know the Master’s bidding than the people’s temper. An angel would never have experienced the hardness of the road, nor seen the fiery serpents, nor led the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness as Moses had done.

“We should be glad that God usually works for man by man. It forms a bond of brotherhood, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused more completely into one family.

“Brethren, labour to help others, and especially strive to encourage them. Talk cheerily to the young and anxious enquirer, lovingly try to remove stumblingblocks out of his way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel down and blow it into a flame. Leave the young believer to discover the roughness of the road by degrees, but tell him of the strength which dwells in God, of the sureness of the promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim to comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the desponding. Speak a word in season to him that is weary, and encourage those who are fearful to go on their way with gladness” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 2 – Pro 28:19

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty” (Pro 28:19).

“This thought applies not only to the tilling of the land but to all humble callings which will give bread. From such humble security men are lured in every year that passes, and many of them follow vain persons to poverty and sorrow. Closely following this passage — in the next verse [Pro 28:20] — we have the warning against making haste to be rich.

“The exhortation is needed now as much as ever. Often those who are most bitter in their criticisms of the rich are those who have tried hastily and unsuccessfully to follow in their wake. The Government has had to warn people against ‘share pushers’. All such swindlers use a golden bait, and it is surprising how many people who ought to know better have succumbed to their blandishments. There are still plenty of fraudulent enterprises even on the right side of the law, and men ready to take the money of those who ‘make haste to be rich’ ” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – John 11

“We turn to Christ in our moments of suffering and trial. Our need is enough for his love. But sometimes he remains away and we do not understand the message he sends. The crisis comes and goes. Perhaps we are left grief-stricken and alone. But one day we shall hear the summons, ‘The master is come. He calls for you.’ Before the open grave he will show us that he is the resurrection and the life… then we shall see the completed pattern of our lives, and we shall know that the sorrow and the suffering made up the fulness of his love” (M Purkis, “Life of Jesus” 276).

*****

“When Jesus heard that [the illness of Lazarus], he said, This sickness is not unto death” (John 11:4, AV). What a strange thing to say… for of course Lazarus WAS going to die! And this message would have been carried back to Mary and Martha, and given them perhaps a false sense of hope.

But, even though Lazarus DID die, Jesus was still correct. Lazarus might pass THROUGH death, but death was not to be the final end of his sickness. Jesus knew this too!

There IS a limit to every human suffering, and “the limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. ‘He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men’ [Lam 3:33]. A mother’s heart cries, ‘Spare my child’; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation, that He who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation” (CHS).

And even though Lazarus died, his sickness was not “unto death”.

And even though he died AGAIN (quite possibly at the hands of evil men bent on removing his “witness” to the One who was “the resurrection and the life”), THAT death was not “unto death” either! Not really.

No death of any saint is “unto death”.

The voice whispers in our hearts: “Rejoice, I have conquered death. I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

*****

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies’ ” (John 11:25).

“All through life the sad story of bereavement goes on. As the leaves are torn from the trees by the rude storm, so those whom we love are plucked away from us. Were it not for the hope that we have in Jesus, these losses would be infinitely sad, without any alleviation. The death of a dear friend is a cause of deep sorrow; such is instinctive — Jesus wept over the tomb of Lazarus. But the sorrow of those who belong to Christ is a sorrow chastened by faith and cheered by hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Those who have fallen asleep in him are not lost for ever; those of you who mourn the loss of a loved one or a dear friend, grasp hold of the imperishable reality, that in the day of resurrection hand will clasp hand again and heart will clasp heart in reunion. The grave is only Winter, and after Winter comes Spring with its wonderful resurrections, in which everything beautiful that seemed lost, springs forth into life” (A Higginson, “Christadelphian” 115:105).

Reading 1 – Deu 2:15

“The LORD’S hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp” (Deu 2:15).

This was the “pruning” (which is the meaning of “Zered”: cp v 13) of the murmurers over 38 years. “His power was exerted in a way of wrath and vengeance on them, for their murmurings at the report of the spies; and therefore, it is no wonder they were consumed, for strong is His hand, and high is His right hand; and when lifted up it falls heavy, and there is no standing up under it, or against it: it smote them with one disease or another, or brought one judgment or another upon them: as the sword of Amalek, by which many were cut off, and the plague at Shittim in the plains of Moab, in which died 24,000; besides the destruction of Korah and his company, which was quickly after the affair of the spies, and the plague at that time, of which died 14,700; and thus, by one stroke after another, he went on to destroy them from among the host until they were consumed, even all of them but two” (John Gill).

Reading 2 – Pro 29:20

“Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Pro 29:20).

“We can bring ourselves into line if we frequently raise the question: what is our aim in speaking? Speech may be with the object of giving instruction, or putting questions to receive instruction, or it may be in the ordinary amenities of social life. We can think of nothing else unless it is mere self-expression, a talk for the love of talking. Where is there room for any ill-feeling to be expressed in any of these opportunities for speech? In the ordinary amenities of life there is surely every reason for good feelings which may be revealed freely with only good effects. If anyone is so unfortunate as to find ill-feeling at home, then a desperate effort should be made to avoid any aggravation of it. Words provocative of anger are always out of place in the home, but they are especially to be deprecated when such provocation has already begun. If a little fire started in a dry corner of the house, no man would be fool enough to throw petrol on it. It is strange that men should often be so ready to feed that more terrible flame, which, as the apostle James says, is set on fire of hell. Homes have been wrecked and lives made sad by the folly of hasty and ill-tempered speech. It is perfectly true, as the wise man says, that there is more hope for a fool than for a man who is hasty in his words” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – John 12:8

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:8).

It has been said: “Since Jesus said, ‘The poor you have with you always’ (John 12:8), and we cannot change the world, why should we bother trying?”. But Jesus did not say, “Forget the poor because they are always there.” He said, in effect, “You will always have opportunities to help the poor.” When Jesus was present, his followers lavished gifts upon him, and they did well. But now that he is absent, we may forget that we can give gifts to Jesus just as well by helping his poor brethren. Who would ignore the needs of the Master? But now he sits at the right hand of God, and he no longer needs the cup of cold water, the food, the clothing. But someone else — who bears his holy name, or might — does!

Reading 1 – Deu 3:27

“Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan” (Deu 3:27).

The Law — typified by Moses its giver — had to be crucified, or put to death, before “Joshua” (or “Jesus”, as in the New Testament) could enter the Promised Land. But, like Abraham, Moses the faithful man was shown the land he would later possess (Gen 13:14,15). It was wonderfully merciful of Yahweh that Moses — his eye undimmed — might be allowed such a vision of what will surely be his future glory with his Saviour and ours: an eternal inheritance in the Land of Promise, after his resurrection from the dead.

Reading 2 – Pro 30:8

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Pro 30:8).

In the materialistic age in which we sojourn, we see all around us both men and women striving for greater things, seeking better work conditions, better pay, a better position in society. And even for Christ’s brethren, there is immense pressure for them to “succeed” in the things of this life — a success which is measured purely in terms of social advantages, and material possessions. Yet when measured against the standards of Divine Wisdom, this “success” proves to be nothing short of failure.

“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luk 12:15). This was the exhortation of the Lord Jesus, introducing his parable of the man seeking to build bigger and better barns in which to store his accumulation of wealth.

But although riches are not to be sought after; neither is there any virtue in poverty. There are those who suppose that there is righteousness in becoming poor for poverty’s sake, and so give up all to live on the goodwill of others. But there can be no virtue in making ourselves burdensome to others, or even worse, looking to the state as a provider. Indeed, scripturally, poverty is associated with shame: “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured” (Pro 13:18).

There is no intrinsic virtue to poverty, for it merely cultivates covetousness, and in many cases, theft to obtain that which is desired, yet beyond lawful means to obtain.

Reading 3 – John 13:17

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17).

“Happiness is not in catering to desire, but in putting desire away. Happiness is not in seeking pleasure, but in recognizing and thankfully enjoying the myriad of pleasures that God showers bountifully on us every moment: in His love, in His Word, in His Purpose, in His marvelous Creation: from the infinitely small to the infinitely great — all infinitely beautiful. Happiness is not in getting, but in giving: not in being served, but in serving (though truly there is happiness in being served — if the service is of need beyond our own capacity to fill, and if the service is in love). Christ tells us where happiness is: in pureness of heart, in meekness, in mercifulness, in hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Don’t look for it anywhere else. It isn’t there. It must be created within ourselves. Its source is of God” (GVG).