Reading 1 – Neh 12:27-43

“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres” (Neh 12:27).

Vv 27-43 describe a great procession and dedication service. One large choir mounted the city wall and walked around it counterclockwise, evidently beginning at the Valley Gate (vv 31-37). Another choir mounted it, probably at the same place, and proceeded in a clockwise direction (vv 38,39). They appear to have sung as they walked (v 42). The songs of thanksgiving which they sang probably included Psalms 48, 122, 127, 147, and 150.

The two groups met at the temple (vv 40-42). There the priests offered many sacrifices and the people rejoiced greatly (v 43). This was the same wall that Tobiah had earlier claimed would be so weak that even a fox walking on it would break it down (Neh 4:3)!

The final consummation of Nehemiah’s work had been reached. The city was protected by a wall and could resist any attempt of the neighboring nations to attack it. This was one of the main reasons for the joy. The other was that the people had demonstrated that they could perform a major task as a unit, and this proved to be a great stimulus to their morale.

Reading 2 – Amos 4:1-3

“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, ‘Bring us some drinks!’ ” (Amos 4:1).

HEAR THIS WORD, YOU COWS OF BASHAN: Amos addressed the wealthy women of Samaria, calling them “cows of Bashan”. Bashan was a very luxuriant region of Transjordan east and northeast of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) where cattle had plenty to eat and grew fat (cp Psa 22:12; Jer 50:19; Eze 39:18; Mic 7:14).

ON MOUNT SAMARIA: The mountain is mentioned, as though it afforded them some kind of security — which surely it didn’t.

YOU WOMEN WHO OPPRESS THE POOR AND CRUSH THE NEEDY: These women, by the silly and selfish demands they made upon their husbands, were in effect oppressing the poor and crushing the needy.

AND SAY TO YOUR HUSBANDS: There is a sharp irony here: the word “husbands” is “adonim” — LORDS, or MASTERS! But who were the “masters” in these households? Certainly not the men!

“BRING US SOME DRINKS!”: In the heights of laziness and self-indulgence, they were even ordering their husbands to wait on them and bring them drinks.

*****

“The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: ‘The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks’ ” (v 2).

An enemy would cart them off as butchers carry beef with large meat hooks and as fishermen carry fish with hooks. They would become so much “meat on the hoof”! This description may imply that the enemy would tie them in lines with ropes and lead them away — since this is how fishermen strung their fish on lines. Alternatively it may mean that their bodies would be treated as nothing but “dead meat”!

*****

” ‘You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon [or the “mountain of oppression”],’ declares the LORD” (v 3).

YOU WILL EACH GO STRAIGHT OUT THROUGH BREAKS IN THE WALL: The enemy would carry the bodies of these women (living or dead) off through breaches in Samaria’s walls. The women would be carried off without any complications; each one would go straight ahead to captivity or to burial through any one of the many passageways made through the broken walls.

TOWARD HARMON: There are two possibilities: (1) Mount Hermon, toward the north, the direction the Assyrians took the Israelite captives as they deported them to Assyria; or (2) Heb “harmon” signifies “oppression” — as though the mount of Samaria, in which they trusted (v 1), would instead be a mount of oppression for them!

Reading 3 – 2Ti 1:2

“To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (2Ti 1:2).

Compare the same greeting in 1Ti 1:2; 2Jo 1:3.

Grace is for the worthless; it is God giving me what I don’t deserve. Mercy is for the helpless; it is God withholding from me what I do deserve. Peace is for the restless; it is the assurance that whatever happens to me will work out for God’s glory.

Reading 1 – Neh 13

Notice the similarities between the prophecy of Malachi and Neh 13. Malachi was the “messenger of the covenant” (Mal 3:1) [“Malachi” means “my covenant”!] — who had reported to Nehemiah that the Jews in Jerusalem had forgotten the “covenant” (Neh 10:29-39) they had made with him, and with God:

Reading 2 – Amos 5:8

“He [Yahweh]… made the Pleiades and Orion, [and] turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night” (Amo 5:8).

Since Yahweh made the Pleiades and Orion, constellations of stars, He could bring His will to pass on earth too. The rising of the Pleiades before daybreak heralded the arrival of spring, and the rising of Orion after sunset signaled the onset of winter. Since Yahweh brings light out of darkness in the morning and darkens the day at night, He could easily change the fate of Israel from prosperity to adversity.

“The prophet first draws the attention of Israel to the living God who stands behind nature, determining all its movements. The atheist is rebuked by this view of things. The thought of the prophet is full of God; nature does not deny God — it demonstrates Him. God is. Those who identify God with nature until they confound the personal God with the laws and forces of the world, are also rebuked by the text. Nature is not God. ‘He maketh the seven stars and Orion.’ And the view that nature is independent of God is equally repudiated. On the contrary, the teaching of Amos is that God acts through nature. The people of Israel are summoned to look up and to behold the supreme, self-existent God, standing before and above the world, acting upon it, acting through it, with sovereign sway. He maketh the seven stars and Orion, and all the rest. But the argument of Amos goes farther than this; he argues that God rules in the midst of the nations just as He rules in the midst of nature, and we must see His hand in human affairs as we see it in the rising and setting of stars, in the ebbing and flowing of seas. He setteth up kings and captains, and casteth them down; He smites the splendour of nations into desolation; and again He restores their greatness and joy. The argument of the prophet proceeds on the assumption that a Divine purpose, a vast design, runs through all the evolutions of nature and all the movements of history’ (“Biblical Illustrator”).

Reading 3 – 2Ti 2:16-19

“Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’ ” (2Ti 2:16-19).

In writing, “The Lord knows those who are his”, Paul is citing Moses’ words in Num 16:5, regarding the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

And the next phrase, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness”, he is referring to Num 16:26 — where the Septuagint reads: “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men.” (It is worth noting that the destruction of Korah and his allies, when it came, came by the hand of God Himself — not by Moses’ hand.)

The imprisoned Paul is concerned for Timothy his beloved son in the faith. How should he discharge his responsible duties in the household? Already men like Hymeneus and Philetus were undermining the doctrine of the resurrection and destroying the faith of some (2Ti 2:17,18). It seemed as though the foundations of the truth were crumbling all around. Was it time to give up hope, to flee like a hireling from the wolves of rebellion and pride and error? No, the answer of the old apostle was clear: “Nevertheless [that is, despite all the difficulties and problems you see on every side]… nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure” (v 19).

How do we know this, Paul? ‘You have this seal — this guarantee: Men may attempt to subvert, to destroy, and to corrupt God’s Truth, but they cannot succeed. The Lord knoweth them that are His! In the proper time the others will be dispensed with.’

Paul’s words echo those of Moses at the time of the rebellion of Korah and his allies — “In the morning the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy” (Num 16:3).

*****

“If we can bring ourselves to realize that all is at all times in the unerring and almighty hand of God, and that we are but a small cog in a vast machine, we shall not be trapped into that self-important anxiety that leads to hastiness and harshness.

“When we see worldliness gaining ground in an ecclesia; when we see modern customs making a mockery of Scriptural ordinances… when we see attendance gradually diminishing and worldly things interfering even on Sunday morning; when we see… that shallow and self-important little minds introduce new crotchets and speculations — we are apt to become despondent and panicky.

“But why should we? Did Paul? No! He says: ‘The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are his.’

“And the apostle, far from despondency, sounded out from his prison-cell inspiring words of courage, and patience, and glorious hope. Without bitterness, but with terrible significance, he points out (2Ti 2:20) that in a great house there are not only vessels of honor, but also vessels of dishonor. If a man will purify himself, he shall be among the vessels of honor.

“This may seem a strange way to give encouragement, but it would help Timothy to realize that ecclesial disappointments and difficulties do not necessarily mean an abandonment by God, but are rather a part of the divine wisdom of trial and probation” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Est 1

“It is indeed a derisive eye that our narrator has cast upon the royal court he describes: A king who rules the whole known world spends his time giving lavish banquets!…

“From the satirical depiction of the grandiose and lavishly excessive lifestyle of the Persian court, our narrator turns to undisguised farce: the king who rules the whole world cannot bend his own wife to his will!…

“But its [the first chapter’s] mockery has also a sinister side. It reveals a society fraught with danger, for it is ruled by the pride and pomposity of buffoons whose tender egos can marshal the state’s legislative and administrative machinery for the furtherance of selfish and childish causes. Indeed, in such a setting, it will not seem incongruous to find this same machinery of state mobilized to effect the slaughter of one of its own minorities, or to find that this is an end that the king can both blissfully contemplate and cavalierly condone” (FW Bush, “Ruth, Esther” 354, 355).

Reading 2 – Amos 6:4-6

“You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph” (Amos 6:4-6).

“The leaders of Israel… lie on ivory divans, sprawl on couches, feast of tender lamb and veal, amuse themselves by ‘babbling to the sound of the harp’ (the word ‘chant’ [AV; ‘improvise’ in NIV] is said to suggest a flow of trivial words in which the rhythm of words and music was everything and the sense nothing; the description has a modern sound). David had introduced instruments of music into the service of the temple, but these corrupt leaders debase them for their own amusement. The bowls in which they drink wine are really ewers, often translated ‘basons’ (AV) [‘bowlful’: NIV] as used in the service of the tabernacle. Silver bowls were dedicated to that service by the heads of the tribes (Num 7). The finest ointments may have been in imitation of, or in rivalry with, the holy ointment appointed by God and forbidden to be copied. Both these features suggest that the Israelites were using holy things for profane ends. They were intent upon their pleasures, but they did not grieve for the ‘breach of Joseph’ ” (Fred Pearce, “From Hosea to Zephaniah”).

The “ruin” or “breach” of Joseph is a reference is to Gen 37:25, where Joseph’s brothers sat down to enjoy their meal, while Joseph languished in the cistern, waiting to be sold into slavery.

Reading 3 – 2Ti 4:13

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (2Ti 4:13).

Such prisoners as Paul might well have been stripped virtually naked (as was Christ on the cross), and in a cavernous prison of cold and wet and rats, a cloak would have been no small comfort.

But is this just ANY cloak, or a SPECIAL cloak? Sometimes, in the Bible, garments have special significance: consider Joseph’s priestly garment (Gen 37:3); Jonathan’s robe which he gave to David (1Sa 18:4); Elijah’s mantle picked up by Elisha (2Ki 2:8,13). Or does Paul — knowing he will soon die — plan to bestow his own cloak upon Timothy as a token of his new “office”?

“When Timothy brought the cloak to Paul, Paul asked Timothy what he knew about the cloak. Timothy’s response may have been something like: ‘Paul, I remember that you were wearing that cloak when I first met you. You came to Lystra and you were stoned by the people. I had heard your preaching and became a believer in Christ, but then a short time later I watched as they dragged you out of town. And then, still wearing that cloak, dust and rips and all, you stood up. By the way, I have recently reflected upon that incident, just as you asked me to do in your epistle to me, and as I have traveled here with this cloak I have spent time reflecting on how much you and I and that cloak of yours has been through over the years. What do you want the cloak for?’ ‘To give to you. Timothy, I am about to be executed, and I want you to have this cloak because you of all people know how much I have labored to establish the ecclesias. And I want to give you this cloak so that you will be reminded of the responsibility that you now have to shepherd these people. Timothy, give them the scriptures. Encourage them to live by them and not to be deceived by all of the false and pernicious teaching that is being spoken even now in Christ’s name. For so many years now you have been like a beloved son to me, Timothy, but now I will no longer be able to give you advice and encouragement. So please, Timothy, take this cloak and be thereby reminded of the responsibility that you now have’ ” (Dean Brown).

Are these “parchments” — which Paul requests — the original manuscripts of his letters? Timothy was closely associated with the writing (1Th; 2Th; 2Co; Col; Phi; Rom 16:21; 1Co 4:17; Eph; Phm) or receiving (1Ti; 2Ti) of many of these letters. Possibly, in sending this message, Paul hopes to see that the whole of his body of inspired writings will be circulated around all the ecclesias after his death (as they were?).

Reading 1 – Est 2:7-9

“Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor” (Est 2:7-9).

“Esther had a special beauty that far exceeded all the other young girls in King Xerxes’ beauty contest. Esther was lovely in form and features, as, no doubt, were many of the other girls. But I believe that the difference between Esther and the rest was found in her nature. She seems to have won the favour of Hegai as soon as she met him, and he gave her the best place in the harem. When she was with the king she pleased him more than any other girl and he made her his queen. Her character gave her a beauty that outshone all the rest. When she went to the king she took nothing except for what Hegai suggested. Other girls would have decorated themselves and taken things to make them more attractive — but Esther had an inner beauty. ‘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 meek and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight’ (1Pe 3:3,4). No matter what we look like, we can all have that true inner beauty that will outshine and outlast any physical beauty. That is what is valuable to God” (Robert Prins).

Reading 2 – Amos 7:14,15

“Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees’ (Amo 7:14).

When accosted by Amaziah, Amos replied that he was not a prophet by his own choosing; he did not decide to pursue prophesying as a career. Neither had he become a prophet because his father had been one. In Amos’ culture it was common and expected for sons to follow in their father’s line of work. Possibly Amos meant that he was not the son of a prophet in the sense that he had not been trained in one of the schools of the prophets under the tutelage of a fatherly mentor (2Ki 2:1-15; 4:1,38; 5:22; 6:1-7; 9:1). Rather Amos had earned his living in a totally unrelated form of employment.

Amos said that he “took care of sycamore-fig trees”, or that he was “a gatherer of sycamore fruit” (AV). This also — like the “shepherd” — signified a wanderer or traveler, for the sycamore fig trees do not grow near Tekoa (Denis Baly, “The Geography of the Bible” 89).

“A ‘nipper’ of sycamore figs was one who pruned sycamore fig trees so they would produce more fruit. Thus Amos had a respectable agricultural business background before he moved to Israel to prophesy. He had not been a professional prophet; he did not occupy the office of prophet but only functioned as a prophet. Therefore, Amaziah should not think that Amos came to Israel to prophesy because that was the only work that he could do” (Thomas Constable, “Expository Notes”).

*****

“But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’ ” (v 15).

Yahweh had called Amos, just as He had called David: Psa 78:70-72. Ct Zec 13:5. He had called him, and sent him to carry the prophetic message to Israel. In other words, Amos is saying, ‘Don’t think that I do this because I have nothing else to do, nor because I especially enjoy it! But God Almighty called me — so what was I to do?’

Reading 3 – Tit 1:12

“Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’ ” (Tit 1:12).

The poet, according to Clement of Alexandria and Jerome, was Epimenides, a native of Knossos in Crete, who lived approximately 550 BC. He was considered divinely inspired by the Greeks, and was ranked as one of the “seven wise men”. It is possible that he was responsible for the erection of the Athenian altar “to the unknown god” (Acts 17:23). His words were quoted and thus perpetuated by the later well-known poet Callimachus.

Paul was familiar with secular literature, and was not afraid to make use of his knowledge as occasion suggested. This is at least the third citation of such writers by Paul, others being:

“Bad company corrupts good character” (1Co 15:33): a Greek verse from the “Thais”, by Menander; and “For we are his offspring” (Acts 17:28): from Aratus, a countryman of Paul, from Cilicia.

In the same manner, we might quote authorities in specialized fields today — bringing their expertise to bear on the study of the Bible.

So notorious were the Cretans for lying that the Greeks derived a verb from them: “kretizein”. To “cretize”, or to act like a Cretan, became proverbial for lying — just as to “corinthianize”, or to act like a Corinthian, became synonymous with the grossest immoral behavior. A Cretan by nature would not flinch from saying anything designed to forward his own interests.

The Cretan false teachers were characterized as “evil brutes” — suggesting savagery, brutality, and stupidity. (A related word is used by Paul when he speaks of fighting with “beasts” at Ephesus — 1Co 15:32 — no doubt referring there also to men.) This is a sad picture of human nature, and perhaps this bestiality was developed to an extraordinary degree in the natives of Crete. But it would be a great mistake to imagine that other men in their natural states are markedly better, or even to suppose that when men become Christians they automatically cease to be “beasts”.

Men who are without understanding are like the beasts (Psa 73:22), and will perish like them (Psa 49:12, 20). Men who are sensual are like the beasts (2Pe 2:12). And, perhaps most to the point here, those Jewish Christians who returned to the Law are likened by Paul to “dogs” (Phi 3:2)!

They were also “lazy gluttons”! Idleness is generally associated with useless talking, or talebearing, and is most severely criticized: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Mat 12:36).

“Gluttons” (Greek “gasteer”) is generally translated “womb” in Scripture. Otherwise, as here, it refers to the belly as craving food — hence a glutton. The Cretans were famous, or infamous, as a drunken and gluttonous and greedy people. “The Cretans”, wrote one contemporary observer, “on account of their innate avarice, live in a perpetual state of private quarrel and public feud and civil strife… and you will hardly find anywhere characters more tricky and deceitful than those of Crete… Money is so highly valued among them, that its possession is not only thought to be necessary, but highly creditable; and in fact greed and avarice are so native to the soil in Crete, that they are the only people in the world among whom no stigma attaches to any sort of gain whatsoever.”

Although a different Greek word for “belly” is used in Phi 3:19, the thought is very similar: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Phi 3:18,19).

In view of the context in Philippians (ie, the “concision” and “circumcision” of Phi 3:2,3), it may be that Paul’s use of “belly” here is a euphemistic allusion to the characteristic mark of circumcision, in which the Judaizers shamelessly “gloried”. Contemptuously Paul implies that they “worship” as a “god” that cutting in their flesh that sets them apart as Jews, and, because they so misplace their faith and hope, thus deny the efficacy of the cross of Christ! Something akin to this is perhaps implied also in his words to Titus.

The description of the “circumcision group” of Crete — those who opposed sound doctrine — is thus completed. They are seen to be everything that the bishops should not be; each group is the opposite of the other. The Cretan false teachers are liars, sensual, brutish, lazy, and greedy (vv 10-12). The bishops are to be blameless, sober, temperate, holy, industrious, and indifferent to base gain (vv 7-9).

In language exceedingly harsh, Paul warned Titus that national characteristics should be kept in mind in the work of the Truth. The Truth had not to this stage eradicated the unlovely features of the Cretan character in those who had embraced it. It was part of the work of Titus to push forward this reformation, and to raise those who would heed to a higher level of obedience to the teachings of Christ. But it was important in that work to face squarely the problems involved; for Titus to take an unreasonably rosy view of the raw material at hand would be foolhardy.

But, extreme as Paul’s description of the Cretans was, he did not say, “Leave them alone; they are hopeless.” Instead, he said in effect, “They are sorry specimens, and everyone knows it. Go and convert them!” Such is the divine testimony, by no means to the goodness in human nature, but to the awesome potential of the “incorruptible seed” of God’s Word (1Pe 1:23), which can produce fruit in the poorest soil — even a hundredfold (Mat 13:23)!

Reading 1 – Est 4:12-14

“When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?’ ” (Est 4:12-14).

Although there is still no mention of God (in fact, there is none anywhere in the Book), Mordecai clearly implies his deep belief in the providence of God, to protect and ultimately save His people Israel. This verse is the primary reason for seeing the doctrine of providence as crucial to an understanding of the Book of Esther.

Like Ruth the Book of Esther is an illustration. It records a slice of life out of the Exile period that illustrates a great revelation. While the Book of Ruth illustrates God’s redemption, that of Esther illustrates God’s providence.

Providence means foresight. Our word comes from Latin and means to see the affairs of life before they happen. The acquired meaning of providence, what it has come to mean through usage, is activity resulting from foresight. We can see at once that people can never exercise providence as God can. We have very limited powers of foresight. We do not know what a day will bring forth. God, on the other hand, foresees all things and can act because of that foreknowledge.

The doctrine of providence is that God both possesses and exercises absolute power over all the works of His hands. The Book of Esther illustrates God’s providence. The writer did not speak of God directly, but God’s acting as a result of His foresight is obvious in what he wrote. Even though God hid Himself in the Book as a whole, he was at work in the life of Esther.

Esther reveals three things about divine providence.

First, it reveals the method of providence.

It shows that even though people do not acknowledge God’s presence He is always at work. His control becomes especially clear at the end of the book (Est 10:3). Events had turned around completely from the way they were at the beginning of the book. Instead of being in peril, the Jews were now at peace. God not only rules over the major issues in life, but He also uses the trivialities of life to accomplish His purposes. Some of these trivialities were:

the king’s decision to summon Vashti after he got drunk, Vashti’s refusal, Haman’s hatred for Mordecai, the king’s insomnia, and the passage his servant read to him.

God’s providence is all-inclusive. That is part of its method. No person or detail of life escapes God’s control: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). “All things” includes all individuals and all events — whether pleasant or unpleasant.

Second, Esther reveals the principles of providence.

God proceeds on the basis of perfect knowledge: intimate, accurate, absolute knowledge (Psa 11:4).

Another principle of His providence is His undeviating righteousness. God’s providence works in harmony with man’s freedom. It never coerces people. The king made his own decisions; God did not compel him to act as he did. Haman plotted his own intrigues, made his own arrangements, built his own gallows. The same was true of Mordecai and Esther. Yet the sphere in which they made their decisions was God’s sovereignty (Acts 17:28: “In Him we live and move…”). Haman built his gallows for Mordecai, but God hanged Haman on it!

A third principle of God’s providence is that of absolute power. God is great enough to give people genuine freedom and yet cause things to turn out the way He wants them to. God causes human freedom to contribute to His divine purpose.

Third, Esther reveals the results of providence.

On the human level there are two results:

Those who recognize divine providence receive great confidence and courage. However, those who do not recognize it receive panic and punishment.

We can see these results most clearly in the characters of (1) Esther and Mordecai, and (2) Haman.

On the divine level the result of providence is that God progresses toward His ultimate goal: he is, of course, Yahweh — The One who “will be”, the One who is constantly “becoming”! Throughout all of Scripture we see this identical mighty movement toward the absolute fulfillment of His purpose.

The message of this book is that God exists, and God acts through history to accomplish His purposes regardless of whether humans acknowledge Him or not.

There are many arguments for the existence of God: the argument from providence is one of these. The fact that human events are harmonizing with God’s ultimate purposes as He has revealed these in Scripture testifies to God’s existence. When people forget God, He still molds history and governs life in harmony with His purposes. We cannot escape God’s hand; we only change our destiny. We become His friends or His foes by our attitude toward Him (Dan 5:22,23).

How do we apply the message of this book? By taking God into account. Trust Him and cooperate with Him, or you will suffer destruction. God’s providence may seem very impersonal and austere. However, William Cowper has reminded us that, “Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.” Rom 8:28 is perhaps the most concise word on the providence of God that the Scriptures contain. God will complete His plans. We determine our own destiny as we cooperate with His will or oppose it.

Our choice affects our destiny, but it does not frustrate His plan. Consequently it is very important that we know God’s plans and make them known to others. He has revealed His plans in His promises in Scripture. Therefore we should pay very careful attention to the promises of God. The covenants of promise are His comprehensive formal undertakings. Even though many people in the world today ignore God, His plans will become reality eventually. This fact should make us confident and optimistic in the present.

Reading 2 – Amos 8:11-13

” ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst’ ” (Amo 8:11-13).

The Israelites had rejected the Lord’s words to them (Amo 2:11,12; 7:10-13), so He would not send them to them any longer (cp 1Sa 3:1; 28:6). This is a fearful prospect. If we do not listen to the Word of God, we may not be able to hear the Word of God (cp Luke 17:22; John 7:34). This does not mean that God would remove all copies of His Word from them but that when they sought a word of help, advice, or comfort from Him they would not get it.

“Most people have seen the horrible pictures of people who are starving to death. The bloated bellies and the pitiful faces are too much to bear. Yet, there is another famine that is equally tragic and much more widespread, and that is the famine for the word of God.

“The tragedy of this famine is that, unlike a natural famine which is often unavoidable because of climatic events such as drought or flooding, the famine for the word of God is completely manmade. If we use the analogy of the parable of the sower with the seed being the word of God, there are some places that are not being sown because of lack of preaching. How tragic that some will die never having heard the good news. On the other hand, some receive the seed in abundance, but like the lazy fool of Proverbs, he ‘buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.’ [Pro 26:15] What an incredible picture is brought to the mind: a person starving to death but too lazy of pick up the food that is right there in front of him. How many people do you know that profess to be Christians yet would have great difficulty telling you where in the Bible the book of Hebrews is? Could they even tell you if it was in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Could they even tell you if there was such a book in the Bible? Yet, there are few households in first world countries that don’t have a Bible somewhere in them” (Kyle Tucker).

Reading 3 – Phm 1:4

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers” (Phm 1:4).

“In this frank allusion to the subject matter of his private petitions, we have insight into another feature, which deserves our notice and imitation. Paul was not above thanking God for a worthy fellow-labourer, and letting him know it. In our dry, democratic days, this fruit of the Spirit is nearly as extinct as the tree of life. A universal self-esteem kills generous gratitude in the birth, and fears to lose its own exaltation by even implied appreciation of another’s worth. This is an obstinate shrub of the desert, which must be cut down to make way for the lovely flowers of Eden, which delight the eye and regale the senses with their fragrance. But when will the cutting-down be? Well, in some cases it will take place now, under the exhortation to ‘mortify’ and ‘crucify’ all the characteristics of the old man of the flesh. It is better to apply the knife ourselves. ‘If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged’ ” (Robert Roberts).

Reading 1 – Est 5:14

“His [Haman’s] wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.’ This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built” (Est 5:14).

…So that Mordecai might be lifted up, and his shame and suffering be seen by all! It looks very much as though Haman intended to CRUCIFY Mordecai (cp Est 2:23). Haman is the embodiment and personification of the Sin Power: his determination was to destroy his great enemy, but in reality — as it worked out through the providence of Almighty God — the “cross” on which the enemy sought to kill the Jew became… the scene of HIS OWN DESTRUCTION!

This is plainly typical of Christ: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:14,15). “And so he condemned sin in sinful man [the flesh]” (Rom 8:3).

Reading 2 – Amos 9

“The final chapter of the prophecy of Amos reveals… Yahweh over the Altar. The Altar represents the sacrificial principles by which the judgment of Yahweh over sin and the elevation of His character are revealed. It demonstrates that the divine glory will be achieved, through the redemptive work of the Son-Altar, Yahshua the Anointed. But the altar of Jerusalem has disgraced its purpose; it no longer was identified with the work of Yahweh, but with the elevation of those who worshiped in Jerusalem. So the altar was to be destroyed, as later the temple would be shaken and removed. The vision describes:

Yahweh’s command to destroy the altar: vv 1-6. Israel’s elevation shall not save those who are guilty: vv 7-10. Yahweh will purify, restore and glorify the faithful remnant in the nation: vv 11-15.

“Thus ultimately Israel will be purged of sin, and become the foundation of the divine mercy for a purified and regenerated people. It is a wonderful conclusion to the book of severe and uncompromising judgment. Despite the wickedness of His people, Yahweh will vindicate the promise inherent in the Name (v 6; Exo 36:22), and that Name will be manifested in the earth (Psa 8:1; Zec 14:9; Num 14:21)” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – Heb 1:10-12

“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Heb 1:10-12).

Heb 1; 2 was written to prove that Christ is greater than the angels. How does the quotation of Psa 102:25-27 in Heb 1:10-12 fit into this? Those words are certainly about the greatness of Yahweh, but they also describe the removing of an old creation (a: that of Gen 1? or b: the Law of Moses? cp Isa 51:6,16; also cp Isa 50:3,9). Therefore the New Creation which takes its place must be better, just as the New Covenant is better than the old (Heb 8:13). The old creation (both a and b) was brought in by angels (a: Gen 1:26; Psa 33:6; b: Heb 2:2; Acts 7:35,38,53; Gal 3:19), but the New Creation is brought in by the Messiah. Therefore Messiah must be greater than the angels, because his “Creation” — “the world to come” (Heb 1:2; 2:5) and the saints who rule it — will continue forever! And, in Psa 102:28, the “children” of this new world can “continue” only by sharing the endless years of Yahweh (vv 26,27), that is, by undergoing a change to His divine nature. This is already true of the Messiah (v 27; Heb 13:8), and it will most surely be true of all “in him” (Heb 10:9)!

Literally speaking, the earth will of course not be burned up, despite Peter’s words in 2Pe 3:10 (Isa 45:18; 11:9; Hab 2:14; Ecc 1:4; 1Ch 16:30; Mat 5:5; Psa 37:9-11; 115:16; Pro 10:30). The “new heavens and earth” will be a re-creation, or reordering, of the old. This is evident by, among other points, the fact that the new “heavens and earth” will still include a Zion and a Jerusalem (Psa 102:13,20; Isa 65:18,19). But — as with the flood of Noah’s day — the wicked works of man will be totally destroyed (2Pe 3:5,6), and the “new” heavens and earth will solely be the dwelling place of righteousness (v 13). Or, to use the Biblical figure of speech found in this context, the heavens and earth will shed their old, tattered “garments” and replace them with bright new ones!

Reading 1 – Est 8:5,8

” ‘If it pleases the king,’ [Esther] said, ‘and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces’ ” (Est 8:5).

But Haman’s decree had been written in the king’s name, and was thus — by the law of the Persians — unchangeable (Est 1:19; cp Dan 6:17). What to do?

“Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring — for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked” (v 8).

The laws of the Medes and Persians could not be repealed (cp Dan 6:8). And so, instead, another decree would have to be written into law (Est 8:9) — which, in its carrying out, would neutralize the effects of the first (and unchangeable) decree!

Typically, this presents an interesting, and thrilling, parallel: God Himself has issued decrees that cannot be repealed (“Thou shalt surely die…”); so how to deliver HIS people without repealing this law?

The answer is Christ: a greater deliverer who can neutralize, and overcome the effect of the previous “law” — the law of sin and death — without overturning the law itself! Or, to put it another way, a God who can show mercy and forgive sin, while at the same time upholding His own absolute holiness and righteousness:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, [covering] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” Rom 3:23-26.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man [the flesh]” (Rom 8:1-3).

Thus, in type, God’s death sentence hangs over a sinful humanity, but He has also commanded a decree of salvation. Only by a knowledge of, and a response to, the second decree [cp Est 8:9] of saving grace — through the Lord Jesus Christ — can the terrible effects of the first decree of universal condemnation for sin be averted.

Reading 2 – Obad

The prophecy of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Briefly, it recounts how Edom is to be brought low (Oba 1:3-9,16), on account of its treachery against Israel in the day of Israel’s calamity (Oba 1:10-14). And it promises that “the day of the LORD” (Oba 1:15) will reveal God’s judgments upon all nations — at the same time that there will be salvation in Zion and Jerusalem for the faithful remnant (Oba 1:17-21).

The country of Edom (called Idumea in the New Testament) extended from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, and was bounded on the east by the Arabian Desert and on the west by the land of Judah. It was a mountainous district with average elevation of about 2,000 feet. Its wild and rugged character is described in Oba 1:3,4.

This was the land occupied by Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites, after the death of his father Isaac (Gen 36:6-8). There his descendants, cousins to the Israelites, built cities literally in solid rock, in almost impregnable positions. They became rich by controlling and traveling the trade routes between Egypt and the East. Even in modern times, the ruins they left behind — as at Petra — stand as stark and magnificent testimonies to their power and achievements.

There is a long history of enmity between Edom and Israel, beginning with the bitter rivalry between the twins Esau and Jacob (Gen 25:19-34; 27:1-40; etc), and continuing all the way through the OT, until the time when Herod the Great, the hated Idumean (or Edomite), used his Roman connections to gain ascendancy over the Israel of Jesus’ day.

And the same enmity continues to our day, in the struggles between the Arabs — of Palestine and Jordan and Saudi Arabia — and the Israelis, over the ancestral lands which they both claim.

Outline

1. Judgment on Edom: Oba 1-14

a) Edom’s destruction announced: Oba 2-7

b) Edom’s destruction reaffirmed: Oba 8-14

2. The Day of the Lord: Oba 15-21

a) Judgment on the nations but deliverance for Zion: Oba 15-18

b) The Lord’s kingdom established: Oba 19-21

Initial Fulfillment(s): Who is Obadiah? When, and in what circumstances, was the prophecy first given? There are no details about the prophet himself; “Obadiah” is a common name signifying “the servant of Yahweh”. And no time period is definitely specified in the prophecy itself.

Given the lack of a definitive date, several different times are possible as the initial context of Obadiah’s “burden” upon Edom:

Judgments upon Edom for participating in a cowardly attack upon Israel in the days of David, when the king and his forces were occupied in Syria. This “stab in the back” — from a people who were near of kin to Israel (cp Deu 2:4,5; 23:7) — was swiftly answered by a punitive raid by David’s armies, led by Abishai (1Ch 8:12), Joab (1Ki 11:15,16; Psa 60 title) and David himself (2Sa 8:12-14). About 200 years later (c 860 BC) another “Arab” invasion of Judah was repelled by faithful king Jehoshaphat (2Ch 20). This confederacy included Edom along with Moab and Ammon. During the reign of Hezekiah (c 720 BC), the Edomites gave enthusiastic support to the irresistible Assyrian invasion, and were utterly callous in their treatment of the desperate refugees from Israel and Judah (cp Isa 21:11,12; 34:5-10; 63:1-6; Joel 3:19). And finally, the prophecy could be dated as late as 588 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon devastated Jerusalem and its Temple, and once again men of Edom — like loathsome jackals or vultures — joined in to pick the bones of their cousins (cp Jer 49:7-22; Lam 4:21; Psa 137:7; Eze 25:12-14; 35:1-15). In favor especially of this possibility is Oba 1:16, which pictures Edom “drinking [from the holy vessels?] upon my [God’s] holy mountain” (cp Jer 25:15-26, esp v 21): So far as is known, none of the earlier attacks upon Israel in which Edom took part resulted in the actual capture of God’s temple mountain.

The Last Days Fulfillment: But even if we cannot be certain which of Edom’s many atrocities upon Israel provoked the tongue, and pen, of Obadiah — it seems certain that we are intended to read Obadiah’s prophecy as a Last Days prophecy as well: Oba 1:15,17,21.

Such language can only be absolutely fulfilled with the return of Christ and the establishment of God’s Kingdom. Seen as a Last Days preview, Obadiah’s words corroborate certain details of the general picture:

This Edomite enemy will be a member of an alliance: Oba 1:11. Edom is a member of the 10-nation Arab alliance described in Psa 83. The controversy of the Last Days will concern God’s holy mountain, mount Zion. There the enemies of Israel, including Edom, will rejoice over her: “Just as you drank on my holy hill….” (Oba 1:16). And there also will God bring retribution upon these blasphemous enemies: Oba 1:15-17. This observation lends credibility to the idea that the last great conflict in and around Jerusalem — a conflict which will bring on the literal Return of Christ — will be a religious conflict, between two peoples desperately struggling to lay claim to the same “holy places”. At this point the prophecy dramatically changes tone. The people of Israel are saved from their adversity and are spiritually regenerated. They receive back the Land promised to their fathers, to its fullest extent, and the rescued and redeemed state of Israel becomes the nucleus of the Kingdom of God: “But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy… The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau… Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s” (Oba 1:17,18,21).

Territorial Expansion: Oba 1:19,20 go into detail as to which lands the redeemed people of Israel will recover and occupy:

People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau. People from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. Benjamin will possess Gilead. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath. The exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev.

Certain of these territories (ie, Samaria and Ephraim and part of Philistia) were conquered by modern Israel in 1967. [Will some of this territory be returned as a result of the current “Peace Process”?] Zarephath, in southern Lebanon, is increasingly coming under Israel’s influence since the incursions of 1982. But other territories (ie, Gilead and the mountains of Esau) remain today in Arab hands.

Will Israel, as presently constituted, conquer all these lands prior to the return of Christ? Or will Israel need to suffer a serious defeat, losing the very lands which it now possesses (together with its own sovereignty?) before a chastened remnant will repent and turn to God?

In short, is Oba 1:19,20 being fulfilled right now, or do they await a future fulfillment?

The order of Oba 1:17-21 suggests an answer: First, there must come a deliverance to mount Zion (v 17), and not just a military victory such as in 1948 or 1967: “But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy [or ‘there shall be holiness’: AV], and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.”

And so this “deliverance” will of necessity involve “holiness” — and for this there must be true repentance and forgiveness of sins. Only then will Israel — ie, a renewed and glorified remnant of Israel — go forth to possess all the lands promised to the fathers (cp Gen 15:18-21; Exo 23:23; Deu 1:7; 11:24; Jos 1:4; Psa 72:8), as detailed in Oba 1:19,20.

This last territorial expansion will never be set back or thwarted in any way. Why? Because “Deliverers [‘saviours’: AV] will go up on Mount Zion… and the kingdom will be the LORD’s” (Oba 1:21).

Reading 3 – Heb 3:5

“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future” (Heb 3:5).

“It must also be borne in mind that Jesus does not present his death as an isolated act; it was the fulfilment of his life. He came to serve, and service was consummated in the death of the cross. His atoning work did not begin with Gethsemane or Golgotha, but with his baptism, and it was the completed life of obedience which was offered to the Father. Moses, whom the Jews called ‘the first redeemer,’ as Messiah would be ‘the last,’ had been willing to offer his life for the people: ‘Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written’… But Moses, forbidden at last to enter Canaan, could not offer the perfect life; he was a great servant of the Lord and of Israel, ‘faithful in all God’s house,’ but he could only provide ‘a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken’ (Heb 3:5, RV). He could only bear witness as a type to the greater Redeemer, whose whole life was an offering which his death perfected” (LG Sargent, “Gospel of Son of God” 148).

Reading 1 – Est 9:10

And so, when the day came, the Jews rose up against their enemies, and slaughtered them before they had a chance to kill the Jews.

“…But they did not lay their hands on the plunder” (Est 9:10; cp vv 15,16).

…Even though they had been given permission to do so (Est 8:11). This refraining from the spoils would illustrate that their interest was not in material gain (as was Haman’s: Est 3:9,11,13 — and Saul’s: 1Sa 15:3,19!), but merely in preserving their lives and showing forth the glory of the God of Israel.

The deliberate decision not to enrich themselves at the expense of their enemies would not go unnoticed in a culture where victors were expected to take the spoil. The very novelty of such self-denial would be remarked upon and remembered, and taken as proof of the upright motives of the Jewish communities.

Compare the example of Abraham, who after winning a battle and being offered spoils by the king of Sodom, protested: “I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich’ ” (Gen 14:23).

Reading 2 – Jonah

Why Jonah?: Of what significance was Jonah? Why would Jesus choose this rather obscure prophet as the only sign that he was Messiah? He tells them (and us): “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mat 12:40).

Jonah was God’s sign to the Ninevites of Assyria, a people who weren’t serving Him. If Jonah had not gone to Nineveh, how would its citizens have heard God’s message? By the LORD’s insistence, it was clear that this task belonged only to Jonah.

We must assume that God had a special purpose in ordering the evangelizing of one of Israel’s enemies. If Nineveh, hearing the word of God, repented through fear of the judgment of heaven, then perhaps wayward Israel would be persuaded to take notice and follow their example, thus saving itself also from the wrath of God.

But Jonah tried to get out of his divinely-appointed task. He recognized that the growing might of Assyria was a threat to be feared. How long would it be before that rising tide of Assyrian expansion swept south to engulf his own land? Then why should he lift a finger or raise a voice to fend off the violent judgment of God upon such a nation?

So, rebellious, and with a certain feeling of self-righteousness and nationalistic pride, Jonah determined to have no part in preaching to Nineveh. In trying to evade his commission, Jonah took a ship and tried to flee from the presence of God (Jon 1:3). “Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (v. 4). The sailors tried in vain to save the ship. Jonah was rousted from his sleep in the hold, and implored to explain the circumstances.

All were afraid when Jonah told them he was fleeing from his God, but there was nothing they could do — the ship was sinking. So after beseeching God to forgive them, “they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm” (v. 15).

Jonah disappeared under the waves, went down to the bottom, and drowned (Jon 2:5-7). “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights” (Jon 1:17).

No one ever expected to see him again. But “the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (2:10). Truly an amazing sign! But of what?

Why Was Jonah Saved?: Jonah was not delivered from this three days “grave” just to sit back peacefully and contemplate what had happened to him. He was delivered from death so that he could preach to the Ninevites. And finally (after a more circuitous and eventful journey than any other missionary ever took!), he reached his destination and went to work.

So, simply put, the worth of Jonah as a “sign” to an unbelieving generation was this: A man who had died was now alive! And empowered by God to preach to the Gentiles! What a sign for Israel, the would-be “people of God”. Jesus, the man like Jonah, would be killed by them; but God would raise him from the dead (Acts 2:22-24) — and the gospel which he preached to them, and which they refused, would be preached to the Gentiles (Act 2:39) — who would accept and repent!

That this was the intent of Jesus when citing the “sign” of Jonah is evident in his next words — as recorded by Matthew: Mat 12:41. And then, as if his lesson needed reinforcing, he referred also to another notable Gentile “conversion”: Mat 12:42. Nineveh repented; Jerusalem did not. The queen of Sheba sought wisdom; Jerusalem turned its back on the man who was the wisdom of God personified. Truly, one greater than Jonah, and greater than Solomon, was in their midst; and they were preparing to reject him! The sign of the prophet Jonah was more than a man dead and buried for three days, then resurrected. It was a contrast between the wise and the unwise, the repentant and the unrepentant — with warnings of destruction for those who refused to recognize the greatest prophet of God, Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Commentary: Paul deals with this same theme: the repentance of the Gentiles as an object lesson, and as a means of provoking Israel likewise to repent: Rom 11:13-15,24,30,31).

A Last Days Repentance: Scripture indicates that there will be a wholesale repentance of Israel in the Last Days (Lev 26:40-42; Deu 4:30; 30:1-7; Joel 2:12-20; Jer 31:17-20; 50:4,5; Mat 23:39; Act 3:19,20; Mat 6:10; Rev 22:17; Mat 24:22). This Last Days repentance will bring back their Messiah to save them from the latter-day “Assyrian”. The lesson from the prophet Jonah will finally have been learned!

Reading 3 – Heb 7:26

“Such a high priest meets our need– one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (Heb 7:26).

We are forgiven and shall be saved for Christ’ sake, but HE required no forgiveness… Christ was undefiled in mind, absolutely pure, and therefore he required no cleansing as pertaining to the conscience at baptism, for there never was a moment in his life when God was displeased with him; he always did and said what pleased the Father. He only required cleansing in nature — which was done after resurrection.

We must be careful that the means by which all believers are commanded to remember the Lord’s death until He returns, does not become instead a ritual, with efficacy in the object itself, by which we establish our “purity” in a negative sense. “Negative holiness” can save no man. Neither can the proximity of one whom we consider a “sinner”, even one so close as to partake of the same cup, endanger our “fellowship” with that one who was ever and always the friend of “sinners”, who touched lepers and lunatics, harlots and dead bodies — yet in the best sense was still “holy, harmless, and undefiled” (Heb 7:26).

Reading 1 – Job’s “satan”

Job’s “satan”: an angel of evil?

Job’s “satan” comes into the presence of God, and is in conversation with Him, among the “sons of God” (Job 1:6). Elsewhere in Job the sons of God are plainly His angels (Job 38:4-7). True, “sons of God” can refer to human believers (as in 1Jo 3:2), but Job should interpret Job first! Job’s affliction is consistently attributed to God (Job 4:9; 5:17; 6:4; 7:20; 11:6; 19:21; and esp Job 42:11).

Difficulties?

Why is an angel of God called “Satan” (or “satan”)? Because this designation well described his actions here — he was Job’s “adversary” (cp also Num 22:22). Isn’t there a wicked or sinful mind behind his words (Job 1:9-11; 2:5)? Answer: The words CAN be read that way, but they do not HAVE to be read that way. Although “angels of God” are immortal, they can be limited both in their personal knowledge and in their personal powers. (Consider Mat 24:36; 1Pe 1:12; Dan 10:13; 8:13; Gen 22:12; 32:24-28; Exo 31:1,7 compared with Exo 23:12). So it is possible to read the words of this angelic “satan” as expressing his assessment of the life of Job… distorted a bit by his own limited knowledge.

I would suggest that in all that this “satan” says of Job there is no sign of wickedness, only limited understanding seeking clarification. He declares his unwillingness to believe that Job’s “righteousness” is anything but self-serving:

“Then Satan answered the LORD, Does Job fear God for nought? Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face” (Job 1:9-11).

As if to say, ‘All my experience of this race of humans tells me that when they serve God they do so only for selfish reasons. Let us see how he reacts to severe trials.’

And so God gives over to this “angel” the testing of Job:

“Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand” (v 12).

Now compare this v 12 with v 21: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Who was it that took away Job’s health, wealth, and family?

And with Job 2:10: “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”

And also with Job 19:21, where Job says: “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!” Doesn’t this equate the “satan” with “the hand of God”?

And so, all through Job 2, “Satan” continues to hold out for his own assessment of things, while God agrees to bring more and yet more trial upon Job… until, eventually, it may be assumed, “Satan” is finally satisfied with the integrity of Job.

Is this fair? Is this the way God acts? Of course. The NT is filled with discussions of the trials brought by God on His faithful ones, to perfect or purify their faith.

And from his trials, extreme though they were, Job emerges as a man of tested and perfected faith… a fitting type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was to come, and who would himself suffer “unfairly” and “unjustly” as a way of showing (to men… and to angels?) the way into the most holy place of the Father.

Also, please note 1Pe 1:6-12:

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

In this passage (and, compared with Job) we see:

severe trials by which the faith of the believer is purified. the prophets (OT writers?) who saw, faintly perhaps, the sufferings of Christ mirrored in the lives of OT men (like Job?). the sufferings were followed by subsequent glory. … AND… “into these things (sufferings, trials, perfecting of faith, of righteous men who pointed forward to the Messiah) ANGELS LONGED TO LOOK!”

Reading 2 – Jon 3:4,5

“On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.’ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth” (Jon 3:4,5).

“The transformation that took place was breathtaking in its magnitude and comprehensive character. But it is not unlikely that the impact of the message of such an extraordinary man as Jonah would be reinforced by the considerable reputation of those other notable prophets of the Lord, Elijah and Elisha. It may be, too, that Jonah’s campaign went on for all the forty day period which was Nineveh’s time of grace. However it happened, the transformation in those Ninevites far surpassed the effect produced by John the Baptist in Jewry, and of all the prophets there was none greater than he (Mat 11: 11). And after John the Baptist, Jesus was to hold up to the same people the example of this city’s repentance: ‘The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here’ (Mat 12: 41). The message of John was: ‘Yet forty YEARS and Jerusalem shall be overthrown!’ (AD 30-70). Those Ninevites changed their lives so dramatically because they were led by the good example of their ruler. What a lesson was held out here to Judah and Israel, with their sequence, rarely interrupted, of unworthy kings, so often downright wicked. The narrative here is careful to specify ‘the high and the low’, appropriately reversing the phrase: ‘both small and great’ (Jer 31: 34), this latter form being more usual because God has greater regard for the humble than for the proud” (Harry Whittaker, “Jonah”).

“God delights to do the impossible, and never more so than in turning men to Himself. Instead, then, of denying on the grounds of its ‘human’ impossibility the repentance that swept over Nineveh, let us see it as an evidence of divine power. For this, not the episode of the sea monster, is the greatest miracle in the book” (Frank Gaebelein).

Reading 3 – Heb 9:12

“He [Christ] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).

The AV adds, in italics, “for us”, at the end of this verse — as if to say that there was no salvation required for Christ at all.

This is manifestly untrue. Christ obtained redemption for himself, as well as for others — for us! Our redemption is bound up in his. “[Christ] obtained eternal redemption” (the words “for us” — italicized in the AV, are omitted in various other versions, including RV, RSV, and NIV; Jesus obtained redemption FOR HIMSELF AND for others).

“He [Jesus] was a sufferer from the hereditary effects of sin; for these effects are physical effects. Death is a physical law in our members implanted there through sin ages ago, and handed down from generation to generation. Consequently, partaking of our physical nature, he partook of this, and his own deliverance (as ‘Christ the first fruits’) was as necessary as that of his brethren. In fact, if Christ had not first been saved from death (Heb 5:7), if he had not first obtained eternal redemption (Heb 9:12), there would have been no hope for us, for we obtain salvation only through what he has accomplished in himself…” (Robert Roberts).

Reading 1 – Job 4

Eliphaz (who speaks in Job 4; 5; 15; 23) rests his philosophy on general observation and special revelation (Job 4:8; 5:3,27; 15:17; 4:12-16; 15:18,19). He is committed to a fixed theory, with a much too narrow view of providence (Job 5:3-16; 15:20-35): that is, that no innocent man suffers or perishes (Job 4:7). Therefore, according to Eliphaz, Job suffers because he sinned.

Reading 2 – Jon 4:5

“Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city” (Jon 4:5).

“In high dudgeon he went out of the city (on its east side because there was high ground, and on the west Calah abutted on the wide fast-flowing Tigris). There he built himself a booth, of the sort he had made in early days at Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles; and there he would discipline his impatient soul with patience. Perhaps, after all, his remonstration to the angel would bring thunderbolts from heaven, something comparable to Sodom’s grim fate and would ‘turn Nineveh to ashes, condemning it with an overthrow.’ What a satisfaction it would be to himself and to his countrymen to see a politically-inflated Nineveh wiped out!” (Harry Whittaker, “Jonah”).

Jonah chose his “ringside” seat and waited, hopefully, for the heaven-sent destruction of the great city. But… nothing happened! Do we — sometimes — wait eagerly for what will NOT happen… because we misunderstand the character of God, or His prophetic timetable?

Reading 3 – Heb 10

Heb 10:23: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

“The second ‘Let us’ [the first is in v 22] is connected with hope, although the AV obscures the matter by translating ‘elpis’ in this sole instance by the word faith. ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised.’ Hope is grounded upon promise, even the promises made unto the fathers. God is faithful; the promise is sure. Only man’s part is in doubt; their beginning was right in their confession of Christ. The end would also be so if they held fast to that confession. Every generation sees its quota of waverers, and to every generation may this appeal be made, ‘Let us hold fast’ ” (John Carter, “Hebrews” 192,193).

Heb 10:24 : “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

“Do everything in love: love of God and love of man. Forget yourself. Forget all your own desires: they will never give you any real satisfaction — only frustration and disappointment. There is nothing there: so quit looking for it there. Get independent of personal pleasure and desire. That is the greatest emancipation possible. It frees you to get into the real joys and satisfactions — which are all in love of, and work for, God. This beautifies the character and purifies the flesh” (GV Growcott).

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.”

” ‘I am too tired’ — ‘I prefer to hear the lecture’ — ‘Bro So-and-so is the speaker, and I never get any good from his addresses’. These are not justifiable excuses for absence from the Breaking of Bread. Christ’s command is this: ‘This do in remembrance of me’ (1Co 11:24), and for us to ignore the command is to imperil our salvation. Was ever a divine appointment set aside without incurring disastrous consequences to ourselves and God’s displeasure towards us? Those who absent themselves from the Lord’s Table should think of this. To refrain wilfully from assembling together on the first day of the week is not only to display a shocking lack of appreciation of the importance and profit of the appointment, but it is a direct insult to Christ” (AT Jannaway).