Reading 1 – Ezr 7:27,28

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7:27,28).

“Ezra may have been the agent, but he understood that the work was really God’s. This is an attitude all God’s servants should attempt to adopt: thankfulness that God in His mercy has allowed human involvement in the working out of His great plan and purpose.”

THE HAND OF THE LORD MY GOD WAS ON ME: “This can be discovered and proved true by experience. Work done for God and not for selfish motives brings its own reward: peace of mind and contentment. As the Apostle wrote, ‘Godliness with contentment is GREAT GAIN’ (1TI 6:10). ¶ Undoubtedly it was as a result of Ezra’s deep pre-occupation with study and meditation in the word of God’s law that he was able to see with great clarity ‘the hand of God’ in many aspects of the events in which he played his part. This perception was to give him great comfort and confidence in the difficult times he faced when he reached Jerusalem, and the phrase is therefore found often on his lips: Ezr 7:6,9; 8:18,22,31” (Michael Ashton, “The Exiles Return”).

Reading 2 – Hos 8:7

“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up” (Hos 8:7).

Israel had sown the wind, something foolish and worthless (cp Job 7:7; Pro 11:29; Ecc 1:14,17), namely idolatry. Sowing the “wind” of vanities (idols) will yield the “whirlwind” of Divine judgment!

Paul comments on this: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal 6:7,8).

THE STALK HAS NO HEAD; IT WILL PRODUCE NO FLOUR: The “whirlwind” from God will destroy their crops.

WERE IT TO YIELD GRAIN, FOREIGNERS WOULD SWALLOW IT UP: And even if the “whirlwind” of God does not destroy all their crops, then alien marauders will take anything that is left.

Reading 3 – Acts 27:39

“When daylight came, they did not recognize the land” (Acts 27:39).

“Principles are like stars, constant and comprehensive, but not local or particular. The pilot with only local knowledge may guide the ship through the well-known channel and into the old port, but a knowledge of the stars is necessary when sailing in unknown seas. If a pilot should mistake a foreign port for the one he knows and attempt to guide the vessel according to the old rules he will bring it to disaster. Ships of various kinds have been wrecked through such mistaken confidence. Oftentimes men have ignored principles and have applied the lessons learned in former years to circumstances that are totally different. They have even quoted the words of former leaders in a manner that would horrify such leaders could they rise from their graves and witness the application” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 1 – Ezr 8:22

“I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him’ ” (Ezra 8:22).

“A convoy on many accounts would have been desirable for the pilgrim band, but a holy shamefacedness would not allow Ezra to seek one. He feared lest the heathen king should think his professions of faith in God to be mere hypocrisy, or imagine that the God of Israel was not able to preserve His own worshippers. He could not bring his mind to lean on an arm of flesh in a matter so evidently of the Lord, and therefore the caravan set out with no visible protection, guarded by Him who is the sword and shield of His people. It is to be feared that few believers feel this holy jealousy for God; even those who in a measure walk by faith, occasionally mar the lustre of their life by craving aid from man. It is a most blessed thing to have no props and no buttresses, but to stand upright on the Rock of Ages, upheld by the Lord alone” (CH Spurgeon).

*****

“Ezra was not overconfident or boastful. He did not presume upon the providence of God. But he did not feel he could consistently ask the help of man when he had spoken of the limitless power of his God. Others may have regarded the matter differently, but to him, the situation raised again the same issue of allegiance and dependence — God or man — and whenever that issue arises in whatever form, the answer of faith must be the same.

“He well realized the responsibility he had assumed in leading his unprotected company through wild and hostile country. It is clear that this weighed heavily upon him. There were many other lives besides his own involved — many who trusted him and depended upon him, and who were prepared to make the journey with him relying upon his judgment and wisdom.

“It would have been far easier to have asked for an armed guard, but he felt that the honour of his God was at stake, and so in prayerful hope, and with no armour but faith, they ventured forth. And no harm befell them” (GV Growcott).

Reading 2 – Hos 9:11,16

“Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird — no birth, no pregnancy, no conception” (Hos 9:11).

The glory of the Ephraimites, their numerous children, would fly away like a bird, quickly and irretrievably. There would be few births, or even pregnancies, or even conceptions. There is a play on the name “Ephraim” here, which sounds somewhat like the Heb word meaning “twice fruitful”. The Ephraimites had looked to Baal for the blessing of human fertility, but Yahweh would withhold it in judgment. Ephraim, the doubly fruitful, would become Ephraim, the completely fruitless.

“Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring” (v 16).

Because the people were not ROOTED in the truth (Eph 3:17; Col 2:7), their natural roots would wither. Likewise, the fig tree which did not yield the promised fruit was cursed by Jesus, and was dried up from the ROOT (Mar 11:20).

Reading 3 – Acts 28:30,31

“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Act 28:30,31).

During these two years, Paul was constantly under Roman guard (Eph 1:20; Phi 1:7), enduring much privation and suffering (Col 1:24; Eph 3:13) — being prematurely aged by extreme persecutions (Phm 1:8,9).

Apparently, some of the Praetorian Guard, assigned to guard Paul, were converted by his preaching (Phi 1:13).

Reading 1 – Neh 10

After Ezra’s prayer on behalf of the nation, in Neh 9, the people were prepared to seal the covenant with Yahweh, and to dedicate themselves to His service. Four groups sealed the covenants, presumably as representatives of the whole of the nation:

The governor: v 1; the priests (the heads of 21 priestly families): vv 2-8; the Levites (17 mentioned): vv 9-13; and the chief of the people (44 heads of other leading families): vv 14-27.

The phrases “house of our God” and “house of Yahweh” occur nine times in this chapter, emphasizing the importance of the work.

Why is Ezra not mentioned as sealing the covenant? Probably because he was officiating at the ceremony — in the place of the High Priest and as the representative of God Himself.

Why is Eliashib the High Priest not mentioned? Probably because he had turned away from Nehemiah’s party. Were Eliashib and his followers responsible for the apostasy of Neh 13? See Neh 3:1.

Reading 2 – Amos, “for 3 sins and 4”

“For Three Sins, and for Four”: The most distinctive feature of Amos’ prophecy is the eight-fold repetition of: “This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of ______, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.’ ” (“Three… and four” does not necessarily mean “seven”! In Hebrew, a three-fold repetition suggests finality: ie “I will overturn, overturn, overturn…” in Eze 21:27. So “three sins” would be the fulness of transgression, and “four sins” would be a wretched excess — implying the God had waited far too long to exercise His wrath!) This formula introduces divine statements of judgment about Israel (the northern kingdom) in Amos 2:6-8, and Judah (the southern kingdom) in Amos 2:4,5, as well as six Gentile nations surrounding God’s people:

Damascus, or Syria (Amos 1:3-5); Gaza, or Philistia (Amos 1:6-8); Tyre, in Lebanon (Amos 1:9,10); Edom (Amos 1:11,12); Ammon (Amos 1:13-15); and Moab (Amos 2:1-3).

Why these nations? Because, during the general period of Israel’s (and Judah’s) expansion and prosperity, the Jews had allowed themselves to become very much like the idolatrous, immoral nations around them (Amos 3:14-4:2; 6:1-6; 8:11-13). And so the time of God’s judgments upon the Gentile nations would also see severe chastening of Israel and Judah. But there would be this difference: God’s people, or rather a remnant of God’s people, would survive the severe judgments and emerge stronger, their faith having been tested so that they learn once again to trust in the LORD their God (Amos 3:1,2; 9:9).

Reading 3 – 1Ti 5:25

“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1Ti 5:23).

This verse seems out of context; in other words, vv 21,22,24,25 could be read entirely reasonably WITHOUT v 23. What is the point? Perhaps: as Paul writes these verses encouraging Timothy to “keep himself pure” (v 22), he realizes that Timothy may be too much given to asceticism, and so Paul reminds Timothy that — given his constitution — a little wine could be a healthful thing! Timothy may have been of a weak constitution, as Paul had seemed himself to be, and he would then need the strengthening effects of a little wine. (This verse is a corrective against the suggestion that “wine” in Scripture means unfermented grape juice and nothing more. If so, then what strengthening effect could be derived?)

In his autobiography Robert Roberts recounts a similar miscalculation: while a young man he embarked with the best of intentions upon a strict (but unbalanced) vegetarian diet (more precisely, as I recall, a rice-only diet!), only to come dangerously close to ruining his health.

Paul is saying here, “Not that I enjoin upon you that extreme and foolish ‘purity’ which is asceticism. You may even go so far as to use a little wine, as it might be needed for your health.” God commands believers to use all Scriptural means which may be at their disposal for preserving health to keep their “temples” sound.

But it is good never to forget the other side of the coin. “Be not drunken with wine” (1Ti 3:3; Eph 5:18). Our thoughts must not be clouded by the effects of alcohol or any other strong depressant or stimulant.

The sentiment here expressed is inconsistent with the opinion of some fanatical advocates of total abstinence, that drinking wine is altogether incompatible with true Christianity. Pharisaic ‘purity’ in such cases does not guarantee true godliness. On the contrary, it can lead to mechanical, rote worship, in following the do’s and don’ts of “the Law”. Even so, common sense (scriptural sense) should guide us in matters such as this. Paul recommends this to Timothy for purely medicinal purposes, not as a means of escape or a way to warm the ‘cockles of his heart’.

In addition, we must consider the weaker members because our liberty should not be an occasion of stumbling to someone else. “If meat makes my brother to offend, I will not eat meat so long as the world stands.” We would not want our liberty to be an occasion of stumbling to someone outside the faith either. An elder will give no occasion for the Truth or its adherents to be evil spoken of. Ascetic ideas regarding alcohol seem to play a more professed role today than in the past (wine was frequently taken with meals in Jesus’ day). Therefore this word of caution.

And it should be noted that there are brothers and sisters who are recovering alcoholics — for whom even a “little wine” could be the last push over the edge into the abyss. Clearly such advice as Paul dispenses here is not for them!

Finally… the very unpretentious quality of this tidbit of personal advice is an argument for the genuineness of this letter. Would an imposter have thought to include such mundane but practical details? This verse could have come from no pen but Paul’s.

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 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 – Ezr 9:5-7

“Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed: ‘O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today’ ” (Ezr 9:5-7).

Where the prophets of Israel witnessed against the spiritual abuses among their contemporaries they did so while still continuing full fellowship with those whom they denounced. More than this, the examples of Moses (Exo 32:30-33), Daniel (Dan 9:5-14), Nehemiah (Neh 1:6,7), Jeremiah (Jer 3:25; 9:1), and Ezra (Ezr 9:6,7,13) show these men intimately associated with the people whom they reprimanded, even so far as confessing the sins of the nation as though they were their own. Here is the spirit of true fellowship, or sharing, by which those most exercised against error bear the burdens of their brethren, and strive with them as partners — not outsiders — to defeat the enervating effects of sin.

“It is amazing that even though Ezra had clearly no idea until God revealed it to him of the extent of the sin of the people, straightaway he takes responsibility for it. It seems quite common for worthy men of God to behave this way (as Moses did). Perhaps we should look at this and see what it means for us and our attitudes. Maybe we should feel some responsibility to God — or at least shame before Him — for our brother’s sins?” (Peter Cresswell).

Reading 2 – Hos 10:12

“Break up your unplowed ground” (Hos 10:12).

“Our nature at its largest is but a small farm, and we had need to get a harvest out of every acre of it, for our needs are great. Have we left any part of our small allotment uncultivated? If so, it is time to look into the matter and see if we cannot improve this wasteful state of things. What part of our small allotment have we left fallow? We should think very poorly of a farmer who for many years allowed the best and the richest part of his farm to lie altogether neglected and untilled. An occasional fallow has its benefits in the world of nature; but if the proprietor of rich and fruitful land allowed the soil to continue fallow year after year we should judge him to be out of his wits. The wasted acres ought to be taken from him and given to another husbandman who would worthily cherish the generous fields and encourage them to yield their harvests.

“Bad is the man who neglects to cultivate his farm, but what shall be said of the sluggard who fails to cultivate himself? If it be wrong to leave untended a part of our estate, how much worse must it be to disregard a portion of ourselves! Now, there is a part of our nature which many allow to lie fallow. It is not often that they neglect the clay soil of their outward frame. They dress that field which is called the body with sufficient care; and truly I would not that they should be careless about it, for it is worthy to be kept in due order and culture. Albeit that it is a very secondary part of our nature, yet it is so interwoven with the higher that it is most important that the body should not be neglected. See ye well to that field, and by temperance, cleanliness, and obedience to the rules of health let it be as a garden… Few need to be exhorted to pay attention to their bodies… The fault is not that they care for the body, but that it takes an undue share of consideration, and usurps a higher place than it can claim.

“There is another field in man’s self-farm… The soil where true religion should flourish in the furrows is left by many to produce the deadly nightshade of superstition, the hemlock of error, or the thistle of doubt… Your hearts, your innermost natures, have been neglected, and from the finest part of your being the Lord has derived neither rent nor revenue. Your best acres lie fallow — fallow when you have good need to cultivate every inch of the ground.

“Do you know what happens to a fallow field? how it becomes caked and baked hard as though it were a brick? All the fragile qualities seem to depart, and it hardens as it lies caked and unbroken; I mean, of course, if year succeed year, and the fallow remains untouched. And then the weeds! If a man will not sow wheat, he shall have a crop for all that, for the weeds will spring up, and they will, seed themselves, and in due time the multiplication table will be worked out to a very wonderful extent; for these seeds, multiplying a hundred-fold, as evil usually does, will increase, and increase, and increase again till the fallow field shall become a wilderness of thorns and briars, and a thicket of nettle and thistle” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 3 – Col 1:13,14

“…The Son he loves, in whom we have redemption [some mss add: ‘through his blood’], the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13,14).

The simple truth of the transaction of “redemption”, as described in the New Testament, is contained in the key passages that equate redemption with the forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14). What has been forgiven cannot also be paid for. The sacrifice of Christ, the culmination of a life of perfect obedience and dedication, was the price paid for our salvation. That is to say, it was necessary that Christ give himself as a suitable basis for the declaring of God’s righteousness in offering mercy to sinners. But God’s offer requires a corresponding “payment” on the part of those who would accept it. Since they are to be redeemed out of death they must repudiate that which brought death, which is the world and sin (Rom 6:1-7, for example). They must live sober and godly lives, repudiating all iniquity, as a special people belonging exclusively to God (Tit 2:14).

Reading 1 – Ezr 5; 6

“The unexpected opposition to the work of God discouraged the people. If any of the wall had been set up (Ezr 4:2), it had now been broken down (Ezr 2:17; Nah 2:17). The foundations of the temple if built (Ezr 3:10) had to be again restored for building (Hag 2:18). The people had dispersed to the cities (Ezr 2:70), claiming the time had not come for building (Hag 1:4). A spirit of gross materialism set in. Houses were built and glamorised (Hag 1:4), and every effort was made to build up personal wealth (Hag 1:6), but there was no true prosperity (Zec 8:9-18). A succession of bad seasons left the people impoverished (Hag 1:10,11) and completely dispirited. Haggai’s message was ‘Consider your ways!’ But in Ezr 5, the work is resumed. The two chapters in Ezra combine the faithful actions of the people (Ezr 5), and the authoritative commands of the Persian monarch (Ezr 6).

“It is a type of the latter-day restoration of Israel and the government of the multitudinous Christ. The conclusion of Ezr 6 is a most delightful report of the nation in harmony with their God. Ezr 6:22 concludes the first portion of the book, with the temple built and the people rejoicing in the accomplishment of their hands. A great passover was held, as it will again be conducted in the millennial temple. The priests and the people were ceremonially purified (Ezr 6:20), typical of the saints, and through whom all the ‘children of the captivity’ were separated from the ‘filthiness’ of the nations (Ezr 6:21). It was a wonderful time, only to be eclipsed by the glory of the Age to come” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Hos 7:8

“Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over” (Hos 7:8).

“In the East it is the custom to heat the hearth, then sweep carefully the portion heated, put the cake upon it, and cover it with ashes and embers. In a little time the cake is turned. It is then covered again, and this process is continued several times, until the cake is found to be sufficiently baked. Ephraim has many representatives at this hour:

The man who lives for pleasure alone is a cake not turned. One side of his nature is unduly baked, the other is entirely neglected. Pleasure has its uses, but pleasure as a business is a very poor business indeed. There are many such persons, both in the lower and in the higher grades of society. The man who lives for pleasure is dead while he liveth. He is a wretched parasite; he is a reproach to his species. One side of his nature is burnt to a crust by the fires of unholy desire; the other side of his nature is raw dough. Both are worthless. The man who lives for business alone is a cake not turned. Business is good. Even though it be honourable, and the methods of its pursuit unobjectionable, the man who lives for this life alone loses this life as well as the life that is to come. The man to whom this world is a god is a wretched idolater. This life is never truly lived except it is used for the good of others and for the glory of God. If a man lives for business alone, one side of his nature is scorched by the friction of the world’s cares, and the other is raw dough. A man who lives for culture alone is a cake not turned. No man can claim the honours of culture, portions of whose nature lie fallow. A true culture sweeps across every faculty. Man has earthward, manward, and Godward relations. If lacking in any of these directions, it is a partial, defective, and unauthoritative culture. Tried by this true standard many claimants for the honour of culture will be found wanting. That is not true culture which fails to cultivate the nobler, the Diviner elements of the soul. A man who is half-hearted in religion is a cake not turned. Ephraim, though proud and haughty as a tribe, had been lacking in moral backbone, in loyalty, in consecration, in the service of God. There are such professors of religion today. A half-and-half man is a failure always and everywhere. Today Jesus Christ calls for men with one heart, and that heart on fire with His love. We want no unturned cakes. We want men with convictions. It is said of some men that they are very pious Godward, and very crooked manward. That is a severe criticism when it is true. That is not Christ’s model man. He is symmetrical: he is baked through and through. Christ alone can make such men” (Biblical Illustrator).

Reading 3 – Acts 26:14

In this chapter Paul reveals details of his conversion experience on the road to Damascus which were not mentioned in the historical account of Acts 9:

“We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’ ” (Acts 26:14).

This last statement of the Lord is very interesting; its meaning turns on the precise definitions of two words:

“Kick” is “laktizo”: literally, it means “to lift up the heel”: the Greek word occurs only here and Acts 9:5. (The Acts 9:5 word occurs only in KJV, but not NIV and other translations: it is probably an interpolation, or borrowing, from Acts 26:14.) “Goads” is literally “pricks” (Greek “kentron”: a point, a sting). It occurs elsewhere in the NT: 1Co 15:55,56; Rev 9:10.

Thus, taken together, the statement might be translated: “It is hard for you to lift up your heel against the sting of the serpent!” Now this may be seen as an obvious allusion to Gen 3:15. The Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, zealous for the Law, had sought to conquer the sin-power through personal effort, but inevitably he failed — as all men must! Only the Lord Jesus Christ could successfully destroy the serpent-power of sin (Gen 3:15), either for himself or for others!

Such an allusion, from Christ, implies that the young man Saul must have felt, for some time, an uneasiness in attacking Christianity — having realized that he had not been able to, nor could he ever by his own strength, resist the power of sin successfully… but that this man Jesus had done what he could not.

‘How long, Saul, will you resist my appeal to repent of your own pride and self-righteousness, and find true peace in me?’

Reading 1 – Job 5

“It must have been one of the sorest trials that Job had to suffer, when his closest friends condemned him for wickedness, and refusal to acknowledge the righteousness of God. Job knew that he was not guilty of such terrible crimes against the great One he worshipped. His friends acted without knowledge of the true facts to which we are privy through the Inspired Record. Eliphaz claimed to have received a visitation, and this colored his comments. He asserts:

That suffering stems from personal folly: vv 1-7. That as suffering is divine judgment on sin, Job should seek God’s forgiveness: vv 8-16. If Job places himself in the hands of God, He may deliver him: vv 17-27.

“But Eliphaz’s basic mistake is applying what ultimately will be to present circumstances, and so observing all things from that biased viewpoint. He presses the teaching of the vision by the evidence of personal experience, and in so doing adds to the sufferings of Job — as the misunderstanding of the apostles (and ourselves!) added to the distress of the Lord Jesus” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Mic 1:10-16

In Mic 1:10-16, the prophet used several clever wordplays in this poem to describe the desolation that God would bring on Judah. He selected towns and villages near his own hometown in Judah’s Shephelah whose names were similar to the coming devastations or to other conditions that he described.

“There follows a series of lamentations for villages in the Shephelah, or coastal plain, along which Sennacherib was to sweep in his triumphal invasion. The section is to be compared with the remarkable passage Isa 10:28-32 — where the prophet describes the panic spreading from one town to another as the Assyrians invaded from the northeast, whereas Micah describes the effect of the invasion from the southwest, even as far as Lachish” (Fred Pearce, “From Hosea to Zephaniah” 132).

“This section begins with words that recall David’s lament at the death of Saul and ends with the name of the cave where David hid from Saul [Adullam: v 15]. These dark moments in David’s life form a gloomy backdrop to the description of the fall of the towns Micah spoke of. Though he is never directly mentioned, the figure of David appears hauntingly in the tapestry of destruction — not a David standing tall in triumph, but a David bowed down by humiliation. It is as if Micah saw in the fall of each town and the eventual captivity of the two kingdoms the final dissolution of the Davidic monarchy. Like David, the glory of Israel would come to Adullam” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

Reading 3 – Heb 11:13

“And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth” (Heb 11:13).

The story is told about some Christians who were traveling in the Middle East. They heard about a wise, devout, beloved old believer, so they went out of their way to visit him. When they finally found him, they discovered that he was living in a simple hut. All he had inside was a rough cot, a chair, a table, and a battered stove for heating and cooking. The visitors were shocked to see how few possessions the man had, and one of them blurted out, “Well, where is your furniture?” The aged saint replied by gently asking, “Where is yours?” The visitor, sputtering a little, responded, “Why, at home, of course. I don’t carry it with me; I’m traveling.” “So am I,” the godly Christian replied. “So am I.”

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 – Ezr 4:24

“Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia” (Ezr 4:24).

Through the opposition of the adversaries the wonderful work that had commenced with the returning exiles stopped. The work was stopped for abut 16 years. It was this stopping of the work which caused some to say, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built” (Hag 1:2). Opposition should not cause us to slack the work and make excuses for our inactivity.

Reading 2 – Hos 6:6

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos 6:6).

“God is not setting up mercy and sacrifice as opposites. He is not condemning the offering of sacrifices, but He is exposing their attitude of mind in the offering thereof. Their worship was hollow, without heart. They were, as Malachi so clearly stated, guilty of robbing God whilst in the very act of offering sacrifices to him (Mal 3:7-12). They were going through the motions of seeking forgiveness, for God had given them the blood of animals ‘upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls’ (Lev 17:11), but there was no appreciation of His mercy and consequently no spilling over of that mercy from their own lives. There was no knowledge of God, no fear of His presence; their lives were filled with self.

“This is a searching exhortation: to be exposed to the possibility of incurring condemnation whilst in the act of performing that which was designed to save. Is this not the Old Testament counterpart of, ‘Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body’ (1Co 11:27-29). How important it is, then, that we should have a ‘knowledge’ of God, a knowledge of His redeeming mercy and of His searching truth, and that these should be discerned along with the Lord’s body in the emblems given for that purpose” (Cyril Tennant, “Hosea” 47,48).

Reading 3 – Acts 24:25

“As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you’ ” (Acts 24:25).

“Felix was a naturally violent and headstrong man, used to exercising power, and getting his own way. If men revolted against his authority, he destroyed them. If the High Priest remonstrated with him, he had him put to death. If he fancied another man’s wife, he took her. But if he wanted to be a Christian, he would have to get down off his high horse and learn to control his passions. ‘Except a man be converted, and become as a little child’, the founder of Christianity had laid down, ‘he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.’ And neither Felix or anybody else is exempted. There is no place for people on hand-made pedestals in the Kingdom of Christ, and of God” (Len Richardson).

“The bloated slave sitting on the seat of judgment and power, representing all the worst vices of Roman degeneracy; the heads of the sinking Jewish commonwealth, blinded by history and mad with hate, forgetting for the moment their abhorrence of their Roman masters and their deeper detestation of the apostle Paul; the hired advocate with his fulsome praise and false charges. And the great apostle with his inimitable skill in debate, pure-minded, upright, fearless, pleading his own cause with consummate force and dignity, and overawing his heathen judge by the majesty of his character. A graphic description of a noble scene” (AC Hervey, cited in “Story of the Bible” 14:85).