Meditate on it

Section 3: Matthew 1:1-17--Christ's genealogy through Joseph There are 3 groupings of 14 generations---thus 42 generations from Abraham to Christ.  Matthew's audience was Jewish, thus one of his primary goals was to show the connection and fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant through Jesus.  Matthew's lineage traces it through his father Joseph. Some insights into Matthew's genealogy paraphrased from the BKC: He chose to trace it through Joseph, Jesus' legal father.  This emphasized Christ's legal right to the throne. He includes 5 women in the genealogy--Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. There were more generations perhaps, but Jewish genealogy did not require the inclusion of all. "Matthew’s genealogy answered the important question a Jew would rightfully ask about anyone who claimed to be King of the Jews. Is He a descendant of David through the rightful line of succession? Matthew answered yes!" -BKC   Section 4: Luk

 Love as a Watermark of Birth This birth, "becoming sons of God" is characterized by love for one's brothers: 1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Of God (ek tou theou). Even human love comes from God, “a reflection of something in the Divine nature itself” (Brooke). John repeats the old commandment of 1Jn_2:7.  Persistence in loving (present tense agapōmen indicative and agapōn participle) is proof that one “has been begotten of God”  (ek tou theou gegennētai as in 1Jn_2:29) and is acquainted with God. Otherwise mere claim to loving God accompanied by hating one’s brother is a lie (1 Jn_2:9-11). -RWP I've seen this verse tossed around a good bit by marginally aware Christians.  My gut is that they are drawn to the part about "whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."   The quick conclusion could be "Great, I love people, got it all covered.  Love pe

Luke 1:1-4 Luke dedicated Acts and Luke to Theophilus, of whom not much is know except is was Greek and of a high official rank. Luke's preface, reassures all who seek hard evidence, facts.  His account promises to be faithful, to the documentation and first-hand experiences: The careful language of Luke here really pays a tribute to those who had preceded him in their narratives concerning Christ.-Robertson's Word Pictures The certainty (tēn asphaleian). Make no slip (sphallō, to totter or fall, and a privative). Luke promises a reliable narrative. “Theophilus shall know that the faith which he has embraced has an impregnable historical foundation” -Plummer cited RWP  This Preface by Luke is in splendid literary Koiné and is not surpassed by those in any Greek writer (Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius). It is entirely possible that Luke was familiar with this habit of Greek historians to write prefaces since he was a man of culture. -RWP Koine Greek was a common fo

Moving on from Isaiah, it makes sense to go back to the New Testament, and the gospels specifically.  I haven't done a strong comparative study of the gospels since college--1989-1990--when I wasn't a Christian.   After some research, I discovered The Fourfold Gospel published in 1918 by J.W. McGarvey.  It combines the four gospels so that they are chronologically interwoven with each other. More perhaps later, but for today, this is where I'm headed

I wish the last lines of Isaiah were not so grim: "My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone." Isa 66:24 But, we are to receive the Word with reverence and thought, not change it to suit our preferences.  I've been in Isaiah since mid November--it's now mid February--3 months of Isaiah.  A rich journey, I've come away with many "old" favorite verses fresh in my mind and new things to ponder. The biggest realization I've had is the crazy extent to which Jesus pulls from and references Isaiah.  Or, as Briggs prefers to put it, the extent to which Isaiah pulls from Jesus.  Either way, many of the seeds of Jesus' parables and principles are sprinkled throughout Isaiah.  Here are two fresh on my mind, but there are many more: The strong emphasis on the quality of a man's th

Day Five: Read Isaiah 63-64 1. What is the answer to the question in 63:1? I thought it would be The Messiah, Jesus, but the commentary below asserts it is Jehovah specifically. The solitary Figure who speaks in Isa_63:3-6 is not the servant of the Lord, or the Messiah, but Jehovah Himself (comp the parallel, Isa_59:16); the blood which reddens His garments is expressly said to be that of His enemies; and the “winepress” is no emblem of the spiritual sufferings endured by our Lord, but of the “fierceness and wrath of Almighty God’ (Rev_19:15) towards the adversaries of His Kingdom. While it is true that the judgment is the prelude to the redemption of Israel, the passage before us exhibits only the judicial aspect of the Divine dealings, and it is not permissible to soften the terrors of the picture by introducing soteriological conceptions which lie beyond its scope. The image presented is one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring in the Old Testament, and it is difficult to

Day Three: Read Isaiah 60  1. Who is the "you"/"your" being spoken of in this chapter? Give verse. Jerusalem (v1) Your people will live right and always own the land; they are the trees I planted to bring praise to me. (v21) 2. Compare Isaiah 60 with Revelation 21, listing passages that contain parallel thoughts. A. God's presence with his people is woven through both these passages: Isa 60:13  Wood from Lebanon's best trees....It will be used in my temple to make beautiful the place where I rest my feet Rev 21:3  I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. B. God is their source of light in both: Isa 60:19  You won't need the light of the sun or the moon. I, the LORD your God, will be your eternal light and bring you honor. Rev 21:23  And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God wa

Ottoman Viper, Montivipera xanthina "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.  The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace."  Isaiah 59:4-8 Spider Web, Jeff Small Wood, Flicker I'm stopping here because I think the cockatrice's eggs and spider's webs are imag

 "...their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity."  Isaiah 59:7 The emphasis on the Bible given to the quality of our thought life plays out in both the Old and New Testaments. Pro 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure. Pro 24:9 Fools incubate sin; cynics desecrate beauty. (MSG) Gen 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen 8:21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Act 8:20-22 But Peter said to

Day One: Read Isaiah 58  1. On what day was a fast required in Old Testament law? (For your answer see Lev 23:26-32) The only fast required was on the annual Day of Atonement.  10th month, 7th day  They are to fast and offer sacrifices.  Also, no work is to be done on this day, like a Sabbath. 2. In your own words, tell us what was wrong with the kind of fast being practiced?  The problem with the fast was that it was an outward fast that had no impact on their inward condition.  In verse 3, he says that the people only think of themselves and treat their workers poorly.  God does not value outward observance apart from inward connection. 3. In your own words, tell us the kind of fast the Lord chooses.  He is pleased with removing the chains of prisoners unjustly jailed, freeing those who are abused, sharing and giving to those in need, including your relatives. 4. Isaiah 58:13-14 contains a conditional promise regarding the Sabbath.  a. What are the conditions and w

Day Five: Read Isaiah 56:1-8   1. What does the Lord expect of those He invites into His Kingdom?  2. What two groups of people, previously excluded from God's people, will now be included? (See Deuteronomy 23:3, 7-8 3. How has the Servant's work made this possible? (See Colossians 1:21-23; 2:13-15) "We are not to burden ourselves with anxious cares about the future, but neither are we to pledge our future income to meet our present expenses. Nor are we to use, as bread for to-day, what God has sent to be sown as seed for the morrow. We ought to study the law of proportion, and to live in proportion to our income, to give in proportion to our income, and to save in proportion to our income and the position of responsibility in which we are placed, either as to family or work-people." -A. Clarke, Biblical Illustrator Forecasting is ever close by foreboding, hope is interwoven with fear, the golden threads of the weft crossing the dark ones of the warp, and

Day Two: Read Isaiah 55:6,7  1. What steps is the reader exhorted to take and what will be the result? Steps: *Seek the Lord. To ‘seek the Lord’ is to direct conduct and heart to obtain possession of God as one’s own. Of that seeking, the chief element is calling upon Him; since such is His desire to be found of us that it only needs our asking in order to receive. *Call upon Him while He is near. *Let the wicked forsake his way. *Let the righteous forsake his thoughts. *Let him return to the Lord. Result: "for He will abundantly pardon" (v.7)   Day Three: Read Isaiah 55:8,9   1. Why does verse 8 begin with the word "For'? In this sense, the word "for" means because. The word signals a difference between the Lord's perspective and our own.  The comparison continues with the idea that as far apart as the heavens and the earth are, that's how far apart God's perspective is from our own. "For as the heavens are higher th

Read Isaiah 55:1-5 1. Verses 1-2 issue three invitations to "come."  a. Who is to come and where? Everyone who thirsts--to the waters.  b. Who is to come, buy and eat?  He who has no money.  c. What else are they to buy? Milk and wine  d. How are they to pay? Everything's free. They are to delight themselves in rich foods.  2. To whom are they to come? What prompts them to do that?  To God.  God.  3. What will be the future of those who come? Their souls shall live.  They will inherit an everlasting covenant.  4. Link God's covenant with David (verse 3b) to verses 4-5.  God made a covenant with David.  He was a witness and leader.  God says "You shall call a nation you do not know because of the Lord God Nathan tells David that his house will be made sure forever,his throne established forever. 2 Samuel 7:16-17 The psalmist recounts how God has established David's kingdom and throne forever.  -Psalm 89:1-4 Luke 1:30-33--The angel&#