1 Timothy 6:11-21, Timothy: Command and Teach This

In the Gospels Jesus is described this way.  He sent out the Twelve, commanding them not to go into the way of the Gentiles of Samaritans (Mt. 10:5). He commanded the Twelve not to take anything for the journey except a staff (Mk. 6:8). In Mk. 8:6 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground (we noted that Matthew used a different term, indicating that the command was from Jesus, while Mark’s term indicates the command was passed along by the Twelve).  He commanded the leper who was healed to tell no one but go show himself to the priest (Lk. 5:14).  He commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man in Lk. 8:29, the parents to tell no one about the raising of their daughter (Lk. 8:56), and His disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ (Lk. 9:21).  Some of these commands seem strange, but if we understand that Jesus was passing along a command from His Father you do understand that this was the Father’s will.  It fit with the grand purpose that Christ must go to the cross.

We see this several times in Acts.  Jesus told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise (1:4).  The Jews commanded the apostles not to speak nor teach in the name of Jesus (4:18), reminded them of this later (5:28), then commanded them the same again (5:40).  But Peter told Cornelius that God had commanded the apostles to preach and testify (10:42).  Some in the Church wanted to command believers to keep the law of Moses (15:5).  Paul commanded the spirit to come out of the young girl in Philippi (16:18).  The Philippian jailor was commanded to keep Paul and Silas securely (16:23).  Ha!  Paul told the Athenians God now commanded all men everywhere to repent (17:30).  The commander commanded Paul’s nephew not to tell anyone what he had revealed (23:22) and then commanded Paul’s accusers to make charges before Felix (23:30).

This term is used twice in 1 Cor. (7:10 and 11:17), once in saying “I command, yet not I but the Lord” concerning divorce, and then in the matter of the Lord’s supper (the NKJV calls these “instructions”).  In 1 Th. 4:11 Paul commanded them to lead a quiet life, etc.  In 2 Thessalonians 3 we see the word 4 times: concerning specifics about lifestyle (3:4), to withdraw from disorderly brothers (3:6), that those who did not work should not eat (3:10), that they work in quietness and eat their own bread (3:12).  All these have to do with “details” of the Christian life.

This brings us to 1 Timothy.  Paul told Timothy to charge some that they teach no other doctrine (1:3); to command and teach (4:11); to command instructions for the care of the widows (5:7); and to command the rich not to be proud or to trust in riches (6:17).  In everything, especially in 6:11-12), he told Timothy: I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate.  He commands details of the Christian life, but it is all in the context of living our lives before God our creator and Christ who faithfully passed on the message He had, even before Pontius Pilate!

1 Timothy 4:11-16, Timothy’s Pastoral Imperatives

We are continuing in “word studies,” but I want to take a little different tack for a while.  This is for my benefit, but as everything I am involved with in studying the word of God seems to turn into a “blog post” I will be sharing it with you.  You need to know these things if you are a believer and therefore part of a local church.  The plan is to study the verbs in 1 Tim. 4:11-16, Paul’s instructions to Timothy as he had a pastoral role at Ephesus.  Most of these verbs are imperatives (commands) but even those that are not are instructive.  There are 11 of these verbs.  So, it will take us some time.  The value for you, if you are not in a pastoral role, is that you will know what your pastor needs to be free to do, not so you can judge or criticize him but so you can support him.  These are God’s priorities for pastors.

There are two imperatives in 1 Tim. 4:11: command and teach.  In Greek, both are present tense (do this now, and again tomorrow, regularly each day), active voice (this is your work to do from God Timothy, pastor; don’t get side-tracked), imperative (as we said, commands; this comes from the Head of the Church), and 2^nd person (this is not to be delegated to others).  I am giving you this detail because it is not hard, it is important to understand, and most of the verbs have this same PAI2 (present, active, imperative, 2^nd person) form. 

The first verb is “command” (v11).  This is one of those compound Greek words (parangellos, the preposition “to, together with” and “messenger, angel”).  Literally it is “to transmit a message along from one to another, to declare, announce; to command, order, charge.”  This should not be confusing if you remember that in Rev. 2-3, in the seven letters of Christ to the churches, that each is addressed to “the angel of the church.”  Many consider that this “angel” is actually the pastor(s) of each church.  Christ is the Head of the Church.  The role of a pastor is to declare what Christ has said, “to transmit a message along from Christ to the believers.”  In Rev. 2-3 what Christ said came in the form of letters.  In 1 Tim. 4 what Christ said will be gleaned from the word of God, as 4:13 makes clear: Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

There are other “command” words in the NT but there are distinctions to be observed.  In Matt. 28:19-20 (all things that I have commanded you) are commands from someone who is invested with the office or position to make the command.  In Matt. 15:35 (He commanded the multitude to sit on the ground) the commands are verbal orders from a superior.  In Matt. 28:16 (the disciples went into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them) the term means to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint.  Paul does not use any of these other terms of pastors/elders in the churches.  I hope you understand what we have here.  Paul is telling Timothy to pass on what he receives from Christ, the Head of the Church.  That is what pastors are to do.  They do not develop their own messages but rather give heed to Scripture so as to relay Christ’s word/words to His Church!

Psalm 118

We hope you enjoyed reading this magnificent Psalm.  It begins and ends the same, with the familiar call to praise: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  And no Psalm gives the proof of God’s goodness and mercy any better than this one.  And if you will allow one of your slightly misguided worship songs to be properly redirected, you will see what I mean. 

Do you sing that little chorus, This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it?  It is commonly sung as an encouragement to thank God for today, sung in the morning so we get a good start.  But I am sure you noticed that this song comes from this Psalm (v24).  And I hope you noticed as well: it refers to a particular day.  ONE DAY IN HISTORY.  The day the builders rejected the Stone who then became the Chief Cornerstone. 

It is a passage quoted often in the New Testament (Mt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Lk. 20:17; Ac. 4:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:7).  It speaks of the day of Jesus’ death (the Stone rejected but thereby He became the Chief Cornerstone).  Reminisce with me for a moment.  Jesus referred to that day as your hour and the power of darkness (Luke 22:53).  It was a sad day, a difficult day, a time of the most severe affliction.  But Jesus also said, My Father loves me because I lay down My life that I may take it again (John 10:17).  Jesus willingly obeyed His Father.  He knew Psalm 118 (several of the quotes listed above were by Christ), that His Father is good and forever merciful; that He was on His side and for Him (118:5-7), that He could be trusted (118:8-9), that there would be total victory in the name of the Lord (118:10-12), that the cross and the bearing of our sins was the gate of the Lord through which the righteous shall enter (118:20).

So should we sing the praise of 118:24 early in the morning, at the start of every day?  Sure!  Absolutely!  But keep it Christ-centered.  It is the day of the cross that after three days would issue in the resurrection and after 40 days would take Him to the Father’s right hand and after 50 days would see the coming of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the establishment of a New Covenant.  If that day resulted in eternal goodness from God then certainly your day can count on no less.  Sing it at the outset of a day that you anticipate will be filled with trouble; your troubles will be nothing compared to those of the day of the death of our Lord.  Face today rejoicing over the day the Stone was rejected.  This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes (118:23).  As Christ was the willing sacrifice, bound to the altar of His cross (118:27) so you enter this day by willingly presenting your body as a living sacrifice, bound on the altar of the cross you have taken up as you follow Christ!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.

**********

I want to add a note concerning verse 27. I have not changed the blog but we do recognize that verse has some challenges with respect to interpretation. There is nothing in the Law nor in the historical books of the Old Testament that speak of binding a sacrifice to the horns of the altar. So what are we to understand with respect to that part of the verse? Each of the verses around it have a synonymous parallelism so I do think that whatever the last half of verse 27 means it should connect in some way with the first half. I also see the entire psalm as fitting for the Messiah. It is fitting to connect the light given to us by the Lord as the light of the world who is Jesus. And Verse 26 is certainly Messianic in the sense it was used on the day of Jesus royal or triumphant entry into Jerusalem. So with respect to the binding of the sacrifice to the horns of the altar there are a couple of possibilities. Jewish interpretation of the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 refers to it as the "Binding of Isaac". Is it possible that our passage is dealing with the "Binding of Jesus", for Whom Isaac is a type? Or is it possible that all other sacrifices became unnecessary with the sacrifice of the Messiah so that those sacrifices should just be tied to the horns of the altar and the worshipers turn their attention to Christ? However we understand it, it does seem to me that in some way it must speak of the Lord Jesus Christ.

**********

Where is another edition to thinking about this Psalm. I have often seen a connection between Psalm 118 and Romans 8:31-39. I'm not saying that Paul was making the connection but that there is certainly a devotional connection which I'll share with you.

118:5-9 = 8:31-34

118:10-14 = 8:35

118:15-18 = 8:36

118:19-21 = 8:37

118:22-24 = 8:38-39

118:25-28 = Rom. 9-11

Isaiah 30:1-17, The God of Help

Having seen the context of God’s intended help for Israel, let us now meditate on the rest of the OT references that promise His help.

·       Psalm 20:2: God’s help comes from the sanctuary.  In other words, His help is joined to our relationship with Him.  We draw near to God and we are open to His help, as the people in Samuel’s time turned from their idolatry and found God to be true to His word.

·       Psalm 33:20: Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.  Note the connection, “help and shield”, of God’s help in dealing with the enemy.

·       Psalm 70:5: Here God is “my help and my deliverer” for the poor and needy one.  “Deliver” (to bring into security, deliver) fits the warfare theme.

·       Psalm 89:19: In the previous post we saw in Deut. 33:7 that God would be a help for Judah, the tribe from whom would come the Messiah.  This Psalm fits that promise as it speaks of God’s help for “one who is mighty,” referring to David, the one the LORD chose from the people.

·       Psalm 115:9,10,11: First Israel, then the house of Aaron, and then all who fear the LORD are called to trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.

·       Psalm 121:1,2; 124:8: In the Pilgrim Songs (Songs of Ascents) the pilgrim lifts his eyes to the hills and wonders, from whence comes my help?  The answer is: My help domes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  As he sets out on his pilgrimage, facing a time when men have risen up against him, repeats this truth: Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

·       Psalm 146:5: This echoes Deut. 33:29: Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.

·       Isaiah 30:5: Israel put their trust in Egypt but were ashamed, disappointed, as they could not be a help or benefit.

·       Ezekiel 12:14: In a similar context, Ezekiel prophesies that God will scatter all around Israel who have promised to help her.

·       Daniel 11:34: Again, this is a time between the OT and NT when Israel will receive little help from those around her.

·       Hosea 13:9: This last reference in the prophets is fitting: O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. 

Let me conclude with Hebrews 4:16 where we also are called to come to the LORD for help: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

1 Sam. 7:1-12, The Stone of Help

Here is a Hebrew word you might know just from your reading of the English OT.  In 1 Sam. 7:12, after Israel defeated the Philistines under the judgeship of Samuel, the prophet took a took a stone and set it up between Mispah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’ “Ebenezer” is a compound word meaning “stone” (eben) of “help” (ezer).  Earlier, in Ex. 18:4, Moses had two sons during the forty years of shepherding for his father-in-law, and called one of them “Eliezer,” saying The God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.  Again, we have a compound word: “El” (common word for God) and “ezer” (help).  Let’s meditate on “help.”

“Ezer” is used 22x in 21 verses, and half of those uses are in the Psalms, speaking of the LORD, of course.  But before you get to the Psalms the word gets its definition form two contexts. First, Gen. 2:18,20 where God made a “help” comparable to Adam.  Eve is Adam’s helper, and it is interesting that there is not a “job description” telling her in what way she would help.  The “help” is as deep and wide as the need.  Her primary qualification was that she was “comparable” to Adam.  She was not one of the beasts (a helper could not be found there) but was made in God’s image as was Moses.

The second context relates the word to the LORD.  First, Moses names his son (Ex. 18:4), and then in Deut. 33:7,26,29 Moses blesses the tribes of Israel.  For Judah Moses prays, may You be a help against his enemies.  For all the tribes he says, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds. ²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’ And again, Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places.”  Moses’ son reminded him of deliverance from Pharaoh’s sword, and then in three passages Israel knows the LORD will help Judah, from whom will come Israel’s ultimate ruler (Gen. 49:10), and will deliver the nation from their enemies. 

For the moment, come back to “Ebenezer.”  That is what Samuel is talking about.  Israel had suffered terrible losses to the Philistines that included the loss of the Ark of the Covenant.  But now, under Samuel’s leadership, the Ark has been returned and is under the care of Eleazer, son of Abinadab (1 Sam. 7:1).  Yes, another name to remind us of God’s help.  Eleazer combines the common title “El” (God) with “ezer” except that it is now past tense: God has helped!  Samuel called the people to repent of their idolatry, they responded in obedience, and the LORD helped as was promised in Deut. 33!  And then Samuel set up “the stone of help.” 

1 Tim. 6:1-10, Godliness that Affirms God’s Power

Before we search Scripture to see what this “form of godliness” might look like for Christians, let me add to 1 Tim. 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:3-4 what Paul told Titus to teach at Crete: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age (Titus 2:11-12^#).  It is the appearance of Christ and all that that involves that will teach us to “live godly” in this present age.  We are talking about Romans 6-8, Paul’s basic teaching on “sanctification.”  He builds on this in Galatians and Ephesians and Colossians and Peter also builds on Paul’s words there.  This is the “mystery” that produces godliness in the lives of believers that was missing from the saints in the OT.  Without this we will be seeking to put on a form that may look like Christ but that will have no power!

Now, does the NT give us any idea what this “form” might look like?  Yes, but only if we remember that it is produced according to the doctrine that accords with godliness we have already seen.

·       In 1 Tim. 2:2 it is to be lived in the society where God has put us, and accords with “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (integrity).”

·       In 1 Tim. 4:7-8 we see two things.  It is not a life build on “profane and old wives’ fables.”  In other words, it is not what some might call “common sense” or “tradition” or “the way my mama taught me,” no matter how valuable those things might seem to be.  This includes a lifestyle immersed in a focus on the body.  Care for the body has a place, a small place in our lives.  Exercise to godliness will make us far more useful now and will fit us for eternity.

·       In 1 Tim. 6:5-6 we see that godliness is not the same as being comfortable in this life.  Sometimes people try to look “holy” (reverent, godly) because it will get them ahead in this life.  The opposite is true: godliness with an attitude of contentment (happy with what God has given me) is what the form looks like.

·       In 1 Tim. 5:4^@ we see that in a Christian household the children and grandchildren show piety by caring for the parents/grandparents.

·       In 2 Tim. 3:12^# we see that those who live godly will suffer persecution.  Paul demonstrated this in 2 Cor. 10-12 when his list of “accomplishments” identifying him as a true apostle were his many sufferings.  Those with a “form of godliness” that denies the power of it don’t suffer.

·       And finally, now and in the “perilous times” Paul spoke of, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment (2 Pt. 2:9*).  Look for 1 Cor. 10:13 to be evident in the form of godliness. 

2 Peter 1:2-11, True Godliness!

By definition, the Greek term we translate “godliness” does not mean “God-like-ness.”  It is what we look like when we fear God or when we worship.  It is true, that godliness will ultimately agree with “conformity to the image of Christ.”  But it is not the same.  But do understand, godliness is a mark of followers of Christ.

Peter, in that amazing “stair-step” picture of the growth of a Christian, included a call to godliness.  Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love (2 Pt. 1:6,7).  There will be something about a person, as they mature, that will be evident, a “form of godliness.”  But we are not Greek idolators, and we need to avoid some who may look like mature Christians.  So what is the difference.

Well, the first thing we can say is that there is a doctrinal difference.  Paul told Timothy there is a “doctrine which accords with godliness” (1 Tim. 6:3), and Titus that the truth “accords with godliness” (Titus 1:1).  In his words to Titus he goes on to say that this “truth” involves the hope of eternal life which God promised before time began and has been manifested through his preaching.  To Timothy he said that the “doctrine” involves “the words of our Lord Jesus Christ,” meaning what He revealed in terms of the New Covenant.

You may have noticed that these “godliness” terms are found in Acts, and then in the Pastoral Epistles and 2 Peter.  They are in the later letters, and all of these had strong dealings with false teaching.  The issue of “wheat and tares” was becoming more and more of an issue as the first century wore on, and the need arose to deal with the “form of godliness” and the doctrine that is in sync with that form.

And this leads us then to two major references to “godliness.”  First, 1 Tim. 3:16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.  This is specifically called “the mystery of godliness.”  The “mystery” term should be a clear pointer to the truths that Christ gave especially to Paul for the establishment and edification of the Church (cf. Eph. 3:1-13).  The secret to godliness for Christians is CHRIST!  He came to earth, ran the race as our “forerunner” (Hb. 6:19-20; 12:1-2).  Christ “in the believer” is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27) and the believer “in Christ” is the fountain of every blessing (Eph. 1:3).

And this takes us perfectly to 2 Peter 1:3-4: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature … Certainly these “promises” are those Peter heard from Christ in the Upper Room when Jesus declared the “doctrine that accords with godliness.” 

Acts 17:16-25, Godliness! Everybody's Doing It!

Here is a study that is needed for all believers in Christ.  “Godliness” is defined as reverence, piety towards God. We have to consider it because godliness has an aspect of “form,” meaning outward appearance, and yet it is not fundamentally outward appearance but is a spiritual reality, something produced through Christ in the inner man.  You can say that you know something about the religion of a person by their “godliness,” but if all you know about that person is what you see you do not really know that person.  Does that make sense?

We have a noun (15x), adjective (4x with an *), verb (2x with ^@), and adverb (2x with ^#).  They appear 5x in Acts where we can get a picture of what this means.  In Ac. 3:12 Peter told the crowd (the “men of Israel”) that it was not his “godliness” that healed the man by the Beautiful Gate but it was Christ.  He said it this way because the “men of Israel” all sought to be godly and thought that being godly would empower them in their lives.  They held strongly to the “form.”  Do “Jewish” things and you will be accepted by God.  This introduces the first and foremost danger involved here: that we would put trust in our spiritual character.  Job’s friends had this same idea. Eliphaz asked Job, Is not your reverence your confidence?  And the integrity of your ways your hope (Job 4:6)? 

Look who else had a “form of godliness.”  The Greeks in Athens (Ac. 17:23^@).  In v22 Paul calls them “religious” using a term that literally means a “fear or reverence of demons.”  Then in v23 he refers to their “worship” or “godliness.”  They had a form. Cornelieus was a “devout” man (Acts 10:2*) and he sent a “devout” soldier to summon Peter (Acts 10:7*.)  They were “God-fearers,” one who would or could not proselytize to Judaism but who honored the God of Judaism.  Ananias, whom God sent to speak with Paul in Damascus, was a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there in Acts 22:12*.  No doubt he was a believer in Christ, but his “form of godliness” would have looked very Jewish. 

Paul says that in the “perilous times” of the last days people will have a “form of godliness but denying its power,” “from such people turn away” (2 Tim. 3:5).  Most understand this to refer to the great apostacy of the last days.  These people are in some way connected with Christians and/or Christianity but must be avoided. 

This introduces the problem we must be aware of as followers of Christ.  True, Bible-believing, non-hypocritical believers in Christ (call them what you will) also have a “form of godliness.”  Paul told Timothy to “pursue” godliness (1 Tim. 6:11), not to reject it.  Concerning the last days, Peter said, Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness (2 Pt. 3:11).  So, we need to understand the “fundamentals” of godliness.  For believers it is not just a form to put on.

Phil. 3:7-17, Beholding the Mark! Scopus, Inc.

Today we have one of my favorites.  We have an organization called “Scopus Inc.”  The goal is that people’s attention will be focused more clearly on Christ.  There is a story we often share that gives an illustration of “scopus.”  Mt. Scopus was the point at which pilgrims could first see the temple if coming from the north of Israel.  In 70AD the Romans camped there in their campaign that destroyed the temple and Jerusalem.  Over the centuries it remained the place where Jews, even if denied entrance into the city, could view the city from the north. 

The word “scopus” literally means “lookout.”  The only use of the noun (Greek skopos) is in Phil. 3:14: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Paul’s aim in Phil. 3 was to know Christ, and thereby to have a righteousness not his own but a righteousness of faith.  Thus he fixed his attention on Christ, knowing that this would result in conformity to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). 

The verb appears again in the passage, in 3:17: The definition is to look at, observe, contemplate. to mark.  It speaks of a dedicated and concentrated eyeing of a target or mark, which if we hit it we will have accomplished our goal.  Scopus is the mark.  Scopeō is the intense gaze.  It is not surprise that our term “scope” (as on a rifle, that magnifies the target) comes from this term.  We are left with five additional uses of the verb in the NT.  Consider more about the “gaze” that will fix our attention on Christ.

·       Lk 11:35: "See to it" (take heed in NKJV) that the light within you is not darkness.  How appropriate to start here.  We cannot see the target if it is in the darkness, hard if it is shaded.  By the Holy Spirit the light is turned on when we receive the gospel (2 Cor. 4:1-6).  Note in that passage that when the light is turned on the word of God is preached.  The word of God reveals the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the mark!

·       Ro 16:17: "Watch out" for those who cause divisions or stumbling-blocks.  Again, these stumbling blocks would make a vision of Christ difficult.  Religion (e.g. Catholicism) does this: dims our view of Christ.

·       2Co 4:18: "Fix your eyes" on what is unseen, not on what is seen.  Amen!  What we need to see, as Peter put it, is Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Pt. 1:8).

·       Gal 6:1: In restoring someone "watch" yourself lest you be tempted.  Again, we must be careful lest we dim the target!

·       Phil 2:4: "Look" not only to your own interests but to the interests of others.  Yes, yet another hindrance to our dedicated beholding of Christ.

Psalm 117 (Romans 15:8-12)

It’s the shortest of all the Psalms, a call to the Gentiles to give God praise.  Enough said, right?  No.  Not so fast.  For one thing, remember that this one of the Hillel Psalms, celebrated in Israel.  It begins and ends with Praise the Lord.  While directed toward the Nations it is special to Israel.

Also, notice the beautiful and simple poetical form.  Each verse is two couplets, with parallel thoughts.  In v1 the Gentiles (nations) and all you peoples are called to praise (shine a light on) and laud (commend, boast of) the God of Israel.  In v2 the cause for praise is His merciful kindness (checed) and enduring truth (emeth).  These attributes of God that appear together so often in the Psalms that cause Israel to praise the Lord is what also evokes praise from the Gentiles.

There’s more.  Don’t miss the “us”: His merciful kindness is great toward says, towards Israel.  Why should Gentiles praise God for mercy and truth to Israel?

·         First, remember that in the Abrahamic Covenant God promises to bless ALL the families of the earth (Gen. 12:2-3).  So of course, God’s mercy to Abraham (who with his descendants would need God’s mercy) and enduring truth (the fulfillment of the promise would depend on God’s faithfulness) would result in the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God, who would come to earth in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David.

·         Second, note from Romans 15:8-12 all the quotes Paul takes from the OT to support his own call to the Gentiles to be obedient to the faith.

o   15:9 from Psalm 18:49, the Psalm of David sung when God delivered him from all his enemies.  So it will be with the Son of David, when He comes in victory over His enemies.  He will rule on David’s throne in Zion; i.e. God’s mercy and truth to Israel will be accomplished through the Messiah.

o   15:10 from Deuteronomy 32:43.  The source is the end of the Song of Moses wherein it was foretold how Israel would stray from God and be judged but in the end would be saved for the glory of His Name.  It concludes with this call to Gentiles to praise God.  As Ezekiel said, the Gentiles would know once the whole story of Israel was complete, the story of God’s furious wrath and His abundant mercy (Ezek. 39:21-29).

o   15:11 from Psalm 117:1 where God’s mercy and truth to Israel is the basis for the Gentiles to be called to praise.

15:12 from Isaiah 11:1,10 where the Messiah is clearly tied to Israel as the root of Jesse who will rise to reign over the Gentiles.  And this brings us back to where we started with Abraham: the blessing of all the nations is dependent on God’s mercy and faithfulness in keeping His promise to Abraham.  Paul, who established this fact in Romans 9-11 (11:26: so all Israel will be saved), is here applying it to the Gentiles.  There is no reason to wait until Christ returns in triumph.  NOW is the time of salvation.  Now is the time for all peoples to heed the call of Psalm 117!

1 Timothy 1:11-20, The Lord’s “In-Strengthening”

A long time ago we studied this word so as to contrast it with other NT terms for strength and power.  Today I want us to consider this in the context of 1 Tim. 1.  Paul says that “sound doctrine” is the equivalent of the “glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.”  Paul was a man of faith, a faithful brother, and God entrusted him with the glorious gospel.  But what mattered was not the great “faith” of Paul but the fact that being a man of faith, God was able to enable Paul.  “Enable” is literally to “power inside,” much as Paul prayed for in Eph. 3:15, that the Father would strengthen them by the Holy Spirit in the inner man.  This term, you will see today, is only used 8x but is found in some of your favorite NT passages. 

This verb is either in the “active” voice when the passage emphasizes the fact that the Lord did this, or in the “passive” voice when it emphasizes that this happened to someone.  In other words, it is ALWAYS the work of God.  We simply receive, which is why we must be people of faith.  Faith receives!  Faith is the absence of works in our own strength!

One final thought.  The word can be used in a sinful way, meaning to be “head-strong,” although it is never used like this in the NT.  So again, Paul was “steadfast” (faithful), not headstrong.  Since he was faithful, God in-powered him.

·       Ac 9:22: Paul kept increasing in strength.  In 9:19 Paul was “in-strengthened” with food but this is a different term, referring usually to physical strength.  Our term refers more to “ability.”

·       Rom. 4:20: Abraham didn't waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith (passive).  The story of Abram/Abraham shows how God, from Gen. 12-14 was at work strengthening his faith for that moment in Gen. 15 when Abram believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  Then in Gen. 16-21 God continued to strengthen Abraham’s faith for the test in Gen. 22 on a mount in Moriah.

·       Heb. 11:34: All the people of faith in the OT were, by definition, in-powered in their faith.  I say by definition because there is no faith apart from this.  And yet, faith opens the door for this in-powering to come.

·       Thus, in Eph 6:10: (be strong in the Lord, passive) and 2 Tim. 2:1 (be strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus, passive) all believers, and specifically Timothy, are encouraged in this.  We must continue to walk in faith.

And now, three reference where the term is “active” voice because it is being done by Someone outside the person who receives it.

·       Phil 4:13: I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.

·       1Ti 1:12: Paul thanks Christ Jesus who strengthened him.

·       2 Tim 4:17: the Lord strengthened Paul when he appeared before the emperor so that he might again, at the end of his life, declare the gospel.

Hebrews 13:15-25, Well Pleasing to God!

As we said yesterday, we now have the same three Greek words except with a prefix that increases the “pleasure.”  Think about this as you look at these passages.  They are almost entirely dealing with our relationship with God.  Yesterday’s terms spoke of pleasing all manner of people.  Also, of these 13 passages, 4 are in Hebrews (the letter that exalts Christ for His once-for-all sacrifice), and a couple others speak of NT types of “sacrifices.”  This word is fit for a life that is a sweet smell to the Lord!  The added emphasis makes “well pleasing” a good translation, but often it is translated as “acceptable.”  Certainly don’t think of it as “acceptable” in the sense that this will do in a pinch, as we sometimes use that term.  Without this you and/or your behavior is not acceptable to God.  The verb is in Hb. 11:5-6; 13:16; the adverb in Hb. 12:28; and the rest are the adjective.

·       Rom. 12:1: Present your bodies a holy, acceptable sacrifice to God.  Here you can see the depth of the word “acceptable.”  The offerings of the priests in Malachi were a sham, displeasing God, giving Him what was lame or defective.  The body we offer to God must be acceptable, well-pleasing.

·       Rom. 12:2: Be transformed so you can prove God’s good, acceptable, perfect will.  Again, God’s will is always well-pleasing, that which pleases Him.  So our desire must be to understand it with renewed minds.

·       Rom. 14:18: In questionable things, whoever serves Christ is acceptable to God, approved or men.  I.e. this is God’s will.

·       2 Cor. 5:9: We aim to be acceptable to God, whether we are still here on earth or in heaven.

·       Eph. 5:10: Walk right, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  Note: as children of light (v9) we seek to please God.  As those who are wise we seek to understand His will.

·       Phil. 4:18: The offering of the Philippians to Paul for his ministry was a sacrifice, well pleasing to God.  A sweet smell!

·       Col. 3:10: Children obey their parents because this is well pleasing to God.  We obey parents so as to please God.

·       Titus 2:9: Servants are to be submissive to masters, well-pleasing.

·       Heb. 11:5,6: Enoch pleased God. Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Not hard but impossible.

·       Heb. 12:28: May we serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  We please Him with out attitudes as well as actions.

·       Heb. 13:16: Christians are to be doing good and sharing for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Again, a sweet smell.

·       Hb. 13:21: prayer to be equipped to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight.  Such emphasis on God’s will so as to please Him.

Romans 15:1-7, Unto All Pleasing

The desire to please God is fundamental to the Christian life.  As Paul said, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Cor. 5:9). But we are also to be pleasing to others as we seek to please the Lord.  We have three words: the noun (desire to please, Col. 1:10), the adjective (pleasing, with an *), and the verb (to strive to please).  In the next post we will go deeper by adding a prefix to these same words so “pleasing” becomes “well pleasing.”

·       Mt 14:6: Daughter of Herodius pleased crowd, Herod (Mk 6:22)

·       *Jn 8:29: Christ, "I always do things to please the Father." To begin with, think about these first two passages that tell us the difference between the natural man and the spiritual man is seen in who it is you desire to please.

·       Ac 6:2*,5: The apostles said it was not good (pleasing, to God, it did not fit God’s plan for the apostles) for them to take care of feeding of the widows.  The crowd was pleased with the plan to elect deacons.

·       *Ac 12:3: Herod saw death of James pleased Jews so he took Peter too.

·       Ro 8:8: Those in flesh can't please God.  He is speaking of Christians who seek to live by the law, to do the best they can rather than being filled with the Spirit.

·       Ro 15:1-3: We ought to bear infirmities of weak, not to please ourselves; to please your neighbor for his edification -- even as Christ pleased not Himself.

·       1Co 7:32-34: An unmarried person seeks only to please Lord; the married man must seek to please wife; the married woman must seek to please her husband.  This is often confusing or objectionable, but in the context Paul is correct.  He is talking about service for the Lord.  Of course, it pleases God when married persons please their spouses, but being single frees the person up to serve God!

·       1Co 10:33: I (Paul) please all men in everything, I seek not my own.  Again, don’t be confused.  Paul did not please all men the way Herod’s daughter pleased the crowd.  Rather it is in the sense of pleasing your neighbor or bearing the infirmities of the weak. 

·       Gal 1:10: with harsh words Paul asks, "Did I seek to please men."  The issue is Paul’s ministry: did he serve so as to make men happy or to please the Lord?

·       Col 1:10: Walk worthy of the Lord unto all "pleasing."

·       1Th 2:4: Paul preached to please God, not men

·       1Th 2:15: The Jews who killed the prophets did not please God, though they might have tried to convince you that they were serving God.

·       1Th 4:1: You ought to walk and please God as we taught you.

·       2Tim 2:4: Soldiers seek to please one who enlisted him.  Thus, we ought to please our commander, Jesus.

·       *1Jn 3:22: Answered prayer is based on obedience, doing things pleasing in His sight.

Ephesians 6:10-20, The Devil (2)

We now consider the work of “diabolos” in the rest of the NT.

·       Mt 13:39: The enemy who sows tares is the devil.  He is seeking to destroy the work of Christ who is “building His Church” in this age.

·       Mt 25:41: The goats (those who refuse to help Jesus’ “brethren,” national Israel) are destined to the eternal fire prepared for devil and his angels.  He seeks to keep Christ from His place as Messiah, the King who rules from Zion.  These first two passages speak of the preeminent roles of Jesus: Head of the Church and King of Israel.  Now in all the following passages, consider, “what is the devil seeking to destroy that belongs to Jesus?”

·       Lk 8:12: The seed falls by roadside; the devil takes it away so they won't believe.

·       Jn 6:70: Jesus chose the Twelve, but one was a devil (Judas, of course).  Jn 13:2: In the upper room the devil put in Judas' heart to betray Jesus.  Jn 13:27: After the bread was passed "Satan" entered Judas.

·       Jn 8:44: To the Jews Jesus said, you are of your father, the devil.  Their slander of Jesus made them little devils!

·       Ac 13:10: Paul calls Elymas a "son of the devil."  He resisted Paul’s preaching of the gospel.

·       Eph 4:27: Don't give devil opportunity.  One way we do this is by harboring anger when we go to bed at night.

·       Eph 6:11: Put on armor to stand against wiles of devil.  He is seeking to keep us from our Christ-exalting service.

·       1Ti 3:7: A pastor must have a good reputation so as not to fall into snare of the devil.  2Tim. 2:26: A disobedient Christian may repent and thus escape snare of the devil.  Psalm 124 is a great passage in dealing with the “snares of the fowler.” Again, practical resistance to the Church.

·       1Ti 3:11: Women are not to be malicious gossips.  2Ti 3:3: in last days men will be malicious gossips.  Tit 2:3: older women not to be malicious gossips.  NKJV calls this “slander.”  You could say that to gossip is to be a devil, or in link with the devil.  This is what he does.

·       Hb 2:14: Christ took part of flesh and blood to render devil powerless, to “break the snare” (Ps. 124:7).  1Jn 3:8abc: Those who sin are of the devil, because the devil sinned from the beginning.  But Christ was manifested (i.e. sent from heaven to earth, came to dwell among us) to destroy the works of the devil.  (In the context, cf. v9 which says we have the ‘seed,’ the new nature.  And 3:10: We know the children of God and the devil.

·       Jas 4:7: Resist devil and he will flee from you. 1Pt 5:8: be sober, alert ... devil as lion seeks to devour, “whom resist steadfast in the faith.”  “Resist” is to stand against and is the role of the Christian soldier (same word in Eph. 6:10,13,14).

Luke 4:1-13, The Devil (1)

The “evil one” goes most frequently by two names, Satan and Devil.  Satan means “adversary” and is found in the OT (Hebrew “satan,” 27X).  It is translated “to withstand,” as in Num. 22:22,32 where the Angel of the Lord withstood Balaam.   It is translated “adversary” and so-used of people several times in the Samuels and Kings.  E.g. the Philistines were afraid David might become their adversary and thus would not allow him to fight with them (1 Sam. 29:4).  In 1 Chron. 29:1 it is translated “Satan” and then the same 14x in Job 1-2, in Ps. 109:6, and twice in Zech. 3:1-2.  There is a verb form used 6x including in Ps. 109:4,20,29 as “adversaries” in Zech. 3:1 as “to resist.” 

All the above is preface to the other name, Devil, which we want to consider.  “Devil” is not used in the OT NKJV, though there are words for slander.  That is the meaning of the Greek “diabolos:” slanderous, slanderer, devil.  The connection between the two words is clear.  In the temptations of Jesus Matthew and Luke speak of the devil while Mark, in his summary account calls him Satan (Mk. 1:12).  In addition, Luke says that Jesus calls him Satan when He addresses him directly. 

diabolos: slanderous, slanderer, devil

·       Mt 4:1,5,8,11; Lk. 4:2,3,6,13 (Mk. 1:12): Jesus led into wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  The devil took him up on the pinnacle of temple, then on a high mountain.  In Luke the devil said, “if You are hungry, turn these stones into bread” and “I will give all You see if you worship me.”  Eventually the devil left Jesus and angels ministered to Him.

Let’s pause for a moment now and consider, in what sense did the evil one engage in “slander?”  If we go back to the first temptations of the devil in Gen. 3 we find that he slandered the word of God: “did God say.”  In the Gospels we see the same type of slander, calling into question God’s word, even though the devil even used God’s word when on the pinnacle of the temple.  Jesus’ answers, all from the Bible (Deuteronomy), speak of God’s word as certain and exalted. 

A second “slander” by the devil is calling into question who Jesus was as the Son of God as well as slandering the relationship between the Father and the Son.  He says, “If you are the Son of God” (Mt. 4:3,6), the same slanderous words that the Jews will use at the cross.  Again, he slanders God by inciting Jesus to worship him, Satan, as “God.” 

This initial NT passage is so valuable for us.  First, it identifies the object of Satan’s evil work.  He is still claiming deity for himself.  While he slanders us, he is doing this to get at the Godhead.  Second, Jesus perfectly shows us how to resist the evil one.  There is no other “offensive” weapon in our panoply (Eph. 6:10-20) than the sword of the Spirit, the word of God!

Phil. 4:8-13, Learning in the Body of Christ

Christians are to be learners.  We already have seen this in the previous post and it really comes out in most of today’s passages.  In the Church everyone was a learner, including women.  We mention this because in much of the first century world women were deprived of that privilege.  Therefore Paul addressed this on several of his letters.  Let’s begin with that group of references.

·       1Ti 2:11: The woman was to learn in quietness, with full submission.

·       1Co 14:31,35: Each can prophesy so all may learn; women to learn at home. Paul was giving instructions concerning the regular meeting of the churches.  For a woman to learn at home was not to restrict her but to put it in the context of her husband’s Christian responsibility to manage his family.  At home they could be on the same page, both in what was learned and in the application.

·       1Ti 5:13: Young widows learn to be idle, gossips, etc.

·       2Ti 3:7: There were women loaded with sins, always learning but never coming to knowledge of truth. These two passages addressed common situations that Paul had seen.  There is nothing prejudicial here, only real life then and now.

·       1Co 4:6: Paul applied truths to self and Apollos so they can learn from them.  In this and the next two passages we understand that learning was not just about doctrinal truth but also life application, living according to the doctrine.

·       Phil 4:9: Whatever you learned from me put into practice.  We learn better if we have examples.

·       1Ti 5:4: Learn to put religion into practice 1st by caring for parents, etc.

Now we ask, having learned Christ, what else should we learn?

·       Mt 24:32: Learn from the fig tree; from leaves you can tell summer's near (Mk 13:28).  The fig tree speaks of Israel and it’s future in God’s plan.

·       Phil 4:11: "I have learned to be content."  Contentment is not natural but learned!

·       Titus 3:14: Our people must learn to do good, to provide needs, not be unproductive.

·       Hb 5:8: Although a Son, Christ learned obedience from what he suffered.  We have not learned when our minds are renewed but when our lives are changed.

·       Gal 3:2: Paul wanted to learn: did you receive the Spirit by law or faith?  When we learn Christ we learn to walk in Christ.

And finally, these passages to think about.

·       Jn 7:15: Jews amazed, How did this man (Jesus) get such learning?

·       Ac 23:27: The Roman commander rescued Paul having learned he was a Roman.  Don’t be stubborn, unwilling to learn and change based on what you learn.

·       Rev 14:3: No one could learn the song except the 144,000 redeemed from earth.