Archives For Exposition

Should Certain Christians Be Far Better Than Everyone Else Is in Their Realm of Expertise?

November 28, 2014

Daniel 1 recounts the fascinating account of what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah experienced after they were forcibly taken into captivity in Babylon. Every time that I read this passage, I am struck by how the passage ends by relating the incredible superiority of these four youth—“In all matters of wisdom and understanding, that [King Nebuchadnezzar] inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (Dan. 1:20)!

Unlike all my previous reading of this passage, this time I discovered that even their tenfold superiority is highlighted in a striking way in the passage. Moreover, I found myself thinking all the more about the current ramifications of this highlighting of their superiority.

A Remarkable Emphasis in Scripture on the Superiority of Certain Believers

Several features of Daniel 1 combine to provide us with a passage that emphasizes highly the superiority of four young believers. Noting them reveals that the Holy Spirit has emphasized that reality in a remarkable way.

Their Uncommon Excellence Prior to Being Taken Captive

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among a group of uncommonly distinguished youth:

Dan 1:4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Beyond being physically attractive, they all were highly intelligent and capable young men who had an aptitude for learning what was necessary to “stand before the king” (Dan. 1:5).

Their Distinctive Excellence in Their First Three Years of Captivity

Unlike their peers, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were so highly devoted to their God that they remained true to Him in the face of great spiritual adversity that they faced in their first three years of captivity (Dan. 1:5-16). God uniquely favored them (Dan. 1:9) so that they did not defile themselves during this time, as all the others did, and after their initial period of facing a difficult spiritual challenge, they all were “fairer and fatter in flesh” than all their peers were (Dan. 1:15).

Moreover, God gave them “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17). These four men were thus divinely enabled to excel in everything that they were taught at this time, and Daniel was given unique ability that the other three were not.

The Extraordinary Extent of Their Superiority after Three Years of Captivity

At the end of the first three years of the captivity, the king found these men to be uniquely excellent (Dan. 1:18-20). In fact, he found them to be ten times better than everyone else was:

Dan 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

Furthermore, through noting the sevenfold repetition of the word all in Daniel 1:15-20 in statements referring to the distinctive excellence of Daniel and his three friends, we learn that the Holy Spirit has underscored their tenfold superiority all the more:

Dan 1:15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

Dan 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Dan 1:19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

Dan 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

The various features of this passage that we have looked clearly bring out a remarkable emphasis on their superiority.

Points to Ponder

One wonders what specifically the full extent of their excellence entailed for them to have been ten times better in every matter of wisdom and understanding than all of Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men in all of his vast kingdom! In addition, based on this passage, should certain Christians today be far better than anyone else is in their realm of expertise?

I hope to explore this matter further in a future post. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you what you think about this subject.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Does God Hold People Responsible for Not Following in the Ways of Imperfect Men?

November 14, 2014

You have probably heard someone say something along the lines of the following: “I am not a follower of any man; I am a follower of Jesus.” Is this what God expects every believer to think and do?

A remarkable passage in 2 Chronicles 21 instructs us that this pious sounding sentiment is actually a seriously erroneous approach to the Christian life. This passage does so by revealing a profound truth of what God expects from people concerning their following the examples of other people.

A Profound Truth from God’s Rebuke of King Jehoram

King Jehoram was the son of godly king Jehoshaphat of Judah (2 Chron. 21:1). Jehoram was a very wicked king who sinned greatly against the Lord (2 Chron. 21:4-11).

Through a writing from the prophet Elijah to Jehoram, God declared to him,

2Ch 21:12 Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

 13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself:

 14 Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:

 15 And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

God rebuked Jehoram for not walking in the ways of his father Jehoshaphat and in the ways of his grandfather Asa (2 Chron. 21:12). Yet both of these men were imperfect men who sinned in the sight of God (Asa [2 Chron. 16:7-10; 12]; Jehoshaphat [2 Chron. 19:2; 20:35-37]).

God thus rebuked Jehoram for not walking in the ways of two imperfect men! We might have expected God to rebuke him by having Elijah write to him about how he had sinned by not walking in the ways of the Lord, but that is not what God did!

New Testament Confirmation of This Profound Truth

From 2 Chronicles 21:12, we have seen that God required that Jehoram would walk in the righteous ways of two of his godly but imperfect predecessors. The New Testament confirms the teaching that God demands that His people follow in the righteous ways of imperfect men.

Paul repeatedly commands believers to be followers of him:

1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Phi 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

He also commends them when they have been faithful to do so (1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9). These same statements also reveal that Paul repeatedly spoke of believers following not just him but also others who were godly:

1Th 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1Th 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

2Th 3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

The writer of Hebrews similarly commends and commands believers to be followers of other believers:

Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Because Paul and all the others whom these New Testament statements commend to believers as people whom we are to follow were imperfect men, it is clear that God wants us to follow in the righteous ways of imperfect men!

Conclusion

Passages in both Testaments (2 Chron. 21:12; 2 Thess. 3:7) teach us that God does expect us to walk in the righteous ways of imperfect men whom He has allowed us to have the privilege of observing, knowing, and being influenced by.[1] If we fail to do so, God will hold us responsible for not walking in their ways.

We must not say that we are followers only of Jesus. God has called us also to be followers of the righteous ways of the good but imperfect people in our lives who as followers of Christ themselves have walked in His righteous ways.  

[1] Many other verses in the Old Testament point to the same truth: 1 Sam. 8:3; 1 Ki. 8:25; 9:4; 11:33; 14:8; 2 Ki. 22:2; 2 Chr. 6:16; 7:17; 11:17; 17:3; 20:32; 34:2

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Lessons from an Examination of How the Grace of God Abounded to Jephthah

October 19, 2014

Jephthah was a judge in Israel who made a problematic vow that may have led him to offer his only daughter as a human sacrifice (Judges 11). An examination of how the grace of God abounded to him in spite of the consequences of his vow provides us with some valuable lessons.

Jephthah as a Spiritually Minded Judge in Israel

During a dark period in Israel’s history, “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor” (Judges 11:1). Because he was the son of a harlot, his brethren prevented him from inheriting a share of his father’s estate (Judges 11:1-2). Fleeing from them, Jephthah lived in the land of Tob and became the leader over a band of “vain men” who joined up with him (Judges 11:3).

When the Ammonites warred against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought him out to lead Israel in fighting against them (Judges 11:4-10). In spite of his being the son of a harlot and drawing to himself a group of worthless men, Jephthah manifested at this time both to the Israelites and to their enemies that he was a spiritually minded man.

He testified to his understanding that if he would have success in fighting with their enemies, it would be from God’s working on his behalf: “The Lord deliver them before me” (Judges 11:9). He showed that he believed in the importance of communicating publicly with God on the important occasion of his being made the head and captain over God’s people: “Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh” (Judges 11:11).

He knew correctly the spiritual nature of Israel’s prior conquests (Judges 11:15-22) and testified faithfully to it in appealing to the king of the Ammonites not to war against Israel without just cause (Judges 11:21, 23). He also had a right awareness of and appreciation for what constituted wrongful human actions against other humans: “Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me” (Judges 11:27a).

Jephthah’s testifying this truth to his enemies in the face of the impending conflict with them shows that he desired rightfully to prevent them from waging an unjust war. He also faithfully testified to his proper understanding of the Lord as the Judge who rightly judges among people who sinfully war against one another: “The Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon” (Judges 11:27b).

Taken at face value, these many statements point to Jephthah’s being a spiritually minded judge in at least a number of ways. When, therefore, we consider the problematic vow that he made, we must take care not to allow it to so color our perspectives about him as to prevent us from forming a right overall perspective about him.

Jephthah’s Problematic Vow and Subsequent Life

After the Ammonites refused to heed Jephthah’s efforts to dissuade them from attacking the Israelites (Judges 11:28), the Holy Spirit came upon him (Judges 11:29a). He then traveled to meet the Ammonites in battle (Judges 11:29b).

At this point, Jephthah made a problematic vow that if God would give him victory over the Ammonites, he would offer up as a burnt offering to the Lord whatever would come forth out of his house to meet him (Judges 11:30-31). This vow has occasioned considerable difference of opinion among interpreters about what he actually did and why.

Since God did for him what he had spoken of in his vow, Jephthah believed that he was constrained to keep his vow (Judges 11:35-40). His doing so further testifies to his being a spiritually minded man who believed that he had to keep a vow that he made regardless of how costly it might prove to him (cf. Ps. 15:4).

Because Scripture states that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had vowed” (Judges 11:39), we must hold that either he actually sacrificed his only daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord or he did something else that somehow yet fulfilled his vow. Whatever he chose to do in fulfilling his vow became the basis for a new custom of lamenting in Israel, which points to the sorrowful nature of whatever he did to fulfill his vow (Judges 11:39c).

Following the account of his fulfilling his vow and its aftermath, Scripture recounts how Jephthah handled a pressing conflict with the Ephraimites (Judges 12:1-6). The Old Testament account of his life ends with information about the length of his judging Israel and about his death and burial (Judges 12:7).

Jephthah Mentioned in Hebrews 11

If Jephthah did in fact sacrifice his only daughter, he certainly committed a heinous act. Especially in that case, were Judges 11:1-12:7 the only revelation that we had about him, we might even be justified in doubting whether he truly ever was a believer in the first place.

New Testament mention of him in Hebrews 11:32, however, indisputably shows that he was a true believer in Jehovah regardless of how he kept his problematic vow. If he did keep it by sacrificing his daughter, Hebrews 11 magnifies God’s grace to Jephthah all the more because it shows that God chose to provide us with revelation many centuries after he had already died that shows that he was a true believer in spite of his having made a problematic vow and having committed a heinous act!

Especially because of Hebrews 11:32, we must take care not to make the account of his problematic vow the sum total of our viewpoint about him. Rather, we must allow both the evidence of his being an otherwise spiritually minded judge and the mention of him in Hebrews 11 to shape aright how we regard him as a believer.

Conclusion

Regardless of whether he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord or not, Jephthah was a true believer. We certainly will see him in heaven one day.

God’s choosing to mention Jephthah in Hebrews 11:32 magnifies His grace and instructs us that we must keep in mind that there may be people in our day whose salvation we may strongly doubt who may yet be true believers in spite of the overt wickedness of some aspects of their lives. The account of Jephthah’s vow also instructs us to be very careful in making any promises to people without thoroughly considering every possibility for how unforeseen developments might cause us to regret greatly that we made those promises.

I look forward to meeting Jephthah one day and having him provide us with a fuller account of what he actually did to keep his problematic vow.

 

 

[1] For a helpful discussion of some pros and cons for holding the view that he did sacrifice his daughter, see this post by my friend Mark Ward.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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You Can Be Pleasing to God in the Midst of Terrible Circumstances!

October 4, 2014

First Kings 14 provides a glorious account that has great relevance to the very difficult life circumstances that a vast number of people in the world are facing today. A close look at this passage shows that you can be pleasing to God in the midst of terrible circumstances!

The Great Wickedness of Israel under the Rule of King Jeroboam I

As His judgment upon Solomon for his wickedness, God brought about the division of His people into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 11-12). God raised up Jeroboam the son of Nebat to be king over the Northern Kingdom (1 Kings 11:31, 35).

Jeroboam was a horrifically wicked king (1 Kings 11:26-33; 13:33-34). He sinned greatly in spite of God’s great goodness to him (1 Kings 14:7-9; see this post for an explanation of this important point).

Under his evil rule, Israel became very wicked (1 Kings 12:30; 13:33; 15:30). False worship abounded in Israel far more than it ever had prior to the reign of Jeroboam (cf. 1 Kings 14:9).

One Who Was Pleasing to God in This Evil King’s Own Household

Scripture implicitly highlights the great wickedness of Jeroboam’s household in a noteworthy way by revealing that there was only one person in it who was pleasing to God (in some unspecified manner):

1Ki 14:13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

This statement, however, does much more than implicitly highlight the wickedness of Jeroboam’s household—it magnifies the reality that Abijah the son of Jeroboam (I Kings 14:1) was a person in the royal household in whom was “found some good thing toward the Lord” (1 Kings 14:13)!

The Glorious Significance of Abijah’s Uniqueness

In a manner that Scripture does not explain, Abijah was somehow still pleasing to God even though all the rest of his family was wicked, especially his father. Moreover, God found something good in him in spite of the great wickedness of all the people around him and of the country in which he lived.

Despite his terrible circumstances, especially the horrifically false worship that permeated Israel at this time, Abijah was yet pleasing to God to an extent that God deemed it worthy to record in His eternal Word how He would uniquely favor him in contrast to the fate that the rest of his family would experience! This record about God’s strikingly taking notice of Abijah provides us all with a glorious account of how someone was pleasing to God in spite of his terrible circumstances!

By not specifying anything about what was good about Abijah or about how and why Abijah had something good in him toward God, the Holy Spirit has made this text applicable for people who live in all kinds of bad situations. Undoubtedly, God intends from this passage that you would learn and believe that like Abijah, you can be pleasing to God in the midst of terrible circumstances!

May He grant you repentance (as needed) and faith to please Him regardless of how difficult your life circumstances may be.

To learn how you can be pleasing to God, please read my post The Gospel of God and His Christ.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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A Light in the Midst of Great Darkness

September 29, 2014

King Jeroboam I was one of the worst kings ever to rule over God’s people (1 Ki. 14:9). In the midst of a horrifyingly tragic account of his life, Scripture records some glorious revelation about God’s goodness in providing a light in the midst of the great darkness of this evil ruler’s life.

Tragic Sinfulness in spite of God’s Great Goodness

Because of the evil that Solomon and Judah had committed against the Lord (1 Ki. 11:1-9), God made known through the prophet Ahijah that He would “rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and [would] give ten tribes to” Jeroboam (1 Ki. 11:31). God then offered to Jeroboam a magnificent prospect if he would be righteous before the Lord:

1Ki 11:37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

Through his wickedly originating false worship among Israel, Jeroboam tragically forfeited the great favor that God had offered to him (1 Ki. 12:26-33).

God sent a prophet to Jeroboam to make known the fierce judgment that would come upon him for his wickedness (1 Ki. 13:1-3). Instead of immediately repenting and pleading with God for mercy, Jeroboam sought to persecute the prophet that God had sent to him (1 Ki. 13:4a).

Jeroboam immediately experienced divine judgment upon him, resulting in his hand drying up so that he was unable to pull it back in again to him (1 Ki. 13:4b). In an amazing display of yet more favor to Jeroboam, God even restored the king’s hand when the prophet interceded for him (1 Ki. 13:6).

Instead of allowing God’s continuing goodness to him to lead him to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4), Jeroboam tragically continued in his wicked ways (1 Ki. 13:33-34). As a result, he experienced further judgment from God (1 Ki. 14:1-18).

Amazing Favor in the Midst of Great Wickedness

Because of Jeroboam’s great wickedness, God judged him by touching the life of his son Abijah (1 Ki. 14:1). Jeroboam deceitfully sent his wife to the prophet Abijah to find out what would happen to his son (1 Ki. 14:2-16).

Through the revelation that Abijah gave to Jeroboam’s wife, God confronted Jeroboam with how he had failed wickedly to be righteous before God in spite of God’s favor to him (1 Ki. 14:7-9). In fact, God made known to Jeroboam that he had been more wicked than all who were before him (1 Ki. 14:9).

God declared His fierce judgment that would could come upon him and his household because of his great sinfulness (1 Ki. 14:10-16). God’s judgment on Jeroboam would include the death of his son Abijah (1 Ki. 14:12).

In the midst of the record of God’s great judgment that would come on this horrifically wicked king, we read that God had favored Jeroboam in an amazing way by giving him his son Abijah, in whom alone there was “found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam” (1 Ki. 14:13). This remarkable statement shows that even in the midst of the great darkness that permeated the life of this wicked king, God had given him light within his own home!

Jeroboam had the opportunity to see the truth of God through observing the life of his son. Jeroboam, however, failed tragically to behold the light that God had so graciously provided for him in his own household.

God had favored this wicked king in an amazing way even in the midst of how wicked he had been! Although Jeroboam did not profit from God’s provision of a light in the midst of great darkness of his life, we who have the privilege of reading this tragic account should allow the goodness of God that is abundantly seen in this passage to lead us to repent from all of our evil ways!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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How Scripture Exposes Some Common Tactics of Corrupt Politicians

September 9, 2014

Second Samuel 15 records some key tactics used by a popular man who obtained a top position of national leadership through corrupt practices. This revelation provides helpful biblical instruction about some common tactics of corrupt politicians.

Absalom as a Popular Figure in Israel

In addition to his being a son of the king, Absalom was an exceedingly handsome man who was highly praised for his remarkably unblemished physical appearance (2 Sam. 14:25). He also exerted considerable influence over his father king David (cf. 2 Sam. 13:27).

How Absalom Usurped His Father’s Throne

Absalom usurped his father’s throne through a “political” campaign of convincing aggrieved people (2 Sam. 15:2b) that his father did not really care enough about them to give them the justice that they deserved (2 Sam. 15:3). Using an extensive PR campaign of rising early to meet these people (2 Sam. 15:2) and patronizing them (Absalom “put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him” [2 Sam. 15:5]), Absalom was able to steal away their hearts from their allegiance to David as their king (2 Sam. 15:6).

Absalom then lied to his father about his desire to serve God and did so in order to accomplish his evil purposes (2 Sam. 15:7-9). Through his influence over a vast number of co-conspirators, he was able to usurp the throne of David (2 Sam. 15:10-12).

The Deceitfulness of Absalom

Scripture provides no evidence that Absalom was truly concerned with providing unjustly treated people in Israel with the justice for which they sought. His goal was rather to attain supreme national authority (2 Sam. 15:10) by pretending that he really cared for their welfare.

To obtain his ends, Absalom asserted that King David had failed to depute someone to hear and settle their cases justly (2 Sam. 15:3). Scripture, however, does not mention anything about such a failure on David’s part.

Furthermore, Absalom asserted that he was qualified and eager to serve the people in such a capacity (2 Sam. 15:4). Again, we have no biblical basis for thinking that he had the character and training to exercise such authority over the people.

Instead, he used his “charismatic” appeal (cf. 2 Sam. 14:25; 15:5) to sway them into believing that he was qualified to do what he claimed he would do for them and that he would do so if they supported him in overthrowing their government. Through his great deceitfulness, Absalom even succeeded in manipulating many other people into unknowingly support him in usurping the throne of Israel (2 Sam. 15:11).

Some Common Tactics of Corrupt Politicians

The Scriptural account of Absalom’s corrupt rise to power reveals that he employed some common tactics to deceive people into wanting him to be in a leading position of authority over them:

1. He used his highly attractive appearance and his skill in patronizing people to ingratiate himself with them. Pretending to take a genuine personal interest in them, he was able to win their hearts.

2. He used his skill at deceitfully manipulating people so that they thought he was qualified to rule over them in a capacity in which he had no intent in doing so.

3. He deceived people who wanted justice from their existing governmental leaders into thinking that their government did not really care for them and that he really cared for their concerns and would see to it that their concerns would be addressed properly. He thus manipulated these people so that they would support him in overthrowing the supposedly unjust leader who was then ruling over them.

4. He lied to the existing governmental authority to achieve his evil purpose.

5. He pretended to be a religious man when it suited his evil designs.

6. He skillfully used his abilities to manipulate people to form a strong conspiracy against legitimate governmental authority. In fact, he was so cunning that he was able deceitfully to garner the support of a sizeable number of people who did not know anything about his evil intentions.

Through this passage that exposes these common tactics of corrupt politicians, let us beware of the use of such tactics by deceitful, popular people who are highly skilled in manipulating people into supporting them in their political activities. Furthermore, let us scrutinize carefully the claims of all those who assert that putting them into power would help us to get the justice that we deserve but supposedly have not received from existing governmental leaders who are legitimately in power over us.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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A Special Distinction of Zechariah and Elizabeth!

August 15, 2014

God blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth greatly, especially by allowing them to be the parents of John the Baptist. Until yesterday, I had never understood another aspect of their blessedness that serves as a helpful illustration of an important Pauline text.

Pauline Teaching about Confessing Jesus Is the Lord

Paul teaches in First Corinthians 12 that no one is able to “say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3). Saying this, he does not teach that even merely uttering those words is impossible apart from the Spirit, but rather that people can believingly confessing that Jesus is the Lord only through the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

A close look at the events that took place immediately after Gabriel came to Mary to reveal how God had highly favored her (Luke 1:26-28) shows that these events provide us with two wonderful instances of people who confessed that Jesus is the Lord. What’s more, the inspired record of these events plainly illustrates what Paul taught about such confession.

Elizabeth Confessed Jesus Is the Lord by the Holy Spirit

After the miraculous conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:26-38), the first person of whom we read that encountered Jesus while He was yet unborn was Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-40). When she heard Mary’s greeting, she was filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:41).

Through that filling, Elizabeth declared the blessedness of both Mary and her unborn Child, Jesus (Luke 1:42). She then said, “And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me” (Luke 1:43).

With these words, Elizabeth testified that she believed that the yet-to-be-born Child who was in Mary’s womb was her (Elizabeth’s) Lord! Because we know that she made this utterance when she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41), we learn that Elizabeth is the first person that we have a record of in Scripture who confessed Jesus is the Lord by the Holy Spirit!

Zechariah Testified the Same Truth by the Spirit

Following the glorious declaration of Elizabeth to Mary (Luke 1:41-45), we read of Mary’s marvelous statements about God’s goodness to her and her people (Luke 1:46-55). After staying with her for about three months, Mary returned to her own home (Luke 1:56).

The Spirit then informs us of what took place when John the Baptist was born (Luke 1:57-80). After explaining how Zechariah confirmed that his newborn son’s name was to be John (Luke 1:59-63) and subsequently praised God (Luke 1:64), we read of Zechariah being filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67).

Through that filling, Zechariah prophesied marvelous things about how God was blessed because of what He had done for His people Israel (Luke 1:68-79). Among his Spirit-filled prophetic statements, Zechariah said, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways” (Luke 1:76).

Saying this, he made known that his son John would be a prophet of the Highest and would precede the Lord to prepare His ways. This vital declaration shows that he believed that John would prepare the way for One whom he believed was the Lord!

Because Zechariah made this declaration through the filling of the Holy Spirit, we learn that Zechariah is the second person that we have a record of in Scripture who confessed that Jesus is the Lord by the Holy Spirit! Zechariah and Elizabeth thus have the special distinction of being the first two people recorded who confessed by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Lord!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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An Overlooked Aspect of Saul’s Enmity against David

August 4, 2014

First Samuel 18-26 records the tragic story of how King Saul wickedly pursued David and tried many times to catch him so that he could slay him. Although I have read this account more than 25 times over the years, I noticed this week an aspect of Saul’s enmity against David that I do not remember every paying attention to in all my previous readings.

Demonic Influence That Repeatedly Incited Saul to Slay David

King Saul first became at odds with David after he was angered greatly when women honored David’s military exploits far more than they did his (1 Sam. 18:6-9). Immediately after this passage, we read that an evil spirit afflicted him, and he sought to kill David (1 Sam. 18:10-11).

Saul later tried to use his daughters as a means to have David slain (cf. 1 Sam. 18:17, 21ff.), but he was unsuccessful. His attempt to have Jonathan, his son, and all his [Saul’s] servants kill David similarly failed (1 Sam. 19:1-5).

Under the influence of the evil spirit, Saul yet again sought to slay David but could not (1 Sam. 19:9-10). Michal then spared David’s life by deceiving the servants that Saul sent to slay David in his home (1 Sam. 19:11-17).

From First Samuel 18-19, it is clear that direct demonic influence incited Saul at least twice to slay David. His other attempts to kill David may also have been incited by the evil spirit, even though there are no direct statements to that effect.

Evil Human Influence That Incited Saul to Slay David

Two later passages reveal that another key influence besides the evil spirit played a role in Saul’s enmity against David and his efforts to kill him:

1Sa 24:9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

 10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed.

1Sa 26:19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

These passages show that David pled with Saul on at least two occasions not to listen to the words of wicked men who were stirring him up against David by lying to him by saying that David was trying to hurt him (1 Sam. 24:9; cf. 26:19). These two statements are remarkable because the Holy Spirit does not provide us with any other record of any such lying statements made by evil people who were inciting Saul to slay David!

Conclusion

Based on the earlier statements about the evil spirit and on these direct statements by David, we can be certain that Saul was incited by both demonic influence and evil human influence to attempt repeatedly to kill David. Although Scripture does not say so, it is very likely that the latter was in reality another facet of the former, so that demonic influence on other people was directly responsible for their lying about David to Saul.

Beyond learning a key truth about Saul’s enmity against David that I have overlooked in the past, I am both amazed and challenged by my having overlooked for all these years the statements by David about evil human influences on Saul. Although I have studied the Bible very carefully and intensely for years, this discovery motivates me to read Scripture even more carefully than I have in the past.

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Bible reading, Exposition, Theology
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“Remember Me, O My God, for Good”

July 28, 2014

The book of Nehemiah ends with a striking prayer—“Remember me, O my God, for good” (Neh. 13:31b). An analysis of this prayer and of three preceding ones by Nehemiah provides biblical basis for Christians’ praying for themselves that God would bless them for good!

Nehemiah prayed at least four times to God that He would remember him for good (Neh. 5:19; 13:14, 22, 31). Each of these prayers instructs us about how we should pray.

Remember Me for What I Have Done for God’s People

Nehemiah ministered sacrificially for the good of God’s people (Neh. 5:14-18). He prayed that God would remember him for good because of all that he had done for them:

Neh 5:19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Like Nehemiah, Christians who have diligently served God’s people have a legitimate basis for appealing to God to bless them with good (cf. Rom. 16:2; Heb. 6:10).

Remember Me for What I Have Done for God’s House and Its Services

Nehemiah was very diligent about seeking the welfare of God’s house and its offices (Neh. 13:4-13). Because he had done many such good deeds, he asked God to remember him:

Neh 13:14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

Christians who have lived lives devoted to their churches and their services (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Heb. 10:25) have a biblical precedent in Nehemiah to pray to God that He would do good to them.

Remember Me for What I Have Done for God’s Day

Nehemiah zealously labored for the sanctity of the Sabbath Day among God’s people (Neh. 13:15-22). Based on what he had done for God’s Day, he prayed for God to remember him for good:

Neh 13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

As Nehemiah expended himself for the sanctity of the Sabbath (cf. Is. 58:13-14), God’s special day for His OT people, many believers today have devoted themselves to setting apart the Lord’s Day as special for God’s NT people. Such Christians can confidently cry out to God for His blessing upon them for what they have done for the glory of the Lord’s Day (cf. Acts 20:7).

Remember Me for What I Have Done for God’s Ministers

Nehemiah concluded his book by praying that God would remember him for good both because of all his efforts to cleanse the priesthood and the Levites (Neh. 13:28-30) and because of what he had done to provide for them to carry out their ministries (Neh. 13:31a):

Neh 13:31 And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

Christians who give themselves to honoring and serving God’s ministers (cf. Rom. 16:4; Philippians. 2:29-30; 2 Tim. 1:16-18) have biblical basis in the example of Nehemiah for asking God to remember them for good.

Conclusion

Christians who devote their lives for the sake of God’s people, God’s house and its services, God’s Day, and God’s ministers have strong biblical grounds for seeking divine blessing upon their own lives. May God grant us such consecrated lives of devotion to the things of God (cf. Philippians. 2:21-22) and may He remember us for good!

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Prayer
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The Evangelistic Importance of Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

June 14, 2014

In many ways, the NT highlights the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms. This evidence calls for adjusting our evangelistic strategies so that they properly account for this importance.

The Synoptic Gospels Provide Much Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

The Synoptic Gospels underscore the evangelistic importance of Jesus’ exorcisms by providing multiple accounts of his casting demons out of people. The following list provides in chronological order[1] the passages that record Jesus’ performing exorcisms (parallel passages among the Gospels are indicated by the use of “/” between references):

1. Mk. 1:21-28/ Luke 4:31b-37;

2. Matt. 8:16/ Mk 1:34;

3. Matt. 4:24/ Mk 1:39/ Luke 4:41;

4. Matt. 12:22-37/ Mk. 3:20-30;

5. Matt. 8:28-34/ Mk. 5:1-20/ Luke 8:26-39;

6. Matt. 9:27-34

7. Matt. 15:21-28/ Mk. 7:24-30;

8. Matt. 17:14-21/ Mk. 9:14-29/ Luke 9:37-43a.

9. Luke 11:14-36

The Synoptic Gospels also underscore the evangelistic importance of Jesus’ exorcisms by providing information about other exorcisms that Jesus performed for which the writers of the Synoptic Gospels chose not to give an actual account of His doing so (seven demons cast out from Mary Magdalene [Mk. 16:9]).

This data makes clear that the Holy Spirit viewed including testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms as vital in the writing of these Gospels. Because the Gospels were written to evangelize people, the inclusion of these accounts shows us the importance of evangelistic testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms.

The Synoptic Gospels Record Jesus’ Commands to Testify about His Exorcisms

The Synoptic Gospels further emphasize the evangelistic importance of testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms by recording on at least two occasions that Jesus commanded people to give testimony about His exorcisms:

 Luk 8:38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 

Because the Synoptic Gospels not only provide testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms but also make known that He commanded some people to testify about them, we learn that such testimony has great evangelistic importance.

Acts Records Apostolic Gospel Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

Like the Synoptic Gospels, Acts also shows the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms, but it does so in different ways than the Gospels do. Acts emphasizes such testimony by recording a seminal statement in Peter’s gospel message in Caesarea:

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Luke highlighted testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms in a profound way with this statement because that testimony is the only explicitly recorded information that we have about how Peter testified on this occasion to the miraculous works of Jesus.

Through directing Luke to record this gospel testimony for us, the Holy Spirit also has provided us with a superb model of how we should evangelize people concerning their understanding of the term Christ (for more information about this point, see the brief discussion of Acts 10:38 here).

Acts Highlights the Evangelistic Importance of Testimony to Jesus’ Exorcisms through a Striking Account of Jewish Failure in Exorcism

Acts further emphasizes the evangelistic importance of testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms through a striking account that contrasts apostolic success in exorcising people possessed by demons versus Jewish failure to do so (Acts 19:11-17). While Paul was in Ephesus, God worked special miracles through him, including even the casting out of demons from people through their coming into contact with handkerchiefs or aprons from his body (Acts 19:11-12).

Some Jewish exorcists then attempted to perform an exorcism by invoking the name of Jesus whom Paul preached (Acts 19:13-14). Not only did these men fail to drive out the demon, but also the man who had the demon overpowered them and drove them out “naked and wounded” from the house where they were (Acts 19:15-16).

Through the spreading of news about their striking failure, the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly magnified among all who were in Ephesus (Acts 19:17). Hence, through testimony that dramatically contrasted the successful apostolic exorcisms with the unsuccessful attempt of these Jewish exorcists, many lost people received a powerful evangelistic witness of the power of Jesus’ name.

As the readers of Acts, we thus see that Acts accords with the Synoptic Gospels in emphasizing the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms.

Discussion

Both the Synoptic Gospels and Acts instruct us in various ways about the evangelistic importance of testifying to Jesus’ exorcisms. This evidence is more than sufficient to teach us that we should include such testimony in our evangelism whenever possible.

Some may object to this conclusion by pointing out that explicit testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms is strikingly lacking in the Gospel of John, which has an explicit statement about its evangelistic purpose (John 20:31). Does this seemingly major difference between the Synoptics and the Gospel of John mean that testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms is not an important aspect of proper evangelism?

For several reasons, attaching such determinative significance to this lack of testimony in the Gospel of John is invalid. First, as noted above, the Synoptic Gospels and Acts provide abundant evidence that such testimony is important.

Second, because the Gospel of John was almost certainly written after all the other Gospels and Acts were written, any reader of the Fourth Gospel would need to interpret it in conjunction with all that God had revealed prior to giving this final Gospel.

Third, at the point that John was written, the apostles and other believers had already been evangelizing people for several decades and thus already knew well what was important to include in evangelistic testimony. For that reason, the lack of explicit testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms in John would not have played any important role in changing the thinking of believers about what they should say when they evangelize people.

Finally, although John lacks any explicit accounts of Jesus’ exorcisms, John has implicit teaching that fully accords with that vital aspect of Jesus’ ministry. John writes that Jesus interpreted a voice that thundered from heaven (John 12:28-29) by giving vital testimony concerning what His upcoming death would mean for the devil:

 Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out (Gk. ekballw).

 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die. 

Jesus’ statement that the devil would be cast out (John 12:31) ties at least implicitly to many passages in the Synoptic Gospels about His casting out demons from people because the same verb ekballw is used both in John and in those passages in the Synoptic Gospels.[2] This strong link between John and the Synoptic Gospels further supports the conclusion that lack of explicit testimony in John to Jesus’ exorcisms does not negate the vast evidence in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts about the importance of such testimony.

Conclusion

Profuse testimony in the Synoptic Gospels about Jesus’ exorcisms makes clear that such testimony is of great importance in proper evangelism. Additional evidence in Acts further supports this conclusion.

We should include testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms in our witnessing whenever it is possible to do so. We can provide such testimony by sharing Acts 10:38 with everyone we witness to and explaining that statement to them thoroughly.

 

[1] This chronological listing is based in part on information provided in “An Outline For a Harmony of the Gospels” (Thomas and Gundry, A Harmony of the Gospels, 7-14).

[2] Matt. 8:16, 31; 9:33, 34; 12:24, 26, 27, 28; 17:19; Mk. 1:34, 39; 3:22, 23; 7:26; 16:9; Lk. 11:14, 15, 18, 19, 20; 13:32

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Exposition, Gospel, Interpretation
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