Archives For Theology

Did King Josiah Die Out of the Will of God?

October 26, 2014

King Josiah was one of the best kings ever to rule over God’s people (2 Kings 23:25). A comparison of the two accounts of his death, however, raises the question of whether he may have died out of the will of God.

God’s Gracious Promise to Josiah

Because king Josiah had responded properly upon his hearing the Word of God (2 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron. 34:27), God graciously made the following promise to him:

2Ki 22:20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

2Ch 34:28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

According to these statements, God promised to Josiah that he would be gathered to his grave in peace. This revelation from God very likely would seem to have led him to believe that he would die in a peaceful manner that would not involve great pain or suffering.

Did Josiah Reject Later Divine Revelation Because He Misunderstood This Promise?

Perhaps this promise of his going to the grave in peace even led Josiah to conclude that it would not be possible for him to die in a battle setting at the hands of an opponent. If so, this understanding (or something like it) that he would have had would explain why he did not heed the warning that Necho king of Egypt gave him not to fight against him:

2Ch 35:20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

In a striking statement, the inspired writer of 2 Chronicles makes known that Josiah rejected “the words of Necho from the mouth of God” (2 Chron. 35:22), which indicates that Josiah went against divine revelation that God chose to warn him with from the mouth of this Egyptian king!

Because Josiah did not heed that warning, he was fatally wounded and died a painful death:

2Ch 35:23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

His dying such a death hardly seems to be a fulfillment of the promise that he would be gathered to his grave in peace. On this reading, Josiah died out of the will of God because he did not heed the warning that God gave him through the mouth of Necho.

If this is in fact what happened, God intended that Josiah would die later in some peaceful manner, but Josiah died out of the will of God. Alternatively, the promise that God gave to Josiah may have meant all along that Josiah would receive a proper burial regardless of how he would die. In that case, God’s promise was fulfilled to Josiah, and he did not die out of the will of God.

What do you think?

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

In Interpretation, Theology
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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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How Joshua 6:25 Implicitly Authenticates the Miraculous Conquest of Jericho

September 25, 2014

Joshua 6 records how God directed the Israelites to conquer Jericho in part through His miraculously working through them to bring down the wall of the city. After the wall had fallen down (Josh. 6:20), the Israelites annihilated everyone in the city except for Rahab and her father’s household (Josh. 6:21-25).

Near the end of that account of their conquest, in a statement that could be easily overlooked, the Holy Spirit provides a striking implicit authentication of the miraculous nature of the Israelites’ conquest of Jericho:

Jos 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua relates here that Rahab was dwelling in Israel “even unto this day.” Because “this day” in this verse refers to the time that Joshua wrote the book, Rahab was still alive when Joshua wrote the book and was therefore a living non-Israelite witness to what had happened when the Israelites conquered Jericho.

Anyone who would have had doubts at that time about the miraculous conquest of Jericho could have come to Rahab herself and received firsthand verification of what took place at that time. By inspiring Joshua to pen these words, the Holy Spirit thus gave to many of those who were the first readers of the book a glorious implicit authentication of God’s miraculously working through the Israelites to bring about that conquest!

Furthermore, these words also serve the same purpose for all subsequent believing readers of the book because it informs us implicitly that those who first received the book would have rejected the book had they determined through direct contact with Rahab that its record of that conquest was inauthentic. In this way, Joshua 6:25 implicitly authenticates for every reader the miraculous nature of the Israelites’ conquest of Jericho!

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

In Interpretation, Theology
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Do You Understand How Deuteronomy 23:3-5 Illumines Romans 8:28?

September 18, 2014

Romans 8:28 is one of the most comforting statements in Scripture and gives every true believer great encouragement when it is received properly. I recently discovered that Deuteronomy 23:3-5 illumines Romans 8:28 in a way that is worth noting!

See if you can figure out how the former sheds valuable light on the latter:

Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 Do you understand how Deuteronomy 23:3-5 illumines Romans 8:28?

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.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Theology
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Beware Deficient Views Concerning Human Depravity

August 27, 2014

Among professing believers today, views concerning the depths of human depravity differ. Three passages in Jeremiah reveal that human depravity has reached unimaginable depths that point to a widespread deficiency in the views of many believers concerning human depravity. In fact, these passages show that many humans throughout history have become so depraved as to plunge to a depth of wickedness that Scripture speaks of in a stunningly remarkable way.

Wickedness That Never Came into God’s Heart or Mind

Jeremiah writes three times of the unspeakably wicked practice of child sacrifice that God’s people at that time had engaged in:

Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

Jer 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 

These texts make known that the practice of burning children in fire in worship of idols was something that never came into God’s heart or mind as something that His people would ever do! Amazingly, these texts reveal that in their depravity, they had sunk to a depth that was unthinkable to God!

Many other passages also document God’s profound condemnation of this abomination:

Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

2Ki 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Psa 106:37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,

Psa 106:38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

Eze 16:20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

Eze 20:26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.

Of these additional passages, 2 Chronicles 28:3 is particularly noteworthy because it reveals that the Israelites engaged in this corrupt practice “after [in imitation of] the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.” This passage especially points to the profound dangers of God’s people exposing themselves to the wicked practices of the world.

God-fearing Christians should guard themselves from the corrupting influences of all people who are not like God (Ps. 1:1), including those professing Christians who live worldly lives permeated by the sensuality of the world. As 2 Kings 17:17 and other texts of Scripture warn us, we must especially shun all contact with objects and practices used in connection with encountering evil supernatural beings or stemming from contact with them, including musical styles that are associated with people influenced by them.

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.

In Exposition, Theology
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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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Should Christians Pray for God to Remember Them for Good?

July 25, 2014

Scripture records four prayers from Nehemiah that essentially have the same basic idea—that God would remember him for good:

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

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.

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.

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

Should Christians pray for God to remember them for good?

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

In Interpretation, Prayer, Theology
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An Illuminating Parallel between Romans 6:4 and Colossians 3:1-17

July 21, 2014

Over the years, I have frequently heard people who have baptized others say something to this effect as they have baptized people: “Buried with Him in the likeness of His death—raised with Him to walk in newness of life.” These words reflect the persuasion that Romans 6:4 is a key text concerning baptism:

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

While preparing recently to read Colossian 3:1-17 publicly as the Scripture reading for a worship service, I discovered that there is an illuminating parallel between what Paul teaches in Romans 6:4 and what he teaches in Colossians 3:1-17 because of how Paul begins Colossians 3:

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Whereas Romans 6:4 teaches that we who have been buried with Christ by baptism into death should walk in newness of life, Colossians 3:1 (and the following verses) teaches that those who are risen with Christ must live their lives in certain specified ways. The conceptual parallel between these two texts shows that Colossians 3 provides us with a glorious passage that illuminates what comprises a walk in newness of life by those who are risen with Christ!

Based on the illuminating parallel between these passages, a walk in newness of life includes the following:

1. Seeking “those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1)

2. Setting “your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2)

3. Mortifying, “therefore, your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5)

4. Putting “off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8)

5. Lying “not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man” (Col. 3:9-10)

6. Putting “on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12)

7. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col. 3:13)

8. “Above all these things put[ting] on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Col. 3:14)

9. Letting “the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body” (Col. 3:15a)

10. Being “thankful” (Col. 3:15b)

11. Letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16)

12. Whatever you may be doing “in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17)

Praise God for giving us this marvelous passage that teaches us so much about what a walk in newness of life by those who have been raised with Christ looks like! Let us use this insight into Scripture to examine our lives about areas that we need to grow in as those who have been baptized in obedience to Christ.

 

 

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

In Interpretation, Theology
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