The Feast of Weeks was 50 days after the Passover.  Barley harvest commenced at Passover (our Easter time), and within 7 weeks the wheat harvest had begun.  This 50 days was known as Pentecost, from the word for 50.  But Pentecost was also the anniversary of God giving (Acts 2:1) the power to start Christ's
ecclesia was given.

V.1 The month Aviv (March/April) marked spring.  Aviv is a Canaanite name.  Most countries in the Near East started their year in spring.  Israel chose to start their year in the fall (Ethanim - September/October).  They did change it to spring during and after the Babylonian exile only to be later changed back to fall by the rabbis.  Also, Babylonian month names were adopted, and so Aviv became Nisan and Ethanim became Tishri. 

16:2       In saying that Israel were to keep the feast in ‘the place which the Lord shall choose’ Israel are being reminded of what Moses had said in Deut 12:11 but even at this late point in the wilderness Journey they did not know where it would be.

16 As we saw in chapter 11 the emphasis on where the feasts were to be keep was to be where God had chosen to place His name. Worship has to be on Gods terms even if that requirement is not convenient. Just as it would not have been convenient for many in Israel to travel to Jerusalem three times in the year.

16:19   We are familiar with the idea that a ‘gift’ – that is a bribe, corrupts. Lest we think that we cannot be tainted in such a way and thereby be inclined to accept gifts we should notice that such ‘gifts’ corrupt even the ‘righteous’.

16:2-6 The first passover was kept with each family in its own house before the children of Israel. Left Egypt. However when they were in the land of promise they had to travel to Jerusalem each year for this is the place that God chose. So the nation had to trust that God would preserve their possessions in the cities they left to go and keep the feast.

V.19 This is such a difference with the dispensation of justice which we see today.  Today we see corruption; the rich being treated differently than the poor; important persons often getting a free pass etc.  But, when Christ returns and dispenses His justice, all will be treated equally.

In chapter 16 the same phrase, "in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name" occurs three times (2, 6 & 11). On the first 2 occasions it relates to place where the passover lamb was sacrificed.  Surely this must have been of comfort to Christ to know that his Father's name, and all that it stood for, was exactly wher he was bieng crucified. However we understand Christ's quotation from Psalm 22v1, he knew God was with him as he became our sacraficial lamb.

Deut 16:10,17;Luke 12:48 - a general principle that to whom much is given much is required.

Deut 16:21 - Not fully following or fully trusting in God; worshipping more than one thing and not being singleminded. What are the idols and distractions that take us away from fully serving God?

16:14-15 Notice these feasts were not a time for sadness but rejoicing. They were to remember that they had been saved from Egypt. Do we view our remembrance of Jesus death and resurrection with rejoicing? Or do we meet together to remember Jesus out of a sense of duty, or habit?

Isaiah draws upon the counsel of this chapter

The wise man is laying down a principle which is universally true - even though often it appears that the wicked do actually prosper.

V.2 The oath of God is the covenant which God made with Abraham and with David, Solomon remembered Psa 89:35-36 "I have sworn" and the penalties if David's children should forsake it  V.30-32; inflicted on Solomon himself, yet God not utterly forsaking him.V.33-34 

8:6 The preacher returns to, and draws upon, the points that were made in Ecc 3:1-8

8:8  Death is the inevitable end for all. However with modern medicine we are able to prolong life. Indeed it seems that we now expect that modern medicine can treat al our ills. We may even feel that modern medicine is failing if it cannot solve our medical problems. However we must realise that man has no control over his destiny. God is in control and we should appreciate that point and live accordingly.

8:2    The ‘king’ whose commandments are to be kept is God.  The subjects of a king owe him allegiance, in like manner we owe our King total allegiance.

8:5 The way that the one who keeps the commandment has no evil echoes the way in which Moses speaks to Joshua and Caleb – Psa 91:10 - about their experience in the wilderness.

V.11 Because Yahweh does not immediately pass sentence on sinners, the wicked will continue to sin.  Some choose to believe that Yahweh does not see their sin.  This was the case of the ancients of Israel committing abominations in Jerusalem (Eze 8:12).  Today, people think they have immunity because they have decided that God is dead. But, He is very much alive and He will dispense justice in His own time.  Yahweh, in His mercy, waits before levelling a sentence so as to give the sinner time to repent.

Similarity between the death of Jesus and that of Stephen.

7:1 ‘come into the land …’ highlights that God was already there in the land of Canaan!

V.41 It is interesting to note that Stephen describes this incident in three stages. (1) They made a calf. (2) They brought sacrifices to it. (3) They rejoiced in the works of their hands.(Exo 32:17-19) There are likewise three lessons to be taken from this. (1) Idolatry is treason against God. (2) Active participation is a greater sin. (3) To rejoice or glory in it is an additional sin. To rejoice in the works of our own hands is to worship the creature rather than the creator.(Rom 1:25) 

 

Isaiah 66:2	All I asked was that you would tremble at my word and humble yourselves
v3	The 'customs of Moses' you love so much are like offering pigs blood to me. But you delight in your abominable practices.
v4	You didn't hear any of the Prophets I sent you, but consciously chose evil.
v6	God who spoke through Jesus will repay you!
v12,18	So now God will give the gentiles all He gave to you. This has already started, and you witnessed it at pentecost!
v14-17,24	But you, your temple and nation will be destroyed by the LORD.
v19-23	And your persecution of the brethren will bring this good news to all Gentiles, and they will be my new Priests and Levites instead of you.

The answer was yes, your accusation is true! No wonder they were cut to the heart. Then they ran with one accord and set in motion the events that would lead to the destruction of their nation, and the fulfilment of all these things.

7:6-7  The extensive quotation from Gen 15:13 demonstrates that when God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 15 He was prophesying the bondage in Egypt.

7:8      I suppose some might view circumcision as  an imposition upon Abraham and his descendants. However Stephen says that God ‘gave’ him the covenant. It was a gift from God. It was the seal of the covenant of eternal inheritance in the land. I am left wondering whether we sometimes view the life that we are expected to live as a constraint rather than a gift.

7:4 That Abraham entered the land of Canaan ‘when his father was dead’ is an historical fact. However it also fits into what God asked of him. He had been called to leave his father and mother – Gen 12:1

The Holy Spirit - part one (see April 30 for part two)

1. The Heb word for "spirit" is "ruwach" (7307); the Grk word for "spirit" is "pneuma" (4151) and they indicate breath, exhalation, etc.

2. The Holy Spirit is the breath, exhalation, power and glory radiating from God.

3. One can't flee from the spirit - Psa 139:7-12.

4. Some believe the Holy Spirit is a diety, but if it is: Why is there no mention of the Holy Spirit on God's throne (Acts 7:55-56; Rev 7:10)? Why is there no mention of it in the Divine order 1Cor 11:3? Why in the 11 occurrences of blessing which  follow the invocations in the epistles is there not one that contains any mention of the Holy Spirit? The word "spirit" is neuter in gender and doesn't in itself denote personality.

5. Luke 1:35 - the Holy Spirit created Christ and is the power of the Father (i.e. God). If the Holy Spirit was a literal being other than the Father (i.e. God) Christ would be the son of the Holy Spirit and not the son of the Father.

6. The spirit creates and gives life (Job 33:4)...the spirit isn't God it eminates from and is "of" God.

7. Matt 12:32 - here we read the Holy Spirit is to be revered more than Christ. This and  John 14:28 are two of a number of passages refuting the theory of a tri-equal trinity . 

Stephen's deliberation provides a useful synopsis of Jewish history.  It is interesting, though, that he states Abraham bought land in Shechem from the sons of Emmor (Hamor)(v.16). 

Abraham bought land in Hebron for a burial place (Gen 49:30,31), but nowhere in scripture is it recorded that he bought land in Shechem.  However, it is recorded that Jacob purchased land in Shechem in which Joseph's bones (and presumably his) were buried (Gen 33:18,19; Josh 24:32). 

And so, why did Stephen make that statement?  Perhaps he was using Abraham in a patriarchal sense as father of all faithful (Rom 4:16).  Certainly, Jacob qualified as being of the same faith as Abraham (Matt 8:11).  Like Jesus who came in the spirit of His father and was called by His Name, perhaps Stephen is applying the same measure to Jacob vis-à-vis Abraham. 

7:48 And now Stephen arrives at the crux of his argument. He had been accused – Acts 6:14- of saying that Jesus was going to destroy the temple.

7:22 There's nothing like on-the-job training!  In Exo 4:10 Moses complained that he wasn't eloquent and was slow of speech and tongue, yet we know that, with God's help, he learned and grew.  A lesson for us.