V.7 Scholars tell us that the forty years (KJV) should read four years (ESV).  Apparently, a copyist made an error as the LXX (Septuagint), Syriac, and writings of Josephus agree to four.  The four years would refer to the time that Absalom spent in Jerusalem after his return from Geshur, before he went to Hebron.

15:12  Absalom shared a common grievance against david with Ahithophel. David has wronged Ahithophel’s grand daughter and David  had not reacted to Amnon’s behaviour.

15:21 Ittai’s promise to David ‘whether in death or life even there also will thy servant be’. Is the kind of language that Peter – John 13:2-37– was to use later when professing his allegiance to Jesus. Maybe Peter was trying to assure Jesus that he was like Ittai in his commitment.

15:12 David comments upon Ahithophel’s treachery in Psa 41:9

Vs.2-6 Absalom was a charismatic individual who was attractive in personality as well as looks. He was also highly manipulative, and had an agenda to seize the throne from David.

We should be careful not to be swayed by such characters.  They should be avoided if they do not speak the truth, and have questionable morals (Psa 5:9; Isa 8:20).

Vs.19-21 ittai was a Philistine who became loyal to David. When trouble came, David urged Ittai to return to his people.  Like Ruth, who refused to leave Naomi, ittai refused to leave David (Ruth 1:16).  Both would rather continue to serve Yahweh than the idols of their own people.  Note Ittai’s response to David (v.21).   Our commitment to Jesus, our king, should be the same.

Vs.25,26 David displayed both faith and confidence in Yahweh.

Vs.27,28 David urged Zadok and his sons to return to Jerusalem for two reasons.  First, he wanted to ensure that public worship to Yahweh would continue.  Second, he wanted to be informed as to what was happening in Jerusalem.  Zadok could give any information to his sons who would discreetly take it to David.

V.32 Hushai means hasty.  Hushai was a Archite (Archevite).  The Archevite tribe, as well as other tribes, was captured by the Assyrians (Ezra 4:8-10).  The practice of the Assyrians was to transplant their captives in other parts of their empire.  The Archevites were placed in the town of Erech, one of the four cities founded by Nimrod in Babylonia (Gen 10:10).

15:26 David’s response that he was happy for God to ‘do to me as seemeth good unto me’ is echoed in Jesus’ words ‘not my will but thine ...’ – Luke 22:42 – in Gethsemane.

2Sam 15:3-6 - at this time David was possibly in ill health (Psa 38:1-22). 

2Sam 15:18-22 - David, who echos Christ, took Jew and Gentile with him.

2Sam 15:23 - the Kidron Valley where David and Christ (John 18:1-3) crossed is perhaps referred to in Psa 23:4 though the Psalm likely has a broader application.

And so we have yet another warning culled from the words of the curses of Deuteronomy 28.

V.4 The reasons for the impending calamity were set forth, namely the unfaithfulness, gross idolatry, and immorality of the nation (Jer 21:6,16) particularly contamination from the worship of Baal (Jer 32:35).

V.2 Jeremiah made his pronouncement, of the coming evil on Jerusalem, from Tophet (which means the place of burning), in the valley of the son of Hinnom (Heb. ge hinnom  which was transliterated by the Greek to gehenna. The place was chosen because it had been the scene of horrendous sin (vs.4,5; Jer 32:35). 

Gehenna is located on the south side of the old city of Jerusalem. It became a place for the burning of garbage, dead animals, and even dead criminals. Fires were constantly kept burning for this purpose.

The place became linked to the popular but false notion of hell, where everalsting, unquencheable fires torment sinners forever, in the presence of the so-called devil.

V.9 Israel had willingly sacrificed their children to Molech's fire, and now starvation would compel them to eat their children in the coming siege.  We can only imagine such desperation.

19:3  The valley of the son of Hinnom was the Ghenna of the gospels. By the time of Jesus it was a rubbish dump but it would appear that in the days of Jeremiah it was a place where one would regularly find people – there would have not been any point in the prophet going there unless there were people to speak to.

19:14 In standing in the court of the Lord’s house Jeremiah was making himself very visible to those who went to the temple to worship. This is only one of a number of occasions when the prophet spoke from this place – Jer 7:1, 26:2, 28:5, 35:4

19:7 ‘and their carcases ... beasts of the earth’ is yet another quotation from the curses. This time it is Deut 28:26

V.2 The KJV says east gate. The word east is translated from the Heb. charsut which comes from the meaning of red tile used for scraping. Therefore, Potsherd Gate would be more accurate, as modern versions reflect.

19:7,9 We have seen before that Jeremiah quotes Deut 28:26,53 in these two verses. The book of the law had been found in the days of Josiah and now the prophet is reminding the people what it said. Sadly a reminder from the Word of God had little impact upon the people. How do we react to it?

Vs.1,10 In Chapter 18, Jeremiah had been to the potter’s house to understand Yahweh’s position vis-à-vis His people. Yahweh would have been willing to re-shape His people if they would have been willing to turn to Him.  But, they did not accept His offer. 

And so, Jeremiah had to break the potter’s vessel in front of the elders of Judah.  This signified that Yahweh’s people, who refused to be molded, constituted an unfit vessel. 

V.11 Judah and Jerusalem had to be broken, just like a useless clay receptacle.

V.5 See Lev 18:21.

Vs.14,15 Jeremiah came from Tophet to the court of the temple.  There, he repeated the same message to the people that he had given to the elders.

19:3 Jeremiah has already - - suggested that the people reflect on what happened at Shiloh – 7:12 – now he quotes God’s words in the day of Eli – ‘ears tingle’ 1Sam 3:11- from which the people listening to Jeremiah might have realised that God was planning to destroy the temple because of their sins

Chapter 4
The repeated reference to Abraham with specific quotation from the Genesis record should cause us to appreciate how important the 'first principles' we learnt before baptism really are. They are not just good Sunday School stories. They are bedrock and foundation of the gospel in Christ.

3:23-24 The contrast between these two verses is tremendous. One cannot benefit from the grace of God until one realsies that one is a sinner.

4:9-11 The detailed and careful way in which Paul reasons using the precise circumstances of the giving of the law of circumcision and the law of Moses should alert us to the importance of giving attention to the detail of the text of Scripture.

ch 4 - Whilst the Jews may well have seen Abraham as their father exclusively - and that the gentiles were not part of his family Paul is at pains to show that they are. The promise that he would be 'father of many nations' was actually spoken before circumcision was introduced (Genesis 17:5) thus again the detail of the text is used to prove the point that Paul is making.

1) Doing works, and believing in salvation (justification) by them
2) Not doing works, and believing in salvation by grace

Paul makes the statement in v4 "to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt". What does he mean? If it is truly as he says, then we ought not to do any works, because then we would be putting ourselves in more and more debt!

Paul says a similar thing in Philippians 3v5-8, where he lists his own good works, and tells us how he counts them "as loss". Not only were they worthless, but they were actually negative! Why? Because v9, he had done them to build up his own righteousness in the sight of the law. How abhorrent such a man is to God, who uses the righteous principles set down in his word to build up his own self esteem, and self worth. Paul had been an idolater of the worst order, because he had worshipped himself.

So what's the alternative? Well, the second option is better, because at least we're not incurring losses anymore. It is better to not work, than to work for the wrong motives. God wants people who believe in righteousness being imputed to them, without works (v6). This is a very subtle thing, because very often it is hard to honestly appraise ones motives, and to decide whether one is doing "works" because of faith, or because one is trying to become righteous. Paul is suggesting that if we are in this situation we should stop doing works altogether! Once point 2) has been reached in the mind of a believer, he may carry on trying to serve God, as Paul himself did, with a more healthy appreciation of God's salvation offered to us freely by grace. From now on, these works are not referred to as "works", but "fruit". (6v22-23)

3:24 Paul now, having shown hat we are all condemned sinners returns to the theme of justification. He has established by implication (2:13) that the law cannot justify a man. Now he begins to develop the way in which man can be justified.

4:5 Righteousness is not earned by the servant of God it is ‘imputed’ / ‘reckoned’ / ‘counted’ If this is so – which it clearly is – then we must appreciate that even though we are in Christ we will still sin. We do not find it easier not to sin because God counts us righteous. God counts us righteous because He knows we cannot cease from sin but have shown our faith in His promises by being baptised.

4:1-3 Paul is addressing the issue of works under the Law.  Those who insisted that the Law be obeyed as ritual were shown that justification by Yahweh is made outside of the rituals of the Law.  Abraham is used as a case in point.  

However, works done in faith are not only acceptable but essential.  Again, Abraham is used as an example, this time by James, to show this truth (James 2:20-23).

3:8 We see that some misrepresented Paul to justify their opposition to the gospel,.

4:10     In establishing that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised removes at a stroke both a claim that either circumcision or the law were the means of attaining to righteousness.

4:2,3 Belief in God and His promises is of prime importance (Heb 11:6).  Works do not justify humankind with God.  Nevertheless, if our faith does not translate into outward expressions, then it is sterile (James 2:20).

The New Testament is based on the Old Testament. Here, Paul liberally quotes from the Psalms:

3:4 See Psa 51:4.

3:10-12 See Psa 14:1-3; 53:1-3.

3:13 See Psa 5:9; 140:3.

3:14 See Psa 10:7.

3:15 See Psa 1:16.

3:18 See Psa 36:1.

3:25 The word propitiation is translated from the Greek hilasterion.  In Heb 9:5, hilasterion is translated mercy seat, which is a more accurate representation.

The mercy seat, situated between the cherubim, was the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. It was the place where Yahweh would meet with His people.  Blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, by the priest, for the atonement of the sins of God’s people. 

The mercy seat represents our priest, Jesus, who is the atoning sacrifice for sin. He is the mediator between Yahweh and humankind (the one who brings God to man) (1Tim 2:5).

Propitiation is an unfortunate word. Some people take it to mean the sacrifice (of Jesus) to appease an angry God, in order to gain His favor.  Furthermore, they suppose that Jesus' sacrifice was a substitute for the sins of humankind. These are errors in understanding. 

First, Jesus’ sacrifice was an act of love in obedience to a merciful God. Second, Jesus’ sacrifice covered the sins of many not all (Heb 9:28).  Therefore, His sacrifice was a representative one and not one of substitution.

FREE

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:23-24)

When we think about the way Jesus spoke about sin, we remember that he put a price on our sin against each other and against God. In the parable of the unforgiving creditor, sins against God were represented by a debt of ten thousand talents or about $2.2 billion. Our sins against each other are represented by a debt of 100 denarii, or about $12,000.00.

When we put it in money terms, we don't want to do too much to offend the people around us - it could be costly! Even more, we must not sin against God because our debt would be impossible to pay. But as Paul said, "we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We all owe him, if it was in monatary terms, more than we could ever repay.

When we live in Christ, all that debt is wiped away and we are justified freely by his grace. This is nothing that we deserve. Cancelling our debt is God's free gift to us. It cost us nothing and we deserve none of his grace.

Because we have been freely forgiven and justified, let us be thankful for God's grace on us and freely pass on the the blessings to others as we forgive them for what they have done against us.