Comments for February 7

There are other songs (Judges 5, 2Sam 22)
v. 6 - So many verses remind us of the power of God v.11, 1Chron.29:11,12. Ps.17:7 draws a conclusion from it - salvation. It was God's power by which the Children of Israel took the land, Ps.44:3. It started here at the Red Sea and finishes worldwide - Isa.52:10.

v.4-12 - We have a problem coping maybe, in our modern society where we are encouraged to accept all things, both good and evil, and tolerate them, with a recognition of the obvious fact - and here we have a clear and somewhat extreme example - that whatever store we might put by human life in general, God is only interested in those that turn to Him and accept His covenant which he offers to all. The rest are of no consequence. Whilst it is not ours to condemn, it is appropriate that we recognise that those who have chosen not to accept God's offer of salvation are worth nothing in His sight. There is no room for sentiment in these things.

:17 In speaking of planting Israel we see the beginning of a theme which runs through the prophets. Psalm 80:8,15 The vine out of Egypt was planted Isaiah 5:2 a vine is planted Jeremiah 2:21 'I planted thee …'. Planting, then passes into New Testament usage to speak of us Romans 6:5 'planted together …' Ephesians 3:17 'rooted …'

The way in which Egypt are described as being destroyed is taken up to speak of the way in which Babylon would be destroyed.

Thus we see that the end of two of Israel's enemies and persecutors is presented in similar language - God is consistent in the way in which he deals with His enemies.

15:12 The way that the ‘earth swallowed them’  sets the scene for the destruction of Korah and his company – they were no better than the Egyptians in that they, like Pharaoh, opposed God who was manifest in Moses.

A lesson for us. Never forget to thank and praise God. Private and public prayers, poems, songs and public statements - all have their place in our giving Him thanks.

Exo 15:25  The tree mentioned here was obviously a special tree. The Hebrew word used here is ETS (6086) which comes from a root word ATSAH (6095) which means to fasten. We can see a connection going back to Gen 2:9 the tree of life. (Same Hebrew word) With the root word we can also point ahead to the cross at Calvary. All three are a source of life.

The water of Marah was bitter (v.23). The Lord instructed Moses to cast the branch of a tree into the water to make it sweet. The branch is symbolic of the Lord Jesus (Isa 11:1) who overcame the bitterness of sin which the water symbolized (Job 15:16).

Another similar example is the account of Elisha's retrieval of the errant axe head (2Kin 6:5-6). Here the stick (branch) made the iron axe head to float. One of the symbols of iron is oppression, which aptly portrays Egypt (1Kin 8:51). Thus, the branch (Christ) lifted the oppression of sin.

V.26 The children of Israel have just witnessed the destruction of the Egyptian army, even to the degree of seeing the dead on the sea shore (Exo 14:30). Now they are told: Hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God; Do that which is right in his sight. Give ear unto His commandments and keep all his statutes. None of these diseases that they witnessed in the Egyptians will come upon you. We still have the same assurance today, if we do likewise, we can conquer or overcome death.

v.15 - Notice that this song was not simply a celebration of the recent past events but also, by God's inspiration, a prophecy of the future - an indication that this was but the start of God destruction of all those who stood in the way of His people.

15:22-25 - we note the mention of  three days and wood into the water making it sweet (like wine?) which perhaps foreshadow Christ making the law complete and drinkable as opposed to something that was manipulated in a corrupt fashion to burden people by the sinful and hypocritical religious leaders under the law. Christ makes our burdens light.

15        The song is in two parts. :1-20 Moses and Israel sing. :21 Miriam responds. However the complaints soon start - :23

The women of Israel, through their singing and dancing, were an integral part of praise to the LORD. Yesterday, we read David's reference to this in Psa 68:11. Here we see it demonstrated by Miriam and the other women (vs.20,21).

 15  The repeated use of ‘horses’ in this chapter indicates how much confidence Egypt placed upon their horses. Maybe this indicates why the king of Israel was not to multiply horses - Deut 17:16 - lest Israel thought that horses were their deliverance also.

15:5      The ‘stone’ which was representative of Egypt passes into Biblical use as a symbol of a power overthrown by God – see Babylon in Jer 51:63

15:2 ‘The Lord is my strength and he is become my salvation’ is quoted by David – Psa 118:14

V.1The Children of Israel in the Hebrew text is benim Israel which means Sons of Israel. Was Moses singing with the men only? The term Children of Israel can be used for either males or mixed company. For example, Exo 1:1 is clearly talking about males; whereas in Exo 14:22 the reference is to mixed company. In v.21 Miriam and the women replied to them (the singers). To them in the Hebrew text is l’hem which is masculine.  But, the masculine form is used for a mixed-gender group as well as for males only.  Nevertheless, it seems probable that Moses and the men sang the first part of the song, and Miriam and the women replied with the second part.

15:2 The way in which Moses speaks of God as the God of his salvation is echoed by a later prophet in a song in which he reflects upon God’s earlier acts – Hab 3:18

There is no more stark contrast in scripture than this chapter, except perhaps Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem, where people are whipped up into a frenzy of hope and joy, song and dance, then come crashing down to earth with a bang. Those words of joyful song changed to bitter complaints. Yet this type of contrast may be our daily experience. Whilst we might set more store in the high points in life, it is often the relative lows that God works with. So in this chapter for example, the seed of faith and hope in God was given to Israel by the mighty works they saw. But this seed of faith still had to germinate and pop its head up into the light to see any real growth. And that growth would have to be steady, regular growth. This process started immediately when they realised over the next three days they had no water. They had to learn that trusting in God is a daily thing, not just for the big occasions (14:31 compared to 15:22-27).

15:2  In speaking of preparing a habitation for God Moses has the same motivation that drove David during his life as expressed by another, speaking of David – Psa 132:5

15:4 The poetic way in which Moses speaks of Pharaoh’s chariots being ‘cast into the sea’ is used again – Jer 51:21 – to speak of the overthrow of Babylon and – Rev 8:8 – when the second angel casts the burning mountain into the sea.

15:1,3        The way in which this “song” speaks of the overthrow of the horse and his rider were destroyed seems to be the basis for Habakkuk’s reflection – Hab 3:8 – on the way in which God took care of His people. The way in which Habakkuk reflects on earlier events in Israel’s history strengthened him when he thought of the Chaldean invasion. We should, likewise, reflect on God’s earlier activities so that we can be encouraged in our walk towards His kingdom.

Exo 15:26.

According to what God tells the Jews here, there appears to be a direct correlation between obedience to God and being free of illness, and its converse - being disobedient to God and illness. What are we to make of such a statement?

My brother George responded with these thoughts -

Yes, there is a direct correlation, but it is not perfect and it is not absolute. It is true up to a certain point, and that's a point we don't know.

We can't expect that we will always be well if we are righteous, or that others will always be sick if they are wicked. There are too many contradictions to that in real life.

But many things in the Bible, like a lot of Proverbs that talks about how we should behave and whether we are blessed or cursed in the doing of it, that are partly true but not always, infallibly true.

And there you are: I can be brief, but not always!

......................

my comments - I agree completely with our brother's points here. While there are times in Scripture where an illness is something brought on by God as a direct result of sin (e.g. David's illness after his sins with Bathsheba and against Uriah as seen in some of his psalms such as Psa 30,Psa 32,Psa 38,Psa 51; King Jehoram of Judah in 2Chron 21; and King Asa of Judah in 2Chron 16), there are other occasions where it is easy to see from the argument being made that there has to be a direct correlation between sin and a specific disease is incorrect. I'm thinking of the whole of the book of Job where the 3 friends' argument concerning the "evil" that came upon Job including his debilitating disease (probably a form of leprosy) was that Job must have brought these bad things on himself by his sinful actions. But as the story proceeds, it's evident by God's words to him and the three that there was error to be acknowledged and repented of all around - in the three's points they made concerning Job (thus his illness was not a result of a sinful life!) and in Job's questioning of God's actions.

Another example of this wrong way of thinking is found in the early verses of Jn. 9.

vv. 1-3 - "As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'"

So again no direct correlation is there between the man's blindness and any sinfulness on the part of his parents or himself (as if a fetus in his mother's womb could sin!?)

One point to note about this Exo. 15 passage is that the promise made had to do with no specific diseases if they kept faithfulas were brought on the Egyptians - probably in the course of the 10 plagues. God doesn't say that the Israelites were to be free from any and all diseases - period! I would guess that the likelihood that most of that generation contracted various diseases during that period is ~100%. But as has been suggested, for me to look at someone else's contracting of an illness and suggest that I know exactly why this happened, and that it was a direct result of a sinful lifestyle would be the height of arrogancy and wrong thinking.

15:11  Miriam’s description of God’s status is echoed by David Psa 77:11

Exo 15:17 The idea of planting Gods people goes all the way back to the garden of Eden.

Gen 2:5 Here we see the principle that his planting needs water and Yahweh provides. See. Psa 1,1Cor 3:8

Gen 2:8 So yahweh planted a garden (an enclosed place) and planted th eman in it, not ony do we need spiritual waters we need his sanctuary, we need to be away form the world in the samnctuary of God.

15:1,21         Moses and Miriam join together to praise God. Their twofold songs which answered the one to the other, were God given and should have reminded the nation of the power and care of their God.

Exo 15:27 - the 12, as previously mentioned, could refer to the tribes of Israel or the apostles who will be officials in the millennial kingdom on earth and some feel the number "12" represents perfection in governmental rulership, or perhaps it is the number of Israel and God's chosen, etc. The 70 is thought by some to represent the Gentiles (the number of nations in Gen.10 is 70), the nations, and spiritual perfection. The Jews were captive in a Gentile land 70 years and repented and later in Daniel 9 we have the 70 "weeks" prophecy which led on past 'Messiah the Prince' to another Gentile abomination that would make desolate. Initially Jesus went to the Jews with 12 disciples and  later he reached out with 70 (Luke 9:1;10:1).

The above is gleaned from Bibles Studies by H.A. Whittaker p.219 and The Miraculous Significance of Numbers and Colors as They Appear in The Holy Scriptures by M.D. Stewart.

15:3 Another place in scripture where the Lord is likened to a man of war is Isa 42:13

CRY OUT TO GOD

Three minutes without air; three days without water; and three weeks without food, is generally about the limit of human stamina. God led Israel three days in the desert without finding water. Imagine the thirst and exhaustion they must have all been feeling when the reached Marah. "But when they came to Marah, they could not drink of it's water, because it was bitter." (Exo 15:23).

Like Israel, God sometimes gives us some bitter experiences and often that bitter experience will be when we are at the end of our strength, when we are so desperate for refreshment and for everything to go just right for a change.

So what do we do when we have these bitter experiences?"Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water and the water became sweet." (v.25). Cry out to the Lord. The children of Israel tried grumbling, but that didn't work. It was prayer that made the difference. Then God did a miracle and made the bitter waters sweet.

With God working through them, bitter experiences can be made sweet by God. Some of the hardest times in my life have been times I would not trade for anything, now that I look back on them. The bitter experiences of the moment produced in me changes in character and perspective, and brought me closer to God.

If we cry out to God, our bitter waters can be made sweet.

15:1    The is the first mention of a “song” in Scripture.

15:8     The poetic “blast of thy nostrils” answers to the “strong east wind od Exo 14:21 when the Red Sea was parted.

15:21  After the wonderful sons of deliverance -:1-22 – the stark contrast is presented of Israel murmuring. How quickly the grace of God was forgotten. One hopes we can do better!

16:15  the question “what is it?” regarding the food of God’s provision is echoed in the questioning of the people when Jesus entered Jerusalem –Matt 21:10 – for the word there translated “who” could equally be translated “what”.

Exo 15:12-13 The song of Moses suggests that there was an earthquake in addition to the “…strong east wind…” by which “…the waters were divided.” (Exo 14:21). First, the wind divided the waters for Israel to cross over on dry land. 

In Moses song, the rejoicing at the destruction of the Egyptian army (Exo 15:1,10)) was followed by an earthquake which caused the Egyptian army to flounder and “…the earth swallowed them.” (Exo 15:12).  The Psalmist picks up on this point, “the earth trembled and shook…Thy way is in the sea…Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psa 77:15-20). The waters then returned and the Egyptian army was no more. 

The LORD was merciful to Israel, yet only 3 days journey from crossing the Read Sea they murmured against Moses (Exo 15:22-24). We must remember the means offered for our deliverance through waters of baptism and then seek to walk in God’s way, “…in newness of life.”(Rom 6:3-4).

V. 17 This would appear to be a reference to God's plan to establish them in Jerusalem (Zion) God's mountain of his inheritance where he will dwell in the sanctuary. No talking about the tabernacle as it was not established in the the mountain of his inheritance, 

15:25 At last, but too late, the Egyptians recognised the power of Yahweh.

15:11 having, in poetic words, spoken of the destruction of the Egyptian army and the saving of Israel Miriam exclaims, “Who is like to thee …?” When we read of God’s work in the past are we moved to wonder at His greatness? Or do we see ourselves as just reading dull history?

15:20 Miriam and the women singing is something at least hinted at elsewhere with respect to Heman’s daughters – 1Chron 25:5– and seems to get a mention in a Psa 68:25                                   

Exo 15:8-  the Hebrew suggests the parted waters were temporarily of a different consistency: "depths<8415>", "congealed<7087>". (derived from an observation by R. Lawrence, UK)

15:8 The poetic way God’s involvement in the destruction of the Egyptian host is seen again in the way David spoke of his salvation – 2Sam 22:16.

We do well to reflect on His salvation on earlier occasions to remind us of the fact that He does not change. His salvation is sure.

15:23 By now Pharaoh and his army were so intent on chasing Israel it seems that they gave no thought to the amazing parting of the Red Sea, and so followed them to their own destruction.

Whilst the narrative reads as if the Egyptians followed unquestioningly one is left wondering whether the chariot drivers questioned the wisdom of following Israel. After all there were Egyptians who recognised that Yahweh was doing things in Egypt with the plagues – so did any see the parting of the Red Sea as another such wonder?

v.9 - Until Jesus this was impossible to understand. The disciples were reminded in John 2:13-21, when Jesus cleared out the money changers etc. from the temple. v. 22 tells us the believed the scripture - it must have been this scripture - i.e. Psalm 69. In this Psalm we see many aspects of Jesus' life:

v.2,14 - We have a direct contrast here between the power of man and the power of God for the believer. David, a man whose heart we know was right, shows us that even at the depths of our despair, we can, and should, turn to God for His strength and salvation, and come to recognise that ultimately all these trials and tribulations are leading us to the wisdom of God's kingdom, through the work and the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is another Psalm which speaks of the rejection and suffering of Jesus. It has its historical basis in the days when David was fleeing from his son Absalom.
:20 In looking for comforters and finding none David foreshadows Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane - Matthew 26:40

:8 Jesus was a stranger to his brethren when they did not believe in him (John 7:5)

69:6 Men would be ashamed of Jesus because ‘he had no form nor comeliness’ (Isa 53:2) – we must take care not to judge according to outward appearance.

Psalm 69  This is one of the most often quoted Psalms in the New Testament. It describes many events associated with Christ and His death.

Psa 69:5  This verse certainly does not have any association with Christ, but what we do have is David once again acknowledging his failures as he has already done in Psa 32 and 51.

v.2,3 - Time and time again throughout the Psalms we find ourselves in the company of a desperately distressed man, whose only hope is God.  If we ever doubted that the faithful of old did not share our emotions and our sense of failure etc., then we must turn to David and see what a roller coaster of a life he lived, and yet trusted in God at all times.  Trust in God does not take away our human condition, but places it in perspective by giving us hope - hope which can prevail even against the worst of our fears.

This Psalm is quoted several times in the New Testament as applying to Christ.  Early in Christ's ministry, on His first visit to Jerusalem, the "Disciples remembered that it was written 'The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up'." (John 2:17quoting Psa 69:9) But the same disciples must have found it very hard to apply the next few verses to Jesus (see Psa 69:10-13, and actually, right to the end of the chapter).

69:20    When David was ‘full of heaviness’ he typified Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane – Matt 26:37.

V.15 - Jonah in the belly of the fish foreshadows Christ in the pit Jon 1:17 and the mouth of the pit was perhaps the stone at the door of the sepulchre Matt 27:64-66

V.21 - Jesus prophetically was given gall and vinegar Matt 27:34 which he refused. Had he accepted it  Jer 23:15 he might have been accused of being a false prophet.

This psalm of David, like many others, contains messianic parallels. Both David and the Lord Jesus suffered unjustly. However, David chose to curse his adversaries and wish for judgement to be rendered upon them (e.g. vs.22-28). The Lord Jesus never did this (1Pet 2:23). A case in point: v.25 applies to Judas, and is quoted by Peter as a prophetical fulfilment (Acts 1:20). However, Jesus never treated Judas any differently from the other eleven disciples, even though he knew of his role as betrayer. If Judas would have come back to Jesus and asked for forgiveness, he would have received it. After all, this was the same Jesus who forgave His executioners as He was dying (Luke 23:34).

69:2 The floods which overflow David are not really water. He is speaking of the impact of the problems. They drown him. Just like the waters of Jordan overflowing the banks – Josh 3:17 – would have barred Israel from the land had it not been for God’s intervention. In like manner the floods overwhelming David were only able to be survived through God’s cares. How often do we feel we are drowning in despair? How often do we turn to God in such situations?

34-36 The call on the universe for praise is well supported by promises of the perpetual and extended blessings which shall come upon them that are heirs of the promises to Abraham.

Psa 69:1,2,14  this psalm reminds me of what Jeremiah was to go through at the hands of his brethren, & particularly of the time when he was cast into the cistern & sank into the mire Jer 38:4-13

69:1 ‘the waters are come in unto my soul’ is echoed by Jonah – Jon 2:3 – one of many references to the Psalms found in Jonah’s prayer highlighting that in distress he turned to the Psalms for comfort.

SERVICE AND PRAISE

Under the law of Moses, there were certain offerings that had to be made at certain times of the year. Everyone had a responsibility before God to give the offerings and sacrifices they were required to give.

At home everyone has certain tasks to do. Children have chores such as washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom and making their beds. These are things we require of our children.

There is a big difference between what we are required to do and the things we do voluntarily. The other week at our junior youth group we talked about service and tried to help the children understand the difference between what we are expected to do and what is truly service - a gift that is not required. While sacrifices were required under the law, praise was something that was to be given voluntarily. That is why David could say, "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs." (Psa 69:30-31)

Service, doing what we have to do, our duties and our rosters, are all important. But what really makes God happy is doing a little bit extra and praising him when it has not been requested of us.

69:6 This Psalm was penned around the time of the uprising of Absalom which, in the historical record, is placed immediately after David’s sin with Bathsheba even though those events must have been separated by at least 15 years. This is so we can see that actions in our lives have consequences, even if our sins are forgiven. In saying here in the Psalm ‘let not those that seek thee be confounded’ is a comment reflecting Nathan’s comment – 2Sam 12:14 - that David had caused people to blaspheme God.

Psa 69:4 hate me without a cause reminds us of the messianic prophesy of Christ being hated without reason Psa 35:19;John 15:24-25.

Psa 69:19 reminds us of the shame and dishonor Christ endured when surrounded by his adversaries Matt 27:29,35,39-44;Isa 53:3;Psa 22:16.

Psa 69:22-23;Rom 11:9-10. Psa 69:9;Rom 15:3.

Psa 69:35-36 First Principles>Sure Mercies of David>People>Israel
Since the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Israel Restored, Israel will be the people of God's Kingdom Isa 55:1-3, Psa 69:36-36, Mic 4:7-8.
First Principles>Sure Mercies of David>People> For more information go to Isa 55:1-3

69:12 There is awful pathos in David saying ‘they that sat in the gate speak against me’ as that is where Absalom set himself – 2Sam 15:2 - to turn the hearts of the nation against his father David. So we see that not only did he speak with those that came to the king for judgement but also to the others who sat in the gate – probably men appointed to the job by David.

69:4     The fact that this verse is quotes in John 15:25 should alert us to the fact that this Psalm is messianic, so we should be looking for other links with the life of Jesus as we read the Psalm.

69:23-26       This Psalm has as its immediate focus the uprising of Absalom. The repeated use of “they” sees David asking God to judge all of those who joined with Absalom.

1. Psa 69:1,2,14 - perhaps this has application to Jesus at Gethsemane, or facing death on the cross, and possibly even has an echo of Peter when rescued by Jesus (Matt 14:29-31).

2. Psa 69:3-4 - Christ thirsted on the cross and was hated without cause (Psa 69:21;John 19:28-29;John 15:25).

3. Psa 69:4 - "they that would destroy me (Matt 2:13;Luke 20:19-20;22:2)...I restored that which I took not away" (1Cor 15:21-22;1Pet 3:18).

4. Psa 69:5 - refers directly to David's sins and perhaps also refers to how Christ successfully overcame the sinful inclination of his human nature (Heb 4:15).

5. Psa 69:6-7 - "Let not them...be ashamed for my sake...for thy sake I have borne reproach" (Heb 12:2;Acts 5:41).

6. Psa 69:7 - "shame hath covered my face" (Mark 14:65;Isa 50:6).

7. Psa 69:10 - "chastened my soul with fasting" (Matt 4:2).

8. Psa 69:18 - "Draw nigh unto my soul <5315> and redeem (<1350> the true redeemer is implied to be a near kinsman to David and God) it: deliver me (resurrection?) because of my enemies (sin and death? - Rom 8:2;7:5;6:23).

9. Psa 69:26 - "him whom thou hast smitten" (Isa 53:4,6,10).

10. Psa 69:31 - "better than an ox or bullock" (Heb 9:11-14).

11. Psa 69:36 - "The seed also of his servants shall inherit it" (Psa 22:30-31;Gen 13:15;Gal 3:8,16,26-29).

69:13    Paul – 2Cor 6:2 – quotes David’s words from here to encourage believers to work  together for God.

HOW TO PLEASE GOD

What is it that pleases the LORD? If we have sinned and feel really bad about it, do we need to try harder, work harder and suffer to make up for it?

The answer is actually a very simple one, but one that few people do outside of a formal situation. It is not about working harder or dedicating more or offering better sacrifices, although that's what most of us tend to want to do. It is about praising God in song and thanksgiving. Listen to what David said about it: "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with it's horns and hoofs." (Psa 69:30-31)

So if we want to please the LORD, we need to do what David suggested by praising him in song and glorifying him with thanksgiving. After all, choosing to work harder and do extra is most likely going to make us stressed and uptight, and take away any peace and joy we might otherwise have had. But singing and giving thanks can relax us and lift our spirits while giving glory to God at the same time. Singing praise is not even as hard as working harder.

So why don't we do it? Is it beneath us? Is it too simple? Let's glorify God in singing praise and giving him thanks. Let's do what pleases him.

69:1     The way in which David felt that those oppressing him were like “waves” which prompted him to plead with God to save him is literally voiced by Peter – Matt 14:30 – when he walked on the water and then felt himself sinking. 

Before reading this Psalm, read the events of David's life in 2Samuel 11 & 12. When you then read the Psalm, you will see many references back to those events. Reading the Psalms like this makes the stories of David spring to life, showing us the thoughts and prayers of that God fearing man. We can then also read on to see whether the prayer in this Psalm was answered.

69:4       The comment that those who hate David without a cause links with Psa 35:19. Both of these Psalms stem from the uprising of Absalom.

69 Title  The word “Shoshannim” <7799> is elsewhere for example –1Kin 7:9, 2Chron 4:5 – translated “lily”. The context of Song 6:2 where the word is translated “lilies” supports the idea that the word relates to a flower.

69:8      Prophetic of Jesus’ relationship with his natural family we have seen in John 7:9 an example of this. You might care to reflect on other occasions in Jesus’ life when this was manifestly true. Matt 10:36 speaks powerfully of some of the difficulties Jesus experienced.

IN GOD'S TIME

So often I have prayed in a time of trouble or decision and planned out the answers God might have for me. Most of them involve God answering my questions right away, or dealing with my problems immediately. But I have gradually come to learn that the answers to prayer are not always what we expect or are given in a time we might like.

David seems to have learned that lesson too. In the midst of his prayer he asks God to answer him. But listen to what he says: "But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favour; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation." (Psa 69:13).

"In the time of your favour," he said. God answers prayer when he is ready to, and when we are ready to receive the answers he gives us. Be patient. God will answer, but he will do it in his own time. Keep praying. God will give his best answer to us at the right time.
 

69:31  David’s assertion that praising God is more valuable to Him than animal sacrifices is one of the places in the Old Testament that might have been in the mind of the scribe who spoke to Jesus –Mark 12:32-33

69:5       Whilst this Psalm speak of Jesus clearly this verse does not apply to him. However it is true of us. Our behaviour is not hidden from God, though often we behave as if it is.

69:33 Human nature causes us to think less of the poor and certainly those who are in prison. Here we see that such thinking is not found in our God. An example that we should follow.

69:6 Our actions can cause others to stumble in their trust in God. Our prayer should be that our foolishness will not impact in a negative way on the trust that others place in God.

69:20 In looking for some to take pity and for comforters the Psalmist is like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He took Peter James and John to “watch” with him ( 26:37-38). But like the Psalmist Jesus was not supported by those who could have comforted him. Consider this. Whilst the disciples did not understand Jesus’ circumstances nor his feelings their presence would have been a comfort to Jesus. In like manner we can “comfort” our brethren and sisters even when we do not understand their circumstanced just by “being there” – a card letter / phone call / email.

69:9 We know from the way that this verse is applied to Jesus’ behaviour in the temple – JJohn 2:17 – that faithful zeal can behave in ways which might seem really unreasonable.

We do well to ponder the zealous actions of fellow believers when they show justifiable anger and wrong practices or wrong beliefs.

69:10 We can see that the previous 2 verses speak of Jesus’ personal experience at the hands of his natural family. So in this verse we learn of the impact their hospitality had on him. Their hostility caused great strains in Jesus’ personal life and would have continued even after he had left home.

v.23 - Man cannot solve his own problems. He can't overcome them. He can't cast them out. There are 2 camps to which we can choose to belong. There is no middle way. We are of satan or we are of God - Luke 11:23. Man's attempts to overcome his own problems have no future and cause divisions (v.24-26), but now the Kingdom of God is come upon us. Luke 11:20 (Parallel passage).

Mark seems to be careful to record a number of occasions when the Pharisees came to entangle Jesus. Here is a list
2:16, 24 3:6 7:1 10:2 12:13

3:8 Note the places from where people came to see Jesus. Get your map out and measure the distances. Remember this event was very early in the ministry of Jesus. Clearly his fame had already spread extensively.

3:1 When mark says 'the synagogue' here he is speaking of Capernaum.

Mark 3:7  There were to be several such moves during the period of the public ministry.Mark 7:24; Luke 4:29-30  It seems likely that Jesus removed His dwelling from places where His arrest would be easy during darkness. During the daylight hours the multitudes would provide protection for Him.

v.1-5 - Here we see a direct answer to the prophecy of Isa 35:3.  I am sure we see this mainly as future and of the kingdom, but Jesus' miracles did address these issues in a very practical way too.

Capernaum (Kfar Nahum) means village of comfort.  Jesus brought comfort to those he healed through faith (Matt 9:22).  He also encountered much opposition while in Capernaum.  The Pharisees and their erstwhile enemies, the Herodians, planned to kill Him.  The scribes tried to discredit the Lord's miracles by ascribing them to the power of Beelzebub (v.22).  Beelzebub (Baal Zvuv) literally means Master or Lord of the flies (i.e. dung god).  As we have seen from Exodus, the fly (probably scarab) was worshipped as a god.  Thus, the scribes blasphemed God (their God) by, in effect, attributing His power to the idolatry of Egypt. (I wonder what they thought about during Passover). The rejection of the Lord's works brought a stern warning of judgement from the Lord (Matt 11:23).

v.1-6 - We cannot get away from the fact that Jesus clearly purposely flouted the Pharisees' law.  We must consider carefully the implications of this for ourselves.  We must see how Jesus despised the ways of these legally minded folk and go out of our way to ensure that we do not fall to this very human depth which they did of believing that righteousness is obtained by keeping rules.  Notice how Jesus heals on the Sabbath 7 times, and each time the person healed was not so ill that they could not have waited one more day until it was no longer the Sabbath.  No, Jesus goes out of his way to show us the error of the ways of those who feel that salvation is by the works of the law.  We must make every effort to delete this type of natural human thinking entirely from our minds.

WATCHED
 
As a Christian, whether we know it or not, we are on display to the world. All the time people are watching us to see what we will do and whether we will remain true to our faith. They want to see whether we, as Christians, will live up to the standards they expect of us. Sometimes we can be watched because people want to catch us out and give themselves an excuse for not having a faith of their own.
 
When Jesus went into the synagogue, he was also watched closely. They watched him because they wanted to find something against him. We read, "Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him (the man with the withered hand) on the Sabbath." (Mark 3:2)  Jesus' words and actions were vindicated. He did the right thing and healed the man with the shrivelled hand. But his actions made those who were watching for a chance to accuse him, furious!
 
People watch even closer if they think we might fail, have failed, or if there is a chance we will fail. Just as it happened to Jesus, so it happens to us. It is our duty then, to give them no chance to catch us out, but to live our lives as perfectly as we can. Of course, as sinners, we will not always be successful, and then, by the grace of God we can celebrate his forgiveness of our failings.

3:4        That the scribes 'held their peace' actually advertised what they thought. We should not allow our silence to demonstrate that we do not agree with something but are unwilling to voice that disagreement.

V.11 The title"the Son of God" implied at least that Jesus was the long expected Messiah. Most however looked for the Messiah to deliver them from the Roman oppressor. So, before publicly revealing himself as the Messiah, or allowing himself to be thus proclaimed, Jesus must first make clear the nature of his Messianic office; that he had to suffer, and die for the sins of the people. The time to proclaim this publicly, or to have it proclaimed, has not yet arrived.

Jesus was angry with the leaders. Their hardness of heart grieved the master (Mark 3:5). Wouldn’t the leaders have loved to have been able to heal people? Actually, possibly not! It seems that all they were interested in was trapping Jesus. And He was the man who went about doing good (Acts 10:38).

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit meant denying or defaming the power of Yahweh This action brought eternal death (v.29). Overt displays of the Holy Spirit, as illustrated in this chapter, are not seen today. Nevertheless, people today can still blaspheme the Holy Spirit. The Word of God (the Bible) was created by the power of the Spirit (2Tim 3:16; 2Pet 1:21). To deny the Word of God, or to defame it, is tantamount to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and carries the same penalty - eternal death.

3:5  We might have thought that a hard heart was the domain of someone who would not accept the doctrine of God’s teaching but here we see it is seen in those who do not put the doctrines into practice. They were not ‘doers of the word’ - James 1:22

3:1   The man with the ‘withered hand’ doubtless had been put in the synagogue in the location where he was to try to trap Jesus in his behaviour. I do not think he was there ‘by accident’.

3:3 Clearly this man had been put into the synagogue by the religious leaders as a trap for Jesus. Jesus could have ignored the man, or found him out later and healed him. But no. Jesus said to the man ‘stand forth’ (the Greek carries the meaning arise into the middle). Jesus sees the blindness of the religious leaders as so important that he uses the trap that they have set to teach a fundamental principle.

Jesus' family called his sanity into question (v.21).  Obviously they did not understand his mission.  From outside the crush of the crowd they tried to corral him (v.31).  When this came to the Lord's attention (v.32), He explained that his real family was one of the spirit and not of the flesh (vs.33-35).  Important to note that his mother Mary is also included in those who questioned Jesus' sanity and tried to restrain Him.  Odd for one who is claimed, by some, to be the Queen of Heaven?

Joining the crush

There is a theme developing in these early chapters of Mark: Drawing near. It has come up several times in the last two chapters, and reaches a peak here in v9 with the danger of Jesus being crushed! In v31-35 he rebukes his own family for not doing the will of his Father (v35). This is because the will of God was for us to "hear him" (Luke 9:35) and they weren't even in the building! Pointedly, v32 says "your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you".

But drawing near to Jesus isn't just a physical action. Even though the Pharisees had come all the way from Jerusalem to see him (v22) they couldn't draw near because of the barrier of the law, or at least their interpretation of it. They were also too envious of him. If someone we know has something worthy to say about the word of God, let's draw near to hear. That starts with the simple action of being in the same building: going to a talk at the meeting hall or inviting them round to our house, or visiting them for a coffee. Secondly, let's not allow envy to be a barrier to stop us learning from one another.

3:2 That it was the sabbath day echoes the situation we saw in Mark 1:32 where the sabbath was viewed as a day when no work - not even healing – was to be undertaken.

Summary of Chapter

3:1-6     Sabbath synagogue (Capernaum?) healing man with withered hand and Pharisees and Herodian opposition

3:7-12   Jesus withdrew himself to Sea of Galilee – multitudes from Jerusalem, Edom, Tyre etc: come to him. Jesus had healed many (verse 9) – an outline of who Jesus healed and the reaction of those healed is given

3:13      Jesus prayed (about selecting 12 disciples) in a mountain

3:14-19  12 disciples selected

3:20-30  Multitudes come to him – friends say “he is beside himself”  Scribes say “He hath Beelzebub” Jesus, in parables rebuffs Beelzebub assertion

3:30-35  Jesus brothers and mother – from “without” - (but no indication that Jesus was inside a building) are seeking for Jesus. Jesus responds that those who do God’s will are his family

3:20    Imagine the scene. Jesus and the disciples are surrounded by so many people, all with needs, so they are kept busy without a break.  This is the first of two occasions Mark records like this. The second is Mark 6:31.

3:19  Of course the comment “which also betrayed him” was not something that the other disciples understood until after the time that Jesus was betrayed to the chief priest by Judas.  This retrospective comment possibly explains why here, and often elsewhere, Judas Iscariot is always placed at the end of the list of the 12.

Mark 3:5

“And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts...”

In Scripture various aspects of human anatomy are used to define the whole person, but the most frequently used is heart. The heart is the seat of emotion (Prov 14:10; Isa 66:14; John 14:1; Rom 9:2), intelligence (Prov 16:1; Luke 9:47) morality(Psa 58:2; Rom 1:24), choice (Deut 8:2; Luke 21:34; Acts 11:23), and one's faith (Deut 6:5-6; Jer 31:33; Rom 10:9-10; Gal 4:6). The heart, in effect, is the whole person in all of our distinctive human activities as thinking, planning, doing, socially interacting, feeling, and worshiping. When a person is not living according to God's will, it is the heart that is described as darkened, rebellious, callous, unfeeling, or idolatrous. It is in this context that hardening or hardness of the heart must be understood. It is within the heart that God works; hence the human heart may be soft or as hard as stone (cf. Eze 10:19). The heart represents the total response of people to life around them and to the spiritual and moral demands of God. Hardness of heart thus describes a negative condition in which the person ignores, spurns, or rejects the gracious offer of God to be a part of their life.

Christ put forth the question, “... Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day, or to do evil” to save life, or to kill” But they held their peace” (Mark 3:4). The question could have been easily answered by the Scribes and Pharisees, but it would have condemned them. The Scribes were most skilled in splitting hairs, and the Pharisees could measure the border of a garment to an eighth of an inch! These Scribes and Pharisees were great for their cavilling, word-spinners, word-splitters, critics, and fault-finders. Yet, they declined to answer this simple question on morals. Christ had given them one question to which there could be only one answer, and they would not give in to it. Christ had utterly destroyed their chosen pretext for opposition, and yet they would persist in opposing him for reasons they themselves could not support!

A heart, which ought to be soft, becomes impenetrable, callous and unfeeling through the continuance of sin. Their proclaiming zeal for God and for His Sabbath was a hollow sham. They were mere whitewashed sepulchres full of dead men's bones (Matt 23:26). They were dead while they lived, having a form of godliness but denying the power the power of it (2Tim 3:5). They made a fair show on the outside, but inside they practiced all manner of abominations (Please see my notes on Prov 6:16-19).

We too may grieve and anger our Saviour because of the hardness of our heart, and yet be still very respectable people. We may go to our worship services, we may be Bible readers as the Scribes were, we may practice all the outward forms of our beliefs as the Pharisees did, and still grieve the Lord because of the hardness of our heart - a heart once soft, but petrified little by little through the deceitfulness of sin. Sin hardens and deadens, and well did the apostle Paul say to, “...exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13).

Let us keep away from those things that hinder our prayers, shake our faith, or damp our zeal. Let us shun the idler’s talk, the scorner’s seat, false doctrine, worldliness, and strife. May the pure and unadulterated Word of God dwell in our heart, the Word, which is like a fire in our bones that melts those hardened areas (Jer 20:9), and makes our heart soft that we may proclaim with Job, “God maketh my heart soft...” (Job 23:16).

3:14     Jesus, later, acknowledged that God had given him the disciples – John 17:9 – so we must conclude that the selection made as a response to prayer. Not that God told Jesus the 12 from the larger number of disciples that followed him. Rather the prayer helped him to focus on the requirements he would need in his disciples.

3:3  When Jesus invites the man to “stand forth” Jesus is inviting the man to come into the centre of the synagogue where everyone can see him. The synagogue differed in layout from buildings where we might meet to worship.  In the synagogue there were seats all round three sides of the building where the congregation would sit. The preacher would stand in the middle of the room and address the audience.

3:29   Some might have problems with the idea that their sins cannot be forgiven. However Jesus explains that there is just one unforgiveable sin – blasphemy against the holy spirit. The context makes it clear what that is. It is denying the power of God and ascribing that power to false gods.

3:31    The way Jesus’ mother and brethren behaved is an indication of their embarrassment and discomfort over Jesus’ preaching. Their shame was not matched by his. Psa 31:1 speaks of his focus.

3:11      We have seen before - 1:23 – for example that Jesus cast out “unclean spirits”. This is a direct fulfilment of Zech 13:2. Notice the context there speaks of cleansing from sin and uncleanness which, clearly, was the work of Jesus.

Mark 3:29

“But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.”