Comments for May 2

v.5 - In a spiritual way, how often we find ourselves in this position - quite unintentionally having caused grief to a fellow man. How comforting it is to know that we have a place of refuge to turn to. Ps.9:9, 14:6, 46:1,7,11, 48:3 etc.

v.9 Chapter 19 restates the laws regarding the cities of refuge. That three more cites of refuge were never added is a demonstration that Israel were not faithful.

v.10,13 - The stark contrast between the fates of the innocent and the guilty is shown here. It also suggests that there is a time not to pity. There were strict instructions from God here NOT to pity the on who was guilty of the murder of an innocent man. There is, therefore, it seems, an argument for care about what we tolerate, even though tolerance as a general principle is taught throughout the New Testament.

19:14 The removal of the landmark was a serious offence mentioned here. It is also included in the blessing and cursing which were to be recited by the people. (Deuteronomy 27:17) And referred to and warned against in terms of robbing the disadvantaged (Proverbs 22:28 23:10)

:15,20 The requirement of 'two or three witnesses' was not a way to minimise right judgement. It was to ensure it. Therefore the 'false witness' was to receive no pity. As this highlights God's view of false witnesses we should think carefully about how we speak of others.

19  In the same way that the city of refuge was for the one who committed murder accidentally - through no fault of his own the sacrifice of Christ is for us who die, even though we have not sinned in the same way as Adam (Rom 5:14)

V.3  "Divide the coasts of thy land......into three parts" The three cities on either side of the Jordan were opposite each other. Josh 20:7-8

God made a very kind provision for the accidental murderer.  We must note, however, that the man who killed by accident HAD to flee to the City of Refuge. He couldn't stay where he was, and just plead his cause.  Sinners must make provision to be forgiven. They cannot plead accident, or mistake or ignorance.  It's like that too for us, to benefit from the death of our High Priest.

Six cities of refuge were allocated, three to the east of the Jordan and three to the west.  In the case of accidental death, the one who caused that death could flee (for his life) to one of these cities.  There, the elders would ascertain that he was indeed innocent (Josh 20:4 ), and if so be allowed to stay.  The law of sanctuary had been established earlier (Exo 21:12,13) and was open to Israelites and strangers alike (Num 35:15).

 V.11-12 If a charge of wilful murder were established, then the criminal lost all right of sanctuary; he was then escorted back home, there to be handed over to the avenger of blood. A murderer could not buy back his own life by paying a ransom, no matter how substantial. (Num 35:31)

19:19      The objective was to highlight God’s righteousness. He was affronted by the evil behaviour of a man – the man who had lied did not ‘love his neighbour’  Lev 19:18

t 19:10 The provision of the cities of refuge was so that innocent blood would not be shed. God, knowing the effects of human nature and the desire for revenge in the heat of the moment, made provision which took account of human nature. As such the cities of refuge patterned the provision of Jesus who can save us despite our human nature.

19:1    Notice it  is ‘when’ not ‘if’ Israel are given possession of the land. When  Israel came to the border of the land for the first time the ten spies did not even consider  ‘If’. They were certain. But certain that ‘we be not able …’  Num 13:31.  Notice the contrast between Man’s and God’s confidence!

Vs.2,3 The six cities of refuge were not appointed at the same time. First, three cities were appointed. These cities ( Bezer - Reuben; Ramoth-gilead - Gad; Golan - Manasseh) were on the east side of the Jordan where Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had already established their territories.

Vs.8,9 Then, Israel crossed over the Jordan, and pushed westward into Canaan to establish the other tribes’ territories. As they conquered the land, there was a need to add three more cities of refuge. These were Hebron - Judah; Shechem - Ephraim; Kedesh - Naphtali.

19:11-13 Whilst God made provision for protection of the innocent – so to speak by them being ‘in Christ’ that provision did not allow for wilful crimes to go unpunished. Likewise we should not reason ‘let us continue in sin that grace may abound’ Rom 6:1

Vs.5,6 Today, this would be equivalent to involuntary manslaughter where one person did not intend to kill another. The person who caused the death might be jailed but his life would be spared even in jurisdictions that have the death penalty.  

Vs.11,12 Here is a case of murder, a pre-meditated intention to kill.  Today, the murderer might face the death penalty the places that have it.  

Vs.16-19 These verses emphasize the complete hypocrisy and perversion of justice that took place at the trial of Jesus. The Jewish authorities conspired to bring false witness to testify against Jesus (Matt 26:59).  They willingly ignored their own law.

Individual sin; national responsibility

v10 and v13 suggest that there was a national responsibility for the behaviour of individuals. This is borne out in such examples as Judg 20:12-13 where a whole tribe was ultimately held responsible for not admistering the justice described here. Notice the same wording: "that we may remove the evil from Israel" (v19)

Deut 19:15;Matt 18:15-16;2Cor 13:1. Deut 19:19;1Cor 5:9-13. Deut 19:21;Matt 5:38.

Deut 19:2,3,9 - The mention of 3 and 3 cities of refuge reminds us of how Christ, who rose from the pit after 3 days, is our refuge (along with God, his father) so that we have an escape from sin and death overtaking us.

Deut 19:15 - The Sanhedrin couldn't find testimony of witnesses to agree when they tried Christ (Mark 14:55-59).

19:17 Notice that in a matter of judgement ‘both’ those involved in the dispute must be seen together – Prov 18:17

19:2  The 3 cities on the East of Jordan have been named already – Deut 4:42 – but even though the three are  marked out here they are not named. Num 35:12-15 has already spoken of this provision but still has not named the cities. God was making provision without having to commit Himself to where those cities would be.

19:2   We should not presume that there was to be one good road to each city of refuge. We are being taught that the city was a place of safety and that there would be one who would be  the ‘way’ to that safety.  This idea of preparing a ‘way’ is taken up a number of times in Scripture, speaking of the work of Jesus. Isa 57:14 is one such place.

19:3     In saying that Israel were to “prepare ... a way” to the city of refuge we appreciate that the prime meaning is not a literal road. For it  would be of little value to a man fleeing to the city if the road was going from the west and he was fleeing from the south. Rather the “way” is the way that is spoken of in Isa 57:14 which, clearly, is the way of salvation. We will remember that the city of refuge represents salvation in Christ – Heb 6:18

19:16-21    The very people who should have been establishing the credibility of the witnesses according to the law, in the trial of Jesus, were the very people seeking to use false witnesses! Matt 26:60

19:21 The command that they “shall not pity” the murderer teaches the way in which God abhors the taking of life. This contrasts markedly with the way in which society in the west speaks of criminals – even murders – having rights.

19:16  In speaking of a “false witness” the people should not have had any illusion that such a person was acceptable to God. God had already taught – Exo 20:16 – that false witnesses (liars) were unacceptable to Him.

Deut 19:21

Eye for an eye.

The world loves this law, especially when debating capital punishment or rather to exact revenge.

I heard one person say "if we bought back the law of the bible the world would be a better place". To some extent of course he was right, in the the view of Prov 15:1 perhaps he is wrong?

The bible does not speak of excepting and giving out revenge in one verse then telling us in another verse revenge is wrong!

What I believe Duet 19:21 is telling us that when seeking compensation for a crime or sin against us we must limit what we hope to gain with what we lost! If we have an accident in our cars we are chased by claim companies seeking damages for our injuries whether we actually were hurt or not, I feel this verse is telling us if someone did wrong against us and it cost us 500 pounds, then all we should seek in return is 500 pounds and not a penny over!

19:4-5  We probably cannot envisage an environment where accidental deaths are caused. However the provision of the cities of refuge was needed in a rural agricultural environment because accidents happened regularly. We ought to try and enter into the times that the Bible speaks of to help us to understand the importance of the provisions God made for His people.

19:3   The way that was to be prepared to the city of refuge spoke of Jesus who truly is “the way” – John 14:6– to refuge from sin and death

  19:21 on two other occasions we learn that in matters of Judgment “thine eye shall not pity!” Whilst this might not appear to fit with a God of mercy it clearly does for what God is saying is that human emotion should not cloud righteous judgment.

37:17-25 here as in other places where what was made is described the description matches exactly what we read in the record concerning what should be made. Two points can be seen.

1 There was not deviation from what was commanded. That is no one, even though they had God given skills, sought to modify what they were to make.

2 The identical record is making the point of its importance. With respect to the first point we might ask what motivates those who would want to modify the doctrines that we believed when we were baptised.

19:13 We should be careful to understand the word “pity” here. It is not a word that primarily speaks of emotion. It speaks of action. Hence it is translated “spare” a number of times in the Old Testament. For example Eze 5:11where “spare” is the same word as in Deuteronomy 19. But the word “pity” is not

19:2-3 the provision of the cities of refuge for the man who, potentially, might die though innocent is a loving provision by a caring God. It prefigures the work of Jesus. The prepared way to the city of refuge was not a physical road. It spoke of preparation being made to meet the needs of the “slayer”. The concept of a way being prepared is found in Isa 40:3 and in the proposed work of John the Baptist – Luke 4:6 clearly linking the idea of the city of refuge to the work of Jesus whose death, like that of the high priest, guaranteed the freedom of the man who had committed murder unintentionally.

19:4 The provision of the cities of refuge, a place where the one who accidentally killed someone could flee, is a wonderful example of God’s thoughtful care and preparation for members of His creation.

Accidents happen, especially in an agricultural environment.

v.1 - Acts of unselfish charity are applauded by God - Deut.15:7-11, Prov.11:24-25, Prov.22:9, Ps.41:1,2, 126:5,6, Matt.10:42, 2Cor.9:6, Gal.6:8-10

v.5 this comment on the way that bones grow in the womb and the way the wind blows forms the basis for Jesus comments and Nicodemus' response in John 3:8 'wind bloweth' John 3:4 'mother's womb and be born'.

v.2 - I am quite a sceptic when it comes to the significance which so many place on numbers in scripture, but here is seems that maybe it is saying that we should do our acts of giving to all, not just to those who we consider are going to be judged righteous. Although the greatest act of love is to preach the gospel to people, it seems that here the emphasis may be on physical needs. We live in a world with a great deal of physical need. Maybe there might be some little thing we each could do about it if we put our minds to it.

11:9 In counselling the young man to 'walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes' Solomon is quoting the reason why the Israelite should wear a fringe on their garment from Numbers 15:39. - this is why Solomon continues 'God will bring thee into judgment'.

:1 Casting bread and receiving a benefit later echoes Deuteronomy 15:10 - the generous spirit that the Israelite was to show - because he had benefit from God's generosity. This principle should govern us in our lives also.

11:9 It is as if Solomon's counsel here is in the mind of the man in Jesus' parable Luke 12:19-20 about the bigger barns.

V.9  Youth is the time for desire, for venture, for seizing on new experience; so long as the desire is controlled and directed by knowledge of a judgement to come. Since actions are weighed by God they must be measured by man. What Solomon is saying is: "Go and indulge your youthful passions, but know that you will be condemned for it"

V.5  Even modern science cannot negate what is said here.  Consider the dismal track record of weather forecasting in not knowing the path of the wind.  Although medical science understands a lot about gestation it is still considered a miracle.  Who, therefore, can understand the mind of God? (Rom 11:34).  

a) In Ecc 11:6 is Solomon talking about preaching God’s Word? Primarily of-course he is saying that we must work diligently all of the time. But in the context of the previous verses
(Ecc 11:1-5), he is also saying that we must take what opportunities present themselves to tell people the Good News. Paul says that we must preach when it’s convenient AND when it’s not convenient (2Tim 4:2).
b) Ecc 11:9,10 are most useful verses for our young people.  There’s no harm in a game of football, or a walk over the hills, BUT we must remember that we shall be judged for all our actions.  We can never “take a break” from God’s all-seeing Eyes.  And actually, that’s good advice for every age!

11:7-8 The preacher is, in these verses, telling us that there is more to life than enjoyment. We do well to heed this instruction.

V.9 - Enjoy life when you are young and follow the ways of your heart, and whatever your eyes see, but know that for your behaviour (be it favourable or unfavourable) you will be brought to "judgment" [Heb. "mishpat" (4941) means "a verdict (favourable or unfavourable), divine law", etc.]. Perhaps we have some clarification two verses later in Ecc 12:1 - "Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come..." - thus one's focus as a young man should be on enjoying the gift of life, youth, and the beauty of God's creation but with a firm spiritual foundation provided from childhood on so we remain on course throughout life with our eyes focused on Christ.  Rom 12:1-3 - we are urged in view of God's mercy to be living sacrifices (denying our fleshly desires when they are not in harmony with the Word of God) in this mortal life and to not conform to the pattern of the world but to be transformed and humble.

11:4 The simple description of how a man should not be deterred from necessary activity because of the weather stands as a stark warning for us in spiritual matters. Just because we find Bible reading, for example, inconvenient we should not neglect the task.

11:10   Whilst the book of Ecclesiastes has presented a picture which shows life as ‘vanity’  he now says ‘remove  sorrow’.  Despite the seeming emptiness of life we have no reason to be sorrowful. The repetitive vanity is designed to develop a Christ like character in us. So the ‘sorrow’ brought into the world by Adam’s transgression can be removed by faith in Christ.

V.1 In the practical sense, the opportunity to be charitable will eventually be rewarded. The more people helped, the more potential future helpers to the giver, should he or she fall on hard times (v.2).

Adam Clarke comments that the casting of bread is: an allusion to the sowing of rice; which was sown upon muddy ground, or ground covered with water, and trodden in by the feet of cattle: it thus took root, and grew, and was found after many days in a plentiful harvest. Give alms to the poor, and it will be as seed sown in good ground. God will cause thee afterwards to receive it with abundant increase

In a spiritual application, the spreading of the Gospel, which is centered upon Jesus, the bread of life, will bring growth and reward (John 6:46). Jesus’ parable of the sower talks of this (Luke 8:5-15). The grain (bread) cast upon the waters (synonymous with people; e.g. Isa 17:13) will bring growth and eventual reward (after many days) (Rev 22:12).

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

A little while back, a work colleague who had recently emigrated from South Africa commented on how he had found New Zealand culture. He said he had found it quite strange that people had given him so much help to settle in without expecting anything in return. He discovered the attitude of "I'll help you, you help the next person." It is an attitude of passing on the gifts we have been given as a way of repaying the giver. It can also be described as "What goes around, comes around."

The Teacher described it this way: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." (Ecc 11:1-2) This is great advice for living, especially as we try to live a Christian life. It helps us keep focused on what we can give and how we can help, rather than what we can get out of it or receive in return. There is more. In a time of trouble or need it would be very difficult to buy the help we require. But if we have been willing givers and helpers for others, then they too may be willing to help us in our needy circumstances.

So let's take the advice of the Teacher and cast our bread upon the waters, give portions to seven and to eight, and help without expecting anything in return. Many have helped us in the past, let's pass on those blessings and add more of our own. One day we will be blessed because of what we have given.

11:6,  God is in control of nature so we do not know how it will be in the short term. However we know that God has set the seasons – Gen 1:14 – therefore sowing and harvest is determined by God. Likewise our preaching. We do not know who is ‘suitable’ and who is not ‘suitable’ to hear the gospel. Therefore sow the seed everywhere and God will ‘give the increase’ – 1Cor 3:7

Vs.9,10 Although the word youth is found in both these verses, they do not come from the same Hebrew word.  In v.9, the first youth comes from the same Hebrew word as childhood in v.10 (yaldut).  Childhood is the correct translation. The second youth in v.9 has both masculine and feminine forms which mean young men and young women (bechurim ;bechurot).  The word youth in v.10 means juvenility, literally dawning (of mature life) (shacharut).

11:9 The quotation from Num 15:39 is a sobering warning because Israel were warned not to walk in the sight of their own eyes but in a way instructed by God. So the challenge of life is to walk in ways which do not bar one from entry into the kingdom – typified by those in Num 13 whose walk barred them from their inheritance.

11:4-6   Man in all his arrogancy thinks that because he ‘understands’ so much of nature that he is able to determine his own end.  Clearly this is not so. We should be careful to remember that we are in God’s providential care and He has a plan for us and will bring it to pass irrespective of what men think they can do.

11:1-2  Generosity is required because evil is to come upon the world and there will be many who suffer as a consequence. However Solomon is talking of more than ‘bread’ and money.  We realise that we cannot solve the problems of poverty in the world – Deut 15:11, Matt 26:11 – Solomon is talking of the ‘bread of life’ which will save people from the evil which is to come.

11:3-4  There is a certain inevitability in life. There are things we cannot change. The counsel of the wise man is to accept the inevitable and plan and do without using the inevitable as an excuse for idleness.

Avoiding risk aversion

I remember as a young boy casting a lot of bread upon the waters. What the ducks didn't immediately gobble up, sank to the bottom of the pond, or floated away. While the ducks benefited a great deal from the exercise, I don't think I necessarily did! So what is verse 1 talking about?

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days"

It seems completely illogical: why would you throw away your food if you wanted it? What's the water got to do with it?

As ever, we should look to the Bible to explain itself. Is there anyone who carried out the advice of this verse, who we can use as an example? Well, yes, and we don't have to go very far. Solomon (the author of Ecclesiastes) sent out ships year by year to bring "gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks" from abroad (2Chron 8:18, 9:21). Of course, he would have loaded up these ships with valuable things to sell, which he traded for these items. Putting such a valuable cargo to sea was a great act of faith, as anything could go wrong. Yet Solomon is telling us "if I hadn't taken the risk, I would have got nothing in return". Even though God blessed all of Solomon's trade, his ships (or bread) still took a whole 3 years to return to him! (2Chron 9:21) Can you imagine the agonising wait?

What's the lesson here? Just because something is risky doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. In faith we should trade and try to make a living, even if sometimes we lose what we have invested. Rather than leaving us with just one point of view on this complex subject, Solomon goes on to tell us about how to spread that risk around seven or eight different projects, not knowing which will fail or succeed (Ecc 11:2).

 Ecc. 11:1.

1. Ecc 11:6 - (NIV) "...you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well" - don't put all your eggs (preaching efforts?) in one basket.

2. Ecc 11:7-8 - the joy of this present life is temporary.

3. Ecc 11:9 - we have free will, but know that God will bring us to judgment, worshipping God correctly will result in self denial and doing things on God's terms not our own.

4. Ecc 11:10 - "...remove 'sorrow'<3708>...and put away 'evil'<7451>" by remembering your creator in the days of your youth (Ecc 12:1).

11:1    In today’s society where we have “instant” this and that and are encouraged to see immediate gratification Solomon counsels us to be patient. God, always, seeks patience in His children. There are numerous occasions in Scripture where promises that He mad took years to come to fruition. 

DO YOU REALLY KNOW?

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or know how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things."(Ecc 11:5).

We live in a scientific world. It is a world in which everyone can learn as much as they desire to about almost anything. People have studied weather and can tell us how and why the wind blows, and in what direction it will come from next. The growth of a human embryo has been well documented, recorded, photographed and videoed. And now we have much more idea how a body is formed in a mother's womb.

With the recent knowledge of wind and the growth of new life, are we really any closer to understanding the work of God the Maker of all things? I think not. With every discovery, there are more questions.

None of us are as wise as God to be able to say we understand all He has done and said. And if we do understand something from a scientific point of view, is it really right? Science has a tendency to change it's mind every once in a while. But God never changes. His ways are the same as they were thousands of years ago.

So when God tells us what He has done, let's not try to fit God's word into science, but rather see if science is accurate enough to fit with God's word.

11:10   The sentiments expressed here seem to be like what Paul says about his own life – 1Cor 13:11

Ecc 11:7

In James 1:17 we see God is the father of lights providing light to all the planets and moon in the sky. Sunlight is a source of life and we are told here we are to enjoy life. However darkness will always be present we are also to be lights but like a torch or artificial light it only produces shadows. Gods light produces no shadow, we wait for the time we see in Isa 60

11:9     Youth is a time of learning about God. Eventually that knowledge will be used to plan one’s life. So the rejoicing of the young man is not to be in worldly pursuits. Rather it is to be in gaining wisdom of the things of God.

11:9     It is sometimes said that “youth is wasted on the young”. The implication being that the wisdom of age is not matched by the stamina to implement the wisdom gained. Whilst that might, in part, be true it is not true to applying Godly principles of thinking and behaviour. Such attributes require little physical strength – but do require a strength of character that only comes with practice.

Summary of Ecclesiastes 11

11:1-6    God works in predictable ways that we cannot understand

11:7-8    pleasant times are good but don’t forget the bad times

11:9-10  the way you live will come to judgment

             So don’t view difficulties as a burden

DON'T WORRY!
 
Jesus said, "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on ... And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ... Therefore do not be anxious saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ... Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." (Matt 6:25,27,31,34).

Jesus' message is quite clear, really. Don't be anxious. Don't worry about anything. God has it all under control. Unfortunately worry, being anxious and having vexation of spirit are all perfectly natural. They are things we do without thinking! But they are not the way God wants us to live because they are completely the opposite of faith.

Here is what the preacher said about it: "Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity." (Ecc 11:10).

Remove vexation from your heart. Trust God. Trust in him to take care of your worries. Doing this makes us much happier and healthier people. It's great advice. Stop worrying and trust in God with all your heart.
 

11:5    Our ignorance of the way in which God’s creative work in producing human beings should caution us about saying anything about things of which we cannot know.  If this aspect of God’s ongoing involvement in creation is beyond our knowledge then how can we claim to know about the beginning of creation?

11:6  when we see a need in a fellow believer we should respond. The danger is that we might weigh up how we think the one in need will respond. God will bless the generosity irrespective of how it is used or misused.

11:6 The counsel here is to do that which is right without trying to work out what will happen as a consequence of the action. We should do that which is right irrespective of what the outcome might be.

11:1-8  Nicodemus recognised Jesus’ qualities (John 3:2) but it took him over three years to finally respond to what he recognised.

He did not know nor, initially, want to follow “the way of the spirit”

The counsel in Ecclesiastes 11 is to grasp opportunities as they appear rather than find reasons to hold back. (:4)

11:7-8  The memory is a strange thing. If we are not careful we easily forget the unpleasant events in the past and only remember the good. This was Israel’s problem throughout time. They forgot the slavery in Egypt, they forgot that God fed the and cared for them I the wilderness as they left Egypt, for example. Consequently they forsook God when things were going well for them.

v. 11 - The concept of 'seeing heaven opened' to receive a vision was quite a common one. We look to see heaven opened to reveal the return of our master - May we always be ready for our vision which will surely become reality. Eze.1:1, Luke 3:21, John 1:51, Rev. 4:1.

v.22 God speaks of a number of people as 'just' / 'righteous' Genesis 6:9 Noah Matthew 1:19 Joseph [Mary's husband] Mark 6:20 John the Baptist Luke 1:6 Zacharias & Elizabeth Luke 2:25 Simeon Luke 23:50 Joseph of Arithamaea Acts 10:22 Cornelius Hebrews 11:4 Abel 1 Peter 3:18 Jesus 2 Peter 2:7 Lot. By examining the way in which these individuals behaved we can learn how we can be viewed as ‘just’ by our Father.

10:14,15 The unclean beasts in the sheet was to help Peter to deal with his firmly entrenched Jewish views about the gentiles. It is interesting to note that even the great apostle Peter had difficulties applying the gospel in his life - and even on a later occasion he was still struggling with the same problem for Paul had to rebuke him for it. (Galatians 2:11-14)

Acts 8 shows an element of the expansion of the gospel in the baptism of a man from Ethiopia - a son of Ham. Now we have an Italian, it seems, a son of Japheth. So the gospel is accepted by sons of Shem (the Jews) of Ham and of Japheth. An indication of the spread of the gospel to all creatures.

V.8  "declared all these things" Luke used a similar statement in Luke 24:35 where the men on the road to Emmaus. "told what things were done." They gave an historical survey of all that had happened. The same meaning is in this verse.(8) Cornelius must have recounted all that had happened from the time of the appearance of the angel. We see the same thing in. Acts 15:12; 14,  Acts 21:19

10:6 Peter, a devout Jew, who had problems with issues to do with ceremonial cleanness - (10:14) must have had some problems living with Simon the tanner - around dead animals and skins. I presume that Simon the tanner was a brother and so we learn something about how we should submerge our prejudices to maintain fellowship from this detail.

v.9-15 - Here we have the fulfilment, it seems of Jesus' words to Peter in Luke 22:32.  Here is Peter's conversion - here we see him turn around and go in a different direction. I suggest that each of us has a conversion, and that it happens as a result of some drama in our lives sometime (usually years) after our baptism.  After our conversion, I suggest, we rely wholly on God for everything and believe without doubt that he will forgive and he will cover our vile sins. We no longer feel we have to be righteous by our own efforts (a very human thought that we can all relate to). When we know this for ourselves, then we too can 'strengthen our brethren'.

10:25,35 ‘meet’  ‘worketh righteousness’ quotes Isa 64:5. There are other links with Isaiah in this section of Acts highlighting the call of Cornelius was predicted beforehand.

V.37 "Word" here is not "LOGOS", it is RHEME (4487). It does not refer wholly to the Divine Plan and Purpose, but to the uttered part of it. It is the Word of God which was preached when Jesus started his ministry in Galilee, and he started that after the ministry of John the Baptist. It was published through out all Judea. 

HOW SEPARATE?
 
Many Christians, like the Jews, take great pains to separate themselves from the world and from everything that might cause them to be defiled. Peter explains the position of the Jews like this: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him." (Acts 10:28) As Christians we often act in a similar way toward those who are not Christian, some even going as far as not to eat with people of the world, and so reducing communication down to an absolute minimum. But through his dream and the experiences he was given, Peter learned to look beyond the traditions handed down to him and expressed his new position. "But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean." (v.28)
 
As a result of his new freedom, Peter was able to begin the work of preaching to the Gentiles and to share with them the salvation offered in Christ. It was because Peter learnt better than to call anyone impure or unclean that we have been offered the hope of salvation.
 
Now it is our turn. God wants everyone to be saved. If we stand completely apart from the world, no-one will hear the gospel message. Like Peter, we need to shift out of our comfort zones to associate with and get to know the people God has give us to preach to. In order to share the gospel message we need to get close to people while avoiding getting caught up in their ungodly lifestyles. Let's not consider anyone impure or unclean, but see everyone as a potential child of God.

10:11,12,13,14,15,30 - this mention of the number 4 in association with that which was thought to be unclean and then being connected with the Gentile Cornelius shows how God can reach out to Jew and Gentile. We have to be careful who we feel might not wind up the fold. The number four is thought to denote the creative works of God, four is also thought to be the world number (God invites the world to be in Christ), and four is also the city number.

10:1 The baptism of the Ethiopian – Acts 8:38  shows a son of Ham accepting the gospel. Now the centurion of the ‘Italian band’ – a son of Japheth – is baptised. The apostles were of Shem. So we see the gospel,. Typically, has been preached to the sons of Shem, Ham and Japheth

Cornelius was a believing Gentile, but believing in the God of Israel only. He probably didn't know about Jesus, the Son of God. (It is possible to link Cornelius with one of the centurions mentioned in the Gospels, but there is no proof.) God saw in him a useful convert, but to allow Peter to preach to him there had to be a conversion of Peter first. “Ah!” he said, as he walked into Cornelius’ house filled with Gentiles, “Now I understand. God was not only talking to me about animals, but people. God is no respecter of persons “ (Acts 10:34). And so the new Christian Church moved on to its next great experience. They were to preach to Gentiles as well as Jews.

10:11 Peter being in a trance, saw heaven opened in this vision. It would not have been God's dwelling place which opened. It merely indicates the direction from which the sheet came (note Acts 7:56). This would indicate to Peter, when he had time later to think about it, that whatever was to be revealed to him in this vision was part of the Divine Plan and Purpose, because it came from the direction of God's dwelling place. 

10:23   Peter, in taking others with him, was in a position where there were at least ‘two witnesses’ to vouch for what happened.

Vs.1,2 Cornelius was part of a cohort of Italians who was centered at Caesarea. These men had special duties as bodyguards to the Roman procurator. Cornelius and his household were proselytes to the Jewish faith. There were, apparently, quite a number of other similar proselytes at the time. Although a gentile, and uncircumcised, Cornelius believed in the God of Israel and was kindly disposed to the Jewish people. It was Peter’s job to introduce Cornelius to Jesus.  He expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly as Aquila and Priscilla did to Apollos (Acts 18:26).

10:1 Acts 1:8has Jesus telling the apostles to preach in all the world. Now the gospel has typically gone as far as Rome as this man was Italian.

Vs.5,6 Peter was living with Simon the tanner in Joppa. Jews did not, generally, find tanning a desirable occupation. The odours, in the process of tanning, are overwhelmingly unpleasant. Besides, Jews might have to process animals that were ritually unclean.

Tanning establishments were always found near the sea in the Ancient Near East. First, the sea breezes would waft away the terrible smells; and, second, salt water was readily accessible to wash the hides. Joppa (Jaffa) lies on the Mediterranean coast just south of modern Tel Aviv.

MORE IS REQUIRED

A lot of people set out to live a "good life." They do their best not to hurt anyone, live moral lives, donate to worthy causes, support their community and maybe even pray. They are the people we can trust and often make very good friends.

Cornelius was  a man like that. The description of Cornelius goes like this: "He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." (Acts 10:2) The people who spoke to Peter described him in a similar way. "He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people." (v.22) Cornelius seems like he was a pretty decent sort of bloke. But was that enough for God?

Peter was sent to Cornelius to tell him the message of salvation. As he spoke, he explained the good news about Jesus, and in particular that "everyone who believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins through his name." (v.43) Then, when the Holy Spirit was given to Cornelius and his family, Peter "ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." (v.48)

Cornelius was a good man, but to become right with God and to be saved he needed to understand and believe the good news about Jesus Christ and to be baptized. Living a "good life" was not enough.

Let's live the life God wants us to live by combining our good life with believing God's message and by being baptized so that our sins can be forgiven.

10:11The way in which the heavens were opened is as if the prayer of Isaiah – Isa 64:1– has been answered and the gospel is to be preached to those who had not previously sought God – Isa 65:1.

10:3     So we see that angels not only spoke to baptised individuals or Jews. God uses His angels wherever necessary to fulfil His will. Here an angel speaks to a gentile.

10:44 Whilst the holy spirit typically was granted by the laying on of the hands of the apostles after baptism the sign here of the holy spirit being given before  baptism was necessary to confirm that the gospel was being sent to gentiles as well as Jews. We, in our environment, see no problems with gentiles being called. However at the time of Cornelius’ baptism gentiles were not even preached to!

10:19-20              Peter had just experienced a ‘vision’ from God. Peter’s immediate reaction was to give thought to what God was telling him. Likewise, when we read Scripture, we should always be asking what God is telling us through His word.

10:12  The way in which unclean beasts and creeping things were shown to Peter to show him that God was calling the gentiles is seen in prophecy in Hos 2:18

How far people could travel in Bible times

While some periods of time in the Bible are not given specific durations (for example v48 "a few days"), the details given of the time from when Cornelius prayed and when Peter arrived are unusually precise. We are told at what hour of the day he prayed, what hour Peter had his vision, when the men arrived, when they set off again and how long their journey took. It appears that alongside the spiritual teaching in the chapter we are being given a specific clue as to how people in the Bible travelled and how far they could walk in a day.

Check in the chapter whether you agree with me: their journey from Joppa to Caesarea took a little over twelve hours and they lodged somewhere part of the way. Using an online map program (Google is good because it gives both distance and walking time) confirms that to walk from Jaffa (Joppa) to Caesarea takes 12 hours on foot along the coast which is literally a straight line from one city to the other. The distance is 60km (37 miles) which they covered in just over a day on completely flat ground. It shows that both Peter and the servants were very keen to get where they are going and informs us of the speed at which physically fit people were able to travel in Bible times.

10:22 Notice how the servants speak of Cornelius. They know of him as just, God fearing, (obviously the God of Israel) and well thought of by Jews who had dealings with him. They then speak of the visit of the angel. It is as if they want to really present Cornelius in a good light as they, probably Jews, thought Peter would  not be interested in what they said of Cornelius.

10:9   When we red that Peter was on the roof at “the sixth hour” we realise it was midday – time being measured according to the Roman way of reckoning the day from 6.00 in the morning,

10:44     We should not be surprised that the holy spirit fell on all of those in the house. It was not just Cornelius who as a believer in God. He had taught his household as well – Acts 10:2

Acts 10:28

“And he [Peter] said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

Under the Law of Moses, the Israelites were given an explicit prohibition not to make covenants and marriages with the heathen nations around them, nor to show them mercy (Deut 7:1-6). The heathen were notoriously evil and idolatrous and such a union would corrupt the nation of Israel.

Gentiles were considered unclean under the Old Covenant clean and unclean laws that divided animals, people and the land meant to teach separation from them. This situation unique to Israel has no bearing on us today (cf. 1Cor 7:12-14), but the interdiction to marry only in the Lord remains (1Cor 7:39). Under Christ, Yahweh declared that any righteous person from any nation who fears Him has been cleansed and is now acceptable to Him (Acts 10:35).

10:9   In praying at noon Peter was applying the example of the Psalmist – Psa 55:17 – who said he would pray in the morning, at noon and at night.

10:46-47      this unique event – the giving of the Holy Spirit to individuals before baptism – provided the seal of approval to the act of baptising non-Jews. This was a very important point in the development of the body of believers.

10:48 When peter baptised here it is evident that the ones that were baptised saw the value of spending time with Peter. When we are involved in instructing someone for baptism do we see the need to continue to spend time with them helping them to develop their understanding of the bible?

10:8 Jonah too came to Joppa (see Jonah 1:3) and Peter, a “son of Jonas” (Jno. 21:15), was also reluctant to preach to Gentiles. Peter saw “all manner” (Acts 10:12) of creatures and the king of Nineveh included “beast, herd … flock” (Jonah 3:7) in his command, and the book ends with mention of “much cattle” (Jonah 4:11). Jonah: “went down to Joppa … went down into [the ship]” (Jonah 1:3); “was gone down … ” (Jonah 1:5). Similarly, Peter was commanded, “get thee down” (Acts 10:20) and, “Then Peter went down” (Acts 10:21). Cornelius had been “fasting” Acts 10:30) and the Ninevites “proclaimed a fast” (Jonah 3:5). Jonah fled “from the presence of Yahweh” (Jonah 1:3) but in Caesarea they came “before (‘in the presence of’) <<1799>> God” (Acts 10:33). Peter spoke of him that “worketh righteousness” (Acts 10:35) and the Ninevites did “works” (Jonah 3:10). Peter said “whosoever believeth …” (Acts 10:43) and “the people of Nineveh believed God” (Jonah 3:5). Jonah was swallowed by a fish, Peter was a fisher of men.

10:48 When peter baptised here it is evident that the ones that were baptised saw the value of spending time with Peter. When we are involved in instructing someone for baptism do we see the need to continue to spend time with them helping them to develop their understanding of the bible?

10:41 the witnesses spoken of here are the disciples and the women. The gospel records provide the details of those meetings and that part of the gospel records would serve as the documented evidence of the claims. A strong indication that the gospel records were available early in the first century.

THIRTY SECOND GOSPEL

Could you give a summary of the gospel message in thirty seconds? Some people call it the Elevator Gospel - just enough time to share the gospel between the doors closing and opening again for you and the person you are with to get out. I have found having a way to present the gospel in a brief but concise way to be very useful.

Peter's message to Cornelius is one we could model our thirty second gospel from. Here is my summary in a few bullet points from Acts 10:34-43:

·        God is interested in you, no matter who you are - especially when you are seeking him. (v.34-35).

·        Jesus Christ is Lord of all and he can make your life even better by giving you real and lasting peace. (v.36).

·        Jesus was a great and sinless man doing powerful things for God, but he was put to death on a cross. (v.37-39).

·        God raised Jesus from the dead. Real live people saw him. They ate and drank with him. (v.40-42).

·        Jesus is the one who is going to judge the living and the dead. You need to know that. (v.42).

·        Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins in his name. (v.43).

So be baptized and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord to receive the blessing of God.

10:9-48  It is clear from the record that Peter’s omission was to preach to the Jews and his letters were written to Jews scattered through parts of the Roman empire – 1 Peter 1:1. However it was important for him to understand that the gospel message was not confined to the Jews, Hence he was charged by God to preach to a gentile and his household.