Comments for May 9

v.13 contains an attitude that we do well to culture. A number of other passages might help us to see that we have here a scripture-wide principle Ps.26:6, Acts 24:16, 2Cor.1:12, 1Thes.2:10, 1John 3:17-22.

v.19 Holiness to the Lord. The principle of being holy to the Lord is seen in the High Priest's mitre. Exodus 28:36 39:30 However holiness was not an attribute that was a requisite of the High priest only. The nation were to be holy, making a difference between the clean and unclean Leviticus 20:26 In making vows, or paying tithes, Israel had to appreciate that what was being given was holy to the Lord Leviticus 27:14 21 28 30 32 The man or woman who made a Nazarite vow was to implement that principle of holiness to the Lord is all the days of their separation. Numbers 6:8 But in reality the whole nation were separated to God and thus should have been holy to the Lord all the time. Deuteronomy 7:6 14:2 21 here As Jeremiah states Jeremiah 2:3 This was the high calling of Israel - which sadly they had fallen from. So when we see Holiness to the Lord on the horse bridles and the pots holy to the Lord Zechariah 14:20 21 We see a picture of the kingdom of God where He, at last, is given the honour due to Him through the holiness of His people.

v.12 - The various things we have read about over the last few days that took place every 3 years must have interfered sometimes with the release that took place every seven years. Every 21 years they would co-incide. How would the people give their tithes of their goods when it coincided with a year of leaving the fields fallow? God's provision in the sixth year to go through to the eighth year must have taken account of this on these occasions.

:5 In saying that he was a 'Syrian' and that there had been the sojourn in Egypt draws on Jacob's history to remind the Israelite that he was not in the land of Israel because of any right that he had. Rather he would realise that his possession of the land was because of God's goodness.

26:18 'special people' The concept of Israel [and us] being a special or peculiar treasure is a theme which runs through the Scriptures.

However notice how the same word is used in 1 Chronicles 29 and Ecclesiastes 2 to speak of monetary wealth as well. (Exo 19:5, Deut 7:16, 14:2, 26:18, 1Chron 29:23, Psa 135:4, Ecc 2:8, Mal 3:17, Titus 2:14, 1Pet 2:9)

26:6 'afflicted' picks up on the exact work used (Exo 1:11)  to speak of the Egyptians and echoes also what God had told Abraham  (Gen 15:13)

V.12 We see in this verse the various ways the tithe moneys would be used. During the wilderness travels it was among other things to see that the widows were to be tended to. When we go to 1Tim 5:9; 16 we see that the ecclesia was responsible for those that were widows indeed. To day the ecclesia still has a responsibility to relieve them that qualify as widows.1Tim 5:5-10

Israel was chosen to be God's "peculiar" people,  (Deut 26:18).  What a privilege!  God's specially owned
people.  The Hebrew word also means "enclosed".

V.13  We, like Israel ought to show generosity to those about us, particularly our brethren (Gal 6:10).  Unlike Israel, who had to perform this as a duty at specific times, we must act in love with no time constraints (Acts 20:35; 1Cor 13:3; 2Cor 9:7). 

V.14  It was a pagan custom to mutilate oneself for the dead (Deut 14:1).  This practice was abhorrent to Yahweh. It is suggested that this is behind Moses' inspired comment "nor given ought thereof for the dead"

26:11      A timely reminder to Israel that they were to share their blessings with the Levite who had no inheritance and the stranger who by definition, did not have an inheritance. How easy it is for us to forget others when we are celebrating the good things God gives us.  We must heed the principles outlined here.

26:15 The request that God would look down from heaven … is seen to be the way in which the priests behaved – 2Chron 30:27 – in the days of Hezekiah

CAREFULLY CONCENTRATE
 
Imagine walking along a balancing beam, painting around a window without getting paint on the glass, following a very complicated recipe or defusing a bomb. Each of these activities takes a large amount of concentration. They are done with care and all the skill we can muster in order to do them properly. But do we obey the LORD with the same amount of care and concentration?
 
Moses said to Israel, "The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deut 26:16)
 
I don't know about you, but I sometimes catch myself blundering my way through life without carefully observing the LORD's commands. It is only after my conscience is picking up the pieces that I realise that I have not acted in the way I should. I for one need to follow the commands of the LORD more carefully with as much concentration as if I was painting around a window or balancing on a balancing beam.
 
What has helped me in this has been getting to know God's word better. The more I read it, think about it and make it part of my life, the easier it is to carefully follow his commands. So let's all make a little more effort to carefully obey his commands, to observe them with all our heart and soul. In doing this there are great rewards.

26:5,18          The contrast between ‘ready to  perish’ and ‘His peculiar people’ is stark though we may not see the force of the point. A people who were of no consequence are now God’s special people. He did it for Israel and He has done it for us also. 1Pet 2:9

26:19 Whilst the promise is that Israel will be ‘high’ and by implication their enemies will be low the reverse is promised – Deut 28:43– if they are unfaithful.

V.2 Do we remember the kindness of our God by bringing him the first and the best of our substance?

V.5 A Syrian ready to perish was my father (KJV).   The word was is not in the original text.  And so, this verse is considered differently by different translations. The Vulgate agrees with the Targum (Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible (Tanak) which was started about the time of the second temple).  They both say that it was the Syrian (Laban) who persecuted the father (Jacob).  The Septuagint says that the father (Abraham, then Jacob) abandoned Syria.  Both historical accounts are true.  More modern translations tend to favour the Septuagint’s understanding.

Third year of tithes

Why was is it mentioned here that the third year is the year of tithes? (v12) It's not mentioned anywhere else, and surely a tithe had to be taken every year or else the Levites would go hungry! (Deut 14:22).

The saying may be explained by looking at 2Kin 19:29. Here we have described the same process that the children of Israel would have to go through when entering the land - and harvesting whatever grew there, since they had no seed to sow with:

It looks like God wanted them to offer Him the first crop that had grown entirely by their hands. As you can hopefully see from the table, the third year is the first time this is possible. So this chapter is specifically speaking of the time when they took possession of the land (v1-2). Whether this was also done after every fallow year, I don't know.

Deut 26:2,8-15,17,19 - Perhaps there is a faint spiritual echo here. V2 - firstfruits could refer to Christ; the place God will choose as a dwelling for his name would be Jerusalem. V8 - we have exiting from bondage (of sin and death?). V9 - the promised land.V10 - a second reference to firstfruits. V11 - Jews and Gentiles rejoice. V12 - an offering in the third year (could this spiritually echo Christ who offered his life?). V13 - the sacred portion offered for Jew and Gentile; the obeying of all commands. V14 - mourning; the obeying of all commands. V15 - God blessing the promised land and its people. V17 - pledging to keep all commands. V19 - the promised land to be above all nations and a holy people.

26:11 Isn't it interesting that the ‘Levite’ is linked with 'the stranger' here. Naturally speaking one would have expected the people to treat them differently. Giving some sort of respect to the Levite whilst avoiding the stranger.

26:1   We should remember that these words were being spoken within the last two or three weeks before Israel entered the land of Canaan. So the people should have been listening very carefully to what they were being told.  We are at the border of entering the kingdom so our ears should be equally alert to what God is telling us through his word.

26:19   Israel were called to a high calling – peculiar people – this brought responsibilities. If they were faithful they indeed would be the head – Deut 28:13, but if they were rebellious they would be ‘the tail’ Deut 28:43-44

26:1-3 In requiring the people, when the first came into the land, to give the first fruits to God was a way in which the people were being reminded that all they had was from God.  Do we plan our lives so that God is our first thought when we do things, or do we only give God that which is left when we have done the things we want to do?

26:4 In Gen 12:2 Abraham was told that his descendants would be a “great nation”. That idea is seen here in the promise to those about to cross Jordan into their inheritance. 

26:15 The way in which the prophet Jer 25:30 calls upon God to look down from heaven, his holy habitation quotes  Moses encouraging Israel, when they are faithful, to invoke God’s involvement in their activities.

26:7    When Stephen says –Acts 7:34 – that God heard the voice of the children of Israel he has justification for that statement because of what we read here.

26:2     In speaking of the place that God would choose Israel are being reminded of what they had already been told – Deut 12:5 – Namely that God was going to determine where the centre of worship in the land would be.

26:3     In talking to the priest and saying that he is speaking unto the Lord the man who stands before the priest is acknowledging that the priest is God’s representative on the earth.

26:7 Whilst in Egypt Israel worshipped the Gods of Egypt see Eze 20:7 even so God heard their cries. Such is His mercy.

26:2 A spiritual example of firstfruits in a basket was Saul of Tarsus who was a firstfruits, for he wrote, “that in me first Jesus Christ might shew …” (1 Tim.1:16), and he was “let … down by the wall in a basket” (Acts 9:25). And just as the firstfruits were to be taken to, “the place which Yahweh thy God shall choose to place His name there” (Deut. 26:2), so afterwards Saul went “to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:26), God’s chosen place. When the firstfruits were brought the Israelite had to declare: “A Syrian ready to perish was my father” (Deut. 26:5). When Ananias had come to Saul in Syrian Damascus, Saul had not eaten or drank for “three days” (Acts 9:9) and so was spiritually a Syrian ready to perish.

Deut 26:12 see notes on the gates in Deut 14:28

26:13 “diverse weights” is the same as double standards. We might think that we do not use double standards but the way we think of others could demonstrate that we have double standards. James speaks of this – James 2:1-4.

26:11  An example when the “Levite and the stranger” were not forgotten was during the reign of a faithful king Hezekiah –2Chron 30:25

26:6-8 The deliverance from Egypt was a wonderful demonstration of the lengths to which God would go for those who called to Him for help/

They were to remind each other of this regularly. We do well to do the same amongst ourselves.

v.5-6 - Is there some significance in the mentioning of sheep and goats here? Both exist within the bride of Christ - with the need to be separated at judgement Matt.25:32. And yet in this situation it is the sheep that multiply more abundantly. Here the exhortation is clearly to keep it that way. Feed the flock of God. Col.1:4-6, 1Pet.5:2.

v.13 'Shulamite' is the feminine form of 'Solomon'

v.4,10 - The army with banners may be an allusion to the army of heaven foretold for us in Rev.19:14-16 where the 'banner' read 'KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS'.

6:13 There is often much discussion as to who the Shulamite is. The word is <7759> and is from <8010> Solomon. It has a Tav at the end which makes it a feminine noun. So if Solomon is the groom the Shulamite is the bride of Solomon. These things speak of Christ and the ecclesia.

:12 Amminadib <05993> is the same as Amminadab <05992>. She was the mother of the wife of Aaron Exodus 6:23. As names are rare in Song of Solomon we should investigate the history of this woman as far as it is given in Scripture.

6:8 'virgins without number' - this is the ecclesia.

V.1-3 In Song 5:9 the Bride was asked why she considered her Beloved as more desirable than any other. She responded by describing his qualities, Now the question is asked. Where has he gone that we might seek him. 

Song number 7 runs from Song 5:2-ch6:10. In today's chapter the Bridegroom extols the beauty of His wife's body. If the bride represents the saints in the Kingdom, then we see how glorious the future companions of Christ will be. We will be even better than Adam and Eve were when they were made, but in addition to that, in a sense we will have eaten of both the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and of the Tree of Life. Finally we find Song 8 in the Song 6:11-13. The Bride goes into the garden and talks to the maidens who have come to escort her to meet her husband.

6:6 In speaking of sheep that bore ‘twins’ we are being given a picture of fruitfulness. The stylised language is not describing a person but rather the attributes of that person – the risen Christ.

6:13 ‘Return’ – a plea for repentance – blends with the odour of Lebanon – Song 4:11 / Hos 14:6

6:4  ‘Tirzah’ was one of the daughters of Zelophehad. She was one of the girls whose concern was for the inheritance. So it is fitting that the daughter of the  Song of Solomon bears, symbolically, her name. The bride of Christ, though having no ‘right’ to the land by legal descent, will inherit it because of her concern that her name might not be blotted out.

6:7 Pomegranates figure significantly in the tabernacle – Exo 28:33– and Solomon’s temple – 1Kin 7:18 highlighting the link between the bridegroom in the Song of Solomon and the House of God.

V.4 Tirzah means delight.  It was the name given to the youngest daughter of Zelophehad (Num 26:33).  The city of Tirzah was originally one taken from the Canaanites during the conquest of the land (Josh 12:24). In the time of Jeroboam, the city became the capital of the northern kingdom instead of Shechem (1Kin 14:17). Tirzah became well known for its beauty, and that is the reason it is compared to Jerusalem.  Today, the location of Tirzah it is not definitely known although there are several suggestions.

V.13 Shulamite means peaceful and is in effect the feminine form of Solomon.

The company of two armies (KJV) really means the dances of the two armies. This suggests an occasion of peace and celebration of two camps (armies).  The Targum explains the two camps as being Judah and Israel.

If we follow this line of reasoning, when the great marriage of the Lamb and His bride takes place (Rev 19:7), the nation of Israel will be healed (Jer 3:18, 33:14; Zech 8:13).  This will happen in the kingdom that Jesus will establish when He returns to earth.

6:5 The ‘flock of goats’ speaks of covering as in coverings of the tabernacle where goats skins were used – Exo 35:23

6:3      Even though her beloved was not visible to the bride she still remained faithful, waiting for his return. Likewise our bride groom is absent. Our obligations is to remain faithful until the time of his return.

6:11    Going to the valley to look for fruitfulness echoes what the spies experienced when they spied out the land – Num 13:23 – ‘Eschol’ = ‘valley’ notice also the pomegranates

6:9       Whilst there are innumerable faithful women (the ecclesia) the way in which the bride groom focuses on the bride as “the only one of her mother” shows the very personal relationship that Jesus seeks with each of his disciples. Whilst we are many each of us is treated as a unique individual.

Awesome as an army with banners

Being likened to an "army with banners" must be quite some compliment, as there's nothing so striking and awe inspiring as an army setting out to battle, decked in full battle armour, with banners of insignia flowing in the wind. I thought this phrase would appear a lot elsewhere in the Bible but the only other uses of this word "banner" (Hebrew word 1713 in Strong's concordance) are in Song 5:10 and Psa 20:5. Interestingly, in Songs 5 it's translated "chiefest", and refers to the man, not the woman as in chapter 6.

The Psalm 20:5 reference, referring to the banners of Israel, lends weight to the theory that Song of Solomon can be seen as an allegory of the nation of Israel's rise and fall.

1. Song 6:1 - daughters of Jerusalem are speaking.

2. Song 6:2 - bride is speaking.

3. Song 6:4 - bridegroom is speaking.

4. Song 6:10 - opponents of truth and rejected virgins are speaking.

5. Song 6:11 - bride is speaking.

6. Song 6:13 - "Return, return, O Shulamite" - attendant virgins are speaking.

7. Song 6:13 - "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" - bride is speaking.

8. Song 6:13 - "As it were the company of two armies" - attendant virgins are speaking.

1. Song 6:2 - though in heaven, Christ's work extends to the earth (Matt 18:20).

2. Song 6:8 - these queens and concubines represent the sects of Christendom who lay claim to Christ but are not really his (Rev 17:5;18:7); the virgins without number will be those who claim to have embraced the truth but who will be rejected at the judgment like the five foolish virgins (Matt 25:1-13).

3. Song 6:9 - "The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her" - those who bitterly opposed the bride/true church will be forced to praise her and acknowledge they believed falsely (Jer 16:19).

4. Song 6:11 - "garden of nuts" - nuts could refer to almonds (Exo 25:33) whose tree is the first to blossom perhaps pointing to the resurrection and Divine selection.

5. Song 6:11 - "whether the vine flourished" - the bride/true church considered the development of Israel.

6. Song 6:11 - "and the pomegranates budded" - to view the pomegranates is to consider the spiritual development of the ecclesia and if Christ's sacrificial labors had brought fruit (2Tim 3:1-5;Luke 18:8).

7. Song 6:12 - "chariots of 'Amminadib'<5971><5081>" - perhaps relates to the coming millennial glory with spiritual kin.

8. Song 6:13 - "Shulamite"<7759> as others have said is a feminine form of Solomon perhaps signifying peace is conferred on the bride/ecclesia.

9. Song 6:13 - "the company of two armies" - Jew and Gentile into one multitudinous being, the bride of Christ.

6:4     Jerusalem was “beautiful” – Eze 16:13 until she polluted herself with strange gods. It is so easy to mar our image before God and His son. We must strive to have the beauty that our groom (Jesus) will be looking for at his return. 

IN THE GARDEN

He had knocked on the door wanting to come in, but she had hesitated. When she finally leapt out of bed to open the door, he had gone. She was heart broken and ran outside to find him. After a futile and dangerous search through the city, she suddenly realised where he had gone. “My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my lovers and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.” (Song 6:2-3).

In the same way that the bride frantically searched for her lover through the streets of the city, so many people search for Jesus in the busyness of their lives in their effort to find him. We think we might find him by attending church, Bible classes, volunteering, helping others and rushing to be hospitable. All of these are good and should be done, but Jesus is not so easily found in the fast lane as he is in the garden, the beautiful place where the peace of God can rejuvenate our lives. There in the garden he gathers lilies, a bouquet for his beloved when she comes to him.

He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28). Let's not try and fit our beloved into our busy schedule, but meet him in a quiet place where we can rest, be refreshed, strengthened and encouraged by him.

Song 6:13

“Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.”

The Song of Solomon has been a “happy hunting ground” for many allegorists. The Songs are to be taken literally. Admittedly, it does lend itself to allegorical interpretation with deeper spiritual meanings, however, caution is advised because we can prove just about anything solely by means of allegories, but what comes out of it is usually heretical teachings.

Out of the 1,005 songs that Solomon wrote (1Kin 4:32), the Song of Songs, also referred to as the Song of Solomon, is the only one preserved because, as the title indicates, it was the best one. It clearly presents marriage as designed by God, a man and woman living together in marriage, loving each other spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

The book may be divided into three parts, the courtship leading to the marriage contract (engagement), in the Hebrew, ketubah (Song of Songs 1:1-3:5); the wedding, or chuppah (3:6-5:1), followed by the wedding feast (5:2-8:14).

In Song 1, the Shulamite bride describes herself as “black… as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” Kedar, was the second son of Ishmael (Gen 25:13), and was the name for the Arabic tribes (cf. Isa 42:11; 60:7).  Kedar is # <6938>, and means “dusky.”  They lived in dark-skinned tents and is contrasted to the beauty of Solomon’s temple curtains. The future bride was “black” because the sun darkened her skin being a simple peasant girl who lived in Shulam, an ancient town in northern Israel, and worked in the fields (Song 6:7).

In the Greek Septuagint (Vatican Manuscript No 1209), Shulamite is written as Shunamite, and Eusebius’ Onomasticon, 158, 11 equates Shulem with Shunem as being the one and the same place. Some Biblical scholars believe her to be Abishag, a virgin and a very beautiful country girl who was chosen to minister to King David, and who Adonijah wanted for a wife after the death of King David (cf. 1Kin 1:1-4; 1Kin 2:21-24). Could it be that Solomon put Adonijah to death for expressing that desire because he himself wanted to make her his queen? According to the rules of kingship, whatever belonged to the king could only be passed on to another king, this included his women. It would have been inappropriate for Abishag, King David’s literal bed-warmer and “property” of the king, to marry anyone, but another king. Adonijah’s request was an implicit acknowledgement of Adonijah’s claim to the throne. To take Abishag, therefore, to wife was equivalent to asking for the Kingdom (1Kin 2:22). Absalom asserted his kingship in violating David’s concubines.

The bride is described as beautiful both by her virgin attendants and the King. A virgin attendant spoke the above verse desiring to see the bride. The bride replied with words to this affect, “What do you want to see in me?” implying she is just a plain country girl who worked in the fields. The King’s response was that his bride was as the company of two armies. What did he mean by this?

The “company of two armies (camps)” literally translated is, “the dance of Mahanaim” (AV). It is the name Jacob gave to the place where he wrestled with a heavenly host in Gen 32:2. Here we had God’s heavenly host, an angel, and a faithful earthly host, Jacob – two different natures, and Jacob prevailed. According to the Targum, the two armies, or camps refer to the camps of Israel and Judah. It is as if the bridegroom is saying in reply to the question as to what he sees in his bride: “My beloved possesses all the beauty and spiritual perfections both of the Israelitish and Jewish women.”  His bride excelled them all (cf. Prov 31:29).

It is of a truth that the higher we, the bride, rise in a knowledge of Christ our King, the “blacker” we are in our own view, and the lovelier Jesus our groom, appears. The flesh wrestles against the spirit; it is a constant battle, and whether we prevail entirely depends on our determination and commitment.

6:13     “two armies” is the Hebrew word <4264> which is seen at Mahanaim as “God’s hose” Gen 32:2. A place where decisions have to be made.

6:1-2  Whilst the women who talk to the woman do not know where the “beloved” is she does. In like manner whilst many in the world have no understanding of the things associated with Jesus and his teaching we do have an understanding. The fact that our bride groom is absent does not prevent us knowing what he would have us do until he returns.

6:10        the “she” is the glorified saints. In prospect seen now by those observing the outworking of God’s plan.

6:4      In what way was Jerusalem “comely”? Eze 16:14– describes Israel after God had delivered them, typified by Jerusalem – Eze 16:2 – She was “comely” because of what God had done for her. She despised what God had given her. Do we? We might say we don’t but it may be that the way we live demonstrates that we trust in our own “comeliness” rather than that which God has given us.

6:6      The description here matches that which we have seen in  4:1-2  Notice how the woman’s description of the groom does not change. Does our view of Jesus change depending what mood we are in? Are there times when we find his commandments irksome? Or are we always keen to serve him?

6:1 There is a saying “out of sight out of mind” meaning that we are only interested in the things we can see at that moment in time. Clearly this cannot be our way of thinking about Jesus. If it is suggested by others that we read scripture together or try to understand what scripture means are we as enthusiastic as we are when looking for something else that interests us?

6:5-7 The bridegroom describes the bride using very similar language to  4:2-3. It is not that he has a limited vocabulary. Rather it is that the bride is not double minded or fickle. Having developed a godly mind she does not waver from those features that are pleasing. What about ourselves? Are we one person when we are with believers and another person when we are not?

6:1-2 we saw a dialogue in chapter 1. Here we have another dialogue. However this time it is between one wondering what had happened to the “beloved” of the woman and her response. She knew exactly where he had gone but it seems here that she is not that interested in going to find him

6:9  Is this how Jesus sees us? Are we so  appealing to him because of the way we think and live?

21 v.5 - It is relatively rarely that the presence of the wives and children is mentioned, but it is usually in the context of great happiness, as here, for although they were sad to see them go, it was because they were a source of happiness that they turned out in whole families to see them off. 2Chr.20:13, Neh.12:43, Matt.14:21.

Acts 21 - 23 The visit to Jerusalem which is found in Acts 21 is the fourth time that the apostle has gone up to Jerusalem according to Acts. The other three visits are mentioned thus:-
1] Acts 9:26 [after his conversion]
2] Acts 11:27-30 [Paul and Barnabas take "alms" to the "brethren that dwelt in Judea"]
3] Acts 15:4 [The Jerusalem council]
We search in vain in the preceding chapters for the reason for Paul's great desire to go to Jerusalem. He knew that great trouble awaited him there. Acts 21:13 "Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus". Nevertheless he went. What was the motivation? We learn of the reason for the visit when Paul is before Felix. For he says, Acts 24:17 "Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings". This visit to Jerusalem was the culmination of a task that had been in the forefront of Paul's mind since the events recorded in Acts 11. Doubtless the journeys and places he visited on his way to Jerusalem was to advance the cause of the poor saints in Jerusalem.

ch.22 Paul is now before antagonistic Jews because brethren in Christ had sought to get him to show that he kept the law of Moses by involving him in the Nazarite vow of some men [Acts 21:20-25]. Whilst there was nothing inherently wrong in what they did their actions had a terrible consequence. From this time forward, from the details we find in Acts Paul was never a free man again. We should consider how our actions can impact on the lives of our brethren and sisters before doing anything which may be damaging to the lives of our brethren and sisters.

21:4 As the disciples 'through the spirit' said that Paul should not go to Jerusalem' was Paul resisting the Holy Spirit in continuing and going? Consider this option. The advice of the brethren contained information about what was going to happen to Paul in Jerusalem rather than a command forbidding him to go. In 16:5-7 we see the Spirit providing direction but there the Spirit 'forbad'.

22:2 The impact of Paul speaking in Hebrew is interesting. Were they unused to hearing Hebrew spoken in every day speech? The answer is probably yes. It was the language of the law. Greek was the language in general use in day to day matters.

 21:11 The Gentiles had been extraordinarily lenient with Paul. It was only at Ephesus they caused some danger to him. Even on that occasion, they raised little objection to his preaching in so far as religion was concerned, but complained about the adverse effect his preaching was having upon their industry. (Acts 19:35-36)  Historically the opposition from Gentiles towards Christianity was to grow to an enormous extreme and many Christians were to be put to death. Here then is a hint of what was to follow with increasing severity. 

21:8 Notice, Paul is back in the land of Israel as he is at Caesarea and he is concerned to tell the (Jewish) brethren about the response of the gentiles. He could have presented a very negative picture by speaking about the Jewish opposition. His approach was both uplifting to the brethren and served the purpose of unifying Jew and gentile in Christ.

When we could present a negative or a positive picture which do we tend to do?

22:3 When Paul said he 'was zealous toward God' his audience would doubtless remember his opposition to the early brethren so his change would have been the more powerful an indictment to them. He forces home this point by speaking about his involvement in the death of Stephen.(:20)

22:24,25,29 The Roman custom was to examine an accused man by scourging - being beaten with a many-tailed whip which had pieces of bone or metal attached to its strands.  The purpose was to elicit an admission of guilt.  (In the case of Jesus' scourging, this was not forthcoming).   A Roman official stood at the side of the man being beaten, ready to write down the utterances of the accused.  It was not legal for a Roman citizen to be scourged, and so Paul was forgiven that indignity.  One wonders, though, that a mere oral claim to Roman citizenship would get him off the hook.  Perhaps Paul, like other citizens, carried documentation (metal or wood insignia) to prove their status.

21:24 It may seem extraordinary that Paul who had made such a complete break away from the law, and his former way of life should turn back to the law in these very minor things in which no point of principle was involved. He explains that he did it to gain the Jews. (1Cor 9:18-23). By paying for their sacrifices, Paul was doing that which had become customary amongst Jewry after Herod Agrippa in A.D. 41, had paid for sacrifices.

21:20 The existence of ‘many Jews’ that were ‘zealous for the law’ doubtless refers to the many priest which believed. Their presence in Jerusalem generated the need for the Letter to the Hebrews.

22:1-21 It might seem strange that Paul is relying on his personal conversion to preach the gospel however the thrust of his point is to develop the argument that he was to go and preach to the gentiles. He was not seeking conflict but rather seeking to generate ‘envy’ in the Jews that they might turn to Christ. Deut 32:21

 21:14 It is unfortunate that Luke does not tell us why Paul was so determined to go to Jerusalem. Although he states that he "purposed in the spirit" (Acts 19:21) He also received instructions from God through the power of the Holy Spirit working in him, yet no reason is given. The lesson here seems to be, that having put one's hand to the plow, one should not turn back, whatever the temptations are. 

ON HOLIDAY
As we approach the holiday season, many of us will be travelling to other places to either visit friends and relatives, or just for some rest and relaxation. It is a wonderful thing that almost anywhere we go, we are able to find brothers and sisters in Christ and are able to meet with them and enjoy their company.
 
As Paul travelled toward Jerusalem he passed through lots of different cities on his way. Many of them had believers living in them, so Paul took the opportunities to meet with them and to strengthen them as he passed through on his travels. Even though Paul had set himself a deadline for his time to arrive in Jerusalem, he always had time to meet with the brethren.
 
Our holidays are some of the few moments when we do have spare time on our hands. It may be that we have plans and have lots of things to do while on vacation. But just as Paul always had time to spend with other Christians, so we should try and do the same. Like Paul, we are perfectly capable of passing on some encouragement and love. Just for people to know that we have thought of them while on vacation is an encouraging thing. Whenever there was an opportunity, Paul stopped to encourage people in the word of God. Let's do the same. Let's not be self centred these holidays, but follow the example of Paul and make a point of encouraging our brothers and sisters wherever we are.

Paul faced many hardships and troubles for Jesus Christ. It’s interesting that God did not spare him from trouble, but did spare him from death. In Acts 21:30-33 Paul was almost torn to pieces by the ferocious mob. But he was roughly saved by the chief captain, and almost immediately was asking to talk to the crowd. He really did endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2Tim 2:3).

22:3  Paul is in Jerusalem. The mention of Gamaliel would surely have caused men to prick up their ears. Gamaliel was a respected teacher in Jerusalem. One wonders what he thought about Paul’s teaching now

21:14 The point to note here is that if all present acknowledged that it was God's Will, then the prophecies were warnings, and not prohibitions. If it had been against God's Will, Paul would not have gone, no matter how much he was determined to go.  

21:1-3 We read the journey as if it is a simple trip. We can follow it on a map. However in the first century it would have been a hazardous and time consuming journey. The ships being at the mercy of the weather in the Mediterranean which is susceptible to sudden storms.

21:5 The seeming incidental comment that they ‘knelt’ when they prayed gives us an insight into New Testament practice also seen in Acts 9:40 Based upon Solomon’s practice – 1Kin 8:54

21:23,24 Paul had a bad reputation with Jewish brethren who still revered Moses and the law (21:20,21). He appeared to them as one who despised Moses.  The council suggested Paul ameliorate this situation by underwriting the Nazarite vow of four Jewish brethren.

Those who had taken a Nazarite vow needed to be supported by supplying the animals, oil, and flour needed for their sacrifices (Num 6:1-21).

By this act of kindness, Paul would be considered generous and supportive and show a love and respect for Moses and the Law. This would appease the discomfort of the Jewish brethren.

SOCIAL PRAYER

Time after time as we read through the book of Acts, we catch Paul out praying, fasting or worshipping. Almost every time we see him getting together with other believers in the places he went, he is found to be not only preaching, but also praying, fasting  or worshipping with them. It was no exception at Tyre. "We landed at Tyre ... Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days ... but when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray." (Acts 21:3-5)

There are a two things to notice about this moment. Firstly, it was the men that led the praying and the women and children participated in the prayer.

Secondly, prayer was very important to Paul and to the believers in Tyre. They joined in together in prayer. It was their faith and their actions of prayer that drew them together.

This sort of prayer seems almost uncommon today. How often do we men initiate a time of prayer when we are together with friends? We often give thanks for food, but there is more to prayer than saying grace.

Let's make prayer a part of our social customs once again. In doing so we will be blessed by God and be able to strengthen and encourage one another more than ever.

21:10 Agabus had already established his credentials as a prophet – Acts 11:28- However Paul was willing to accept that he would be imprisoned when he went to Jerusalem.

BUTTONS, ZIPPERS OR VELCRO

Let's measure our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we love like buttons, zippers or velcro?

Buttons are the sort of people who find it hard to make a commitment to loving their brothers and sisters. They have the potential to hold together really well, especially with one or two people, but if they feel tied down or under pressure they tend to wriggle and squeeze, and finally they end up having wriggled out of their commitment, burst free or broken off all together.

Zippers are a lot more reliable. They make a strong bond with their brothers and sisters and hold them close as if nothing will move them. Their love is joined in many different ways so that one small issue is is not going to destroy the whole love, as it would with a button. But zippers can get tired and in that lies their downfall. Over time as they get tired or bored with the same-old, same-old, and like a zipper, the clasps of love can undo to an embarrassing level.

We need to aim to be Velcro's. When velcro sticks, it stays stuck. With velcro there are many hooks that bind us together in love and velcro will not let go until the very last hook has been forced apart. A velcro person is the last to leave their church on a Sunday morning because they love being with their fellow believers so much. They do not want to leave the company of brothers and sisters.

The bond between Paul and the Ephesians was a Velcro bond. It was painful to leave them then. We read "And when we had torn ourselves away from them..." (Acts 21:6) They did not want to leave and the believers in Ephesus did not want to let them go.

How does our love measure up? Are we buttons, zippers or velcro?

Should we avoid difficult decisions?

Have you ever been in a situation where you have given in to temptation and are heading down the wrong path, only to have God pull you out of trouble at the last minute? It happened here to Paul.

In 21:26 we see that Paul had given in to James and his persuasive words. Maybe he had rationalised it to himself in this way: "even though I know the law is of no effect in Christ, there's no harm in going back to it just this once. And besides, James is telling me to do it. And he's a pillar of the community!" So Paul had fallen. And if he had been allowed to carry out his intentions in the temple, he would never again have been able to write to the believers about freedom from the law (e.g. Gal 2:11-21). While he was in the temple a whirlwind of events overtook him. These events would bring about the end of his attempt to reconcile the Jews (and their binding law) with Christ (and freedom).

What can we learn from this? Firstly, even our elders can be wrong in what they tell us. Whilst we should give them utmost respect, we should nevertheless check what they say against scripture. Secondly, even when we make the wrong choices, Jesus can still turn things around for the better. We should trust in him and not worry too much about the outcome of difficult decisions in our lives. But he cannot work with those who never make decisions (see Ecc 11:4). Had Paul never made this difficult decision, he might not have had the quiet time in jail to write the letters we need so much for our instruction. So once Jesus had overruled Paul's decision, all things really did end up working out for good (Rom 8:27-28).

21:11    Agabus’ prophecy indicated what would happen to Paul, not that he should not go.  Paul doubtless prayed that what had been prophesied would not come to pass but went to Jerusalem in the full knowledge that it probably would end his freedom. He went, nevertheless, because he had set himself a job to do. How often are we deflected from a task because of perceived problems?

v 13 First Principles>The Promises made to the Fathers>The Hope of the Christian in the Promises

For the sake of Paul's faith and hope in the promises which God made to Abraham, he was willing to die. He regarded these promises as a foundation for his faith, and so should we.

To read more about the hope of the Christian in the promises, go to Acts 28:20

HONOUR EVEN IN ANGER

The Jews were trying to tear Paul's throat out. The reason Paul had been carried off by the Roman soldiers was because the Jews were so intent on killing Paul that someone needed to protect him. But then, surrounded by soldiers, and facing an angry mob, Paul asked the commander if he could speak to the people. In the midst of all the tension and anger that was present at that time, Paul began his speech like this: "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence." (Acts 22:1)

Paul could have begun his speech by saying, "People of Israel, listen..." or "You brood of rebels..." But instead he brought them close in his first few words, associating with them and connecting with them, even though they were thirsty for his blood. In the midst of all this violence and anger, Paul showed honour and respect.

It is only natural when people turn against us in anger for us to respond in like manner. Often we will come out fighting in response to the fighting words or actions of another person. But instead we should try to have the attitude of Paul who showed respect and empathy for the people, and for the feelings of those who were against him.

So when people push us away, let's not push back, but if it is at all possible, draw them close to us in love and respect.

21:7    It seems such a casual comment that Paul ‘saluted the church’. He was just passing through and so one might think he would have been perfectly justified in just passing through. However he took time out to look for fellow believers and then spend a day with them .  Does spending time with our fellow believers take such a high priority with us when we are travelling, passing through a town or on holiday?

21:5-6   Fellowship amongst believers is not confined to their remembering the death and resurrection Of Jesus. The way in which the believers and their families accompanied Paul out of the city of Tyre walked with him out of the city as he journeyed towards Jerusalem is a mark of their fellowship. Do we seek to extend the periods of time we spend with our fellow believers even when such activities are not convenient to us?

Acts 22:16.

21:10-13        The desire of the disciples to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem because of what Agabus had said raises the question as to whether, even if Paul had not gone to Jerusalem, whether he would have been taken by the Jews and delivered to the Romans because it was his destiny to preach in Rome. Acts 23:11

22:3-21          This description of Paul's conversion is not a 'testimonial' as many evangelicals give testimonials. It was given to confirm the validity of Paul's claims and to highlight the force of his message. The 'blinding light' experience of Paul was unique - nothing like this happens today and so we cannot make a claim ourselves to such an experience no matter how powerfully we feel that we have been convinced that the gospel is true.

21:37-38              The very way in which the Roman captain spoke to Paul showed a total ignorance of who he was. He was focusing on uprising’s against Rome – not an itinerant preacher.

22:28-29            Is it acceptable to appeal to our own citizenship of the country where we reside? This causes much debate. However notice what Paul does. He simply asks whether the chief captain is following the laws of the country.

21:36  The only other time when the Jews cried “away with him” was at the time of the trial of Jesus – John 19:15 – doubtless Paul’s mind on this occasion would have gone to the time of the trial of Jesus as he probably would have been there.  He truly experienced the same persecution that Jesus did form the Jewish leaders – his fellows until his baptism.

22:6   recounting what is recorded in Acts 9:3 Paul says it was “noon” when he was struck blind. Thus we can see that the punishment of Deut 28:29 was brought upon hm.

22:29 Paul had already told the captain that he was a Roman citizen – 21:3 – which clearly the captain had not really understood. However now he did he was “afraid” because of the way he had treated Paul. I suppose this mean that Paul was now less likely to be abused as the captain was already afraid of the consequences of what he had done.

22:29 Paul had already told the captain that he was a Roman citizen – Acts 21:3 – which clearly the captain had not really understood. However now he did he was “afraid” because of the way he had treated Paul. I suppose this mean that Paul was now less likely to be abused as the captain was already afraid of the consequences of what he had done.

22:20 In explaining that he was “consenting” to the death of Stephen Paul is acknowledging the truth of the inspired record in Acts 8:1

21:11 we have already read – 21:4 – that Paul was encouraged not to go to Jerusalem. Now Agabus explains what will happen. Paul was not disobeying what the Holy Spirit had said. In verse 4 all we have is a warning and A

Agabus does not say “don’t go” he states what would happen when Paul did go to Jerusalem.