Comments for June 18

v.2,17 - Both these verses tell us that there were 400 000 men, and verse 10 tells us that was 10% of the company, so now the total number of Israel (without Benjamin, it would seem) was 4 million men.

v.1,11 - This seems to be the only time in the whole of the book of Judges that all Israel are united with a common cause. It is so sad that it is a cause against their own brethren. If only they could have been so united against the inhabitants of the land.

v.18 - One of the few times in the period of the Judges when Israel enquired of God. However maybe they should have first asked whether they should go u[ against Benjamin. They already knew who should go up first. [Judges 1:1 - 2]

v.28 - The mention that Phinehas the son of Eleazar shows that this event, though recorded at the end of the book of Judges was an event near the beginning of the period of the Judges. [Joshua 24:33] I suspect that it is recorded at the end because of the contrast between Saul of Benjamin and David of Bethlehem.

v.4 tells us something of the relationship. Although the woman is referred to as his concubine, it would seem that to all intents and purposes she was his wife. Here he is referred to as her husband, and in ch.19:4 her father is referred to as his father in law. Maybe the relationship of man to concubine was closer than we might think.

This chapter shows the terrible desolation that happened to the tribe of Benjamin

20:15 26,000 men
20:35 25,100 men destroyed
So 900 men left - that is all!

:28 That Israel went to speak with 'Phinehas son of Eleazar' confirms that we are early in the time of the Judges. Eleazar was the high priest when Israel entered the land. Phinehas, who was a young man - we infer - just before Israel entered the land (Numbers 25:7) - was high priest so we cannot realistically be more than 80 years into the 450 year period of the Judges.

20:6 The way in which the Levite cut up into 12 pieces his concubine and sent the parts round all the tribes may well have been the precedent which Saul used 1Sam 11:7 when he wanted to gather all Israel to deliver Jabesh Gilead.

V.46 On comparing this with V.35, it will be seen that the loss is stated here in round numbers and is confined only to that of the third day. We must conclude that a thousand had fallen during the two previous engagements, in order to make the aggregate amount given. V.15

When Israel was numbered by Moses before they crossed the Jordan, Benjamin had 45,600 (Num 26:41). But in today's chapter there were 26,700 (Judg 20:15.  This means that the total number had gone down by 19,000.  (That's a huge drop in overall numbers during the time of the Judges.) Now, in today's chapter 25,000 were killed (Judg 20:46), which only leaves 1,700.  This was of the Lord (Judg 20:28). 

V.18 How the Israelites approached Yahweh over the matter of Benjamin is important to consider.  The first time they enquired of Yahweh they asked Him : Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?  This was presumptuous as they assumed that Yahweh was in agreement with their mission.  They had taken their own counsel with no mention of seeking Yahweh's (v.7). The consequence of their conceit was the loss of 22,000 men.  

V.23 In the second occasion of enquiry to Yahweh, the Israelites asked Him: Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?  At least, now, they asked His counsel but there was no consideration of their own position or responsibility.  Consequently, they lost a further 18,000 men. 

V.26 Now they examined themselves and asked for forgiveness: Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

Vs.27,28 After their hearts were contrite, they approached Yahweh for the third time and He guaranteed success. 

The lesson for us is that if we wish help from Yahweh, we must ask for guidance without having a pre-determined outcome in our minds; we must always examine ourselves as for motives; we must always ask for forgiveness.  This is especially true of our dealings with our brethren (Psa 51:17; 1John 1:9).  

In Michael's comment (2004) we can see that the LORD was displeased with Israel. They had need of repentance before He would deliver them.  In fact, I would go as far to say that God was Judging them by the children of Benjamin.

Israel had presumed that they were alright in the sight of the LORD. They had presumed that He would be with them. Yet they were the ones who had set up a rival "house of God" in Laish (see Judges 19 comment). They had fallen into the vilest idolatry and yet were expecting God to ignore this and help them anyway! In 21:19 we see an unbelievable thing. The description in that verse suggests that the Israelites knew virtually nothing about the place where the center of worship should have been, the house of the LORD in Shiloh (Josh 18:1, Judg 18:31). They needed to give directions on how to get to it, and they don't even know the name of the feast that was being held there!

HUMBLE YOURSELF
 
Victory didn't come easily.  It took three attempts in their war against Benjamin to finally turn the tables and for victory to be achieved.
 
When Israel marched out against Benjamin the first time, it was in righteous indignation.  They were determined to stamp out this wickedness from Israel right then and there.  But they had forgotten to look at themselves and to see their own unfaithfulness in turning to idols and not removing the Canaanites completely as they should have done.
 
As they returned from the first slaughter inflicted by the Benjamites, Israel began to humble themselves.  This time they wept before the LORD until evening.  Yet God still allowed them to be cut down before the Benjamites.  Before the third attempt Israel really humbled themselves before the LORD.  "Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD.  They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.  And the Israelites enquired of the LORD." (Judg 20:26-27)  The next day, God gave Israel a great victory over the Benjamites.
 
The lesson for us is one of humility.  However righteous we may feel, we must always remember to be humble before the LORD our God.  We, like every other person on this earth, have sinned, and we are not as great as we think we are in God's sight.  Let's humble ourselves and let him lift us up.

20:25  That so many of the men of Israel were killed in fighting against Benjamin doubtless indicates that whilst Benjamin was at fault there were also problems with the rest of the nation.  Remember at this same time the nation had been marrying the inhabitants of the land Judg 3:6, contrary to the command of God.

Again we have some possible echoes of Christ's victory and perhaps even an echo of the solidarity of fellowship v.1,11 in battling sin. The first to go against the sin (Benjamites v.13) in Israel was Judah (Christ led the way) v.18. We have mentions of 30 which many feel suggests/echoes fitness for service v.31,39 which is when Christ started his ministry. After three attempts there was victory on the 3rd day v.30-36. Christ's followers have to battle sin on a daily basis and sometimes it divides families v.22-23; 21:6. Despite Israel's disobedience, God will never allow them to be totally destroyed 21:17. When we fall short we have to rebuild our faith and overcome so we can have an inheritance thanks to God's mercy and grace 21:23-24. In those days, much like today, everyone did as he saw fit 21:25.

V.7 Israel had decided to attack Benjamin initially by its own counsel and not that of Yahweh's.  Yahweh is never pleased when His people, (which includes us), act without consulting Him. 

Vs.2,17 Israel had 400,000 soldiers.  On the first two confrontations with Benjamin, Israel lost 40,000 men (vs.21,25).  This loss constituted 10% of the fighting force - the same amount as the army suppliers (v.10).  Was Yahweh sending a strong message, in kind, to never forget His role in the partnership with His people (Prov 26:5)?

V.13 In the family of Israel, each tribe had a responsibility to take care of its own affairs.  Benjamin failed its duty, and even refused to correct the situation when called to account by the rest of the family.  Harsh action followed from the rest of Israel which came united in its opposition (v.11). 

Does this episode offer a pattern to the spiritual family of Israel in these spiritually weak times?  Each ecclesia is autonomous and expected to take care of its own affairs.  If an ecclesia fails to do so, should not the rest of the family exert moral suasion to have it do the right thing?  If that ecclesia refuses, how could it continue to be part of the family?

20:10 Remember we have seen Bethlehem-Judah, the home of Boaz, and now Gibeah is, it is emphasised, in Benjamin to force the link with Saul. Judah had the faithful man in Bethlehem-Judah in the form of Boaz. Gibeah, on the other hand. Produced the man Saul who was a failure as king. Judges is setting the scene. Benjamin is not fit to produce a king. Judah is.

QUICK DEGENERATION
 
One small comment gives us a clue as to the time period the episode with the Benjamites took place. It reads, "In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there (in Bethel), with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it." (Judg 20:27-28)
 
Phinehas was the priest who stopped the plague in the wilderness when the Midianite women enticed the men of Israel to commit sexual immorality and to worship idols. If we assume that Phinehas was 30 years old at his debut in the wilderness and that he either died or retired as high priest when he was 100, then this event happened within seventy years of Israel entering the land. It is very likely that it happened well within that seventy year period.
 
From the most faithful of all generations of the Israelites, those that entered the land, it took only decades for them to degenerate to this moral low point in their history.
 
There is a warning here for us. Even though we may be, or have been at a spiritual peak in our lives, we cannot rely on that to take us through. We must continue to maintain our spiritual health at all times, or, like Israel, we will lose it. It happens all too quickly, and likely as not, we will not notice our downfall. Let's maintain our spiritual health today and every day.

We may wonder why such an event is recorded in Scripture; we must realize that the Bible reveals life as it is, not necessarily the way we would have it. Events such as this slaughter are the way of man. What happened to Benjamin is no worse than many other similar events recorded in history. It finds a place in Scripture because it records the evil ways of man when they are unrestrained. More important however it shows what can happen when man forsakes God.

20:1-7 Whilst the account of the man whose concubine had been abused was correct the nation did not behave appropriately. It was their obligation, under the law, to make enquiry as to the truth of the matter before they took any action. The principles behind this are extensively shown in the law of Moses.

20:18-44 That Judah suffered great losses when fighting against just one city is an indication that their behaviour had not been faultless either and God was punishing them as well as punishing the inhabitants of Gibeah

V.47 Rimmon is located 15 Roman miles north of Jerusalem (a Roman mile is 1617 yards (1470m) in length, while a statute mile is 1760 yards (1610m) in length).  The rock is actually a small cone-shaped, limestone mountain.  Today, the village of Rummon occupies it.

Judg 20:45,47;21:13 - rock of 'Rimmon' [(7417) means "pomegranate" according to Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon] and perhaps suggests a rock where numerous red seeds find refuge. There was refuge for those in the rock and an offer of 'peace' [NIV Heb. "shalom" (7965)]. Perhaps this echoes sinners who repent and become in Christ, seeds of Christ, and are thus protected by his sacrifice.

20:4 The mention here of Gibeah that is in Benjamin is one of a number of occasions that place is mentioned in Judges 17-21. It occurs rarely outside the book of Judges. It is the home of Saul. The destruction of almost all the men of Gibeah and the subsequent marriage of the remaining men to the daughters of Jabesh Gilead provides the family ancestry of Saul – hence, maybe, his willingness to defend Jabesh Gilead 1Sam 11:1-10 and the subsequent willingness of the men of Jabesh Gilead to risk their lives to retrieve the body of Saul 1Sam 31:12

20:8 ‘as one man’ sounds really good – the nation being united. Unfortunately the unity was against their own brethren. They were compromised by their behaviour towards the inhabitants of the land – Judg 3:6 – and yet they would unite against their brother. They should have been united against the inhabitants of the land.

20:8   Consider. It was the concubine of the Levite who had been humiliated. The Levite was the one who should “keep  knowledge” Mal 2:7 but it was the rest of the nation who were deciding what was the right thing to do. There is a continual absence, in the time of the Judges of priests fulfilling their responsibility to teach the people.

20:9      One would have thought that the first thing to do would be go and talk with the men and then, if there was not satisfactory response, the nation might fight against the city. The whole event is surrounded with immediacy and lack of wise counsel.

Judg 20:5-6

"... And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel."

We read a parallel verse in 1Sam 11:7, “And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD (Yahweh) fell on the people, and they came out with one consent."
This verse helps us to understand the purpose of the Levite cutting his concubine into 12 pieces and sending them throughout Israel. As a result, all of Israel came out as “one” because folly had been wrought in Israel (cf. Gen 34:7; Josh 7:15; 2Sam 13:12-13; Judg 19:23).
In verse 5 we learn that the men wanted the priest, but got the concubine instead and abused her. His concubine had “played the whore”(Judg 19:2) and I believe this is why he had opted to give her to them figuring she could handle it, and at the same time spare the owner’s maiden – the owner having been so gracious as to open his home to him and provide him with his kind hospitality.
Note that the men of Israel all agreed to come together to examine the matter and met at Mizpeh to enquire of the LORD what they should do! There was not one dissenting voice (v. 8), and “knit together as one man” (v. 11). “They came out as one man” for the common good! The Benjamites would not deliver the wicked men to the Israelites as they ought to have (v. 13), and so they went to war, which resulted in the almost utter extirpation of the tribe of Benjamin!
Folly had been wrought in Israel, and they needed to put the evil away from amongst them. By cutting the concubine into 12 pieces, one for each of the tribes of Israel, the Levite got them to unite as “one,” to put evil away from Israel, which was a command from the LORD as we read throughout the O.T., and brought with it the death penalty. It took nothing less than what the Levite did to his concubine to accomplish this feat to unite them all together against their brethren, the children of Benjamin!

20:26-43     The initial defeat of Israel and their subsequent strategy matches what happened at Ai only a short while earlier - Josh 7:2-5, 8:3-22

20:47-48         Not content with killing 43,000 men, even after four months in which the men of Israel might have considered their actions and realised the folly of their actions they still sought vengeance against the men of Benjamin. How long do we hold a grudge? Having made a decision, even after the passage of time, do we still pursue our actions when it might be a more wise course of actions to, as we say, “bury the hatchet”?

20:44,46     43,000 of Benjamin’s fighting men died as a consequence of the matter of the concubine that was abused. The unwillingness to act when error is seen has consequences. If only the men of Gibeah had dealt with the problem as soon as they knew! In like manner damage follows in our meetings if we leave problems and do not deal with them. As Paul said when speaking of the evil influence of problems not addressed – 1Cor 5:6

20:18     This is the second time that the nation have asked “who shall go up” – the first being in 1:1. But what an awful contrasts. In 1 it is asking about dealing with their enemies. But bow it is about destroying their own family!

20:8-9  The question that the Levite asked and the response of the people shows a rash decision that had not been thought through. In the heat of “righteous indignation” the nation responded to the situation in ways which showed they did not really appreciate their relationship with God.

20:1      In saying that the nation went to “Mizpah” we must conclude that this was a centre of worship at this time in the days of the Judges where they had camped earlier – Judg 10:17

20:28 We have already met “Jonathan the son of Gershom …” – Judg 18:30. He was Moses’ grandson – see modern version. Now we meet Phinehas who was Aaron’s grandson. How different from each other these men were! Brought up together, probably, with a godly upbringing but by the third generation one of them had, it seems, forgotten all he had been taught! When we meet Boax in the book of ru we should appreciate he was a second cousin to these two men.

 

20:12-48 The way in which the whole nation rose up against Gibeah in a battle which lasted at least three days was observed by the Canaanites who were still in the land. What sort of signal did the behaviour of the nation send to those watching Canaanites? Hardly a picture of a Godly nation with God’s laws. The inhabitants of the land would not have said what Moses said that would be said when the nation was serving God faithfully – Deut 4:6-8

20:12 In sending men throughout the territory of Benjamin to the cities they are implementing what God required of them as specified inDeut 13:14.

20:18,34 We saw in 1:1-4 the nation asking who should go against the Canaanites first and then we are given the number of soldiers that went. Sadly we see a repeat here when the nation are united against the inhabitants of Gibeah due to a great sin on their part. Between these two times when the nation was united we have read about disunity amongst the nation when fighting the inhabitants of the land.

v. 3 - Here we have God's assurance that Jesus will respect those who have the right attitude, even though they be weak in some way. See also 35:3,4, 40:11,29-31, 57:15-18, 61:1-3, 66:2.

v.4 - Here we have a picture of the joy that was set before Jesus in doing the will of his father. Regardless of the anguish which he suffered, yet it is still appropriate to say, as it does here, that he would not be discouraged. Jesus was determined to bring about salvation on our behalf, and for that we should be more than grateful.

We know that 42:1-3 speaks of the work of Jesus because it is quoted in Matthew 12:18 and applied to the work of Jesus. Maybe this explains why Paul (Acts 17:25) quotes 'that giveth breath unto all the people'.

42:16 The language God uses here describes the miracles of Jesus.

V.1 My elect; chosen by God before the foundation of the world for an atonement. 1Pet 1:20  Redemption was no afterthought to remedy an unforeseen evil. Eph 3:9-11  In Matt 12:18 it is rendered "My Beloved"  beloved in a sense distinct from all others

V.7 This chapter is a wonderful preview of Christ and His redemptive work.  He was the one who came to release prisoners from the bondage of sin by bringing them into the light (1Pet 3:19).

DISCIPLINE
 
In Hebrews, the writer tells us this, '"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is testing you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his Father?  If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!' (Heb 12:5-9)  He goes on to say that God disciplines us for our good and that it should produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
 
Israel were also disciplined by God.  God handed Israel over to invaders and took away their crops and goods when they turned away from him and wouldn't follow his ways or his law. (Isa 42:23-25)  But Israel didn't understand.  The lesson of their discipline went straight over their heads.  We read that their discipline "consumed them, but they did not take it to heart." (v.25) 
 
The lesson for today is the lesson from Hebrews.  When we are disciplined, let us learn from it and change for the better.  Let's take our discipline to heart and become true, obedient, righteous children of God.

V.18-20 In these few verses we have two important lessons that can not be repeated often enough. We all hear, but do we listen? We all see, but do we observe?

Vs.2,3 Jesus was passive in the face of opposition (See also Isa 53:7).  Our natural tendency is to fight back, but we are exhorted to follow Christ's example of passivity (1Pet 2:21-23).

It’s wonderful to note how a prophet to Israel should state that God’s servant “shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles.” (Isa 42:1)  The coming King will indeed bring peace and judgement to the whole world.

42:6  In speaking of Jesus as ‘a light for the gentiles’ the Jews would have wondered about where they might receive a blessing. But, as Paul says in Romans on a number of occasions, Isaiah speaks extensively about the call of the gentiles.

V.21 - God magnified the law through his son Christ Matt 5:17

42:1 The phrase ‘in whom my soul delighteth’ is found in Matt 17:5 so the way in which the voice of God from heaven in Matt 17:5 quotes these words proves that this is a prophecy of the work of Jesus.

HOW TO PREACH

As Christians, one of the ways we should be changing our lives is to become more like Jesus. Our aim should be to get to know the character of Jesus and to make imitating him our way of life. Isaiah has some challenging prophecies about what Jesus would be like. Our responsibility after reading those prophecies is to try and do the same.

"He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out." (Isa 42:2-3) Jesus did not come with his sword at his side, and the trumpet in his hand to force people to listen and to turn to him. Nor did he come to conquer by extinguishing small sparks of faith and pulling apart damaged people. Jesus came in a gentle way.

The message Jesus gave was compelling - not because it was loud, but because it was God's message and something we all need to hear. He came to fan into flame the small sparks of faith that look as if they are going out and to heal those that are broken and bruised, leading them all gently back to God. Jesus preached with love, gentleness, humility and compassion. We need to follow his example leading others to him with love, gentleness, humility and compassion.

42:5 The language used here is repeated by the prophet – Zech 12:1– after the return from Babylon. Babylon has been the focus of this area of Isaiah.

V.1 - Christ is a servant of, not equal to, his Father God; but he has the right to represent  God and is a reflection/manifestation of God - Luke 22:24-27;Phil 2:6-7 (NIV may help clarify v.6);John 14:28;Matt 26:39;1Cor 15:24-28;Isa 9:6-7;John 10:31-36;17:21-23;1John 3:21,23;John 8:54-55.

V.6 The promises given to the Jews will be bestowed upon the Gentiles through Jesus. The foundation of Christian hope is grounded in these promises (Gal 3:16,29).

V.10 For a fuller picture of praise involving those who go down to the sea read Psa 107:23-31.

V.16 The phrase crooked places straight (KJV) has to do with a road that is undulating.  Yahweh promises to make the way level.  A better understanding is: rough places into level ground (ESV). 

42:6 The one who is given as ‘a covenant of the people’ is Jesus. This can be seen from the way in which the same ideas are found in Isa 49:9. Jesus is the one who would recover the ‘prisoners’ (v :7) from the prison of death

42:5 The way in which the elements of God’s creative acts as recorded in Genesis 1 highlight that acceptance of creation is not optional but fundamental to an understanding of the God of Israel.

42:18   The ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ are those spoken of in Isa 6:9

42:6    On three occasions – here, Isa 43:1, 45:4 – God through the prophet emphasises that the nation had been “called”. As such God was working in their lives. Do we appreciate the benefits that flow from our being called?

 Isa 42:2-4.

42:2   How often do we think we will be heard by our much shouting about topics? When we feel our point of view is not being taken we will raise our voice and make our point again and again. Not so Jesus. His “works” were denigrated by his enemies but he did not encourage those he healed to go about telling what had been done. Rather they were to keep silent.  A lesson for us. If our cause is right we will not have to keep repeating the point. 

How did Jesus study this chapter?

When deciding what this chapter means don't forget that it is written in the context of Isa 1:1

"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken,... Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward." Isa 1:1-4

So while this is ultimately a prophecy fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is initially concerned with Judah and Jerusalem. It speaks of the birth of Hezekiah, a King who would be God's servant to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. When viewed in this way the chapter makes perfect sense in the context of the rest of Isaiah, and the book of Isaiah itself begins to make sense rather than being a seemingly random collection of prophecies.

How would Jesus have read this? I don't think he would have thought "this is about me", and applied it to predict what might happen in his own life. Instead he would study it in the context of that amazing time period where God delivered Jerusalem through Hezekiah's work. He would use this prophecy to learn about the man Hezekiah, how he reacted to the situation, and how God reacted to him. Having done this, he obtained food for thought which he could apply to his own life. There is a big difference in these two approaches. Using the first we only gain some information. Using the second approach gives spiritual food which in turn provokes spiritual actions.

42:1-8 In Acts 17:24-25 Paul quotes fromIsa 42:5. However on a careful examination of Isa 42 we see that Paul, in his speech on Mars Hill, uses more than just the phrase that he quotes from Isa 40. His use of the quotations draws on the context of the passage here.

1. Isa 41:8 - in a nationalistic sense, and connected to the promises of Abraham, Israel is God's servant.

2. Isa 42:1-6 - Israel is called upon to believe God's individual servant ("him, he, his" Isa 7:14-15) who will be given for a covenant of the people, and for a light of the Gentiles; Vs 1-4 about Christ and the kingdom of God; Vs 1-3 Jesus withdrew (Matt 12:13-21); V1 (NIV) my servant...my chosen one in whom I delight...put my spirit on him (Luke 3:22)...he will bring justice to the nations/Gentiles; Vs 1,21 the individual servant (messenger, and manifestation of God) jesus Christ had God's Spirit put upon him (Matt 5:17-18;Matt 22:34-40;Rom 10:4;Gal 3:13;Gal 4:3-5;Eph 2:14-16); V3 "A bruised reed shall he not break" meaning a useless one to rely on (Pharoah Isa 36:6; apostate Israel in the days of Abijah 1Kin 19:15; vs a reliable reed in John the Baptist Matt 6:7) but Christ would strengthen and enlighten and defer judgment to a future day; V3 Christ was no broken broken reed or a smokey light /smoldering wick (Isa 11:1;John 8:12;Matt 12:20-21); V3 a reed pipe used for music if "bruised" would be thrown away or broken; V3 when the oil burned out in a lamp the wick smokes, this burned wick would be worthless but God doesn't throw it away; Vs 3,7 God will respect those with the right attitude though they be weak in some way; V4 (KJV) "judgment (NIV - justice) on the earth" refers to the kingdom of God; V5 "God<410>", "LORD<3068>"; V6 Christ the beloved servant given as a "covenant<1285>" (Isa 49:8); V6 a new covenant (there can be no covenant without sacrifice Luke 22:20); V6 God calls Christ "for a light of the Gentiles".

3. Isa 42:7 - Jesus opened blind eyes, healed the literally blind and deaf, raised the dead, and liberated many prisoners from darkness and bondage (Matt 4:16) during the 1st advent, but this was just a shadow of the magnitude of what will transpire during the milennial second advent.

4. Isa 42:8 - God won't give His glory to another or to graven images (how ridiculous/outrageous that people should actually worship things made by themselves).

5. Isa 42:9 - God predicts the future in declaring new things prior to their existing; V9 - perhaps this applies to Hezekiah and the Messiah (the former things came to pass vin Hezekiah and the new things with the Messiah in the first advent and the second advent still to come Acts 1:9-11).

6. Isa 42:10-12 - the new song of the millennial kingdom age (Psa 40:3;Rev 14:3;Rev 15:3-4).

7. Isa 42:13 - (NIV) "The Lord will march...and will triumph over his enemies"; judgments when Christ returns (Jer 25:30;Hos 11:10;Joel 3:16;Amos 1:2).

8. Isa 42:14 - for a long time I have kept silent; a long time of Divine silence prior to the judgments occasioning the new song (Mic 3:6;Amos 8:11-12).

9. Isa 42:17-20 - (Mal 2:7-9;John 9:11,39-41;John 8:39-45;John 12:37-41) - the blindness of the Lord's national "servant" and "messager".

10. Isa 42:21 - (NIV) "It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious" (via Christ).

11. Isa 42:22-25 - God was sinned against and He (KJV) "gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers".

42:3    Whereas Isaiah ends his promise with “truth” when Matthew quotes this passage –Matt 12:18-20 – he is inspired to end the quotation with “victory”.  The resurrection of Jesus was the ultimate victory of truth over error. Hence the way in which Matthew is inspired to quote Isaiah.

42:13     In likening God to a man of war Isaiah is drawing on the way in which Moses and Miriam – Exo 15:3 – speak of the Lord when Israel were delivered from Egypt.

42:1    Isaiah repeatedly talks about the “servant” in his prophecy.  This “servant” clearly is Jesus. We can be sure of this because of the way in which the New Testament quotes some of the passages about the servant. The last time we meet the “servant” is in Isa 53:11 where the death and resurrection of Jesus is spoken of.  From that point Jesus is no longer the servant but the redeemer.

42:20  This describes the way in which many in Jesus’ day saw his miracles but did not recognise him as Messiah – God’s servant.

Isa 42:21

“The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.”

God chose the Hebrew people above all the people of the earth. They were a holy people, a holy nation, and God loved them (Deut 7:6,8). He did this for His righteousness and faithfulness to His promise to the patriot fathers. Thus, YHWH magnified the people and nation, and gave them laws, which had they kept would have made them great and honourable. But, they dishonoured the law, became rebellious and idolatrous, forfeited their position, and dishonoured YHWH. 

God in His great love for a repentant remnant, provided a Servant, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 42:1), under whom the law would be magnified and made honourable again, a Son who would declare the Father’s righteousness in upholding and fulfilling the law. In Matt 5:17, “fulfill” is # <4137>, pleroo, from # <4134>, from # <4130>, and carries the idea Christ accomplished his mission, not in destroying the law, but by manifesting in him the fullest potentialities of the law, he magnified it! Matt 5:18, “fulfilled,” carries a totally different meaning. It is a different word, # <1096>, ginomai, “to cause to be,” or, “to come to pass.” THE NEW THAYER’S GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON.

God requires a lot more than a physical, mechanical, and visible obedience. He wants us to follow Him to the spiritual limits of His law to include our intent, our thoughts, and our attitudes! This is the magnification of His law, and this is what Christ taught and demonstrated. To magnify is not to destroy, nor is it to change. To magnify a word on a page means the word is there, but enlarged that we may see it better. Anyone knowing what a magnifying glass does, knows this principle. Jesus, in having fulfilled the law, magnified God’s law, showing us its fullest spiritual potential and set for us the example that we should follow in his steps (1Pet 2:21).  What a travesty to use this beautiful verse to claim that Jesus magnified the law by changing it, using Matt 5:21-44, “But I say unto you,” as proof!

Our Father provided salvation through Christ’s righteousness. He has betrothed and will ultimately marry his regenerated and sanctified bride given to him by the Father. May we magnify and honour the Father by our faithful obedience in thought, word, and deed. He deserves no less!

42:2 this verse would provide Jesus with instruction as to where and how to preach. Seemingly he was to seek out quiet places to teach rather than the market places in the towns.

42:6 Paul had understood through experience the significance of the prophecy, “I ... will hold thine hand”, for when he was blinded, “they led him by the hand” (Acts 9:8).

42:21 In Jesus’ day the Law of Moses was distorted to suit the wants of the religious leaders. By contrast Jesus upheld the law, interpreting it accurately according to what God had decreed. In this way he “magnified the law”.

42:5-6We might wonder why God introduces Himself here as the one who “created the heavens” and gives “breath to the people”. We might think His audience already knew that. It may be the reason for those statements is because, despite man’s rebelliousness, God the Creator wishes to emphasise that He has a plan and it will be fulfilled to the benefit of some of His Creation.

As we are “gentiles” we rejoice in the “light” that came to “the gentiles” (:6)

42:1 The servant spoken of is clearly Jesus. But notice that command from God “Behold my servant” Knowing about him is not sufficient. An ability to explain why we believe what we do of itself does not bring salvation. In “looking unto Jesus” -Heb 12:2 - we are to learn his qualities and then imitate them in our lives.

42:5  We can so easily become discouraged when it seems as if things are not going according to how we expect them to.

For our Father things are different. He will never be discouraged because things always go as He expect them to. The trick of us is to think like Him rather than rely on our own estimation of what should be happening.

v. 4,5 - The trials that we have are a direct result of being in the world. Although trials come from God, they would not be necessary if we didn't live in the world. Our faith is what we use to overcome them, knowing that the trials will never be too much for us. John 16:33, Rom.8:35-37.

v.14 - asking 'according to his will' is the basis of answered prayers. The only way in which we can know the Father's will is by giving attention to the words of Scripture. The danger always is that we might 'ask amiss to consume it on our own lusts' [James 4:3]

5:14 'confidence' is a concept we have already come across (4:17) 'boldness'. John is teaching us that our faith in the risen Christ should cause us to trust that God will keep His word. Lack of faith was the only reason why Israel perished in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:19)

:4 How is 'our faith' 'the victory'? In what way can we say that we have victory' because we believe?

Abraham is the example. He 'believed God' and consequently was counted 'righteous' (Gen 15:6) Abraham became 'heir of the world (Romans 4:13) so whilst the 'world' was just a place of transient value before faith is became his inheritance. We are 'Abraham's seed' (Galatians 3:29) and consequently share those promises - if we have his faith.

1John 5:8. “The spirit, and the water, and the blood: These three agree in one”. These three elements of the one witness represent the Truth, Baptism, and Sacrifice, and thus stand for progressive stages in the development of a walk of faith towards the kingdom of God. The word “agree” eisi (1526) means moving to an object; the object in this case being the witness, and the witness testifying to God manifest in the flesh. Where Truth leads to Baptism, and that in turn to a life of sacrifice.

1John 5:21. The Apostle Paul defines idolatry as covetousness. (Col 3:5) Idolatry is therefore not limited to worship of a pagan idol, but to the worship of self, materialism, or anything that might blot God out of our life.

5:1 Being 'born of God' is a theme of John's first epistle ( 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:4,18 and here). So we see that  if we wish to overcome the world we must be born of Him. How is this achieved?  It is more than baptism. It is being 'born of the spirit'(John 3:6)   not in some mystical way but rather by imbibing the spirit word.

5:5 When we are so tempted to think that we can 'overcome' by our own effort it is most encouraging to realise that what the Father requires of us is belief - like Abraham

Vs.7,8 (v.8 up to and including the word earth) were incorporated in the KJV from late manuscripts of the Vulgate.  They are not found in Greek manuscripts before the sixteenth century.  Modern versions have omitted these sections.  We can, therefore, dispense with them and their obvious Trinitarian bias. 

5:3 Simple really, isn’t it? In principle yes. Far easier than spending vast amounts of intellectual energy defining doctrine – necessary as that is – our understanding of the gospel is determined by our response to Him.

V.21 This admonition comes without any explanation. That is, in this letter John does not discuss idolatry. But from a historical perspective, John's admonition fits what we read of the first century ecclesias. The believers at this time encountered the pagan world along with idol worship (Acts 15:29 , Acts 19:23-41,  1Cor 8:4, 7)

V.8 The agreement of the Spirit, water, and blood are focused in the testimony of Jesus.  Baptism (water) marked the beginning of His ministry (Matt 3:13-17); blood marked His sacrifice at the end of His ministry (Matt 26:28); the Spirit, which God gave Him without measure, enabled Him to perform His Father's assigned work during His ministry (John 3:34; 5:36).

PRAYER FOR SINNERS
 
How do we react when we see a brother or a sister in Christ fall into sin in a particularly obvious or public way? There are some who would ignore the problem and hope it goes away without causing any more trouble. There are others who would call for discipline to be administered immediately. And still others would confront the issue and offender head on like a bull in a china shop, gossip about it or tactfully try to solve the situation in the best way they can.
 
John suggests none of these methods as the way to handle a situation of sin. Instead he says, "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life." (1John 5:16) Thinking back over issues like this I have agonised over in the past, prayer for the sinner has not been at the top of my list. Yet prayer for sinners should be the very first thing we think of when sin comes to our attention. Who better to deal with it than God? His grace covers a multitude of sins! Furthermore, it is not us that can change the heart of a sinner, but God.
 
So before we leap into panic mode, danger control mode, find ourselves depressed, or discover our hands over our eyes yet again, let's get on our knees and pray. There is no greater power available.

5:6 The way in which Jesus came ‘by blood’ is seen in his life and his death. The Hebrew brethren are encouraged to resist sin by looking to Jesus. They had not ‘resisted unto blood’ – Jesus had – Heb 12:4

5:2-3    The repetition of ‘keep’ with respect to the commandments shows that we demonstrate our love towards God by the way that we live. We do His will not out of fear, nor even in the hope of a reward. Rather we keep His commandments simply because we love our God.

1John 5:10-12 has a most interesting pattern. We should note first of all that the word “witness” is the same as the “record” (see1John 5:9,10,11).

v10 says that he who believes on Jesus has the witness in himself.          That’s like a = b

v11 says that the record (or witness) is God’s gift of eternal life.            That’s like b = c

If those two equations are right, then we would expect a to equal c. And this is just what

v 12 does say.

v12 says that if we have the Son then we have life.                              That’s like a=c           

We could further note that 1John 5:13 has the pattern a = c =a.

Vs.14,15 Those in covenant relationship with God through Jesus can pray to Him.  It is assured that those prayers will be heard, and that replies will be given.  However, the prayers must be in accordance with God’s will.  Prayers for selfish gain will not be heard.   

V.16 There is sin that leads to death (ESV).  Jesus says that all manner of sin will be forgiven except blasphemy (vilification, slander) against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:31).

5:1   being ‘born of God’ echoes and develops Jesus’ words – John 7:33-42 -  where the Jews debate with him about being Abraham’s seed.  If one is born of God one behaves in a particular way which contrasts with the way that fleshly thinking seeks to justify itself.

5:15     Notice John’s confidence in prayer. ‘We know ...’ not that John presumes that God will grant his every request. Rather he knows that God will answer faithful prayers which are asked ‘according to His will’ 1John 5:14

5:10    We ought not to underestimate the witness of God’s word.  According to what John said those who do not accept the testimony of Scripture are saying that God is a liar. A very serious charge. Do we regard the Scriptures in such a high way – as the very testimony of God?

1John 5:8      The “spirit” answers to the word of God – the Bible. The “water” answers to our baptism. An acknowledgement on our part of our need to die. And the “blood” answers to Jesus’ sacrifice which was spoken of in the Scriptures and is acknowledged by our baptism.

V14 John takes us back to Mic 7:18

It can be hard sometimes to forgive ourselves yet we must remember it is the lords pleasure to show us mercy providing of course we are not to proud to ask for it. v19 of Micah 7 tells us our sins will be cast to the depths of the sea. If only we could show each other so much mercy yet we never forget those who offend us do we?

5:17   Whilst there are degrees of sin. Some things that we might do are worse, in God’s eyes, than other. This must be true because the punishments under the Law of Moses differed depending on what had been done wrong. However, despite the variation in seriousness there is a fundamental principle. Everything we do that is wrong spoils our relationship with God.

5:7     This verse is disputed by some, suggesting that it was inserted by those who believe in the doctrine of the trinity. Be that as it may it is only possible to construe this verse as speaking about the trinity if one already believes in the doctrine of the trinity. The verse speaks of unity between God, His word and His power – which is hardly surprising. It does not follow that they are parts of the triune God.

5:9    In saying that the witness of God is greater than the witness of man John is echoing the point made by Peter – 1:18-19.

5:11        The way in which eternal life is given to us in in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. If Jesus was not raised then our faith is empty –1Cor 15:14

5:9      John has given the witness of men when he wrote about seeing Jesus himself. But God’s witness is greater. That witness was seen when John was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and heard the voice form heaven asserting that He was pleased with His son Jesus.

5:18   this is the last of a number of times the John speaks of being “born of God” the rest are 3:9, 4:7, 4:1,4

1John 5:7

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”

This verse, known as the Johannine Comma, first appeared in the Greek New Testament published in 1516. It was added by a Roman Catholic priest, Desiderius Erasmus. None of the earlier than the 15^th and 16^th centuries Greek texts contained this passage being also absent from the “thousands” of other manuscripts (MSS)! Neither the Codex Sinaiticus, which has some 14,800 edits in it, and the Codex Vaticanus, Vatican MSS, had this verse!  Tertullian, 200 A.D., Cyprian, 250 A.D., Athanasius, 350 A.D., Aurelius Augustine, 398 A.D., and others wrote about their belief in a Trinity, and only entered in Jerome’s Latin Vulgate Bible about 800 A.D.

This Latin corruption found its way into Greek MSS through Erasmus when he agreed to insert this Trinitarian verse only if the Catholic Church could produce just one Greek text, which included the “Three Witnesses.” The Catholic Church ordered a Greek MS be written with specific instructions to insert this verse and presented it to Erasmus. Erasmus included this spurious passage under political pressure in his third edition, Novum Testamentum, in 1522. In a footnote, however, he did express his doubts concerning the authenticity of this Greek MS. It is known as minuscule 61, or Codex Montfortianus, but named Codex Britannicus by Erasmus. It is housed at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. We must not confuse or assume when referring to a Greek Bible that it is the Septuagint, the oldest Greek text extant from the 3^rd century B.C.! http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac66/

Edward Gibbon, in “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” describes this insertion as a “typographical fraud,” a “deliberate falsehood.” Bart D. Ehrman, Scholar on Textual Criticism refers to this added passage as a “forgery,” “…this represents the most obvious instance of a theologically motivated corruption in the entire manuscript tradition of the New Testament.” http://www.trinitytruth.org/was1john5_7addedtext.html/

Despite irrefutable historical facts and evidence, this corruption is still found in some of the present day Bibles like the KJV and NKJV. It is shocking that there is no footnote in the King James Authorized or Revised Versions disclaiming the Trinity, which Christian scholars of note unanimously recognize as a later added fabrication, as other translations do! The translators state in both versions, as “… compared with the most ancient authorities and revised” – “translated out of original tongues and with former translations diligently compared and revised by His Majesty’s special command…”! It was revised four times, the last time being in 1768-9!  Their claim is not entirely true, in view of such overwhelming evidence against the authenticity of v. 7. Their bias of the Trinity is very evident.

Most of the transcribers did their best to faithfully transcribe Scripture accurately, but mistakes have inadvertently entered copies which spawned multiple copies with these same errors subsequently copied, and sometimes with new errors. Textual Critics use documents from antiquity. This is why the oldest copies time-wise, are more reliable being closer to the original autographia, the inerrant, inspired, complete, and authoritative word of God.  

The Trinity is not a variant, a human error introduced by mistake. Its addition was theologically motivated, as history proves, and does not appear in ancient original texts. There are fanatical KJV only advocates who charge those who do not believe in the Trinity as heretics! However, other versions in their marginal notes tell us this verse was not in the earliest MSS, and alerts us to its false insertion.

5:13John, by inspiration, explains why he had written. The purpose that his audience would believe on the name of Jesus. In reality this is why we have all of scripture. The bible is not a dry book of irrelevant history. The events are written for our learning –Rom 15:4. This should be our attitude whenever we are reading scripture. How can it help me to appreciate Jesus and God’s offer of salvation?

5:10 There are a number of times in the gospel records that we learn that God witnessed to Jesus’ position. Matt 17:4 is one such occasion.

5:10 We might think that we would never call God a “liar”. However our attitude to his word might indicate otherwise. Do we doubt parts of scripture because it does not fit into current scientific thinking? We might try to rationalise our objection to a certain reading of scripture but when the weight of the testimony of other scriptures support a view that we doubt then we are in danger of calling God a liar by our attitude to His word.

1John 5:7

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one” (cf. 2Cor 13:14; 1Pet 1:1,2).

The doctrine of the Trinity is defined by most Christians as God being one, yet exists coequally, coeternally, and consubstantially with two other divine beings: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct beings sharing one essence.

This is a Catholic doctrine, which Christianity adopted. I did not realize how steeply ingrained this doctrine is with Christianity, as not all are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. I was recently asked by a Christian if I accepted the Trinity, and when I answered in the negative and tried to explain why, she became hostile and told me I am condemned! Here’s the reason for it:

“Catholicism is a Christian religion with Latin roots, it includes Christian churches who align themselves with major catholic organizations, primarily the Roman Catholic Church, headquartered at the Vatican in Italy. It makes up the largest Christian church and denomination in the world with more than 1.27 billion members.” https://adoption.com/catholic/ (Underlines added).

The Athanasian Creed: https://www.lcms.org/document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1831

“Early in the fourth century, a new teaching appeared which claimed that Jesus was not true God. Arius, the north African priest who first proposed this theory, was extremely persuasive, and soon the controversy was so widespread that a church council was called to settle the matter. Out of that meeting in A.D. 325 came the Nicene Creed, which clearly confesses Jesus to be true God. That creed, which was expanded in A.D. 381 in order to defend the divinity of the Holy Spirit, is still widely used today as a confession of the triune faith. Despite the clarity of the Nicene Creed, the controversy continued for some time. Toward the end of the fifth century, another creed was written that marveled at the mystery of the Trinity in a way that no creed had ever done. Though attributed to Athanasius, a fourth-century opponent of Arius, this anonymous creed clearly came at a later stage in the debate. The Athanasian Creed proclaims that its teachings concerning the Holy Trinity and our Lord’s incarnation are the catholic faith. In other words, this is what the true church of all times and all places has confessed. More than 15 centuries later, the church continues to confess this truth, confident that the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has given himself for our salvation: Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith: Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally… This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.

In THE CHRISTADELPHIAN Monthly Magazine, July 1925, VOL. LXII. No. 733, p. 318, the article entitled THE ATHANSIAN CREED, reads as follows: “Rather more than twenty years ago our late friend, J.B. Rotherham, discussed the question: ‘Should Creeds be Ended or Mended?’ He rather thought they should be ‘ended.’ If there is one that wants ending it is ‘The Athanasian Creed.’ And it seems that they are going to mutilate if not to end it, in spite of the Eighth Article of Religion which assures us that it ‘may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.’” To this the Daily Mail of June 16th reported: “The House of Laity of the Church of England resumed consideration of the Revised Prayer Book at Westminster yesterday. Mr. C. Marston, Lichfield, proposed to leave out from the Athanasian Creed the words ‘which faith, except a man keep whole and undefiled, without doubt will perish eternally…. Sir Robert Williams said he thought it was quite time the laity made their protest against the use of these damnatory clauses. Mr. Marston’s proposal was carried but the question will come again before the House for final approval. The House adjourned. The present Prayer Book version reads: ‘They that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholick Faith: which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.’”  (“Catholick” spelled as per article).

vv 14,15 “If we ask any thing, according to his will, he hears us … whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him”.  This statement seems a tautology – we ask for something that God has already chosen to do because it is part of His will. So why pray for something that will happen anyway? And how do we know what God's will is, prior to making a prayer request, so that we don't unwittingly pray for something that God has already ruled out?

How do we resolve these problems?

Suggested response: God’s will is not always fixed – it may embrace a range of of possibilities that God is prepared to consider. Prayer requests are considered by God on two bases:

1.  whether the request fits into God's broad plan; and

2.  the character of the person making the request 

Today’s readings.. (Judg 20), (Isa 42), (1John 5)

Everyone believes in something.  Many believe that they are part of the highest form of animal life – and that this life is all there is for them and so they live to make the most of it. Our chapter (5) in John’s letter today begins, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” [v.1]  Here is a word picture of a precious fellowship of believers bound together in love.  

Our thoughts go to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus that John recorded in his gospel; remember what Nicodemus was told? “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3]  “Born of water” refers to baptism – to put on the name of Christ.  That physical act must be accompanied by a rebirth of the mind, anew way of thinking; Paul spelt it out plainly in writing to the Ephesians, “… be renewed in the spirit of your minds… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” [Eph 4:23-24

In his Epistle John goes on to say, “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments are not burdensome” [v.3] as had been the laws and rituals in keeping the laws through Moses.  

Verse 4 challenges us!  “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  True faith flows out from a heart that is full of the “conviction of things not seen” ] John writes, sure that his readers have this conviction of faith and says  he “writes these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” [v.13] 

That is a challenging concept of thought!  “Death” becomes in a sense non-existent, as this life is completed we move into God’s time, which is time-less, it is like “the twinkling of an eye” death “has “no sting” [1Cor 15:52-55] May we all be treading with ever surer steps on the narrow way because we have been truly “born of God” and “God protects him and the evil does not touch him” [v.18].  Furthermore, “we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ” [v.20] for we truly have “been born of God.” [v.1] 

Visit https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/ for videos, trhoughts and more from todays readings

5:5 How did Jesus “overcome the world”? If we can see his example and what motivated him then maybe we might catch some of the enthusiasm to serve God. In Jesus’ case one example is found in Heb 12:2

5:9 We all seek the approval of men, especially the approval of our fellow believers. However such approval, at best, is based on a limited knowledge of us. So let us seek the approval of God who sees the whole ”us”

1John 5:2

"BY this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments."

"A brother among the children of Sodom, whether these bear the name or not, might have the experience of Lot 'whose righteous soul was vexed from day to day.' His love would be undrawn out. His soul would be stirred within him disagreeably, in accordance with the characteristic of divinely approved men, who 'cannot bear them that are evil'

(Rev 2:2) and despise vile men, honouring them that fear the Lord (Psa 15:4); but by John's rule, he would be able to comfort himself in the drought and in bitterness. He knows within himself that God is his chief delight, and the commandments of God the subject of his supreme regard. He can therefore say to himself, 'Though my antipathies are stirred; though my soul eats in bitterness; though my love is rarely called out, I know that I love the children of God, because I love God and keep His commandments. I have only to meet them to have my soul awakened to the fullness of love, and borne aloft with exceeding joy.'"

Robert Roberts, Seasons of Comfort, p. 42