Comments for November 10

5:7-17  The opposition is relentless – another letter rather like  4:11-16. Such is the opposition of the “flesh” to the things of God. It never ceases in it opposition.

6:11  There has been great emphasis on building God’s house so far in the book of Ezra. Now the opponents “house” is mentioned. It will be destroyed.

Those who oppose the work of God will eventually have no possession – house.

5:1 Time had passed since the people arrived from Babylon. Some, it seems, had lost their enthusiasm. God had allowed tome to pass so that the true motives of the returning captives. Those who saw the fulfilment of prophecy would wait in anticipation. Those who lacked faith would just get on with their worldly lives. The same is true for us today. We know that Jesus will return. Are we waiting in anticipation or just getting on with our lives as if God has forgotten what he has promised?

5:5 the “eyes” here are spoken of again – Zech 3:9 – in one of the visions that Zechariah saw.

5:16  the man named “Sheshbazzar” is Zerubbabel as can be seen by comparing with Zech 4:4

6:6    the very fact that the restoration was to be at the expense of the ruling power should have given Judah the authority to ensure that the rebuilding work was completed.

5:8    Notice that the letter sent to Darius called God “the great God” picking up of a phrase Daniel used – Dan 2:45 – when speaking to Nebuchadnezzar in an exposition of the dream which spoke of the rise of the Persian empire.

HELP FROM AFAR

The Jews had returned from captivity and one of the major tasks they had been given was to rebuild the temple of the LORD.  With all the opposition they faced, it took much longer to achieve than it should have. The task had been given to the Jews, but it turned out that it was not just the Jews that ended up building the temple. All the people nearby supplied materials, money and sacrifices to help (even though they were largely unwilling) and even the king of Assyria assisted them.

The LORD had filled the Jews "with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work of the house of the God of Israel." (Ezra 6:22).

When God gives us a task, big or small, he will provide the resources to help do it. I am sure the Jews didn't expect help from such a strange source, but there it was! When they needed it, God gave them help - and it wasn't even from their own people! Who knows how God will work in our situations? The exciting part of faith is waiting to see.
 

THE GREAT GOD

He could have written anything to describe God. He could have said, "The God of the Jews," "The Lord," "The God of Jerusalem," or "the God of Israel," but he used none of those terms. When Tattenai wrote his letter to King Darius to try and get the Jews to stop building the temple, he began it like this: "The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God." (Ezra 5:8).

I can imagine the phrase, "The Great God" being used by people who worship God, but here was someone who was trying to discredit God's work to a pagan king, and yet calling Him "The Great God."

What a reputation our God has! Not only is He considered the Great God among those who worship Him, but even by those who are not interested in Him, His reputation is considered Great.

We might be worshippers of God, but how do we view Him? Would we describe Him as the Great God? And is His reputation as the Great God what we show to the people around us?

6:3     The decree of Cyrus had always been in the place since the days of Cyrus. Forgotten until God was read for the next stage  His plan.

5:3    The work had lain undone for some years. So it is not surprising that the Jews were challenged when the re-commenced building. But now, as it was the time God had decreed that the house would be built, the opposition was fruitless.

6:2     Given that Darius says of God that he had caused His name to dwell in Jerusalem one wonders whether he had been apprised of what was said in Deut 12:11

6:22 The people had finished building the house – 6:15 – which clearly pleased God. So the heart of the king of Assyria was “turned” to favour the Jews.  We are reminded of the Proverb Prov 16:7

5:6-17  The letter send to Darius simply restates what Darius had given Israel permission to do with the appeal that Darius check the validity of the claims and counter claims. There is no appeal for military action presumably because those Jews in the land trusted God.

ENCOURAGERS

What does it take to be an encourager? At a time when nothing was happening at all in the rebuild of God's temple, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah began to encourage the people. "Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadek set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them." (Ezra 5:1-2)

The great things about these encouragers was that they did more than just encourage.

Firstly, they pointed the people to a higher authority, a cause worthy of life, when they prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

Secondly, they were not scared to speak out even though all the trends pointed to the opposite of what they were encouraging the people to do.

Thirdly, they encouraged other leaders to help in the motivating of the general people.

And lastly, they joined in the work themselves. They were not just paying lip service, but actually getting their own hands dirty.

Let us be great encouragers, as Haggai and Zechariah were. Let us be those who motivate others to serve the Lord and to serve him wholeheartedly.

6:9-10 Notice that Darius was not simply concerned that the temple be re built as some monument of a bygone age.  Darius wanted the system of worship to be reinstated also.

5:1    We should realise that this chapter follows on from chapter 4. The chapter division is unhelpful. Cyrus had completed his God given task and so the work stopped. But now the time for the rest of the work of building the temple had come. God moved Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people now the time was right for the work to re-commence.

Motivating words

When it says Jeshua and Zerubbabel "rose up" in 5v2, there's a whole bunch of meaning behind it. It implies they were sat down doesn't it? Or even horizontal. Looking at v1 we can assume their change of heart had something to do with the words of Haggai and Zechariah, because of the link word "so" in v2.

Q: Can you find in the books of Haggai and Zechariah what words these prophets used to make Jeshua and Zerubbabel get up and work?

Q: What lessons can we learn for ourselves?

Ezra 5:2 - "Zerubbabel" [(2217) means "sown in babylon" and emphasizes Christ's origin was as a human with all the human inclinations to frailty (Heb 4:15)] and "Shealtiel" [(7598) means "I have asked of God" emphasizes how God's Son frequently prayed to his Father (1Thess 5:17)] were in the (Matt 1:12) genealogy.

Ezra 6:6 - as previously mentioned, "Tatnai" [(8674) means "gift" and Jesus was a gift from God, a temple of sorts (John 2:19,21), Christ's sacrifice offers his followers freedom from sin and death] and "Shetharboznai" [(8370) means "star of splendour" (Num 24:17;Matt 2:2,7,9,10)]; Jesus was surrounded by "companions" who employed treachery, false accusations, and "Apharsachites" [(671) means "I will divide the deceivers" - and at the trial of Jesus his false accusers were divided along with Judas being literally divided (Mark 14:55-56;Acts 1:18;John 6:70)].

Ezra 6:14 - son of "Iddo" [(5714) means "His witness" - perhaps this reminds us of God witnessing the sacrifice of His only Son and the rebuilding of the temple of his body in three days that would give people hope].

Ezra 6:20 - words such as "purified, pure, killed, the Passover, for all the children of the captivity" perhaps reminds us that through the sacrifice/killing of the perfect lamb, the sins of believers are forgiven and upon Christ's return his "children" will be freed from captivity to sin and death.

Ezra 6:21 - "...children separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen..." and this perhaps reminds us that Christ's true children have to separate themselves from the uncleanness of this world (Gal 1:4;2Cor 6:17;James 1:27).

Ezra 6:22 - Christ is the unleavened uncorrupted true bread of eternal life (Matt 16:6,11,12;John 6:47-51;Acts 2:27,31).

6:4 Even down to the description of the stones and timber the decree matched the things which Solomon did. See 1Kin 6:36

5:1,2 All facets of governance were working together: prophets; civil governor; and high priest.

5:3 Tatnai means gift. He was the Persian governor of the area west of the Euphrates. Shethar-boznai means star of splendour. He was a Persian officer.

5:6 The Apharsachites (KJV) were transplanted people whom the Assyrians placed in Samaria.

6:2 The Persians were good record keepers. This would fit their philosophy of immutable laws (Dan 6:8).

6:5 Taking the things that had been sacked by Nebuchadnezzar to Jerusalem must have been done with pomp and ceremony by Darius – though that is not mentioned here. The adversaries of Israel would have been really angry at the involvement of Darius in this work. It would have given a stamp of approval that they had sought to avoid in the letter sent to thwart the work – Ezra 4:11-16

5:2 The Chief Levitical priest Jeshua (Joshua) is an important person to remember when trying to make sense of Jude 1:9 (see my notes on Jude for June 20 and Dec 20).

If we understand the situation when the exiles returned to Jerusalem, then we will understand the New Testament reference. At this time, there were some disgruntled individuals who claimed to be priests. But, because they had no family records to support that claim, they were denied the right to act as priests (2:61,62).

These individuals became discontented with the denial and put up a fuss with Jeshua. Jeshua (whose name means Savior) is the same name as Our Lord, Jesus being the Greek form of Jeshua. (Michael is a synonym for the Lord Jesus).

The dispute over the body of Moses (i.e. the Law, particularly with regard to the priesthood), is what the children of Habaiah, Koz, and Barzillai were engaged in.

5:2 When they began to build they had the encouragement of a prophet of God – Hag 2:18

THE GREAT GOD

5:2 When we read of ‘the prophets of God helping …’ in the building we may think of them ‘getting their hands dirty’ with physical work. Doubtless they did. However the prophet would have more effect with words of encouragement from God coupled with the physical work of building. We should be the same. Not just saying things need doing but also doing them also. Unlike the Pharisees who said and did not – Matt 23:3

5:4  Tatnai, in requesting the names of those who were building forced Joshua and the others to advertise their commitment to the work. They were not able to work for God secretly.

6:15  The work on the house started on the 24TH  day of the 7th month of the second year of Darius  Hag 1:14 and was finished on the third day of the twelfth month of the sixth year which means that the house was being built for over three years. We should not think that anything of value will be completed quickly in our own ecclesial life.

Points of interest in this account:

5:2,14 Sheshbazzar was the Persian name for Zerubbabel.

6:2 Achmetha (Ecbatana) was the summer capital of Persia.

6:1 Darius was Darius Hystaspes.

6:14 Haggai and Zechariah were contemporary with Confucius.

6:15 The temple was finished in Adar (March), 515 BC.

God was again making a huge effort for Israel. Ezra 5:1 says that the 2 prophets Haggai and Zechariah were prophesying, and at the same time Jeshua the priest and Zerubbabel the mayor were trying to bring the people back to God. The comment at the end of Ezra 5:2 is one also to encourage us: that the 2 prophets also helped in the physical building work. Sometimes we speak, and sometimes we build.

5:5 In saying God's "eye" was upon the work the people were alluding to Deut 11:12 where we learn that God's eyes are always on the land of Israel.

6:1  Searching the "house of the rolls" was not a trivial event. Darius was not even searching for things that he had decreed. He found the decree of Cyrus - who he had overthrown. However, maybe surprisingly, Darius wishes to ensure that Cyrus' decree is upheld.

Ezra 6:3-5 - In 538 B.C. Cyrus the Great, emperor of the Persian Empire, issued an edict (Ezra 1:2-4) this allowed the Israelites in exile in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. An effort was made to begin rebuilding the temple under an official named Sheshbazzar, (Ezra 5:15-16) also under Zerubbabel, (Zech 4:9.) but it appears the work was stopped due to opposition from persons who had not been in exile and the local officials. (Ezra 4:21.)  It was after the death of both Cyrus and his son Cambysees that Darius became king. It was at this point that God raised Haggai and Zechariah to finish the rebuilding of the temple.

5:2 We are now at the 9th month of the second year of the year of Darius (see Haggai 2:18 ) so we have moved on quite some time (about 17 years) from the initial return under Cyrus.

6:21 That some had to separate themselves from the filthiness of the heathen demonstrates that even though the return from Babylon was a fairly recent event some in the nation slipped back into the ways of the nations which was the very reason why Israel were taken captivity to Babylon. Herein is a powerful lesson for us. It is so easy to slip back into the ways of the world even if we can still remember our deliverance from 'Egypt'

5:10 That Tatnai asked the names of those who were working in the temple was designed to cause consternation in the hearts of those Jews. They were going to be reported by name to Darius - and this, so it was thought - would cause them to refrain from the work. Such intimidation of the servants of God is common throughout history. We should learnt the lesson from these faithful men and women. Our God is bigger than all of the world's leaders.

6:7-9 So the letter from Tatnai backfired upon him. Not only did Darius allow the work to continue. He provided out of the king's wealth material for the work!

6:11 - The threat to have one's house made a dunghill was repeated in Dan.3:29 . Maybe it was a current phrase at the time.

5 v. 5 - The eye of God is used sparingly but significantly in scripture and is worth a moment's thoughtful meditation, as it reminds us that, although the eye of God perceives everything that is sinful about us, nevertheless the reason for his perceptive observance is that of a caring Father. Ps.32:8, 33:18, 34:15, 1Pet.3:12

Relationship Between Dates In Haggai and Zechariah and the relationship with Ezra

Ezra 4:24 / 5:1 marks the beginning of the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah

Haggai 1:1 2nd year Darius 1st day 6th month
Haggai 2:1 2nd year Darius 21st day 6th month
2nd year Darius 8th month Zechariah 1:1
Haggai 2:10 2nd year Darius 24th day 9th month
Haggai 2:20 2nd year Darius 24th day 9th month
2nd year Darius 24th day 11th month Zechariah 1:7
4th year Darius 4th day 9th month Zechariah 7:1
again the word of God came Zechariah 8:1
and the word of the LORD came Zechariah 8:18
Temple Finished
6th year Darius 3rd day 12th month Ezra 6:15

ch. 6 The foundation was laid on the 24th day of the 9th month of the second year of Darius Haggai 2:18 and was completed on 3rd day of the 12th month of the 6th year of Darius Ezra 6:15 so it took about 4 and a quarter years to complete the work.

7:8-9  A consequence of associating with “the people” – that is those who were not Jews was the reson that they had turned away from Yahweh. But those very ones they mixed with, rather than being a source of wealth robbed the people. Whilst they might have robbed them of material things the more serious thing was that they had robbed Israel of fellowship with God.

The warning is clear for ourselves. Friendship with the world is the enemy of  God –James 4:4

7:3-4 It seems that the objective of the nation was to satisfy the king sitting on the throne, As long as the king was pleased with them they were happy. No need for much effort. Just do enough seems to have been the approach Israel took. However they forgot that their king, in reality, was God. So, in fact, they were as we might say today “half baked”

Do we seek to do as little as possible to please our Father? Or do we seek to go above and beyond what we might consider the basic minimum to please Him?

7:2God remembers the sin and iniquity of His people until they repent. When repentance is seen then things are very different. God will remember their sins no more –Jer 31:34 but will “cast them behind his back” – Isa 38:17

7:14notice the contradiction. The people thought they were appealing to God but were rebelling against Him at the same time. That they had turned away from God is clear. That is why He was chastening them. So they called to Him for mercy at the same time as they were rebelling. True repentances is seen in a changed way of life.

7:2    Notice it was “in their hearts” that Israel did not consider. The laws should have been in their hearts – Deut 6:6 – as their instruction. However they had shut out God’s word so they could pursue those things that pleased them.

7:5    Whilst this reads as if wine was being liberally distributed and bringing sickness we should consider that the “wine” was false doctrine and idol worship.

7:10     “Pride” is just the thing that God does not want to see in His people. It produces behaviour which is totally unacceptable to God. This is because the proud man thinks he can make up his own rules for life. This is just the cause of the problems in Sodom – Eze 16:49

7:1   God’s willingness to “heal” Israel indicates that they were sick and yet He still wanted to save them. That is rather like the way in which Jesus died for us when we were sinners – Rom 5:8

7:15       Israel’s ongoing problem was that they did not recognise that it was their God who had provided all they needed. We should not look smugly at Israel’s failure. Rather we should examine our own motivation. In what do we place our trust? Do we recognise that all we have is given to us by God?

7:2   In saying that their doings had beset them about God is saying that sinful behaviour begets sinful behaviour. Once one is set on a course of sin it is easier to continue on that road. We should take careful note of that when we consider a sinful act. 

Verse 3 is odd isn't it?

"They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies."

The explanation is in v7. Whenever there were Godly or straight talking rulers or judges, the people of Ephraim had killed or exiled them. The king they did have, they manipulated with wine (v5). This resulted in leaders who reflected the people's own wickedness, and responded favourably only to folly and ungodly behaviour. Can you imagine the state that this nation was in, if their king and magistrates were this corrupt?

7:12        In saying that He will judge them according “as their congregation hath heard” the inspired prophet is reminding the nation that punishments had already been spoken of in Deuteronomy 28 that would come upon Israel if they were disobedient. In particular here  Hosea is drawing attention to Deut 28:15

Hos 7:8,11,16.

Hosea packs his warnings in this chapter with a number of pretty vivid metaphors comparing wayward Israel to various things. What are some exhortational points to be taken from the following metaphors?

v. 8 - a flat cake not turned over

v. 11 - a dove, easily deceived and senseless

v. 16 - a faulty bow

v. 8. My cooking experience is definitely limited, but I do know that in doing pancakes (one thing I do make!), if you let it cook on one side and never flip it over, then it's obviously raw on one side; burnt on the other - and therefore inedible. In the analogy, God wanted Israel to be a nation he could have delight in - one, in the figure of speech, that was cooked just right so as to give Him pleasure. In a similar analogy in Rev. 3 with the ecclesia at Laodicea, Jesus describes them as like a liquid that is lukewarm and ready to be spit out of his mouth, i.e. unpalatable. In that passage (Rev 3:15,16) he actually says that he wishes they were either hot or cold, indicating that either would have been acceptable. But since they were neither, then bad things would soon happen. I know that the concept of "lukewarm" there has been interpreted by some to equate to being indecisive - like a fence-sitter. But I personally don't think that really fits with what he is saying with the words - "I wish you were either one or the other (i.e. hot or cold)." The better idea, I think, is that he was desiring them to be spiritually tasty to him (either hot or cold) and sadly, they weren't.

v. 11. The fickleness or flightiness of the dove is being brought out here. In observing them, there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why they fly here and there, this direction and that one. And so with Israel there was never any really good logical reason for their seeking alliances with Egypt and Assyria when God was right there to be their help and salvation all along. It is interesting that the dove which is generally used in Scripture in a very positive way as a symbol (see Matt 10:16; Matt 3:16) is used in the opposite way here. Similarly with the serpent which is used so often as a symbol for sinners going back to the events in the Garden of Eden, but is used in a positive analogy by Jesus in one of those Matthew passages - 10:16 - "be wise as serpents."

v. 16. The point of this analogy has to be that a faulty bow is really absolutely good for nothing (as my dad used to say). So it really does need to be destroyed so as not to tempt someone to use it in a time of crisis and have it backfire. Also wouldn't its backlash cause some serious pain to the one attempting to use it? So the same was true with Israel. Its purpose was to glorify God. If it doesn't serve its purpose as a nation, should it really exist any longer? And so with the northern 10 tribes at this time, they were soon to be taken into captivity to Assyria and cease to exist as a nation. Isn't this the basic idea - the faulty bow and implicitly what needs to be done with it - at the core of Jesus' analogy of the salt having lost its saltiness (Matt 5:13)? And there again, the worthlessness of this kind of salt is shown by what is done with it - being thrown out and trampled on.

Hos 7:10-11 – Why are Israel described as a silly dove? The prophet tells us that his wayward people did “not return to the Lord their God” (Hos 7:10).  They called for support from the nations around them, Egypt and Assyria, instead of relying on the Lord.  Israel were invited to contrast their reliance on the nations with that of the dove Noah sent forth from the ark to see if the waters were abated (Gen 8:8).  Noah’s dove assessed the situation and returned to the ark because she “found no rest her foot”.  “Noah put forth his hand and pulled” the dove into the safety of the ark (Gen 8:9).  God’s love and care was there for His people yet they did not want it.  “The pride of Israel testified to his face” (Hos 7:10), “they were without heart” (Hos 7:11), that is without will or intellect to do what was for their own spiritual well being. A powerful exhortation for us not to be like “silly doves” in our relationship with God.

7:16    Hosea tells us that the people had said that they would return to God – Hos 6:1– but now we realise that promise was an empty promise. It was all a show as the people did not know how to worship God properly.

7:4-5    God had told Hosea what he was going to do and the prophet responds saying that he feels that Israel would struggle to respond faithfully to what God was going to do. Thus we see the prophet pleading for the people. The prophets were not merely mouthpieces for God. They had emotions which we see from time to time and invariably they are pleading for the nation.

7:1 So God had thought to redeem Israel. However on examination the sins were so bad and un repented of that God could not forgive. So we see that God seeks to deliver, but requires a response from the one to whom deliverance is offered.

V.1 Israel was spoiled from within by it own princes; and from outside by the Assyrians.

V.3 The king was Jeroboam II, the son of Joash. Jeroboam was the fourth and last king promised to Jehu’s line (2Kin 10:30).

Vs.4,6,7 An oven is used as a simile to describe Israel. This oven is constantly burning beyond its intended use. Israel’s desire for idolatry far exceeded the surrounding nations' idolatry.

V.11 Israel showed naiveté in seeking allies in Egypt and Assyria. Both of these nations would turn and do harm to Israel.

V.12 When Israel seeks help from Egypt and Assyria, Yahweh will make sure that those nations will turn and harm Israel.

7:14 We might have thought that one cried to God with one's mouth but the prophet uses the word ‘heart’ making the point that the words might have been there but the way that they thought was astray from Him. Prov 23:7

v9 Strangers devouring strength and him not knowing it reminds us of Samson (Judg 16:20 and clearly shows where our strength is from) who also mixed himself among the people as Ephraim did in v8. Mixing, the root of this problem.  We also see the phrase 'he knoweth it not' appears twice in this verse, they were spiritually asleep.  Pray we do not slide into the same and 'knoweth it not' and wake up too late as Samson did, and as Jesus exhorted lest 'that day comes upon us unawares' Luke 21:34, 1Thess 5:6-8.

V.8 Israel is described as a cake not turned (KJV). In modern parlance the phrase is half-baked. This phrase is a common colloquial English expression meaning not completely planned; not thorough; foolish.

7:10 The rather unusual phrase ‘testifieth to his face’ is speaking about fellowship. God spoke ‘face to face’ with Moses – Exo 33:11 - but He could not ‘face’ Ephraim because of their sins.

7:12 Even though Ephraim is identified as a silly dove, we see the Lord's love towards them was such that he would not allow them to find anything stable, He would cast His net over them, He would never allow them to go their way for long. We would suggest that this also applies to spiritual Israel.

7:8 In saying Ephraim was ‘mixed himself among the people’ the prophet quotes Psa 106:35 where David speaks of the disaster of Israel’s behaviour after coming out of Egypt.

There are some lovely figures of speech in today’s chapter. For example, Hos 7:6 speaks of a baker’s oven, with the fire hot and the stones ready for baking, but the baker falls asleep. He sleeps all night , and then when he wakes in the morning the bread is burnt and the whole oven is alight. What a waste of good bread! What a waste, too, of God’s Law and Love to Israel!

REFUSING HELP
 
He wanted to, but he couldn't.  There are some things God will not do.  This was one of them.  God said, "Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people, whenever I would heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed." (Hos 6:11 - 7:1)  And later he says, "I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me." (Hos 7:13)
 
The problem was that Israel refused to change.  We can almost see the tears in God's eyes when his heart goes out to his people as they are dying in their sin, but they push him away and refuse the help and salvation he could offer.  God wanted to save them but they refused.  They enjoyed their life of sin.
 
Has God ever wanted to do the same for us but we refused his help?  Our immediate action will be to say, "No! Of course not!"  We would never push God away completely, as Israel did, refusing any help he offered to give us.  There are parts of our lives that we allow to be completely transparent to God.  But are there areas we don't want God to see into?  Are there sins we privately enjoy and don't want to give up?  Are there some things we don't want him to see?  If there are areas like that in our lives, we, like Israel, are pushing God away.  Instead let's open up, let him in to purify us and cleanse us from our sin, and to help us to prepare for and accept the salvation he has offered.

7:3 Doesn't is seem strange to say that the king was delighted with the wickedness of the people? Rom 1:23 presents a similar picture. We might call it the pleasures of sin Heb 11:25

Hos 7:1. God is a healer. Israel refused help. First stage of healing is the recognizing of sin. We must always be fully aware of the need we all have of requiring the healing hand of God.

Hos 7:9-10. Because of their blindness they could not see their sin. To make matters worse, they are also getting older and still could not see or were prepared to accept the fact that they desperately need help. They are too proud to return to LORD God. We all must see that we do not fall in the same state of affairs.

Hos 7:16. We have in this verse a very important lesson for all of us. We all know from history that Israel did indeed return to worship, but it was not a sincere return. All we have to is to read from Malachi’s prophesy the series of questions that were asked.(Mal 1:2, 1:6, 1:7, 2:14, 2:17, 3:7, 3:8, 3:13.) We must at all times take preventative action to make sure we do not fall in their ways.

7:14 The time of the Judges was a time when Israel, in her distress, called unto God - but now they do not even do that. But notice that God was looking for a cry 'from the heart'. As Israel became more rebellious their actions became more ritualistic. They were merely actions. Are there things we do in our worship which are just a formality?

v.2 - As believers we must remember that God sees and hears our every move and word and thought. Those who do not believe are for the moment free of this concept but it will be to their ultimate detriment.

7:1-2 Despite the fact that God was chastening Israel to cause them to return to Him it is clear that they did not see God at work in their lives. They would respond for a while and then turn away from serving Him.

v.11 - the word here translated 'silly' ( 06601 - pathah ) is elsewhere translated entice (eg. Exo.22:16 ), deceive (eg .Deut.11:16 ), persuade (eg. 1Kings 22:20-22 ), flatter (eg. Psa.78:36 ). This gives us the meaning we are searching for, which the word 'silly' no longer portrays in our modern language. It also gives us some useful exhortation regarding our own attitudes.

7:8 mixed himself among the people Psalm 106:35
7:11 do not return to the Lord Isaiah 9:13
7:12 as the congregation hath heard Deuteronomy 28:15
7:14 and they have not cried unto me 1 Kings 8:35

7:11 & 8:9 'They are gone to Assyria' Isaiah [chapter 8] - a contemporary prophet with Hosea - condemns Israel [the Northern kingdom] for their attempts to appease the Assyrians. As Isaiah says - 8:6 - 7 - the going to seek help and not turning to Him demonstrates their unfaithfulness.

25:21  As a Roman citizen Paul had the right to appeal to Caesar. Not that Paul was simply seeking freedom. He was seeking further opportunities to preach the gospel in an environment where the legal system was corrupt – for the Romans knew of the plot the Jews had to kill Paul and they knew also that Paul had no charges to answer.

25:4  The Jews had already planned to kill Paul - 23:15. We might conclude that Festus was aware of that plan and so was suspicious of the motives behind the desire that Paul could be taken to Jerusalem.

25:18   Nothing could be clearer. As far as the Romans were concerned Paul did not have a case to answer. That should have been the end of the matter. However God was at work and it had to be that Paul was to go to Rome. So Paul, who the Jews were seeking to kill, receives safe passage to Rome under the guard of the Roman state army!

25:23 that there was much pomp indicates that they were not particularly interested in what Paul had to say. Rather it was, form their perspective, a bit of entertainment in their day. Entertainment hat they could indulge in because of their status in the Roman political system.

25:23 that there was much pomp indicates that they were not particularly interested in what Paul had to say. Rather it was, form their perspective, a bit of entertainment in their day. Entertainment hat they could indulge in because of their status in the Roman political system.

26:1      That Paul answered for himself probably was a strange thing for a prisoner to do. Doubtless they would have someone to speak on their behalf to try and minimise the charges of present the prisoner in a good light. But not so with Paul. The evidence would be sufficient for the case. The outcome was, actually, in God’s hand.

25:2-3  Even though Paul was now in prison and could not move around preaching the gospel the Jews were still not happy. So they seek a “favour”. The very use of the word indicates that they realised that they did not have a legal case against Paul.

Acts 25:10,11

“… I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged… I appeal unto Caesar.”

An appeal is a petition for re-hearing a case from a lower court to a higher court for a final decision. Appeal is # <1941>, epikaleomai, “call upon.” Paul was not against using the judicial system; what he was against was brethren bickering over the smallest matters among themselves and choosing to go to a court of law, rather than settling  issues that didn’t necessitate using the law (1Cor 6:1-6).

The principle of appeals made from a lower to a higher court was actually introduced by Moses’ father-in-law to which Moses harkened (Exo 18:22-26). Cases too difficult for the lower courts to judge were brought before the higher court be they judge or ruler (Deut 17:8,9; Judg 4:5). Jehoshaphat delegated his judicial authority to a court permanently established for the purpose of appeals (2Chron 19:7,8). These courts were re-established under Ezra (Ezra 7:25).

Respecter of persons blinds justice and is forbidden (Lev 19:15; cf. Prov 17:15). Festus was motivated by a pleasure to do the Jews a favour (Acts 25:3,9; cp. Acts 24:5-7). Festus wanted Paul’s trial to continue, but with a change of venue and jurisdiction to Jerusalem. In proposing this change of venue, which involved an illegal change of jurisdiction, he would, indeed, grant the Jews a favour! The Sanhedrin had jurisdiction in Jerusalem to handle religious matters (vv. 19,20), and Festus would have ratified their decision (v. 9). Festus was no friend of Paul and by handing him over to the Jews meant certain death!

Paul knew Festus’ subtlety; he also knew the Jews wanted him dead (v. 3), and Festus’ proposal to send the case to Jerusalem was illegal. Under these circumstances, Paul, being a Roman citizen, availed himself of an appeal from the lower court of Festus’ tribunal to the Emperor Augustus Caesar at Rome who alone could rule on appeal cases (cf. vv. 12,21,25). Once Paul appealed, his chance for an acquittal was gone (Acts 26:32), neither Festus nor the Jews had any further authority to try him let alone put him to death.

Paul used the judicial system to protect himself and it was through the judicial system that he was transported to Rome where he was to testify before Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites who dwelt there (Acts 9:15).

25:6      “The hope of the promises made …” is presented – Acts 28:20 – simply as “the hope of Israel”.

26:14 Whilst the three accounts – Acts 9:3-7, 22:6-11 and here - of what happened on the road to Damascus they are all identical in this respect. Paul recounts what Jesus said to him “Saul Saul why persecutes thou me …” indicating that even though  the way in which Paul speaks of the event different because of the needs of his audience the importance of the persecution which Saul was involved in and the change of his approach was important.

LIVING WITNESS

It is interesting to note the way Paul talks to different people as he shares Jesus with the world. In the case of Paul's defence before Agrippa, Paul started at the beginning of his life, and showed from the events in his life the way God had worked through him. He clearly showed the way God had called him as an unbeliever, how he had miraculously turned to God, how his life had been changed around, and how he had stayed committed to his new calling from that time until now. Paul also showed by his own example of being in chains for the gospel of Christ, that the message of the cross was a powerfully convicting one that he could never give up on no matter what the circumstances were.

As his words had an obvious effect on his listeners, King Agrippa responded, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" (Acts 26:28). This had given him something serious to think about.

Like Paul's testimony impacted his hearers, so our testimony of how God has worked in our lives, how we have been changed by him, and how determined we are to live for Christ no matter what, can make a big difference in the lives of those who hear us. Not all of us are theological experts, but we can tell what God has done in our lives, and our witness can have powerful effect!

Let us tell someone what God has done today.

25:12  Festus was not really interested in doing the right thing for Paul. He tried to off load the problem by sending Paul to Jerusalem. This did not work and now, even though Paul has demonstrably done nothing wrong, Festus off loads the problem by his willingness to send Paul to Rome.

Notice in chapter 26 that Paul once again uses the story of his own conversion to try to persuade someone to follow Jesus. When we talk to people about Jesus do we do the same?

26:31   Notice that Paul is not worth of either bonds or death.  Paul was told by Jesus that he would testify at Rome Acts 23:11 and now we see clearly how God was using the Roman power to ensure that Paul got there safely, despite the attempts of the Jews to kill him.

26:11 When Paul told Agrippa that he had persecuted the brethren in ‘cities’ we realise that the account of his journey to Damascus – Acts 9:3 – was not his first persecuting expedition.

26:25  Notice Festus is ‘most noble’ – Greek ‘most excellent’. This is the title used by Luke Luke 1:3 ‘most excellent Theophilus’ whereas later – Acts 1:1 the appellation ‘most excellent’ has been dropped maybe an indication that Theophilus has been baptised since the gospel of Luke was written to him.

Acts 26:14

“And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”

Saul’s conversion is recorded three times in the book of Acts, and all three differ somewhat, each adding to one account what was left out in another (Acts 9:3-9; Acts 22:6-11). Acts 9 establishes Saul’s conversion, and in Acts 22 and Acts 26 we have the Saul's own testimony. The above highlighted words are found in the Greek Codex E for Acts 9:4, not verse 5. The Holy Spirit witnessing to its authenticity in preserving these words, while most Greek manuscripts did not.

Saul persecuted the Christians, and even though he was sincere in upholding and acting according to the law of Moses, having the “authority from the chief priest” to do so (Acts 9:13-14), he was wrong because they were now under the law of Christ, which he was about to learn (2Cor 3). He no longer had any authority for his actions.

“It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” is a proverb. “Pricks” in the Greek is kentron, # <2759>, and means, “(to prick); a point (“center”), i.e. a sting… or goad…” A goad is a spiked stick used to move and control an ox along while plowing. When an ox attempted to kick back against the goad, it would hurt him. The more the ox rebelled, the more it hurt. This proverb was familiar and known to the farmers at that time since they tilled their own soil. It taught that it is foolish to rebel against any powerful authority, which would only result in getting hurt. Its spiritual application taught that Saul in refusing the teachings of Christ rebelled against him and God, and was kicking against the goads! Solomon wrote in Prov 13:15, “…the way of transgressors is hard.” When we are disobedient and rebellious against God, we are only hurting ourselves.

This passage is not intended to portray Saul as a wild beast, but rather to an ox for which its master paid a heavy price and cares for. An ox is stubborn and needs to be broken in; it does not easily accustom itself to a yoke, but when broken in becomes a great service to its master. Saul had a lot of re-thinking to do, and his three days of blindness afforded him that time and opportunity (Acts 9:8-9). After this chapter, Saul is never again referred to by this name. He became the apostle Paul, purchased and redeemed by the precious blood of his Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

RESURRECTION

It all hangs on the resurrection. Even the Roman governor Festus was surprised as he cross examined Paul and the Jews who were accusing him. His summary of this trial went like this: "When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus who Paul claimed was alive." (Acts 25:18-19)

As Christians our faith should also hang on the resurrection. It is the resurrection that sets a Christian apart from every other religion.

Later on Paul said this "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1Cor 15:14) He also said, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost." (v.17-18) If we turn these statements around to read them in a positive light, we learn that it is only the resurrection of Christ that gives us hope and faith. It is the resurrection of Christ that is the guarantee that our sins are forgiven, and that eternal life is a reality for the future.

Lets praise God for the resurrection of Christ, and make sure we share this crucial fact of the resurrection of Jesus to everyone we meet.

25:10   That Paul ‘had done no wrong’ to the Jews was just the issue and the Jews had not presented any evidence. In fact their plan to kill Paul before any trial took place is an indication that  they actually knew that they did not have a case against Paul.

Acts 26:10 – Paul confesses before King Agrippa that in the past he persecute the Christians.  Paul was responsible for putting some in prison and others were put to death (Stephen Acts 22:20).  He “gave voice against them”.  The Greek word for “voice” (Strongs G5586) is the word meaning pebble.  The same Greek word is used in only one other place in the New Testament and is translated “stone” twice in Rev 2:17.  Paul gave his pebble in judgement and condemned some saints to death.  Jesus promises a white stone (or pebble) bearing a new name for those who are accepted by the Lord.  

26:6 Paul both defuses the accusation and preaches to Agrippa by saying that he believes the things promised to the Jewish fathers. In doing such he highlighted to the Romans the ‘hope of Israel’ was actually the Christian hope.

25:1 Festus Porcius succeeded Felix as the Procurator of Judea in 60 AD. He was appointed by Nero (54-68 AD) who succeeded Claudius after his death. It would be Nero who would (probably) have a hand in the death of Paul and many other believers in Rome.

25:21 There appears to be a problem here in the KJV. The Emperor Augustus had died in 14 AD. How could Paul appeal to him? Nero was now the Emperor.

The answer lies in the term Augustus itself, which means venerable. This term was applied as a common description of all emperors. We can see this by the full title of the Emperor Nero which was: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. The full title of the Emperor, commonly known as Augustus (63 BC-14 AD) was: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus.

25:22 Agrippa would have heard something about Christians because of his father’s exploits. Herod was set against Christians and had James killed.

26:2 Even in captivity Paul never ceased to preach and witness for Christ. This activity continued throughout his journey to Rome, and while in house-arrest there. Wherever, and under whatever circumstances, we find ourselves, there is the same opportunity, and we should be happy for it like Paul (Phil 4:11).

26:3 Agrippa’s father Herod was very zealous for the Law. Agrippa held office in the temple administration.

26:7 Twelve tribes are mentioned here and also in James 1:1. Clearly, the whole nation of Israel is included. This refutes any claim that some of the tribes were lost.

26:28 Agrippa was not about to become a Christian and give up his illicit lifestyle.

26:32 It was in Yahweh’s plan that Paul should go to Rome (Acts 23:11).

25:22 Agrippa’s desire to hear Paul himself was doubtless a desire to listen to this preacher rather than part of a desire to establish whether he was guilty of the crimes laid against him or not as it had already been established to the satisfaction of the Romans that he was not guilty Acts 23:29

25:13 The progeny of Herod the Great were not well behaved. Here we have Bernice breaking all relationship standards to satisfy her personal desires.

We recall that her aunt Herodias had an open affair with Herod Antipas while still being married to Antipas’ brother Philip. John the Baptist criticised that illicit affair, and it cost him his life (Matt 14:3,4,10).

Paul chose not to criticise Agrippa II and Bernice for their incestuous relationship. Yahweh had plans for Paul to go to Rome. This was not the time to be sidetracked from that goal. Perhaps we should take note for ourselves, that sometimes we should overlook an immediate offence if it interferes with a greater goal.

25:17 The phrase ‘without any delay’ is hardly true because he had ‘tarried among them more than ten days’.

26:9 Having, in verse 5, highlighted his Jewish Pharisaic background Paul now emphasises that he used to oppose the gospel, just as his accusers were doing now.

25:27 Even though Festus appears to want to release Paul; there are three obstacles that he could not overcome.                                                                                                                                      1) After spending two years as a prisoner, Paul now sees the opportunity to go to Rome, this is something he has wanted to do for some time (Acts 19:21)                                                               2) Paul, being a Roman citizen had the right to appeal to Caesar. Once an appeal was made, it had to be completed                                                                                                                                  3) It was God's Will that Paul should go to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). Nothing that Festus, or for that matter Agrippa could do would change the situation. Paul would go to Rome.

25:25 It seems to me that as there was nothing ‘worthy of death’ found in Paul there was no need for him to go to Caesar. Sending him on to Augustus was just another way of off loading the problem of Paul onto to someone else.

26:17-18 In talking about going to the gentiles and the forgiveness of sins Paul is making a direct appeal to a gentile – Agrippa.

25:13 King Agrippa was, in fact, Agrippa II, the great-grandson of Herod.  He was the last in the line of the Herods.  He and Bernice were both children of Agrippa I and were carrying on an incestuous relationship at this time.  Drusilla was the sister to these two (See note for yesterday's Acts reading). 

Bernice had been married a couple of times before (one marriage was to her uncle), and would be married again after her liaison with Agrippa.  Later (according to Tacitus, the Roman historian) Bernice would become Titus' mistress.                                  

26:28 Any contemplation of Agrippa's accepting Christ would have been quickly dissuaded by the self-indulgent floozy Bernice.

25:4 It says much for the justice of Roman law that Festus would not entertain the plan asked for by the Sanhedrin members.

25:9 If Paul had gone to Jerusalem the Jews would have killed him on the way. Festus knew this. This is why Paul appealed to Caesar. Not because he wanted to rely on the law of the land but rather to enable him to remain alive to care for the brethren.

26:32 Is it truly the case that the only thing that stopped Paul being set free was his appeal to Caesar?  Surely having been acquitted there was no need for him to be taken before Caesar. Does anyone know the way that Roman law worked on this point?

25:11 We saw in May that Paul was not interested in seeking his 'rights' so we must realise that the appeal to Caesar was not a matter of legal right to Paul. Rather it would afford him further preaching opportunities. If he had been released from Caesarea he would have been killed by the Jews upon his release and that would have been the end of his preaching.

26:8 The question 'why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead' continues the point made in earlier chapters that Paul was more concerned with preaching the gospel than defending himself in a court of law.

25:14 That Agrippa had been 'many days' with Festus before the issue of Paul was raised indicates that this meeting was more for personal interest than justice.

26:31-32 So the conclusion is that, like Jesus, the charges laid against him by the Jews are unfounded. It is important that we have the testimony of gentile rulers that this is so. No Jew can ever make the claim that the preaching of Jesus or Paul was illegal or against the state - which was the Jew's accusation. Actually it attacked their position - not what God had taught through Moses.

26 v. 2 - In the light of the comment above from Hosea, it is interesting to note the way that Paul chooses to flatter Agrippa here, knowing that he would interpret it one way when Paul meant it another. Agrippa, in his pride as a ruler, would feel that Paul considered himself ' happy ' (= blessed) just by being in his presence. This is clearly not the case, as Paul knew that there was a chance here to bring another to the truth, and hence his feeling of happiness. He knew Agrippa might possibly listen to the gospel, and so presented a more spiritual argument to him.

ch.25 - The discussion between Festus and Agrippa, and in particular the way that the issue was not raised for 'many days' Acts 25:13-14 and the way that Agrippa Acts 25:22 wanted to hear Paul indicates that neither of these men viewed the imprisonment of Paul as a major issue that had to be resolved. Such is the perverseness of man.

ch.26 -Festus was not very tolerant of Paul's preaching Acts 26:24 though maybe it was not designed for him. Paul directed a specific question at Agrippa. he asked him whether he believed the prophets and then continued by telling Agrippa that he knew of his faith in them Acts 26:27 . Doubtless this provides a practical explanation, at least, as to why he wanted to hear Paul.