Comments for August 12

v.8-10 - It seems that Solomon, having asked for wisdom, already does not seem to be applying it. We have to conclude from this and from his other writings that his wisdom was something that he learned gradually as his life progressed, and he learned it as a direct result of the experiences God gave him. If we pray for wisdom, we should expect the same type of answer - i.e. that we should be given experiences from which we can learn first hand of the futility of anything that is not of God. Eccles.1:14-18

Were it not for the assurance we are given in Neh.13:26, we might well wonder if this man loved God in the way that he claimed. Many folk have a problem with Solomon and his advice and the things which he did. The problem really is one of our own human nature. First we are jealous, and second we are disinclined to learn from the mistakes of others. The acts of Solomon took place, he tells us so often, that he might exposed the vanity of it all.

6:38 / 7:1 There is a contrast here. Whilst the temple took 7 years to build Solomon's house took 13 years. How do we think about this? Do we think that Solomon rushed building the temple? Or do we think that he was concerned that his own house was so special he took a long time to build it?

How we think on this matter might indicate whether we are judgemental of individuals or willing to ascribe good motives to the actions of others.

SECURITY AND STABILITY

One of the needs people would put at the top of their list for having a fulfilling life would be security and stability. Security and stability can span almost any area of the life we live. It could be our job, our health, our financial situation, our relationships, our homes or the physical security of being able to walk down the road without being attacked.

We spend time and money - lots of it - in trying to achieve security and stability. We install alarms, work harder, invest, take out insurance's and are cautious in building relationships, but there is really only one place we can find the security and stability we crave. It was found in Solomon's temple. Outside the doors of the temple were two pillars, and, in an unusual move, Solomon named them. Jakin and Boaz. Jakin means "He establishes," and Boaz means, "In his is strength" - security and stability. Between the pillars, through the doors, was the house of God.

The only place we can be established and have strength - security and stability - is with the LORD our God. Let's not let ourselves be short changed, but make the LORD our God our one stop shop as we search for security and stability.

There is a difference between the way in which Solomon prepared the stones for his house and the temple. He 'sawed' (1 Kings 7:9) the stones for his house whilst he used 'hammer and axe' (1 Kings 6:7) on the stones for the temple. Why?

There is a practical reason. Sawn stones are more porous that hewn stone. However there is a greater spiritual significance. Hewn stone take longer to prepare - marking the point that our God is willing to work on our characters to produce stones for His living temple.

7:51 The 'things which David had dedicated' are those things mentioned (2Sam 8:4-14)

V.1 The time occupied in building his palace was nearly double that spent in the erection of the temple 1Kin 6:38, because neither had there been the same previous preparations for it, nor was there the same urgency as in providing a place of worship, on which the national well being so much depended. 

May I just comment on the "molten sea"? (1Kin 7:23-26) This huge pond was 10 cubits = 15ft (or 5 metres) in diameter, and was 5 cubits high = 7 ½ ft or 2 ½ metres.  It then stood on the backs of the 12 oxen, which must have made it considerably higher (we are not told of the height of the oxen).   It was therefore a tremendously large reservoir. It held 2,000 baths. If 1 bath = 5 gallons, it therefore held
10,000 gallons, or 44,000 litres.
 

V.2 The house of the forest of Lebanon was a great hall in Solomon's palace in Jerusalem.  It was so called because of the extensive use of cedar in its construction.

Vs.13,14 Hiram, the half-Jew who lived in Tyre, was a skilled worker of bronze.  He is not to be confused with Hiram the King of Tyre.

7:48 In learning that Solomon made a table of gold for the shewbread we have to conclude that even though the tabernacle was standing at Gibeon some, at least, of the furniture that should have been within it was missing. Hence Solomon made replacements.

UNUSUAL TALENT

7:14 In learning that Hiram had a gentile father we see, in symbol, that the house of God is partly built of gentiles.

V.1 Solomon built his magnificent house, which probably contained three separate, but adjoining houses:  Solomon's palace; the house of judgement; the house for his Egyptian wife (which probably also contained apartments for the wives of his harem). 

The disturbing thing is that Solomon accommodated himself and his needs (some of which were questionable in Yahweh's eyes) before he started to build Yahweh's house. 

Also, Solomon's house was thirteen years in the making, as opposed to seven for the House of God (1Kin 6:8).  Do we put ourselves, and our needs, before the service of Yahweh?

7:7 There is no indication that Solomon had been told to make a throne for judgement or any indication where he should put such a throne. It is interesting that he did not put it in the temple (doubtless because the ‘pattern’ - 1Chron 28:19 - did not contain any such details.) Actually God was to be the judge and this should have been effected through the priesthood.

V.14 There seems to be a contradiction about the tribe of Hiram’s mother (2Chron 2:14). The probable explanation is that the woman was born of the tribe of Dan.  Then she married a man from the tribe of Naphtali.  Subsequently, she became a widow, and then married a man from Tyre.  But, the tribe of her married status carried forward as the tribe of her identification.

V.21 Jachin means he will establish (implying stability); Boaz means strength. Their height is given as 35 cubits (2Chron 3:15). 

The shortest measure for a cubit is 18 inches.  Therefore, by this reckoning, the pillars would have been 52.5 feet (13.3m).  But, this does not fit the rest of the building’s measurements.  And so, it becomes apparent that the 35 cubits mentioned is the combined measurement of both pillars.  Therefore, each pillar was 17.5 cubits (26.25 ft. or 6.65 m) in height.

V.23 To have some idea of the size of the molten sea in our measurements, here is a description from the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary: The molten sea was an immense semicircular vase, measuring seventeen and a half feet in diameter, and being eight and three-fourths feet in depth. This, at three and a half inches in thickness, could not weigh less than from twenty-five to thirty tons in one solid casting - and held from sixteen thousand to twenty thousand gallons of water.

Vs.38,39 Besides washing in the molten sea, the priests had other washing facilities in the temple (2Chron 4:6).

We all know that the circumference of a circle is 3.14 times the diameter. So v23 shows us that whilst Biblical measurements are accurate, they tend to be rounded off. So 10 x 3.14 should be 31.4 Cubits, and appears to have been rounded down to thirty.

1Kin 7:1 - Solomon's house took 13 years to build;  the number "13" is thought by some to represent sin and rebellion.

1Kin 7:13-14 - the chief architect of Solomon's temple was "Hiram" [(2438) means "noble"]; he was part Jew, part Gentile and he skillfully worked in bronze which is thought by some to refer to sin/flesh plus he was skillful with other materials (2Chron 2:13-14).

1Kin 7:15-22 - V.15 Gentiles were not allowed into the literal temple but is it possible the two bronze pillars echo righteous Jews and Gentiles in a sinful/fleshly mortal state who are called/chosen? Paul refers to the church as being the pillar and ground of the truth (1Tim 3:5;Gal 3:26-29) while Christ to John remarks he who overcometh will be a pillar in the temple (Rev 3:12);  V.16 is it possible the two chapiters, each of 5 cubits (the number "5" is thought by some to represent grace or mercy) represent grace and mercy to Jews and Gentiles who seek to obey God?; V.17 the number "7" is thought by some to refer to spiritual perfection or the (millenial) day of rest; Vs.18,20 might "pomegranates" [Heb. "rimmon" (7416) means "pomeganate, as a tree, as a fruit" and is derived from "raman" (7426) meaning "to rise, exalt, get up, life up, etc."] suggest seeds or offspring or the bride of Christ covered by Christ's sacrifice? (Song 4:12-15); Vs.19,22 might "lilies" [Heb. "shushan, shoshan, shoshannah" (7797) means "lily,whiteness, flower, trumpet"] suggest purity, the bride of Christ and/or the righteous fragrant garments of the bride of Christ? (Song 2:1-2;4:9-11); V.21 the meanings of "Boaz" [(1162) was likely part Jew and Gentile] and "Jachin" (3199) put together mean "fleetness and/or in him is strength - he (will) establish(es)" so perhaps there is the suggestion of God establishing a kingdom with Jews and Gentiles dwelling with Christ when he returns to earth (1Chron 17:11-14).

7:46   Whilst Hiram came from Tyre and the men he used must have been from Tyre the metal work was made in the land of Israel in the Jordan valley. There would have been two reasons for using this location. One is given – the ground was clay which lent itself to moulding. The other unstated is that this location is closer to Jerusalem than Tyre. It is worth noting, however, that transporting all that metal work from the plain to Jerusalem meant a steep uphill journey from the Jordan valley to the hill of Zion.

7:1-51    The way that the glory of God is described – see earlier comment -  adds a dimension to the description of the building. The building was a physical, inanimate, manifestation of God’s glory. In like manner the ecclesia is an animate manifestation of the glory of God – or at least it should be.

7:49     The temple which Solomon built was according to God’s instructions because he used the pattern that his father David had given him - 1Chron 28:11. However in a number of details the furniture differed from the tabernacle. Whilst the tabernacle has one “candlestick” Solomon’s temple had 10.

7:13   The mention of Solomon fetched Hiram from Tyre is a further indication of the extent of Solomon’s influence during his reign. Saul never controlled or had influence in the north of the land.

7:2   In telling us that Solomon built the house of the forest of Lebanon we might conclude that incidentally we realise that Solomon’s dominion and kingdom extended far north. He was not constrained, like Saul, to just the hill country in the centre of the land of Israel.

7:19,22             The word translated “lily” <7799>is used more times in the Song of Solomon that all other uses put together. We should be alert to words and ideas used to describe Solomon’s temple in the Song of Solomon. Once we build such a picture the song will become clearer to us.

7:1-12  This section is a digression about Solomon’s own house before the record returns to matters to do with the temple in verse:13.

7:46      we should give some consideration of the work involved in making the pillars and all the other items and then transporting them uphill all the way to Jerusalem.

7:51 How often do we start on a project but never finish it? We start with good intentions but for whatever reason form time to time our enthusiasm fails, other things get in the way of our commitment and the project lapses. Whatever else we fail in we must keep building the house of God – the family of believers.

7:47 Clearly Solomon could have weighed everything – but he did not – the point being that the magnificence of Solomon’s temple was beyond measure – a foretaste of what it will be like in the kingdom of God when Christ returns.

While it may seem that Solomon spent so much time on his own house and only half as much on the house of the Lord.  But we should not forget (this is alluded to in Bro. John Wilson;s earlier remark) David did almost all of the logistics of the House of the Lord and as to the manificence that God's house was designed too, I do not believe Solomon held back. Consider the instruction of David to Solomon to I think appreciate the amount of pre-work that had done and the vision David set for his son in building this house. In 1 Chr. 22 

7:14    the way in which Hiram is described as being filled with wisdom and understanding is like those who built the tabernacle –Exo 31:3 implying that God gave Hiram those skills for the specific purpose of helping build the temple in Jerusalem.

7:37  “one casting” seems to indicate that one mould was used for all of the bases.

7:46 We learn – Josh 3:15 - that Jordan broke it banks and, by implication, flooded the level land alongside he river near Jericho. So the fact that the brass pillars were cast in the clay is an evidence ot the reliability of the record. We might call it an undesigned coincidence within scripture. We do not learn why there was clay by Jordan here, but have to infer from elsewhere this detail.

v.1 - We are reminded that working for God is not a bed of roses. Jeremiah, in his ministry in God's name, suffered constantly at the hands of those around him. ch.37:21, 38:28 both refer to prison sentences that Jeremiah served as a direct result of doing God's work. We do well to remember this and expect the same treatment if God is preparing us for life in his kingdom. 2Tim.2:9

v.7-9 must have been great words for Jeremiah to hear in his desperate state shut up as he was in the prison, where he spent so much of the latter part of his life.

33:17 Whilst Jeremiah spoke of the demise of the king on the throne of David (Chapter  22) Jeremiah now speaks of the throne of David in very positive tones. He is clearly talking about the reign of Messiah.

:1 Jeremiah is now in prison - whilst the king doubtless looked upon this as a punishment it was probably the safest place for him to be at this time. He was preaching what many would see as treason so doubtless his life was at risk. The prison was God's provision for his safety. We should realise that our God cares for us in ways which we might not expect!

33:14-15 The 'good thing' is the 'branch of righteousness' which Jeremiah has already spoken of (Jer 23:6) which again is picked up in Zech 6:12

V.20 What a guarantee! Every one knows that the sun will rise in the morning. It is the same type of guarantee we have that the promises made to David (and to Abraham) will not, or can not, be broken  

THANKFULNESS
 
An attitude of thankfulness reduces the potential for a great number of sins.  Being thankful means that we appreciate what we have, and it reduces the temptation to covet, to steal, to become jealous, hateful, selfish and envious.  If we can cultivate thankfulness in our lives, it will also be shown to bless us in other ways with joy, gladness, peace, kindness and love.  And with the spirit of thankfulness we will also come closer to God as we love him more and spend more time in worship, praise, prayer and giving thanks.
 
Jeremiah predicted a time when Judah would again ring with joy and gladness and when people would again bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying, "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures for ever." (Jer 33:11)  A miserable and ungrateful person cannot truly say that.  Judah was already full of unthankful people - they were liars, greedy, idolaters and immoral.  But the whole tone of things was going to change when the people became thankful.
 
How thankful are we?  Do we constantly want more, or do we give thanks for what we already have?  Are we miserable and envious, or joyful and at peace because of our thankfulness for God's wonderful blessings on us?  Let's choose to be thankful today.

V.26 The seed of Jacob and David have not been cast away. The greater Son of David will reign over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (both natural and adopted) and fulfil the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3) and at the same time fulfilling the covenant made with David (2Sam 7:12-16).

There are no limits to God, (see Jer 33:1). Is Jeremiah in prison in a besieged city?  No problem!  God can reach him.

Vs.15,16 Yahweh, who cannot lie, has sworn that David's seed (Jesus) will possess his throne forever (Psa 89:3,4;Titus 1:2). This branch will preside over a peaceful Judah and Jerusalem.  What a wonderful consolation that should have been to Jeremiah's listeners had they had faith to see! 

And so, for us in this present world of turmoil, we can see the disintegration of society around us.  Nevertheless, if we can keep our minds on the coming Kingdom, we can weather any present storm. 

33:20  In drawing on the covenant of day and night as a basis for asserting that Israel will not be destroyed Jeremiah, by the spirit, is referring to the way that God spoke about the earth after the flood – Gen 8:22

33:7 If we are tempted to think that the regathering Jeremiah spoke of was fulfilled with the return from Babylon we are forced to realise that the return from Babylon was only a partial fulfilment. Jeremiah speaks of Israel and Judah which did not happen in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Only Judah returned on that occasion meaning that the complete fulfilment still awaits fulfilment in the future

33:1 this is the ‘second time’ that Jeremiah has spoken whilst he was shut up in prison. The first is recorded in Jer 32:2-3

V.10 Contrast the empty, desolate streets of Jerusalem, due to the Babylonian invasion, with the busy, joyous ones of the kingdom (v.11; Zech 8:4,5).

33:11 Those who will say ‘Praise the Lord ... for ever’ will be saying the words that were said when David brought the ark to Zion – 1Chron 16:34. Anyone who thought about what Jeremiah was saying would have taken great comfort from his words. The value is in knowing what God has already said.

V.1 Even though a man of God is held prisoner, the Word of God cannot be confined (Titus 2:9).

V.15 See Isa 9:6,7.

V.16 In the end times, nations will come up to war against Judah and Jerusalem. Jesus, the Redeemed, and the men of Judah will fight and overcome the enemy (Zech 12:7; 14:11,14).  Then, peace will ensue (Zech 9:10).

V.20 See Gen 1:16; Psa 74:16;136:7-9.

V.24 The phrase, The two families (KJV) refers to Israel and Judah.

The Branch in v15 will be familiar to us from Isa 11:1. It refers to the promises to David of a son to sit on his throne (see Isa 11:1-5, 2Sam 7:12-16). It is a very far reaching prophecy which initially encompassed Solomon, then Hezekiah, and now another. It continues in verses 15 to 22 to speak of someone after Jeremiah's time. Interestingly, we learn something more about this prophecy here, namely that the son would have both a kingly and priestly role (v21-22). This was fulfilled again in the combined roles of Jeshua and Zerubbabel in Zech ch. 3 - 6, where again the Branch prophecy is mentioned in 3:8 and 6:12. So God's purpose is not revealed instantly in scripture, but gradually. Just as in our lives it will be revealed gradually, if we really want to know it.

Jer 33:14-15 First Principles>Sure mercies of David>King
The Branch is the Lord Jesus Christ who will be the King to sit on David's throne. For more about the King, go to 2Sam 7:12-16.

Jer 33:17 First Principles>Sure mercies of David>King
David shall never want a man because Jesus Christ will sit on David's throne for ever. For more about the King, go to 2Sam 7:12-16.

33:8 Again we see that Israel are to be ‘cleansed’ from their sins. Further Old Testament evidence that Israel will be a nation of mortals in the kingdom when Christ returns.

33:21  The ‘covenant with David’ is that which is recorded in 2Sam 7:12-17 and confirmed in Psa 89:34. It is the promise that Messiah will come of the line of David.

33:25-26     We cannot over emphasise this challenge that God gives. Israel will continue to exist as long as day and night.

33:5   In speaking of His “anger” and saying “I have hid my face” Jeremiah is reminding his audience of the chilling words of Deut 32:20

33:17  On the last chapter – Jer 32:40 – Jeremiah had spoken about an everlasting covenant. That point is now emphasised. Despite Judah’s faithless behaviour God’s plan will not be thwarted. 

33:15  The idea of a righteous branch of God’s provision is seen many times in the Old Testament before Jeremiah said these words. The first being PPsa 80:15.

33:14  Notice that this promise will be fulfilled in Israel and Judah.  Not when Judah returns from Babylon. This is a prophecy about a time yet future as we see in verse :7. In fact you should look for other times in Jeremiah’s prophecy for similar language to help to build a picture from  Jeremiah’s words of the final restoration.

OUTLINE OF JEREMIAH

PART TWO -- THE PROPHECIES TO JUDAH (JEREMIAH 2:1 to 45:5)

III. The Future Restoration of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 30:1 to 33:26)

   D. Reconfirming the Covenant (Jeremiah 33: 1-26):

      1. Jer 33:1-8 - The restoration of the people to the land: V2 God made the earth; V3 God is the source of all knowledge; V5 Jerusalem to be conquered; VS 6-7 God will heal His people and will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity; Zech 14:3,5 then God will fight against Jerusalem's adversaries and the saints will come too; V8 God will cleanse and forgive.

      2. Jer 33:9-13 - The restoration of the land to prosperity: V9 Jerusalem then will receive prosperity and peace; V11 "the voices of the bride and bridegroom (i.e. the Messiah Jesus Christ)...I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before".

      3. Jer 33:14-26 - The restoration of the Davidic king (VS 14-26 is not found in the Septuagint and some regard it as an appendix of unknown origin): VS 14-16 God's promises fulfilled to the house of Israel and Judah, and Christ the Davidic descended branch will rule and Jerusalem will be called "The Lord our righteousness" (Jer 23:5-6 - the Messiah also will be called "The Lord our Righteousness" as will the bride of Christ Jer 33:11 that overcomes and is one with Christ Rev 2:17;Rev 3:12;Rev 21:9-10; and the immortal people in Christ will be a bride to Christ as is the land and the city Isa 62:4-5); V15 the Messianic branch descended from David; V17 the branch is explained and will be the fulfillment of the covenant with David (2Sam 7:12-16;Isa 11:1;Isa 4:2;Zech 3:8;Zech 6:12-13; the Messianic branch will be a king and priest Heb 7:1-4,11-25); VS 17-18 the linking of king and priest in the Messianic branch...will there be animal sacrifices in the Messianic millennial age (Heb 6:26-28)? V22 prior to telescopes there were only about  1100 visible stars, but now it is believed there are considerably more stars than grains of sand; V24 people are saying the Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose and so His people are despised; V26 God will restore their fortunes.

33:6       The phrase “the abundance of peace” here echoes two uses on the same phrase in Psa 37:11, 72:7. So Jeremiah is inspired to draw his audience’s attention to God’s promise of the restoration of the kingdom of God, against the background of the impending destruction of Jerusalem in the reigns of Zedekiah.

33:13  When Jeremiah speaks of the people passing under the hand he is speaking of the way in which a shepherd checks his flock. Ezekiel, the contemporary prophet in Babylon uses similar language – Eze 20:37 – to speak of the regathering of Israel.

33:15 The phrase “in those days and at that time” Is found twice more in Jeremiah – 50:4,20. Similar words are found in the contemporary prophet – Ezekiel 38:17. All these may have their origin in the earlier prophet – Joel 3:1 – who is speaking of a regathering of Israel.

33:22  In speaking of the stars and sand Jeremiah draws on the promises to Abraham – Gen 13:16, Gen 15:5 but in particular Gen 22:17.

33:2 in saying that God “formed it to establish it” we see similar words to those used by an earlier prophet – Isa 45:18 – but in the short term Judah would not be established. Nevertheless His plan would not be thwarted. In fact the Babylonian captivity was part of that plan.

33:16 That Yahweh would be Israel’s righteousness is expounded by Paul as speaking of Jesus - 1Cor 1:30. See also  Jer 23:6

32:25 twice, here and earlier in 9:5, We see a contrast between Judah and Yahweh. They were

Intent on offering evil sacrifices. Yahweh had never even thought of such actions – so holy is He. How often do we think things that our Father would never contemplate?

33:2  Here and in many other places in the Old Testament God appeals to the fact that He Creator. There is no doubt that the prophet Jeremiah and the people that he was sent to speak to acknowledged that Yahweh created everything.  The reason for the re-stating of God’s creative acts states the basis on which He can do anything. This same approach is also found in the preaching in the New Testament when preaching the gospel to both gentile – Acts 14:15 and Jew – Acts 17:24. That God created everything is not an incidental aspect of His word. It is central to all He does.

33:3 Jeremiah was “shut up” in prison. A very unhospitable place. A place where Jeremiah’s confidence in Yahweh could be sorely tried. So in His mercy invites Jeremiah to pray and as a consequence be encouraged.

v.6 - The actual prophecy is in Isa 29:13. Although this is aimed at the Jews, it is clearly a warning to us too. Let us be sure not to be bound by tradition to such an extent that it blinkers us to the real outworking of the truth in our lives.

v. 7,8 - It is clearly not the action, but the perception of the importance of the action that is being emphasised. Tradition must be kept in its place. Here is an example from our tradition - which do we consider more important - the symbology of the bread on the plate, or the fact that the plate itself is made of silver? It seems we are often in danger of losing sight of what really matters because human nature likes ritual and tradition. Here Jesus is telling us to keep all things in perspective. Eze.33:31, Luke 11:39-44, John 8:41-42.

:6-7 The way in which the 'people' were vain in their worship because they had replaced the things God required by their own traditions should serve as a powerful warning to us.

We must ask ourselves, with respect to all the procedures that we adopt in our lives, whether they accord with what Scripture teaches or whether the procedures are designed to enable us to avoid thinking about the will of our Father and how it should be implemented in our daily and ecclesial lives.

The healing of the deaf man fulfils Isaiah 35

The nation will be brought from darkness and this future deliverance was seen in the healing of the blind man.

7:4 A contrast is being made between the work of Jesus in the 'streets' <58> 6:56 and the Pharisees attitude about 'markets' <58> Whilst Jesus worked in these 'unclean' places the Pharisee wanted to dissociate himself from them.

V.21-23 The heart is the fulcrum of the feelings of man, it is the root of man's intellectual, emotional life, the core and center of man's being. "Out of it are the issues of life" Prov 4:23 What man must do, therefore, is to pray for a new, a transformed heart. David phrased it beautifully in the 51st Psalm. Create for me a clean heart, O God; and a firm spirit renew thou within me. 

Vs.32-35 The incident of Jesus' healing the deaf man with the speech impediment seems strange.  The Lord could have healed the man by just saying the word.  However, the Lord put his fingers in his ears and touched his tongue.  Why this demonstration? 

I think the Lord was drawing attention to the spiritual wantonness of the Jews.  They had stopped up their ears against hearing and understanding the Truth (Zech 7:11); and had shown, by their proud and arrogant speech, a contrary attitude to the spirit of Truth (Psa 12:3,4). 

As the Lord could unblock physical impediments, he could also open the way to eternal life to those willing to change their ways (John 3:15).

7:4,36  A contrast is drawn between the scribes and Jesus. They did things for show. Jesus did not.

V.27-28 - dogs [Grk."kunarion" (2952) means "puppy"] in this instance are used to refer to Gentiles but as the word refers to puppies perhaps Christ is referring to the Gentile lady in a more lovable, less offensive way than the usage in Matt 7:6 where "dogs" [Grk. "kuon" (2965) means "hound, dog"] are more like lowly scavengers.

V.5 We see here how desperate both the Pharisees and the scribes are to destroy Jesus. They are holding Jesus responsible for what the disciples have done. This is the second time that Mark has recorded this type of question that Jesus was asked by the scribes and the Pharisees. (Mark 2:23-24) Man made laws were were being kept at the expense of the Divine Law.

7:10-11 The way in which Jesus comments upon ‘Corban’ is not just another swipe at the Jewish traditions. It is a clear example of how the rules that they made prevented them keeping the commandments of God. In fact the rule was devised to circumvent the commandments of God.

7:24 We all have our ups and downs; As a result we all have a need to recharge our battery. We all have a way of doing this, such as going to a bible school, or getting away from the workload of the ecclesia for a while. We would suggest that we see one of those moments that our Master went through during his mission in this verse. Even during these lows we see that Jesus always was manifesting his Father. Another example of a low in Jesus' mission is recorded in Mark 8:27

7:27   Jesus’ in saying ‘first’ indicated that gentiles were to receive the message, though the Jews were to hear it first.

V.11 Corban literally means that which is brought near (to the altar).  Its implication and application is that of a gift or sacrificial offering. Thus, if one made a vow to dedicate something to the temple, by uttering Corban, that thing became the property of the temple. 

However, the one making the vow was not forced to give up the thing that was vowed.  And so, in the case of the young man uttering Corban to his father and mother, he vowed his property to the temple.  This meant that the young man would no longer have the means to take care of his parents as they aged. 

The hypocrisy of the whole exercise is that the young man, making the vow, had no real obligation to relinquish his property to the temple.  He could keep his property, spend it on himself and nobody would bother him. 

The sad consequence of this action would be that the young man's parents would become destitute in their old age.  This lack of caring was against the Law (Exo 20:12).  This is the error that Jesus was pointing out to the Pharisees.

7:18 In using the words ‘without understanding’ ‘perceive’ Jesus s raising the possibility that the disciples might be like the leaders in their attitude to Scripture. We need to be careful that we do not have such a closed approach to Scripture that we try to impose on it our own understanding rather than letting the word explain itself to us by reference to other parts of it.

V.24 Jesus did not want anybody to know that he had entered the house of a Gentile because His primary mission was to the Jews (Matt 15:24). But, by the extension of Yahweh’s grace, Jesus’ saving power would also include the Gentiles (Isa 11:10).

The greater work of reaching out to the Gentiles would be done by the Paul (and other apostles) (Acts 9:15). However, Jesus showed Himself to the Gentiles on a few occasions, enough to let people know that he was their Savior too. Other encounters with Gentiles were: the Samaritan woman (John 4:7 etc.); Legion (Mark 5:1 etc.); the Gentile multitude (Mark 3:7-12 See Matt 12:15-21).

Mark likes to record key Aramaic words that Jesus used. Of course, the common language of the region was Aramaic. In this chapter he records Corban = consecrated gift (v.11); Ephphatha = Be opened (v.34). Other examples of Aramaic words and phrases are:

Boanerges = Sons of Thunder (3:17)

Talitha cumi = girl rise (5:41)

Abba = father (14:36)

Eloi eloi lama sabachthani? = My God, My God why have you left me? (15:34)

7:20-23 Notice that Jesus’ explanation to the disciples is more comprehensive than that given to the religious leaders and the people – Mark 7:14-16

In v21-22 his comments relate to his earlier point about the heart in v6-7. So he is pointing out the heart needs to be cleansed, above all.

7:14    Hearken – as inMark 4:3 – draws on Deut 18:19. Jesus is asserting his authority as the prophet spoken about by Moses

7:3     The comment here in parenthesis, so to speak, was not a necessary piece of information for Jews. They would have known this already. This indicates that Marks gospel was written to cater for gentiles as well as Jews.

7:15   This chapter starts with concern about ceremonial cleanliness – the washing of hands – but Jesus now explains that such issues are not relevant. Rather the problem starts from within the individual.

7:22    The ‘evil eye’ is a quotation from Deut 15:9 where a man might show he did not want to ‘honour ...’ (see Mark 7:10) 

7:15 Jesus’ teaching that from within our problems come shows that we own our own sins and errors. We cannot place blame on some external force – such as the devil – to account for our sinfulness.

7:7      One supposes that the Jewish leaders were amazed that Jesus said that they were worshipping “in vain”. However this is not the only time that Jews were shown that what they were doing was empty even though they thought that what they were doing was good and right – consider Zech 7:1-3 where the Jews ask what appears to be a simple question about remembering terrible events in their history, only to be told by God that they were keeping the memorials for their own benefit, not God’s – Zech 7:5. How many things do we do for ourselves thinking that we are doing them for God?

Mark 7:1-13

“… But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother…” (cf. Matt 15:1-9)

This reveals to us that the Fifth Command to honour father and mother is also applied by Christ to adult children regarding their responsibilities to their elderly parents.

It is note-worthy, that it was the elders of Yahrusalem who interfered with those who would care for their aging parents. Goods to be “dedicated to God” was taught by the scribes and Pharisees, who imposed it on the people, thus prohibiting the people from doing what they ought to have done – and that is to assume responsibility for their aging parents. The Pharisees wanted to have control over the funds, which would have, otherwise, gone to help the parents.

Corban was an excuse for not honouring their parents and thus “honouring” God! It all sounded so pious, but it was pure deception. The money which should have been available to help parents was instead “devoted to God” – Corban. How could anyone fault children for placing God above the parents!

Corban was a sham, a façade, as Yahshua pointed out. It set aside Yahweh’s command (Deut 5:16) with a pious appearance. Honouring parents was no excuse for failing to honour Yahweh. There were those who would honour Yahweh and dishonour their parents; there were those who would honour parents while disobeying Yahweh. Yahweh’s word demanded that parents be honoured and that He be honoured and this could only be done by following His command on this issue.

7:24-30   The record of this miracle teaches that Jesus had come to save gentiles as well as Jews. In fact – Matt 15:22 – we learn that the woman was a “Canaanite” Whilst Israel were to rid the land of Canaanites Jesus came to save them.

7:1-2  We should appreciate that the Jewish leaders did not come to learn of Jesus. Jesus was not concerned to follow the traditions of the elders so did not stop his disciples eating because they did not follow the ceremonial cleansing. This provided the leaders to challenge Jesus through his disciples. We can learn from this. How often do we modify our behaviour because of those who we are with. Jesus did not.  Nor should we need to.

IT'S A HEART THING

I never fail to be amazed by the way God calls us to Him. From the most intelligent person in the world through to the person with the lowest IQ, He has given us all the same opportunities to get to know Him and become part of His family. It's not about what we do, how often we go to church, how much of the Bible we understand or study deeply, how many times a day we pray, whether you wear a cross, or own a wide margin Bible, it's a matter of the heart. Many of those things are good, and if we can, we should practice them, but not to the extent of putting them before God.

The leaders of the Jews in Jesus' day were very religious. In order to keep them from straying from God's laws, they had made hundreds of other rules to stop God's rules from being broken. But in keeping the rules, they had lost the love in their hearts. They washed their cups and plates but forgot about the evil thoughts going on in their minds.

We need to keep meeting together, keep reading the Bible, keep praying, but at the same time we need to keep our hearts in tune with God and live like He wants us to live.

It's not about our religious habits or great knowledge, it's a heart thing. Let's get our hearts right with God today.
 

7:5-6 The Jews had procedures which they followed closely. Those activities must have made them feel pious and religious. However they shows an empty religion. The warning is so clear for us today. It is all too easy for procedures to get in the way of an individual’s understanding of the requirements of the gospel.

7:9 we might think that we do not reject God’s word. However whenever we appeal to a precedent or rule that we have made in the past for some circumstance we may be replacing God’s commandment with our own earlier decision. We should always review our decisions in the light of scripture and the actual circumstance being considered.

7:2 Isn’t it easy to devise rules and regulations with which we are comfortable that have no basis in scripture and then for us to fault others who may well be more spiritually minded than ourselves simply because they break the rules we have invented?

7:8 Human beings like structure and certainty. For this reason the Jews added to what God commanded them, taking instructions in the Law of Moses to extremes – way beyond what God had commanded. In our service to God we can do the same. Scripture gives instruction and we then, from time to time, add to those instructions as if adding to it makes the command more rigorous. Actually all it does is to replace the simplicity of God’s teaching with our own ideas.

7:9-13 Doubtless the Jews who used the “Corban” provision that they had designed to free them from their obligations to their parents did not think that they were violating God’s command. The higher honour, as they might have thought, of giving money to the temple, it seems, they though was more important than looking after family!

How often do we come up with excuses that we use to avoid commitment to God?

7:8 the “traditions of men” are far easier to follow than God’s instructions. This is because the “commandments of men” are designed by men and so, naturally, appeal to man. And once implemented tend to take on the status in our minds of being the right thing to do – followed unquestioningly. Care has to be taken in all we do to ensure that we are following God’s commandments rather than reinforcing our own preferences.

Mark 7:9-13

“… ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that…”

The Hebrew word often translated “offering” is… korban. It is a fascinating word, full of rich meaning. There are many words in Hebrew with this root (karav). For example, the verb “to offer” or “to sacrifice” is (lehakriv), while the verb o “draw near” or to “come close” is (lehitkarev). One can imagine that an “offering” is a symbolic way of “coming closer.”

When a family connection is described in Hebrew, we use the phrase (krov mishpaha), which literally means “close family.” Considering the Hebrew meaning, an “offering’ (korban) should be thought of as something people use to get near towards God.

Most Eastern cultures still preserve an interesting ancient idea that one cannot go to someone else’s house for fellowship empty-handed. One must have something to offer in their hand in order to enter into the house of a neighbor or relative. In the same Eastern tradition preserves something else that is very beautiful. Not only the guest cannot come empty-handed, but the host cannot allow him or her to leave empty-handed either! The enterprise of fellowship turns out to be a wonderful exchange of, usually culinary, gifts.”

40 DAYS OF HEbrEW DEVOTIONS, Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenbert with Pinchas Shir & Jaime Purcell, pp. 12,13