July - Reading 14

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptural reading for today is:

Luke 10:17-24

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

Psalm 139

2 Chronicles 3-5

May God bless you as you read from His Word.

 

Good evening –

In our reading of 2Chronicles this evening we read the account of the building of the Temple. The Chronicler does not go into nearly the same detail of the description of the edifice as the account in 1Kings but something I picked up on tonight that I had not noticed in our reading of 1Kings is that the area designated “the Most Holy Place” is a perfect cube, 20 cubits X 20 cubits X 20 cubits (1Kings 6:20). In Revelation 21:16 the New Jerusalem will also be a cube but will lack the Temple because the entire area is “the Most Holy Place.” It is possible that the Chronicler downplays the decoration of the Temple because the returning exiles would not be able to match the lavishness that Solomon poured into the construction of the original. We also see that the “Cloud” descended and dwelt in the Temple just as it had the Tent of the Tabernacle, showing us God’s presence. The Cloud is used often in the Old Testament Scriptures (Exodus 13:21, Ezekial 43:1-5, Zecharia 1:16, etc.)

Much theological exegesis can be drawn from our reading of Luke this evening. The statements of Christ are very open for interpretation. The “seeing satan fall” statement can mean that Christ is claiming witness to the expulsion of satan from Heaven as described in Isaiah 14 or it could be Christ’s witness of the defeat of satan from this present earthly mission. The snakes and scorpions may well represent the evil spirits that the 72 have cast out in Jesus’ name. We will not learn any more about the 72 than these verses, a passage unique to the Gospel of Matthew.

At this point in 1Thessalonians Paul has broken into spontaneous prayer for his gratitude of the faith of the church at Thessalonica. As we have seen over the course of the year this is a very common halmark of Paul’s Letters.Paul delves a lot on the faith of these early Christians and recognizes that it is this that has carried them through the persecutions that they faced despite their lack of doctrinal training.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Sunday School lesson 11/7/04 – continued

Luke 10:17-20 The Return of the Seventy

The seventy report upon their return that the demons are subject to them in Jesus' name. Jesus then accounts for them the prophecy of satan's fall as prefigured in the seventy's power through Christ. This defeat will be sudden and decisive like lightning. It is through the authority of Jesus Christ that we have power over the scorpions and serpents, the symbolic representations of satan's evil in the world. Even so, they were not to rejoice in the power we have over and the safety they had from evil but rather the fact that their names were written in heaven, that is to say, that they had received the promise of salvation.

Luke 10:21-24 The Rejoicing of Jesus

The phrasing of verse 21 has led many to speculate that Jesus was at this instance in a state of prophetic ecstasy. In the pattern of rejection and acceptance of the message of the kingdom of God Jesus was seeing the Purpose of God unfolding. He therefore expresses gratitude to God for the marvelous ways in which these purposes are accomplished.

The wise and understanding (KJV - prudent) are the scribes and other religious men who thought themselves wise. The babes are the common folk who did not display such pretension. The paradox is that those who sought to know God's mind were blind to the workings of God before them. On the other hand, those who were religiously illiterate were receptive to God's work through Christ. Prophets and kings had looked forward to these times for many centuries. The disciples were blessed to see the fulfillment of the faith of those long dead men manifested before them in the Person of Jesus Christ.

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, 7/15, are:

Luke 10:25-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 6-7

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, 7/15, are:

Luke 10:25-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 6-7

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, 7/15, are:

Luke 10:25-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 6-7

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, 7/15, are:

Luke 10:25-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 6-7

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, 7/15, are:

Luke 10:25-37

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Psalm 140

2 Chronicles 6-7