July - Reading 18

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptures for today are:

Luke 11:14-28

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Psalm 143

2 Chronicles 13-16

May God bless you richly as you read from His Word.

 

Good evening -

Again, thanks, rsr!

In our reading of 2Chronicles today we examined the Chronicler’s account of two of Judah’s early kings: Abijah and Asa. The account of Abijah is quite a bit longer than what we see in 1Kings 5 primarily because of the somewhat lengthy speech given to the Israelite army on the battlefield of Ephraim. The point of the speech is obvious and falls into the theme of the two Books of Chronicles perfectly, that being obedience = blessing, disobedience = punishment. Because of the disobedience of the Northern Kingdom, the men of Abijah routed the overwhelming numbers and superior tactics of Jerboam. Judah had continued in obedience to God while Israel had rebelled.
The theme is further extended in the longer narration of Asa’s reign. We find this account paralleled in 1Kings 15. Asa conducted the affairs of the kingdom well in the Eyes of God for 35 years, or so the Chronicler tells us. There is a bit of maneuvering necessary in the beginning of chapter 16 to make the numbers work correctly. According to 1Kings, Baasha ruled for 26 years and was then succeeded by Elah. If this chapter begins in the 36th year of Asa, Baasha would have been dead for a decade or more. The numbers work if one counts the years as being the number of years since the break up of the kingdoms. This explanation is not accepted by all scholars and with the complexity of these passages, there is always the possibility of a copyist error in either this Book or in 1Kings.

In our reading of Luke, I pondered over the meaning of verse 11:24-26. I did a little research from a few different commentaries and this is the interpretation that seems to be the consensus. Christ was able to drive out demons because He is the stronger entity (verse 22). However, if the person who has been healed of the possession does not accept Christ and fortifies his being with the Holy Spirit, they are in grave danger of being repossessed. Thus the house swept empty, if not filled with righteousness is vulnerable to new attack.

The Epistle of 1Thessalonians ends with Paul instructing the believers about Christian conduct. He skims many points very quickly. Respect for church leaders, spurring the lazy or inactive, not to seek retribution, but mostly to not be happy in just good circumstances but rather in ALL circumstances. I also like the advice to “test everything” found in verse 22. That is always our task in these types of learning situations. In my opinion, one of the strengths of this board is that everything is judged against the Scriptures.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Sunday School lesson - 11/14/05 - continued

Luke 11:14-23 The Beelzebul Controversy

Luke now moves into a series of Passages that show the unfavorable responses of certain sects of the population to Jesus. The first situation presented occurs at the healing of a man who was unable to speak. After the exorcism, the witnesses divide into three categories. The first set is the common people who respond by marveling at the act.

The second set of people immediately say that Jesus was able to perform this act because He was in league with beelzebul, a Greek form of the name satan. When evil men can not deny a good man's deeds, they will often attempt to negate his influence by attributing his motivation to sinister intent. Jesus counters these accusations by pointing out that if He were performing such healings by the power of satan, then hell would be in a state of civil war. Such a notion would be absurd, as it would result in self-defeat.

Secondly, others within the rabbinical circles also performed exorcisms and had claimed that they did so by the power of God. If these critics were so quick to point to Jesus' authority being demonic, how could they not say that those whom they supported were not?

However, the third possibility presented by Christ told the marveling crowd what was occurring. That an authority was being wielded over the demonic forces of hell clearly demonstrated that the Kingdom of God had come to earth. In the analogy that Christ presents in 21-22, satan is the strong man, Jesus is the stronger man and the earth is the house. The division of the spoils refers to kings dividing the loot of conquest amongst their troops. We, as soldiers of Christ, share in the bounty of His dominion over hell. By rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, His critics were denying the coming of the Kingdom. The victory over satan and his minions was being displayed before their eyes.

The third group of witnesses is addressed in verses 29-32.

Luke 11:24-26 The Unclean Spirit

Though exorcism was an important sign of Messianic triumph, Jesus warns that the mere expulsion of demons was not sufficient. To the contrary, if the cured person remains empty, or clean, the demon will return to the same dwelling with seven more demons even more powerful, perhaps to insure total control.

The cured demoniac was a passive beneficiary of God's dominion over the demons. However, just as those who witnessed the event must recognize it as a proclamation of the Kingdom of God, so too must the man who is cured. Only a saving faith would make him safe against repossession.

Luke 11:27-28 Reply to a Woman's Praise

A woman who pronounces a blessing on His mother interrupts Jesus at this point. This Passage does much to clarify Mary's role in salvation history. Though she figures prominently in Luke's Gospel and is named as one of the believers in Acts 1:14, at this point she is likely not one who had yet accepted the unimaginable part her Son was playing in history. The student should recognize that these verses follow Jesus' warning about the necessity of discipleship on the part of the cured demoniac and the crowd who witnessed the cure. So, too, was it necessary that Mary accept the Kingdom of God present in Jesus. It was those who had already done this that were called truly blessed.

 

Our Scriptures for 7/19 are:

Luke 11:29-36

2 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Psalm 144

2 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/19 are:

Luke 11:29-36

2 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Psalm 144

2 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/19 are:

Luke 11:29-36

2 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Psalm 144

2 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/19 are:

Luke 11:29-36

2 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Psalm 144

2 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/19 are:

Luke 11:29-36

2 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Psalm 144

2 Chronicles 17-19