June - Reading 7

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2002

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptures in our schedule for today are:

Luke 2:21-40

Ephesians 4:1-16

Psalm 119:49-56

1 Kings 11

May God bless you as you read from His Word.

[ June 07, 2003, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

Clint Kritzer · Jun 8, 2002

Good evening -

In our reading of 1Kings tonight we read of the decline of Solomon's reign of Israel. Despite his wisdom, Solomon disregards the instructions of God when the Jews first came back to Canaan. The taking of wives was a common practice in the Middle East in that time in that it sealed political deals, but Solomon had given himself over to the false god's of his pagan wives.
As a result, the reading ends tonight with the dividing of the kingdom.

In Luke we read the account of Simeon and Anna encountering Mary, Joseph and Christ at the infant's dedication at the temple. We learn here that it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Simeon is led directly to the Baby Jesus.
It is interesting that the Gospel of Luke, despite its fine attention to detail makes no mention of the decree of Herod for the slaying of the first born nor the Magi.

In Ephesians, Paul continues his lecture on the nature of the Christian Body to now expounding on the peace that should exist between us. One quick note: verse 4:9 is often used as a defense for the position that some hold that Christ descended to hell. An examination of the passage shows that this is more than debatable. The "earthly regions" do not refer to hell.

May God bless you

- Clint

[ June 07, 2003, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2003

Originally posted by Clint Kritzer:
One quick note: verse 4:9 is often used as a defense for the position that some hold that Christ descended to hell. An examination of the passage shows that this is more than debatable. The "earthly regions" do not refer to hell.

Click to expand...

I made this statement last year with no explanation whatsoever. I'll quote a few explanatory comments on to it this year.

Eph 4:9
(Now that he ascended, what is it but
that he also descended first into the
lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10
He that descended is the same also
that ascended up far above all
heavens, that he might fill all things.)

The "lower parts of the earth" quoted here is translated from three Greek words:

lower - Strong's # 2737 - katoteros
comparative from 2736; inferior (locally, of Hades):--
lower.

This term is used only once in the New Testament, here in this reading.

Lexicon entry for katoteros

parts - Strong's # 3313 - meros
from an obsolete but more primary form of meiromai (to get as a section or allotment); a division or share
(literally or figuratively, in a wide application):--behalf, course, coast, craft, particular (+ -ly), part (+ -ly), piece, portion, respect, side, some sort(-what).

Lexicon link for meros

earth - Strong's # 1093 - ge
contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application):--country,
earth(-ly), ground, land, world.

Lexicon link to ge

One will find commentaries that do support the notion that these "lower parts of the earth" are indeed hell. The argument, however, is at best weak. Hades is the Greek word denoting the netherworld, named for the mythological ruler of that realm, also known as Pluto. We find the term used 11 times in the New Testament, all of which you can find at this link. There are in fact three other Greek words that translate to "hell", none of which are found in this passage. You can find a source for these at this link: click here.

Albert Barnes wrote a few comments on the use of the word "hades" in his commentary on Acts 2:27 and how the conception of the meaning changed over time.

Verse 27. Thou wilt not leave my soul. The word soul, with us, means
the thinking, the immortal part of man, and is applied to it whether
existing in connexion with the body, or whether separate from it. The
Hebrew word translated soul here--HEBREW naphsli however, may
mean, My spirit, my mind, my life; and may denote here nothing
more than me, or myself. It means, properly, breath; then life, or the
vital principle, a living being; then the soul, the spirit, the thinking part.
Instances where it is put for the individual himself, meaning "me," or
"myself," may be seen in Ps 11:1; 35:3,7; Job 9:21. There is no clear
instance in which it is applied to the soul in its separate state, or
disjoined from the body. In this place it must be explained in part by
the meaning of the word hell. If that means grave, then this word
probably means "me;" thou wilt not leave me in the grave. The
meaning probably is, "Thou wilt not leave me in sheol, neither," etc.
The word leave here means, "Thou wilt not resign me to, or wilt not
give me over to it, to be held under its power.
In hell. eiV adou. The word hell, in English, now commonly denotes
the place of the future eternal punishment of the wicked. This sense it
has acquired by long usage. It is a Saxon word, derived from helan, to
cover; and denotes, literally, a covered or deep place, (Webster then
the dark and dismal abode of departed spirits; and then the place of
torment. As the word is used now by us, it by no means expresses
the force of the original; and if with this idea we read a passage like
the one before us, it would convey an erroneous meaning altogether;
although formally the English word perhaps expressed no more than
the original. The Greek word hades means, literally, a place devoid of
light; a dark, obscure abode; and in Greek writers was applied to the
dark and obscure regions where disembodied spirits were supposed
to dwell. It occurs but eleven times in the New Testament. In this
place it is the translation of the Hebrew, sheol. In Re 20:13-14, it is
connected with death. "And death and hell (hades) delivered up the
dead which were in them." "And death and hell (hades) were cast into
the lake of fire.' See also Re 6:8; 1:18, "I have the keys of hell and of
death." In 1Co 15:55, it means the grave. "O grave (hades), where is
thy victory?" In Mt 11:23 it means a deep, profound place, opposed to
an exalted one; a condition of calamity and degradation opposed to
former great prosperity. "Thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto
heaven, shalt be brought down to hell, (hades.) In Lu 16:23, it is
applied to the place where the rich man was after death, in a state of
punishment: "In hell (hades) he lifted up his eyes, being in torments."
In this place it is connected with the idea of suffering; and
undoubtedly denotes a place of punishment. The Septuagint has
used this word commonly to translate the word sheol. Once it is used
as a translation of the phrase, "the stones of the pit, (Isa 14:19);
twice to express silence, particularly the silence of the grave, (Ps
94:17; 115:17); once to express the Hebrew for "the shadow of
death," (Job 38:17 and sixty times to translate the word sheol. It is
remarkable that it is never used in the Old Testament to denote the
word keber, HEBREW which properly denotes a grave or sepulchre.
The idea which was conveyed by the word sheol, or hades, was not
properly a grave or sepulchre, but that dark, unknown state, including
the grave, which constituted the dominions of the dead. What idea
the Hebrews had of the future world, it is now difficult to explain, and
is not necessary in the case before us. The word originally denoting
simply the state of the dead, the insatiable demands of the grave,
came at last to be extended in its meaning, in proportion as they
received new revelations, or formed new opinions about the future
world. Perhaps the following may be the process of thought by which
the word came to have the peculiar meanings which it is found to
have in the Old Testament.
(1.) The word death, and the grave, (keber,) would express the abode
of a deceased body in the earth.
(2.) Man has a soul, a thinking principle; and the inquiry must arise,
what will be its state? Will it die also? The Hebrews never appear to
have believed that. Will it ascend to heaven at once? On that subject
they had at first no knowledge. Will it go at once to a place of
torment? Of that also they had no information at first. Yet they
supposed it would live; and the word sheol expressed just this state--
the dark, unknown regions of the dead; the abode of spirits, whether
good or bad; the residence of departed men, whether fixed in a
permanent habitation, or whether wandering about. As they were
ignorant of the size and spherical structure of the earth, they seem to
have supposed this region to be situated in the earth, far below us;
and hence it is put in opposition to heaven. Ps 139:8: "If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, (sheol,) behold,
thou art there." Am 9:2. The most common meaning of the word is,
therefore, to express those dark regions, the lower world, the regions
of ghosts, etc. Instances of this, almost without number, might be
given. See a most striking and sublime instance of this in Isa 14:9:
"Hell from beneath is moved for thee," etc.; where the assembled
dead are represented as being agitated in all their vast regions at the
death of the king of Babylon.
(3.) The inquiry could not but arise, whether all these beings were
happy? This point revelation decided; and it was decided in the Old
Testament. Yet this word would better express the state of the
wicked dead, than the righteous. It conveyed the idea of darkness,
gloom, wandering; the idea of a sad and unfixed abode, unlike
heaven. Hence the word sometimes expresses the idea of a place of
punishment. Ps 9:17: "The wicked shall be turned into hell," etc.; Pr
15:11; 23:14; 17:20; Job 26:6, While, therefore, the word does not
mean properly a grave or a sepulchre, yet it does mean often the
state of the dead, without designating whether in happiness or woe,
but implying the continued existence of the soul. In this sense it is
often used in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew word is sheol,
and the Greek hades. Ge 37:35: "I will go down into the grave unto
my son mourning." I will go down to the dead, to death, to my son,
still there existing. Ge 42:38; 44:29: "Ye shall bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave;" Nu 16:30,33; 1Ki 2:6,9, etc., etc. In
the place before us, therefore, the meaning is simply, thou wilt not
leave me AMONG THE DEAD. This conveys all the idea. It does not
mean literally the grave or the sepulchre; that relates only to the
body. This expression refers to the deceased Messiah. Thou wilt not
leave him among the dead; thou wilt raise him up. It is from this
Message, perhaps, aided by two others, (Ro 10:7; 1Pe 3:19) the
doctrine originated, that Christ "descended," as it is expressed in the
creed, "into hell;" and many have invented strange opinions about his
going among lost spirits. The doctrine of the Roman Catholic church
has been, that he went to purgatory, to deliver the spirits confined
there. But if the interpretation now given be correct, then it will follow,
(1.) that nothing is affirmed here about the destination of the human
soul of Christ after his death. That he went to the region of the dead is
implied, but nothing further.
(2.) It may be remarked, that the Scriptures affirm nothing about the
state of his soul in that time which intervened between his death and
resurrection. The only intimation which occurs on the subject is such
as to leave us to suppose that he was in a state of happiness. To the
dying thief Jesus said, "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise," Lu
23:43. When Jesus died he said, "It is finished ;" and he doubtless
meant by that, that his sufferings and toils for man's redemption were
at an end. All suppositions of any toils or pains after his death are
fables, and without the slightest warrant in the New Testament.
Thine Holy One. The word in the Hebrew which is translated here holy
one, properly denotes one who is tenderly and piously devoted to
another; and answers to the expression used in the New Testament,
"my beloved Son." It is also used as it is here by the Septuagint, and
by Peter, to denote one that is holy, that is set apart to God. In this
sense it is applied to Christ, either as being set apart to this office, or
as so pure as to make it proper to designate him by way of eminence
the Holy One, or the Holy One of God. It is several times used as the
well-known designation of the Messiah. Mr 1:24: "I know thee who
thou art, the Holy One of God." Lu 4:34; Ac 3:14: "But ye denied the
Holy One and the Just," etc. See also Lu 1:35: "That holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
To see corruption. To see corruption is to experience it, to be made
partakers of it. The Hebrews often expressed the idea of experiencing
anything by the use of words pertaining to the senses; as, to taste of
death, to see death, etc. Corruption here means putrefaction in the
grave. The word which is used in the Psalm--HEBREW--shahath, is
thus used in Job 17:14: "I have said to corruption, Thou art my
father," etc. The Greek word thus used properly denotes this. Thus it
is used in Ac 13:34-37. This meaning would be properly suggested by
the Hebrew word; and thus the ancient versions understood it. The
meaning implied in the expression is, that he of whom the Psalm was
written should be restored to life again; and this meaning Peter
proceeds to show that the words must have.
Click to expand...

[ June 07, 2003, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2005

Sunday School lecture 9/12/04 continued

Luke 2:21-40 The Circumcision, Naming, and Presentation of Jesus

Moving from the Lukan motif of the universality of God's gift of salvation through Christ to all men, the author now returns to another common theme in this Gospel: Jesus was delivered to mankind through the Jews. As prescribed by the Abrahamic Covenant, Jesus is circumcised on the eighth day. Again, as we see in 1:59, the naming of the child takes place at this time.

The name "Jesus" is the Greek form of the name "Joshua" which means "the Lord saves" or “Yahweh is salvation.” The overtones of the name are given in Matthew 1:21 in that He would save the people from their sins. In the angels' proclamation he was called "the Christ", or "Christos", which is Greek for the Hebrew "Messiah". Both of these terms mean "the Anointed One". Jesus was the One anointed by God to save the people from their sins.

In Mosaic Law a woman was to offer a sacrifice of a lamb and a turtledove or pigeon for purification after childbirth thirty-three days after the circumcision of a male child. If she could not afford a lamb, she was to substitute another dove or pigeon in its place. Leviticus 12 The fact that Mary had to offer two doves show that Jesus was born into a poor family. Though descendant of kings, both earthly and Heavenly, the Anointed One of God came to us through the most modest of circumstances.

While in Jerusalem, we encounter two more characters in the birth narrative that have the Holy Ghost upon them: Simeon and Anna. Maintaining the theme of religious piety among the Jews, these characters are presented to us as earnest people expecting the consolation of Israel, or the comfort the Messiah would bring.

Simeon's declaration in verses 29-32 is the fourth and final song of the birth narratives. This song is called Nunc Dimittis, again after the Latin translation, "you dismiss". The song once again indicates the fact that this Messiah was more than a hope for Israel, but was rather a hope for the whole world.

In verse 39 we learn from Luke that Nazareth was the hometown of Joseph and Mary. Luke does not recount for us the return to Bethlehem nor the flight to Egypt as Matthew does. There is also no mention of the Magi. Instead we are taken to Galilee and are told of Jesus' early childhood that He was "filled with wisdom and the Grace of God was upon Him."

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2016

The Scriptures for 6/8 are:

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 4:17-24

Psalm 119:57-64

1 Kings 12

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2017

The Scriptures for 6/8 are:

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 4:17-24

Psalm 119:57-64

1 Kings 12

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2018

The Scriptures for 6/8 are:

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 4:17-24

Psalm 119:57-64

1 Kings 12

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2019

The Scriptures for 6/8 are:

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 4:17-24

Psalm 119:57-64

1 Kings 12

Clint Kritzer · Jun 7, 2020

The Scriptures for 6/8 are:

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 4:17-24

Psalm 119:57-64

1 Kings 12

June - Reading 7

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