The Lord's Continual Deliverance and Mercy

Continuing a chronologically ordered Bible study set forth by Skip Andrews, who stated, "Although we may not be able to precisely date these Psalms at this time, their general themes fit the topics we have just read in Deuteronomy":

(Psalm 106:1) Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord for goodness, for His mercy forever.

The author of this psalm is unknown as is the occasion on which it was written, but like Psalms 78 and 105, it contains ancient history of the Israelites and was written for instruction in gratitude and admonition.  The psalmist begins by exhorting his listeners to praise their Lord God and thank Him for His goodness and mercy that endures forever.

(2) Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all His praise?

The psalmist asked who could ever have the right words or be able to enumerate the countless mighty acts of the Lord.  Who could ever have words worthy enough to praise Him?

(3) Blessed are they who keep judgment, he who does righteousness at all times. 

Blessed are the people who observe and execute the righteous judgment of God, the one who continually follows the righteousness of God in all times and circumstances.

This hits me hard at this particular time, a time in which people want to separate God from culture and politics.  Today is Election Day and the end of "election season."  There are Christians who won't vote because politics are dirty or won't vote for Donald Trump because he is an immoral man.  However, they would vote for the opposition who kills babies up to the point of live birth, oversees the slave trade of 325,000 lost children coming across our borders, facilitates the death of a million young men in a war that cannot be won in Ukraine, for that matter, is pushing us toward World War III, encourages the sexual mutilation of children without their parents' consent, and on and on and on.  How can any Christian follow the righteousness of God by turning a blind eye and not doing the one small thing he or she can do, vote against unrighteousness?  As far as not voting for Donald Trump because he is immoral, David was an adulterer and a murderer, but he sought the righteousness of God and was called a man after God's own heart.

(4) Remember me, O Lord, with the favor to your people; O visit me with Your salvation.

The psalmist asked that the Lord remember him with the favor that He had for His people.  He asked that the Lord come to him with His salvation.  This looks to be a prophetic reference to the coming of Christ who would bring salvation.

(5) That I may see the good of Your chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.

This is a prayer all Christians could pray.  We want to see the blessings of God's chosen people.  We desire to be called His people, and we do rejoice as His nation does.  And we rejoice in the blessings of His people and nation and are grateful that we were allowed to be grafted into it, and we are able to glory with God's inheritance.

(6) We have sinned with our fathers; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedly.

The psalmist acknowledged that he with his nation of people had sinned and done wickedly just as their forefathers had done.

(7) Our fathers did not understand Your wonders in Egypt; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea.

Their forefathers had not totally understood the meaning behind God's miracles in Egypt.  They were not just for the destruction of their enemies, but they proved the power of God, the one true God, over all the false gods of Egypt.  As the one and only true God, He deserved all their worship and gratitude, but they did not remember all His mercies and provision for them.  They often doubted God's power and providence when they had no reason to ever doubt it as He had always been there for them.  Even so soon after they had seen all the miracles in Egypt, when they saw Pharaoh and his armies coming behind them at the Red Sea, they doubted God's power to save them and wished to go back to Egypt (Exodus 14:10-12).

(8) Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known.

However, God saved His people, even though they had no faith in Him at that moment.  He saved them not for their sake, but that the world might know His mighty power to save His people.  And we who read about that event are able to know of God's mighty power that we may have faith in Him.

(9) He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up, so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

The Lord rebuked the Red Sea and made it dry up for a path for the escaping Israelites.  He led them through the sea as if it were dry land just as the wilderness was.

(10) And He saved them from the hand that hated them and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. (11) And the waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left.

The Lord saved His people from the Egyptians who hated them.  Once His people had crossed through the sea, He brought the waters back down to destroy every one of their enemies.

(12) Then they believed His words; they sang His praise.

THEN they believed the Lord's words.  They had to see it once again to believe, and then they sang His praises.

(13) They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, (14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert.

However, once again, the people forgot His works of salvation and providence.  They did not ask God for His counsel, but followed their own desires and wishes, like when they lusted after meat when God had provided them with manna, the perfect nutritious food for their needs.

(15) And He gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul.

The Lord gave them their request when He gave them more quail than they could eat, but in their lust and gluttony, they ate till many were sick and died.  I believe the sense of the second part is that giving them what they desired rather than providing what God knew was better for them, it provided no good to them, but killed many and did nothing for their souls that would have greatly benefited if they had trusted in their Lord.

(16) They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, the saint of the Lord.

The people were jealous and gathered themselves against Moses, and Aaron, the Lord's anointed high priest (Numbers 16:3).

(17) The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the company of Abiram.

The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, one of the heads of the conspirators against Moses and Aaron.  Likewise, it did the same to the company of Abiram and others not mentioned here (Numbers 16:32 and Deuteronomy 11:6).

(18) And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

The Lord sent a fire after that that consumed 250 men in their company of conspirators (Numbers 16:35).

(19) They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molded image.

The people urged Aaron to make an idol of a golden calf that they worshipped while Moses was on the mount with the Lord (Exodus 32:4).

(20) Thus they changed their glory into the image of an ox that eats grass.

The people had reduced their Lord, their glory, to a statue of a lowly ox that eats grass of the ground.  

(21) They forgot God their Savior who had done great things in Egypt, (22) Wondrous works in the land of Ham, terrible things by the Red Sea.

Because Moses had tarried so long on the mount with the Lord, the people had forgotten their Lord and all the wondrous things He had done for them and turned to a false idol of gold to worship (Exodus 32:7-8).

(23) Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses, His chosen, stood before Him in the breach to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them.

The Lord threatened to destroy the people and instead make a great nation from Moses (Exodus 32:10), but Moses beseeched the Lord to not destroy them, not for their sake, but for the sake of His glory in the eyes of the Egyptians and for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom He had made the promise, and the Lord turned away from His plan (Exodus 32:11-14).

(24) Yes, they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word, (25) But murmured in their tents and did not hearken to the voice of the Lord.

The people did not believe God's word about the fact that He was bringing them to their wonderful promised land flowing with milk and honey, but they murmured and complained that they should have never left Egypt (Numbers 14:2 and 14:27).  It's the reason the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for forty years.

(26) Therefore He lifted up His hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness, (27) To overthrow their descendants among the nations and to scatter them in the lands.

God resolved to cut off the present generation of His people from entering the promised land.  That is the whole truth about why they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  He told them their children would have to bear their parents' sins against the Lord and wander in the wilderness for forty years until that present generation had died there.  Then their children would be the ones to inherit their promised land (Numbers 14:31-33).  However, their children's nation would be eventually overthrown in the Babylonian captivity, something I have not yet studied in my chronological study, and they would be scattered in foreign lands.

(28) They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead.

God's people joined with the worshipers of Baal to worship him and eat the sacrifices of false dead idols (Numbers 25:2-3).

(29) Thus they provoked His anger with their inventions, and the plague broke in on them.

The Israelites provoked their Lord to anger with their imaginations and deeds.  The plague that broke out on them referred to a plague of death (Numbers 25:5).

(30) Then Phinehas stood up and executed judgment, and the plague was stayed.

When one Israelite had the audacity to bring a heathen woman into the camp and into his tent, Phinehas went into the man's tent and killed them both, and the Lord's anger was appeased, and the plague was stayed (Numbers 25:8 and 11).

(31) And that was counted to him as righteousness to all generations for evermore.

That action of Phinehas was counted to him as righteousness by the Lord, and He gave him a covenant of peace, to him and his descendants after him forever (Numbers 25:12-13).

(32) They angered Him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes, (33) Because they provoked His spirit, so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips.

The people angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, which means "strife."  Because Moses was angry with the people because they had once again provoked the Spirit of God to anger, he spoke and acted according to his own will and not according to the will of God (Numbers 20:10-12).

(34) They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them, (35) But were mingled among the heathen and learned their works.

The Lord had told His people to destroy the nations that inhabited their promised land (Numbers 33:52), but they did not completely destroy them.  This takes place later chronologically, but the Lord had warned about what would happen to them if they failed to completely destroy their enemies (Numbers 33:55-56), and that appears to be just what happened; they were mingled among the heathen they did not destroy and learned their ways.

(36) And they served their idols which were a snare to them.

The Israelites served the false idols of the heathen which proved to be a snare to them.  When we dabble in things we ought not dabble in, we open the door to trouble.

(37) Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils, (38) And shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

The Israelites actually sacrificed their sons and daughters to false gods.  They shed the innocent blood of their own children in sacrifice to the demon gods of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.  The first reaction is to wonder how they could actually do that!  But then immediately comes the realization that we do that in our country on a daily basis.  The innocent blood of babies, sons and daughters, sacrificed to demons of sexual lust and convenience.  Just yesterday I was thinking about this subject.  My niece has a beautiful baby boy, now about two years old.  She loves him dearly, more than life itself, but when she was pregnant and having some doubts and fears, she referred to him as a fetus.  That was her beautiful baby boy all along, growing inside of her, but that "fetus" could have been killed if his complications had been too great.  Would she ever dream of killing him now if he developed great complications?  Of course not!  Well, that was her sweet baby all along.  If a mother chooses to kill that baby just because she hasn't come to know and love him yet, that is pure selfishness for her own feelings with no thought for her baby who can feel the pain of abortion.  "There but for the grace of God go I."  I can just hear my immature selfish self in my 20's saying that the government shouldn't be able to tell me what I could do with my own body.  Totally cringe-worthy now; what about the body of that beautiful precious innocent baby growing inside of mine, totally dependent on me for life?  

(39) Thus they were defiled with their own works and went whoring with their own inventions.

God's people were defiled by their own actions because they sought demon gods to deliver them.  They were whoring after those false gods with their own imaginings of what they could do for them.  God's relationship with His people is often spoken of as a marriage relationship.  Jesus is often called the bridegroom and His elect are His bride.  One is being adulterous if he seeks after a false idol.

(40) Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against His people, insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance.

Once again the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people as a flaming fire to destroy them.  Once again we read that the Lord abhorred His own people as we read in Psalm 78:59.  And once again we must understand that God did not really hate His people, for God loves all His creation, including all sinners.  He certainly hated their actions, and He treated them as if He abhorred them, rejecting them for a time.

(41) And He gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they who hated them ruled over them.

Chronologically, these events haven't happened yet in my study, but we know that the Lord would indeed allow their enemies to take them, and they would once again be ruled by people who hated them, back in their same situation before God led them out of bondage.  How often does God lead us out of bondage only to have us return to it basically of our own accord?

(42) Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Their enemies once again oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.  While that surely means they became subjects of their enemies, Dr. John Gill pointed out in his Exposition of the Bible, that the meaning may be that they were brought into subjection to their Lord by their enemies.  By their enemies, they were humbled before the Lord and realized their need for Him.  God's punishment of His people is always about bringing them back to Him, their only salvation.

(43) Many times He delivered them, but they provoked Him with their counsel and were brought low for their iniquity.

Many times the Lord delivered His people, but they always wound up provoking Him again with their thoughts and plans.  Then they would be brought low again, only to call on the Lord again to deliver them.

(44) Nevertheless, He regarded their affliction when He heard their cry.

Their loving and merciful and oh so patient God, knowing how they would always return to their wicked ways, had compassion on them when He heard their cries.  What a beautiful promise!  Even when we are weak and keep falling back into our sins, if we sincerely call out to God for His deliverance, He will hear our cries.

(45) And He remembered for them His covenant and repented according to the multitude of His mercies.

It's not that God ever forgets anything, but for the sake of His people, He turned back toward His covenant and His promise.  That is the Biblical meaning of repenting, changing course, turning back.  He once again because of His unlimited mercy, turned back to His people to fulfill His promises.  

(46) He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captives.

The Lord turned the hearts of His people's captors to have pity on them.

(47) Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise.

Although we don't know the occasion that prompted this psalm, the psalmist was recalling all the times that the people had sinned against their Lord, but in His great mercy, He always came to their aid.  He was calling out to the Lord again to save His people and to gather them from the heathen where they might once again give thanks to their Lord for their triumph only in Him.  These words could have been said any time in history.  Think how pertinent they would have been after the Holocaust when God ultimately gathered His people back to their own state of Israel in 1948.

(48) Blessed the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting, and let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the Lord.

The psalmist ended with praises to the Lord God of Israel who was and is to be blessed forever.  He is to be worshiped and praised forever for His mercies endure forever (Psalm 136).  Let all the people say, "Amen," which literally means "sure, truly, so be it, truth."  Praise the Lord!

Just like other psalms studied chronologically after Deuteronomy, this psalm included a history of the Israelites, but its main purpose was to show the mercies of God and to call on Him again.  As I type this on Election Day 2024, I call on Him to have mercy on our country, a mercy I know we don't deserve, but when has His people ever deserved His goodness and mercy?  Never!  He gives it out of His loving goodness, and I pray for that again.  Thank you, dear Lord! 

Choose Life

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 30:1) "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, where the Lord your God has driven you,"

In the last chapter, Moses called all the people together to again enter into covenant with their Lord God in Moab.  He now begins a speech in which he tells the people that when all the things he had told them in the past few chapters came upon them, especially the blessings and curses that had been pronounced and prophesied by Moses, they should remember them in all the nations where the Lord had sent them.

(2) "And shall return to the Lord your God and shall obey His voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, (3) That then the Lord your God will turn your captivity and have compassion on you and will return and gather you from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you."

When the people had been scattered to various nations, when they called to mind the things the Lord had told them through Moses about His blessings and curses, and then returned to the Lord and obeyed His commands with all their hearts and souls, the Lord would then turn back to them and have compassion on them and gather them from all the nations wherein He had sent them.

(4) "If you are driven out to the outmost of heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you and from there He will fetch you."

No matter how far the people might be, if they had returned to the Lord with all their hearts and souls, He would gather them from wherever they might be.

(5) "And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it, and He will do you good and multiply you above your fathers."

Their Lord God would gather them and bring them back to the land which their fathers had possessed, that promised land of their forefathers, and they would again possess it.  The Lord would do good for them and multiply their numbers greater than the numbers of their fathers. 

(6) "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."

Their Lord would then circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their descendants, circumcise the foreskins of their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16), cut through the hardness of their hearts, that they would love their Lord with all their hearts and with all their souls that they and their descendants might live.

(7) "And the Lord your God will put all these curses upon your enemies and on them who hate you, who persecuted you."

The Lord would then put all the curses recorded in Deuteronomy 28 upon their enemies and those who hated and persecuted them.

(8) "And you shall return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you this day."

At that time they would return to the Lord to do all that He had commanded them through Moses that day.

(9) "And the Lord your God will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers."

Then would the Lord bring upon them His blessings, making them successful in every work of their hands, giving them an abundance of children, a large increase in their livestock and in the harvests of their land, doing only good for them.  He would again rejoice over them as He had once rejoiced over their forefathers.

(10) "If you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

The Lord would bring all those blessings upon the people if they listened to and obeyed their Lord God, to keep all His commandments and statutes that were written in the book of the law recorded by Moses, if they turned to the Lord with all their hearts and souls.

(11) "For this commandment which I command you this day is not hidden from you, neither is it far off."

It would be easy for God's people (and us this day) to listen to and obey the Lord for His commandments were not hidden from them (nor us).  It is not some secret held in a faraway land or in heaven, but God had given it to them, and to us with His Bible still with us.

(12) "It is not in heaven that you should say, 'Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?' (13) Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say, 'Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?' (14) But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it."

Indeed, Moses went on to say that God's word and His laws were not stored secretly in heaven nor in a faraway land, but it was very near to them, not only in the written word, but written on their hearts, and recited by their mouths, so that they (and us today) were without excuse (Romans 1:20).  

(15) "See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, (16) In that I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land which you go to possess it. (17) But if your heart turns away so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, (18) I denounce to you this day that you shall surely perish and shall not prolong your days upon the land which you pass over Jordan to go to possess it."

The Lord through Moses had set before the people the choice between life and goodness and death and evil.  If they loved their Lord God, walked in His ways, kept His commandments and statutes and judgments, they would live and multiply and the Lord would bless them with goodness in their land that He was giving them.  However, if they turned their hearts away and would not listen to and obey Him, but were drawn into other cultures and worshiped other gods and served them, then they would have death and curses.

(19) "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live, (20) That you may love the Lord your God and that you may obey His voice and that you may cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

Moses called upon heaven and earth as witnesses to record that day against the people, that he had set before them, as the Lord had directed He do, life and death, blessing and cursing, both the life and blessings they would have if they chose to obey their Lord, and the death and curses they would receive if they chose to turn away from Him.  Moses exhorted them to choose life that both they and their descendants might live, that they may love and obey their Lord and cling to Him as He was their very life and length of days in the land the Lord had promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What a simple choice we have!  Just choose life that is only found in the Lord God, and in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ!  It makes all our decisions so much easier.  Should women choose abortion?  God said, "Choose life!" That both you and your babies may live!  Should we endorse homosexual marriage that cannot produce life?  God said, "Choose life!"  Should we encourage transsexualism that cannot produce life?  God said, "Choose life!"  Should we embrace certain environmental laws that starve and kill the people?  God said, "Choose life!"  Should we remove God from schools and the public square?  God said, "I AM your life!"  Should we support nations that enslave and kill the people?  God said, "Choose life!"  Should we allow drug cartels and sex slave operators and terrorists to pour over our borders unchecked?  God said, "Choose life!"  And yes, we can choose to save the lives of immigrants, but they must come through legal channels and be vetted.  And if those legal channels need to be modified to make it easier for good people to be added to our numbers, then that is what we must do.  The way we are doing it now only leads to death.  Choose life!

Jesus Gives Sight to One Born Blind

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 9:1) And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

In the last chapter, Jesus had slipped away from the scribes and Pharisees in the temple who were about to stone Him.  Sometime after that, as He was walking along, He saw a man who had been blind since his birth.

(2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

The Jews believed that adversities were the effects of sin, which in many cases is true.  Jesus's disciples therefore wondered who had sinned to make this person born blind.  It didn't seem that he could have sinned, being born that way, so they wondered if his parents had sinned.  What they failed to consider was that all men are born into sin since the fall of Adam.

(3) Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

Jesus answered that neither had sinned.  That's not to say that they had never sinned, but there was not a personal sin that had caused the man to be born blind.  In this case, he had a purpose in being born blind, to be used by God to show the miracle of God in healing him.  I find this to be a direct contradiction to those Word of Faith believers who say they know God's will is that none should be sick.  I've heard their prayers demanding healing because they know it's God's will!  While God did want us all to be well and whole and living in the Garden of Eden of life, we sinned and fell from grace.  Now bad things happen, and God may use those bad things for His purposes, as "we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  And to those who think it must be a cruel God to make a child born blind just so that He may have the glory when that child is grown, that may be his purpose in life!  Each of us is born for a purpose.  We don't all have to grow up to be pastors or missionaries in a foreign land.  God uses some of us just where are.  I have known too many people, my husband included, who lived Godly lives in spite of adversities that some would have considered lives not worth living.  And I have seen too many people inspired by those people and even coming to salvation in Jesus because they can see the joy in those people even when they live with so much adversity.  And if that was their only purpose, and people were saved into eternal life because of it, then it was a grand purpose and their reward will be great in heaven.  

As I write this, I can't help but think of the lives that have been destroyed through abortion.  Lives aborted because someone thought it was better that they not live, and lives that were not saved because they did not have the chance to witness that aborted life.  I am 100% pro-life and believe that even in the case of rape, it was not the child's fault, and that child can be adopted if the mother can't keep the child.  But the one case I always had difficulty with was incest, but as I write this, why would it be any different than a child born with any defect or a child born out of rape?  Yes, perhaps the child born of incest gets a double dose of both health problems and psychological problems, but can that child not be used by God, as well?  And could people possibly come to salvation if they witness a Godly person grow up out of all the hardship?  Is their life worth less because of what was done to them?  Again God can use something born out of wickedness for His purposes, and to deny that to any person is playing God and immoral.  I can see that now.  God can use all lives and His will is that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).

(4) "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night comes when no man can work."

Jesus said that He must do the works His Father sent Him to do while there was still time.  He would only be there a short time, and when His death came, He could do no more work, at least no work in person on earth.  That can be said of all of us.  We should do good now while we are alive and able, because no man can work after he is dead.

(5) "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

As long as Jesus was in the world, He was the light that would guide men to do God's will.  Once that light was extinguished, there would be darkness again unless people learned from His example and from His life and became little lights themselves.  For these two reasons, it was important to Him that He work constantly as soon His light would be extinguished, but also that He might teach His disciples to carry on His word.

(6) When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

Jesus then spat on the ground and made a clay from the spittle and the dust from the ground.  He then anointed the blind man's eyes with the clay.  Why would Jesus choose to heal this way when He could have just as easily said, "Your eyes now see."?  I believe Jesus healed in different ways to show that there was no one magic formula and that He was Lord over all instruments He used.  In addition, we will see later in this chapter that Jesus did this on the Sabbath.  By actually making an ointment, He would be seen as having worked on the Sabbath, and would use this incident to again demonstrate how the Jews' interpretation of the law of the Sabbath was contrary to the original intent of God.

(7) And said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed and came seeing.

Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  John made a parenthetical statement that Siloam meant "Sent."  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, said that the fountain of Siloam sat outside the walls of Jerusalem, and from it a little stream flowed into the city and was received into the pool of Siloam near the temple.  It was a blessing sent by God sent from the fountain of Siloam, thus its name.  Why would Jesus send the man to a specific place to wash?  Perhaps there was significance in the name as the One sent by God sent him to that pool.  Perhaps it was a test to see how much the man trusted Him to be healed.  If he had disobeyed Jesus and washed in the first water he came to, he would not have been healed.  Perhaps Jesus wanted the man to go to the pool near the temple that his miracle may be observed in such a public place.  The man indeed went as Jesus told him and he came back from the pool seeing.

(8) The neighbors therefore and they who had before seen him that he was blind, said, "Is this not he who sat and begged?"

The man's neighbors and those who had seen him before and knew that he was blind asked if it could be the same person they knew used to sit and beg.  The man was obviously well known in the city, and that may be the reason Jesus sent him there to attract attention and make there be no doubt that he had been healed, and this for Jesus's purpose and for the glory of God (verse 3).

(9) Some said, "This is he," others, "He is like him." He said, "I am he!"

The miracle certainly caused a commotion among the people.  Some said it was definitely the same man, while others said it just looked like him.  The man himself spoke up and said he was indeed the same man who used to be blind and sat and begged.

(10) Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" (11) He answered and said, "A man who is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash,' and I went and washed and I received sight."

When he admitted he was the same formerly blind man, the people asked how his eyes came to be opened.  He told them about Jesus making the clay ointment, putting it on his eyes, and telling him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash.  He told them he did just as Jesus said and he received his sight.

(12) Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."

The people then asked the man where this Jesus was.  He said he didn't know.  The man would have known where he had been sitting when Jesus put the ointment on his eyes.  When he came back from the pool, he must have returned to the area to find that Jesus was no longer there.

(13) They brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind.

The people brought the man to the Pharisees.  Whether they had evil intentions against Jesus or perhaps just wanted the disagreement settled among them that this formerly blind man was truly healed, we aren't told.  But we know what the intentions of the Pharisees were.

(14) And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

Here is where we learn that Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath.

(15) Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see."

Then the Pharisees also asked the man how he had received his sight, and he told them what Jesus had done and after he washed, he was able to see.

(16) Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God because He doesn't keep the Sabbath day." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles?" And there was a division among them.

Some of the Pharisees proclaimed that Jesus could not be from God because He had broken the law of the Sabbath, but others rationalized that a sinner could not do such miracles, so there was much disagreement among them.

(17) They said to the blind man again, "What do you say of Him who has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

So the Pharisees spoke to the formerly blind man again and asked him who he thought Jesus was.  He answered that he thought He was a prophet.  

(18) But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight until they called his parents. (19) And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

The Jews, or primarily these Pharisees to whom the people had brought the man, did not believe that the man could have actually been born blind and could now see, so they called the man's parents and asked them if the man was really their son, if he had truly been born blind, and if so, how was it that he could now see?

(20) His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, (21) But by what means he now sees we don't know. He is of age, ask him; he shall speak for himself."

The man's parents confirmed that the man was their son and that he had been born blind, but they did not know how he came to see.  They said that their son was of age, so they should just ask him as he could speak for himself.  But of course, they already had and they weren't satisfied with his answer.

(22) This spoke his parents because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any man confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. (23) Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

The man's parents answered that way because they were afraid of the Jews who had already agreed that if anyone believed that Jesus was Christ, they would be cast out, excommunicated, from the synagogue.  That is why they said their son was of age, to ask him.  It seems they feared for themselves more than they cared about their son as they would have him be the one who was excommunicated or worse.  But I suppose they really didn't know anything but what their son would have told them.

(24) Then again they called the man who was blind and said to him, "Give God the praise. We know this Man is a sinner."

The Pharisees called the formerly blind man back to them and just told him to give God the praise for his healing.  They insinuated the healing could not have been from Jesus because they knew him to be a sinner.

(25) He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner, I don't know. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."

The man told them that whether or not Jesus was a sinner, he didn't know, and it seems he thought little of their trivial objection to Him.  What he did know was that he had been blind and now he could see, and that he certainly attributed to Jesus.

(26) Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

So the Pharisees asked the man again what exactly Jesus did to him, and how Jesus opened his eyes.

(27) He answered them, "I have told you already and you did not hear. Why would you hear it again? Will you also be His disciples?"

The man shows courage here.  Unlike his parents who were happy to push the responsibility back to him, he answered the Pharisees boldly that he had already told them and they did not want to listen and believe what he said.  Why would they want to hear the same thing again; would they believe him this time?  Would they suddenly want to become Jesus's disciples if they heard him tell them a second time what He had done?

(28) Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses's disciples. (29) We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we don't know where he is from."

The Pharisees then berated him and accused him of being a disciple of Jesus because he defended Him, which they considered an insult.  They said they were Moses's disciples, following the law of Moses which they said Jesus had broken that day.  They knew God had spoken to Moses, but they did not know where Jesus came from.

(30) The man answered and said to them, "Why, here is a marvelous thing, that you don't know where he is from and yet He has opened my eyes. (31) Now we know that God doesn't hear sinners, but if any man is a worshiper of God, and does His will, He hears him."

The man boldly said to them that that was an astonishing thing that they didn't know where Jesus came from, and yet He had opened his eyes.  He couldn't be a sinner because God wouldn't listen to sinners.  That's not to say that God would not hear our prayers when we call out and confess to Him that we need Him, but He would not allow a sinful man to call on Him and perform miracles for someone who was ungodly.  However, if a man worshiped God and did God's will, God would hear his prayers.  So what did that say about the Man who healed him?   

(32) "Since the world began it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (33) If this man were not of God, He could do nothing."

The man showed much more wisdom than the Pharisees.  Had they ever known a mere man to open the eyes of a man born blind in all of history?  It is true that there is no record of Moses or the prophets ever giving sight to a man who was born blind.  Therefore the man reasoned correctly that if Jesus was not of God, he would not have been able to do anything.  It was such simple reasoning and yet the Pharisees could not or would not see this.

(34) They answered and said to him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" And they cast him out.

Contemptuously the Pharisees told the man he had been completely born in sin, as if they hadn't been, and he dared to teach them, learned, wise, and holy, as they claimed to be?  They cast him out of the synagogue, I am sure excommunicating him.  

(35) Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

When Jesus heard that the Jews had cast the formerly blind man out of the synagogue, he looked for him.  When He found him, He asked if he believed in the Son of God.

(36) He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him?"

The man who had defended Jesus against the Pharisees did not know that Jesus spoke about Himself.  He had defended Him because he knew He had to be from God and assumed He was a prophet.  He asked Jesus who that Son of God was so that he might come to believe in Him.  He seemed very receptive to believing in Him but didn't realize it was Jesus Himself.

(37) And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who talks to you."

Jesus answered that the man had already seen the Son of man, and in fact, he was talking to Him at that moment.

(38) And he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.

The man immediately told Jesus He believed in Him to be the Son of God and he worshiped Him.

(39) And Jesus said, "For judgment I am come into this world that they who do not see might see and that they who see might be made blind."

Jesus had previously said that He did not come to judge the world, but to save it (John 12:47).  Therefore, He is not saying here that He came to judge the world.  The world had already been judged according to the law of God and all in it stood condemned.  It is because of this judgment that Jesus came into the world to provide a way that all could be saved.  He would give sight to the blind, and not just physically, but He would give their souls light and understanding so that they might believe in Him and be saved.  His coming would also blind those who thought that they already saw and understood and boasted they knew God and His law, as their stubbornness and pride would not let them see the truth about Jesus.

(40) And some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"

Some Pharisees who had been within hearing of Jesus when he spoke to the blind man He had healed, heard His words and must have perceived He may have been talking about them, and asked Him if they were blind, too.

(41) Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you should have no sin, but now you say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remains."

Jesus's point in His answer was that if they had known themselves to be spiritually blind and truly desired light and knowledge, then they wouldn't have the sin that blinded them now.  Their sins could have been forgiven had they listened to and believed in Jesus.  However, since their stubborn hard hearts thought they could see already, they would not even try to see the truth in Jesus.  Therefore they were still in their sin.

The man who had been born blind, although not named, holds a very prominent place in the Bible.  This entire chapter was devoted to him, and we can learn a lot from his example.  His simple belief led to his being cured, and his gratitude and steadfastness led to his eternal life in heaven.  How simple it is to just believe in Christ!  And when we know Him and know what He has done for us in saving us from eternal damnation, it's easy to stand for truth.  That man stood up in the face of what could have been of even more severe consequence than he received, but he was so sure and secure in the truth of the Man who cured him, He just simply did what was right.  And at that point, he didn't even know that Jesus was the Son of God, but he knew He was of God, and he stood up for that.  God saved him from death by the hands of those evil men and Jesus came to him to save his soul.  And even if men came to kill him at a later point, they would never be able to kill his eternal soul.  That will surely be in heaven with Jesus!

"For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" - Matthew 16:25-26

The Birth of John the Baptist

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 1:39) And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah.

At the end of the last post, Mary had just been given the message from the Lord that she would conceive and bear the Son of God.  At that time she made an earnest journey into the hill country to a city of Judah.  Early commentators said this was probably Hebron, a city of priests, in the hill country of Judea and belonging to the house of Aaron.  If that is true, it was a hundred mile journey for Mary!  Even though the scripture only mentioned Mary, surely some family member or perhaps Joseph arranged to have Mary join a caravan traveling to Hebron.

(40) And entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.

Mary went to the house of Zacharias and Elizabeth.  It is understandable that she would go to the one person with whom she could freely talk about her pregnancy, as being a pregnant virgin would not have been well accepted in her village, and no one would have believed her story about how it came to be.

(41) And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

This is one of my favorite verses in all the Bible.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's entrance and greeting, the baby in her womb leaped!  The baby, not a fetus, actually reacted to the voice of Mary.  The baby, not Elizabeth's baby and property to do with what she wished.  This was a separate human being inside Elizabeth's womb reacting of his own accord.  Is there any clearer message that the baby growing inside a woman is indeed a life separate from her?  The baby can react and feel pain if he is killed even inside the womb.  There is just no way to dispute the fact that abortion is murder of an innocent child!  When the baby leaped inside of her, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

(42) And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"

Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized what her baby had just recognized and to what he had reacted, and declared in a loud voice that Mary was blessed among women, using the words the angel had spoken to Mary, and that the child within her womb was blessed which, of course, was the reason why Mary was blessed.

(43) "And why this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Elizabeth continued, citing the Holy Spirit revelation that Mary was the mother of her Lord, and she asked why it was that Mary should come to her, obviously a question in humility that she should be honored with a visit from Mary, and her Lord, especially.

(44) "For lo, as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy."

Elizabeth continued, telling Mary how the baby in her womb leapt for joy when he heard Mary's salutation.

(45) "And blessed is she who believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."

Still obviously speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth concluded that Mary was blessed because she had believed the prophecy of the angel, and confirmed that those things that had been told to her by the angel of the Lord would indeed come to pass.

(46) And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,"

Mary began what is called the Magnificat, said to be a hymn of Mary, surely by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  She said her soul magnified the Lord, meaning not that she herself could magnify or make Him greater, but that her soul realized and declared His greatness.

(47) "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

Mary declared her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior, the Holy Spirit within her declaring that she was saved by God through the redemption that would be in Christ Jesus, the baby in her womb.

(48) "For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."

The Lord God had highly favored Mary in her lowly and humble state, meaning there was not any particular excellence in her, except that she was a willing handmaiden of the Lord, but it was from God's excellent love and mercy that she would from then on through all generations be called blessed.

(49) "For He who is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is His name."

Mary declared that the mighty God had done great things for her and specifically to her with regard to her immaculate conception of a child who would become the Savior of the world.  She declared God's name as holy, and indeed this miracle within her was brought about with no impurity and only by the Holy Spirit.

(50) "And His mercy is on them who fear Him from generation to generation."

Mary proclaimed God's mercy was on the people who feared Him, meaning a reverential respect for just who He was, from that generation to the next and to the next forever.

(51) "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts."

God had shown strength with His arm referring to what He had done with His almighty power.  He had dispelled the proud and haughty who were high and mighty in their own imaginations and brought them to nothing.  He made foolish the wisdom of the world:  "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Corinthians 1:19-20)

(52) "He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree."

Mary declared, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that God had taken down the mighty from their thrones, as when Saul was removed as king to establish David's kingdom.  However, it is also a prophetic statement about Satan being removed from his throne as the prince of the world by Jesus Christ who conquered death and saved His people from Satan.  God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); He exalts people of low esteem as He exalted the young shepherd boy David and He was exalting Mary in her lowly state (v. 48 above).

(53) "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."

God has filled the hungry and poor with the good things they need and has blessed them with things greater than the riches of the world.  He has sent the rich away empty, not necessarily a proactive move on God's part but because they don't rely on Him for their needs.  If they prayed at all, their prayers would likely be those to enrich themselves even more and to make them less likely to depend on God.  God might indeed deny or take away riches in order to bring one closer to Him, their only true source of salvation and joy.

(54) "He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy."

God has continued to support Israel, mercifully remembering His covenant with Abraham, "I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3)  The original word translated as "helped" is a very long word meaning so much more than helped.  It means to lay hold of and participate in the support of something, in this case Israel.  God was always an ever-present support for His people, Israel, and in bringing forth Jesus from Mary's womb, all families of the earth would now be blessed.

(55) "As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."

Mary concluded her hymn by adding that God had spoken to and reminded their fathers from Abraham down through the generations through David to Jesus about His promise.  From Jesus forward in time the covenant would be with His spiritual seed, as of course, Jesus would have no natural descendants.

(56) And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth and Zacharias about three months, which would have been about the time that Elizabeth was to deliver her child, and then she returned to her home.

(57) Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should deliver, and she brought forth a son.

Indeed, it was Elizabeth's time to give birth and she brought forth a son.

(58) And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy on her and they rejoiced with her.

When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had blessed Elizabeth with a son in her old and barren age, they rejoiced with her.  Indeed, this was a fulfillment of the prophecy the angel had given Zacharias in Luke 1:14, that many would rejoice at his birth.

(59) And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias after the name of his father.

When the baby was eight days old, some of those same neighbors and relatives came to circumcise the baby as was Jewish law.  It was the time at which the baby was normally given his name.  Those who were in attendance for the circumcision called the baby Zacharias after his father.

(60) And his mother answered and said, "No, he shall be called John."

Elizabeth objected and said that her baby's name was to be John as the angel had said it was to be.

(61) And they said to her, "There is none of your kindred who is called by this name."

However, the people answered back that there was no one in her family who was called by John, as it must have been a usual custom to name babies after others in their family.  The name John literally meant "Jehovah is a gracious giver," as He certainly had been in giving Elizabeth this child.  This was especially true when you consider who it was that John was sent to proclaim and prepare the way for; the gracious God gave the world Jesus to save them.

(62) And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

The people used sign language to ask Zacharias what he wanted the baby called.

(63) And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, "His name is John." And they all marveled.

Zacharias motioned for a writing tablet and wrote that the baby's name was to be John.  The people were amazed at this, probably because he didn't want the baby named after him, and because he and Elizabeth were in agreement when he had been deaf and dumb this whole time.

(64) And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke and praised God.

As soon as Zacharias had named the child John, all things being accomplished that the angel had foretold, all impediments to his speech, and to his hearing if there was any, were removed and He was able to speak and praised God.

(65) And fear came on all who dwelt around them, and all these sayings were talked about abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.

At that, the people marveled even more and were in awe and even fear.  They told about the things that had happened and word spread throughout the hill country of Judea.

(66) And all those who heard laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What manner of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Those who heard about the circumstances surrounding John's birth and naming stored those things in their hearts, wondering what sort of child he would grow to be, as it was obvious to them that the extraordinary circumstances of his birth meant the hand of God was on him.  The King James Version of this verse made the statement declarative and exclamatory, rather than a question:  "What manner of child will this be!"  That suggests the same thing that he must be something special.  Indeed, the hand of the Lord was on John.

(67) And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying, (68) "Blessed the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."

Zacharias was then filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy, first by praising His Lord God of all Israel who was with them and was redeeming His people.  Zacharias may not have known just how He was doing that, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he spoke it as if it were done.

(69) "And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David."

Obviously still speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, Zacharias went on to say that God had raised up a horn of salvation, the horn signifying strength, glory, and power, for His people from the line of His servant David, who was of course, Jesus Christ.  "The horn of my salvation" was quoted by David in Psalms 18:2.

(70) "As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been since the world began, (71) That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;"

This horn of salvation in the form of Jesus Christ had been spoken of by prophets of God since the beginning of time, from Genesis to Moses to the prophets.  This salvation would save them from their enemies and all who hated them in that their sins and Satan and his wicked followers could no longer destroy them.  Their mortal earthly bodies might be destroyed, but through the redemption in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, they could live forever with God in heaven.

(72) "To perform the mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, (73) The oath which He swore to our father Abraham."

In saving His people, God was performing the mercy He promised to their patriarchs and remembering His covenant made with Abraham that He would bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and that his descendants would possess the gates of his enemies, as with Solomon and David and other kings, and ultimately with Jesus Christ who triumphed over death itself, and in his descendants all nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:17-18).

(74) "That He would grant to us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, (75) In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life."

That promised merciful salvation that the Lord granted to His people even at the time Zacharias was speaking, since His people were being delivered from the hands of their enemies, should allow them to serve Him without fear in true holiness and righteousness, not in mere outward rituals and legal ceremonies.  Through the redemption that would be in Jesus Christ, His people would be considered holy and righteous before the Lord and could serve Him all the days of their lives.

(76) "And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways."

Zacharias, turning his prophetic speech to his son, said that this child would be called the prophet of the Highest, the Highest obviously being God, but he could also be called the prophet of the highest calling, as he was the one who went before the Lord Jesus to prepare the way for Him.

(77) "To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, (78) Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us, (79) To give light to them who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Zacharias's son John would prophesy and prepare the way of the Lord by giving the knowledge of salvation through the remission of their sins to His people.  That salvation would come to be because of the tender mercy of our Father God from whom that morning Light of the World from on high would come down to earth to give light to His people who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide them into the way of spiritual peace and joy.

(80) And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing to Israel.

Zacharias's prophecy now ended, scripture returned to the child of Zacharias and Elizabeth, John, who would become known as John the Baptist.  He grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts until he entered public ministry.  Either he grew up and then went to the desert region until ready to start his ministry, or perhaps the meaning is that while he grew, he spent his time in the deserts near his home, indicating he did not attend the schools of the Jews or apprentice with rabbis.  In solitude he was taught by God and he became strong in spirit.  He began his ministry at about the age of 30, as Jesus did, as was the law as gleaned from Numbers 4:3. 

Jesus Proclaims Eight Woes to the Pharisees and Laments Over Jerusalem

Continuing a Bible study of the gospel accounts:

(Matthew 23:1) Then Jesus spoke to the multitude and to His disciples.

At the end of the last chapter and post, Jesus had finished talking to the Pharisees, triumphant over all their tricks aimed at tripping Him up in His words.  He now turned His attention to the multitude around Him and His disciples.

(2) Saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat."

Scary thought, from what we have read about them, but indeed they were supposed to study and teach the law of Moses to the people.

(3) "Therefore whatever they bid you to observe, observe and do, but do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do."

Jesus told them that whatever the scribes and Pharisees read and taught out of the law of Moses, they should observe and do.  However, they should not do what they observed the scribes and Pharisees doing, for they did not act according to the words they taught.  It is interesting to note that Jesus did tell the people to do what these corrupt leaders taught.  Although they were wicked and corrupt in heart, yet the word of God does not return to Him void, but accomplishes what He wishes (Isaiah 55:11).  God will use corrupt leaders to get His word out, just as He used a donkey (Numbers 22:28).

(4) "For they bind heavy burdens, grievous to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they will not move them with one of their fingers."

Jesus's meaning here is that the scribes and Pharisees crushed the people with heavy burdens of religious laws, adding to them rites and ceremonies for show that were burdensome and oppressive to the people, but had no reason or spiritual revelation in them.  They would not lift a finger to ease the burdens they placed on the people.

(5) "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments."

The scribes and Pharisees did everything for show to be seen by the people.  Phylacteries were a way to take the command of Moses literally, "And you shall bind them (the words of the law) for a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8).  The Jews used to wear little scrolls of parchment with texts of scripture bound on their wrists and foreheads.  The scribes and Pharisees made their phylacteries huge probably filled with many texts of scripture to make them look so much more righteous and mindful of the law than ordinary folk.  The border of a Jew's garment was to be a ribbon of blue that when they saw it would remind them of the commandments of the Lord and they would remember to do them always and be holy before the Lord (Numbers 15:38-40).  However, the scribes and Pharisees made their blue ribbons much larger and wider than the ribbons of ordinary people.  These small things were originally meant to be personal reminders for the people wearing them, but the scribes and Pharisees wore them only as a big show of how righteous they were.

(6) "And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues."

Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees loved the places of highest honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, again all for show to demonstrate how important they were.

(7) "And greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"

Jesus said they also loved to be greeted in the marketplaces and to be called Rabbi, which was a term that was given to eminent teachers of the Jewish law.  The scribes and Pharisees loved hearing it because it implied their superiority over the person using it.

(8) "But you, do not be called Rabbi, for one is your Master, Christ, and you are all brethren."

Jesus told the people, including His disciples, not to allow themselves to be called Rabbi.  They should never seek titles of power or superiority.  They all had but one eminent teacher, and He was Christ; all others were brethren and had no superiority one over another.

(9) "And call no one your father on the earth, for one is your Father who is in heaven."

The Jewish rabbis were also often called Father, but Jesus tells them they have only one Father in heaven, and no man on earth deserved that title.  It's interesting to note that the Catholic religion still calls their pastors Father.  Why not brothers, as do most denominations?  Jesus said they should not have this title.

(10) "Neither be called master, for one is your Master, Christ."

Jesus instructed them not to call anyone Master, as they had only one Master and that was Jesus Christ, their Messiah.

(11) "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."

The greatest among people would be the one who humbled himself, took a lowly position, and served others.  

(12) "And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted."

Whoever exalted himself above others would be brought low by God Himself if not by man; and whoever humbled himself would be exalted and rewarded by God.

(13) "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

Jesus then pronounced woe to the scribes and Pharisees, for they were hypocrites and guilty and punishment would come to them.  They shut people out of the kingdom of heaven by teaching false doctrines and binding them to an observance of the traditions of man.  They themselves would not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven, but they also prevented those who were ready to accept Jesus as the Messiah and enter into the kingdom of heaven from doing so by their constant false accusations against Him.

(14) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense, make long prayers. Therefore you shall receive the greater damnation."

Jesus pronounced another woe to the scribes and Pharisees.  They devoured widows' properties through a pretense of great sanctity, inducing them to give everything for religious purposes.  They made long prayers for show and for greedy purposes.  Therefore, Jesus said, they would receive the greater condemnation because they, in their higher capacities, not only led the people astray, but plundered and distressed them along the way.

(15) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Jesus continued to curse, if you will, the scribes and Pharisees.  They would travel land and sea, sparing no pains, to gain a convert, but once he was converted, they made him twice the child of hell, or twice as wicked as they were.

(16) "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.'"

Jesus now called the scribes and Pharisees blind guides because they were blind to the truth but nevertheless, guided others.  He denounced their proclamation that if anyone swore an oath by the temple, it was neither binding nor a sin.  However, if anyone swore by the gold of the temple, that is, the money that was offered for the service of the temple, then that was binding and he must pay his debt.  This demonstrated no respect or reverence for the temple of God, but rather only for the money by which they enriched themselves.

(17) "You fools, and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?"

Indeed, Jesus pointed out their folly and hypocrisy, by asking what was more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold, making it holy, and not to be sworn by frivolously.  Of course, it was the temple!  An oath by the temple should be of much more importance than one by gold which had no holy value in it of itself.

(18) "And 'Whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swore by the gift that is on it, he is guilty.'"

Likewise, Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees declared that anyone swearing by the altar would not be bound to their oath, but if they swore by the gift that was on the altar, then they were bound to keep the oath or be guilty of a debt.  Once again, they showed no reverence for the altar of God, but only for the material gifts by which they could enrich themselves.

(19) "You fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?"

Once again, Jesus pointed out their absurd hypocrisy, asking what was more important, the gift or the altar that made the gift considered something holy and not to be sworn by lightly.

(20) "Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it."

Jesus went on to add that anyone who swore by the altar of God obviously had to be swearing by it and anything on it; they could not be separated.

(21) "And whoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it."

Anyone who swore an oath by the temple also swore an oath by God who dwelled in the temple.  Likewise, all items in the temple were only of value and importance because of God, and should be respected for that fact alone, and not for any monetary gain for the scribes and Pharisees.

(22) "And he who shall swear by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."

Jesus went on to say that whoever swore an oath by heaven was swearing by the throne of God, which meant by God Himself.  Actually, one should not swear at all, for all is God's, as Jesus said back in Matthew 5:34.  He said not to swear by heaven, for it was God's throne; He said not to swear by earth, for it was God's footstool; He said not to swear by Jerusalem for it was the city of their great King; He said not to swear by one's own head, for one had no control to change it.  God is the One with all the control over all His creation, so it was profane to swear by anything that was God's own property.

(23) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these you ought to have done and not to leave the other undone."

Jesus once again pronounced woe to the scribes and Pharisees and called them hypocrites.  They were apparently meticulous in tithing of the most trifling things on earth while they neglected the things that mattered most--justice, mercy, and fidelity, or faithfulness.  They should have made sure to do the more important things first, not that they shouldn't tithe; they could do that as meticulously as they desired, but they should have understood the most important moral obligations of the law and tended to them first, and let the smaller ritualistic and ceremonial matters come second.

(24) "You blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel!"

Jesus analogized what He had just accused of the scribes and Pharisees.  They were meticulous to make sure they strained out a gnat, the smallest of creatures, from their drinks to be sure they didn't ingest an unclean insect.  However, they avoided the greatest matters like sins of hypocrisy, deceit, lust, and oppression, like a man who might swallow a camel, the largest of animals.

(25) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but inside they are full of extortion and excess!"

Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of being meticulous to cleanse the outer things that showed, but inside where it wasn't visible to the people, they were full of wickedness, extortion, oppression, and lust.

(26) "You blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

Jesus told them to first cleanse what was within, invisible to the public, and then the outside would be truly clean.  As it relates to each of us personally, we must cleanse our hearts first so that our external actions will be clean, pure, and holy.

(27) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."

Jesus compared the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs.  It is written that the Jews used to yearly whitewash their tombs to make them easily visible and thus easily avoidable, for their law considered anyone who touched anything belonging to the dead to be unclean.  What Jesus meant, therefore, was that while the scribes and Pharisees took great pains to appear clean and beautiful in their outward appearance, they were full of death and unclean on the inside.

(28) "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Indeed, Jesus went on to detail their inward uncleanness; they worked to appear clean and righteous in view of men, but inside they were in fact full of hypocrisy and sin.

(29) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, (30) And say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'"

It seems the scribes and Pharisees built the tombs and repaired and beautified those already built out of respect for the memory of the righteous prophets; and this they did to outwardly show that they imagined themselves much better than their ancestors, and saying they would have never joined them in putting the prophets to death.

(31) "Whereby you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the children of those who killed the prophets."

I believe the sense of this rather difficult statement is that by saying they would have never joined in the slaying of the prophets, they acknowledged it was a great wickedness.  In acknowledging that fact, they were witnesses against themselves because they were just as their fathers before them were, and Christ knew they would also slay Him; in partaking of that same act, they condemned themselves as greatly wicked.

(32) "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers."

In essence, Jesus was telling them to go ahead in their fathers' wickedness.  He left them with the designs of their own wicked hearts to bring to fullness what their fathers had started by killing the prophets.  They would be every bit as wicked as their fathers, and more so.

(33) "Serpents, generation of vipers! How can you escape the damnation of hell?"

By calling them serpents and vipers, Jesus expressed their cunning craftiness, though sleek and fair on the outside, they were full of venom and death on the inside.  They were just like their father, that old serpent, the devil, and just like their forefathers who killed the prophets.  So how was it possible that they thought they could escape damnation to hell?

(34) "Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes; and some of them you shall kill and crucify, and some of them you shall scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city."

Jesus told this generation of vipers that He was sending His prophets, wise men, and scribes, which would describe His disciples.  He foretold that they would kill some of them and persecute others.

(35) "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar."

Jesus went on to foretell that upon them would come the punishment of all the innocent blood which had been shed in the land from Abel to the prophet Zechariah, and which would come for the shedding of His innocent blood and that of His disciples after Him.  Indeed, they would achieve the fullness of what their fathers had started.  It's not that they would be unfairly punished for what their fathers had done before them, but it was because they had witnessed all that came before, and continued to do even more wickedness, that all the righteous blood shed up to the point they were punished would be avenged.

(36) "Verily, I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation."

Jesus told them that the time of the avenging of all the innocent blood would occur in that present generation.  Actually, the original word "genea" can also mean "nation."  Indeed, the destruction of Jerusalem took place about 40 years after Jesus spoke these words.

These statements pronouncing woes to the scribes and Pharisees have become known as the "eight woes."  It is very interesting to note that the blessings of the beatitudes also numbered eight.  Some scholars have made a direct correlation between each beatitude and each woe.  They do, indeed, come pretty close to being in direct opposition to each other:

1) Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, but woe to the scribes and Pharisees who shut up the kingdom of heaven.

2) Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted, but woe to those who devoured widows' houses and caused their sorrow.

3) Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, but woe to the scribes and Pharisees who comb the earth to make just one proselyte and make him twice as bad as they were.

4) Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled, but woe to those who seek after only money and things of value.

5) Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy, but woe to those scribes and Pharisees who omitted the weightier matters like mercy.

6) Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, but woe to those scribes and Pharisees who make themselves clean and pure on the outside, but whose hearts are wicked.

7) Blessed are the peacemakers who shall be called the children of God, but woe to the scribes and Pharisees who were filled with only death.

8) Blessed are those who are persecuted for Christ's sake, but woe to the scribes and Pharisees who persecuted them.

Back to Matthew 23:37:

(37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you; how often would I have gathered your children together even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!"

Jesus then began to lament over Jerusalem.  It is evident He deeply grieved for her and earnestly wished for the salvation of her people.  The account in Luke says that He wept over the city.  Countless prophets were sent to save her, but she rejected and killed them.  Jesus sought to gather her people under His protection, but they would not hearken to Him.

(38) "Behold, your house is left to you desolate."

Whether Jesus meant the city or the temple, as either could be called the house where God had dwelt, once called His house, it was now their house for God had abandoned it.  For those who say that a loving God would never so wickedly punish His people, I don't see God as actively punishing, but He just turns away because they have rejected Him, and leaves them to defend for themselves.  Without His love, mercy, protection, and salvation, we will all perish!

(39) "For I say to you, you shall see me no more till you shall say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Taken in context with verse 38, it seems as if Jesus was saying the Jews' temple or city or both were desolate because HE was leaving it.  Their fate was sealed; the Lord's glory departed from them.  They would not see Him again offering His salvation until they received Him with joy and open hearts, recognizing Him as their Messiah.  The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 11:25-26 that this would be after the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in and then all Israel will be saved.  This is why we should only look with love to our Jewish brothers and sisters.  Imagine if Jesus had come to His people and they accepted Him and He took them away with Him, leaving all us Gentiles to perish.  Of course, it has been God's plan all along to save us all, knowing the depravity of the human heart; He knew He would be rejected, but His people had to see it for themselves.  Paul also said in those verses that we Christians must not become conceited because it is not owing to our own righteousness that we have been saved, but because Israel had been spiritually blinded for a time, Gentiles were given the opportunity to be saved.  Blessed are those who bless Israel, and cursed are those who curse her (Genesis 12:3, Numbers 24:9).  We should pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and they who love her will prosper (Psalm 122:6).  I truly believe that the reason God has continued to bless America even after all her wickedness in aborting babies, taking Him out of schools and the public square, celebrating homosexual unions that He called abomination, is because of our support for Israel.  However, one can see the tide turning, and once we reject Israel, we will be totally doomed as a country.

Cities of Refuge and Laws About Murder

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 35:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying, (2) “Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites suburbs for the cities around them."

In the last post, the Lord had commanded to Moses what the boundaries of the promised land were to be, and also named the princes of each tribe who were to receive their tribes' inheritance by lot.  He continued speaking to Moses in the plains of Moab on their current side of the Jordan across from Jericho, telling him to command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities, as well as land surrounding the cities, from their inheritances.  The Levites had no inheritance of their own, but as ministers of God, the Lord would have them scattered among all the tribes.

(3) "And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts."

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him the cities which each tribe would give of their inheritance would be for the Levites to dwell in, and the land surrounding the cities they would use as pasture land, barns, storehouses, and the like.

(4) "And the suburbs of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits all around."

The Lord commanded that the suburbs of the cities which were to be given to the Levites were to extend from the wall of the city outward 1000 cubits all around, which was about 1500 feet.

(5) “And you shall measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, and the city shall be in the midst; this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities."

It appears from verse 5 that besides the first 1000 cubits which served as a suburb of the city all around, there was an additional 2000 cubits on all sides that probably served as their pasture lands.  The cities were to be in the middle of the these designated suburbs.

(6) "And among the cities which you shall give to the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which you shall appoint for the manslayer, to which he may flee; and to these you shall add forty-two cities. (7) So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their suburbs."

The Levites were to be given a total of 48 cities with their suburbs as described above.  There were to be six cities of refuge to which a manslayer might flee for protection until his case was decided, and 42 additional cities.

(8) “And the cities which you shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel; from them who have many you shall give many, but from them who have few you shall give few; everyone shall give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inherits."

The 48 cities that were to be given to the Levites from the other tribes' inheritances were to be divided among the tribes with larger tribes giving more and smaller tribes giving fewer.  Every single tribe was to give some measure of cities to the Levites from their inheritance.

(9) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (10) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you have come over Jordan into the land of Canaan, (11) Then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the slayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. (12) And they shall be to you cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.'"

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him to tell the children of Israel that once they had gone over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, they were to appoint their cities of refuge to which a person who killed another accidentally might flee for protection.  The nearest kin had a right to avenge the death of his relation by slaying the murderer, so there was a need for a safe haven for the manslayer until his case was judged.

(13) "‘And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. (14) You shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall you give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.'"

There were to be six such cities of refuge.  Three cities were to be assigned on their present side of the Jordan River, where the inheritances of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh were; and the other three cities of refuge were to be assigned in the land of Canaan on the other side of the Jordan.

(15) "‘These six cities shall be a refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.'"

The cities of refuge were to be available for the children of Israel, and for the strangers and sojourners who dwelt among them, that anyone might flee there for protection if he accidentally killed someone.

(16) "'And if he strikes him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.'"

If the manslayer struck the victim with an iron instrument so that he died, that was to be considered murder.  Using an instrument of iron was to be seen at the very least as wishing to harm the victim and displayed bad intentions.  Therefore, if the victim indeed died, the manslayer was guilty of murder and was to be put to death.

(17) "‘And if he strikes him with throwing a stone, by which he may die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.'"

The primary definition of the original word "yad" that was translated as merely "throwing" is actually "hand", "open hand" as opposed to "closed hand".  The phrase is understood to mean a large stone that fills a man's hand.  That definition would make it reasonable to assume that the stone was not even necessarily thrown at the victim, but used in some way against the victim, as in Exodus 21:18, when it described the man who struck another with a stone.  If the victim died by the hand of a manslayer who used a stone, that manslayer was considered a murderer and was to be put to death.

(18) "‘Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which he may die, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.'"

Likewise if a man used a hand weapon of wood that was capable of killing a man, and the victim indeed died, the manslayer was considered a murderer and was to be put to death.

(19) "'The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer; when he meets him, he shall slay him.'"

In the above situations (verses 16-18), the manslayer was considered a murderer and was afforded no sanctuary.  The avenger of blood, or more properly defined as "redeemer of blood", that is the kinsman of the victim, was allowed by law to kill the murderer himself to avenge his relative.  Whenever he met him, at his first opportunity, he was to put the murderer to death.

(20) "'But if he thrusts him out of hatred or hurls at him while lying in wait, so that he dies, (21) Or in enmity strikes him with his hand so that he dies, he who struck him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer; the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meets him.'"

Even in cases where the manslayer did not use weapons designed to hurt and kill, if he acted in hatred or lay in wait for his victim, he would be considered guilty of murder if his victim died.  In these cases also, the kinsman avenger of blood was he himself to put the murderer to death whenever he met up with him.

(22) "'But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or has cast upon him anything without lying in wait, (23) Or with any stone, by which a man may die, casting it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm, (24) Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments.'"

In the case of a man who struck another or threw something at him suddenly, having not lain in wait for him, demonstrating no premeditation, he was not immediately considered a murderer.  Even if he had used a stone that would normally be expected to kill a man, and the victim indeed died, if the man did not see his victim, and it hit him accidentally, and the victim was not an enemy, and he had never sought to harm him, then he was not immediately considered a murderer.  This was the type of manslayer who could find sanctuary until his case was judged by the congregation.

(25) "'And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.'"

If the manslayer was found not to be guilty of murder, but had killed his victim accidentally, then the congregation was to deliver him back to his city of refuge, and he was to remain there until the death of the high priest.  He was a free man, but only within the walls of his city of refuge.  Although he was found not guilty of murder, he was still in exile from his home, indicating that the taking of a life was a very grave matter, even if done accidentally.  The high priest was chief among the priests and Levites to whom the cities of refuge belonged.  He alone made yearly atonement for the people.  Upon the death of the high priest who presided concurrently with the safe sanctuary of the manslayer, the slayer was to be set free.  This is a picture of Christ who alone atones for our sins, and upon His death the captives were set free and the remembrance of transgressions were made to cease.

(26) "'But if the slayer at any time goes outside the border of the city of his refuge where he fled, (27) And the revenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, (28) Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.'"

However, if the manslayer at any time went outside the borders of his city of refuge, then he was not safe from the avenger of blood.  If the kinsman avenger found him outside the borders of the city of refuge, he was free to kill the manslayer, and he would not be guilty of murder, because the manslayer's only salvation was within the borders of the city of refuge.  Only after the death of the high priest was the slayer to be free to go outside the city of refuge and return to his own land.

(29) "'So these things shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.'"

God established these laws for judging murder and proclaimed they were to remain intact throughout the ages in all their dwellings, at least until the coming of the Messiah, in whom true and complete refuge would be.

(30) "‘Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.'"

A murderer was to be put to death only by the testimony of two or more witnesses.  The testimony of one witness alone was not sufficient to put a killer to death.  One person might be mistaken or prejudiced, so his testimony had to be confirmed by at least one other.  I love this about the word of God!  Consistently we are told throughout the Bible that by the word of two or three witnesses a thing is established (Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19).  That fact has helped me so much in my Bible study.  Whenever I ponder an obscure or difficult verse, I know that its meaning will be confirmed elsewhere in the Bible.  If I come up with a meaning that is not expressed elsewhere in the Bible, then I know the problem was with my interpretation, not with inconsistency in the Bible.

(31) "‘Moreover you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.'"

This particular "satisfaction" is more clearly understood as "redemption" or "ransom".  No atonement or compensation could be paid to redeem the murderer's life.  If he was found guilty of murder, he absolutely was to be put to death.

(32) "'And you shall take no satisfaction for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.'"

Likewise there was no redemption or compensation for the refugee who left his city of refuge before the death of the high priest.  In leaving his sanctuary before the time that was allowed by law, he had broken the law and could not pay his way out.  I suppose he was free until he encountered a kinsman avenger of blood, but I guess that's the uncertain life of anyone who runs from the law.

(33) "‘So you shall not pollute the land where you are, for blood defiles the land; and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him who shed it.'"

The shedding of innocent blood defiles a nation.  The Lord expressly told His people so and cautioned them against polluting their land.  The only way He provided for the cleansing of the blood that had been shed in the land, was by the blood of the one who shed it.  Only God is the author of life and only He can dispose of it.  To take any life before its time could be to deprive that soul from coming to salvation, so the murderer not only murdered a body, but he may well have murdered a soul, which is far more important.  Although I know that a merciful righteous God would not condemn to hell a person who had not had the opportunity to come to salvation, this shows just how serious it is to take a life.  I can't help but think of the horrific amount of innocent blood that has been shed in our country since Roe v. Wade--over 60 million innocent babies' blood!  How defiled is our land?  Jesus Christ came and shed His blood for our sins so that we did not have to pay with our own lives for aborting precious innocent life, but that is only if we confess our sin and sin by that way no more.  I know Christ can save individuals who sin, but a country that continues to kill innocent babies in direct violation of God's law?  I am certain this country will fall if for that reason alone, although there are many more Godless reasons our nation is defiled.

(34) "‘Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, wherein I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.'"

The Lord exhorted His people not to defile their land, and added the more important basis for His exhortation that He, the Holy God, dwelt there among His people.  Again I cannot help but think about our nation and how we can declare "God Bless America" as we stand on top of the massive amount of innocent blood in our land.  Think of all the ways this country has pushed God out of schools and the public square.  Consider how the Democrat Party wanted God removed from its platform.  How can we expect God to bless a country that doesn't want Him in it?  How do we expect a country to survive without Him or His blessing?