Yehovah Our Salvation

Tuesday 2021.08.31

This afternoon, from the OT, I finished reading Jeremiah chapters twenty-three through twenty-five. According to the introductory notes in my Bible, these first twenty-five chapters of Jeremiah records the prophecies of Jeremiah ben Hilkiah during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah, namely, Josiah ben Amon (31 yrs), Joahaz ben Josiah (3 months), Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Josiah (11 yrs), Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim (3 mths), and Zedekiah (Mattaniah) ben Josiah (11 yrs).

Tomorrow, I will continue my OT reading with Jeremiah chapter twenty-six. The next twenty chapters, from Jeremiah 26:1 to 45:5, records various prophecies and important events in the life of the prophet Jeremiah ben Hilkiah. These records were taken from the memoirs of Baruch, Jeremiah's secretary.

A significant verse of prophecy in today's OT reading is found in Jeremiah 23:5, 6 about a righteous descendant of King David who is the chosen Messiah, who will rule uprightly and justly, who will carry the title, "Yehovah our salvation".

Jeremiah 23:5, 6 GNB
5 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land.
6 When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The LORD Our Salvation’.

Pashhur ben Immer

Monday 2021.08.30

Today in my OT reading, I read chapters eighteen through twenty-two of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 20:1ff tells of a priest named Pashhur ben Immer (not to be confused with another priest Pashhur ben Malchiah, recorded in Jeremiah 21:1, 38:1 - 6).

Pashhur ben Immer was the chief officer in the Temple of Yehovah. He was unhappy with the prophecies of condemnation and destruction uttered against the Kingdom of Judah by Jeremiah ben Hilkiah and punished Jeremiah by beating him and locking him in stocks.

The next day, after Jeremiah ben Hilkiah was released from the stocks, Jeremiah prophesied to Pashhur ben Immer that his name would no longer be called Pashhur but instead be called Magor-missabib.

Pashhur, when broken into its Hebrew root words, can be taken to mean "pws" (to rest) + "sehor" (round about), whereas Magor-missabib means "terror on every side". Thus, Jeremiah ben Hilkiah was using a word play to tell Pashhur ben Immer that instead of having rest all around him, he would be facing terror on every side.

Jeremiah 20:1 - 4 ASV
1 Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in the house of Jehovah, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2 Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.
3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, Jehovah hath not called thy name Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.
4 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.

See the following link for an explanation on the word play between Pashhur and Magor-missabib:

• Pashhur - Encyclopedia.com

Anathoth, the hometown of Jeremiah

Sunday 2021.08.29

Today in my OT reading, I read Jeremiah chapters eleven through seventeen using the Good News Bible.

The prophet Jeremiah ben Hilkiah was a priest whose hometown was Anathoth in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. In Jeremiah 1:1, we read:

Jeremiah 1:1 GNB
This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

Sadly, the people of Anathoth did not like the prophecies that Jeremiah prophesied against them. They threatened to kill him if he continued proclaiming the words of the LORD to them.

Jeremiah 11:21 - 23 GNB
21 The people of Anathoth wanted me killed, and they told me that they would kill me if I kept on proclaiming the LORD's message.
22 So the LORD Almighty said, “I will punish them! Their young men will be killed in war; their children will die of starvation.
23 I have set a time for bringing disaster on the people of Anathoth, and when that time comes, none of them will survive.”

The faith of the Thessalonians

Saturday 2021.08.28

This morning, in the NT, I read all five chapters of First Thessalonians. In chapter one, the Apostle Paul gave thanks to God when he remembered the faith of the Thessalonian brethren, how well known they were among the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. In particular, they had

• turned away from idol worship
• to serve the one true God, and
• to wait for the Son of God to return from heaven: Iesus, whom God had raised from the dead.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 - 10 NIV
8The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

The Prophet Jeremiah ben Hilkiah

Friday 2021.08.27

This morning I begin reading the book of the prophet Jeremiah in the OT, covering the first five chapters.

Chapter One begins by introducing the reader to the prophet Jeremiah ben Hilkiah, a priest from Anatoth in the land of Benjamin. Jeremiah ben Hilkiah was called by the LORD to prophesy to the people of Judah during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah, among whom, in particular, were King Josiah ben Amon, King Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Josiah, and Zedekiah (Mattaniah) ben Josiah, right until the end of Zedekiah's reign when Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 1:1 - 3 GNB
1This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
2The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah,
3and he spoke to him again when Josiah's son Jehoiakim was king. After that, the LORD spoke to him many times, until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.

The last five kings of Judah were as follows:

• Josiah ben Amon, reigned 31 yrs
• Joahaz ben Josiah, 3 months
• Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Josiah, 11 yrs
• Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim, 3 months
• Zedekiah (Mattaniah) ben Josiah, 11 yrs

In particular, Jeremiah ben Hilkiah prophesied about the fall of King Joahaz ben Josiah (Jer 22:10 - 12), the doom befalling King Jehoiakim ben Josiah (Jer 22:12 - 19), the judgment of God on King Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim (Jer 22:24 - 28), and the capture of King Zedekiah ben Josiah by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Jer 21:1 - 7)

A list of all the kings of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel can be found in my devotional blog:

• Kings of Judah and Israel

The wolf and the lamb will feed together

Thursday 2021.08.26

The OT portion for my reading today covers the last seven chapters of the book of Isaiah, from chapter 60 through 66. Tomorrow, I will proceed with reading the book of the prophet Jeremiah using the Good News Bible.

One of the prophecies of Isaiah recorded in today's portion of reading is the prophecy in chapter 65 that Yehovah will create new heavens and a new earth and the new city of Jerusalem bring delight and joy to His people.

Isaiah 65:17 NIV
17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.

Even animals will live in peace in this new earth. Animals will no longer harm nor kill one another for food. Lions will eat straw like oxen. And wolves will feed together with lambs.

Isaiah 65:25
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.

A man of suffering

Wednesday 2021.08.25

This morning I read chapters fifty-two through fifty-nine of the book of the prophet Isaiah in the OT.

Chapter 53 tells of a "man of suffering" (Isaiah 53:3) who was chosen by Yehovah to bear our sins (Isaiah 53:4, 11b, 12 LXX) and to die for the iniquities of His people. Verse 8 says,

Isaiah 53:8 LXX Brenton
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth: because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death.

Verse 10 in chapter 53, however, seem to be translated rather differently in the NIV (based on the Hebrew Masoretic text) compared to the Brenton translation (based on the Greek Septuagint). There is significant contrast in meaning between the phrase "though the LORD makes his life an offering" in the NIV against the phrase "if ye can give an offering for sin" in the Brenton LXX.

Isaiah 53:10 NIV
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

Esaias 53:10 LXX Brenton
The Lord also is pleased to purge him from his stroke.
If ye can give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed:

A Light for the Gentiles

Tuesday 2021.08.24

Today's portion of my OT reading is from Isaiah chapters forty-seven through fify-one.

Isaiah chapter 49 records a prophecy about the Messiah, the servant chosen by Yehovah to bring Israel back to Him, and also to bring the salvation of Yehovah to all Gentile nations, "to the ends of the earth"

Isaiah 49:5, 6 NIV
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

The prophecy continues in verse 7, that this Chosen Servant will rule over kings and princes of the earth.

Isaiah 49:7 NIV
This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

I am Yehovah, besides me there is no God

Monday 2021.08.23

In today's OT reading, I covered Isaiah chapters forty-two through forty-six. The word of the LORD, "I am YEHOVAH" (translated as "I am the LORD" in the NIV) occurs in at least two instances, first in Isaiah 42:8 and again in Isaiah 45:5ff, quoted from the American Standard Version below:

Isaiah 42:8 ASV
I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.

Isaiah 45:5 - 7 ASV
5 I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God. I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me;
6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.

The Lord Iesus, the Anointed One

Sunday 2021.08.22

This morning's NT reading brought me through Ephesians chapters three and four.

In this portion of scripture, I revisited the Apostle Paul's prayer for the Ephesian assembly in Ephesians 3:14 - 21. During the reading, it occurred to me that whenever "Lord Jesus Christ" is mentioned in the text, the original meaning was "Lord Jesus the Anointed One". The word "Christ" (or Christos in Greek)is a descriptive title rather than a part of the Lord's name.

I thought that if I replace the term "Christ" with the title "the Anointed", the prayer of Paul for the Ephesians would come across more powerfully and meaningfully. In the passage below, I have copied Eph 3:14 - 21 from the King James Version and replaced the word "Christ" with "the Anointed":

Ephesians 3:14 - 21 KJV
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That the Anointed may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of the Anointed, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by the Anointed Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

I have also written a post about this prayer in my devotional blog, as shown below:

• The Prayer for the Ephesians (Eph 3:14 - 21)

Calling, Inheritance, and Power

Saturday 2021.08.21

Shabbat Shalom.

Today is the Seventh Day of the Biblical Week. Let us keep the Fourth Commandment. Let us remember the Shabbat and keep it holy by resting from all our work until sunset this evening.

This morning my OT reading of the Latter Prophets in the Neviim of the Hebrew division of scriptures covers chapters 29 through 35 of the book of Isaiah.

In the NT, I started reading the first two chapters of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. In Ephesians chapter one, the apostle Paul wrote about his prayer for the Ephesian brethren:

Ephesians 1:17 - 23 KJV
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

I have also written two short posts about the prayers of the Apostle Paul for the Ephesians, firstly in chapter one, and again in chapter three, in my devotional blog, as follows:

• A Prayer for Enlightenment (Eph 1:17 - 22)
• The Prayer for the Ephesians (Eph 3:14 - 21)

A Shoot, a Branch, and a Root

Thursday 2021.08.19

This morning I read Isaiah chapters eleven through fifteen.

Chapter eleven of this portion of scripture begins with a prophecy about the Messiah: that he will be a descendant of Jesse ben Obed (Yishai ben Obed in Hebrew, meaning "God's Gift"), grandson of Ruth and Boaz, of the tribe of Judah.

In the first three verses, the Messiah is described as a Shoot from the stump Jesse, and as a Branch from the root of Jesse. The Spirit of Yehovah will rest on Him.

Isaiah 11:1 - 3a NIV
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

Later in verse ten, the Messiah is called the Root of Jesse, and the Gentile nations will rally to Him.

Isaiah 11:10 NIV
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD Sabaoth

Wednesday 2021.08.18

This morning I reading chapters six through ten of the book of Isaiah in the Latter Prophets division of the Neviim. (See my blog page, The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings for details of the Hebrew divisions of scripture into Torah, Neviim, and Khetuvim.)

Isaiah chapter 6 in today's reading contains the account of Isaiah's vision of the LORD sitting on His throne, high and mighty, with the train of his robe filling the Temple. Above the throne were seraphim, six-winged creatures, flying around and calling out,

Isaiah 6:3 NIV
And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty*; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

* The LORD Almighty: in Hebrew, Yehovah Tsebaoth, or the LORD Sabaoth, or the LORD of Hosts

It was the year when the King of Judah, Uzziah ben Amaziah died at the end of his 52 years of reign. In that vision, the prophet Isaiah was called to a mission of prophesying to the Kingdom of Judah.

Isaiah 6:8 NIV
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

The Song of the Vineyard

Tuesday 2021.08.17

In my OT reading for today, I began reading the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapters one through five. In these early chapters, Isaiah started to prophesy against the rebelliousness of the people of the Kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.

Isaiah served the LORD as a prophet in the Kingdom of Judah through the reigns of four generations of kings, namely, Uzziah ben Amaziah, Jotham ben Uzziah, Ahaz ben Jotham, and Hezekiah ben Ahaz. Of the four kings, Jotham ben Uzziah and his grandson Hezekiah ben Ahaz were good kings who worshipped and obeyed the LORD, whilst Ahaz ben Jotham was an evil king who worshipped the pagan gods of the Canaannites, offering sacrifices and burning incense "on the hills and under every shady tree" (2 Kings 16:4 GNB). He even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering to the idols.

See my blog page Kings of Judah and Israel for a chart of all the kings who ruled over the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

Chapter five, in particular, records Isaiah's prophecy against the dwellers of Jerusalem and the people of Judah in the form of a parable about a vineyard planted by the LORD. This prophecy is often known as "The Song of the Vineyard". In this song, Isaiah pronounced six woes on the rebellious people, as follows:

Isaiah 5:8 NIV
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.

Isaiah 5:11,12 NIV
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. 12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.

Isaiah 5:18 NIV
Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes,

Isaiah 5:20 NIV
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Isaiah 5:21 NIV
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Isaiah 5:22, 23 NIV
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.

The last three Kings of Judah

Monday 2021.08.16

In my OT reading today, I finished the remaining last two chapters of Second Kings. This portion of scripture records the account of the reigns of the last three kings of Judah leading to the fall of Jerusalem into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.

The following were the last three kings of Judah:

• Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Josiah, reigned 11 yrs
• Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim, reigned 3 months
• Zedekiah (Mattaniah) ben Josiah, reigned 11 yrs

The invasion of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia took place in three stages:

The first stage of Babylonian invasion happened some time during the reign of King Jehoiakim ben Josiah. Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land of Judah and King Jehoiakim submitted to his rule for three years. 2 Kings 24:7 tells us that by the end of those years,

"the king of Babylonia now controlled all the territory that had belonged to Egypt, from the River Euphrates to the northern border of Egypt."

The second stage of Babylonian invasion took place during the short three-month reign of Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim. It was the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. King Nebuchadnezzar himself came personally to Jerusalem and captured King Jehoiachin. He carried away the treasures of the Temple as well as took captives of the princes, leaders, and skilled workmen of Jerusalem.

2 Kings 24:12b - 16 GNB
In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he took Jehoiachin prisoner 13and carried off to Babylon all the treasures in the Temple and the palace. As the LORD had foretold, Nebuchadnezzar broke up all the gold utensils which King Solomon had made for use in the Temple. 14Nebuchadnezzar carried away as prisoners the people of Jerusalem, all the royal princes, and all the leading men, 10,000 in all. He also deported all the skilled workmen, including the blacksmiths, leaving only the poorest of the people behind in Judah. 15Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner, together with Jehoiachin's mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of Judah. 16Nebuchadnezzar deported all the important men to Babylonia, 7,000 in all, and 1,000 skilled workers, including the blacksmiths, all of them able-bodied men fit for military duty.

The third stage of Babylonian invasion occurred when King Zedekiah (Mattaniah) ben Josiah, the puppet king set up by Nebuchadnezzar to rule over Judah, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In the 10th day 10th month 9th year of Zedekiah's reign (which was roughly in the 17th year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign), Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonian army again. Then, in the third year of siege, on the 9th day 4th month 11th year of Zedekiah (which was the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar), the walls of Jerusalem were broken through. King Zedekiah was captured, his eyes taken out, and he was carried off to Babylon.

The third stage of invasion concluded on the 7th day 5th month 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, when Commander Nebuzaradan entered the city of Jerusalem, burned down the Temple, demolished the city walls, and took captives of the remaining skilled workmen and priests, and looted whatever treasures remained in the Temple.

2 Kings 25:8 - 12 GNB
8On the seventh day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem. 9He burnt down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem, 10and his soldiers tore down the city walls. 11Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workmen, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians. 12But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and put them to work in the vineyards and fields.

Jerusalem had fallen. The Kingdom of Judah had come to an end.

Josiah served Yehovah with heart, mind and strength

Sunday 2021.08.15

On this first day of the biblical week, I read from the OT Second Kings chapters twenty-one through twenty-three.

Chapters 22 and 23 contain the account of King Josiah ben Amon of Judah who, like his great grandfather Hezekiah ben Ahaz, was a Godly king. King Josiah ben Amon carried out a nation-wide campaign of destroying all the pagan temples, altars, and idols that his evil father Amon and grandfather Manasseh had brought into the kingdom of Judah. King Josiah also removed all the pagan priests and temple prostitutes from the land. In fact, Josiah's campaign of cleansing from idol worship and pagan practices was so extensive that 2 Kings 23:25 describes him as an unparalleled king: never had been, nor has there been one like him ever since.

2 Kings 23:25 GNB
There had never been a king like him before, who served the LORD with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.

The following are the kings of Judah whose reigns are recorded in today's portion of scripture:

• Manasseh ben Hezekiah, reigned 55 yrs
• Amon ben Manasseh, reigned 2 yrs
• Josiah ben Amon, reigned 31 yrs
• Joahaz ben Josiah, reigned 3 months
• Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Joahaz, reigned 11 yrs

Hezekiah the Incomparable King

Saturday 2021.08.14

Shabbat Shalom. Today is the seventh day of the biblical week. Shabbat in Malay is called "Sabtu". Let us rest from all our work.

This morning I read Second Kings chapters eighteen through twenty. This portion of scriptures contain the account of King Hezekiah ben Ahaz, the greatest and mostly Godly King of the southern Kingdom of Judah.

Hezekiah ben Ahaz became king of Judah at the age of 25, in the 3rd year of Hoshea ben Elah King of Israel. His mother was Abijah bat Zechariah. Hezekiah ruled Judah for 29 years.

2 Kings 18:5,6 states that there was no other king like Hezekiah in Judah, neither before nor after him.

2 Kings 18:5,6 GNB
5Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; Judah never had another king like him, either before or after his time. 6He was faithful to the LORD and never disobeyed him, but carefully kept all the commands that the LORD had given Moses.

Hoshea, Last King of Israel

Friday 2021.08.13

Today is Preparation Day, the Sixth Day of the Biblical Week. It is a day of bringing to completion all tasks for this week in preparation to rest for the weekly Seventh Day Sabbath which will begin at sunset this evening.

This afternoon I read Second Kings chapters fifteen through seventeen in the OT. This portion of scripture records the accounts of the last six kings of Israel and another two kings of Judah. The last king of Israel ruling from Samaria was King Hoshea when eventually Samaria fell to the Assyrian forces led by King Shalmaneser. The fall of Samaria during the ninth year of the reign of King Hoshea is mentioned twice: once in 2 Kings 17:5 and again in 2 Kings 18:9 - 12

2 Kings 17:5, 6 GNB
5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the River Habor in the district of Gozan, and some in the cities of Media.

2 Kings 18:9 - 11 GNB
9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign — which was the seventh year of King Hoshea's reign over Israel — Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. 10 In the third year of the siege, Samaria fell; this was the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign, and the ninth year of Hoshea's reign. 11 The Assyrian emperor took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the River Habor in the district of Gozan, and some in the cities of Media.

The last six kings of Israel recorded in 2 Kings 15 to 17 are as follows:

• Zechariah ben Jeroboam ben Jehoash (2 years)
• Shallum ben Jabesh (1 month)
• Menahem ben Gadi (10 years)
• Pekahiah ben Menahem (2 years)
• Pekah ben Remaliah (20 years)
• Hoshea ben Elah (9 years)

Another two kings of Judah recorded in today's portion of OT scripture are:

• Jotham ben Uzziah (16 years)
• Ahaz ben Jotham (16 years)

Of all the kings of Israel and Judah described in today's scripture, only King Jotham ben Uzziah of Judah was a good king. All the others were evil kings who departed from the LORD to worship idols.

Three Kings of Israel, A King of Judah

Thursday 2021.08.12

Today in the OT, I read from Second Kings chapters thirteen and fourteen about three new kings who ascended to the throne in Israel and a new king in Judah.

In the northern kingdom of Israel the following kings succeeded King Jehu ben Jehoshaphat ben Nimshi (2 Kings 13 - 14):

• Jehoahaz ben Jehu (reigned 17 years)
• Jehoash ben Jehoahaz (reigned 16 years)
• Jeroboam ben Jehoash (or Jeroboam II, reigned 41 years)

In the southern kingdom of Judah, King Amaziah ben Joash ascended to the throne after his father King Joash was assassinated by his own officials Jozacar ben Shimeath and Jehozabad ben Shomer. Amaziah ruled for 29 years. (2 Kings 14)

King Jehu of Israel, Queen Athaliah of Judah

Wednesday 2021.08.11

In today's OT portion, I read in 2 Kings chapters 9 and 10 about Jehu ben Jehoshaphat ben Nimshi, a Captain of Israel's army, being anointed King of Israel by the prophet Elisha. King Jehu proceeded to kill his evil predecessor King Joram ben Ahab of Israel in a battle at Jezreel. In the same battle which he also killed the evil King Ahaziah ben Jehoram ben Jehoshaphat of Judah. After that King Jehu entered the city of Jezreel and killed the wicked Queen Jezebel wife of Ahab.

Although King Jehu began his reign over the kingdom of Israel as a godly king, he fell into the sin of worshipping the golden bulls set up in Bethel and Dan by the first Israelite King Jeroboam ben Nebat towards the end of his twenty-eight year reign(2 Kngs 10:28-30).

Meanwhile in the southern kingdom of Judah, the evil Queen Athaliah bat Ahab mother of King Ahaziah ben Jehoram ben Jehoshaphat took control over the kingdom of Judah after her son Ahaziah was killed by King Jehu of Israel in the battle at Jezreel. She put everyone in the royal family to death and ruled over Judah for six years. (2 Kings 11)

One of the sons of Ahaziah, however, escaped the massacre by Queen Athaliah when he was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba bat Jehoram, half-sister to Ahaziah. His name was Joash. Eventually, Joash was anointed King of Judah by the priest Jehoiada in the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel. Like King Jehu of Israel, King Joash of Judah started out as a godly king but departed from the LORD towards the end of his forty-year reign. (2 Kings 11 and 12)

Elisha's power of remote presence

Tuesday 2021.08.10

This afternoon I read Second Kings chapters five through eight from the OT. This portion of scripture includes accounts of the miraculous powers of the prophet Elisha in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Ahaziah ben Ahab, Joram ben Ahab, and subsequently Captain Jehu ben Jehoshaphat ben Niimshi.

Among Elisha's powers, in particular, was his ability to be remotely present in spirit in other places without actually having to travel there physically. Two such instances are described, one in 2 Kings 5 and the other in 2 Kings 6.

In 2 Kings 5, Elisha's servant Gehazi went out secretly to ask for gifts from Naaman the Syrian Commander, gifts which Elisha has declined earlier on. When Gehazi was questioned by Elisha upon returning home, Gehazi denied that he had gone anywhere. Little did Gehazi know that Elisha was present together with him when he asked for gifts from Naaman.

2 Kings 5:26 GNB
But Elisha said, “Wasn't I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants!

In 2 Kings 6, the King of Syria was repeatedly frustrated when his plans to set up camp in preparation to attack Israel was revealed to the king of Israel several times. He didn't know that Elisha had been warning the king of Israel about the movements of the Syrian king and his army.

2 Kings 6:11 - 12 GNB
11 The Syrian king became greatly upset over this; he called in his officers and asked them, “Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 One of them answered, “No one is, Your Majesty. The prophet Elisha tells the king of Israel what you say even in the privacy of your own room.”

Towards the end of 2 Kings chapter eight, an account of two more kings of the southern kingdom of Judah is recorded. Sadly, unlike their predecessor King Jehoshaphat, these two descendants of Jehoshaphat were evil kings who turned away from the LORD because of their family ties with the evil King Ahab of Israel.

• King Jehoram ben Jehoshaphat. His wife Athaliah bat Ahab, daughter of King Ahab of Israel caused him to sin.
• King Ahaziah ben Jehoram. His mother, Athaliah bat Ahab, caused him to sin against the LORD

Joram succeeds Ahaziah in Israel

Monday 2021.08.09

Today my OT reading begins with the book of Second Kings using the Good News Bible, covering the first four chapters. This portion of scripture contains the account of Elijah being taken up to heaven by a whirlwind accompanied by a chariot of fire at the River Jordan. Before Elijah was taken away, his follower Elisha had asked for a portion of his prophetic power so that Elisha could succeed Elijah.

2 Kings 2:9 - 12 GNB
9 There, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what you want me to do for you before I am taken away.”
“Let me receive the share of your power that will make me your successor,” Elisha answered.
10 “That is a difficult request to grant,” Elijah replied. “But you will receive it if you see me as I am being taken away from you; if you don't see me, you won't receive it.”
11 They kept talking as they walked on; then suddenly a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire came between them, and Elijah was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out to Elijah, “My father, my father! Mighty defender of Israel! You are gone!” And he never saw Elijah again.

This portion of Second Kings also tells us of how King Ahaziah ben Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel died from his injuries a short while after he fell off the balcony from the roof of his palace. Ahaziah ben Ahab had no sons, so he was succeeded by his brother Joram ben Ahab. At that time, it was the second year of the reign of King Jehoram ben Jehoshaphat in the southern kingdom of Judah.

Just like all the the eight kings of the northern kingdom of Israel before him, from King Jeroboam ben Nebat to King Ahaziah ben Ahab, King Joram ben Ahab was an evil king who turned away from the Lord Yehovah.

Two good kings, Seven evil

Sunday 2021.08.08

Today I read from the OT the final seven chapters book of First Kings. This portion of scripture contains the accounts of seven evil kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, along with two good kings of the southern kingdom of Judah

In the southern kingdom of Judah reigned the following good kings:

• Asa ben Abijam for 42 years (1 Kings 15)
• Jehoshaphat ben Asa for 23 years (1 Kings 22)

In the northern kingdom of Israel reigned the following evil kings:

• Nadab ben Jeroboam for 2 years (1 Kings 15)
• Baasha ben Ahijah for 24 years (1 Kings 16)
• Elah ben Baasha for 2 years (1 Kings 16)
• Captain Zimri for 1 year (1 Kings 15)
• Commander Omri for 12 years (1 Kings 16)
• Ahab ben Omri for 22 years (1 Kings 17)
• Ahaziah ben Ahab for 2 years (1 Kings 22, 2 Kings 1)

Kingdom divided

Saturday 2021.08.07

Shabbat Shalom.

Today I read nine chapters from the book of First Kings, covering chapters 7 -15, about several Kings of Israel and Judah who came to power after Solomon's death.

In the southern Kingdom of Judah, Solomon was succeeded by his son, grandson and great grandson: Rehoboam ben Solomon, Abijam ben Rehoboam, and Asa ben Abijam respectively.

In the northern Kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel, Jeroboam ben Nebat the Ephraimite who broke away from Rehoboam ben Solomon in the south, was succeeded by his son Nadab ben Jeroboam, and subsequently by Baasha ben Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar.

Three Spiritual Laws

Sermon notes. I delivered this sermon to the Kampar Chinese Methodist Church on 29Mar2003 and again to the KTAR Christian Fellowship on 27Apr2005. These notes have been in my personal collection all these eighteen years until today when I am reminded of them during my morning devotional reading of Romans chapters 7 and 8.

Three Spiritual Laws

Romans 7: 21 - 8: 13

Thought . . .

" . . . a sermon based on spiritual lessons which took me more than two decades to learn, mostly the hard way.  Of all the sermon notes which I have uploaded to this page, this one appears to be nearest to my heart.  My yearning is for all who read this sermon to be waken up by the same epiphany which I experienced, i.e. no longer to wait passively for some mystical, spectacular or unexplainable "indwelling" power to help them overcome the insurmountable power of sin working in the flesh, but instead, to work actively by the enablement of God's Spirit, to put to death the works of our flesh, to refuse to give in to "what we want" (Gal 5: 17) and to present every member of our body as instruments of righteousness to God. "

Introduction

7:25 "I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

In the 70s, many Christians explained the Gospel of Christ using the Four Spiritual Laws.   After believing in Christ, I came across another set of Laws. These laws were not composed or invented by a human author like the 4SL.  Instead, they are real laws.  They exist in our everyday lives.  They control the way we live.  They are spiritual laws which cannot be changed by man.  Tonight, we can read about these spiritual laws in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome, in Romans 7 and 8. In these two chapters of the New Testament, the Apostle explains to us three spiritual laws that govern our lives.

1.  The Law of God

The law given through Moses in the O.T. It consists of moral laws, ceremonial laws and civil laws.  Altogether there are about 615 commandments, given to the nation of Israel while they were wandering in the desert after the Lord brought them up out of Egypt. Today, they are recorded for us in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Many of these laws are repeated again in the book of Deuteronomy , just before Moses died.

In the NT, The apostle Paul says many good things about the law:

7:7   helps us recognise sin.

7:12 holy, just and good.

7:14 the Law is spiritual

7:16 the Law is good

7:22 I delight in the law of God with the inward man

7:25 I serve the law of God with the mind (note myself i.e. on my own)

However, there is one problem with the law of God. Nobody can obey it perfectly, all the time. Nobody can become righteous in the sight of God by trying to keep the law.  Earlier, in Romans chapter 3, Paul quoted Psalm 14: 1 - 3, "there is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God . . . ." When expounding on this passage, Paul wrote (Rom 3:20) that by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The apostle James also explained similarly about the law: James 2: 10 - (read) - for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.  Why is this so?  Why is it impossible for anyone in this world to become righteous before God by keeping the Law?  The answer lies in the next Law - the Law of sin.

2. The Law of Sin

7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; for what I hate, that I do.

. . .

7:18 For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

7:19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil that I will not to do, that I practice.

. . .

7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.

7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

The apostle Paul tells us that while our minds delight in the law of God, and while our minds try to obey the law, another law is controlling our flesh. In verse 7:25, this law is called the law of sin. In 8:2 this law is called the law of sin and death.  This law of sin works in our flesh. It prevents us from practising the law of God in our lives.  It makes us disobey the law of God.  In verse 18 and 19 of Romans 7, Paul explains that his mind wants to do good but his flesh does not know how to carry it out.  On the other hand his mind does not want to do evil but his flesh keeps practising evil. These two laws control everyone in this world. These laws tonight also control you and me. We agree with the holy and perfect law of God in our minds, but the law of sin controls us in our flesh. We have to say together with the Apostle Paul, "For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells…"

And, together with Paul, we also express our despair - 7:24 "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

Praise the Lord! tonight we do not need to remain under the law of sin and death. We do not have to continue as wretched men and women. We do not have to remain prisoners to our flesh. This is because the Lord God has shown his abounding love to us - by giving us a third law - the law of the Spirit of Life.

3. The Law of the Spirit

Romans 8: 1 - 6

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4. that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

5. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

8:2 says the law of the Spirit of life is found in Christ. This law sets us free from the law of sin and death.

Let me tell you a secret: God has started preparing this law for His people very long ago in the O.T., long before the law of God was given to Moses in the wilderness.  In Genesis chapters 12 - 15 god promised at least three times that He would give the land of Canaan to Abram and to His descendants forever. God promised that through Abraham all other nations on earth shall be blessed. And God told Abram that His descendants will be like the stars in the sky. In Genesis 15: 6, the Bible tells us that Abram believed God, and because of his belief, . . . because of his faith in God's promises, God accepted Abraham as a righteous man. On that same day, God made a covenant with Abraham to give to his descendants the Promised Land.

There is something strange about this incident.  Abraham was made righteous by God just by believing what God promised.  He did not have to obey any of the 615 commandments given in the Law of God through Moses.  In fact, the law of God was only given to Moses 430 years later in the Book of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers!

Another strange thing about God's promise to Abraham is that the word 'descendants' used in Genesis chapters 12 through15 does not refer to many descendants of Abraham. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the word descendants actually mean 'Seed' - one person!

Explain the following teachings of Paul briefly . . .

• Galatians 3: 6 - 8 - just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, " In you all the nations shall be blessed."
• Galatians 3: 13 - 18 - Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
• Romans 7:4 - therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

Conclusion

The Law of God (in our minds) - show us the holiness of God, the perfect righteousness of God and the severe judgement of God.  The Law of Sin and Death (in our flesh) - shows us the sinfulness of all mankind, the wretchedness of our condition and the powerlessness of our own efforts to fulfil the Law of God.   The Law of the Spirit of Life (in Christ) - shows us how to escape from the law of sin.

Like Abraham,  We need to believe in the gospel of Christ, by faith.  We need to set our minds (change our world-view) on the things of the Spirit.  We need to stop setting our minds on the things of the flesh. (Read 8:5)  Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to consider your lives seriously - have you believed in Christ? If so, the Spirit of God dwells in you. The Law of the Spirit of Life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Read Romans 8: 12, 13

"So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh  (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live."

Compare with Galatians 5: 17 NET

"For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want."

NKJV "for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."

Let us make each day of our pilgrimage in this world a day of putting to death the (mis)deeds of our fleshly desires . . .