Sunday 27Feb2022
Today I am reminded from Ephesians chapter 4 that we have One God and Father of all. Our God and Father is over all. He is through all. And He is in all.
Ephesians 4:5 - 6 BBE Bible in Basic English
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.
My New Testament reading also brought me back to verses 7 and 8 of Ephesians chapter 4, which tells us that the Anointed One "gave gifts" to us when he ascended to heaven. This statement in Ephesians 4 is a reference to Psalm 68:18. However, in that verse, the psalmist wrote that the Anointed One "received gifts" instead. This contradicts what the apostle wrote in Ephesians 4:7,8.
Ephesians 4:7 - 8 KJV King James Version
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Psalm 68:18 KJV King James Version
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast *received gifts* for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
For many years, I found no answer to resolve this contradiction. Even a search of Psalm 68:18 in the Septuagint, from which many New Testament verses are quoted, failed to find the words "gave gifts".
Until one day, when I came across Psalm 68:18 in the Peshitta. There right before me stood the verse that says, "You have ascended on high and you have captured captivity and you have *given gifts* to the children of men and rebels will not dwell before God."
In in June 2020, I wrote a short post about my discovery, link below:
