Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 09:17:07 CET Reply-To: t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel From: Teus Benschop Subject: The Scriptures opened, 9 Contents -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Weekly reading, Genesis 48:21 2. Psalm 41:4 3. New Testament, John .3:2,3 4. Books 1. Weekly reading, Genesis 48:21 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genesis 48:21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. This history shows us the man Israel at the end of his life on this earth. He is standing before his death, and has now called Joseph and his two sons. Israel stood before his death. He knows this very well, and therefore says: "Behold, I die". That is the end of all people on this earth. When we have lived our lives, shorter or longer, the death irrevocably comes also for us. While Israel is going, while he is dying, is now the hope of his sons also dying with him? No, fortunately not. Israel says: "I die, but God shall be with you". People may die, but God always lives. While people fall away, God stays "with you". It is like Isaiah said: "All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isa.40:6-8) This is it what Isaiah says: The people die a grass, but the Word of our God shall stand forever. Reader, do you think about your coming death? How will it be with you in the judgement of God? Are you righteous in God's eyes? When we see that the people get old and die, we can think: "what will happen with mankind?" However, do not think this, because God will stand forever. Rely therefore not on the people, but only on God. It is as if Israel says: Yes, I die, but the truth of God's promise does not depend on me but on Himself. God shall be with you. Although I am going the way of all flesh, God will be with you, "and bring you again unto the land of your fathers". This was the promise, and will surely be fulfilled. God's fulfilling does not depend on the live of Israel, but on Himself. Let we bear this in our minds when we cannot see how God's promises will be fulfilled. When it seems impossible to us, then it is God's time to stand up and do His work. Later, Joseph said the same to his brothers. "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Gen.50:24) All people die, but God will be with us. All flesh is like grass, but the Word of God stands forever. Has God fulfilled this promise, to bring them back to Kenaan, the land of the fathers? Yes, He has done it. However, in later times, because of the sins of the people Israel, He had to throw them out their land to diffuse them among the heathens. But, in His great grace, He brought the tribe of Judah and parts of other tribes back to their land. However, again because of their sins, God again had to throw them out of their land to live between the heathens. This time, it lasted thousands of years. But again, in God's great grace, He brought them back to Israel, the present state. We see in this history the faithfulness of God in sharp contrast with the godlessness of the people. Therefore, it is only because of God's grace that we are still living now, not because of us, or because of our forefathers. Let us keep this in our minds: The people die, but God shall stand forever. 2. Psalm 41:4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Psalm 41:4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. This Psalm is of David. At the moment, he is ill, and the enemies are around him expecting his fall. He is in great distress. Many, when they are in need, begin to complain about themselves. What am I in distress! All the other people have no problems, but look at me; feel sorry for me! When they are ill, like David here, they groan and you cannot speak to them. However, with David it was totally different. For he said: "I have sinned against Thee". That is the difference. He did not complain about himself, but he sought the guilt of his distress in his sins. Surely, a right thought of him. It would be useful for us to do the same. When we get setback after setback, let we seek the cause in our sins; it is God who is at work with us, and want to show us our sinful reality. David was punished because of his sins. He knew this. Therefore, he did not begin to complain about those punishments. Behind these punishments, he saw the hand of God. Through these punishments, he saw his wicked nature, his sins. Seeing this is the right result of being punished by God. Many, when they are in the problems, become desperate. They do not see outcome, and have not the belief in God. Being desperate is an infallible sign of not having belief in God. For, when they had belief, they would know that God is mighty to save them out their distress. See this in David. He did not become desperate, but he began to pray. "I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee." He took his refuge to God's mercy. His knowledge of God saved him from becoming desperate, and lead him to take his refuge to Him. Was it allowed for David to pray for deliverance from his enemies and needs? Yes, of course this was allowed. David is even doing this in verse 11. However, it is not allowed to stay here, and to ask no more. Often, we do so. When we have problems, we pray and ask if we may be saved from those problems, and we ask no more. This is very bad. Let I give you an example of this bad practice. When you are ill, and you do not know how to recover, you will call the doctor. What will you ask him? Will you ask if he is willing to suppress the symptoms only? I think no. You will also ask if he will check you and will seek the causes of your illness. Right, the same is it with David. He does not only ask if God is willing to save him from his enemies, but he is also and above all asking if God will heal his soul. That is the root of his problems. He says: "be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against Thee". He asks for healing of his soul. David is saying: "heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee". He does not say: I have sinned against Thee, but wait Lord, I will pay through good works. He does not say this because he knew too well that even his best works had no worth in God's eyes. He does not rely on his good works, but on the grace of God, saying: "Be merciful unto me", o LORD. Let we look at this good example of David, and do the same. 3. New Testament, John .3:2,3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joh.3:2,3 The same (Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. These two verses follow upon the first verse, where is written: "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews". This man, Nicodemus, was of the Jewish sect of the Pharisees. They knew very well that Jesus came from God, as Nicodemus said: "Rabbi we know that Thou are a teacher come from God". They knew it by themselves, but denied it in the public. Look how hard their heart was. They saw the miracles which He did; nevertheless they did not confess in the public that He came from God. Let we now look at the third verse. Jesus answered him, saying that a man needed to be born again. Is this an answer on what Nicodemus said? No, it is not an answer. Why did Jesus say this? He said this, because he wanted directly to come to the point. Not wasting time with speaking about Him, but directly to the point of the rebirth. Jesus answered and said unto him: "Verily, verily". Why this? Jesus wanted to prepare Nicodemus' heart for His message. Verily, verily; that means: surely, what I am saying is true, pay attention to it. "Except a man be born again", he cannot see the kingdom of God. What is this, to be born again? Is this a natural birth? No, because Nicodemus was already naturally born. What does it mean? It means a birth from water and Spirit. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (Joh.3:5) To be born again is to get the spiritual life of the Spirit of God. A natural man, not born again, cannot come in the kingdom of God. God gives His Spirit in the man; and then he will be born again. Do not think, reader, that this is something special from the New Testament. It is taken from the Old Testament. See an example from it, that God gives His Spirit. "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:27) When a man is born again, he will walk in God's statutes, and he will keep God's judgements, and do them. Nicodemus did not understand this. "Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" (Joh.3:4) Why did he not understand this? It was not a common teaching among the Jews of that time, although Ezekiel had said it. Also in present times, the doctrine of the rebirth is rejected. However, without any reason; that means, without any biblical reason. Let us accept this teaching as a divine teaching: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Only accepting this teaching is not enough. More is needed. Reader, it is necessary that also you be born again; otherwise, you will not enter the kingdom of God. It is needed that also you get the Spirit of God. Pray for it, because you cannot give it yourself; God's action is needed here. 4. Books -------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Calvin, Sermons on Timothy and Titus Calvin's expository sermons to the great congregation of St. Peter's, Geneva, were among the most sought-after volumes of the 16th century. In the late 1570s, translated from the French, none was more popular than the "One Hundred Sermons on the Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus" which appeared for the first time in 1579. This is a magnificent facsimile of that edition. ISBN 0 85151 374 3 1280 pp. Cloth-bound. Price around $55,00. Ask your local bookstore or order from: Lindenberg Slaak 4-14 3061 CS Rotterdam tel. 31 104111607 The Netherlands fax. 31 104136682 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chr-Exp, a Christian explanation of the Tanach and the New Testament Editor: Teus Benschop - t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl No copyrights on this publication - Translated by a Dutchman Institution Practical Bible-education, the Netherlands -------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/ipb-e/so: s-open-009.txt .