2Ki 13:5 (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.
2Ki 13:6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.)
It is how we respond to our Saviour that God has given to us that is important. Jesus has come as our Saviour. It is because of Him that we sinners are able to enjoy any good in this life. Yet though God gave a saviour, not all receive Him. Reaping benefits from the Saviour alone is not believing in Him. We must respond with gratitude for God's kindness and condescension, by also giving our life to our Saviour and God. God's kindness must produce repentance in our hearts, not taking his grace for granted.
2Ki 13:11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them.
This last phrase the writer of Ephesians uses, to describe our state in walking in the sins of Satan while we were the children of wrath:
Eph_2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
Eph_2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Eph_4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Eph_4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
Eph_5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Eph_5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Eph_5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
Our walking, our practices, what we do shows where we are with the Lord. The kings of Israel and Judah had one model to follow - David. They had to walk in the footsteps of David, serving the Lord, walking with Him. And likewise us, that is how our actions shall be judged, how we walk in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. We are to walk in good works, and that is to walk in love Eph 5:2. We are to stop imitating the ways of those who do not believe in the Lord. If our Lord is too high a bar, we are to at least imitate those who have been strong in the faith, the great giants of faith that has gone before us, walking us they walked.
2Ki 13:21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
If the BONES of a prophet could make one rise from the dead, how much more the resurrected body of Christ make us renewed, not only giving life to the body, but to our dead souls!
This is a symbol of the cross. The death of Christ upon the cross gives us life. When we touch the Lamb that was slain, then He gives life to our souls, making us know that all our sins are forgiven, and that life is given to us by the Holy Spirit to do righteously.
2Ki 13:22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
2Ki 13:23 But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.
God's graciousness triumphs over judgement. Yet this does not take away the fact that there is chastisement.
2Ki 13:25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
This was fulfilled according to the prophecy that Elisha made to the king before he died. Elisha a type of Christ, who in His death gave grace that triumphed over judgement and overlooked our sins. Jehoash, though a sinner, should have believed in the LORD more and struck the arrow 7 times. But since he was still terrified of Syria, struck it only 3 times, doubting whether the prophecy of Elisha was true. God's grace triumphs over all our sins, but the question is, how far will we believe? Will our sins still terrify us with judgement? Or will we believe to the end the grace and mercy that shall be revealed to us on the Day of Judgement? Let us believe, and do not doubt in the grace of the Lord.
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Eze 15:5 Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything!
YHWH compares Israel to the wood of the vine. Wood of the vine is so useless and weak, that it cannot be used to make anything, not even to make a peg. It exists for nothing except to bear grapes for fruit. That is its sole purpose.
Likewise us Christians like branch of the vine. It is used for NOTHING ELSE BUT TO BEAR THE FRUIT FOR GOD. The Christian exists to bear fruits of love and holiness and that is all. God has made it so that the Christian, when he does not bear fruit for God, is a useless thing, like salt that loses its saltiness. We were made for one purpose. Lampstand that does not light has absolutely no other use. Christian that does not act like Christ is nothing, worse than an unbeliever! Our ONLY calling in this world is to be like Christ
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Psa 17:1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
Psa 17:2 From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!
Psa 17:3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
Psa 17:4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
Psa 17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
Psa 17:6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
David expects his righteous plea to be heard because he himself hears the words of God. By the word of God's LIPS, David has kept his LIPS free from deceit, and has reformed his ways before the Lord. And because of this purity that came by listening and obeying the word of God, he expects his words to be heard. Those who do not listen to the word of God cannot expect prayer to be heard.
Psa 17:13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
Psa 17:14 from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
Psa 17:15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
God in his love and wrath gives prosperity to the wicked, wordly people. But what does God give David instead that is infinitely better? Righteousness. Both the righteousness of Christ, and the actual righteousness that David will have when he rises from the dead. LIKENESS compared here to RIGHTEOUSNESS. Being like God - being righteous - is so much better than prosperity which lasts only in this life.
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Luk 7:1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
Luk 7:2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
Luk 7:3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
Luk 7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him,
Luk 7:5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue."
Luk 7:6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
Luk 7:7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
Luk 7:8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
Luk 7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
Firstly, we see the elders of the Jews' testimony of the centurion. mainly, they say this man is worthy. Because he loves the Jews, and who even built a synagogue for the Jews.
This man was a Gentile, a ROMAN centurion, yet a God-fearer. He loved God and thus, he loved God's people. He no doubt came to Jerusalem to worship God, read the Scriptures often.
But see here the man's response: I'm not worthy. Why? Because he was a Roman centurion. He was part of the system that was keeping the people of God under bondage. He knows that he is not worthy, he has sins in his life.
What is marvelous is that he does not rely on his works to consider himself worthy. He does not rely on his love for Jews or his building of the synagogue, but relies on the mercy of God.
We must likewise have similar attitude. What is it that we have done that we rely on to make ourselves worthy? NOTHING! We are worthless. Only Christ is worthy and we cannot rely on any of our actions to make us commendable to God.
More than that, this man believed that Jesus Christ controlled all things. He saw that Jesus Christ had the authority over all created things. The virus cells, the human body of his servant, all spiritual beings, everything was under Jesus' control. Jesus is the ruler of all things.
Once we realize that Jesus Christ is sovereign over all things, then we can live this life secure.
Luk 7:12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
Luk 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
Luk 7:14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
Jesus even controls dead people. Dead people obey His voice and rise. Jesus rules over all things.
Luk 7:18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
Luk 7:19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Not seeing the great authority that Jesus has over human bodies, diseases, demons and even over dead people, and indeed over all creation, John doubts whether He is the Messiah. John's expectations do not match with Jesus. John obviously expected the one who is to burn the chaff in the fire, a military commander, like David. Jesus' answer:
Luk 7:23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
Luk 7:24 When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
Jesus' kind response to the one who is doubting him. Even the Roman Centurion has more faith than John! But Jesus is not so harsh. He understands John's weakness. He commends John infront of the people, lest they start questioning John's authority. Jesus is merciful, kind and gentle.
Luk 7:29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John,
Luk 7:30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
Pharisees and lawyers being contrasted to the common people and the tax collectors.
Luk 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."
What did Simon the Pharisee think a sinner was? Someone who had committed the BIG sins, like actual adultery? He justified himself, since he did not commit adultery, not knowing that God looks into his adulterous heart.
Luk 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."
Luk 7:48 And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Obviously, her sins have already been forgiven (the word being perfect in tense). But strange that there is a "FOR". This is hoti, so it cannot but mean a causal clause: BECAUSE she loved much. It sounds as though, Luke is saying that it is BECAUSE she loved, that's why she is forgiven. But does forgiveness depend on our love of God? Jesus says again, in the last sentence, she loves much BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN FORGIVEN MUCH.
So we see that Jesus has first forgiven her -> which has led to the woman loving Jesus much -> which has led to Jesus forgiving her more, because of her love. So Jesus forgives because of himself, and then, as a secondary reason, because of her love. What's going on?
Perhaps the last verse clarifies:
Luk 7:50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
The woman's intense love was born because of her faith: She believed that Jesus can forgive her of her sins. This above sentence is repeated in other places where Jesus heals a disease. The sick believed Jesus could heal them of their sicknesses. Likewise, the woman believes Jesus can forgive her of her sins. Having guilt is like having a disease. The cure is forgiveness.
She, like the centurion, believed that Jesus had authority over all things, even judgement, and forgiveness. If Jesus says to her guilt "GO", her guilt will go, and obey, and be removed from her - on the account of Jesus' death.
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