Thursday, July 20, 2006
QUEEN OF SHEBA
Vv 41-42. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42. "The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
A day of judgment will be upon this generation that Jesus personally addressed and their religion will merit them nothing but condemnation. This condemnation will be collectively handed down by the men of Nineveh who were the ultimate pagan nation in Jonah’s day yet that is not all who will hand down their judgment as we see in Jesus’ continuation of His parabolic teaching: The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
We readily observe that time holds no boundaries for any generation at the judgment for we see the generations of Jesus, Jonah, and now Solomon in one assembly. This parable is taken from a queen who ruled a country 1200 miles southeast of Israel. The story is recorded in 1Kings 10 where the Queen of the South, or Sheba, came to see personally this King Solomon who had a reputation that had spread from the ends of the earth. These reports influenced her so intensely that she had to check it out for herself. She was told of his wealth and wisdom that had spread throughout his kingdom to the point that even his servants were recipients of this lavishness. The thing that most interested her was to hear the wisdom of Solomon because even when one amassed wealth it in itself can only be a means to an end. Her prime interest was to witness the force operative behind him; Solomon’s Sovereign. We now look into these passages: 1Kings 10:1-2 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Vv6-7 Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7. "Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. V9 "Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." A friendly relationship was established and gifts exchanged: V13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants.
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A day of judgment will be upon this generation that Jesus personally addressed and their religion will merit them nothing but condemnation. This condemnation will be collectively handed down by the men of Nineveh who were the ultimate pagan nation in Jonah’s day yet that is not all who will hand down their judgment as we see in Jesus’ continuation of His parabolic teaching: The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
We readily observe that time holds no boundaries for any generation at the judgment for we see the generations of Jesus, Jonah, and now Solomon in one assembly. This parable is taken from a queen who ruled a country 1200 miles southeast of Israel. The story is recorded in 1Kings 10 where the Queen of the South, or Sheba, came to see personally this King Solomon who had a reputation that had spread from the ends of the earth. These reports influenced her so intensely that she had to check it out for herself. She was told of his wealth and wisdom that had spread throughout his kingdom to the point that even his servants were recipients of this lavishness. The thing that most interested her was to hear the wisdom of Solomon because even when one amassed wealth it in itself can only be a means to an end. Her prime interest was to witness the force operative behind him; Solomon’s Sovereign. We now look into these passages: 1Kings 10:1-2 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Vv6-7 Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7. "Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. V9 "Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." A friendly relationship was established and gifts exchanged: V13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants.
http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
SOMETHING GREATER
Vv 41-42. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
We have seen that Jonah was a Jew who cared little for the Ninevites because they were pagan Gentiles in the proud Jewish eyes. Jonah prayed for help (ch.2) while inside the fish and God then had him placed within a 3 day walk from Nineveh: Jon. 3:3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. At this God repeats His initial instruction for Jonah to go into the wicked city of Nineveh and proclaim His Word to them. Jonah now complies and preaches: "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." (Jon. 3:4) At this truth of God the whole city, including the king, repented for their evil deeds so God spared them, much to Jonah’s dismay. Jon. 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
In parabolic juxtaposition we compare the men of Nineveh with this generation of Israelitish administrators. The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah but this generation has something greater than Jonah preaching to them; the very Son of God. Jonah was a pathetic prophet (see Jonah ch.4) and yet respected by a foreign people compared to the sinless Jesus who was rejected by His own people. Jonah preached doom and Jesus was preaching salvation. Jonah had no miracles to authenticate his message and Jesus had all the supernatural miracles attesting to Him and His message. The people that Jesus addressed had all the benefits of being God’s chosen and the Law and prophets whereas the Ninevites had nothing of the sort and yet they repented. Hendriksen aptly states, “Less enlightened people obeyed less enlightened preaching, but more enlightened people refuse to obey the Light of the world.”
http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/
We have seen that Jonah was a Jew who cared little for the Ninevites because they were pagan Gentiles in the proud Jewish eyes. Jonah prayed for help (ch.2) while inside the fish and God then had him placed within a 3 day walk from Nineveh: Jon. 3:3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. At this God repeats His initial instruction for Jonah to go into the wicked city of Nineveh and proclaim His Word to them. Jonah now complies and preaches: "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." (Jon. 3:4) At this truth of God the whole city, including the king, repented for their evil deeds so God spared them, much to Jonah’s dismay. Jon. 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
In parabolic juxtaposition we compare the men of Nineveh with this generation of Israelitish administrators. The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah but this generation has something greater than Jonah preaching to them; the very Son of God. Jonah was a pathetic prophet (see Jonah ch.4) and yet respected by a foreign people compared to the sinless Jesus who was rejected by His own people. Jonah preached doom and Jesus was preaching salvation. Jonah had no miracles to authenticate his message and Jesus had all the supernatural miracles attesting to Him and His message. The people that Jesus addressed had all the benefits of being God’s chosen and the Law and prophets whereas the Ninevites had nothing of the sort and yet they repented. Hendriksen aptly states, “Less enlightened people obeyed less enlightened preaching, but more enlightened people refuse to obey the Light of the world.”
http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
THREE DAYS
Vv39-40. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The matter of three days and three nights often causes confusion about Jesus being buried on Friday and returning on Sunday. This does not have to be a literal 72 hours but a generalization. We similarly state that, “I spent all day with a friend;” this does not imply that the initial “hello” came at exactly midnight or the departure occurred precisely at dusk. Jews understood that a part day would constitute a whole period of day and night.
The sign requested by the scribes and Pharisees was something far less miraculous than the sign that Jesus gave to them; they refused to believe even after One rose from the dead. Luke 16:31 "But he said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'" It is a matter of fact that these very people paid the Roman soldiers to spread a false testimony about His resurrection: Matt. 28:11-15 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12. And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13. and said, "You are to say, `His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' 14. "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15. And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
The matter of three days and three nights often causes confusion about Jesus being buried on Friday and returning on Sunday. This does not have to be a literal 72 hours but a generalization. We similarly state that, “I spent all day with a friend;” this does not imply that the initial “hello” came at exactly midnight or the departure occurred precisely at dusk. Jews understood that a part day would constitute a whole period of day and night.
The sign requested by the scribes and Pharisees was something far less miraculous than the sign that Jesus gave to them; they refused to believe even after One rose from the dead. Luke 16:31 "But he said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'" It is a matter of fact that these very people paid the Roman soldiers to spread a false testimony about His resurrection: Matt. 28:11-15 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12. And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13. and said, "You are to say, `His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' 14. "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15. And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
Monday, July 17, 2006
PROPHECY
Vv39-40. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This is where we come to the sign that Jesus proclaims to the apostate religionists V17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. We learn from these passages that Jesus believed in the biblical account of Jonah and that he was in the belly of the sea monster (a fish large enough to swallow a man whole) for a literal three days and three nights. This is Jesus giving prophecy of His own death, burial, and resurrection in the same manner of Jonah’s absence from earthly society for three days and three nights.
We are deep into prophecy at this point and must understand that there are two basic kinds of prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. The first is a most literal type of prophecy that gives us written details such as: He would be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14) and particularly in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2). The second type of prophecy is typological or typical. This kind is that of an Old Testament person or event that foreshadowed the person or work of Christ. Typical prophecy has a type and an anti-type but these can only be verified if they are specifically identified in the New Testament, or allegory could easily run rampantly wild without any verification of truthfulness. This passage at hand is Jesus’ predictive prophecy that Jonah’s time spent in the belly of the sea monster typified the burial of the Son of Man, for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jonah would be known as the type and Jesus would represent the anti-type or the real thing.
Be sure and check our new project: http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/
This is where we come to the sign that Jesus proclaims to the apostate religionists V17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. We learn from these passages that Jesus believed in the biblical account of Jonah and that he was in the belly of the sea monster (a fish large enough to swallow a man whole) for a literal three days and three nights. This is Jesus giving prophecy of His own death, burial, and resurrection in the same manner of Jonah’s absence from earthly society for three days and three nights.
We are deep into prophecy at this point and must understand that there are two basic kinds of prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. The first is a most literal type of prophecy that gives us written details such as: He would be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14) and particularly in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2). The second type of prophecy is typological or typical. This kind is that of an Old Testament person or event that foreshadowed the person or work of Christ. Typical prophecy has a type and an anti-type but these can only be verified if they are specifically identified in the New Testament, or allegory could easily run rampantly wild without any verification of truthfulness. This passage at hand is Jesus’ predictive prophecy that Jonah’s time spent in the belly of the sea monster typified the burial of the Son of Man, for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jonah would be known as the type and Jesus would represent the anti-type or the real thing.
Be sure and check our new project: http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/
Sunday, July 16, 2006
JONAH'S ESCAPADE
Vv39-40. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jon. 1:1-3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah has a better idea than to obey God. He seeks to flee to Tarshish. In his estimation this journey will take him from the presence of the Lord. This is much like Adam and Eve’s fig leaves or their hiding from God in Eden; it just doesn’t work. “Somehow”, his plan is discovered and in the midst of Jonah’s journey westward in the Mediterranean Sea his plan is thwarted. V4 And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. This does not sit well with those crewmembers aboard to the point that they threw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. It was not long after that, all eyes of the frightened crew are on Jonah and they hit him with a barrage of questions: V8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" Jonah openly and honestly answers and offers them remedy. Vv9-12 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." 10. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11. So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?" for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." With much hesitation the crew finally complies: V15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Jon. 1:1-3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah has a better idea than to obey God. He seeks to flee to Tarshish. In his estimation this journey will take him from the presence of the Lord. This is much like Adam and Eve’s fig leaves or their hiding from God in Eden; it just doesn’t work. “Somehow”, his plan is discovered and in the midst of Jonah’s journey westward in the Mediterranean Sea his plan is thwarted. V4 And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. This does not sit well with those crewmembers aboard to the point that they threw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. It was not long after that, all eyes of the frightened crew are on Jonah and they hit him with a barrage of questions: V8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" Jonah openly and honestly answers and offers them remedy. Vv9-12 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." 10. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11. So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?" for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." With much hesitation the crew finally complies: V15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
