Know His Word

Jehoshaphat has joined in with King Ahab for a military campaign. But before going he wants a word from the Lord concerning if they should do this or not, this to his credit. Unfortunately, he is asking AFTER he has committed himself to go. He has heard from the prophets of Baal, now he wants to hear from a prophet of God, because he knows these are false prophets who have already spoken. So Micaiah is summoned to come before them, but Ahab said of him I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: II Chron 18:7b  in other words he always told the truth. Micaiah was told saying, Behold, the words of the prophets [declare] good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.  But he said [As] the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. Vs 13

So he came and said Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. Vs 14 But Ahab knew he was not telling him the truth and said How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD? Vs 15 then he told him Therefore hear the word of the LORD; Which was, that the Lord would allow a lying spirit to speak through Ahab’s prophets so he would go up and be defeated. Now, Jehoshaphat heard from the Lord, knew the outcome would be defeat, so what did he do? So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. Here is the weakness of his flesh and the weakness we have also. Even when we know what God wants, we at times disobey and do what we want, and sometimes, as it is possible in this case, he wanted to please men rather than God. This was the case of the Pharisees as we read in John 12  who saw the miracles of Jesus But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: Jhn 12:37 And why did they not believe? Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [him], lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Vs 42-43 Here is where we need to pray for strength daily least we fall into temptation, and did not our Lord say to pray lead us not into temptation. We need to be on guard to please God and not men. Now we know the outcome was not good, notice what happened as they went into battle. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.Vs 29 This leaves Jehoshaphat in a very bad spot. He was dressed in royal robes and the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that [were] with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel. II Chron 18:30 Can you guess what happened? And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It [is] the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them [to depart] from him. Vs 31 Jehoshaphat had put himself in a very bad place, and it almost cost him his life, but because God favored him, he was delivered. Here is a great lesson for us to learn about an unequal yoke. Going into a relationship with someone who is not a believer, can put us in a bad spot at some point. It almost cost Jehoshaphat his physical life, in some cases it could cost us our spiritual life. While Jehoshaphat joined with Ahab, Ahab went into battle in disguise, he didn’t want to look like Jehoshaphat. Some may make a claim of being like you but they are really in disguise. After it was all over,  Jehoshaphat went back. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore [is] wrath upon thee from before the LORD II Chron 19:2 Disobedience to God under the old Mosaic dispensation usually meant wrath upon those who did not obey, because they were under the law. When Ezra came back to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the temple, he wrote, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites  For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of [those] lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. Ezra 9:1-2 This was very thing God told them they must not do, but they disobeyed. They were now unequally yoked with unbelievers, who enticed them into idolatry. This is why God did not want them to intermarry. The second reason was the keep the holy seed, as they were looking for the messiah. But Shechaniah the son of Jehiel said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. He suggested making a covenant with God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, Ezr 10:3 Very heavy indeed, but they did it to avoid the wrath of God upon them. Look at the pain and suffering they caused among the people because of their sin. Families broken up, children without a parent. Now in the New Testament we see grace and not law, but Paul does say Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? If a believer finds they are married to an unbeliever, or if they went into the relationship knowing the other was not saved, Paul has some council. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such [cases]: but God hath called us to peace. I Cor 7:12-15  Now, in an unequal relationship will there be problems? For sure! Paul says to the married Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. 7:28 and he isn’t even talking about if you are married to an unbeliever, but if you are, there will be spiritual problems and you will really need to stay close to the Lord. Jehoshaphat escaped and learned a lesson, but the prophet asked a very pointed question Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? Another reason to stay away from relationships with unbelievers we do not want to be aliened with those who are against the cause of Christ, when we are his disciples. We must at times seek the Lord for discernment of spirits so as to know who the enemy really is. Let us not be as Jehosaphat and commit to something before we know it is what the Lord wants. Now, the last part of what the prophet was therefore [is] wrath upon thee from before the LORD. In the next chapter we read It came to pass after this also, [that] the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them [other] beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they [be] in Hazazontamar, which [is] Engedi. II Chron 20:1-3 Here is some very bad news, what does Jehsoapaht do? And Jehoshaphat feared! But as we will see he does a smart thing next.

In II Chronicles 17-20 we see the live of this man who was King of Judah. As we look, we seek to apply what we learn of him to our lives. Paul writes Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. I Cor 10:11 So in II Cron 17:3-4 we read And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the [LORD] God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. We see three things right away that show he was a man of God: 1 He sought the Lord God, 2 He walked in the commandments, in the ways of his Father David, 3 He was not idolatrous. The Bible says: Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. I Cron 16:10 Psalm 105:3 says Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. VS 4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Isaiah says Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isa 55:6 this is what he did; this is what we are to do daily. David was a man after Gods own heart, why? because he sought the Lord. Paul says for us to pray without ceasing, meaning seeking the Lord daily, not just once in a while. Including giving thanks and praise for answered prayer, for his mercy to us. And of course we are to be interceding for others. Jehoshapaht, walked in the commandments. Meaning he was obedient to the Lord. The Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice, but in the Old Testament that meant adherence to the Mosaic law, the letter of the law. We have a higher calling and that is yielding to, and being obedient to, the leading of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit gives life. In the Old economy under Moses it was, “Do and live” under this new dispensation of the Holy Spirit it is “live and do” For a list of the “Do’s” read the list in I Thessalonians 5:11-22 And then Jehoshaphat was not idolatrous, because he did not do after the doings of Israel. In today’s society it is far harder to keep from Idolatry. What sports figure is not an “American Idol” or movie star, or politician? Anyone we fixate on is in that class. Really anything that takes the place of God in our life becomes an Idol. John exhorts the church Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen I Jhn 5:21 To prove his commitment to the Lord: And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. II Chron 17:6 He was a bold king for there were those who did worship idols and they were not happy with what he did. What if we had a leader who exalted the Lord like that, what would the people say and do? Recently we have seen a football player give glory to God on the field and receive heavy criticism for it. Certain groups say it “offends” them, but are Christians offended when the Government says “No” to prayer in the schools, “Yes” to abortion,  “No” to the teaching of creation and “Yes” to Evolution? Worse, is GOD OFFENDED! One day man will find out HOW offended He is. Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance. II Chron 17:5 Because he followed after the Lord, The Lord blessed him, and if we follow after the Lord, he will bless us also. Let us look now at something very interesting that he did.

Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, [even] to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them [he sent] Levites, [even] Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests And they taught in Judah, and [had] the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people II Chron 17:7-9  He saw the importance of the Word of God, and the fact the people needed it, so he founded a teaching ministry through out Judah. He sent those who were qualified teachers to minister the word through all the land. In the New Testament we read Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.II Tim 2:15 We are to be like the Berean’s who were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11  For the church, God has given gifted men as Paul says: and he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Eph 4:11-12  We know that All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: II Tim 3:16  So we are told not forsake the assembling of ourselves together so we may worship and hear the word of God. God has given us his written word so we may learn of him, and that is what we are to do. Redeeming the time for the days are evil. Maybe some of you reading our studies on the blog cant get to church as often as you might like for various reasons. That is why we encourage you to continue to study with us, and invite others to read these studies also. Maybe you have been thinking of having a home fellowship, so print the studies you see here and share with others. Jehosaphat thought it was important for all his people to have the scriptures taught to them, and this is what we are all about also. We have said before find a church where the Bible is taught from cover to cover if you haven’t already. As we study the Bible, we grow stronger in faith and gain understanding of what God requires of us. And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that [were] round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 17:10 Notice this is mentioned after the teaching of the Word of God because the King “Feared” or reverenced the Lord. In Acts chap 2 after the preaching of Peter and many people came to the Lord we read And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 2:42  and then notice what it says And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles Vs 43. Many talk about revival today and claim it will come. It will only come when the multitudes turn again to the Word of God. Because he was so blessed he strengthened himself and put together a very strong military, and in Chap 18 he makes a big mistake because of it.

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab Chap 18:1

Jehoshaphat was a godly man, Ahab was a very wicked king in Israel. He and his wife Jezebel brought Idolatry to Israel introducing the worship of Baal. Here we will see the New Testament principle Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? II Cor 6:14  For the Christian, this principle to live by is God telling him this for his protection. First of all we will see in this case while God is with Jehoshaphat, he is not with Ahab. The principle here is for Christians in business, marriage or any serious relationships. Now, we are employed in the work force with unbelievers that are not the same thing as a business partner, or a spouse. At work we leave at the end of the day with no extra ties. With a business partner there are ties, same as with a spouse. You will be following the Lord, they will not. Herein lies the conflict. Let us now look at what happened

And after [certain] years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that [he had] with him, and persuaded him to go up [with him] to Ramothgilead Vs 2

Notice how he draws him in by making a feast, a dinner party if you will. So he persuades him to engage in a military campaign with him. And notice his response

And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I [am] as thou [art], and my people as thy people; and [we will be] with thee in the war Vs 3  Not only is Jehoshaphat putting himself in a bad place, he will also be putting others at risk to help this wicked king. Before he actually goes, he does suggest they Enquire at the word of the LORD, and do it today. While this is a good idea, in reality he should have asked BEFORE he made the commitment to go. When Balaam was asked by Balak to come and curse Israel for him, to his credit he told those who had been sent by Balak And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. Num 22:8  After God spoke to him that night, he told them And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you vs 13 He got his answer BEFORE he committed. However after a second visit from the same men, he did give in and disobeyed the Lord. So King Ahab gathered the prophets of Baal to get an encouraging word. To Jehoshaphat’s credit he said: [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? He at least knew they were not speaking for God and wanted to hear the truth. So a Prophet of God will come, and he will hear the truth, and we will see what he does with it, next!

So far we have looked at the Old Testament and its covenants and we have see grace in each one. We will let the theologians fight over how The New Testament Covenant of Grace should be presented, and we will look at the scriptures for our understanding. First, The covenant of Grace found in the N.T. dispensation is different than the one found in the O.T. in that it includes all nations, not just the Jews. But it is tied to the Abrahamic covenant in so far as it connects with what Paul tells us in Romans 4, and Gal 3. In Romans chap 4 we see Abraham, while still a gentile, as he did not yet have the badge of circumcision in his flesh, being justified by faith apart from works when he believed on the Lord and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. So Paul says in verse 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: Paul goes on For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith Vs 13  Why? Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, In Gal 3:8 Paul writes And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.  And to finish the thought Paul says, Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;Vs 23-24  We see here Abraham was the first gentile to have righteousness imputed to him, for us. And then to receive the sign of Circumcision to connect with the Jews, as circumcision was also part of the Mosaic covenant for them.  The covenant of Grace found in the New Testament is founded in Jesus Christ, with the connection to Abraham As Paul Tells us Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. As the Old Testament primarily focused on the Mosaic part of the covenant, the law of Moses, the New is all about Christ, who was hidden in the Old in types and pictures, but is revealed in the New. John says of Christ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth .Jhn 1:1,14  Further John says For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 13:20 we read Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, It has been suggested that in eternity past the triune Godhead together formulated a plan of salvation whereby those who were chosen by the Father, would be redeemed by the Son, as he volunteered to die for their sins and the Holy Spirit would call his own to Christ. Are we saying God is the author of sin to have formulated this plan? GOD FRIBID!  Adam was given a command, and because he had the power of choice given by God to eat of the forbidden tree or not to eat. He exercised this choice in disobeying God and partaking of the fruit. God knowing the outcome before it happened; to allow his creation the freedom of choice, he permitted it to be so, knowing he had a plan to reverse the outcome of death. The scripture says And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8 And of the elect we read Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Eph 1:4,5  To the Thessalonians But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: In Jonah 2:9 we read But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD. We see here salvation was eternal. From beginning to end it is all of God. Jesus told his own Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luk 22:20  The word for testament here is diatheke interchangeable with covenant. It means a disposition, arrangement of any sort, which one wishes to be valid, the last disposition which one makes of his earthly possessions after his death, a testament or will a compact, a covenant, a testament Paul discusses this in Hebrews chap 9 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament [is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. The death of Christ makes sure the end of sin and the redemption price paid, so redemption is sure. His resurrection then allows justification for us before God and all charges of sin are dismissed. Paul writes of Jesus Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Rom 4:25  And Romans 5:1 says  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ  The old testament sacrifices could not do this as they only covered the sin, but did not take it away. The writer to the Hebrews says For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect Heb 10:1 ( or complete) For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those [sacrifices there is] a remembrance again [made] of sins every year. For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Vs 2-4  So the New Covenant in Christ brings in better blessings Heb 7:19,22 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. One of the reasons it is better is the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross, for we read Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].Heb 9:12 Notice it is ETERNAL REDEMPTION. Must this sacrifice be often repeated? Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; Heb 9:25  NO! For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Vs 26-28 Now lets look at the word once. What does it mean? Sound silly? Not really It was not to be repeated! Why? Well the word Once, in Greek carries with it the idea of Perpetual Validity  does not require repeating. We all have or will have in our life time two documents that are continually valid after the fact, you birth and your death. You have a birth certificate, and you will have a death certificate certifying the validity of it and it does not require repeating. Once is enough, So the Death of Christ, and the New Testament is his death certificate!, and  does not need to be repeated, as the Catholic Church seems to think, and this repeating his death is, if nothing else, UNBELEIF in his first death. And then because he is our great High Priest who entered into heaven has an unchangeable ministry. Of Jesus our great high priest we read , (Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;) and Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. Heb 3:1, 4:14 Heb 7:24 says of Jesus of Jesus our great high priest, But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. The priesthood in the Old Testament, because of death had each priest replaced. Because Jesus lives forever he never changes and his own can always come to him as he knows us and we know him and will always be attached to him. And in this unchangeable ministry we read Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb 7:25 Are you doing as Paul said, to pray without ceasing? Praying for yourself and others?  Well Jesus is continually praying for you, and because you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, who lives within you crying Abba Father, he too is interceding for you when you don’t know how or what to pray for. So, want to join in? You can now! Hear the exhortation of the New Covenant Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need Heb 4:16 Under the Mosaic portion of the Old Covenant you could not do that, The priest had to do it for you, you could not approach God until And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Mar 15:38 The veil meant NO ACCESS! The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Heb 9:8  Jesus death on the cross gains us access to the throne of grace, so lets take advantage of it, continually!! This is the result of the New Testament, never mind the access to the word of God because the Holy Spirit has come to lead and guide us into all the truth. Oh let us rejoice in the New Covenant of Grace and what it means to us.

Now we are looking at the Mosaic covenant AKA the Sinaitic covenant because it was made with the Children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. This did not replace the covenant with Abraham, it was actually the same but an element was added to it. God gave the children of Israel his moral law as a way of life, and adherence to it meant they would remain in the land and be blessed. In Deuteronomy chap 28 we have outlined by God what happens if the children of Israel obeyed and kept his law and how they would be dispersed out of the land if they did not. In reality when you look at their history they were led into captivity to Babylon & Assyria because they lapsed into idolatry. God made a promise to give the land to Abrahams descendants which he did. But Israel was to keep Gods law and witness to other nations of their God and his desire for how they should live, but Israel failed. This did not nullify the Covenant with Abraham the land was theirs. And in the end they will be living in it during the kingdom age. Jesus said of that event And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven Mat 8:11 While the law makes this a “conditional covenant” based on works it was added for a reason Paul says to the Galatians Wherefore then [serveth] the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; [and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Gal 3:19 When we refer to the seed we must look what God told Abraham. Paul said Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. GAl 3:16  The Law was added to reveal sin. The Messiah was the one who would come to deliver us from sin. So the law was temporary in the lives of people who recognize their sinful condition, and since the Israel was the one who received the law, they should have seen sin among themselves first, which is why the gospel was sent to the Jew first, but they missed their messiah. Paul said Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Gal 3:24 So we can see the covenant with Abraham was not replaced with the Mosaic covenant, but where do we see the covenant of grace in the Mosaic covenant? We can see it in the sacrificial system. God said the soul that sinneth shall surely die, the penalty for breaking the law. An example: In Numbers chap 15 we read And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.  15:32-34 This man was working on the Sabbath day which was a violation of the law. So what should be done to establish the law? The answer And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. Vs 35  Establishing the law is done by enforcing it when it has been broken as a deterrent so others will not do the same thing.  So integrated in the law, was for the sinner to bring a substitute to die in his place, a clean animal Sheep, goat, bull and they would die for the persons sin instead of him. This points to the grace of God in providing the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Another element added to the Mosaic covenant for the nation Israel was the token of the Sabbath, the 4^th commandment Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Ex 20:8 moreover the Lord told Moses Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that [ye] may know that I [am] the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ex 31:13  and he told them Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth [any] work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Ex 31:14 So we see the Sabbath was given to the nation Israel and it was not given to the gentiles. However today we see some denominations attempting to say the Sabbath is for the church. IF it is, it is connected to the law and the New Testament clearly teaches believers in Christ are not under the law but under grace. If we look closely in the Abrahamic covenant we find the covenant of grace in the elements of justification by faith. In Genesis chap 15 we read after God showed him the stars and said And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Paul picks this up in Romans chap 4 saying For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Rom 4:2-3  Looking at the covenant with Abraham we relize to the natural descendents was the promise of the land, temporal blessings, the spiritual blessings are for believers “in his seed” which is Christ making the link for New Testament believers to Abraham.

The fourth covenant is the covenant with David. This Covenant was with David specific to his kingship and future throne, as God had chosen him to be king over his people. God told the prophet Nathan to speak to David saying And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. II Sam 7:12-13, 15-17  This covenant with David has its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who prior to his birth the Angel Gabriel said to Mary, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:30-33 The prophet Isaiah said For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isa 9:6-7 He of course is referring to the Messiah, the king the son of David. And Jesus said to the Pharisees What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David. So the covenant with David is linked to the Covenant of Grace through Jesus Christ the son of David who will be here in the kingdom age sitting on the throne forever. Finally, we will next look at the New Testament Covenant of Grace for us as believers.

Everyone familiar with the Bible knows of the two main covenants found on the pages of scriptures. The Old Covenant found in the Old Testament, and the New Covenant found in the New Testament. While these are the two main covenants, within the Old Testament we find more, but four important covenants we want to examine to see how they are similar. The covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham, the covenant with Israel (the Mosaic Covenant), and the covenant with David. All these covenants were made by God with those mentioned here. So what is a covenant? In the cases mentioned above they are transactions between God and man, all initiated by God. God initiated, determined the elements, and confirmed his covenant with humanity. It is unilateral. Persons are recipients, not contributors; they are not expected to offer elements to the bond; they are called to accept it as offered, to keep it as demanded, and to receive the results that God, by oath, assures will not be withheld. We do find in scripture covenants being made between men. David & Jonathan made a covenant. When men make covenants between themselves, each party binds himself to fulfill certain conditions, and in return was promised certain advantages. For the most part any covenant between God and man must be initiated by God. When God establishes a covenant with man it is a monopleuric.  The term "monopleuric" points out that the covenant relation is purely an act of God, an act of condescension or favor.  Thus the covenant relation does not depend or wait upon the initiative of man. Because only God is able to keep the conditions and promises, as man is too sinful and unable to perform any part of what is required. In Romans 1:31 considering sinful man Paul says of them  they are Without understanding  covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: How many peace accords in the middle east have we heard of that have been broken after each side promised to fulfill certain conditions, many of which were never fulfilled. Since God is sovereign and does what ever he desires he has made covenants with man at different times and ages from the beginning of time until present day. Mans part in all of this is to receive and accept the covenant God is making with him. As we look at the different covenants we are looking to see grace mingled in with each. First we will look at The covenant with Noah. Man had become so corrupt on the earth God decided he must destroy man from off the face of the earth. This means all men for he said of them And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. Gen 6:5 And so he would bring a flood upon the earth by which he would destroy man. All men except for one, Noah and his family. Why would he spare Noah? But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Gen 6:8 After telling Noah he would destroy all those on the earth and what Noah should do to be spared he said But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. Gen 6:18  After the flood, Noah and his family emerged from the Ark, he made an alter and offered burnt offerings to the Lord and the scripture said And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. Gen 8:21 Then God established his covenant with him and essentially all nature and said And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. Gen 9:9-13 it is interesting when John looked at the throne of God in Revelation, he said  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. Rev 4:3 the sign of the Covenant God and the symbol of the token of the covenant he made with Noah. Now also at that time God set some conditions up that some see as the dispensation of Human government when he said And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.  Gen 9:5-6 here we see the establishment of capital punishment for murder, which will be expounded upon hundreds of years later in the Mosaic Law. He also gives Noah and his family the same command he gave Adam & Eve And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein 9:7 since the human race was starting over again with them. Notice the grace here. God said after the flood I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. Since only Noah and his family remained this must pertain to them and the proof of it will bear out throughout the scriptures until present day. The covenant is still enforce today, and every time you see a rainbow it is a reminder of the Covenant God made with Noah. Next we see God making a covenant with one man from Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham. He calls him from his nativity and promises to give him and his descendents the Land of Canaan. In Neh 9:7 we read Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; He also promised him a son and numerious offspring . Gen 15:4-5 says And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And what was Abrahams part in all this? And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Abraham responds to this gracious promise by faith whereby he was counted righteous by God himself.  Then we read In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: Then God tells him what the sigh of the covenant will be. Noah had the rainbow; a natural sign from God, Abraham will have a man made sign. This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. Gen 17:11-13b  This is what separates Abrahams seed and those of his house from those of other gentiles. This is what is to separate the Jews from the gentiles today. As Noah’s covenant had a token, that being the rainbow, which remains today, so circumcision is still around today among the Jews and we will see a spiritual application as the covenant with Abraham carries over to the gentiles. Next we see the covenant God made through Moses with the nation Israel the Mosaic Covenant. As we continue each covenant gets more interesting. There is some controversy over whether this covenant over rides the Covenant with Abraham because of the legal element introduced at Sinai. When we look at Psalm 105:8-10 we see both listed there:  He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant: We must remember why God chose Moses and sent him to Egypt to get his people out, was because it was time for God to give Israel the land he promised to give to Abraham as soon as the iniquity of the Amorites was full. So the bringing of the children of Israel out of Egypt was to fulfill Gods promise. The legal aspect comes in Just before they received the law. God calls Moses up the mountain to instruct him in what he is to tell the people. Moses is to remind them: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians His delivering power bringing them out of bondage, for his name’s sake, to honor the covenant he made with Abraham, whereby he promised to bring his seed out of bondage into the land of Canaan, all of grace [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. This is the relationship HE initiated with them all that will now change. So far God has graciously provided, and has made no demands upon them.  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  Vs 5-6   

Now he says if ye will obey my voice Going back to the narrative in the previous chapters God had tested them and we read in Ex 16:4-5 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. Then he gave them specific instructions concerning the Sabbath day, an day of rest saying Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. VS 26  Simple enough, gather the bread for six days and do not go out to gather on the Seventh. Did they pass this test? And it came to pass, [that] there went out [some] of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. Yes they failed this simple test. And what did the Lord say to Moses? How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? This was just ONE LITTLE THING and some disobeyed. This should have been a clue to them; it might not be so easy. And keep my covenant , Then 1 ye (all of you) shall be a peculiar treasure, (like the treasure in the field) 2 a kingdom of priests, a Holy Nation. The nation of Israel was to be a nation of priests to show other nations the commandments, judgments, & ordinances of God, to lead them to him, but because of their unbelief at Kadesh Barnea and rebellion there will be only one priestly tribe when they go into the land. The  church was called by Peter: But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: I Pet 2:9  This privilege has been given to the church since Israel forfeited it through unbelief.

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. Vs 7-8

Now Moses presents to the elders and all the people the Lords proposal and they ratify the words of the Lord saying; All that the LORD has spoken we will do!  With out even hearing the Law, they bind themselves to it. This is foolish for any number of reasons, not the least of which they didn’t think it through. 1 This is a Holy Law they will discover, they cannot keep. 2 They will be under bondage to it as a ministry of death & condemnation 3 They could have remained under grace, but with the oath we will do, blessing will now depend on their performance. With their statement, they fail to realize their own sinfulness and weakness, but the law will expose it, as that is what it is suppose to do, show our sinfulness and reveal sin. Here is the pride of a sinful heart thinking it can live up to the law of God and keep it.  As we continue on in this study, we will next see the Grace interwoven in the Mosaic covenant.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Hundreds of years before it happened, we have the announcement of the Birth of Christ, and we are now at the time of year when we celebrate it. We know from another passage he will be born of a virgin who has not known a man. Isaiah 7:14 says Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. This is announcing his virgin birth, which was alluded to in the book of Genesis when God was condemning the serpent for his temptation of Eve said And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Gen 3:15 In the scriptures we always see the “seed” in reference to the man, the egg is of the woman. Which begs the question what does that mean? Scholars have concluded, it is a reference to the virgin birth. For why would a virgin conceiving be a sign from God of anything, unless it would be something miraculous, such as a virgin who has never known a man giving birth.  So we jump ahead a few hundred year’s to listen to another announcement, this by an angel, Gabriel, by name who was sent to a young virgin named Mary. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women. Luk 1:26-28 Then he announces to her And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: After hearing that, Mary has a question as any young girl like her would, and Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Luk 1:34 For too long we have heard the scoffers voice saying this could not be, and it is dismissed because of mans unbelief. But the angel answers her question by saying The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.  So, A Child born! A Son given! Let us break this down and look at the two parts A Child born!  After a long journey from the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and she did what all new mothers would do wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Let us pause for a moment and consider this, Mary put diapers on God! Yes he was human and a baby at that, but he was God manifested in the flesh and the disciples beheld his glory. This was not just any child. Not only was he a King, because the Angel said the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: but he was Gods salvation, for there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name [was] Simeon; who when he say Jesus Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Luk 2:30 He was Gods salvation, because he was the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Simeon went on to say he would be A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.Luk 2:32  At twelve he was in the temple listening to the doctors and asking questions. Having been on a trip to Jerusalem, with his Mother Mary and her husband Joseph. At their departure he stayed behind to be in the temple. When they could not find him they went back and found him in the temple And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. Luk 2:48 He said to them And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Vs 49 Later after he was grown he would appear in the temple again, this time the doctors would listen to him and see his miraculous power And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was [present] to heal them .Luk 5:17  And then there was yet another announcement of his birth, this time to some shepherds in the field. Gabriel again was the messenger. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Lk 2:8 Because they were with the flocks at night in the field, it was probably not winter time, so Jesus was probably not born Dec 25. However, the interesting thing is, the sheep they were watching over were the sheep for temple sacrifice. How fitting is it the Angel should announce to them the birth of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world when he said: And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luk 2:10-11  So the shepherds acting on the heavenly announcement, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.Vs 15  Interesting, that  Bethlehem means “house of bread” Is not Jesus the bread of life? After approximately 2 years this child would be visited by wise men from the east and would bring him gifts. The scriptures said lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.Mat 2:9 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.Vs 11 Interesting choice of gifts Gold: for a king, frankincense because he was priest, and would be our great high priest, and myrrh a spice used for burial. While many remember the child in a manger, we remember he grew up and became the son of man.

A Son given  Jesus was in the temple one day and after reading the prophet Isaiah And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? Luk 4:22 When Jesus came out to John the Baptist in the wilderness to be baptized the heavens opened and a dove descended from Heaven and And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.Mat 3:17 On the mount of transfiguration, Peter, James, & John heard the same voice say when a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him .Mat 17:5  So twice we have God testifying that Jesus is his Son. Peter on occasion when asked by Jesus, who do men say that I am, also asked the disciples who do YOU say I am responded Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God .Mat 16:16b  so now we add the prophesy of  Isaiah 7:14 that says Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Which means God with us. Again in our passage Isaiah 9:6 he says and the government shall be upon his shoulder: This of course is a reference to the Messiah. Jesus asked the Pharisees What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David Mat 22:42 But Jesus took it a step farther and He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? Mat 22:43-45 The religious leaders missed it, because they did not put the two things together, the Messiah was in fact the Son of God. So we see Jesus, God the son, born of a virgin God in flesh for all man to see. And to what purpose was this Son given? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jn 3:16 The angel told Mary and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. How will he do that? By his death on the cross for our sins. This is Gods gift to man: HIS SON! Not under the Christmas tree, but hanging ON THE TREE, a curse for us Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: Gal 3:13 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. II Cor 5:21 God gave his Son to be the savior of all men especially of those who believe. As you look at the Christmas tree, remember the gift from God for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Vs 8-9

All Christians face the same adversary, the Devil, using what Paul calls Principalities, Powers rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. In Daniel chap 10 we see Daniel had been in prayer & mourning for 3 weeks concerning a vision he had seen. Then an Angelic messenger came to him to give him understanding. He would have been there sooner but he said But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Dan 10:13 Who was it that withheld him from coming? A messenger from Satan. So he had to have help from Michael the Archangel in order to get through to Daniel. We know Satan does all  he can to influence the world leaders and will one day offer the world into the hands of Antichrist to rule for a season. But for us, he will deploy his messengers to disrupt us from our appointed tasks, keep answered prayer from coming to us as in the case of Daniel, and of course prevent people from receiving our witness and believe on Jesus. They will also put lies in our ears so as to doubt our salvation or that God will answer our prayers, thus attempting to destroy our faith. They want to cause doubt, unbelief, create fear in our minds, and exploit out weakness. Paul tells us for we are not ignorant of his devices. II Cor 2:11 he has been using them since the garden Casting doubt on Gods word Satan said “has God said?” casting doubt. Then he said “thou shalt not surely die” contradicting Gods word. This method has not changed. Satan and his army look for the weakest believer, sheep lagging behind with its guard down. But these Jesus will protect that none are lost. Suggesting your unworthiness pertaining to your sin  Peter told Jesus, depart from me I am a sinful man, and he was, just as we are. Paul said no good thing dwells in my flesh, and we are no different, but because of the work of salvation on the cross by Jesus Christ, we are the righteousness of God in him positionally as God sees us now. Temptations  Even as he tempted Jesus, so will he tempt us. Do you know you areas of weakness? Where you can easily be tempted? It is good to know these things, because James tells us resist the devil, he will flee from you. Jesus told us to pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. So we are to be on the alert, for we know we wrestle not against flesh and blood, ours is spiritual warfare. And Peter adds resist steadfastly in the faith When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness what did Jesus do to resist him. He said it is written He used the word of God, and so must we, but along with that we must KNOW the word to use it.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you]. To him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The [church that is] at Babylon, elected together with [you], saluteth you; and [so doth] Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace [be] with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. Vs 10-14 

Peter ends the epistle by reminding us we are called by the God of all grace. It is his grace that saved us, it is his grace that will keep us unto eternal glory.

 We hope you have enjoyed our study, and rejoice you have taken the time to go through this epistle. Now we encourage you to let us know if you have been ministered to and tell us what future studies you might like to see. We are currently working on our next study praying and waiting on the Lord, but we would appreciate any feed back you have.

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

Peter has been addressing the scattered church in Asia, and now he addresses The elders which are among you There is an order in the church, and the early church had elders, those ordained by God to oversee the church activities and had the responsibility of watching for their souls. Today we see a hierarchy in the church that was never intended, and it is only fitting Peter should outline the responsibilities of the elders and how to perform the duties. The Catholic Church, who claims Peter as their first pope should take note as to what he says. First: Of himself: We see his credentials, referring to himself as an elder, a witness of Christ’s suffering, having walked with Jesus for 3 years he saw it first hand so he knew what it was all about. He saw his glory on the mount of transfiguration. This was his badge of authority. Peter didn’t receive exaltation, now, nor before in the house of Cornelius, who when he bowed before him, Peter said Stand up for I am a man like you. Peter was a humble servant.

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; VS 2 

 As Jesus told Peter feed my sheep, so Peter as one elder to another, tells them the same thing, Feed the flock of God He is talking about feeding the flock the word of God. The children of Israel ate manna in the wilderness, bread from heaven. A Physical picture of Jesus, the bread of life, come down from heaven. He is the living word, found in the written word. Peter exhorts new believers to desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Chap 2:2 The milk of the word is the basic gospel. Paul told the Corinthians I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.I Cor 3:2  The writer to the Hebrews said to them, For every one that useth milk [is] unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. Heb 5:3  While this is a rebuke, better to be rebuked for not getting off the milk then to be one who has never been fed milk. Peter says But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. II Pet 3:18a this cannot be done unless a study of God’s word takes place. I don’t mean a Psalm here and a verse from a Gospel there, I mean studying the whole Bible. It is incumbent upon anyone who is a Pastor or minister of the local Church to teach his people the whole word of God. If you are in a Church that doesn’t do that, hard as it might be, you need to find another church. We need to be like those in Berea, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11 This should be happening in the church on Sunday morning, and in a mid-week Bible study. Milk for new or young believer; But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: Titus 2:1 meat for the more mature. So what is meat? Hebrews chap 7 (I encourage you to read) is a good example, the book of Romans is another. How sad would it be to enter heaven and not know who Amos was, or what Joshua did, or who Mechisedec was. So Peter says feed the flock, they are Jesus sheep, but the must be fed. Taking the oversight  the elders in Ephesus did a good job, listen to Jesus I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.Rev 2:2-3

Not by constraint Not being forced into it, but willingly. If a ministry is forced upon someone, it will probably fail, because the one doing it does not want to do it. Not for filthy lucre Those who are in the ministry for money are in it for the wrong reason. They are fleecing the flock not feeding the flock. But of a ready mind able to teach and ready to do so.

 Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.Vs 3

Oh if Peter were here today, what would he say to the Pope, the Cardinals, the bishops and other religious hierarchy in the church? Neither as being lords over Gods heritage. Paul tells the Corinthians much the same thing Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. II Cor 1:24 That is, not being lords over your faith. This is a problem in the “organized church” today. The Catholic Church tells the people what to believe and to trust the elders to explain the scriptures to them, as they, would not understand. This is not like Ezra did as we alluded to previously, by reading and explaining, just explaining with out really sharing with the people out of the Bible to follow along, will not get it done. So they are doing as Jesus told the Pharisees saying, they were teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Now this places them in a high position over the flock. The servant of the lord, as Peter was, is to feed the flock, and let the Holy Spirit lead and guide them into all the truth. The head of the church is Christ not some man wearing a cone on his head, not some man wearing a special collar, but Christ alone. Those who usurp this authority from Christ lording it over the sheep will find themselves in a very bad place. The Bible says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, and God has gifted some men and gave them to the churches; Pastors, teachers, evangelists. Those called to these positions mist be like Peter humble servants and many are. Some intrude into the ministry to which they are not called, and of those we will find some who will try to do according to their will, thus lording it over the saints.

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. VS 4

And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear! Jesus is coming back with rewards for some who have been faithful. Jesus told a parable concerning this very thing, (In Matt 24:45-51) about two kinds of servants. One was a faithful and wise servant giving to those of the household their meat in due season. This servant was feeding the household of God, whom the Lord rewarded at this coming. The other was not so wise, and was not faithful, first saying in his heart, the Lord delays his coming He wasn’t looking for the Lords return. What was he doing? He beat his fellow servants, and associated with the world in a worldly way. What was his fate? The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat 24:50-51 Jesus called the scribes & Pharisees hypocrites eight times for what they did in their position in Mat 23. So what will the unfaithful and false teachers say in that day? Jesus also told of those false teachers who would come saying “Lord, Lord” Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity Mat7:22-23 But for the faithful a crown of Glory. This is the reward for those who have been faithful to their calling. What have you been called to? What ever it is faithful is what we are to be.

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Vs 5  

First it was servants submitting to masters, then wives to husbands, now among the body, younger to the elder. Again, the basic chain of command. Elders are such for a reason, and that reason is God. The position of “Elder” in the church is bestowed upon those whom God has ordained. Those who are elders because of age have years of experience & wisdom to impart to the younger. But all must be subject to each other in humility. Because God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud. Who was the one prone to pride? The Devil, His pride got him removed from Heaven forever.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Vs6

Jesus said he who humbles himself will be exalted. He told the disciples if you want to be great in the Kingdom, you must be the servant of all. Better to sit at the end of the banquet table and be called up to a seat of honor, than to think you deserve it, and be given a lower place. It is God who raises up and God who puts down, so we must humble ourselves to him.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. VS 7

Why are we to cast all our care upon him? It is the cares of this life that will choke us and make us unfruitful. We are to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us. Weight is a burden and our cares are our burdens. Paul told the Philippians Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Phil 4:6 How little faith do we have when we do not do as Peter says, and retain our cares ourselves as though we could fix them. God says I am the Lord nothing is too hard for me. Do we carry everything to God in prayer? Or do we hold things back? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus had the answer for cares and worries Mat 6:25-33

It would be good to review that passage and apply it to your cares. His bottom line solution was vs 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. What are the cares of this life? Paul address this issue referring to married men But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please [his] wife. Married men need wisdom when purchasing those things that are necessary as opposed to those things that are wants, not to get caught up with them. Paul says I would have you without carefulness. For the unmarried it is easier than for those who are. For the unmarried can devote more time with the Lord. In the Old Testament we see the story of Samuel’s mother Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah. She was barren, but his other wife Peninnah had children. Each year they would go the annual sacrifice and Hannah, because Peninnah provoked her so much was in bitterness. Instead of giving in she brought her cares to the Lord, and asked for a child, and if given one she would dedicate him to the Lord. God answered and she dedicated Samuel her firstborn to the Lord. So we see she cast her care upon God.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Vs 8-9

Finishing up with this last topic next time