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A TALE OF TWO TREES |
Unit I:
The Beginning of the Tale: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge
~~ ~o~~~
~ ~~~~ ~~o~~~ "But of the fruit of the tree which
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~~~o~~~~ ~~~~~o~~~~~~ is in the midst of the garden,
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~~~~o~~~ ~~~~ ~~~o~~ God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
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~~~~~~o~~ ~~~~~~ neither shall ye touch it,
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~~\| |//~~ lest ye die."
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| | Genesis 3:3
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Why would God place the two people that he created in a garden with such
a deadly tree? The even more difficult question is this: Since the
instruction was that Adam and Eve could eat from all of the other trees,
one of which was the Tree of Life, why did they choose to eat from the
deadly tree at all? I would think that the fruit on the Tree of Life
would be much more impressive than the fruit on any other tree! I have
the suspicion, however, the reason Adam and Eve did not eat from the
Tree of Life first was because there wasn't any fruit on that tree at
the time. Certainly a part of learning to choose to be obedient to the
Lord is the learning of patience.
Note in the verse quoted along side of the picture of the tree above.
It is not the instruction that the Lord originally gave to Adam. It is
a quotation of what Eve told the serpent. Let's look at the difference:
Genesis 2
16. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
Notice that God did not say that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of
good and evil could not be TOUCHED. Where did that addition to God's
command come from? We could surmise that in a feeling of frustration
Adam and Eve added it- "God said we couldn't eat from THAT tree! He
probably won't even let us TOUCH it, either!" Such a simple command
and mankind chose to disobey it.
The story of two trees is the story of making choices and through the
many millenia, mankind has made many choices. Notice how often the
number 2 appears in scripture. The number two is the number that
symbolizes choice.
1. The First Two Sons: Cain and Abel
The story of mankind contines with the story of two brothers,
Cain and Abel.
Genesis 4
1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a
keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock
and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel
and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why
is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if
thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee
[shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to
pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against
Abel his brother, and slew him.
9. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy
brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's
keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy
brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath
opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy
hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond
shalt thou be in the earth.
13. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater
than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face
of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall
be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come
to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the
LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill
him.
16. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and
dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Each one made a choice in the way that they offered sacrifices to the
Lord. Cain brought fruit as an offering unto the LORD and Abel brought
of his flock. The scriptures record the LORD had respect unto Abel and
to his offering but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
Some speculate that God required a blood sacrifice as an atonement for
sin and that may very well be true but the important fact about the two
sacrifices is recorded in the New Testament.
Hebrews 11
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed
by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not
made of things which do appear.
4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he
was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he
being dead yet speaketh.
6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and
[that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jude 1
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,
and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and
perished in the gainsaying of Core.
According to the New Testament, the reason that Cain's sacrifice was
rejected by the Lord was that it was offered out of a heart of greed,
therefore making Abel's truly sacrificial offering the more excellent
one. But that was only the beginning of Cain's downfall. The story
goes on the relate that Cain's greedy heart turned to a hateful and
jealous heart- "And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell"
and finally hate and jealousy turned to murder and Cain rose up and
slew his brother Abel.
Mankind started with two choices- obedience to God or disobedience.
But God intervened with a third choice, God chooses. Cain rejected
God so God rejected Cain. Abel chose the Lord but he was now dead.
So God then introduced a second chance for mankind in Genesis 4:25:
"And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his
name Seth: For God, [said she], hath appointed me another seed
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." And note the result at this point
as recorded in the next verse: "then began men to call upon the name
of the LORD."
Mankind calling on the Lord was not a lasting experience. We could
write here about the terrible failures that led to the flood.
Genesis 6
5 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.
6. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the
earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it
repenteth me that I have made them.
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man
[and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with
God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth
was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was
corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come
before me; for the earth is filled with violence through
them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make
in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with
pitch.
We could tell about how God had to confuse the language when men
impatiently tried to reach heaven on their own rather than waiting
on the Lord.
Genesis 11
1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one
speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east,
that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they
dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick,
and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and
slime had they for morter.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a
tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us
a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the
whole earth.
5. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower,
which the children of men builded.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they
have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now
nothing will be restrained from them, which they have
imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their
language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the
face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the
LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and
from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face
of all the earth.
But let us skip to the next two brothers and the choices that they
represent.
2. The Second Story of Two Sons: Isaac and Ishmael
This situation is a little different than the choices made by Cain
and Abel. The story of Isaac and Ishmael is not about their choices
but the choices made by their parents, Abraham and Sarah.
Genesis 16
1. Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had
an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath
restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid;
it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram
hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian,
after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and
gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when
she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in
her eyes.
15. And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's
name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram [was] fourscore and six years old, when Hagar
bare Ishmael to Abram.
God had made a promise to Abram (Abraham) that he would have a son by his
wife, Sarai (Sarah). God's promise would be fulfilled even though it appeared
that Sarah was too old to bear a child. It was just a matter of trusting in
God's promise. Since Sarah admitted that it was the LORD who restrained her
from bearing a child, we would think she would also agree that God could, and
therefore would remove the restraint and allow her to bear a child. However,
that leap of faith obviously was not made. It was also a matter of patience.
It is beginning to appear that the basic problem ok mankind is impatience.
Eventually Sarah did bear a son who was named Isaac. But because Abraham had
Ishmael as a son also, rivalry and jealousy, and even things much worse still
plague the world today. As Ishmael was the son of Abraham's doubt, Isaac was
the son of Abraham's faith. Note how Abraham's trust in the Lord had matured:
Genesis 22
1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did
tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said,
Behold, [here] I [am].
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the
mountains which I will tell thee of.
3. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled
his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac
his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose
up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with
the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and
come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and
laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his
hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My
father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said,
Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a
burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a
lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them
together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of;
and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in
order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar
upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the
knife to slay his son.
11. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of
heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am]
I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither
do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest
God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]
from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold
behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and
Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a
burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh:
as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it
shall be seen.
15. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of
heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for
because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy
son, thine only [son]:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying
I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as
the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall
possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Even when God commanded Abraham to use Isaac as a sacrificial offering, His
faith and consequent obedience held firm and never wavered. You may wonder if
Abraham really expected that Isaac would have to die on that sacrificial altar
but you need wonder much longer. The New Testament clears up any doubt:
Hebrews 11
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac:
and he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten [son],
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be
called:
19 Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even
from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham expected Isaac to have to die now believed that the God who could
renew life to the lifeless reproductive systems of two elderly people was also
able to renew life in a dead child. Isaac eventually grew up and he also had
two sons- this time twins.
3. The Third Set of Two Sons: Jacob and Esau
Genesis 25
19. And these [are] the generations of Isaac, Abraham's
son: Abraham begat Isaac:
20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to
wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the
sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she
[was] barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah
his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she
said, If [it be] so, why [am] I thus? And she went to
enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations [are] in thy
womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy
bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the
other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,
behold, [there were] twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy
garment; and they called his name Esau.
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took
hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and
Isaac [was] threescore years old when she bare them.
27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man
of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in
tents.
28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [his]
venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
It was traditional to give more to the firstborn son which by only a matter
of minutes in this case was Esau. But much more complicated rivalry was in
this situation from the beginning. Even before birth the two brothers were
described as struggling with each other. The most logical explanation for
this is that both boys had strong personalities. Competition certainly can be
expected to result from such a trait. The answer Rebekah received from God
more than bears this out. Additional information was given to Rebekah, the
younger son was to be the heir.
Could we conclude that the story would have been less tramatic if Rebekah
and Isaac had believed God? But Isaac, unlike Rebekah, favoured Esau over
Jacob. Did that happen because Rebekah failed to tell her husband what God
had revealed to her? Or did Isaac favor Esau in spite of that knowledge just
because the older son appeared more masculine and became a hunter? Whatever
the reason, disastrous results would happen because of disobedience.
We could spend some time analyzing how Jacob cheated his brother. Rebekah and
Jacob deceived Isaac which made Esau so mad he threatened to kill his brother.
More deception followed between Jacob and his Uncle Laban and this deception
resulted in the next set of twos. Jacob unded up with two wives.
4. The Two Wives of Jacob
Genesis 29
16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder
[was] Leah, and the name of the younger [was] Rachel.
17 Leah [was] tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and
well favoured.
18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee
seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
19 And Laban said, [It is] better that I give her to thee,
than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they
seemed unto him [but] a few days, for the love he had to
her.
21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my
days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place,
and made a feast.
23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah
his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto
her.
24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid
[for] an handmaid.
25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it
[was] Leah: and he said to Laban, What [is] this thou hast
done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel?
wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country,
to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for
the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other
years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave
him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his
handmaid to be her maid.
30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also
Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other
years.
31. And when the LORD saw that Leah [was] hated, he opened
her womb: but Rachel [was] barren.
32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his
name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon
my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
Genesis 30
1. And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children,
Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me
children, or else I die.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her,
and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath
taken away my reproach:
The plan that the Lord has for families is that there is a husband and a
wife. A father and a mother. In the New Testament it is made clear that the
husband is to symbolize Christ the Messiah and the wife is to symbolize the
Church which is the Bride of Christ. When more than one wife is introduced in
the family, not only is the spiritual symbolism compromised, any domestic
tranquility that was possible is destroyed. Remember how the introduction of
Hagar, Sarah's handmaid disrupted Abraham's family. This time the difference
between the amount of love Jacob unequally divided between Leah and Rachel
caused much discension not only between the wives, but the twelve sons also.
Joseph and Benjamin, being the sons of Rachel, the more favored wife, became
Jacob's favorite sons. The jealousy of the older brothers shown toward Joseph
almost caused his death and did cause him to be sold into slavery. In this
story of the two wives we can still see the hand of God working with the
disobedience of man. Joseph learned many lessons in trusting the Lord and in
waiting patiently for God give him guidance. After he was made second in rule
in the land of Egypt, Joseph reached an important conclusion which he shared
with his brothers.
Genesis 50
15. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was
dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will
certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy
father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now,
the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did
unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass
of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept
when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his
face; and they said, Behold, we [be] thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for [am] I in the
place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God
meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day,
to save much people alive.
5. The Two Daughters-in-law: Orpah and Ruth
The story goes on until there is another famine in the land and one family
flees with their two sons to another country. The sons marry. The father and
the sons die. The mother and her two daughters-in-law become widows. The older
woman decided to return to her homeland. One daughter goes with her and the
other stays behind. Two women and two choices. Ruth was the name of the one
who made the decision of faith. The whole, beautiful story is written in the
book named after Ruth and is a must for reading. Below is setting in which the
famous words of Ruth's choice were spoken:
Ruth 1
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye
go with me? [are] there yet [any more] sons in my womb, that
they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go [your way]; for I am too
old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, [if] I
should have an husband also to night, and should also bear
sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye
stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for
it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD
is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and
Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back
unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy
sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, [or] to
return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I
will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people
[shall be] my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be
buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, [if ought] but
death part thee and me.
The faith of Ruth in putting her trust in the LORD put her in line for the
next development:
Ruth 4
13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he
went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare
a son.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying,
There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed:
he [is] the father of Jesse, the father of David.
6. The Two Kings: David and Saul
Everything that happened so far was before the nation of Israel had kings
to rule over them. They were suppose to be a THeocracy with God ruling over
the nation though judges. But they wanted to be like the other nations around
them. They wanted a king and their choice for King was a very impressive man
physically. They chose Saul. But Saul failed miserably as a spiritual leader.
His failure can be seen in times of arrogance and impatience. When he should
have waited for the person authorized to make sacrifices he made a sacrifice
himself. Another lesson was taught on that occasion by the prophet Samuel:
1 Samuel 15
1. Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint
thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now
therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the
LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which
Amalek did to Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way,
when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that
they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman,
infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the
sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs,
and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them:
but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they
destroyed utterly.
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice
of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me,
and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly
destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the
chief of the things which should have been utterly
destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of
the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and]
to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou
hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected
thee from [being] king.
What was it that made David, the next King of Israel, any better than Saul?
His sins seemed just as bad, if not worse as the sins of King Saul. Without
retelling all the sins that David committed which included adultery and murder
let us look for what really made the difference. Once again the answer is in
the New Testament:
Acts 13
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with [his] hand said,
Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and
exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land
of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto
them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by
the space of forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them
David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and
said, I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after
mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
A man after God's own heart. How can a person reach such a lofty place? It
is important for us to know what would be in the heart of God. Let us look for
a place where the Lord reveals His heart:
Deuteronomy 5
1. And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O
Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your
ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do
them.
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but
with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day.
4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out
of the midst of the fire,
5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew
you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of
the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6. I [am] the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
8 Thou shalt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any
likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that
[is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters
beneath the earth:
9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth [generation] of them that hate me,
10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me
and keep my commandments.
11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in
vain: for the LORD will not hold [him] guiltless that taketh
his name in vain.
12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy
God hath commanded thee.
13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
14 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy
God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,
nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that [is] within thy gates; that thy manservant and
thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of
Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence
through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore
the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God
hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and
that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD
thy God giveth thee.
17 Thou shalt not kill.
18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
19 Neither shalt thou steal.
20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither
shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his
manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any
[thing] that [is] thy neighbour's.
22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in
the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of
the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no
more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and
delivered them unto me.
28 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye
spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the
voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken
unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they
would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it
might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God
hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right
hand or to the left.
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God
hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be]
well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the
land which ye shall possess.
We skipped over the stories of the children of Jacob moving to Egypt. We
didn't make a study of how they became slaves of Pharoah and how God raised up
Moses to deliver them. The scripture above was recorded by Moses after they
wandered in the wilderness and were about to reenter the land first promised
to Abraham. Moses reminded the people of the Moral Law that God wrote with His
own finger in stone. But the key to this passage is verse 29 where the LORD
reveals what is in His heart. His deep desire is to have a people who would
have hearts folled with love and respect for Him and be obedient to the laws
that He gave which were for their good, that it would be "well" with them and
obedience of which would "prolong" their lives.
It seems strange to think that the Moral Law which the heart of God cried
out with the desire for mankind to obey and the voice of God declared would
prolong life is the same law that is still unchanged today. But aren't these
the very commandments David disobeyed? Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not
commit adultery. What then made David different- a man after God's own heart?
Let us look into David's heart to see what made the difference. One of the
best places to do this is the 119th Psalm.
David declared his belief that those who seek the Lord with their whole
heart and obey God's law are blessed.
1. ALEPH. Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, who walk
in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that]
seek him with the whole heart.
David felt that respecting God's commandments was nothing to feel shame for.
5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto
all thy commandments.
David expressed the belief that seeking God with his whole heart would help
him to be obedient to God's commandments.
10. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not
wander from thy commandments.
11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin
against thee.
David asked that his eyes would be opened to make wonderful discoveries when
studying God's laws rather than having it hidden from him.
18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things
out of thy law.
19. I [am] a stranger in the earth: hide not thy
commandments from me.
David felt that it was pride that caused disobbedience to the Lord.
21. Thou hast rebuked the proud [that are] cursed, which do
err from thy commandments.
David believed that a big heart helped in obedience to the commandments.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt
enlarge my heart.
Again, David relates the importance of whole-hearted obedience to God's law.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I
shall observe it with [my] whole heart.
David expresses delight in the keeping of the laws of God.
35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for
therein do I delight.
David believes the law of God is eternal.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
Again, David expresses delight in and love for God's law.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I
have loved.
48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments,
which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
The thought of people disobedient to God's laws brings horror to David
53. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked
that forsake thy law.
Thieves will not deter David from obedience to the laws of the Lord.
60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me: [but] I have
not forgotten thy law.
David finds more value in obeying God's commandments than material riches.
72. The law of thy mouth [is] better unto me than thousands
of gold and silver.
127. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea,
above fine gold.
David delights in obedience knowing it is lirterally life-saving.
92. Unless thy law [had been] my delights, I should then
have perished in mine affliction.
David again expresses his love for meditating on God's commandments.
97. MEM. O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all
the day.
David affirms that obedience to God's laws givs wisdom.
98. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than
mine enemies: for they [are] ever with me.
We could go on, but let us stop with the two most telling verses. David
expresses sorrow over those who are not obedient to the commandments of God
and David admits that although he has been disobedient, he still remembers
what God has commanded.
136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep
not thy law.
176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy
servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Can we doubt that David's love for the Lord and his desire to be obedient
is what makes him a man in whom the heart of the Lord finds delight? King Saul
sought to make a heartless sacrifice when he disobeyed and like the sacrifice
of Can, it was rejected. It is believed that after David's great sins of
adultery and murder, he wrote the 51st Psalm. Notice the contrast in these
verses:
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is]
ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this]
evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou
speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my
mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in
the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones
[which] thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine
iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
[with thy] free spirit.
13 [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners
shall be converted unto thee.
14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my
salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy
righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew
forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give
[it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
The story of choices goes on. David's son, Solomon becomes king. Solomon's
son Rehoboam becomes king. But because he makes a very bad decision there
is rebellion against his rule and the Kingdom is divided in two.
7. The Two Kingdoms- Israel and Judah
1 Kings 11
43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in
the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned
in his stead.
1 Kings 12
1. And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come
to Shechem to make him king.
2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who
was yet in Egypt, heard [of it], (for he was fled from the
presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the
congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam,
saying,
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make
thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke
which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
5 And he said unto them, Depart yet [for] three days, then
come again to me. And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood
before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How
do ye advise that I may answer this people?
7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a
servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and
answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be
thy servants for ever.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they
had given him, and consulted with the young men that were
grown up with him, [and] which stood before him:
9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may
answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the
yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake
unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people
that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke
heavy, but make thou [it] lighter unto us; thus shalt thou
say unto them, My little [finger] shall be thicker than my
father's loins.
11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy
yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you
with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the
third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me
again the third day.
13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook
the old men's counsel that they gave him;
14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men,
saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to
your yoke: my father [also] chastised you with whips, but I
will chastise you with scorpions.
15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for
the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his
saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto
Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16. So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto
them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion
have we in David? neither [have we] inheritance in the son
of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own
house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
17 But [as for] the children of Israel which dwelt in the
cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who [was] over the
tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he
died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to
his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this
day.
20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that
Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto
the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there
was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of
Judah only.
21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled
all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an
hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were
warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the
kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God,
saying,
23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah,
and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the
remnant of the people, saying,
24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight
against your brethren the children of Israel: return every
man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened
therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart,
according to the word of the LORD.
25. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt
therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom
return to the house of David:
27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of
the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people
turn again unto their lord, [even] unto Rehoboam king of
Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king
of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves
[of] gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go
up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt.
29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in
Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went [to
worship] before the one, [even] unto Dan.
31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests
of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of
Levi.
32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on
the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that
[is] in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in
Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he
placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had
made.
33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in
Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, [even] in the
month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a
feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the
altar, and burnt incense.
Rehoboam made a selfish and foolish decision to increase the taxes
of the tribes that lived in the northern half of the kingdom. This
is what cause the division and Jeroboam became the King of the newly
formed nation of Israel.
However Jeroboam also made a selfish and foolish decision. He wanted
to keep the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from going down
to the temple in Jerusalem which is now in the Southern Kingdom of
Judah to worship the Lord.
He believed that continued contact with Judah would erode support for
him as the king of Israel. These were the first of many decisions many
of which were disastrous decisions. The people of Israel were scattered
and lost completely as a nation. The people of Judah also lost their
nation and were carried off into captivity into the country of Babylon.
A repentant remnant eventually were allowed to come back to the land of
Israel but the Old Testament closes with a sad sounding passage of
scripture and "curse" as the last word:
Malachi 4
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
However, there also was a prophet by the name of Jeremiah who
prophesied of a New Covenant:
Jeremiah 31
1. At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of
all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the LORD, The people [which were] left of the
sword found grace in the wilderness; [even] Israel, when I
went to cause him to rest.
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I
have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O
virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy
tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make
merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of
Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat [them] as
common things.
6 For there shall be a day, [that] the watchmen upon the
mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion
unto the LORD our God.
7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob,
and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise
ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and
gather them from the coasts of the earth, [and] with them
the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that
travaileth with child together: a great company shall return
thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications
will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of
waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble:
for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim [is] my firstborn.
10. Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare
[it] in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered
Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd [doth]
his flock.
11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from
the hand of [him that was] stronger than he.
12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of
Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD,
for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of
the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a
watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young
men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into
joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their
sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with
fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
saith the LORD.
15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah,
lamentation, [and] bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her
children refused to be comforted for her children, because
they [were] not.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded,
saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of
the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that
thy children shall come again to their own border.
18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus];
Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock
unaccustomed [to the yoke]: turn thou me, and I shall be
turned; for thou [art] the LORD my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after
that I was instructed, I smote upon [my] thigh: I was
ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the
reproach of my youth.
20 [Is] Ephraim my dear son? [is he] a pleasant child? for
since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him
still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will
surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine
heart toward the highway, [even] the way [which] thou
wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these
thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding
daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the
earth, A woman shall compass a man.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet
they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the
cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity;
The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, [and] mountain
of holiness.
24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the
cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they [that] go
forth with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have
replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet
unto me.
27. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow
the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of
man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, [that] like as I have
watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to
throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch
over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have
eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on
edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man
that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house
of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake,
although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their
hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest
of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.
The Old Covenant was based on laws written on stone tablets which constantly
were disobeyed by the people. The New covenant would not have such a basis. It
would be based on a law within God's people written on their hearts.
8. The Two Covenants-
The Old Covenant -the law written on tablets of stone.
The New Covenant -the law written on the heart. (continued in Unit II)
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This Electronic Tract was produced by Fisherman's Net Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries. For additional information regarding other publications write: Seventh Day Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547-1678 or New Covenant Ministries 2301 Wadsworth Blvd. Denver CO 80215-1725 or send an e-mail message to- jconrod@juno.com ____________________________________________________________________ |>=> .e0e. .e0e. NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES >=>| |>=> 0HHHH~HHHH0 Fisherman's Net jconrod@juno.com >=>| |>=> `HHoo ooHH' "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I >=>| |>=> `HH HH' will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 >=>| |>=> `V' http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 >=>| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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A TALE OF TWO TREES |
Unit II:
We ended Unit I with the prophet Jeremiah promising a New Covenant:
Jeremiah 31
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house
of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake,
although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their
hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah knew the Old Covenant was based on laws written on stone tablets
which constantly were disobeyed by the people. He prophesied of the New
Covenant which would be based on a law within God's people written on their
hearts. This theme is picked up by the New Testament in the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 8
6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by
how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which
was established upon better promises.
7 For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then
should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my
covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put
my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and
I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall
know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the
first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready
to vanish away.
Jesus Himself said just before He died on the cross of Calvary that He was
setting up a second and New Covenant by the shedding of His blood:
Luke 22
20 And in the same way He (Jesus) took the cup after they
had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is
the new covenant in My blood.
The laws of the New Covenant written in the heart in contrast to the laws of
the Old Covenant written on tables of stone is the very center of what Jesus
preached: "Lust is adultery in the heart. Hatred is murder in the heart."
The Two Covenants were not the only set of twos in Jesus' life and teachings.
Let us look at the many times the number two is associated with Jesus:
A: Jesus' Parables of The Two Brothers-
Luke 15
11. And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to [his] father, Father,
give me the portion of goods that falleth [to me]. And he
divided unto them [his] living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all
together, and took his journey into a far country, and there
wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine
in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that
country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks
that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired
servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and
I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as
one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was
yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion,
and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to
be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the
best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand,
and shoes on [his] feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it]; and
let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and
drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these
things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy
father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received
him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came
his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to [his] father, Lo, these many
years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time
thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I
might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath
devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him
the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and
all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for
this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost,
and is found.
This is one of the best known of Jesus' Parables. It very likely was inspired
by the many stories in the Old Testament of two brothers. In Jesus' parable of
these brothers each of the two did something different in their lives. One of
the brothers left home because he loved the people in the world and wanted to
live with them. The other brother stayed home because he loved his father. But
neither brother fully comprehended what true godly love Included. The lesson
that Jesus taught was twofold. The first son needed to learn to put his love
for his father first in his life so that his relationship with others would be
in the proper perspective. The other brother needed to learn that a love for
his father was not complete if he didn't love others as well. The lesson is
the same as Jesus' answer to what was the greatest of the commandments:
Matthew 22
34. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the
Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, [which was] a lawyer, asked [him a
question], tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.
This clearly shows that Jesus agreed with Jeremiah that the laws of God in
the New Covenant would be written in His follower's hearts. How esle could
love be considered a law the obedience of which to be commanded.
Jesus taught another parable about two sons:
Matthew 21
28. But what think ye? A [certain] man had two sons; and he
came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my
vineyard.
29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he
repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he
answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father?
They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily
I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into
the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and
ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots
believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not
afterward, that ye might believe him.
Jesus made several points with these parables. One's priorities in love was
one of the most important points. But parallel to that is honesty coupled with
repentance. Neither brother was truthful. One claimed to be obedient but he
was actually disobedient. The other was also disobedient but that brother in
the end repented of his disobedience and became the obedient brother. The
story of the two Kings can be seen in this parable. Neither Saul nor David was
obedient but David was the one who repented of his disobedience.
Another point to Jesus' parable was the disobedience of the Jewish nation and
their subsequent replacement by others:
Matthew 21
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken:
but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his
parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared
the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
Jesus clearly made the claim that His followers would consist of others who
were not in the present fold, no doubt referring to gentile believers:
John 10
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father:
and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:
them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd.
One of the biggest contrasts can be seen between the lack of faith in even
Jesus' closest followers to the great faith of a gentile believer:
Luke 7
1. Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of
the people, he entered into Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto
him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders
of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his
servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him
instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do
this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a
synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far
from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying
unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy
that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto
thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me
soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to
another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this,
and he doeth [it].
9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and
turned him about, and said unto the people that followed
him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no,
not in Israel.
10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found
the servant whole that had been sick.
Notice that the Roman centurion believed Jesus could heal from a distance.
This is a sharp contrast to Mary and Martha, both of whom lamented the idea
that their brother Laarus died because Jesus was not right at the location:
John 11
1. Now a certain [man] was sick, [named] Lazarus, of
Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was [that] Mary which anointed the Lord with
ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord,
behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not
unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God
might be glorified thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode
two days still in the same place where he was.
7 Then after that saith he to [his] disciples, Let us go
into Judaea again.
8 [His] disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late
sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he
seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because
there is no light in him.
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto
them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may
awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do
well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that
he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to
the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his
fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
17. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had [lain] in
the grave four days already.
18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen
furlongs off:
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to
comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was
coming, went and met him: but Mary sat [still] in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of
God, God will give [it] thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the
life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art
the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the
world.
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called
Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and
calleth for thee.
29 As soon as she heard [that], she arose quickly, and
came unto him.
30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in
that place where Martha met him.
31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and
comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily
and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave
to weep there.
32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him,
she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou
hadst been here, my brother had not died.
33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also
weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and
was troubled,
34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him,
Lord, come and see.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened
the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should
not have died?
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the
grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister
of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he
stinketh: for he hath been [dead] four days.
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if
thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where
the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said,
Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of
the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe
that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud
voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot
with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a
napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen
the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
The contrast between sinners who repented and the self-righteous who did not
feel the need to repent also comes up repeatedly:
Mark 6
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have
somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the
one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him
most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that [he], to whom
he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly
judged.
Jesus talked about the impossibility of serving two different masters:
Luke 16
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to
the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon.
Jesus told a parable about two contrasting life and death experiences. In the
life of one man was "good things" but after death he ended up in torment. In
the life of the second man was "evil things" but his after death experience
was described as dwelling in "Abraham's bosom:"
Luke 16
19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from
the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his
sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man
also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on
me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger
in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this
flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy
lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus
evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence
to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would
come] from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou
wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto
them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the
prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto
them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead.
Lazarus was the name of the second man and it probably was not a coincidence
that a man named Lazarus did return from the grave and just as Jesus pointed
out in his parable, not everyone who saw Lazarus believed his resurrection
from the grave was a miracle.
Other descriptions of the contrasting experience of two people was told by
Jesus:
Luke 17
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two [men] in
one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be
left.
35 Two [women] shall be grinding together; the one shall
be taken, and the other left.
36 Two [men] shall be in the field; the one shall be
taken, and the other left.
Luke 18
9. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
[rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted.
Jesus knew that a true testimony required verification by two witnesses. This
is seen when Jesus sent His disciples out two by two:
Mark 6
7. And he called [unto him] the twelve, and began to send
them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean
spirits;
Jesus made the point that even His own claims to be the Messiah were verified
by two witnesses:
John 8
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest
record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record
of myself, [yet] my record is true: for I know whence I
came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come,
and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not
alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of
two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father
that sent me beareth witness of me.
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is
nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say,
that he is your God:
John 10
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him,
How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ,
tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not:
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness
of me.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all;
and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's
hand.
30 I and [my] Father are one.
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the
works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is]
in me, and I in him.
Jesus taught that it was better that two pray in agreement:
Matthew 18
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be
done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
One of the final incidents of two in Jesus' earthly life was that of being
crucified between two thieves:
Matthew 27
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on
the right hand, and another on the left.
Luke 23
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on
him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not
thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of
our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day
shalt thou be with me in paradise.
What greater symbolism of what would happen throughout the world and in all
the eons of time. Some will accept Jesus as their savior and others would
reject Him.
B. The Contrasts in the book of Acts, Two Believers- Jew and Gentile:
When the Jews rejected the gospel the gentiles believed the gospel. Jew and
Christian were driven further and further apart:
Acts 18
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came
to Corinth;
2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus,
lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because
that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:)
and came unto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with
them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were
tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and
persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia,
Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews
[that] Jesus [was] Christ.
6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he
shook [his] raiment, and said unto them, Your blood [be]
upon your own heads; I [am] clean: from henceforth I will go
unto the Gentiles.
C. Dynamic Tensions Developed in the New Testament Church-
1. The tension between the two natures- the old man and the new man:
Romans 7
12 Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy,
and just, and good.
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God
forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in
me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might
become exceeding sinful.
14. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal,
sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the
law that [it is] good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth
no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to
perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which
I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do
it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the
law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with
the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh
the law of sin.
The old sinful nature can never fulfill the requirement of obedience to the
laws of God. The new nature that comes through acceptance of Jesus Christ as
Lord and savior is the only area that can ever be obedient to God. But while
we live in this world, the believer will have both natures that will war with
each other. Paul verifies that it is the new nature that obeys the law of God.
2. The tension between faith and works in a Christian's life:
James 2:
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and
are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend
in one [point], he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do
not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill,
thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by
the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath
shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14. What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily
food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye]
warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those
things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being
alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my
faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he
had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by
works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:
and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and
not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by
works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent
[them] out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also.
D. Future Prophetic Application: Gentile Christians who have Hellenized the
truths of God for 2,000 years need to relate to Messianic Jews who are trying
to apply 2,000 Years of traditional Judaism to their new faith in the Messiah.
Romans 11
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.
For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the
tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot
ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh
intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down
thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have
reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed
the knee to [the image of] Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a
remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works,
then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he
seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest
were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the
spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears
that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a
trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and
bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall?
God forbid: but [rather] through their fall salvation [is
come] unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them [be] the riches of the world,
and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how
much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation [them which
are] my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of
the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life
from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also
[holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou,
being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and
with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive
tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou
bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that
I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and
thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed]
lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on
them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if
thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt
be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief,
shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is
wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a
good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the
natural [branches], be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant
of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,
There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn
away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take
away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your
sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for
the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God [are] without
repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have
now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through
your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he
might have mercy upon all.
33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and
his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath
been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be
recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all
things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.
After the Gospel went out to the gentiles, several changes were introduced
that seemed logical at the time. The Hebrew name for the Messiah, Y'Shua,
evolved into different names in different languages- Ieus, Jesu, Jesus. The
Hebrew word for the Anointed- HaMashiah, became Christos- Christ. The day of
worship- Shabbat, which came on the seventh day of the week was substituted by
"the venerable day of the Sun" which came on the first day of the week and was
used by the pagan gentiles to worship the Sun. In a similar way Easter (Ishtar
or Osteroth), the pagan celebration of the spring equinox became the day that
Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. The winter solstice which was
the pagan celebration ofthe rebirth of the sun became Christmas (Christ Mass)
to celebrate the birth of the Son of God.
These changes were all introduced introduced to make it easier for gentiles
to become Christian but are now causing problems in reconciling the gentile
Christians and the Messianic Jewish believers. But Jesus' prayer that we all
become one as He and the Father are one will eventually be fulfilled. There
can only be one Conclusion: What has always been lacking in mankind from that
first day in the garden of Eden is God's fullness. Only through salvation in
and through the New Covenant which is through the shed blood of Jesus in Whom
the fullness of God dwells, can we ever experience the same fullness of God
which is needed to have a heart that is right with God. No matter where we
stand or how far apart we try to remain, God is going to make both Jew and
gentile Believers into One Body and Jesus Christ- Y'Shuah HaMashiah will be
the Head of that One Body. Amen. Hallelujah! Baruch HaShem Adonai! Blessed be
the Name of the Lord!
John 17
20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Ephesians 1
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:
22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him
[to be] the head over all [things] to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all
in all.
Ephesians 2
11 Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past
Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that
which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the
world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the
law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make
in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body
by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off,
and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto
the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of
God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner
[stone];
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation
of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 3
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his
glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the
inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye,
being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of
God.
Ephesians 4
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 1
19 For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all
fulness dwell;
Colossians 2
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily.
The End of the Tale: The Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem:
Revelation 21
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was
no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be
with them, [and be] their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,
and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death.
9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had
the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride,
the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and
high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light [was] like unto
a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as
crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates,
and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon,
which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on
the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in
them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure
the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as
large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the
reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and]
forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a
man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and
the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city [were]
garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first
foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the
tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth,
an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every
several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city
[was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the
moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in
the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their
glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:
for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the
nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or
[maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life.
Revelation 22
1. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of
the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve
[manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and
the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the
nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God
and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve
him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in
their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth
them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6. And he said unto me, These sayings [are] faithful and
true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel
to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be
done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard [them]. And when
I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet
of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am
thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of
them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy,
let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the
first and the last.
14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city.
15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these
things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of
David, [and] the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of
the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of
the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the
things which are written in this book.
20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all.
Amen.
All tensions caused by contrasts are removed. "There shall be no more death,"
there will only be life eternal. "Neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain" only joy eternal. Nothing will be old because God will
"make all things new." No ending because He said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end." "No temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are the temple of it." No need of the sun ...to shine in it: for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof." No locks to
keep out thieves: the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day." "And there
shall be no more curse," only blessing will remain. "And there shall be no
night," because Jesus will forever be the Light. And no longer two different
trees! The tree of knowledge of good and evil is not mentioned. Only the tree
of life from which the first two people, Adam and Eve were banned will be
there forever giving healing to the nations:
~o~~o~o~ "In the midst of the street of it, and
~o~o~~o~~o~o~
~o~o~o~~o~o~~o~o~o~ on either side of the river,
~o~o~o~~o~o~o~~o~o~o~
~~o~~o~o~~o~~o~o~o~o~ was there the tree of life
~o~~o~~~o~o~~o~o~o~~
~~o~~o~o~o~~o~o~o~~ ...Blessed are they that
~o~~o~o~~o~o~o~~
~o~o~~o~o~o~ do his commandments, that they may
~~\| |//~~
~\| |/~ have right to the tree of life."
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/ \ Revelation 22:2,14
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