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Matthew 10:34: Not Peace but
a Sword?
This is a hard saying for all who recall the message of the angels on
the night of Jesus' birth: "Glory to God in high heaven, and peace
on earth among human beings, the objects of God's favor" (as the
message seems to mean). True, the angels' message appears only in Luke
(Lk 2:14) and the hard saying comes from Matthew. But Luke records the
same hard saying, except that he replaces the metaphorical "sword"
by the nonmetaphorical "division" (Lk 12:51). Both Evangelists
then go on to report Jesus as saying, "For
I have come to turn `a man against his father, a daughter against her
mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law' " (Mt 10:35;
Lk 12:53), while Matthew rounds the saying off with a quotation from
the Old Testament: "a man's enemies will be the members of his
own household" (Mic 7:6)....
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Engraving the Palms
Isa 49:15-18 "Can a woman forget her
nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely
they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you
on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me."
(NKJ)
In the verse, "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands" (Isa 49:16), there is an allusion to the ancient custom
of puncturing ornamental figures and mementoes upon the hand, arm, and
forehead, and coloring the punctures with indigo, cypress, etc. This
gives us the figure of Zion being as close to God as He is to Himself,
and facing Him amid all the emotions of His divine life. - Unger's Bible
Dictionary
In this figurative way of God expressing His love for His people, the
Lord is in essence saying that He will never forget Zion, the city (people)
of God. They are inscribed (engraved) upon the palms of His hands so
that they will always be in His sight and kept as an everlasting remembrance.
It is most probable that this expression is referring to an actual custom
among the Jews who actually tattooed their hands or arms with paintings
of Jerusalem or the Temple, thus they would always have a remembrance
ever before them. This view is accepted by most scholars and these palm
painting representations were called "ensigns of Jerusalem"
and were performed in this sort of manner:
1. They would have an impression on a block of wood of something relation
to the city such as the Temple, and and they print it onto the palm
or arm with powder or charcoal.
2. Then they would take two needles tied close together, and dipping
many times in certain inks they would make small punctures quickly and
accurately all along the lines of the figure they have printed, being
careful not to draw blood.
3. Then they would wash it in wine once the figure was finished.
note: Strongs Hebrew dictionary renders the word "palms" as
(Heb. kaph OT:3709 from OT:3721) the hollow hand or palm as distinguished
from its fingers, thumbs, and back, and the word "inscribed"
as (OT:2710 chaqaq ) a primitive root meaning to hack or engrave.
This verse teaches us that God constantly
cares for and remembers His people, using an imagery that was familiar
to the ancient custom of the day. Even in the midst of the most terrible
trials, as in the background of this verse, He will always remember
His beloved. Just as their city walls were built for safety, so our
safety and protection depends upon His continual care.
The wounds in Christ's hands (palms) when he was crucified is a clear
message hinting (remez) back to this ancient custom and bringing forth
the message that the Lord will always cherish and protect those for
whom he suffered and died, and His remembrance of us is as close to
God as He is to Himself.
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| All references taken from RBC, Pat Robertson,
Ron Rhodes, Kenneth/Gloria Copeland, Charles Slagle, Smith Wigglesworth,
Selwyn Hughes, Charles Spurgeon, Manners and Customs of Bible Times, The
Complete Bible Handbook, The Spirit Filled Bible(NKJV), The NIV Bible,
God's Promises for your every Need, Idiot's Guide to Bible Mysteries,
Hard Sayings of The Bible, Articles courtesy of Mr Andrew L W Lee. |
