EPHESIANS 2:1-10

I went to the internet not long ago to look for the highest rated commentary on Ephesians so I could buy it. There was actually a quite good consensus on the subject. It seemed like an easy decision since the top listed book had glowing reviews and was by a very well respected Bible scholar, but I read a little further and found out that some of those who had earlier recommended this commentary had now withdrawn their endorsements on the basis of admitted plagiarisms in it.

The second choice was also highly recommended, but the author is a professor at an evangelical seminary that happens to hold to some theological views I generally disagree with. And the third book wasn't quite as highly recommended and wasn't as up to date as the other two, but it was part of an excellent evangelical commentary series. So which book would you have bought if you were me?

I actually went with the second book because I am not afraid to read scholars who might have new insights that I had not earlier heard. I passed over the first book for moral issues since Ephesians, as most of Paul's letters, starts out with some heavy theology but then beginning with Chapter 4 the letter shifts more to issues of morality. Quoting from some of these:

“...lead a life worth of the calling to which you have been called.” 4:1

“We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro... by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.” 4:14

“But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” 4:15

“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.” 4:25

“Thieves must give up stealing...and work honestly with their own hands.” 4:28

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” 5:10-11

All of these teachings seemed to apply to the issue of plagiarism. This last quote brings up an interesting point. When the publisher of the first book, Eerdmans, investigated the possible cases of plagiarism, they found that they were so extensive that they not only withdrew the book from publication, but they removed all of the author's other books from their inventory. And Christian Book Distributors did the same thing, though of course you can still buy these books from Amazon. I applaud Eerdmans and CBD for wanting to distance themselves from even the appearance of evil even though I am sure this move had some negative financial consequences for them.

The main point of this two-part arrangement we find in most of Paul's letters (theology then morality) goes in two directions: (1) our behavior as Christians should be a direct outgrowth of our theology, and (2) just knowing the truth is not enough; you need to actually incorporate it into your daily life.

As a somewhat appropriate aside, I once attended a church known for its strong theological preaching. One week during a lesson I was teaching in our adult Sunday school class, I passed around an antique coin for the class to look at. It never came back to me at the end of the lesson.

Now for a more detailed breakdown as to how Ephesians is organized, I'll subject you, as usual, to my own literary analysis.

Figure 1: The Structure of Ephesians

I. Introduction (1:1-2)

II. Position with God through Christ (1:3-14)

III. Power in Christ (1:15-23)

IV. Gentiles’ Past and Present Position Contrasted (2:1-22)

V. The Mystery of Christ (3:1-21)

IV'. Gentiles’ Past and Present Behavior Contrasted (4:1-5:20)

II'. Position with Others through Christ (5:21-6:9)

III'. Power in Christ (6:10-20)

I'. Conclusion (6:21-24)

This scheme is useful in identifying the main thrust of this letter. It is the revelation of the gospel message, “the mystery hidden for ages,” of God bringing together one new people for himself.

You can also see from this outline that our passage for today in Ephesians 2 is actually most closely related to verses in Ephesians 4 and 5. In Chapter 2 we have a theological presentation by Paul describing the changed status a believer has in God's eyes. But when we get to Chapter 4 we will see how that same theological change in our lives should play out in a changed behavior.

Chapter 2 as a whole can be pictured as two cycles that are quite similar in theme and in wording:

Ephesians 2:1-22

A. Their previous life (2:1-3): beginning “you...were” “alive, dead” (2:1)

B. God’s Grace (2:4-10): beginning “but God” and ending in “Christ Jesus” “dead,                                 alive” (2:5)

A'. Their previous life (2:11-12) beginning “you were” “separated” (2:12)

            B'. God's Grace (2:13-22): beginning “but in Christ Jesus” and ending in “Christ Jesus”                         “joined together” (2:21)

Warren Wiersbe entitles the verses in today's lesson “Get Out of the Graveyard.” “We are taken out of the great graveyard of sin (in 1-10) and placed into the throne room of glory (11-22).” I will hopefully take you out of the graveyard in this lesson but you'll have to read the rest of the chapter to fully enter the throne room.

Ephesians istelf starts out with a sentence that is twelve verses long. Well today's lesson, according to some Greek scholars, also constitutes only just one sentence, somewhere between 7 and 10 verses long in this case and equally complicated. As a kid back in middle school, I actually loved to diagram sentences in English class, but I wouldn't touch this one with a ten-foot pole. The subject of the sentence, God, doesn't even appear until verse 4, and the main verbs don't show up until verses 5-6. Paul starts a thought and then interrupts himself for several verses before continuing, and there are dependent and parenthetical clauses, three prepositional phrases in a row, and multiple verbs. So we are going to have to take it in bite-size chunks.

Verse 1. This sentence begins with kai, usually translated “and”; In the Holman Standard Version it is translated “as for you.” The thought here isn't completed until v. 5 where we will see that “you” is going to become “we” and “us.”

Warren Wiersbe notes, “The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He doesn't need resuscitation; he needs resurrection.”

“In your transgressions and sins” could also be translated as “because of” or “by your.”

What is the difference between transgressions and sins? Whatever your answer is, there is probably a biblical expert somewhere out there who will agree with you.

            Transgressions                             Sins

            an evil disposition                      concrete deeds          (St. Augustine)

sins of omission                         sins of commission   (E. K. Simpson)

willful crossing of a boundary  missing the mark       (Explore the Bible)

            synonyms for conscious and deliberate actions           (Harold Hoehner)

But if they mean the same thing, why bother listing them both? That is why I like Markus Barth's

 position: He calls it a hendiadys meaning “sinful transgressions.” A hendiadys is a Greek term meaning

 “one by way of two.” An English example would be the expression “good and mad,” meaning “very 

mad.”

Verse 2. Now things begin to get a bit complicated, and there are a number of words here which need further definition.

“Ways” (aion = age) – there was a Greek god named Aion so some feel the word should be written in capital letters to represent a false god.

“Age” has also been translated as lifestyle, practice, principle, or just “era” – the time we live in.

“World” (kosmos) is a reference to the world system which opposes God. In other words, the unregenerate fit in quite well with the current world standards, being only concerned with day-to-day affairs.

“Spirit at work” may be (a) the same as the world-age, (b) another name for Satan, or (c) the poisonous spiritual atmosphere breathed in by mankind. (M. Barth) The wording here reminds me of I John 4:1-3, which talks about the spirit of the antichrist now at work in the world, and John defines that spirit as the denial that Jesus came from God. And that spirit certainly is alive and well today.

Then we get to that difficult combination of three prepositional phrases. The standards of the unredeemed are also in accord with, or under the control of, “the ruler of the kingdom of the air,” referring of course to Satan. “Kingdom” is more commonly translated as “power(s)” or “realm.” The major question is: what about the “air”?

Some take the word “air” literally to refer to the atmosphere, which was popularly felt to be the region between the earth and the moon. The idea was common to the Greeks of Paul's day that the air was the special realm of demonic activity. It was also part of Jewish teachings found outside the Bible (Philo, The Similitudes of Enoch 31 and The Ascension of Isaiah 11:23), but that idea doesn't appear elsewhere in the Bible. This literal interpretation has given rise to all sorts of speculation.

Billy Graham wrote in his book Angels that one of the functions of angels is to escort our souls up to heaven when we die in order to protect us while we are passing through earth's dangerous atmosphere where Satan and the demons live. He came up with this idea by coupling together a comment in Jesus' parable about Lazarus and the Rich Man with this verse in Ephesians.

A variation on this belief has been around at least since the Middle Ages. Do you know where the idea originated of saying “God bless you” when a person sneezes? One version of the story is that it came from the idea that your soul momentarily leaves your body when you sneeze. If someone says “God bless you,” that prevents the demons in the air from snatching your soul away before it has a chance to get back in. Several atheist sites on the internet have had a field day with that belief.

I found an equally far-out application on the internet in which the anonymous author warns us that we can't trust any news reports transmitted by the airwaves since they are under Satan's control. That statement is a little ironic since the author is also using the airwaves to spread his own message.

Now, John mentions four times in his writings and Paul once (II Corinthians 4:4) that Satan is the ruler of the world (kosmos). As I said earlier, this word doesn't refer to the physical earth but indicates worldly systems, but in I Peter 5:8 Satan is pictured as roaming around the earth like a lion doing damage, and in Revelation 12 Satan is said to have been confined to the physical earth and sea, where he carries out his wrath. There is no mention of the atmosphere at all. So here in Ephesians, we are probably talking about a spiritual realm, not a physical one. That is certainly true if we consider, as many scholars do, that the “air” in this verse is equivalent to a phrase found only in Ephesians (1:3; 2:6; 3:10: 6:12), “in the heavenly places.” Some of these references indicate that this is where Christ dwells with his saints, and in other passages it is where the evil powers dwell. So it is hard to picture it as one particular physical location. Therefore it is probably referring to the spiritual realm instead.

In addition, “air” can be alternatively translated as mist or vapor, indicating something impermanent or untrustworthy. That would fit the description of Satan as the Father of Lies. Or “air” may defined as “a prevailing influence or surroundings” (E. K. Simpson) or “the current climate of opinion.” (F. F. Bruce)

Verse 3. Up to now, Paul has been addressing his audience as “you.” Now he talks about “we” and “us.” There have been two explanations for what this change means. He may be saying “we Jews” along with “you Gentiles.” Or more likely, Paul is personally identifying with his audience by saying “I Paul” as well as “you Ephesians.” In either case, he is clearly indicating that none of us is free from sin.

“Flesh” in this verse has a definitely negative connotation. It can be defined as our fallen nature, the natural inclinations of unredeemed mankind to oppose to God's will. It has two components: (1) desires: The Book of James says that outward sins arise from our wishes/desires. (2) second is the heart, translated here as “thoughts” since in Jewish thinking, the heart was the seat of one's will and reasoning, the inner person. That doesn't mean that the lost sinner is incapable of doing any good. Wiersbe explains that Paul is “simply saying that he is incapable of doing anything to merit salvation.”

It is not quite clear what the phrase “by nature” means. Marcus Barth gives four options: (a) in the natural order of things, (b) in reality, (c) voluntarily, or (d) determined by fate or some other force. He opts for the last meaning. By contrast, Hoehner (Ephesians) suggests three somewhat different interpretations: (a) source or origin, (b) a natural quality, or (c) the created world of nature, opting for the first meaning. But at least both authors agree that the phrase refers to some condition that we have no control over without outside help.

Verses 2b-3. This diagram summarizes these last two verses:

Sons of disobedience

    among whom also we

            walked in

                the lusts of the flesh

            doing the wishes of

                the flesh and thoughts

and were children of wrath

    as also the rest

Disobedience was Satan's downfall and unfortunately his spirit of rebellion is still active among mankind. Those who begin as sons of disobedience end up being children of wrath, which means that we are all “deserving of God's judicial condemnation.” Of course, that shouldn't be confused with man's wrath, which is more based on emotional anger.

Verses 1-3. The world, the flesh, and the devil are all found in these first three verses. This evil trio is in opposition to the Holy Trinity and also shows up in Christ's three temptations in the wilderness and in his parable of the sower and the seed.

Trespasses and sins = personal evil; course of the world = systematic evil; power of the air = cosmological evil. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 163)

“First, we did what everybody else did...”

“Second, we did what the devil wanted.”

“Third, we enjoyed it.” (Harold Hoehner)

Verse 1 started out: “And you,” but from this point on in the passage, the emphasis will be on God's actions, not those of sinful man. The Holman Standard translation of verse 4 is not the best because it doesn't reflect the word order in the original Greek, which starts out “But God.” “What a difference those two words make!” (Wiersbe) And Ralph Martin (New Bible Commentary: Revised) points out that the dark hopelessness of verses 1-3 “serves only as a backcloth to make the love and grace of God shine more brightly.” So let's leave the bad news and hear the good news.

Verse 4. That last important phrase will pop up again in a few more verses. But look at the underlined word “rich.” The word “riches” is prominent in Paul's writings only in Ephesians, thus the title of Wiersbe's commentary, Be Rich. Paul also writes in this letter of the riches of God's grace (1:7; 2:7), of God's glory (1:18; 3:16), and of Christ himself (3:8).

Verses 5-6. There are three rare verbs in these verses describing what God has done for us. “Made alive with” isn't found in secular Greek writings, and in the NT is found only in here and Colossians 2:13. Since it is in the past tense it refers, not to future resurrection, but the present spiritual life of the believer. Hoehner calls it “positional resurrection.” And secondly, as in baptism where we are buried with Christ and then made alive again, we are also raised with him to newness of life.

And lastly, we are actually right now seated with Christ where he is at the right hand of God, according to Ephesians 1:20. That verb is found only one other place in the NT (Luke 22:55). As Markus Barth says, “God is as present among his chosen...as he is in heaven...; it is the sphere formed by him who fills and determines it.” The thrones where we are seated with him “are to be understood as a metaphor denoting the privileges, honor, authority, and function given to the saints.” Why?

Verse 7. Only in “the coming ages” will God reveal the whole extent of his plan for the church. Barth says that the verb “show” is a metaphor, a judicial term meaning “to prove” or give evidence. “It is the nature of the church to exist not only for its own sake, but to reflect God's glory...This implies that everyone in the church who knows about God's kingship and goodness is a witness. Thus he cannot be silent without also being a liar.” (Barth) That is a rather deep thought, and it fits in well with this week's emphasis on evangelism.

The next verses expand on the previous mention in verse 5 of God's grace.

Verse 8. By placing grace before the verb, it is given an extra emphasis in the Greek. Most translations treat the verb tense as in the past (“have been saved”) but KJV, J.B. Phillips, AB and NEB say “you are saved.” Really, the whole past, present and future aspects of salvation are in mind.

Well, which are we saved by, grace or faith? It somewhat harkens back to the perennial question involving predestination and free will. This was basically the question posed by an associate pastor at a previous church I attended. He was giving a series of evening lectures on basic theology. We were in a large room filled with folding chairs, and it had one aisle running down the middle. There were about 100 people in attendance, including several members of our church who were full-time missionaries and some visitors from Campus Crusade who were friends of the associate pastor.

He asked us, “If you had to chose between the following two statements, which would you go with?: (a) My salvation is all up to God, or (b) My salvation is all up to me. He told us to all stand up and move to one side of the room if our answer was (a) and the other side if it was (b). Well, I started to pick up my folding chair and place it in the aisle, but he wouldn't allow that. What happened was rather interesting. 90% of the audience said it was ultimately up to God. And there is good biblical justification for that. In Isaiah 43:11, God says, “apart from me there is no savior.” What about the 10% who said it was our personal decision that was all important? Everyone of them was a full-time missionary. A strictly Calvinistic theology can be seen as a barrier to evangelistic efforts in some people's minds, but it doesn't necessarily have to be.

Harold Hoehner tries to resolve the issue by putting it this way: grace is the objective basis of salvation while faith is the subjective means. And keep in mind that in the Bible, faith itself is never considered to be a work and, by the way, neither is baptism, which is also said to save us.

“This (that) is not from yourself” What does the pronoun “this” refer back to? If Paul were writing in 

English, it would have to refer to the last noun mentioned – faith. That fits well with the Calvinistic idea

 that God chooses those He gives faith to and those He withholds it from. But the Greek language, like 

German, actually has three genders for nouns and pronouns – masculine, feminine and neuter – and the 

noun and its pronoun have to agree with one another in gender. The problem is, as almost all 

commentators will point out, the pronoun “this” is neuter in gender while faith and grace are feminine. 

So the pronoun must refer instead to the whole scheme, concept, process and experience of salvation. 

But to complicate matters further, Markus Barth notes that “faith” in this verse may actually refer to 

God's or Christ's faithfulness, rather than the faith of the believer.

Verse 10. We usually think that “works” is a dirty word for Paul, but here in verses 9 and 10 we 

actually have three types of works described. In verse 9 it was human effort that is useless or even 

damaging for salvation. But in verse 10 we encounter two positive types of works.

“Workmanship” = poiema, from which we get the word “poem.” We are God's poem.

Unfortunately, some of us don't rhyme as well as others.

“Adam was made in God's image by His physical workmanship, but this time it refers to the spiritual re-creation of God in the individual believer's life which makes him a New Creation.” ( Hoehner)

Verse 10b. Even Calvin stated, “It is faith alone that justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.” Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” So we are to do good works not to earn our salvation or to glorify ourselves, but to demonstrate the salvation we already have and glorify God.

Verse 10c. The Holman translation is particularly misleading in this verse. It doesn't say in the Greek that we are to do good works, but instead we are to walk in the good works which God will perform. We merely have to walk by faith as He carries them out.

Then there is the final phrase, which has been misunderstood by many Christians to mean that God has mapped out a specific plan for each of us before we are even born. But this verse more likely describes not specific individual works that he wants us to do but instead a general pattern of life for everyone who has been saved by God's grace.

Now perhaps because this long sentence we have been studying is so complicated grammatically, Paul repeats several key words and phrases so that you can't possibly miss the main point. The three things we sinners mistakenly “followed” in the past are balanced by the three-fold mention of the One we now follow, “Christ Jesus.” Similarly, our past situation is reflected in the repeated phrases “in which you/we once lived” (2x) and “you/we were dead in trespasses” (2x). But this past condition is totally reversed by the two-fold proclamation “by grace you have been saved.”

Let's conclude by going back to how this passage began. I was reminded of one of the admittedly rare occasions when I specifically witnessed to one of my fellow chemists at work. He was probably the most morally upright unbeliever I have ever met. And he got somewhat offended when I explained that all sinners are in need of salvation. He objected very sincerely, “But I'm not a sinner!” By that, I am sure he meant, “I'm not a criminal! I have never broken the law.”

I was recently re-reading an old short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this tale, a man is dozing in front of his fireplace when a traveling performer appears to him in a vision and begins to subject him to a magic lantern slide show in which the man is pictured as committing all sorts of horrible deeds. The man objects, as my friend did, that he never did any of those things in the pictures. But then his Conscience appears and gets him to admit that many times he did think of carrying out those very acts. Hawthorne concludes the story by saying something we should all keep in mind. I'll read it in closing.

“Man must not disclaim his brotherhood, even with the guiltiest, though his hand be clean, his heart has surely been polluted by the flitting phantoms of iniquity. He must feel, that, when he shall knock at the gate of Heaven, no semblance of an unspotted life can entitle him to entrance there. Penitence must kneel, and Mercy come from the footstool of the throne, or that golden gate will never open."

 

ISAIAH 58

Isaiah 40-66 have been labeled by some scholars as Second Isaiah. Whether or not they were written by another author, their overall tone appears to be different from the first part of the book. In this last part of Isaiah, chapters 40-48 appear to be exclusively centered around the works of God the Father. Then toward the end of that section, in Isaiah 48:6, God says: “From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.” Thus, it is possible that the new things include chapters 49-57 (which focus on the Suffering Messiah) and chapters 58-66 (which contain two of the three mentions of “Holy Spirit” in the whole Old Testament and approximately half of the references to God's spirit in Isaiah). Thus, the “new things” are nothing less than a revelation of the Trinity

The historical context this chapter addressed is either the early post-exile period (International Bible Commentary) or in anticipation of the return of the exiles (Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets). Note that there are no references to the temple or sacrifices.

Oswalt (Isaiah 40-66) entitles this chapter “Righteousness and Ritual” and notes that it is reminiscent of Isaiah 1:10-20 except that the earlier passage was followed by a threat if the people didn't obey while Isaiah 58 has a promise if they do obey.

“The disconnect between religious practice and ethics...comes to the fore...in Isaiah 58.” (Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophets, p. 730)

“Probably there is no better chapter on a call for social justice in the Bible than Isaiah 58. (Kaiser, Toward OT Ethics, p. 160)

Albright and Mann (Matthew) relate this passage to the Judgment scene in Matthew 25 where the sheep are separated from the goats on the basis of their treatment of the poor and disadvantaged.

This chapter sets “Israel's and Judah's political misfortunes in the context of their practices of social injustice.” (Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, p. 652)

“Proper ethical behavior does not match the humility avowed by the fast.” (DOTP, p. 520)

A retired pastor at our church once gave a sermon in which he quoted his old seminary professor saying, “If you consider yourself a conservative Christian then you must be liberal regarding social issues.

After the 2016 presidential election, a poll was conducted on white evangelicals asking why they voted for Donald Trump (85%). I had fully expected that the overwhelming issue would be that of abortion, with Supreme Court appointments a close second. And these are both important issues for Christians. However, the Supreme Court ranked fifth in importance and abortion came in at eleventh place. What were evangelicals most concerned about: in order they were terrorism, the economy, foreign policy and gun policy. In other words, the vote was driven primarily by fear and money.

verse 1 The prophet's words must command as much attention as the trumpet that announced the beginning of sacred festivals (International Bible Commentary) or as loud as God's voice at Mt. Sinai which struck fear in the people's hearts. (Wolf, Interpreting Isaiah)

verse 2 God's righteousness and justice should be matched by similar behavior in Israel. They seek Yahweh through religious procedures. Oswalt translates it “Me they seek (of all things)!” The phrase “doing your pleasure / business” also appears in verses 3,13 and 14.

“It is possible to be zealous for the form of God's ways while missing completely the truths that those forms are meant to convey.” (Oswalt)

“Christians who speak glowingly of the return of Christ might profit from thinking along these same lines. Are we really ready for his return?” (Oswalt)

verse 3 In the Old Testament, fasting was only a sign of sorrow. The one prescribed fast was on the Day of Atonement. (McKenzie, Second Isaiah) During the Exile the number of days set aside for fasting started increased (Zechariah 7:5). (Wolf) The sins of self-centeredness (3a) and oppression of laborers (3b) are mentioned here.

verses 3-4 “Repentance is not for the purpose of getting God to do anything; it is an expression of the conviction that my ways are wrong and God's ways are right, whether he does anything for me or not.” (Oswalt) The people complain to God that they have gone through the necessary motions. Why hasn't God blessed them.” (Oswalt) It is really not that different from “Name it-Claim it” Christianity.

verse 5 reads literally, “Like this will be a fast I will choose it?” meaning “Shall a fast that I choose be like this?” or “Is that what you call a fast?” (Oswalt) Matthew 6:16 may echo this verse.

Verses 6-12 describe what God desires instead. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery points out that there are several sets of four in this passage, which symbolically indicates universals of those items including those items not specifically mentioned:

Vv. 6-8 include four aspects of justice, four specific acts of compassion, and four consequent blessings.

Vv. 9-10 cite four blessings and four actions listed chiastically so that 1 and 4 are promises and 2 and 3 are comments.

verse 6 “Let the oppressed go free” is quoted in part by Jesus in Luke 4:21 along with 61:1-2. “Jesus saw himself not only as the herald of salvation from Isaiah 61:1-2, but also as the agent who would bring it about from Isaiah 58:6. (DOTP, p. 652)

“The bond of unrighteousness” in this verse refers to the bondage imposed on Israel from without. In Acts 8:23 the same phrase appears where it refers to Simon's internal wickedness.

verses 6-7 Communal fasting rituals are attacked “as merely external rituals and words without a true seeking of God reflected in repentance in behavior. (DOTP. p. 665) By contrast, true fasting is redefined as seeking social reform and “a firm ethical commitment to provide housing for the homeless.” (DOTP, p. 840)

verse 7 “Your flesh” may refer to their relatives or human beings in general. (Oswalt)  “The poor are mentioned almost 300 times in the Old Testament.” (Kaiser, Toward OT Ethics, p. 59)  Matthew 25:35-36 also alludes to the type of fast required by God. (OT/NT, p. 90)

verse 8 may refer to the growth of new skin over an infected wound. (Boda, Zechariah, p. 398)

This verse quotes Isaiah 52:15b. “Light and healing” may include the joy of salvation and prosperity. (Wolf)

verses 8-9a “Your righteousness” is parallel to “the glory of the Lord.” “It is as the Lord empowers the people in his gracious righteousness that they will be enabled to live righteous and holy lives in his presence.” (Oswalt)

This is the same glory of God that accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. (Wolf) In turn, the phrase “glory of God” in Revelation 21:11 probably derives from this verse.

verses 8-12 If the people repent, then they will obtain the blessings given in Isaiah 52:12.

verses 9b-12 express the principle found in Matthew 7:2. (New Bible Commentary)

“Rather than making ourselves hungry, we should alleviate hunger in others.” (Oswalt)

verse 9 The promise “then you shall call” looks back to the prayers of v. 3 (James 4:3, 8ff)

“Pointing the finger” was a sign of mockery and contempt, also found in Isaiah 57:4; 66:5; and Proverbs 6:13. We have a similar custom today.

verses 10b-12 Making the bones strong is in contrast to passages where terror makes the bones tremble and others where sorrow or guilt make the bones waste away. (Oswalt)

verse 11 The simile of the watered garden reappears in Jeremiah 31:12. This is in contrast to the “garden without water” in Isaiah 1:30. The exact meaning of the original Hebrew is difficult in places and has given rise to various translations.

verse 12 “God always gives us the dignity of being involved in putting back together what we have broken.” (Oswalt)

verses 13-14 When the subject turns to another ritual, the Sabbath, one would expect that God would condemn its observance as well as fasting, but instead He criticizes the people for ignoring it. The people were using the Sabbath for business and pleasure. (Wolf) In both cases, however, the people demonstrate the same heart issue: selfishness and ignoring God's authority. (Chisholm) There needs to be the proper balance between religious observances and a true heart attitude.

verse 13 Not “do you business, but doing your wishes” or “seeking your own pleasure” (Oswalt; DOTP, p. 101) “Dabber dabar” (excessive talk) may refer to conducting legal processes on the Sabbath. (McKenzie, Second Isaiah)

verse 14 “The mouth of the LORD has spoken” is found ten times in Isaiah. Riding “on the heights of the land” = possessing the Promised Land.

 

ISAIAH 65

"Far from ending in a general radiance, these chapters [65-66] unsparingly sharpen the contrast of light 

and darkness, and strip away all cover of privilege." (Kidner, New Bible Commentary)

 

Verses 1-2 These verses are quoted in Romans 10:20-21 with verse 1 related to the Gentiles. However, 

in the context of Isaiah, both verses probably referred to the Jews. (Wolf, Interpreting Isaiah) The 

Hebrew text (confirmed by the Daad Sea scrolls) agrees with Romans 10:20-21 in that v. 1 refers to 

the Gentiles and v. 2 to the Jews. However, most modern translations feel that both verses apply to the 

Jews. But according to Kidner, it is God's answer to the complaint of Isaiah 63:19, rather than an echo 

of 64:7. 

 

Verse 1 “God was answering before anyone was asking, and was revealing himself before anyone was 

looking.” (Oswalt, Isaiah 40-66)

 

Verse 2 If God seems further away than he used to be, which one of you has moved?

 

Verse 3 Altars were specified by God to be built out of stones. Sacrificing in the open air was a practice 

of fertility cults. The use of bricks means that perhaps they were worshiping the “queen of heaven” on 

the brick/tile roofs of houses as was a Babylonian custom. (Whybray, Isaiah 40-66) 

 

Verses 3-7 “The sins include brushing aside God's altars (3b, 7b), experimenting with neocromancy 

(4a), eating forbidden flesh (4b), and claiming to obtain a magical holiness from these practices (5a)” 

(Kidner) 

 

Verse 4 Sitting in tombs was probably in order to consult the dead (Wolf) Alternatively, it is felt that 

the people spent the night in rock-cut tombs as part of a way to venerate the dead. (Block, Ezekiel 

25-48, p. 585) In what way do we venerate the dead? Putting our Founding Fathers up on a pedestal. 

Only thinking of the reunion with our dead ancestors or pets in heaven rather than concentrating on the 

continuing presence of God that will be ours.

 

Verse 5 These are words addressed by a cultic priest to his followers. (Whybray) This expresses the 

idea that ritual holiness could be conveyed to a person by mere touch.

Their air of superiority was as irritating to God as smoke in one's nostrils.” (Wolf)

 

Verse 6 The heavenly book of sinful deeds is in contrast to the Lamb's Book of Life. 

 

Verse 7 There has been a continuity of sinful behavior passed down from father to son. This is 

something my wife has noted in going through genealogy records.

Israel was not interested enough to call on God's name.

 

Verses 8-12 Derek Kidner feels that “do not destroy” refers to the song titles found in Psalm 57-58, a 

song of the vintage. This relates to the spoiled vineyard of Isaiah (the idea of a remnant to be saved and 

a reference to the fact that first fruits are the property of God). Whybray disagrees and sees no 

reference to Psalms here.

These verses could be interpreted to teach that the whole nation will be preserved, at least for the 

present time, due to a believing remnant (Payne, International Bible Commentary). However Oswalt 

demonstrates that it only teaches that the good fruit will be separated from the bad. “Chosen ones” and 

“servants” both here and in v. 15 indicates that the saved remnant has responded appropriately in 

obedience. 

 

Verse 9 “Possessing mountains = possessing the whole land with its many mountains.

Verse 10-12 Achor had a tragic past and was an arid land (see Joshua 7:26 and Hosea 2:15), unlike 

Sharon. “Whatever the past may have been, God is able to revive, restore, and improve for those who 

have sought him.” (Oswalt) On the other hand, Sharon was famed for its fertility. In addition, Sharon 

was located to the west and Anchor to the east, thus representing the whole breadth of the land.

There is a pun on the word “destiny” in the Hebrew. Fortune (Gad) and Destiny (Meni) were gods 

worshipped only in Syria. See I Corinthians 10:21-22 for a possible allusion to these verses and verse 3.

 

Verses 13-16 Being given a new name also appears in Revelation 1-2. The opening rhythm of the 

poetry is typical of dirges or taunt-songs. (Kidner)

 

Verse 15 “The names of the wicked will be remembered only as they are used in curse formulas.” This 

would be oaths such as “May God kill you as he killed so-and-so.” (Chisholm, Handbook on the 

Prophets)

 

Verses 15-16 God will be called the God of Amen. This word means “truth,” indicating his faithfulness 

in fulfilling his promises. (McKenzie, Second Isaiah)

 

Verse 17 “Former things” is related to the “old order of things” in Revelation 21:4. 

 

Verses 17-25 are quite different in scope from the earlier verses in this chapter. But some feel that they 

abridge verses 6-9. The only newness described is in terms of the old, but with the absence of sorrows.

 This was in order “to kindle hope rather than feed curiosity.” (Kidner) This is a good lesson to us 

regarding our own insatiable curiosity regarding the Last Things.

Verses 17-18 The parallel structure between creating a new heaven and earth and creating a new 

Jerusalem may indicate the same thing or two different events with Jerusalem being only part of the 

New Creation. The same ambiguity is seen by comparing Revelation 21:1 with 21:2 and 21:9-22:5. 

(Beale, Revelation, p. 1109). One way to put the two concepts together is to picture an expansion of 

Jerusalem until it encompasses the whole universe.

 

65:17-19 parallels Revelation 21:1-3. Both indicate believers = New Jerusalem.

Verse 18 Joy and Gladness are tiles of the New Jerusalem and the New Israel, respectively. (McKenzie)

“Now” may indicate creating Jerusalem anew after the return of the exiles. However, it also presages the eventual eschatological New Creation.

Verse 19 For the absence of tears, see Revelation 7:7; 21:4.

Verses 21-23 People will have time to complete a project satisfactorily and then enjoy the fruit of it.

Verses 23b-24 “Offspring of the blessed” is in contrast to the “offspring of evil-doers” in Isaiah 1:4.

Verse 25 is very similar to Isaiah 11:6-7. Thus, “dust as serpent's food” may be the same as expressing the harmlessness of snakes in the new creation, which is found in Isaiah 11:8.

This phrase may alternatively be an allusion to Genesis 3:14 to express a continuing judgment on Satan.(Chisholm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II CORINTHIANS 12-13

Today's lesson is on II Corinthians 12-13. Or perhaps it should be called II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and/or X Corinthians 12-13 since many scholars feel it is a composite document put together by an editor from several of Paul's letters:

Anton Halmel: 3 letters divided into 9 segments

Walter Schmitals: a collection of 9 letters

J. S. Semler: 12:14-13:13 is a later addition and ch. 9 was addressed to Achaia.

Adolf Hausrath: chapters 10-13 were written before chs. 1-9

Rudolf Bultmann: 6:14-7:1 is not by Paul at all

Ralph Martin:     Letter A (now lost)

                            Letter B (I Corinthians)

                            Letter C (now lost)

                            Letter D (II Corinthians 1-9)

                            Letter E (II Corinthians 10-13)

All of these theories become unnecessary once you realize that the epistle has a very unified order to it,

arguing for a single author writing it on one occasion.

The Structure of II Corinthians

I. Introduction (1:1-7)

II. Conciliation (1:8-7:16)

III. Collection (8:1-9:15)

II'. Credentials (10:1-13:10)

I'. Conclusion (13:11-14)

And each of these five sections possesses its own internal order. For example:

Section II' (I Cor. 10:1-13:10)

The passage for today is found in Section II', which also possesses a literary symmetry:

The Structure of Section II'

A. Paul’s Coming Visit (10:1-18)

                    B. A Fool’s Speech (11:1-12:13)

1. Comparison with false apostles (11:1-21a)

2. Paul’s hardships (11:21b-33)

3. Paul’s vision (12:1-5a)

2'. Paul’s hardships (12:5b-10)

1'. Comparison with false apostles (12:11-13)

            A'. Paul’s coming visit (12:14-13:10)

Sections A and A' deal with the non-apostolic status of the “super apostles” at Corinth, those being “approved” (10:18; 13:7), and the Corinthians’ faith (10:15; 13:5).

The title for the center section B has been adopted for obvious reasons since “fool” or “foolishness” appear eight times here. Within II'B, the opening phrases of each sub-unit form a roughly symmetrical set:

1. “Bear with me in a little foolishness”

2. “Dare to boast...I am speaking as a fool”

3. “I must boast”

2'. “If I wish to boast, I shall not be a fool”

1'. “I have been a fool”

Paul boasts of his weakness in B1 (11:30) and B1' (12:9-10). Paul stops boasting at 12:11 and starts to defend his behavior.

As an inclusio (bookend) for this entire section, 13:10 repeats the thought of 10:1-2: Paul will be bold with the Corinthians only if forced to be so. Similar contrasts between Paul’s absence and presence (found at 10:1,10; 13:2,10) also serve to mark the bounds of Section II'.

II Corinthians 12:1-2 To counter super-apostles' claims of out-of-body experiences, Paul reluctantly offers his own experiences, but prefers to boast of his tribulations.

12:2” “14 years ago” is just before the start of Paul's first missionary journey. A possible literary explanation may be found in the other references to the number “three,” which appear in the last half of Section II' (at 12:8,14; 13:1).

In II Corinthians 12:2, Paul talks about a man visiting the “third heaven.” Is Paul taking about himself here or someone he knew? We don't know. And what or where is this third heaven? There is perhaps a similarity with John in Revelation 4:1-2 and Stephen in Acts 7:55-56.

One particular explanation found on the internet for the three heavens is that the 1st heaven is earth, 2^nd heaven is the atmosphere, and 3^rd heaven is outer space. These sources also explain that the 2^nd heaven is Satan's territory. By the way, that is probably where the custom arose of saying, “God bless you” when someone sneezes. The idea was that one's soul would temporarily leave one's body when sneezing and Satan could snatch it away if someone nearby didn't invoke God's name.

More reliable sources say that the atmosphere is the first heaven, outer space is the second heaven, and the third heaven is the spiritual realm in which God has His throne.

Just to complicate the picture further, by Christ's time, mystical Jews referred to the Seventh Heaven as the dwelling place of God with paradise as the 3^rd heaven in the series (The Testament of Levi, Similitudes of Enoch, Epistle of Barnabas, etc.).

II Corinthians 12:3-8 Paradise is name of the place where the glory of Eden is regained (Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7)

12:7: God sent Paul a thorn in the flesh via Satan. Do you perhaps have a problem with this? “Harass” is literally “punch.” Remember the example of Job. The “thorn” is most commonly interpreted as a reference to some form of serious physical infirmity that hindered his work. This is also the earliest known Christian interpretation, mentioned in the early third century in Tertullian's On Modesty, where it is understood as a reference to ear or head pain. One proposal is that Paul's ailment was a defect of sight, acute ophthalmia, possibly caused by the dazzling light at his conversion. This interpretation is partly based on Paul's reference to a weakness of the flesh in Galatians 4:13-14, for which the Galatians would have been willing to pluck out their eyes to give to him. It is also argued that this would account for Paul's large handwriting (Galatians 6:11), his failure to recognize the high priest in Acts 23:5, and his tendency to use an amanuensis (secretary). Other proposed ailments include epilepsy and malarial fever. The second of these is said to partially explain which cities Paul chose to evangelize – those at higher elevations.

Alternatively, the thorn has been seen as a physical impediment that made Paul the object of ridicule, without necessarily making him physically weak. Peter Marshall suggests a “social debilitating disease or disfigurement” that would undermine his visionary claims. Others propose a speech impediment, which might explain the Corinthian accusation that he was forceful in writing but unimpressive in person (2 Corinthians 10:9-11). Acts of Paul (second-century AD) describes him as, “A man of middling size, and his hair was scanty, and his legs were a little crooked, and his knees were far apart; he had large eyes, and his eyebrows met, and his nose was somewhat long.”

Other interpretations include:

1. The thorn describes the persecutions and unfortunate accidents that characterized Paul's life after his conversion to Christianity, as laid out in the preceding chapter 11 of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians.

2. Some Roman Catholic writers think that it denotes suggestions to impiety.

3. The early Reformers interpreted the expression as denoting temptation to unbelief.

4. Another view which has been maintained is that this "thorn" consisted in an infirmity of temperament, to which he occasionally gave way, and which interfered with his success (Acts 15:39; 23:2-5). If we consider the fact, “which the experience of God's saints in all ages has conclusively established, of the difficulty of subduing an infirmity of temper, as well as the pain, remorse, and humiliation such an infirmity is wont to cause to those who groan under it, we may be inclined to believe that not the least probable hypothesis concerning the 'thorn' or 'stake' in the flesh is that the loving heart of the apostle bewailed as his sorest trial the misfortune that, by impatience in word, he had often wounded those for whom he would willingly have given his life” (Elias, Second Corinthians, Introduction).

5. Paul's agony over Jewish rejection of the gospel

6. A reference to Paul's opponents

12:8: Three times he prayed to have it removed. Recall that Jesus prayed three times to have the cup pass from him.

II Corinthians 12:9-11 boasting in weakness.

12:9: That is my own problem when anyone occasionally praises me for my teaching. It doesn't help me overcome my naturally egotistic personality. I can accept positive comments by realizing more and more that any gifts I have are from God, not due to my own ability. “Dwell in” = “may tabernacle upon me” – just as the glory of God filled the tabernacle.

12:9-11: What Paul says about himself here is echoed in what he said earlier concerning the Corinthians themselves in I Corinthians 1:26-29: “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”

12:11: “Fool's speech” Paul is between a rock and a hard place. If he remains modest and downplays the importance of God's personal charge to him, no will listen to him. If he tries to defend himself, he will come across as boastful as his opponents at Corinth. Human nature hasn't changed over the years. A large number of people are attracted to preachers with forceful and charismatic personalities because they are so sure of themselves and so dogmatic in what they teach.

Some feel that “super-apostles” refers to the original Twelve, but much more likely it refers sarcastically to the false teachers at Corinth.

Billy Graham testimonials: many of them stress how humble he was, despite his fame and influence.

12:9-10 One of the rare quotes from Christ found outside the Gospels. The most exciting situation is

where you are in over your head and must rely on God—he takes over.

12:11 They should have been defending Paul. This is a lesson to every church. We shouldn't be bullied 

by anyone or any group in the congregation into supporting actions we don't believe in.

12:12 Note how Paul says “were performed” rather than “I performed.”

12:13-17 Distinguishing marks of a true apostle: he doesn't live off of the congregation, doesn't puff 

himself up, doesn't rely on unverifiable visions, and doesn't knock down true apostles.

12:16 “Crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery.” Paul was apparently accused of appropriating 

funds collected for the Jerusalem church. RSV, Phillips, NEB, TEV, Living Bible, and Jerusalem Bible, 

add “you say” or its equivalent to make it clear to people who do not understand sarcasm that Paul is 

not confessing to a wrong. I have noted that sometimes Christians have trouble understanding sarcasm 

and irony.

12:18 The “brother” was identified by early church fathers as Luke, who may or may not have been 

Titus' actual brother.

12:20 Eleven sins are listed, basically the same ones that prompted the writing of I Corinthians. This 

shows that they hadn't changed.

13:1 Quote from Deuteronomy 19:15. It may be referring to any charges brought against Paul. Another 

likely interpretation hinges on the Damascus Document in the Dead Sea scrolls. If only one person 

witnesses a transgression, but did it on three different occasions, and warned the party each time, then 

the demands of the law were satisfied (Quinn, Titus, p. 251).

13:3 The Corinthians demanded proof that Paul really was who he said he was. Signs of the 

“triumphant Christian life” are often mistakenly used as proof that a person is walking close to God.

Another tightrope Paul is walking – maintain humility in talking to the church but demonstrate God's 

power at the same time.

13:5 This verse does not support the idea that Christians should periodically submit themselves to self-

examination to determine whether they are really saved. The purpose of the verse is to use the 

undoubted salvation of the Corinthians as evidence of Paul's apostolic authority. The question in 5b is 

phrased such that the expected answer is “yes.” The phrase “unless you fail the test” is meant to be 

sarcastic.

Similar language is found in I Corinthians 11:28. Both refer to seeing if you are living out your faith, 

not whether you are truly saved at all.

The Greek word order indicates emphasis: “Yourselves examine (i.e., not me)”

13:9 When we are weak (no need to enforce authority), you are strong (self-disciplined). This is the 

only use in the NT of noun katartisin, which can be translated as restoration instead of perfection. The 

corresponding verb is used in Matthew 4:21 to refer to repairing fish nets.

 

13:11-14 In no other letter of Paul's does he close with a reference to the full Trinity. Fellowship of the 

Holy Spirit means the fellowship in the church that can only come about by the action of the Holy 

Spirit. This fits v. 11 – put things in order, agree with one another, live in peace.

Conclusion: You may be curious as to whether Paul was successful on his third visit to Corinth. 

Apparently so, since he wrote the Letter to the Romans from there and said, “with no further work for 

me to do here, I desire, as I have for many years, to come to you when I go to Spain.” (Romans 

15:23-24)

I CORINTHIANS 7 AND I CORINTHIANS 10-11: DECISION MAKING

 

Decision Making in I Corinthians 7 and 10-11

(taken from Garry Friesen, Decision Making and the Will of God, pp. 294, 386)

A wise decision is one which:

1. is good (in contrast to unprofitable) (7:1, 8, 26)

2. is better in its effects than other viable alternatives (7:9, 38)

3. best helps one keep God's commandments (7:19)

4. leads to peace (7:15)

5. causes the least trouble (7:28)

6. makes the best use of time (7:29)

7. frees one the most from worldly concerns (7:32-34)

8. benefits oneself (7:35)

9. promotes what is honorable (7:35)

10. leads to undistracted devotion to the Lord (7:35)

11. is necessary (7:36)

12. promotes personal happiness (7:40)

Questions to ask in making difficult decisions:

1. Is there anything inherently wrong (morally or legally) with this activity? (10:23)

2. Is it spiritually profitable? (10:23)

3. Does it edify others? (10:23-24, 33)

4. Is it something I can thank God for? (10:30)

5. Is it something that will glorify God? (10:31)

6. Is it worth imitating? (11:1)

7. Is it following Christ's example? (11:1)